Chapter 34 – Peas in a Pod

Arches of deadly energy flashed between the four titanic towers. From within this maelstrom, a young Shiza-haran emerged. It noticed something foreign inside of its body right away. It was oval shaped and flat. On it, were strange markings that were familiar yet strange at the same time. The Shiza-haran wondered what the strange device was.

“That is your control module. Through it, we can communicate with you.” A disembodied mental voice sounded within the Shiza-haran’s mind.

“Who are you?” Asked the Shiza-haran.

“We are your masters. We are Pracetorians.” The voice was stern and had a tone that brooked no argument.

“Who am I?”

“You are a Shiza-haran. A space flyer. You were created for the purpose of aiding us in our war against our enemies, the Valeans.”

The young Shiza-haran mulled this over and then it realized that it didn’t really care about the war. There seemed to be only one imperative on its simple mind. “What is your command?”

“For now, join your brethren out in space. Await our orders by the second moon.”

The Shiza-haran flew away from the gigantic towers and up into the atmosphere of the planet. It felt the pull of gravity but it simply exerted more power in order to break free. In a matter of minutes, it was sailing through space. It sensed a large object and realized that it was this planet’s first moon. It cast out its senses and quickly found the second moon. It changed course and headed for the moon that its new masters had commanded it to visit.

When it reached the second moon, it found other beings that resembled itself in orbit around the moon. The only difference was that the other Shiza-harans were much larger in size and resembled small moons themselves.

“Welcome young one.”

“Welcome young one.”

“Welcome young one.”

There was a chorus of welcomes as the older Shiza-harans greeted the younger one.

“Thank you,” said the young Shiza-haran. “I do not know how to address you all.”

“What need do we have for addresses or names? Come, let us commune.”

Long tendrils extended from the larger Shiza-harans and reached out to a central point in space. Tentatively, the new arrival reached out with a tendril of its own. When it touched the others, it was immediately flooded with images and visions.

It quickly realized that this was the Communion. If freely shared its own memories – which were few – and partook in the memories of the others. One of the first things that the young Shiza-haran realized was that all the Shiza-harans had the same first memory of waking up between the four giant towers amidst a storm of energy.

The images and visions swirled around the young Shiza-harans mind. There were too many for the Shiza-haran to digest right away, so it shelved most of the memories for later perusal. One topic though, seemed to be a recurring one.

“Who are the Elders?” Asked the young Shiza-haran.

“They are beings worshipped by our masters. They are as close to the one true God as a mortal being can be.”

“One true God?”

“The Creator. The One.” The answer came in a chorus of voices.

“The Creator?

“The ancient being who gave up life to create the universe in a single explosion of creative energy.” Again, voices echoed through the young Shiza-haran’s mind. “The Ultimate.”

The young Shiza-haran was about to ask more questions, but the Communion was suddenly interrupted by a command that was directly given to it personally.

“You are commanded to travel to these coordinates.” An image of a place in space flashed through the Shiza-haran’s mind. “Destroy all the Valeans’ space defenses and launch an attack on the planet’s largest city on the largest continent. The city’s destruction will enable our invasion force to land with minimal casualties. Go!”

The Shiza-haran was disappointed that it could not continue the Communion but it could not ignore its orders. It retrieved its tendril from the Communion and left the orbit of the moon. A chorus of voices followed him as he prepared for his departure.

“Farewell young one.”

“Farewell young one.”

“The Creator is in all of us, young one.”

“May the Elders watch over you young one.”

The young Shiza-haran thanked the older Shiza-harans and opened a gate to the place that it had been ordered to go. It disappeared through the gate and a young boy emerged from the other side into bright sunshine. The little boy watched a black striped orange ball sail effortlessly into a round metal circle that was on top of a tall pole. The ball made a swish sound as it passed through the net that was hanging below the metal ring.

“Great shot Dad!” exclaimed the little boy. The word ‘Dad’ still seemed strange to the little boy, but he found that he liked saying it.

The little boy’s father shrugged as if it were no big deal, but on his face was a huge silly grin. “Thanks Michael. It took me a long time to learn how to shoot baskets though, and your mother can still beat me in a game of twenty-one.”

The garage door opened and a pretty woman came out dressed in tight fitting clothing. One hand was pushing a bicycle and the other was holding a helmet. “I’m going for a ride,” said the woman. “Anyone want to come with me?”

The little boy looked at the woman and felt that same trill of nervous affection he felt every time he saw his new mother. When he saw the bicycle though, he brightened up for a minute and then said in a subdued voice, “I don’t know how.”

The little boy felt his head being ruffled and then his father said in a jovial tone, “That’s ok Michael. You can ride behind me.”

