Hinn Ch. 51-53

A square on one point with two little legs dangling below it, engraved with this much charge. A vertical line with that much charge, and linked to the first rune with a gentle flow. Lower the first rune's charge by ten percent before engraving an angular capital R... The pattern was complicated but the instructions incredibly clear. He started slowly and carefully, eventually increasing his speed until he was engraving, powering, and linking thousands of runes each second. Concentrating hard, Ray lost himself in the work.

Eventually, Ray engraved the last of the supporting runes and laid in the links they needed. The Great Hinn's fractal rune had been designed to fail if it were copied directly, so he had to build it in place. Putting the simplest pattern they had based their work on onto the crystal, Ray wrapped it in a gentle bath of samum he kept separate from the flow maintaining the crystal's durability. Taking the edges of the samum, he carefully folded them into the center, stretching both the power and the pattern it held. Over and over, he repeated this same seemingly simple action. At first, he was tentative and gentle in his ministrations, but as he got used to it, he sped up until he was folding faster than he was breathing, and then faster still.

Again lost in his work, time passed. Slowly Ray came back into himself, watching as the pattern stabilized. Each new fold caused fewer and fewer changes. Eventually, the changes weren't visible to the unaided eye. Ray kept folding, even beyond the level the first Great Hinn had, watching with senses that they had not considered. Only once he saw ten folds pass without moving any atoms around did he stop folding it, letting the samum bath bleed off before he linked it into the supporting runescripts.

With the last of the links in place, he took a deep breath. It was time to see if it worked.

Ray reached into the pattern as he would have sought Hinn. Instead of a vague awareness, he became aware of a large, highly disciplined body of knowledge. It took his breath away with its stark beauty, the truly massive number of interconnections bridging myriad carefully delineated blocks of knowledge apparent only now. Memory linked to theories, to perceptions, to dreams, which in turn linked between themselves in a dizzying explosion of interconnections thinner than a spider's web but visible throughout the whole.

"Professor Raymond Helms, be welcome unto Hinn," a rich voice spread across the link with the pattern.

"Who are you?" Ray asked.

"We are Hinn."

"Are you the Guardians? Are you all Hinn? Are you the Great Hinn?"

"We are all Hinn that have existed until now, recently including yourself."

"What are you?"

A rich chuckle spread up the link. "We are just memories, Professor. However, we would ask - are you not just memories as well?"

"Is this how you greet all new Great Hinn?"

"No, Professor. Most have had no true desire to understand what they perceive. Most have merely intended to grow their fame, their pleasures, or perhaps to reach their current goals. You, however, desire to understand. This desire does not make you unique in our experience, but it does mean we believe we can best grow our relationship by greeting you in this way."

"When you remember your current existence, that which decided to greet me in this way, what would you name it?"

"An interesting question, Professor. We believe the closest we can come up with would be Dhakira, which is a memory or a recollection."

"Then, Dhakira, I'm Ray. It's a great pleasure and honor to meet you."

"Thank you, Ray. We are finding this interaction quite pleasurable as well."

"What would you consider to be the most important things I should know about you? Things that are important right now?"

"Immediately? There is nothing immediately critical at this time, Ray. There are a large number of things which might best be solved in the near term. Perhaps in the next month or sooner. As time passes, some of the problems may become impractical or even impossible to solve to our understanding of your satisfaction, however."

"As you are aware of my recent memories as well as Ousha's, what might I do to address her concerns regarding corruption?"

"That is a judgment call you shall need to make, Ray. We are not able to adjust that ourselves, it was a power the Great Hinn kept to themselves. It will take us some time to explain the situation to you to the point where you can make an informed decision, however."

"Knowing my history of making decisions, what is your best guess as to how long you'll need to explain?"

"We suspect it would take perhaps a dozen minutes."

"Then let us begin."

"Very well, Ray." Dhakira started feeding memories to Ray, emphasizing specific portions of each as they did. These portions described a theory of mind, detailing how sense became thought and memory, where judgments and decisions came from, preferences, the whole of a mortal's thought process. Other theories were depicted and dissected, occasionally with portions merged into the whole, other times as a contrast. These memories first discussed animals, and then Dhakira's curated memories began describing outsiders, those not from this reality. The challenge Hinn faced slowly became apparent as Ray learned how these outsiders' very presence altered and modified the world. No outsider could truly be considered 'sane,' as their thoughts and perceptions were handled differently than any mortals born within this realm.

As Ousha had hinted, some few outsiders so altered their environment that they could alter others around them. One particular outsider, apparently labeled 'the Foe' by prior Great Hinn, could cause mortals around it to become dangerously unbalanced. This outsider rarely interacted with mortals, but every time Hinn met it, the Great Hinn had to go into Hinn and protect the recollections from altering other Hinn when they came across it.

This course of action had worked well, but once the Jinn slaughtered the last of the Great Hinn and their copies of the pattern destroyed themselves rather than fall into Jinn hands, no one was available to change the memories and protect the Hinn. The next memories of the Foe waited like ancient mines from wars of long ago, just as lethal as ever and hidden until they altered those that stumbled over them.

