Chapter 20

A.D. 2012

Will knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was not going to try to rule the world. The danger to the people and the planet from someone with his abilities going power crazy was just too great. He also knew that unless the world leaders changed their outlook, things would only get worse. No matter how hard he chewed at the problem, though, no other solution presented itself.

"So what are we going to do, Will?" Tina asked. "I mean, we can't leave the job half done, can we?"

"I honestly don't know, Tina," Will answered. "I'm not giving up, but I don't have a solution yet. Maybe we should take a vacation or something. I mean, when I was a software engineer, I would occasionally wind up with a problem that seemed insoluble. I'd lay awake at night chewing on it, and work hours on end trying to find a solution, but nothing worked. Nine times out of ten, though, when I put it aside and went on to do something else, my subconscious would come up with a solution that would just suddenly pop into my head when I wasn't even thinking about the original problem. Maybe we need to do something else for a while, and see if we get that kind of epiphany here."

"Maybe you're right," Tina said, giving him a sly smile, "and I think I know just the thing."

"Mmmm," Will replied, as she began to undress him, "I think you may be on to something."

With his mind, he removed her clothing as her hands fumbled with his.

"Hey, no fair!" she laughed. Her laughter changed to a gasp of delighted surprise as, without using his hands, he began stimulating her body in several places at once.

In the aftermath of their lovemaking, Will lay awake as Tina slept soundly on his shoulder. His mind was once again in turmoil and he sought some way to distract himself from the problem that begged for a solution.

He knew his power had grown, as had Nine's, but there were some experiments he had yet to try. All of his explorations, so far, had been within the confines of Earth's atmosphere.

I wonder, he thought, just how far I can stretch my consciousness.

With that thought, his mind went soaring into the vastness of space. To his delight, he found endless rivers and streams of energy, the most energetic, of course, originating from the Sun, but the giant magnetosphere around Jupiter shone almost as brightly in his perception. There were also streams of energy flowing between the Sun, the Earth, and other large bodies in nearby space. These, he surmised, must be some manifestation of gravity. To his delight, the mutual attraction of the massive bodies of the Solar system formed a web of reciprocal interactions that allowed him to determine the direction of all other bodies from any given point in space. Soon, he had built, with the help of his 'auxiliary brain' a mental navigational map of the Sun, all its planets, and their moons, and could recognize them by their energy signatures.

Night after night, before falling asleep, Will sent his mind spaceward, fascinated by the seemingly limitless vistas that had opened to him.

Delighted with the discovery of the connections between heavenly bodies, one night, he sent his mind beyond the boundaries of the Solar system. There, he found that the same sort of network existed between star systems! The 'signature' of Earth's system was a combination of the signatures of the Sun combined with those of every large mass in the system. The further outward his mind went, though, the less noticeable the contribution of the smaller bodies became, until, finally, he could detect only the energy of Sol.

For long hours, week after week, night after night, his mind floated between the stars. Time seemed meaningless, and the wonders to behold, endless, in the vastness of the 'void'. The term seemed exceedingly inappropriate, given the plethora of energies that abounded in that seemingly empty space.

There seemed to be no boundaries to his ability to explore in this way. The energy his mind needed for the exploration, he drew from the very fabric of space.

As he had done with the Solar system, Will automatically catalogued and mapped 'nearby' systems with the aid of his 'auxiliary brain' and stretched his mind beyond, following almost randomly the tenuous threads of gravitic interaction between the stars, exploring the spiral arm of the galaxy that constituted Sol's neighborhood.

One night, while following one energy stream far from the Solar system, to determine where its terminus lay, Will came upon an anomaly: a place that emitted the gravitational energy of a star system, and connected to others in the same way, but which seemed incapable of emitting any other sort of energy. It was clearly not a black hole, but what it was, Will could not determine. When he attempted to probe within this region his thought was repulsed as though it had run into an energetic 'brick wall.'

What the hell? Will thought to himself. This can't be a natural phenomenon. What could create something like that?

Gathering as much energy as he could from the surrounding space, Will formed a probe and pushed against the barrier. He felt it begin to give, and the next instant, he and Nine were somewhere else. From the positional energy, he knew they were somewhere inside the protected area, but he had no idea how they got there, except that there were many other minds present.

Nine! Shields now! He 'shouted' at his companion as the first probes struck his own defenses.

