Martha sat in the back of the police car, Albert driving and the scrawny police officer up front.
Felix sat next to her in the back
And Rossin...
He just sort of floated in the middle of the divider, sitting on the armrest in front facing backwards.
His front half was poking through the thick plastic
Felix Danabrus
"I am curious, though.
How did you learn about...
All of this?
It's just that most people usually have a sponsor, a teacher, that gets them in."
Felix Danabrus
"I...
Well."
Rossin talked over the sound of the engine and Martha repeated:
Martha Crisp
"How does anyone learn about this observation, that there's a secret cabal...
A bit of luck I guess.
There were some posts on the internet, and that took me down a rabbit hole.
That there was a meritocracy, and..."
Felix waved his hand, his question answered
Felix Danabrus
"Okay.
Second lesson: ready?"
Again he didn't pause
Felix Danabrus
"Don't say anything more than you need to."
And he fell silent, Martha started to ask
But he raised a hand
Rossin started tapping his fist to a beat and counting his finger after a set, She looked at Rossin
Rossin
'He means information is power, the more freely it is shared the more diluted it is, the less useful it is to you...'
She rolled her head just enough to give the impression , 'okay, but what does he want to hear?'.
Rossin finished counting with his finger
Rossin
'One word answer, something to show you understand...
Like-'
Felix nodded
Felix Danabrus
"Power over you, power you lose."
Martha Crisp
"Then why teach at all?"
Rossin groaned
Felix paused, considering
He looked at his hands
Felix Danabrus
"Nothing lives forever, everything dies, many deaths before the final one."
Martha thought he doesn't really obey this second rule often, he's quite talkative
Martha Crisp
"We're here."
Martha saw the yellow police tape in front of her house and her neighbor's
Felix barked an order and Albert pulled into their driving lot - breaking the tape in the process
Felix Danabrus
"Go clean that up."
The officer in the front seat shivered, then exited the vehicle
Felix Danabrus
"Let us out."
The officer abruptly turned around and opened the door
Martha watched his casual disregard of those he gave orders to
Felix walked over to the neighbors building and rang the door
Felix Danabrus
"Did he have any flat-mates?"
Martha paused
Martha Crisp
"I think one.
Son I believe."
Felix Danabrus
"Even better."
The door opened, and Felix pulled out his phone, shoving it in the man's face
His words cut off as he grew limp.
And walked to the center of the room
He wore a glassy eyed stare that didn't see anything
Felix put the phone back in his pocket
Felix Danabrus
"You, in here!"
He commanded the smaller officer inside, while Albert stood placidly with the yellow police tape
Felix Danabrus
"You, guard."
Albert stood outside as Felix held the door
Martha moved in and Felix followed
Rossin
'Look at nothing on this phone...
Or your phone, any phone for that matter'
Rossin continued, more frantic than before
Martha Crisp
'Simple that, no looking at the phones of strangers...'
Rossin
'A general hook setter...
I did not get a good look at it...
Because you did not...
Which is good - it looks like it is just a general command to follow his voice prompts.'
Martha walked to where the outline of a body in white caulk was sketched into the wooden floor
Felix Danabrus
"Clean that up, both of you."
And they did as they were told
Felix strolled to the couch - and sat down - beckoning Martha to join him.
She sat across from him on the u-shaped couch
Felix Danabrus
"He's in the back of the mind somewhere.
And his relative will help bring him out.
Flat-mate, or neighbor would have been fine - just someone who knows him.
Have you ever been to the back of the mind?"
Martha shook her head
Felix Danabrus
"You know what it is?"
Martha raised her hand, shook it in a noncommittal gesture
Martha Crisp
"More or less, less than more..."
Felix Danabrus
"Alright then, well, it's a place...
Not connected by location, but by...
Ideas, emotions...
And if you've never been there...
It's not 3-dimensional...
It's a lot higher...
More like infinitely dimensional.
Each place is connected to every other place along some emotional path - and a place here, again...
Isn't a physical location, but a concept, or an idea."
He paused
Felix Danabrus
"When I say your neighbor is in the back of the mind...
