Past lives flooded back into their minds. The ability to recall again felt like a soothing warmth, and for a moment, they could only stand and let the memories return to them. They were back in Aurra, home.
But then they realized that they were surrounded by men clad in gray uniforms, each armed with a vibrospear. But they weren't with the Guard—how could they pose a threat? The men should have lacked the ability to kill, and they had to have known that already.
"Give us your names!" one of them demanded.
"Your—your portal was open…" Garder stammered. "Were you not expecting visitors?"
"Are you with the Guard?" another asked.
"No. We were appointed by a member of the Guard, however," Jeryn explained. "A high-ranking one. Is there a problem?"
"What would be this appointee's name?"
"Rivia," Milla said.
Two of the forward officers looked at one another.
"They match the descriptions…" one whispered to the other.
"… Very well," he replied and removed his helmet. "You must be his group. We're glad that you've arrived before the Guard did. Operator—you can shut down the portal now. Thank God."
"Yes sir," one of the portal technicians replied.
It shrunk into space and disappeared. Garder took note of the high security—guards were everywhere, each with some obvious fear and anxiety. He then looked over to Simon, who was only staring ahead.
"Good…" the one who seemed to be in command of the group sighed. "Rivia contacted us earlier and told us about you."
"He contacted you? He'd have to have gotten into the administration building at City N to do that," Jeryn said.
"Yes. Well, if he's anything, he's resourceful. Please—follow me. Our City's administrator wanted to meet with you as soon as you arrived."
"Wait, they have someone else with them," a guard noticed Simon.
"Oh, yes—he's with us. Picked him up on the way," Milla explained.
"Okay. All right, then. The City and its operations are not in good condition at the moment, so please bear with us…"
"Sir, we were sent here to investigate. If Rivia contacted you, wouldn't he already know what was going on?"
"He does know. He did send you here to investigate, but only deeper into matters that he is already aware of. Now, you must be… Milla, Garder… Jeryn and Lechi, and…"
"S-Simon," he stuttered.
"Please, this way. And keep close."
"Don't we need temporary visas to visit Cities?" Milla wondered.
"Not here," he answered. "We don't have time for that kind of thing right now. Not like we get many visitors these days anyway."
The guard retracted his vibrospear and attached it to his side pack before opening the chamber doors. The group followed him throughout the halls, and eventually down an elegant foyer reminiscent of one found in a Victorian-style mansion. This wasn't just a portal facility—it was a large complex of some importance, likely a military structure, and quite busy.
Workers darted about like those in City N's military headquarters, but they were much more on edge. Outside was a dark night, the sound of rain hitting the glass and roof above. Lightning flashed occasionally.
"Were you hoping to stab some Guardsmen with those things if they came through instead?" Lechi asked as she looked at a holstered vibrospear.
"It's a defensive display," the officer replied. "We can't kill them, but we can still keep them pinned for a second and lock the place down."
"Simon, do you remember anything? Any past lives?" Garder whispered to him as they headed down the stairs.
"Um… I'm not sure… how do I find them?"
"You shouldn't have to try. They should just be there—like a photo album, right in front of you. You kind of meditate to open it."
"I do meditate sometimes… But I can't… I can't open it."
The twins looked at one another.
"A-are you sure that I can? Right away like that?"
"Everyone in Aurra can, right around the time they start keeping memories. By four, kids are as intelligent and knowledgeable as they were in any past life and can recall fully," Milla explained. "But if you can't do it…"
"What if it's just because I'm from… I don't know, Earth?"
"Our bodies are practically identical."
"He's a newsoul…" Garder explained simply.
"I-is that bad?"
"Of course not, Simon. You're young. You have the whole of two worlds to discover. It's just…" Milla breathed in, "We'll have a lot to explain to you. That wouldn't be a problem… except that your Earth life changes forever. You're always going to know what happens after death."
"I-I hadn't considered that… I mean, it's not something I thought about very often, but still…"
"People on Earth live very differently than we do simply because they can't remember Aurra. If anything, try to live a full, active life when you get back. Your time on Earth matters just as much as it does here…"
They had reached the front door. As the guard unlocked it, he pointed to several hanging umbrellas. Everyone grabbed one and opened it.