Tina had complained often about the drills he had put them both through, especially with the shields, but Will was not one to leave much to chance. The fact that they had never encountered other minds as strong as theirs was not proof that there were none. Now he was grateful for his paranoia. He felt her shields snap into place even before she was fully awake.

"What the... ?" Tina mumbled irritably. "Jesus H. Christ, Ten! You picked a helluva night to hold shield drills!"

"This isn't a drill, Nine." He told her. "Keep those shields tight. I seem to have poked a stick into an ant hill, and the ants have dragged us home to their queen or something. Whoever I disturbed has teleported us to another star system."

Fully awake now, Tina peered around at the yellowish mist that surrounded what seemed to be a bubble of air that had been brought here with them. Worried about their air supply, Will quickly set up a field of his own to hold the air close, just in case those who brought them here decided they didn't need it anymore.

"Who are these beings?" She asked, finally realizing that they were no longer in their cave. "What? We didn't have enough trouble with the terrorists on earth? You had to go looking for bad guys on other planets?"

"I don't know," Will replied, lunging to his feet as Nine, too, regained hers. He was catching snatches of thought from a number of different minds, and with his enhanced vision, could see through the mist that they appeared to be on the floor of an enormous indoor amphitheater. "Whoever they are, they didn't like me trying to spy on them, I guess. Let's see if we can turn the tables on them a little and see what they're thinking."

Sending out a mental probe, Will began to catch snatches of alien imagery. At first he could make no sense of the thought patterns he picked up, then, gradually, he began to isolate patterns that could be perceived as vision, sound, and thought. Reverting to his early days of trying to understand his gift, he began sorting through the various patterns, and with the help of his extended brain, routing them to visual, aural, and other centers of his brain, until he was pretty sure he at least had the proper inputs. Gradually, the association of the visual and aural patterns with the thought patterns began to give him a rudimentary understanding of the 'language' of the alien thought patterns. Suddenly, as if a tuner in his head had found the proper frequency, the proper patterns clicked into place in his brain.

... too strong. They are dangerous! We must destroy them! It was difficult to pick out any individual stream of thought, and he suddenly realized that there were hundreds, no, thousands of minds contributing to the maelstrom of thought that surrounded them.

Study them first, came from another mind.

And from yet another: Strength does not equate to aggression. They may not be our enemy.

Then why did they try to force their way through the shield wall?

How did they even find the shield wall?

Another reason to study them! If they can find us, so can others!

Finally, Will had had enough.

Why do you not try simply asking us? He projected into the midst of the alien discussion.

A shockwave went through the amphitheater-like building as the others realized who had interjected a thought into their discussion.

As one, they thought at him. HOW CAN ONE MIND BE SO POWERFUL? TO PENETRATE THE DEFENSES OF THE ALLMIND WITH ONLY ONE MIND SEEMS BEYOND POSSIBILITY!

Will waited for the mental din to subside somewhat, then replied, We are new to these powers, so we do not know what is possible and what is not, but from the beginning, we have taken our power from the fabric of the Universe. It is there for the taking if you know how to look.

BUT HOW DID YOU FIND OUR SYSTEM? WE ALLOW NO EMISSIONS TO ESCAPE THE SHIELD WALL, OR EVEN ANY LIGHT FROM OUR PRIMARY, AND UNTIL NOW, NO ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO PENETRATE THE SHIELD WALL FROM THE OUTSIDE.

I was exploring the pathways between the stars, following the energy that connects all heavenly bodies to each other, when I came upon a pathway that seemed to terminate in empty space. Will shrugged. I was curious as to what could cause such a phenomenon, and when I explored, I encountered your shield wall. This seemed to be an anomaly, and my curiosity drove me to investigate.

Another wave of consternation swept through the hall.

YOU CAN SEE THE PATHWAYS BETWEEN THE STARS? WE HAVE THEORIZED THEIR EXISTENCE FOR HUNDREDS OF CYCLES, BUT EVEN THE POWER OF THE ALLMIND CANNOT SEE THEM!

Will shrugged again. They are no harder to see than other energies. They grow faint over long distances, but can still be seen. Can you not see the energy flowing around you? This mist makes it difficult to see with my visual sensors, but your energy tells me there are thousands of you around us, and that the strongest minds among you are those nearest the center of this place - nearest to us.

An audible gasp rippled through the place then, accompanying the mental shock, as the assembled creatures realized that not only could these dangerous beings 'see' their captors, they could also single out the strongest minds if they chose to attack.