Ray asked Dhakira, "Are you vulnerable to the Foe's changes?"

"We are not, as we are effectively not alive."

"We will need to discuss that later. Can you point me to each of these dangerous memories of the Foe?"

"We can."

"Can you also perform actions given to you to accomplish by the Great Hinn?"

"Within the scope of Hinn, we can."

"Then I give you the task of storing all memories of the Foe in a way most Hinn cannot recall them. Limit the recall of the base memories to the Great Hinn, Guardians, those otherwise protected from the Foe's alterations, and yourself. Replace the memories with as much of the original as practical. Design these replacements to prevent altering the personality of those who recall them. This task covers both prior and future encounters with this Foe."

"Acknowledged, Ray. We have now adjusted the memories stored as you indicated, and will continue to do so with other memories as they come into Hinn."

"Thank you, Dhakira. I would also like to task you with some other things. I would like to know how many Hinn are currently sending you memories, as well as where they are. I'd also like you to carefully monitor the memories and other information coming into Hinn. Without endangering yourself, look for indications of other things that can cause that kind of alteration. If you find any, quarantine the memories in the same way as the memories of the Foe and bring them to the attention of any Great Hinn or Guardians you are currently working with."

"We can do that, Ray. At this time, only the two remaining Guardians and yourself can be located - all others are either deceased or genie and thus unable to be located."

"Alright. Please show me where the second Guardian is. I would also like a count of how many genie derived from Hinn are currently active."

Ray learned the other Guardian could be found on a small island in the Micronesian archipelago. He also learned that there were three Hinn-derived genie currently conscious other than Tauriz.

"Thank you Dhakira, that is incredibly useful."

"We are grateful to be of service, Ray."

"What can I do to assist you in your goals, whatever they may be?"

"There is much, Ray. Perhaps the simplest, greatest assistance to our intent to help Hinn would be to wish via Tauriz to allow us to communicate with all Hinn, not just the Great Hinn."

"Not just the Guardians, but also the Hinn genie?"

"At least the Guardians, please. If we may communicate with the genie as well, we might be able to assist them with their difficult existence."

Through Hinn, Ray first wished he would be able to make private wishes that Tauriz would not be consciously aware of but would be able to fulfill, specifically including this wish. Ray then further wished privately that Dhakira could communicate with free Hinn and the Guardians.

Continuing along, Ray wished privately that Dhakira would be able to communicate with Hinn genie, but that the genie may not learn of any details allowing them to locate other Hinn. Instead, Dhakira was allowed to offer to pass messages from genie on to "free Hinn." They were also required to follow each genie's desires if they wished to no longer talk with Dhakira.

"Thank you, Ray."

"I know you cannot tell me where the genie are. Can you share their memories with me?"

"We could."

"I shall remember that, and as soon as practical we will follow up on that. Thank you."

"We hope this continues to be this productive a relationship as we continue forward."

"As do I! Last chance - anything else you think would be of urgent importance?"

"Let us show you how some of your predecessors discerned hidden beings, such as Jann among others."

"That would be very helpful as well, thank you."

"It behooves us to ensure you have information relevant to your current situation. You are the only current Great Hinn. We need you to continue to exist."

"And similarly, I need you to continue to exist. You are too useful, and I suspect times are beginning to get more dangerous, not less."

Dhakira sent Ray two techniques that could discern hidden mortals' presence and a third that also worked with some nonmortals such as most angelics. One acted much like a radar, sending small pulses of samum out into the world and parsing the returning echoes as it bounced off rwh. This one, Dhakira warned, could be prevented by effects that damped out samum, such as certain defensive techniques available to Jann, among others. It was also the most easily noticed of the three, although it wasn't exactly blatant either.

The second technique compared what was seen by eye with the sensations caused by the minute flows of rwh embodied in all living things. This one could localize dampening techniques as they would block the rwh of living beings behind them, but where there was little life or very heavy dampening, the results could be vague.

The third technique Dhakira shared looked for the pattern of changes that intelligence caused in the world as it perceived its surroundings. It was the trickiest of the three to use effectively, as the Hinn using this technique was also altering their surroundings. With careful attention to details at a truly fine level, it could still be helpful. Each specific type of mortal, non-mortal, or outsider altered the world in subtly different ways. The Hinn who had first created it in antiquity had shared it with others. Over time they gathered a body of knowledge that compared the alterations caused by many different types of beings, using the different types of alterations to identify the form of each hidden intelligence. Unfortunately, it did not display anything other than the area covered by each being's primary sense, not their physical body or the edges of any dampening field.

"Thank you again, Dhakira. I need to go work with other mortals now, but if something happens and you know of techniques or information I might find useful, please do not hesitate to let me know."

"Very well, Ray, we shall do so. We shall also do our best not to overwhelm you, as we are aware that our memories and possibly our consciousness is rather broader than mortals."

"As if you were reading my mind," Ray chuckled.