"Rainy season down here," he explained. "Miserable weather."
"Excuse me, but would there be time to eat before we see the administrator?" Milla asked. "I'm sure that we're all hungry for dinner."
"Of course. There are plenty of good restaurants nearby. I'll grab something for myself at the place of your choosing."
"Good. Thank you."
He opened the doors, and the sound of rain filled the halls. The group stepped out and looked at their surroundings.
City C was dense, gray, and filled with towers far taller than those found in N. Above were millions of lights and flying chariots, as carriages below worked to squeeze their way through the crowded streets.
C was also a large, multi-colored mass of a thousand cultures. French restaurants stood near Mexican and Chinese ones, each equally small in size and filled with customers. Just outside the military building, a mosque sat across from a church and a monastery, each overflowing with people.
"Religion still exists, huh?" Simon wondered aloud as they crossed the grounds, heading towards the streets ahead.
"Of course," Garder said. "Aurra changes a lot of beliefs. If not right away, then over time. But believers still believe. They know it's all a natural cycle—it happens to everyone. They know it's not hell, heaven, purgatory, or anything of that matter. And everyone's tolerant by nature here."
They passed a small group of monks on the way out before getting onto the main road. Garder continued his best attempt at explanations, while making sure that their escort wasn't listening in.
"In most Cities, there are one or two spots dedicated to worship of all kinds. Freedom of religion is a valued law, and many spend their time in Aurra studying all matter of philosophy or reflecting on their past lives."
"And how many of these Cities are there?"
"Twenty-six," Milla said. "I know you have a lot of questions, but let's sit down first."
"Yeah—sure," Simon said as he covered his camera equipment with his jacket to keep it from getting wet.
"Quite a City…" Garder murmured as he took it all in. "Ha, reminds of the Los Angeles from Blade Runner, actually."
"Hey, you're right," Simon agreed. "They get movies in Aurra?"
"No. It's just that it was one of the last movies I saw in my past life, so I remember it. No television, either. We have local radio, though. Something like telephones, but restricted. And plenty of books."
"Oh, man… no movies or television? How do you live?"
"We get by," Garder laughed. "Sometimes it's a good thing to take a break for a bit, or a few dozen decades. You're supposed to enjoy life and reflect on its meaning here—that sort of thing. Interact with new people. Not spend that life in front of a box full of Cathode ray tubes."
"How do you build those huge skyscrapers?"
"Synthesizers," Jeryn said. "We call them synthids. Everything in Aurra relies on power of the mind. We can use that power to form matter. We're not bound by Earth's limited resources here."
"Synthesizers, huh… Sounds like something out of Star Trek."
"Chinese okay?" Garder stopped in front of a busy restaurant.
"As long as it's something more than a ramen stand," Lechi replied.
"This will be fine," the guard said. "I'll eat out here. You all can go inside—just come get me when you're done."
"All right, see you," Garder said and led the rest of the group in.
They found a table in the corner of the packed restaurant and quickly claimed it before anyone else did. Simon and Jeryn sat on one side, while Lechi took her place in between the twins.
"How do I order?" Simon asked as he looked at the menu. "It's all just ingredients and drinks. No actual meals."
"Just tell them exactly what you want," Garder answered. "They'll make it for you in just a couple seconds."
"Wait, do you mean… fake food? Even the meat?"
"It's real. It's just… created. If you're a chef in this world, it means that you can synthesize food better than others can. But it will might taste better than on Earth, because all of the ingredients can be higher quality."
"Trust us," Milla added. "If there's any aspect of a heaven in Aurra, it's the food. You can get wine, made to taste from any year you want, with grapes from any part of Earth. Our synthesizers are that advanced."
"And how do you pay?"
"You don't. Food is free. You eat until you're full, then you leave."
"T-that's amazing!" Simon said with a smile. "Hey, I might just like this Aurra place."