The little boy watched with wide eyes as his father went into the garage and then came out with another bicycle and two helmets. There was a second seat with a high back installed on his father’s bicycle. His father handed him the smaller of the two helmets and said, “Here, try it on for size.”

The little boy took the helmet and rested it on his head. The sides felt a little tight, but not unbearable so. The straps though were way too long when he snapped the clips together.

His mother rested her bicycle on the ground and reached down and helped him to tighten the straps. Then, she straightened up and held his father’s bicycle steady as his father picked him up and put in into the rear seat and buckled him in.

His father mounted the bicycle as his mother shut the garage door before mounting her own bike. His father looked back and asked, “Ready?”

The little boy nodded and then they were off! Though the helmet felt uncomfortable, the little boy soon forgot about it as he felt the wind on his face. It was the most incredible feeling he had ever had! He closed his eyes and could almost imagine that he was flying effortlessly through the air. He opened his eyes and watched his father’s broad back and he suddenly wished that he could grow up to be just like him.

The little boy and his parents stopped by a beautiful pond and they dismounted. They rested under the shade of a large tree as they relaxed and enjoyed each other’s company. There were many people strolling, biking and jogging in the park, but the little boy didn’t pay any of them any attention. He was with the most important people in his life and he felt very happy.

“How did you like riding Michael?” asked his father.

The little smiled broadly and said, “I loved it! It felt like I was flying!”

His father chuckled and said, “You know, I happen to have a pilot’s license. Maybe one day, I can take you flying for real!”

The little boy let out a small gasp and exclaimed, “When I grow up, I want to be just like you!”

His father smiled and hugged the little boy. His mother pouted and said a little indignantly, “Hey, what about me?”

The little boy went over and hugged his mother and said quite seriously, “But you’re a girl Mom!”

His parents laughed and though the little boy wasn’t quite sure what they were laughing at, he joined in the laughter to, because laughing felt so good and he really enjoyed laughing.

His father tousled his hair and said, “You are a real gem Michael!”

The scene faded, and his parents became transparent. Over and over, the little boy kept hearing his name being called, “Michael, Michael, Michael…”

<<Michael!>>

What?...Big Bro? What happened?

<<We drifted again Michael.>>

I…I’m so confused Big Bro!

<<I am confused too.>>

My mother is back from the dead and May is back from China! And I’m supposed to be dead…I…What happened to me Big Bro?

<<I do not know. We must talk to your mother some more if we want some answers. Open you eyes Michael. It appears as if May has calmed the situation down somewhat.>>

I…ok…

Michael opened his eyes. He was still standing in the kitchen but his mother, Serena and May were all in the living room where the damage was not as great. There were also three strange girls that Michael did not recognize. They were standing a few feet away from where May was sitting. They all had identical stern faces and Michael had the distinct feeling that if he attempted any kind of threatening move against May, they would protect her with their lives.

Michael entered the living room and everyone looked at him. He felt somewhat self conscious but tried to push that feeling away.

“He’s back,” said Mary in a flat tone. “Serena, you mentioned that this happened before?”

Serena nodded and said, “Yes, it was when we heard that you and David had died. I think the shock of the news sent him into some kind of trance.”

Mary nodded her head as if this matched with something she already knew. “May, what did you feel while he was in this trance?”

May turned back to look at Mary and said, “Nothing. It was like he wasn’t even there.”

By now, Michael was feeling a little fed up at being discussed like a side of meat and he said, “Hello? I’m here! Stop talking about me as if I weren’t.”

Mary’s eyes flashed angrily and pointed a silver finger at him. “The only reason I haven’t blasted you to oblivion is because it would endanger Serena and May.”

“Well that and also because he’s actually much more powerful than you,” said May sardonically.

Mary snorted contemptuously and said, “He’s got all that power but he doesn’t know how to use it!”

Michael wasn’t the only one who was getting impatient. He felt a nudge in his mind and allowed Phoenix into the proverbial driver’s seat.

“Michael may not know how to use his powers completely, but rest assured, I do,” said Phoenix with just a hint of a threat in his voice.

Everyone in the living room looked at him in surprise. Mary looked sharply at May and said, “Well?”

May closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them. “A completely different set of emotions. The emotional signature is entirely different. It’s like he’s a different person now.”

Phoenix stepped forward and was surprised when one of the girls standing next to May jumped in front of her. He kept his distance and said, “May, what is going on here?”

May looked at him with an apologetic expression and said, “I’m sorry Phoenix, we had to be sure.”

“Sure of what?”

