Chapter One:

There are no cats in America
And the land is filled with
cheeeeeeese...

Charlie...

Can you hear me?

. . .

...

There you are, sleepy head.

Glad you finally decided to wake up.

Probably the longest you've ever been this quiet.
Even black out drunk...

blah... blah... blah...

A constant stream of nonesense...

Sorry it took so long...

To realize what we loved most.

Anywho...

This is your first time.

Don't stress.

Just...

Relax

...

They call it the womb.
A large oval hall made entirely of stone,
surrounded by six circular doors.
At the center, a small-mouthed bottomless pit.

A glowing gold hexagram outlines the stone floor.
With the radiating lines triangulating three doors against the others, you'd call it witchcraft.
But with computer workstations and people in off-white spa uniforms; this is technology.
Advanced but not sorcery.

...

From the center of the pit we feel vibrations of grinding stone.

They're coming...

Katiana, Ryu, Stone and Rufus rise from beneath the surface. Their attire matches the day at the spa motif.

Where typically a relaxed occassion,
(as countless times before)
this has a somber shade.

"As my father taught me,
One who was never born can never die.

Rufus addresses the group.
A short man in his sixties, he exudes a wisdom and suave with a glance of ease.

While the General will be lost to the infinite;
their awareness, their impact
will live on."

They're holding a wake for Leah Patski, their general and instigator of this whole mess. Not that she's dead yet; not that there truly is death...

Suffice to say, General Leah Patski will be lost to the infinite later today.

And not that it's really today. Sure, we can say today but it's more complicated. Just mouth today and take it all with a grain of salt.

Sorry. This can be confusing at first.

Trust, I remember my first time and what a mind fuck.

"Knowing them, they'll find a way back. They always do."

That beautiful tall woman in her late twenties is Katiana. Her fucking shameless sardonic tone - can't tell if it's dry wit or stone cold shade. Probably both?

That one next to her just nodding. The lanky one in their thirties. That's Ryu. Absolute devotee to the cause. They scare me. Damn straight zealots.

"If they want to. The General is one of the originals. Shit, they deserve the break."

Stone. I think he worries me the most knowing you. I'd never cheat on you. But let's not forget why I dumped you in the first place. Well. It was part of it. Don't worry. We'll get their.

Like I said.

Just relax and let us guide you through the first bit.

"If that were true we would not be having this wake in the first place."

Rufus really looks choked up by this. Guess he does care about something other than himself after all.

"Pretty gauche if you ask me."

Stone's not amused. He's deflecting per usual.

"Stone. Have some respect."

And of course Katiana, right on cue. Protecting Stone per usual.

"That's pretty rich. Isn't this the mission that causes all of this in the first place?" Stone is hurt. He feels utterly useless. If he could find an alternative he would have offered one; going up against Rufus is no small feat and one you don't go into unprepared.

But naturally Rufus will have to beef himself up. As is his way.

"Fixes. The Institute has agreed. Ever since Cincinnati our connection has become increasingly unstable. Leah is making an impossible sacrifice for our survival."

Look. Seven years ago you were with fucking evil midget. There was an argument; typical, but this one was bad. Really bad. It was so painful. You splintered; the you. Mine. He was no longer. And now. Riddles. I know.

Sheesh. Got me there. Just go with the flow, man.

When you. See Rufus, Leah, and Sarah brought hundreds over. Thousands? It was a desperate attempt to save them. Fools. But that many others? In the middle of a splinter?

I guess there was no way they could've known. At the time...

Rufus, Leah, and Sarah. Yeah. New names. But old ones.

They were the only ones to survive. Except for Stone. He happened to survive without a scratch on him. They never could explain how or why.

And we still don't know why they chose Cincinnati of all places. Maybe it's because it was the one place you would never think to look...

"But how can you say that? General Patski doesn't know. Surely they should have a say in this?"

Katiana just realized this is going nowhere. It's time.

"That's enough. They created the rules in the first place. They founded The Institute. They fought and saved and sacrificed at Cincinnati. We are gifted this ability because of them. We should be celebrating; not wallowing in pity."

Now's her chance to reel Stone back in.

"Or guilt."

Rufus and that ancient look of wisdom.

"Leah was my best friend. They; we, all know what's coming. They've been with the failsafe for well over a decade now. That's a decade of peace. They were fully aware of the risks and they sacrificed for you. And for me. And for everyone on this side of the aisle."

Rufus puts his hand on Stone's shoulder.

"I know this is especially hard on you. They plucked you out of the wreckage that day. Without them you wouldn't even know what the infinite was."

Rufus motions to the group.

"And here we are. Ryu, would you do the honor with me?"

Oh. They're about to do the chant. I miss this part.

"Om. Namo. Sri Sri Ma."

"Om. Namo. Rama Krishna."

Okay. Now say it with me.

"Om tet set."

Katiana raises her coffee cup.

"To the most compassionate, fierce, and stubborn warrior we've ever met."

Everyone responds in unison.

"Here, Here."

Rufus and everyone raise a glass to an empty door on the other side of the womb with no support personnel near it.

Rufus takes a beat and then asserts himself.

"Alright. You all know what to do. Off you pop. Into the pods you go."

Katiana, Ryu, and Stone migrate to their respective pods. As they are greeted each by their dedicated support person the hexagram shaped floor raises up passed the ceiling taking the remaining support personnel with it, sealing the three pairs into their pods.