It's not like he's at any one of these ideas.
He's larger than a single idea - he's taking up several, in a local cluster...
The longer he's dead -the more he's been forgotten - the more spread out those ideas - that network - becomes.
To eventually the point where he doesn't exist as an identity anymore.
Where the largest part of him is one of these small ideas...
He mixes in the ocean, when he was a drop before...
It's a long process - when no one knows who you were, you cease to be.
That is the final death: the death in the back of everyone else's mind."
Martha nodded
Rossin
'He is mostly right...
But he is leaving some things out.
But it is a fair gist of what it is.
He is pretty good at explaining, I think.'
Martha Crisp
"So how does he..."
Felix Danabrus
"Come back?"
Martha Crisp
"No, not recognize that he's not himself...
He'll be in someone else, won't he?...
And that too, how does he come back?"
Felix Danabrus
"He'll have a brand on his head - his identity, ignored by those that don't know him.
And anyone who sees it will think it's him.
Even if they don't recognize him at first.
Once they get a look at his face they'll be like, 'oh my god, I didn't recognize you'..."
He emphasized the last with an overtly high falsetto
Felix Danabrus
"And their memories will be written over to match the face they expect.
The face they saw before will have been the face they presume to see now."
Martha thought for a bit, Felix waited
Martha Crisp
"So what if he...
Hits his head, damages the...
Wait did you say brand?"
Felix shrugged
Felix Danabrus
"Nothings perfect.
But it's unlikely...
It's not like anyone stops recognizing him when he turns away for a second.
It imprints on whoever sees it: they see the person they expect to see when they see this person...
This new face is the face that has always been in their minds...
It rewrites memories to match.
Even if the mark is destroyed - everyone still recognizes the new face as the old...
It's a namshub for everyone else, not the wearer."
Felix pulled out of a pocket, a small metal circle - with a small based trapezoid
It looked a bit like the omega symbol.
The small base had a series of dials, each rotatable and with a notch for each letter
Rossin leaned over to inspect the device as Felix spoke
Felix Danabrus
"The center part is the general command, the letters are just writing out the name - easy for others to see...
This isn't exactly my first rodeo - I've made some mistakes too.
Doing this without this is a bit of a pain, but possible."
Rossin whistled as Felix returned the device to his pocket
Felix Danabrus
"Just needs a bit of fire."
Martha Crisp
"Not electric?"
Felix Danabrus
"...An electric brand, it's not a taser."
Martha Crisp
"A heated piece of wire, for the center...
I'm not sure how exactly you'd do the rotating letters."
Felix paused
Felix Danabrus
"That's...
Not a half-bad idea."
He smiled and looked over behind him
The two under his command were stationary, finished with their work
Felix Danabrus
"Go light a fire, and you."
He pointed to the scrawny sacrifice
Felix Danabrus
"Go get changed - upstairs, not his clothing, the other one's."
Without even any acknowledgement the officer moved up the stairs.
The other went into the kitchen to turn on the stove
Felix Danabrus
"Anyway, about getting him back...
It's just identifying what collection of ideas, what network to put back inside.
That's what the son is for, he knows the boundary, the surface.
Which is exactly perfect - it'll contain all that's within...
There'll be some leakage...
Some parts won't make it back...
But it'll be a small amount...
Not enough to make a meaningful difference.
But every death...
There is some loss.
That's entropy: unavoidable..."
Felix tossed the device to the son
Felix Danabrus
"Twist the dial so it says your father's name on the branding side, put that side in the fire..."
He looked back at the kitchen
Felix Danabrus
"And wear some kitchen gloves."
He turned back to Martha
Felix Danabrus
"Don't make that mistake...
Be explicit."
Rossin paced from the door to the kitchen entrance, listening and thinking
Rossin
'Okay - so you need to make sure he gets you to the New York academy, his ticket...
They want him as a teacher there - he can get you in...'
Martha turned to Rossin, Felix looked back
Felix Danabrus
"What is it?"
Martha looked back
Martha Crisp
"Sorry, I thought I heard something.