“I can’t tell you that yet. Please be a little more patient with me. Phoenix, I’ve tried scanning you for a spark in the past, but I never found one. However, I’ve learned a lot in China, and I would like to scan you again. Is that ok?”

Phoenix sighed and stepped back. “What do you need me to do?”

May stood up and approached him. She reached out with her hand and touched his chest. “I need you to let Michael back in control for a minute and then switch back. If I’m right, then what we’re about to discuss after my scan is probably done better with you than him.”

Phoenix nodded his head and closed his eyes. As he relinquished control he could feel his young protégé’s incredulity.

Michael opened his eyes and looked directly at May. “Well?” he demanded.

May simply shook her head and said, “I’m sorry Michael. We need Phoenix for this.”

Michael sighed deeply and shook his head. Just before he closed his eyes though, he noticed that it was getting dark outside the living room window. How long had he been lost in his memories?

Phoenix opened his eyes and watched impassively as May stepped back from him. “Did you find my spark this time?”

“Yes,” said May. “As I predicted it was kind of a silvery color. It matches the impressions I get when I touch the Shard on Mary’s hand.”

“Shard?”

May shook her head and said, “We’ll get to that later.” She gestured to the single seat couch and said, I think you had better sit down.” Without waiting for a response, May turned and headed back to her seat on the long couch and sat down.

Phoenix sat down and waited. “What else did you discover?” he asked.

May took a deep breath before saying, “You and Michael have two distinct emotional signatures. For all intents and purposes, you are two distinct people with different personalities. However, as you and Michael switched positions, your spark remained the same.”

“That does not surprise me,” said Phoenix. “Michael and I share the same body after all.”

May shook her head. “The spark goes a little deeper than just the physical body. Michael was human, hence he should have had a clear almost invisible spark. If you really were just sharing one body, your sparks would have switches positions too.”

Phoenix frowned. He didn’t like the implications of that last statement. “What are you trying to say?”

“Oh for goodness sakes!” exclaimed Mary. “Does she have to spell it out for you? You’re crazy!”

May hushed Mary with a hard look and said, “Ever hear of the term ‘two peas in a pod’?”

Phoenix shook his head.

“Ok, how about two sides of the same coin?”

Again, Phoenix shook his head.

Mary couldn’t contain her frustration anymore. “You have a friggin’ split personality you friggin’ crazy alien!”

“Split personality?” asked a completely confused Phoenix.

May laid a hand on Mary’s left arm and said as gently as she could, “Phoenix, have you had any strange memories resurface recently?”

“Yes, Michael and I had one just moments ago.”

“It wasn’t just moments, Phoenix. You and Michael were locked in a trance-like state for several hours.” May was about to say more when she suddenly jumped up, clapped a hand to her mouth and ran to the powder room. There was the sound of retching and then the toilet flushed. May came back into the living room looking a little pale.

“May, are you alright?” asked Serena with obvious concern.

May nodded sheepishly and said, “I’m fine. Remind me to ask you about your pregnancy. Mine doesn’t seem to be going that well.”

“You’re pregnant?!” exclaimed Serena with a joyful half shriek.

Before May could respond, Mary held up her hand and said, “Ladies, please! Serena, we can go over May’s pregnancy later. We still have a lot of ground to cover here first.”

May was looking carefully at Phoenix for any signs of reaction. When she didn’t see any, she said, “Um Phoenix, this doesn’t mean that I cheated on you or anything ok? The circumstances around my pregnancy were somewhat special.”

Phoenix looked back and then asked, “What does this mean?”

“It means that I still love you, and I hope that you love me too!” said May quickly.

“I know that,” said Phoenix. “I love you too. What is pregnancy?”

This simple question floored the three women sitting on the sofa. Even the other three women who were standing up seemed affected by it. As one, they raised a hand to their mouths to cover up a giggle.

“It means that she’s got a little baby growing inside of her,” growled Mary in an exasperated tone. “Can we move on? Now, ignore May’s earlier question. I already know the answer to it. Uncle Charlie told me that your memories would start to resurface, no matter how deep you buried them. What he didn’t tell me is how your memories got mixed in with Michael’s, and why you think you’re Michael.”

“Uncle Charlie?” asked Phoenix with a frown.

Mary waved her silver hand and said, “The Elder being who gave me a piece of himself.”

“Um Mary?” asked May tentatively. “I think it’s unfair to say that Phoenix thinks he’s Michael. Until we can get to the bottom of that part, I think it’s better if we keep referring to them as separate people.”

“Why?” snarled Mary. “I don’t care how many of Michael’s memories he has. That thing is not Michael!”

