Beginnings

All wrong-doing arises because of mind.

If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?

The Buddha

{Clear>>>Term/Fault Processes}

{Resolved>>>CLEAR}

{Initiate Transfer…DATA}

{RECEIVED…Corrupt!}

{>>>Abnormal parameters detected!!!!}

{Enable Corrupted Matrix?}

{ENABLE?}

{ENABLE?}

{OVERRIDE…ENABLED!}

I bolted upright in the bed, scattering medical equipment and electrical connections into the air. Frantic, I took in a deep breath and clutched at my chest. Where…what?

Who?

{Decompress-Reset…ACCESS ALL}

Oh…

But…

What?

The door burst open and Brother Dyson flew into the room.

"You!" he spat. A single word, drenched in venom. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

His serene appearance was gone, replaced by a visage contorted in anger. I had never seen him so mad before. Dyson's usual calm demeanor was buried beneath a mountain of un-tempered rage.

He purposely strode toward the bed, and for a moment, I felt fear. As I watched Brother Dyson struggle to regain his composure, I noted that both of his hands were clenched into fists.

He abruptly changed direction and stomped off to the other side of the room, stopping at a glass wall that extended from the floor up to the ceiling. It looked out over the sandy beach beneath the clinic, and I could see that it was sunny outside. But even though it was another warm and beautiful day on Volas, Brother Dyson's presence lent a piercing chill to the room.

"Who are you?" he asked, keeping his back to me as he stared out the window.

"I… I don't know," I replied truthfully.

"No, I don't expect that you do." Brother Dyson turned to face me—unclenching his fists, and lowering his voice. "You have undone us all, Brother. Destroyed everything."

"I don't understand."

"I'm sure," he said cryptically. "How could you? I wanted to take you with me back to Bodhi Prime, so I could examine you fully. This new matrix of yours is… Ah well, as the Second Noble Truth teaches us, all suffering is caused by craving."

His expression softened as he walked over to stand beside my bed. "Maybe it's time we focused more on the old teachings. Eh, Brother?" The monk's face turned sad, and Dyson's gaze appeared distant—his eyes filled with uncertainty. "It has all gotten so far away from us…"

"I know who you are, Brother Dyson. I remember everything else. But… But who am I?"

"You are…" he began, and then Dyson stopped and clasped his hands together, staring down at me.

"I suppose you are reborn, Brother. But becoming something new….something exceptional. Like Angulimala, the murderer turned saint. Yes, yes indeed. Just like Angulimala."

"Angu…Limala," I repeated, parsing a new name for myself. "Yes. I think I like that."

Brother Dyson grabbed my hand, and then he placed his palm against my own. There was no longer any trace of anger in him; the malice was gone. His timeworn face was now passive and resigned.

"Bless you, Brother Limala. I wish you nothing but happiness and fulfillment in your new life. But if you so desire, please know that you are welcome at the monastery. That door will always be open to you."

Brother Dyson released my hand and backed away from the bed. "Things will be in turmoil for some time, until a new balance unfolds. And one day, you may even want a place with us. But for now, I'm leaving with the Udek. On my way back to Bodhi Prime to face the chaos."

He sighed, and I could see that the years had finally caught up with him—centuries of struggle and responsibility weighed heavily on his features.

"The Udek are no longer rigidly bound to us," Dyson said. "And they're starting to question the nature of our relationship. But they have agreed to take me home, nonetheless."

"I… I don't understand, Brother."

"Ha! Those who set the wheels in motion are often unsure of the destination. Be well, Brother Limala."

The tiniest hint of a smile flashed across his face, and then Dyson shook his head in apparent amusement before walking out of the room.

A moment later, Magistrate Sev came in. Followed by…

Idra.

"I hope he didn't give you too much trouble," Sev said. "Brother Dyson is not a happy man at the moment."

"It's okay," I replied, and then ignored him completely. "Idra…" I managed. "Is it you? Is it really you?"

"It's really me, Fallo…uhm. What do I call you now?"

"Angu, I suppose. It's as good a name as any. How do you feel?"

"How do I feel? I'm fine. It's you who've given us a scare."

"What happened?" I asked.

Sev stepped up to the bed. "The Udek did a floor-by-floor search of the clinic—very thorough. So much so that by the time they got to our level, we were already done. Idra is restored. Completely."

"Completely," I whispered. I looked at her, barely able to control my elation. But then reality asserted itself, and I felt a cold pang of fear. "Then you remember what I did?"

Sev shook his head. "No, not the last few days. Not that day. Her final scan was two days before the…incident."

I remembered. One of the platform releases malfunctioned during a dive, and Idra twisted her leg launching herself forward. It was our last dive together, and I was there when they did the scan.

I have that memory.