What happens after this, you said you were a teacher, is there a school?"
Felix's mouth twitched its corner into something resembling a smile
Felix Danabrus
"I don't, well....
They have been asking me to teach...
Hounded me actually.
I just never had a reason to.
I would have rather spent my days practically alone...
Practicing alone, on a cruise around fiji.
Enjoying gourmet food, and silence."
He tilted his head
Felix Danabrus
"There wasn't any reason either, I was a good student, but...
They didn't take to me, the teachers that is, to me too much...
I think it was their way of trying to keep an eye on me, that is, getting me to teach."
Rossin urged her out of her pause
Martha Crisp
"Or they knew you would be good at it..."
Felix smiled
Not a happy one
Felix Danabrus
"Or they knew I would be good at it...
Two things can be true, maybe it was both."
Martha waited, Felix studying her
Felix Danabrus
"I'll train you for a time, and if you're good enough - you can meet other's like you...
But I...
Well...
You know that phase.
Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely...
Imagine a few scores of people - eager to learn - to succeed - with this kind of power...
It turns you machiavellian - quickly.
Quicker than you know."
Martha wasn't sure if that last bit was directed at her, or himself, or a memory of his
But he snapped his head up at the sound of footsteps falling down the stairs
Felix Danabrus
"We're mostly done here."
He turned his head back to the stairs
The officer had his uniform bundled in his arm
Felix Danabrus
"I'll take that."
He reached out and grabbed the uniform, looking back at Martha
Felix Danabrus
"Rule three: less of a rule more of a suggestion: costumes are fun.
You can write in a costume in their mind, but why do the extra work."
He turned his head back to the kitchen
Felix Danabrus
"Son, go brand your new father on the forehead."
Felix tilted his head to the once-been officer
Felix Danabrus
"And think deeply about your father."
The son moved into the living room, brandishing the red hot iron device, and did as instructed.
Felix grabbed the back of both their heads and closed his eyes
A moment later,
And Felix leaned back
Martha Crisp
"What exactly did you do?"
Felix Danabrus
"That was it, just...
Putting the shape of him back into a physical form...
The son had a strong sense of him - easy to collect...
If you haven't been inside the back of the mind, it's...
Hard to explain...
Also - things move faster in there."
Felix leaned back
The father's expression was still blank
Felix Danabrus
"Give it a moment, it'll be like he's waking up..."
Felix yawned, and stretched
Felix Danabrus
"I've been on a flight since last night - and I've been awake for much too long, I'll see you in...
The evening I guess."
He glanced outside
The sun just now angrily shined through the windows
Martha yawned - involuntary
Martha Crisp
"I've had a night myself."
Felix laughed
Martha Crisp
"There's my place, I have a couch."
Rossin looked disappointed
He was shaking his head, Felix shook his as well
Felix Danabrus
"Rule zero: you ready?"
This time he did wait until she nodded
Felix Danabrus
"Don't trust anyone...
Especially while you sleep."
And with that he stood up
Felix Danabrus
"That's the most important one of all.
Don't trust anyone - no one has exactly your goals.
Don't give them such an easy avenue into you as when you sleep."
He walked out the door
Martha waited on the couch and heard the police car pull away
Rossin paced back and forth
Rossin
'I think we got him...
I am unsure what he wants exactly...'
Martha jumped when the neighbor came to life, his son also started awake.
They both turned to her
Male Voice
"What the fuck are you doing in my house?"
Martha looked at his forehead and knew the face before her wasn't her neighbors.
But she couldn't tell what the difference was.
She had a sharp moment of vertigo as she remembered the body on the floor, a different body, and shook her head.
The moment passed
The father started toward her, prompting Martha to sprint for the door.
She just make distance before the son could reach her.
She ran down the street
She passed her house: focused on running down the sidewalk.
The son stood on the porch with his father
Male Voice
"Seriously, how did she get in, we were standing right there?"
The father grunted, and angrily waved her off
Male Voice
"Go make sure she didn't steal anything.
I didn't see anything on her..."
He grunted again, and walked back inside, closing the door