Do not fear, Will hastened to add. We mean you no harm. I apologize for intruding on your sanctuary. It was only curiosity that caused me to do so.

HOW CAN WE BELIEVE YOU? YOUR FIRST ACT WAS TO ATTACK US.

No, my first act was to try to determine what caused an anomaly I encountered. Now that I have the answer, I am satisfied.

The Allmind seemed to ruminate over that for a few seconds. NONETHELESS, YOU CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO LEAVE THIS PLACE. YOU WOULD REVEAL ITS LOCATION TO OTHERS. OUR INVISIBILITY TO THE REST OF THE UNIVERSE IS OUR PRIMARY DEFENSE.

To whom would we reveal the location of your sanctuary? Will asked. My partner and I are the only two of our kind, and, at the moment, we are not on very good terms with the rest of the beings on our planet. How can I assure you that we will cause you no harm, either directly or indirectly?

YOU MUST OPEN YOUR MIND TO US SO THAT WE MAY SEE FOR OURSELVES.

And how am I to know that you will not destroy me while my defenses are down?

The Allmind 'discussed' this among themselves for a few moments.

WE WILL SEND A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL TO YOU. YOUR COMPANION WILL ACT AS YOUR GUARDIAN WHILE THIS INDIVIDUAL SEARCHES YOUR MIND FOR THOUGHTS THAT WILL INDICATE WHETHER YOU ARE A DANGER TO THE ALLMIND.

"What do you think, Nine," Will asked. "Can you take one of these beings if it tries to harm me?"

"Maybe not these Wau characters," Tina replied, "but any of the others, yeah."

Will turned his attention back to the Allmind. There are five races among you. You may send a member of any race except the Wau.

Again, the Allmind held a brief meeting. At its conclusion, a being whose general characteristics resembled those of a small elephant appeared just outside their shielded bubble.

The Cansoche, as it was called, had rather large, leathery flaps along the sides of what looked like its head, and a long, thick, flexible tentacle where an elephant's trunk would be, but its visual organs stood up from the top of the 'head.' A cursory mental examination showed that most of its organs, including the most complex part of its nervous system, which Will equated to a brain, were housed in the lower node of its body. The upper node seemed to be little more than a mounting for its eyes and ears and the proboscis-like tentacle. It was bipedal with two short, powerful upper limbs that ended in four stubby tentacles which resembled fingers.

Can this being breathe the same air that we breathe?

THE AIR OF ITS PLANET IS VERY SIMILAR TO THAT IN YOUR BUBBLE. IT CAN SURVIVE.

We will enclose it within our shield for the duration of its investigation to prevent interference from the remainder of the Allmind, Will told their captors.

THIS IS ACCEPTABLE.

Will expanded their shield to enclose the Cansoche. Its ungainly appearance aside, the creature smelled vaguely of flowers, and seemed somewhat timid in their presence.

Do you have a name? Will asked the creature.

Its ears flapped and the tentacle on the front of its upper lobe wrapped itself around the being as it replied, I am known as, (the image of a graceful flying creature soaring above a body of water came to Will and Tina in place of a name.)

In our language, I am called 'Will' and my companion is called 'Tina, ' Will 'told' the creature. It had no organs that could make the sounds of their names, but it stored the memories of those sounds that accompanied Will's thought in its own memory. We are pleased to meet you.

I, too, am honored to be first among the five races to share a mind-link with you. If it is acceptable to you, we may begin.

"You ready Tina?" Will asked.

Tina took his hand and nodded. "I'll kick his ass if he tries to do anything to you," she said seriously.

"Do you know which part of it is its ass?" Will teased, smiling, "and are you sure it's a 'he?'"

"You've got a point, there. I guess I'll just have to keep kicking until I figure out which part needs it the most," Nine laughed, releasing a little of the tension she felt.

The Cansoche had apparently picked up on the emotions Tina was projecting. Both earflaps and the large tentacle were wrapped tightly around its upper node.

You may begin when you are ready, Will told it. My partner is just feeling protective. As long as you do not hurt me, she will not hurt you.

Slowly, the earflaps and tentacle loosened their grip, and a delicate tendril of thought probed gently at Will's mind. He could feel Tina's familiar presence as well - not in his mind, but keeping watch on the Cansoche's thoughts. Will did not try to hide anything, but the more the creature learned about him and his powers, the more nervous it got. Finally, it could stand no more and withdrew from his mind.