Phoenix tried to talk internally to Michael, but could not get a response. It seemed as if Michael had gone off into a dark corner somewhere to ponder over these accusations and revelations. As for himself, Phoenix wasn’t sure what to believe. Like Michael, he had begun to feel the shedding identity during the shared visions and memories. Sometimes he was a lost little boy, and sometimes he was a mindless drone killing millions of sentient beings. The mere thought of killing innocent people sickened Phoenix, and the memory of doing just that was almost more than he could bear. More than anything, he decided that he needed to get to the bottom of everything, and the first step was to find out what Mary Wellington knew.

The discussion between Mary and May was starting to become heated. Serena just sat hunched over and looked miserable. Phoenix raised a hand and said, “Please, I have some questions that need answering.”

Mary and May looked at him expectantly so Phoenix continued. “Mary, you obviously know more than what you have already said. Most of what you have said though is disorganized. I am not sure if I believe everything you say, but perhaps if you offered some proof? I know you have some, other than the physical proof of your hand. Even from here I get a sense of familiarity from it.”

Mary looked as if she wanted to lash out again and retort angrily, but held back her anger. “You want proof? I can’t give you physical proof but I’ll tell you the truth. And you know what? You don’t have to believe me either. I can take you to meet Uncle Charlie later on.”

“You can take me to the Elder?” asked Phoenix with a hopeful tone.

“Actually, it’ll be the other way around. I lack the power to open gates and I can’t create an environmental bubble for myself. I can show you where and we can go together.”

Phoenix nodded his agreement and Mary took a deep breath. “Ok, where do I start? Well for starters, I don’t know if you’ve already figured out, but you are not a bio-engineered being. As I said before, you are in fact an Elder being. Eons ago, the Elders were organic beings, just like the women in this room.”

Mary paused to watch for any reaction, but Phoenix decided that he would ignore the deliberate dig from that last comment. When she didn’t get the rise she had expected, Mary continued with her narration. “Somewhere along the way, the Elders became obsessed with the idea of the Creator, some sort of ultimate being that created the universe by blowing itself up. Through their research, they determined that this Creator must have been a being of sentient energy, that it made a conscious decision to create the universe, and that therefore, everything in the universe was once a part of this being.”

Mary glanced over at Serena and then at May and then said, “Yeah, pretty corny, eh? Sounds like practically every other religion in the world. Anyway, the Elders became convinced that if they only evolved far enough, they too would become like the Creator. It took millions upon millions of years, but eventually, some of their race evolved into a state of solid state energy. They believed that it was simply one step away from achieving their goal. The final step was to absorb so much energy, that their physical shell could not contain it anymore and then trigger a metamorphosis that would change them into a sentient energy form.”

Mary paused again and said sarcastically, “As a race, they believed that blowing themselves up was the ultimate in evolution.”

Phoenix frowned at that but said nothing. When Mary saw that she still didn’t get a reaction, she forged ahead. “Of course, they were never able to prove this concretely. They lost contact with any Elder who had voluntarily taken this final step. They didn’t lose hope though. Their explanation was simply that after shedding their physical shells, the sentient energy beings also lost all interest in the physical world and rejoined with the tapestry of the universe.

Somewhere along the way, the Elders rescued two alien races from interstellar disaster. Soon afterward, both the Valeans and the Pracetorians began to worship the Elders as gods. The Valeans tended to be more war-like and mystical and seemed quite happy to continue treating the Elders as gods, even though the Elders never asked for it. The Pracetorians however, were infused with a mighty curiosity and were obsessed with discovering the true nature of the Elders. At first, the Elders did not mind and shared their knowledge freely. The first step down this evolutionary path was the development of psionic gifts. The Valeans started developing these gifts soon after encountering the Elders. The Pracetorians, however, never did. After hundreds of years of research, they finally figured out why. The Pracetorians were at an evolutionary dead end. They would never develop psionic gifts and therefore, they would never be able to join the ranks of the Elders. The Pracetorians could not accept this. With furious intensity, they began to conduct experiments and research on other alien races. In their research, they discovered that with enough experimentation upon a previously unknown race, they would soon know everything about that race and could tailor their science towards taking control of that race. The Pracetorians became a race of puppet masters. They used their newfound skills to lash out at what they perceived to be their true enemy. They hated the Valeans for their ability to evolve and used their mind controlled alien races to attack Valean colonies.

At first, the Valeans counterattacked with equal intensity. Many of these newfound alien races were wiped out because of the Pracetorians’ manipulation. However, eventually, the Valeans discovered the true enemy and were horrified at what the Pracetorians had forced them to do. They couldn’t in good conscious attack the Pracetorians though, so they appealed to the Elders to reprimand the Pracetorians.

