A Bridge Between Worlds Ch. 11

Sam considered Mike's proposal for several minutes. He knew that many might want to forget the events of the last twenty-four hours, but a small part of him told him that this wasn't the best thing to do. "I... can't in good conscience recommend that you erase anyone's memories. As good as the intentions may be, it's just too dangerous. I think we have to keep things as they are, and Mankind just has to deal with the repercussions of the events of today. Personally, I want to thank the magical creatures you told me about for taking on the biggest threat we have ever faced. Now that I know of their existence, it seems only right that I reach out to them in a gesture of peace and gratitude."

Grinning, Mike replied, "Thank you. You basically confirmed everything I was already thinking. We will not erase anyone's memories. I would caution you against making it public knowledge that the End of Days very nearly did happen, though. We don't want to incite mass hysteria. There will be conspiracies, of course, but long-term, humans are resilient. They'll bounce back from this brilliantly. As to wanting to thank the tribes of the Jinn, I'd be happy to introduce you, though I would again recommend keeping the knowledge their existence between only yourself and perhaps your most trusted Cabinet member. Something akin to Area 51, if you catch my drift."

Chuckling, Sam nodded in understanding. These are strange times... but it looks like things are going to work out for the best.

*****

"Are you sure you will not stay longer?" Ardashir asked.

"As much as we would love to, our job is done," Melody replied.

"What will you do now?" Nadir asked Mike.

"Me? Oh, I'm hanging up the armor... I've had enough of war. Besides, its power is immense, too much to simply be left in the hands of a human. Once we get home, the Armor of God is going right back where it belongs; locked up in the armory, under heavy guard," Mike answered.

"I understand," Ardashir said sadly. "Still, you will at least stay for our victory feast, won't you? We simply must thank you for everything you have done."

"Well... I guess we can stick around. I'm never one to turn down free food," Mike said with a smirk.

"Splendid! I am given to understand that the American President will also be attending," Ardashir replied. "I have met with him a couple of times, brilliant man, that one is. He has some fantastic ideas on how our nations can share information in the future to ensure the safety of all our peoples. We are even considering appointing an emissary to work with the President, under the guise of being merely an intern, of course."

"Are you sure that's wise? Gifting a servant genie to an office of rotating individuals?" Melody asked.

"It would be exceedingly unwise, were it a servant genie," Ardashir replied with a grin. "No, our emissary would be a Major Genie, able to be trusted with the deepest secrets of our tribes as well as of the Americans, with their ultimate loyalty to the Council of Four. Such an emissary would not be beholden to any foreign government in any way. Perhaps one day... our existence can be safely made public knowledge once more, but for now, this is the best method of collaboration, I believe. Ah, but enough talk of business. We have a celebration to prepare for!"

With excited agreement, the group began making their way towards the banquet hall to assist with the preparations.

*****

Selena paced around her quarters, still conflicted, but more at peace than she had been at any time since Farzan's death. Walking over to the window, she gazed out of the northern tower that she had relocated the royal chambers to upon being named Queen of the Water Jinn. She had a perfect view of the statue of Farzan, his warm smile always of comfort to her.

"We did it, my love," she whispered. "I only wish... the cost had not been so high..."

As she stood there in deep thought, a soft knock came at her door.

"Come," she replied, composing herself.

"Good evening, Queen Selena," Salim said, stepping through the door.

"King Salim, good evening. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We have finished executing the last will and testament of King Farzan," he replied. "Most of it was quite standard, his wealth and treasures to be donated to the general treasury and so forth. However, there were a few individual items with rather specific instructions attached to them. This, for example."

Taking her hand gently, Salim handed Selena an object wrapped in a silk drawstring bag.

"What is this?" Selena inquired.

"I do not know, but I do know that I have received one as well," Salim replied, pulling his out of his pants pocket. "These two had specific instructions to be given to you and me, and for us to open them together."

Giggling, Selena said, "It sounds as if my beloved Farzan is playing some sort of game with us."

"Perhaps so!" Salim agreed with a laugh. "In any case, shall we?"

"Of course."