"Mm… It's far from perfect. I should tell you why we're here. This City, C, is in trouble. It no longer accepts new transfers—that is, births, from people who had fulfilled their Earth lives."
"Has that ever happened before?"
"Not that we know."
The waitress arrived. Everyone except Simon went through their ingredients, cooking times, and requested spices at such a hurried pace that he couldn't make any of it out, and he found himself having to describe every detail slowly to make sure he wasn't getting it wrong.
"Newsoul," Garder said with a shrug to the waitress.
She understood and waited patiently for Simon to finish. Her notepad full of orders, she hurried off to the kitchen.
"So… what happens between the time you're on Earth, and when you come here? Anything?"
"You go to a place literally in between, called Hold. They judge you there, and after some time, you come to Aurra—you're reborn into a City, based on the life you just finished."
"So… you're, like, ranked? Given a score?"
"Yes. You can also, if you want to or have an attachment to a particular City, request one yourself—as long as it's under your rank, though you don't always get it and you'll just have to change locations when you're older. You go to Hold again when your Aurra life is finished, but you're not judged that time, and you just pass through."
"Okay, got it. What's Hold like?"
"Not much to say," Garder replied. "It's a white, mostly colorless world. Very plain, nihilistic. All things are supposedly equal there. Truth is, we can't recall most of the time spent in Hold. It's something of a non-life. We just have normal memories from it, and there isn't much to tell. You're eternal there, but there's nothing to do and the only thing you want is to get judged and go back to Aurra."
Bowls of steaming hot food arrived. Simon sniffed his lo-mein—and its smell easily triggered salivation. He grabbed his fork, resting alongside a pair of chopsticks, and dug in, finding the food surprisingly quite "real." He hesitated before trying the chicken, but found it equally satisfying.
"Lechi won't eat meat, even synthesized versions of it…" Garder said, looking at her bowl full of noodles and steamed vegetables.
"It's because I can't eat what I know was alive—even if it's an imitation," she said. "How would you like it if something that could talk to you chopped you up and put you in an oven?"
"I'd taste pretty gross, I'm sure."
"Wait—can Lechi talk to animals?" Simon questioned.
"Yes. She's an animalect. Everyone can practice alchemagi, but some of us… 'dabble' in other specialties. Anyway, back to getting judged… We have a karma system. Your past lives are looked at along with your recent one, and an average is calculated. You always have a chance for redemption from a bad life, and you always have a chance to screw it up again."
"So what City is at the top?"
"City A. Only one of us has been there." Garder looked at Milla.
"Yes… I was the Aurrian Queen once, long ago," she said.
"Wow. Royalty. I'm beginning to understand how this place works. So, if there's a City Z… what's that like?"
Jeryn coughed and replied, "It's more of a giant, maximum security prison. The closest thing to a hell. If you're born there, you don't leave."
"I'm guessing that's where the worst of Earth's criminals and world leaders go to, then…"
"Yes. It's more than a prison, though—they supposedly recondition you there. They try to cleanse your soul, so that hopefully, you won't be as corrupt in the next life. I… don't think any of us have paid a visit."
"Something like that can cross over?"
"Parts of us always cross over," Garder answered. "We all have deeply embedded personalities. They shift over the years, but we're typically more or less the same person in every life. The country we're born in and the people we meet always change us somewhat, but usually, one or two life times don't make you into someone else."
"What about gender? H-have you all been, um…" He trailed off.
Milla laughed just a bit. "Yes. We all have the chance of being born as the opposite sex than our previous full-life. I've been a guy about five times myself—out of twenty-three lives."
"Five-lifer here. Um, one without a Y chromosome," Garder added.
"Hum… no comment," Jeryn said. "Not something I talk about."
"Anything determine that?" Simon wondered.
Garder answered, "Chance. Or it could depend on some sort of balance of femininity versus masculinity. I'm mostly more of a hotshot, go-lucky guy, while Lechi is like a little girl in the purest sense and has always been born one. After about ten births or so, your personality is basically stapled to you. But honestly, gender isn't a big divider in Aurra."