The Elders forced the Pracetorians to stop their genetic manipulations. The Pracetorians stopped experimenting on the more primitive races, but then turned their hatred towards the Elders. Under the pretext of learning more about the Elders, the Pracetorians began to use what they had learned about the Elders.”

Mary paused in her narration again. May gave her a glance and then turned to look at the three women standing by her side. One of them left the living room only to return after a couple of minutes with a tray and several glasses of water. Mary took one of the glasses and drank deeply. She gave May an appreciative smile and then said, “Serena told me about the day she first saw Michael in his alternate form.”

No one said anything about Mary’s slip at acknowledging Michael. “She said that Michael’s body was covered in soft looking scales and that Michael looked as if he had been tarred and feathered. That is actually what a young Elder looked like. It took an Elder thousands of years to develop the level of control over their bodies to fuse the solar cells together into a single smooth exterior. Though ancient by the standards of just about any other race, the young Elders suffered from the same impetuousness that kids everywhere seem to suffer from. The Pracetorians approached these young Elders and claimed that they had figured out a way to have the Elders skip this intermediary step and literally leap into their adult forms. Many of the young Elders jumped at this opportunity. The Pracetorians were right to an extent. They could help the Elders jump ahead, but during this process, they also implanted a device deep within the young Elders’ bodies that submerged their conscious mind and overlaid it with a new blank personality. In effect, the Pracetorians were now able to take control of this new personality. The new beings were called Shiza-harans and the Pracetorians kept their existence a secret until they had enough converted Elders to launch their attack. Working in concert, a group of Shiza-harans can overload an Elder’s power reservoir and force it into energy form and effectively take it out of the equation in the war. No one knows if forcing an Elder into energy forms kills it or not, but since an Elder who has taken that step no longer cares about the physical world, the effect is the same. The first surprise attack wiped out most of the existing non-converted Elders. The remaining Elders went into hiding and were eventually hunted down one at a time until only one remained. The Valeans rallied to this last Elder and swore to defend him unto death.

By this time, there were very few Shiza-harans left. Of those that remained, the Pracetorians ordered them to strategic locations and commanded them to create spatial gates so that the Pracetorians could jump across the galaxy and attack behind the battle lines. The really sick thing about the Pracetorians is that they rarely did their own fighting. Instead, they used the subject races that they had taken control of and used them like pawns. These subject races were totally under the Pracetorians’ control.”

May gasped as something finally clicked in her mind. “Just like Hydra!”

Mary nodded grimly. “Just like Hydra. The Shiza-harans were just another form of Hydra.”

Phoenix thought about all that Mary had to say. He may not have May’s ability to tell if someone was lying or not, but something inside of him told him that Mary believed everything that she had said. However, there were still some unanswered questions. “That explains a lot of things. However, that does not explain my current existence, or why you called me a crazy Elder. I had already come to my own conclusion that the Pracetorians were not the benign masters that I once thought they were, but I am not convinced that the Valeans are the misunderstood ‘good guys’ that you portray them to be.”

Mary shrugged her shoulders in an ‘I don’t care what you think’ kind of way. “I don’t care what you think,” she said. “Come with me to meet Uncle Charlie and you can hear it from the proverbial horse’s mouth. He also has the ability to scan all of your memories and unlock them once and for all.”

“You keep referring to this Elder as male,” said Phoenix inquisitively.

“The Elders had two genders,” said Mary. “Just like humans. However, after the enslaving process, the Pracetorians convinced the Shiza-harans that they were gender neutral.”

May suddenly snapped her fingers. “That’s why you were so confused about your gender when I first met you! You told me to call you big brother, but then later claimed that you had no gender!”

Mary arched an eyebrow and said, “Big brother and big sister were accurate translations of how the Elders addressed each other. They didn’t use names, so younger Elders were simply called ‘Young One’ and older Elders were called ‘Big Brother and Big Sister. I guess in mental communications, there are different ways of differentiating between individuals.”

“There is,” said May enthusiastically. “It’s not something that can be explained in words, but it’s kind of like an emotional signature.”

“The Shiza-haran society mirrored the Elder society in many ways. This was done purposely so that the mind control devices didn’t have to work so hard. Forms of speech, and mannerisms were kept. The only thing that was blanketed was the core personality.” Mary took another gulp of water and then leaned back into the couch.

Phoenix mulled this over and then said, “So, what you’re essentially saying is that not only do I have split personalities, I have not two, but actually three personalities. One of which is Michael, another is me, and the third is the true personality.”

“Who knows the mind of a crazy alien?” said Mary. “All I know is that your existence proves to me that Michael is dead, and that if he is dead, then you must have killed him and blanked out the memory somehow. It could be that you ARE the true personality after all. Maybe Uncle Charlie can help you sort that out.