Sitting on a nearby sofa, Selena gently opened her bag, withdrawing from it a beautiful blue sapphire. The stone was perfectly smooth and polished, yet had a jagged cut on one side, indicating that half of the stone was completely missing.

"Interesting... why would he leave me half of a sapphire?" Selena wondered.

"Perhaps because... he left the other half for me," Salim replied, removing the second half from his bag.

Taking both pieces in her hands, Selena inspected them closely. "These are the precise halves of the same stone. Look, you can tell by the shape of the cut."

"Well then, let us try rejoining them together."

As they drew the two halves close, they immediately felt a magnetic attraction between the two pieces. The stones flew out of their hands and latched together, forming a beautiful round sapphire about the size of a tangerine. The stone fell to the cushion between them and began to shine with a brilliant blue light. A tiny blue flame soon appeared above the sapphire, leaping from the stone and to the center of the room. The fire soon began to grow, forming itself into an image of King Farzan the Wise.

"What is this?" Selena wondered in awe as the image began to speak.

"My beloved Selena. Salim, my best friend. If you are seeing this message, it is because our efforts to stop Edward Baldwin have resulted in my demise. I am very sorry for the pain that this has assuredly caused you. The words that I must now speak to you are far too important to not be conveyed, however, even in death.

"Selena, know that my love for you is boundless, but also know that there is none more suited to lead our people into the future than yourself. I know that you have had doubts as to your place in this world, but believe me when I say that I trust you with the lives of all our people. You were born to lead; you need only have faith in yourself. My only wish for you... is for you to know the love that this world still has to give, even in my passing. I love you, and it is because I love you that I do not want my death to tear you apart... as Ahmad's did. Never forget either of us... but also, never surrender to fear and depression.

"Salim, not a day has gone by that I have not felt enormous pride in being able to call you my best friend. A poor boy, thrust into leadership well before he was ready, taking over for King Mohammed, arguably the most powerful Jinn of all time... it seemed that the odds were forever stacked against you. Yet you still managed to rise to the occasion. I must admit that I did feel a responsibility to mentor you as you adjusted to the power that had been placed upon your shoulders, but not because I felt sorry for you. No, I took you under my wing because I saw in you the same spirit of dedication and resolve that was present within your father. You merely needed the proper conduit to bring that potential out to its fullest. And now, you have the chance to do the same. To pay it forward, as the humans often say.

"Selena, if there is anyone who can understand the pain and loss you have felt not once, but twice in your life, it is Salim. Lean on him, for he will surely be able to guide you through these dark times. Salim, there is not a being in all the tribes that cares for our people more than Selena does. She will make mistakes as she learns to anticipate their needs, but she will never give up on them. If the two of you trust me... then trust in each other. The future is in your hands. Where it ultimately leads is up to you."

The pair sat in stunned silence as Farzan's message ended. Salim could barely breathe from his friend's words of wisdom, and Selena could no longer hold back her tears. Now, however, she did not cry tears of sorrow, but tears of thankfulness and hope. After several minutes, she finally managed to dry her eyes and turned to Salim.

"So... where do we go from here? I honestly have no clue."

"I do," Salim replied with a grin. Walking over to the corner of her chambers, Salim waved his hands, projecting a point of red light onto the wall, which eventually sustained itself in a concentrated spot of magical energy. "When Farzan began to mentor me, he created a portal between our two homes, ensuring that we could commune with each other anytime we needed. I have done the same for you today. You now have a standing invitation to my quarters anytime you wish. Whatever you need, be it council, motivation, or merely a friend to listen, that is what I will be for you, as Farzan was for me."

"Salim... I don't know what to say."

"Then say nothing. You needn't know how I can help you here and now; that will come in time," Salim said. "I have no doubts in your leadership, and I will in no way force myself upon you. This gesture today is simply a reminder that I will always be there to lend any aid I can, anytime, anywhere."

"Thank you," Selena said with a smile.

"You are welcome. I will leave you in peace now. I am sure that you have much on your mind. Until next time, Queen Selena."

"Safe travels, King Salim."