"That's weird, but fascinating…" Simon replied. "Ha, wow. All of this really puts the universe into perspective. Okay. Say someone doesn't want to be on Aurra. What's keeping them from leaping off a building?"
"Everything. There aren't too many rules here, but there are some that are strictly enforced. And I mean it—they cannot be broken."
"How so?"
"There's a suppression device somewhere in City A. It keeps us from harming ourselves or others. You can go up to the edge of a building, yet won't find the strength to jump. Nor can someone push you. Newsouls try it sometimes, and all they get is odd looks. With your fear of death mostly gone, killing yourself to go back would be easy—but it'd disrupt the system. There'd be an influx of people in Hold, and the cycle could fall apart."
"But how's that work?"
"The mind is a powerful thing here. It takes on a stronger form, and we are more at one with our inner thoughts," Milla explained. "Almost like a physical being in a sense. The suppression device exudes a type of signal wave through the air, shutting down part of our conscience."
"Sounds like that could be easily abused."
"It could, but no new rules have been written for over a thousand years, and any possible change brought up in the Aurrian high court is usually extremely shunned and isn't moved forward. It's mostly a hard monarchal rule, but everyone still has a voice and is cared for."
"But human logic and reasoning is vast. Surely someone could find a way around some kind of mental restriction."
"Oh, sure—it happens, but rarely. There are accidents, after all. There's always unpredictability. But if it so happens that you're someone trying to get back to Earth and you somehow get killed, you'd be very lucky. You can't make someone walk into a room filled with poisonous gas, even if neither of you knew. Whoever was really in control would stop it. Can't swim? You won't go into the water. Have a body unfit for driving? Then you can't force yourself to drive a carriage and cause a wreck. Get it?"
"Yeah, sort of… What about this 'Guard?' Do they rule Aurra?"
"Less than they want to believe," Jeryn said. "Given permission, they can terminate a life. This makes them a physical authority. But people rarely get out of line, and while they rule with force and are usually entrenched in some manner of public troubles, any actual uprisings or conflicts are few."
"What about people sneaking out of their assigned Cities and such?"
"Aurra's atmosphere destroys organic matter," Milla answered. "So, our Cities are protected in bubbles formed by artificial suns. Depending on your status, you can get a visa to any City ranked under you, or that you have permission to live in. But travel is uncommon. It's not easy to cross the wastes, we don't trade as much as Earth, and few think it's worth it."
"Why is Aurra like that?"
"No one knows for sure. But it gets worse when there's strife on Earth. Human emotions filter through and take on physical form here. The more people on Earth are intolerable, fearful, or angry, the worse our atmosphere becomes. And right now… it's pretty bad."
"I still have so many questions, and I don't want to become a burden or something, but I do want to know one other thing… Family and friends. You can have a son that has had more lives than you on Earth, but he dies young and you live the rest of your life wanting to see him again. You get to Aurra, but he's in another City. He outranks you. What do you do?"
"That… is one of the biggest topics of debate." Milla took a breath. "How do we see loved ones again? The truth is that most of the time, we don't. But we can take in the knowledge that they're still alive and well, in one form or another. And it's entirely possible that you can visit him. Most people are happy even if they get to be reunited with someone just once.
"Keep this in mind—we can recall everything. It's very possible that eventually, somewhere, you'll meet a loved one again, even if it's in another life. If you really want to get in touch, you can request a seeker—someone trained to track down souls. Good ones are hard to find, but they are more advanced in the art than most trackers, who only do basic detective work."
"That sounds… a little depressing…"
"It can be for people." Milla finished her meal. "But we always make new friends and loved ones. We're very communal. We watch out for one another, and friends come easily. Most aren't reunited with someone but perhaps once or twice, if at all, but eventually, we feel okay about that. We see the never-ending circle of life as a thing of beauty, revel in the fact that no one is truly gone. We can spend our time here thinking about the life we had just lived, and sometimes, we'll go through with the effort of seeking out those we loved in a time and place before. We can suffer, yes, but we suffer together. A life is an amazing thing, and death is trivial in the end."