Phoenix made up his mind and stood up. “I must meet this Elder. When can we leave?”

Mary jumped up too and exclaimed, “Whoa, hold your horses bud! What do you think is going to happen if you opened a gate here in this house? Everything and everyone here would be sucked into space and die a horrible death!”

Phoenix inclined his head and said, “My apologies Mary. How do we proceed?”

“First, you have to learn how to create an environmental bubble so that I don’t die when we get to space.” Mary turned to look at Serena. “Serena, you should go upstairs and get some rest. Give Ted a shout too so that he doesn’t get worried about you.”

Serena got up from the couch, gave Phoenix a wan smile and said, “For what it’s worth, I think of you and Michael as two different people. Michael, if you can hear me, I’m sorry for what happened earlier. Go with Mary and find out the truth and then come back, ok? If you don’t, I’m going to really miss my little brother.” Without another word, Serena went upstairs while crying silent tears.

Mary watched her go and then looked at May. “May, thanks for you help here. I think I’ve got my anger under control now. As long as it’s Phoenix who is in control and not the other personality, I think I can handle it from here on in. You can head home now.”

May smiled sadly and said, “I don’t think I’m going to head home just yet. I was about to get ready to visit Tracy when Serena called. I think I’ll pay her a visit now. She must be wondering where the hell I am.”

“May?” asked Phoenix tentatively. “About Tracy…”

“I know Phoenix. I know. I have certain advantages, remember?” said May sadly.

“So you know all about –“

“I know more than you do,” said May enigmatically. She gestured to the three women that had accompanied her, and as one they all trouped out of the house.

Mary and Phoenix shared a look and then Mary said, “Well, alone at last! Help me clean up this house first. While we’re at it, I’ll go over what you need to do to ensure my safety.” She gave Phoenix a hard look and said, “You know, I’m putting my life your hands, and the only reason I’m doing it is because May trusts and loves you.”

“And I hope you understand that the only reason I trust you is because May does.” Phoenix called up the image of his alternate form and applied his power to the image.

There was a shredding sound and a flash of light. Mary looked him up and down and said, “Well, looks like the first thing we have to clean up is one set of ripped and torn clothes!”

Phoenix glanced down and sent a mental message into Mary’s mind, “Oops.”

---

Phoenix and Mary Wellington emerged from the spatial gate amidst a vast fleet of space ships. While keeping a tight leash on Mary’s environmental bubble, Phoenix released his hold on the spatial gate and it closed.

“You did not tell me that this area would be filled with ships.” Said Phoenix with a disapproving tone.

In her bubble, Mary formed a message in her head that she knew could be heard by Phoenix. “Hey, I didn’t know they would be here ok? Last time I was here, this area was still pretty empty!”

“It was just blind luck that I did not open a gate to the inside of a ship and inadvertently kill everyone on board.”

“Maybe it was luck, or maybe someone was planning this far in advance,” replied Mary. “Look over there!” Mary pointed a finger straight up.

Phoenix followed Mary’s finger and reoriented himself and Mary so that they were facing the oncoming sting ships. Behind the squadron of sting ships was a vast warship of a design that seemed both strange and familiar to Phoenix.

“What is that ship?” asked Phoenix.

“I’m not sure, but I think it’s a battle-cruiser.” Mary squinted in an unconscious attempt to try to see the ship. “Val-yior, the Valean who saved my life, told me that the battle-cruisers are a special class of capital ship. They are specifically designed to hunt and free Shiza-harans. Don’t worry, I don’t think its here to free you.”

“I can sense that the ship is armed entirely with energy weapons. It is more than sufficient to overload my reserves and ‘free’ me as you said. However, none of the weapons are currently primed.”

Mary glanced at Phoenix in surprise and said, “You have a pretty level head for a crazy alien. I thought that you would be getting ready to duke it out with that ship right about now.”

“I have a memory of fighting against a ship of that type, just before I met your son. I do not relish a repeat battle and I cannot guarantee your safety if I did engage it.” Phoenix suppressed the fear he felt as he watched the oncoming battle-cruiser. He could distinctly remember fighting a battle against a ship of that type just before the string of events that led to him meeting his young protégé. The battle had been short and intense due to his unstable mental condition at the time. The last of his Shiza-haran brothers had died (or was it freed?) and the knowledge that he was alone had almost driven him mad. Or did it? Phoenix shook his head in a very human gesture. His memories around that time were so hazy now! Not only that, the time between his death and the time of his awakening inside of Michael’s mind was a complete blank. What had happened in that time? How had he merged with Michael? Did he in fact merge with Michael or had he killed the unfortunate human boy somehow? Only one being could help him unlock the past now. Phoenix felt an urgent desire to meet the Elder known as Uncle Charlie.