Salim bowed slightly as he departed, closing the door behind him. Alone once more, Selena again began to pace around her chambers. Now, however, she felt strangely excited at the possibilities her future held. Picking up the sapphire from the sofa, she placed it on her dresser next to her jewelry box. Staring at the beautiful stone, she hesitantly grasped the necklace around her neck, her wedding gift from Farzan. She had not had the strength to remove it since his passing, but now felt at ease with everything that had happened. Slowly lifting the chain over her head, she cradled the pendant in her hand, gazing into the small yet brilliant sapphire lovingly.

"Never will I forget you, my love."

Selena gently laid the necklace on her dresser as well, encircling the large sapphire with it and displaying the pendant beautifully. Feeling particularly courageous, she opened her jewelry box and withdrew a pair of half-moon earrings, her favorite gift from Ahmad all those many years ago. Ever since his death, she had not been able to look at them without welling up with tears, yet today, they gave her more hope than she had ever felt in her life. Deciding to display them proudly, she placed them along either side of Farzan's pendant, adorning her dresser in the most wonderful way she could have ever imagined. She strolled around her chambers once more, deep in thought, before arriving at the window overlooking the central courtyard. With a deep sigh, Selena began to wonder what her fate would ultimately be. The answers managed to escape her, as it seemed they always would. Gazing out the window, she wondered if perhaps only Farzan, with his warm, radiant smile, knew for sure.

*****

"Ok, I'm off! See you tonight, Melody!"

"Bye, baby! Have a great day!"

Melody kissed her husband deeply, embracing him for no less than thirty seconds before finally releasing him to leave for work. After a final pat on his ass, she sent him on his way, closing the door to their mansion behind him. Mike took a few steps before leaping into the air, flying at high speeds across the Kingdom of Heaven. In the distance, he could see the various buildings and landmarks of the center of the kingdom: the Gardens of Peace, the River of Growth, and the Armory, just to name a few. All led inward towards the high central tower, the eternal home of the Father and Son. Nearing his destination, Mike landed outside of the office building named "Guardian Angels." Entering the large building, Mike strolled through the vast lobby, greeting his coworkers as he went. Arriving at the transportation pad, he was immediately teleported to the top floor of the building. Now inside the main work area of the Observation Division, he checked in with several workers shutting down their workstations and about to go off the clock.

"Anything exciting for me?" Mike asked.

"Well, we did pick up on a potential target of Lucifer's. Thought you'd want to look into it personally, boss," one person said.

"Thanks. I'll check it out," Mike replied, taking the sheet of paper with him. Taking a seat at his desk, he powered up his workstation, waiting for it to establish full connection with Earth. Once it was finished, a hologram of the planet appeared before him.

"Did the night shift give you the info?" a sweet female voice asked from behind him.

Turning, Mike answered, "Sure did, Darcy. They said it was someone being targeted by Lucifer. How far along are we talking?"

"Not long," Darcy replied. "First contact has been made, but nothing more. I doubt this individual even knows who it is that's been contacting them yet."

Turning back to his desk, Mike entered the information and pulled up the profile of the person in question. "Well, whadaya know... Satoshi Watanabe. Tell ya what, Lucifer's got balls tryin' to go after Hiro's own son. Shouldn't be an issue though. I'll plant a message into Selena's subconscious; she'll take care of the rest."

"So, you aren't worried?" Darcy asked.

"Not in the least," Mike said with a grin. "Satoshi may be going through a rebellious phase right now, but there's no way he'd do the things Lucifer wants him to do, certainly not with the way the world has changed after the San Francisco Tragedy."

"True," Darcy agreed, taking a seat at her desk next to Mike's. "President Bradley did one hell of a job making sure the world understood the gravity of those events. I mean, for every belief system on Earth, religious, philosophical, and scientific alike to unanimously agree that there was a Hell and its ruler was responsible for the San Francisco Tragedy, nobody could have predicted that Mankind would unite like that. Score one for the conspiracy theorists."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Mike said, snapping his fingers. "President Bradley just got nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. I mean, it took them long enough, he's only been out of office for fifteen years."

Giggling, Darcy replied, "Yeah, but you know how they like to drag their feet."

