The Unificator
Three bottles of wine later Katse reached a serene sort of peace. He just sat in the tub enveloped by hot water, which had turned pink ever since it first washed over his skin. His long hair floated in the water like seaweed.
Footsteps returned. The same as before. He didn’t turn to look as the whole time he hadn’t been looking at anything in particular and was perfectly content with it.
“I do apologize, Hagith. I had something to take care of.”
Aratron spoke with an odd, matter-of-fact kind of regret.
“Your daughter.”
“Yes.”
“You knew what was happening.”
“In a sense.”
“In this world, parents protect their children. I know. I have killed both parents and children.”
“Yes, but I am not of this world anymore. My priorities changed appropriately. Besides, Phul isn’t truly gone. She made her mark. Her legacy is still here.”
“Legacy?”
“The triple spiral. Do you remember?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Everyone’s marks are there, save for Hagith. They are circuits. Elef-Kehe-Eynayim can connect only when all circuits are present.”
“What is Elef-Kehe-Eynayim?”
“He is a trans-dimensional being. Surely you are aware of the Everett theory. Imagine the branching realities as veins, sustaining and being sustained by the Being-the-Absolute. Elef-Kehe-Eynayim can synchronise them. He can bridge them.”
“Oh.”
“Unbelievable, isn’t it?
“…”
“But I have something I have to explain to you, for I’m afraid you might have misunderstood a bit. I mean all those transformation. They stem from our hearts. From our fears. We fear becoming monsters, but at the same time we know that monsters are always stronger than humans, and so we subconsciously strive to become them. In reality the fusion of human DNA with Elef-Kehe-Eynayim’s essence creates new circuits. Nothing more, nothing less. It is our warped human nature that makes monsters out of us, yet at the same time our humanity is so strong, it resists even the essence, and so we still retain parts of our former selves. Fascinating, isn’t it?”
“Are we becoming like him then?”
“I don’t know, but my honest guess is that yes, we are.”
“So what do you wish for? A unified world? A world with no deception? Instrumentality?”
Aratron laughed, genuinely amused by Katse’s question.
“No, nothing like that. I’m no Gendo Ikari. I just… you can say I just want to see what does fate have in store for our world when an unknown factor such as Elef-Kehe-Eynayim has been introduced.”
“What if you die before you can see?”
“I don’t understand death. It is just another interesting variable to my equation.”
“Oh.”
“Can I have a bit of your wine?”
Katse shrugged. A hand grabbed the bottle he had been drinking from and took several gulps.
“Once I have left my legacy, is it okay if I just die?”
“I’m not sure what do you mean by that.”
“Will you be just as calm as when your own child died?”
“I’m not sure. You haven’t died yet, and so I can’t say anything for certain.”
“…I see.”
“So are you going to cooperate?”
“I’m not sure.”
“How come?”
“I don’t want the world to change.”
“But this world has nothing but hate and fear for you.”
“I know. But still.”
“But still – what?”
“…”
“Are you afraid?”
“…”
“Do you still have any unfinished business?”
“…What if no one will know I have been here? Doesn’t it mean I have never existed?”
There was a short silence, but then Aratron’s voice said, from the other side of the room:
“I don’t understand your need to have others affirm your existence, but my answer is – this is something you have to find out for yourself.”
“So why did you create my doppelganger?”
“Why? How do you know it’s your doppelganger, if you don’t know what’s inside the mask? But no. That isn’t the correct answer. We are just trying to free you from the bonds of this world. If the only thing which matters is the container instead of the content, then there is no need for the ‘you’ in front of my eyes to be the one inside of it. It’s pointless to continue trying to return to the world just because that’s what the world expects you to do. That reminds me of something. Do you know the opera Ariane? It’s fairly recent; sung in French.
“The story retells the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur, however there are several twists to it. For example Ariane. She is supposed to marry a stranger, who arrives at Thebes, but she didn’t actually know the stranger’s name or face. It could’ve been anyone, bearing the designation ‘Stranger’. However, even more interestingly, there is the conclusion. Minotaur in this version isn’t some kind of a fusion of man and a bull. He looks just the same as Theseus. He is slain in the end, but the real question here is – did Theseus kill Minotaur or the other way around? The only way you can tell is by the clothes they wear. Clothes they could’ve switched at some point for whichever reason. In the end what matters isn’t the truth, but the audience’s perception of it.
“Think about it for a while. There is no place for you to return to. The only thing left for you to do is to create a new one with your own two hands.
He paused, listening for something, though the only audible noise in the room was dripping of the water.
“…well, the boy is looking for you. He will find you very soon. Minotaur …or is it Theseus? Unfortunately this duel is not something I would like to intervene in. In here I am the king. So I shall take my leave now, so good luck. ”
Aratron laughed briefly and left the room. The collection of empty wine bottles was swallowed by the ground and water begun to disappear from the tub, leaving a faint pink film on its pure white surface.
“… it does matter after all.” Katse said softly to no one in particular.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Science Ninja Team Gatchaman characters belong to Tatsunoko Productions.
Chapter End Notes:
The Everett theory, aka. the Many-worlds interpretation, wherein every possible quantum outcome of an event is realised. For example, you drop a buttered bread (event). Herein a splitting occurs. In one world it falls buttered side down, in another buttered side up, in another you catch it, in another someone else does (outcomes) etc.
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The opera Ariane is a short 1958 work by the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů. It's only one act long - app. 40mins. The libretto is drawn from the play Le Voyage de Th?s?e by G. Neveux. It is very ambiguous and very beautiful.
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The opera Ariane is a short 1958 work by the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů. It's only one act long - app. 40mins. The libretto is drawn from the play Le Voyage de Th?s?e by G. Neveux. It is very ambiguous and very beautiful.