Simon looked at the pool of sauce in his empty bowl, reflecting on what he had heard. The universe now either made more, or less sense.
"Is that really all the questions you have for now?" Garder asked.
"Yeah… I'll tell you when I think of more."
"Maybe we'll show you how to do alchemagi later. That is, if you plan on hanging around with us for a bit."
"Um… sure. I mean, I'll eventually have to contact some people back on Earth, but I'd love to tag along with you guys for the time being."
"We'll have to send you home if things got dangerous," Jeryn said.
"Yeah, sure. I understand."
Garder stretched and stood from the table. "Anyway, we've kept our friend waiting. We'd better get back to him."
As the group wormed their way through the crowds to rejoin their escort, Simon realized that he did have one more question—plenty more, actually—but chose to hold them for later. As they prepared to leave the restaurant, Garder looked up and noticed something he hadn't before.
Every time the lightning flashed above, the silhouettes of a huge, lumbering object almost directly above appeared. After a few illuminations, he realized what he was looking at: the top portion of one of the smaller towers in the city—still as large as Earth's tallest—had been broken in half. The top of the tower now rested at a steep slant, leaning against another. All of the lights of each building below their damaged areas were still active, but the infrastructure above them was a darkened mass of sagging, twisted metal. A few deep groans erupted from the towers every few moments, and it seemed as if they could come crashing down if further provoked.
"Damn…" Garder mumbled. "What caused that?"
An older man with the smell of alcohol about him turned around on his bar stool and answered rather incoherently, "It's the demon. It attacks us. It destroys… Is full of hate…"
"Demon?" Simon wondered.
"Okay, old-timer," the escort said. "Go back to your drinks and leave us be, would you?"
"You are fools if you do not listen! You are outsiders—it is easy for these old eyes to tell. You should not have come here! You should have let us alone! The demon will devour you all!"
"Gramps, relax," Garder replied.
"Fools! Fools, I tell you!"
"Come on," the officer urged. "Let's get a move on. Leave him be."
"The demon will consume you! Leave this cursed place!" the old man's voice faded into the rain and sounds of the crowds.
"Sorry about that… A lot of us have been rather frightened after the last attack."
"Attack from what?" Jeryn asked.
"Under my pay grade to know. Whatever it is, it's big, and it never stays for long. We haven't repaired the damage from last time yet."
"How often does this thing attack you?" Milla continued.
"Not very often. We try not to provoke it anymore. It seems to do more damage when we panic or shoot at it. I'm not the guy to talk to, though. We're almost at the administration tower. I'm sure Pangs will tell you everything you need to know."
"And Pangs would be this City's leader?"
"Yes. He's also head of our science division. Anyway, this is it."
They stopped in front of the tallest building in the City, fully lit up and bustling for a stormy night. Everyone in the group could identify it—it was akin to a much larger Empire State Building, only covered in a metal shell. The six walked in through the lobby, and the escort got clearance to use the building's elevator from one of the foyer's armored bodyguards.
"Okay, he's already expecting you, so just take it up to the top floor—that'd be number two-sixty," the escort instructed as everyone dropped their umbrellas into a bin. "I'll be here if you need anything."
"Right, thank you for the help," Milla said before entering.
She typed in the floor number on the console, and the elevator shot up with a jolt. The twins took notice of Simon. Even now, despite being only inside a lift at the moment, he was taking in everything he saw.
"Do you really think it was a good idea to take him?" Garder asked Milla through telepathy. "And then we answered all of his questions, as well… You ever deal with this sort of thing when you were royalty?"
"No. I don't know, really. We probably need a ride back, so I didn't want to leave him in the desert. But he's smart. Maybe he could help."
"Yeah, I mean, he already helped us with the alchemagi earlier… Speaking of which, I wonder what his alignment is."
Simon turned to the twins and looked at them with a slight curiosity.
"You two look like you're concentrating on something."
"We're speaking telepathically," Garder explained.
"Whoa… you can do that, too?"
"Yes. If it's one-on-one—and as long as it's in a quiet place."