Turning his attention back to his workstation, Mike rotated the globe before him and zoomed in on the Rub' al Khali, eventually finding Selena's location. Dawn was just beginning to break in that part of the world, and she was still fast asleep in bed. After entering his security clearance code, Mike began the uplink to connect to Selena's subconscious mind. As with all matters of a person's subliminal thoughts, a simple message was always best. After a moment's thought, Mike placed the information within the recesses of her mind.

Help Satoshi Watanabe.

Watching her for a few minutes, her continued peaceful sleep indicated that the message had been delivered. Soon, she began to slowly stir, until she was suddenly snapped fully awake by a startling event of some sort. His curiosity now peaked, Mike expanded the scope of his observations to watch the scene unfold.

"SURPRISE!!!" three boys shouted, bursting into Selena's bedroom.

Momentarily startled as she was scared awake, Selena replied, "Oh my, what is all this?"

"Happy Anniversary Mommy and Daddy!" the boys cheered, piling on the bed to hug their mother.

"You remembered?! My love, can you believe it?!" Selena marveled with a radiant smile.

"Well of course they remembered!" Salim remarked, sitting up in bed. "After all, what do you take them for? Human?"

"Here you go," the oldest boy said. "We made this ourselves. We've been working really hard on this spell."

Looking at the tag on the wrapping paper, Selena read aloud, "'To the most loving mother and father in the world, from Farzan, Ahmad, and Mohammed.' Oh, you boys are going to make your mother cry!"

Tearing off the wrapping paper, Selena and Salim inspected the triangular piece of brass they now held.

"We made it using our magic," Ahmad, the middle child said. "Metalworking is hard, but we've been practicing."

"I can see," Salim said, rumpling his son's hair. "You boys did a wonderful job!"

The triangular piece of artwork was surprisingly large, about eighteen inches on each side. In the very center of the picture stood Selena and Salim, wrapped lovingly in each other's arms. Surrounding the pair, about halfway between the center and the points of the triangle, were their three sons. Finally, at the points of the triangles were the faces of the namesakes of each of the sons, King Farzan, General Ahmad, and King Mohammed.

"This... is the most wonderful gift you could have ever given us," Selena said breathlessly. "Thank you so much."

"We love you, Mommy," said Mohammed, the youngest of the trio. "And like Daddy always says: 'We can't forget our history, because history doesn't forget us.' Is that right, Daddy?"

"That is exactly right, my boy!" Salim replied, beaming with pride. "Now then, as special as today is, what say the five of us eat a special grand breakfast?"

As the boys cheered their reply, Mike ended his viewing of their morning, completely blown away by the life Selena had managed to live since the loss of Farzan. She had first developed trust with Salim as friends and compatriots, only beginning to fall in love once that relationship was unbreakable, and even then allowing love to blossom slowly and naturally, rather than suddenly and uncontrollably. Through this, she ended up being happier and more fulfilled in the last twenty-three years of her life than in all the millennia preceding. Mike soon rotated the globe once more, coming to rest in San Francisco and zooming in on Satoshi Watanabe.

"You suck, Dad!" the boy shouted in anger. "You're always too busy with all these random people you don't even know, throwing away all your money on them! That's my inheritance!"

"Hush, Satoshi," Hiro replied calmly. "You don't fully understand why these people need my help so desperately."

"Enough with the lectures, old man! I'm outta here!"

Mike watched as Satoshi slammed the door behind him as he stormed out, running down the street of their neighborhood. Despite his protests of his father's charitable donations, Satoshi had truly never wanted for anything, being well set up for his future thanks to Hiro's wise investments. However, such distinctions went completely over the head of the immature nineteen year old. As he walked the streets of San Francisco, he continued to wallow in self-pity, furious that his dad would supposedly decrease his own son's future inheritance in the name of helping a bunch of strange people who were hurt by something Satoshi wasn't even alive for. Arriving at a large park, the boy stopped in front of the large bronze statue in the center, depicting three hideous monsters being beaten back by the San Francisco Police Department. On the base were inscribed the words "NEVER FORGET."

It is meaningless... a forgotten relic.