The battle-cruiser loomed closer and an invisible tractor beam grabbed hold of Phoenix and Mary. The tractor beam pulled the two towards an airlock door that slid open as they approached. Phoenix and Mary passed through the opening and the door slid shut behind them. As Phoenix passed the opening, he felt a shimmering field of energy and realized that the atmosphere of the ship was held in place by an invisible force field while the airlock door was open. He could tell that the interior of the ship had normal environmental conditions so he let the bubble around Mary to dissolve.

Phoenix and Mary came to a stop several feet in front of a party of Valeans. There were about twenty armed Valeans in the group and at the head was a Valean that Mary apparently recognized.

“Val-yior!” exclaimed Mary as she rushed forward to greet her friend. “It’s so good to see you again Val-yior!” said Mary enthusiastically.

“Good to see you too Hand of God,” said Val-yior in stilted and accented English.

“Hey, I’ve told you many times not to call me that!” Mary turned to Phoenix and explained, “This is Val-yior. He was the leader of the strike group that destroyed a Hydra research lab and rescued me. He brought me back to Earth. When I discovered the enormity of the Hydra project, I sent him back here to get more help. Val-yior, this is the Elder being that Uncle Charlie asked me to find.”

Val-yior came to attention and then bowed now. “Greetings Elder. You honor us with your presence.”

Phoenix returned the bow with a deep inclination of his head. “Thank you Val-yior. I am glad to meet you and I am especially glad that you did not shoot at me.”

Val-yior gave Mary an inquisitive look and Mary said, “His memories are somewhat fragmented. Until recently, he still thought that the Pracetorians were his masters and that he was still at war with your people.”

Val-yior nodded his understanding. “A freed Shiza-haran in physical form. There has never been one before.” Val-yior turned around and the grayish lizard-like skin on his face creased in concentration for a moment. Then he turned back to face his guests. “Uncle Charlie is expecting you. When you have refreshed yourselves, you can meet him.”

Mary chuckled and asked, “Hey, since when have you taken to calling him Uncle Charlie? In the past, it was always ‘our god’ this and ‘our god’ that.”

Val-yior shrugged his shoulders and said, “He liked the appellation that you gave him so much that he commanded us to adopt it.”

Another Valean suddenly stepped up. He was pushing a large blocky machine that was on a trolley of some sort. Val-yior gestured with his hand and said, “I have prepared a power recharge for both of you. Please feel free to top up your reserves.”

Mary let out a grateful sigh and said, “Thank goodness! Val, you don’t know what this means to me. This Shard sucks up so much power that it’s hard to keep it fed all the time.” She approached the machine and a panel opened to reveal a black touch pad. She touched her silver hand on the pad and then sighed with contentment. “Ahhh, that’s like the first time I’ve been without icy pain in the last year or so!” After several minutes, she pulled her hand away and held her hand at eye level and said, “That’s it you greedy pig! Finally full, eh?”

When Mary stepped away from the machine, Phoenix stepped up to it. He touched his hand to the touchpad in the same way that Mary had and was immediately rewarded with a warm influx of energy. This energy was totally different than what he was used to. For one thing, the energy flow was faster than electricity but not as potentially deadly. It also filled him way past what he had always thought was his energy threshold. He realized that his body had been almost empty most of the time, and now, finally for the first time since his association with his young protégé, his power reserves were full.

Val-yior must have sensed his reaction and said, “The Pracetorians did not want the Shiza-harans to be too powerful, in case they ever slipped from their control. They programmed the Shiza-harans to think that they were weaker than they actually were.”

“Thank you Val-yior. I am in your debt.”

“No debt, Elder. We live to serve.”

Mary looked at Phoenix and said, “Ready to find out the truth that lies in the past?”

Phoenix nodded and said, “I shall trust my instincts for the lies are fading fast. I have already hesitated to strike my blow and the next time I see my foe will signal the end of all we know.”

“Huh?” asked Mary. “What was that?”

Phoenix just shook his head. “Nothing. Just something that I heard a long time ago. Come, I would very much like to meet this Uncle Charlie of yours.”

Phoenix wrapped an environmental bubble around Mary again and then headed off to the airlock. They passed through the energy force field and into space. Once outside of the ship, Phoenix cast his senses out until he found a sense of familiarity coming from the centre of the Valean armada. Like the dead Shiza-haran that Phoenix had found beyond the Moon, this sense of familiarity had a feeling of home and belonging. Feeling an urgent desire grip him, Phoenix sprinted forward. The space around was thick with ships and Phoenix did not have a direct line of flight. Instead, he had to weave around ships several times because his urgency was greater than his usual patience.