The elevator stopped with a ding, and they stepped out onto fancy marble flooring adorned with red carpets. Glass surrounded them on all sides, with the elevator hidden inside a pillar within the center of the room.
"Please, come forward," asked a scratchy, deep voice.
A heavily robed figure stood ahead of them, quietly gazing out of the window. They walked across the penthouse floor and stopped behind him. Outside, the night air was in a heavy fog, with Aurra's moon glowing in the distance. In the clouds below, lightning flashed across to the horizon. Out even further, dark mountains poked out from the endless storm clouds.
He turned to them. "I am Kyrel Pangs, Administrator of City C."
He was a middle-aged man who seemed to have aged quickly. His thinning gray hair and rings under his eyes suggested that he was troubled with sleepless nights, likely mired in what the City was keeping a secret.
"So… you're the people Rivia sent. You have traveled a long way."
"That's what the mission entailed, sir," Garder replied. "We were sent to investigate why you aren't accepting transfers anymore… But now I have a feeling that there's more than that going on here."
"I assume you're referring to the damage and rumors outside?"
"Yes…" Jeryn said. "Some kind of demon?"
"You could certainly call it that…"
"From what I know of City C, you've been performing bio-engineering experiments for quite some time."
"Yes, we have. Perhaps I should show you what we've discovered."
"And what about the transfers?"
"Related, and I will get to that. But first, you should know what we've been doing out here."
"Sir… we haven't been sent here to investigate, have we?"
"Huh?" Garder wondered. "What do you mean, Jeryn?"
"He's correct. Rivia already knows what's been going on here…" Pangs explained. "He didn't send you out here to investigate—he sent you on a mission. I'm only here to guide you to your next objective."
"A different mission entirely? Why would he keep that a secret?"
"I suppose his thinking was that you wouldn't have believed it otherwise. This way, I will give you the grand tour."
Without any further questions, they followed him back into the elevator and took it five floors below the top. When the doors opened, the team was greeted with bright, white lights filling up an almost completely colorless laboratory. They stepped out and looked around.
Workers wore long, sterile lab coats, and their faces were all equally expressionless. Most of them were taking care of animals—as was expected for a bio-research facility. But the visitors soon noticed something: almost all of the animals were babies.
Pangs guided them to a cage monitored by two workers. Inside were baby rabbits, hopping about and eating. It seemed unusual that the workers were taking notes and recording the mundane activity. In another cage, two cardinals fluttered around, stopping to look at their environment every time they landed on a perch. Lechi was enjoying the sight of all the animals—but she was beginning to notice another detail. Garder could tell.
"Sir, what are we looking at here?" he asked.
"Animals. Real, live animals."
"I—I don't understand…"
"They were born on Aurra. In this laboratory."
That was hardly an impressive feat; pets were a popular commodity to Aurrians, and breeders weren't uncommon in the least. None of these animals were particularly rare or otherwise exotic, either.
Pangs turned to the group, breathed in, and explained further, "These animals were born on Aurra," he emphasized. "In other words, they aren't transfers. They're new. The babies haven't gone through their version of Hold. They haven't lived Earth lives. Do you understand?"
"A-are… are you kidding?" Garder stuttered. "That's possible?"
"We made it possible."
"Sir…" Milla said, taken aback herself, "this is what you've been doing out here? What kind of… bizarre science is this? How?"
"It's not that bizarre, Milla. We merely found a way to birth animals without prior existence. These are all newsouls. We started with animals that transferred normally, but gave their young souls on Aurra. And they are still fully part of the circle. When they die here, they go to Earth."
"I don't quite get it…" Simon whispered to Garder.
Garder, fixated on what he was seeing, replied robotically. "Animals aren't in the same loop as us. When they die, they come into existence here as they were. They can be born—transferred, as well, but under controlled circumstances, like breeding… We don't materialize; we have to be reborn."
"Oh. I get it. They've made life… that starts on Aurra?"
"Apparently. But how, I don't know."
"Sir, how did you… do such a thing? And how can you be sure they're all new?" Jeryn wondered.