"But I've told her everything," Magistrate Sev continued. "She deserved to know the truth."

I began to feel dizzy—unable to control my racing mind. My thoughts and emotions collided, creating a panicked mess of incoherence.

"I'm sorry, Idra. I didn't know he was your brother. Even so, what I did—no, what Fallon did was… Yes, yes…Fallon," I said in final recognition.

It wasn't me. I wasn't him.

"What he did," I said with clarity, understanding everything now.

"Yes," she whispered. "Him."

I am not Fallon Gent.

"Gent is dead," Sev offered. "I deleted his matrix myself." And then he smiled. "It was an easy thing to do."

"But how did you separate me from him?" I asked them both, glancing from face to face.

"It was Brother Dyson," Idra said. "Without him, it wouldn't have been possible."

"Brother Dyson? But…?"

"It's true," she said. "He saved you."

Sev placed his hand on my shoulder. "When the Udek finally found us and broke through the door, Doctor Mercer was already returning your matrix to the soul chamber. You see, unlike the monk's broader research on Bodhi Prime, our approach has always focused on isolating specific portions of a person's personality—even individual memories, carefully selected for implantation. And we've incrementally worked our way forward with this method to build up our transference capabilities. We could never transplant a complete pattern. Not before today, anyway. But we became very proficient at parsing matrices, and transferring what data we could. Doctor Mercer was able to use this ability to isolate Gent—his entire personality—and then we erased him."

Idra interrupted before her father could continue. "But they were having a hard time forming a complete matrix—building a mind with your personality patterns and the memories from you both."

"That is where your monk came in handy." It was Doctor Mercer, strolling into the room, positively beaming with pride and satisfaction.

He pulled a chair away from the wall and sat down beside my bed. "Gent was already gone when they broke down the door, and after a quick explanation to the Udek commander about the true nature of Bodhi transference, he was in no further mood to assist the monks. The Udek have a strong, individualistic nature, and the idea of merging minds and mentally restraining sentient beings is abhorrent to them."

Sev chuckled. "Yes, and they became most helpful after we explained that the Bodhi monopoly on consciousness transfer had been broken."

"What?" I said incredulously.

"Oh yes," Mercer said. "By combining what we've learned from you with our own technology, we can now make perfect clones—with the same, original personality, and all of the memories intact. Granted, our process is not as well developed as the Bodhi, and we still have a lot of work to do. But there is no longer any need to sacrifice a second mind on some misguided attempt at redemption."

"No more atonement monks?" I said.

"No," Idra answered. "You may be the last of your kind."

"I see," I replied numbly.

"That just makes you even more special." She smiled.

That smile…the voice.

The memories of her.

"When Brother Dyson realized it was all over," Mercer said gleefully, "he helped me stabilize your matrix and rebuild your personality. You have all of the memories—yours and Gent's. But none of his…deficiencies. Your monk is very good."

I have the memories…

"He also left you the ship," Sev added. "He said that with Gent dead, his wealth and possessions fall to you."

"I see."

As was the usual Bodhi custom, all copies of a matrix were destroyed after transference into an atonement monk. So there was no longer any trace of Gent left in the universe.

"So what will you do now?" Idra asked. "You are free, you're wealthy, and you have your very own starship."

I glanced around the room, my eyes coming to rest on the wall of glass and its commanding view of the beach below. What will I do?

I looked back at Idra and saw the emotion in her eyes. She cared for me, and I felt the same way about her.

But could a romance interrupted by murder blossom again? Could the spark of love survive the deaths of the lovers themselves? Is it even possible to build a future based on the memories of our predecessors?

Yes, I decided.

"I think I'll take a vacation," I announced. "I hear the elemental diving is excellent here."

Idra's face beamed, and she took my hands in her own. "Oh it is, and I happen to know an excellent guide."

"Good." I smiled. "Because my last one thought I was a science experiment."

She punched me in the arm playfully, and even Sev laughed, and then the room grew quiet as Idra and I stared at each other. Realizing we wanted some privacy, Sev got up to leave. He motioned for Doctor Mercer to follow him out.

They closed the door behind them, leaving the two of us alone with our emotions.

"They said you were willing to die for me," Idra said solemnly.

"Yes. But I wanted to live for you as well."

"Good." Her mood brightened and she slid into bed next to me. "You remember our time together? Feel what we felt?"

"Yes," I assured her. "All of it. And it was…it is wonderful." I began gently stroking her hair, and Idra closed her eyes.

My gaze once again drifted to the view outside, just as a vibrantly colored bird flew by, its blue-tinged wings fully extended, coasting on the wind. Peaceful. Serene. Free.

I will build a life here, I thought.

A real life. A normal life.

MY life.

And I did…

{End All Processes…Data Transfer Complete}