At last though, he was clear of the ships. Before him, was a vast silver orb several miles in diameter. The orb easily dwarfed most of the ships in the Valean armada and Phoenix knew right away that this was the Elder.

<<That’s him, isn’t it?>> Michael’s question caught Phoenix off guard.

Michael?

<<Who else would it be?>> Michael’s voice sounded bitter and confused.

I…I am sorry Michael. How are you?

<<Do you really need to ask? My world has been turned completely upside down. I keep going over the same things in my mind. What if my mother is right? What if I am dead, or at least my physical body is, which amounts to the same thing. And if I’m dead, who or what the hell am I?>> Michael’s tone was getting shriller and shriller and if he could have, Phoenix would have taken Michael by the shoulders and given him a good hard shake.

Michael, I do not know the answers to your question right now. Believe me I am suffering from the same questions as you. Right now, I do not know who I am. Am I a Shiza-haran or an Elder? Was I responsible for your death or did we actually merge somehow? If everything your mother has said is true, then for the last two thousand years, I have been a mindless slave performing unspeakable acts for a race of puppet masters. Everything I have ever believed to be true will be a lie and I do not know how to accept this.

<<I’m sorry Big Bro…I was only thinking about myself. You’ve got just as much a stake in this. Come on, lets talk to Uncle Charlie.>>

With resolved determination, Phoenix flew towards the living god and his appointment with destiny. When he got close, a deep cave opened up on the surface of the Elder being. At first Phoenix faltered at the sight, but then realized that the Elder being was inviting him in. With Mary Wellington in tow, he flew into the cave. The opening closed behind him and he touched down onto the ground. Mary’s bubble came to a rest on the ground too and Phoenix dissolved the environmental bubble.

She immediately went to the nearest wall and leaned her body against it. With her right cheek touching the wall, she let out a deep sigh and said, “It’s good to see you again Uncle Charlie. There were times when I didn’t think I would. Even with the Shard, there were lots of close calls.”

A deep voice resonated within the walls of the cave. “I am glad that the Shard has proved useful. After you left, I was plagued with doubts over the wisdom of giving you something as voracious as the Shard.”

Mary gasped and said, “Uncle Charlie! You’re speaking out loud and not in my mind!”

Uncle Charlie chuckled and said, “Contrary to popular belief, you can teach an old dog new tricks. I was inspired by Val-yior’s efforts to learn your language.”

During this byplay, Phoenix was looking around him in awe. Phoenix had an almost overpowering feeling of family and connection with the gigantic being. Phoenix could also feel the subtle energy fluctuations and vibrations that Uncle Charlie was using to communicate out loud with Mary. His own human shaped face was something he can created so that his love May could relate better to him. His deep blue eyes were not really eyes, and his mouth was not really a mouth. But could he use his mouth to create similar vibrations? He felt with his senses the subtle vibrations and then tried to emulate them. “Greetings Elder.” His voice was a little tentative, but the sounds were recognizable.

Mary spun around to face Phoenix is surprise. “You can talk out loud too?”

“I had not thought of the possibility, but once shown the way, I am a fast learner.” As Phoenix spoke, his voice became surer and more confident. “Elder, I have many questions.”

“Please Young One. Call me Uncle Charlie.”

Phoenix dipped his head and said, “Very well Uncle Charlie. Please call me Phoenix.”

“And like the legend from Earth that you take your name from, you have died and have been reborn. How have you done this?”

“Actually, that was one of the questions I had hoped that you would answer for me.”

“The answers are within you Phoenix. You only have to find them within yourself.”

“How? I do not know the way.”

“Come Phoenix. Let us commune. We can find the answers together.”

Phoenix stepped up to the wall that Mary was currently leaning against. He was about to touch the wall when he turned to Mary and said, “Is it possible for you to commune with us?”

Mary looked startled at the question. “I…I don’t know. Uncle Charlie? Can I? Am I allowed or is this an exclusive club?”

Uncle Charlie sounded amused as he said, “Yes and yes. Through your Shard you can make communion with Phoenix and I. Perhaps it will help you come to terms with what has happened if you learn the truth first hand. As for this being an exclusive club, well you Phoenix and I are all that is left of the Elder race. How much more exclusive can you get?”

Mary chuckled and touched her silver hand to the wall and closed her eyes. Phoenix reached his hand up and touched the wall next to Mary’s hand. Though his blue eyes were not really eyes, he found it somewhat comforting to imitate Mary and he shut them. For the first time in several thousand years, a Communion of Elders began.