"We found out how to sever the link between Aurra and Earth. What you're seeing doesn't have to do with animals—it has to do with experimenting on the fabric that binds the worlds. The animals being born here are example of that. We needed some way of making sure it was still possible—that they'd live and be just as real as they would be normally."
"Then is this project the cause behind the transfers stopping?"
"No. In fact, we began this experiment to find a solution to the problem. It started a year ago. Every single baby from our surrogates was effectively stillborn. We tried locking in their transfers, only to have our injectors malfunction. The same went for non-surrogate births, as well. It was… horrible, and remains a problem. Without a spirit, babies fade away after a few days, and their transfer bounces back to Hold. So, we closed C."
"God, that's terrible," Milla said, her hand over her heart.
"We think that our link to Hold was somehow damaged here, but how that would be possible, we don't know. The only thing we've been able to do is start our studies on Aurra's connections to Earth and Hold. And while we've discovered… certain things, we haven't solved our crisis.
"Oh, I should mention—this floor is the only place in the City where animals can be born like this. This laboratory, our absolute most advanced, is surrounded by a barrier of peculiar energy a former researcher created. It completely cuts it off from transfers, only allowing newsouls in."
"They're not suffering…" Lechi said, observing a pair of rats in their cage. "I thought they might be, since this isn't natural… but they're happy."
"Is she an animalect?" Pangs asked.
"Yes," Milla said.
"Excellent. Rivia knew we were in need of one—just to see how the animals were feeling themselves. Her name is Lechi, correct?"
"Yeah," Garder replied. "I'm sure she'll be willing to help out."
"Lechi, I've some animals I'd like to show you," Pangs asked politely.
"What kind?"
"Dogs. They're the most intelligent animal we have in our building right now, so I'd wager that they'd have the most to say. They're also among the first born here—our oldest speci… Er, pets."
"Oh, yes—I'd love to speak with them."
"Please, follow me, then."
They kept with him deeper into the lab, past all degree of creatures. Lechi turned to the twins and spoke up.
"I don't know what to think. When I first heard what they were doing here, I was a little shocked. I mean, it just didn't sound right—completely unnatural. But the animals look fine. They say that they can remember past lives in Aurra—at least a little bit. More than any Earth human could hope to. But I sense something… pure in all of them."
"It's weird more than anything," Garder replied. "Not necessarily wrong, maybe, but strange… I wonder what this research could turn into."
"Here we are…" Pangs said with a cough. "The dogs."
Lechi hurried up to the glass box, filled with yapping, playful canines. Most were a golden color, and each had a curled tail.
"We have more, in a different part of the lab," he added.
"What are they? They look kind of like Shiba Inu…" Lechi said. "I had a few of those during a past life."
"These particular dogs are Finnish Spitz… Spitzes? Anyway, they're four months old. Our research has progressed greatly since they arrived."
"And they're really living their first half-life in Aurra?" Garder asked.
"Yes, exactly. One of you, tell me—what do most say is the greatest question on any Aurrian man's mind? What would that be?"
"The chicken or the egg equation," Jeryn replied as he lowered his goggles and observed the pups. "Was the first true man an Earthen or an Aurrian? When did we realize what we were and gain self understanding?"
"We consider our Earth lives our first half. But what if it were actually once the other way around? We've long accepted the way things are, but on Aurra, people are now starting to question things. Finally. We're just a small part of those asking, but what we're doing is for another cause. We need to repair the link to City C… or we'll soon have a disaster on our hands. And if the link has been severed for people, could it be weakening elsewhere?"
"The link you speak of—what form does it take?" Simon wondered.
They all turned to him. The group hadn't expected him to ask a question, but they also hadn't considered the question itself. Simon seemed to be able to understand Aurra faster than most newsouls who came to it—and then had to go through a special school, just once, to learn about it.
"We still don't know. Most people consider our worlds to exist on different frequencies, like that of radio waves. They're always there, sharing space and time. But matter from both worlds hides, in some way, behind one another. When we die, we take on a form light enough to shift between those worlds. The link itself maybe takes on no form. But then, Hold also has a purpose. Why we, and animals, go there first is too a mystery."