Will wanted to question it about what it was going to tell the Allmind, but that might have been construed as trying to tell it what to report, so he reconfigured his shield to exclude the Cansoche and it disappeared once again within the ranks of the Allmind.

The Allmind was busy for several minutes this time, discussing their fate. Finally, it reached a consensus.

There was general hubbub of thought, as the members of the Allmind discussed his proposal. It didn't take long. Apparently, consensus is more quickly gained in mental meetings than in those to which Will had been accustomed when he was working in corporate America.

YOUR OFFER IS GENEROUS, BUT THERE SEEMS LITTLE WE CAN TEACH YOU ABOUT THESE ABILITIES THAT YOU DO NOT ALREADY KNOW.

Surely there is something of value that you can trade in exchange for the gifts we offer. Will wouldn't have minded just giving the Allmind the skills he promised, but he sensed that such a gift, without an exchange, would only make them more suspicious of his motives.

The Allmind held another, very brief, mental meeting.

WHEN THE CANSOCHE WAS EXPLORING YOUR MIND, IT DETECTED THAT THERE IS SOMETHING THAT TROUBLES YOU GREATLY; A PROBLEM TO WHICH YOU HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FIND A SOLUTION. IT DID NOT PURSUE THOSE THOUGHTS BECAUSE THAT WAS NOT ITS PURPOSE. PERHAPS THE POWER OF MANY MINDS CAN HELP RESOLVE YOUR PROBLEM WHERE THE ONE MIND FAILS. IF THE ALLMIND CAN HELP YOU FIND A REASONABLE SOLUTION TO YOUR DILEMMA, WILL YOU TEACH US THE WAY OF 'SEEING' ENERGY?

Will raised an eyebrow in silent query at Nine who still clung to his side as they stood before the alien congress. Tina shrugged. "Couldn't hurt." She added verbally.

I must caution you, Will thought, that I was physically modified from my original form, and it was those modifications that gave me the ability to see energy, and, indeed, to use the other powers of the mind. I do not know if, even with teaching, you will be able to do as I do. Let me, therefore, attempt the teaching first. I would not take your gift if I cannot give one in return.

THIS IS A REASONABLE PROPOSITION.

Another brief mental discussion took place before the Allmind continued, WE ACCEPT.

"Watch over me, Nine." Will told Tina. "I'm going to have to let some of them in, so you go with them and kick the crap out of 'em if they get out of line and start digging for stuff I don't want them to have."

"Will do, Ten," She replied, the familiar grin lighting her features.

Come... Will told the Allmind ... learn.

The combined minds watched eagerly as Will showed them how he connected to the various flows of energy around them, then tried to coach them as they, too, attempted to do what he did. For hours, trying this, trying that, he was unsuccessful in teaching them what they wanted to know.

Finally, Will realized that whatever he had created to replace the mesh that Dr. Robinson's team had implanted under his skin was in part responsible for his energy sensing capabilities. First the microprocessor, and now the organ with which he had replaced it, routed those signals to portions of his brain that could create images from what the network under his skin detected. Upon closer examination, though, none of the races within the Allmind had the physical organs to be able to detect those energies, much less the capability of 'seeing' them.

In frustration, he addressed the Allmind.

I have observed how my body perceives these energies. I see where they impinge upon my flesh and the organs that produce reactions that my mind can see, but none of you have such sensors or connections to your minds. However, of the five races present, it may be possible to modify the bodies of members of one race to act as my system does. Do you wish for me to attempt to make that modification?

WHICH OF THE RACES HAS THIS ABILITY? SURELY IT MUST BE THE WAU! THEY ARE THE STRONGEST AMONG US!

Actually, it is the weakest. Will showed the image of the segmented body of the race he thought could be a candidate for his procedure. The centipede-like creatures were permanently bent upward in the middle and the three sets of forelimbs had evolved manipulators with opposable appendages. They 'saw' through a set of four infrared sensors in each segment of their bodies - two front, two rear - which were paired with a number of electrical sensors that allowed them, even in the mud and muck of the swamps they frequented, to find the small animals that made up the bulk of their diet. This ability is dependent upon the subject's body having organs that can be easily modified to detect the energies around us. Only the Meli-kapsist have such organs.

Mental and aural bedlam erupted in the hall as members of each of the races absorbed the news. The Wau apparently couldn't care less. The Allmind had been their creation and it was their nature to use the abilities of each member race to best advantage. It mattered not that another race would have an ability they did not have, as long as all had access to it through the Allmind.