"Is this the extent of your research?" Jeryn questioned.
"No… far from it."
"This demon, then. Did you… make it?"
Pangs coughed and sighed. "Hm. Perhaps it'd be best to retire for the night. The demon is another issue entirely, and one to best explain to fresh minds. I have an apartment suite set aside for you in this tower. We can continue with more… delicate matters in the morning."
"Are you sure, sir? It seems like we have little time to waste."
"Yes, yes. Rest for now. You may need your strength tomorrow."
"Well… it has been a long day." Simon said with a yawn. "We had to fly from Algiers down to the desert today."
Pangs smiled. "Yes. It is indeed a challenge just to visit C these days. Coming here is no easy task. You five deserve a rest."
"Well, if you say so…" Garder said. "What about Lechi, though? Didn't you want her to help you?"
"She has some already. And there will be another time, I'm sure. We'll likely be seeing each other for a while yet."
"Um, Mr. Pangs, sir…" Lechi spoke up. "I've kind of taken a liking to this one puppy. I think he likes me, too."
"Oh, Lechi, please don't ask to—" Garder started.
Pangs looked at the young dog and chuckled. "If you'd like to have him, he could use a good owner. Is that the one you want, though? We have beagles and several collies and terriers elsewhere."
"I like this doggy. Can I really have him?"
"Can you take good care of him, then?"
"Of course! Um, Milla… is it okay with you?"
"I don't see why not. I wouldn't mind having a dog tag along."
"What about you, Jeryn?"
"Lechi, you should have an animal to speak to and work with. As far as I'm concerned, a dog would make a fine addition to our team."
"Oh, thank you! I'll take good care of him—I promise."
"Hey—aren't you going to ask my opinion?" Garder grumbled.
"Hmm… nope. I don't think it's that important."
Garder muttered something under his breath, slumped against the wall, and then said more audibly, "The mutt better not be a licker."
Pangs reached in and carefully took out the Finnish Spitz pup with two hands. He handed the dog to Lechi, who barely had a grip at first, but managed to balance herself. The dog was jubilant enough to lick her face several times. Garder looked even more agitated by the addition.
"He'll be fully grown soon," Pangs said. "I'll find a bag of food for him, too… I hope you'll become good friends."
"Of course we will. Human and animal bonds become very—very tight when we can fully communicate. Look, Garder—isn't he cute?" Lechi lifted the dog to his face—which he licked twice, much to his disgust.
"Ugh," he moaned. "Just keep him locked up in your room tonight."
"Well, then…" Pangs coughed twice. "The key to your room." He handed Milla a steel card with punched holes. "It's on one-seventy, room letter F. I'll contact you in the morning and we'll have a full meeting. For now, get some rest and enjoy yourselves."
"Yes, sir. Thank you for the dog," Milla replied.
He nodded several times, and then went off to join the lab workers. Lechi lowered her new companion to the floor, and it trotted along with her back to the elevator instinctively.
"Don't like dogs?" Simon asked Garder.
He merely shrugged and replied, "I like dogs fine. But I don't really like the idea of Lechi using one to spy or play tricks on me or something."
"You sure you aren't just paranoid?"
Garder yawned and chuckled a bit. "I guess she would've gotten an animal of some kind eventually. It could be worse. Could be something smaller, cuter, smellier… I guess I'll get used to it."
"Hey, before we all go to sleep, I kind of wanted to know more about this alchemagi thing everyone does here."
"I figured you would. Yeah… sure, I'll tell you about it. Maybe we can find out your alignment, too."
"Could I really do those amazing things you guys did on the cliff?"
"You should be able to at least do the basics, even as an Earthen."
"Wow…" he murmured back and looked at his hands. "It's like there's some fantasy character with magic powers in all of us."
Garder gave the notion a laugh as they entered the elevator, Lechi's dog close to her side. They then took it down to their apartment for the night, in perhaps the most mysterious place on Aurra.