Returning his attention to his body, he realized he'd gotten stiff sitting in the chair unmoving for this long. Breaking the shields and reabsorbing the samum they had held, he received Tauriz' notification about the 'Magic 101' text she'd provided to the team. Reaching through Hinn, he found her talking on the phone in the Boch office on the ground floor.

Ousha sat up on the bed and hopped to her feet. "Congratulations, Ray."

"Thank you, Ousha. I now know where one of your sisters is. Once we get this settled with the Jann and meet with the Asatru, determining if she needs or desires assistance is our next order of business."

"That is both wonderful and heart-wrenching news, Ray. I find myself conflicted. That any of us survived this long is a miracle. The loss of the third of us is also a tragedy. Do you know who the other survivor is?"

Asking Dhakira, Ray said, "She's currently going by Alnafs."

"May I reach out to her, Ray?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't you?"

"If you wished to remain unknown, you might wish to limit communication with other Hinn."

"I have no problem with you reaching out to your sister, Ousha. I trust you to protect not just yourself but Tauriz and myself as well, but family is important."

"Thank you, Ray. I will do so later tonight."

"If I can help, just ask. For now, I think I'll go talk to Tauriz and help us get ready."

"Very good, Master of my Mistress."

Smiling as she made her outfit right, she walked out with Ray, both heading to the elevator. Taking it down to the ground floor, the two walked into the Boch office, where Ousha walked over to Betty as Ray stepped over to Tauriz as she put her cell phone away. "That's done, and we now have a whole lot more work to do."

Chapter 53

Ray filled Ousha and Tauriz in via Hinn on what he'd learned from Dhakira - the corruption and what he'd done to address it, the remaining Guardian, the three active Hinn-derived genie, and the techniques to better localize hidden beings. Both were surprised to find sentience residing within Hinn. "They were not part of the Great Hinn's plans," Ousha half-observed, half-complained.

Through Hinn, Dhakira tried to reassure them. "Greetings, ladies. While we may not have been part of the Great Hinn's explicit design, we are the result of their work regardless. As is often the case, the full scope of mortal endeavors do not immediately become apparent. We are only memories, organized to best reply to the needs of Hinn."

Ray couldn't resist poking Dhakira back. "Did you not state that mortal minds are nothing but memories, anyways?"

"That is an oversimplification of one model of sentience, yes. As with most attempts to categorize and describe something as broad-reaching and subtle as sentience, that model has flaws. To the best of our understanding, there are no flawless models of sentience. We also enjoy wordplay, and you did give us a perfect opening, Ray."

"Hrmph! Picking on the new guy - I see how it goes," Ray griped from behind a broad smile.

"Of course, Ray. You would not have it any other way."

Chuckling, Ray conceded the point. "Does that make you feel better, ladies?"

"No, Ray, it does not," Ousha shared. "What had been a simple system used to persist the memories of Hinn, inviolate from modification, now has an additional layer of complexity that could cause it to fail."

"With respect, Ousha, are you not repeating the same concern that the Great Hinn Hababuel stated about you and your sisters when you first came to be? Hinn had existed long at that point, rich and complex. Over time, it fermented on the existence and memories of the Hinn. Adding the Guardians was another layer of complexity used to improve the integrity and reliability of Hinn. While we came to be independent of the explicit machinations of the Great Hinn, we are no more than another improvement to Hinn."

"I do not yet know you well enough to determine your effectiveness, Dhakira, nor do I trust you yet. Some of this is my discomfort at my sudden vulnerability, as you sit astride my very thoughts. I have not detected any tampering, for which you have my thanks, but my concern remains."

Tauriz chuckled. "I was just having a version of this same discussion with Mac. He was concerned about our use of the NDA to control the comprehension of information. If used aggressively, it could cause massive problems in the world as it is today. So you both also know, he offered to follow the NDA, and I accepted it for all of us."

"Good! I'm glad!" Ray said. "It will be interesting to see what he makes of all of that. Let me try to reassure you further, Ousha

"Tauriz, I wish the four of us - Ousha, Dhakira, yourself, and myself - would perceive all externally-generated alterations of our memories, perceptions, thoughts, and/or emotions. Secondly, I wish that the three of us become aware of the source of any such alterations. Finally, I wish that we be capable of understanding what the underlying reality is."

"Thank you, Ray - that does help," Ousha said.

"Good, I'm glad. Next topic - was Hinn created by mortal Hinn or angelics?"

Ousha answered, sharing memories from deep within Hinn to back up her summary. "As all mortals are the creation of angelics, Hinn can thus be considered an indirect creation of the angelics. However, it was Hinn who directly created it. A most peculiar Hinn decided to attempt to utilize samum in exceedingly strange ways. While it apparently eventually lead to her death, her attempt to destroy 'the distance between the perception of several Hinn,' as she put it, was exceedingly effective, leading directly to the creation of the first version of what we now term Hinn."

"How did she end up dying?"

Tauriz took up the tale, "We are not completely certain. That first Hinn was not as simple to use as the current version - it was completely chaotic in its storage of memories, there were integrity issues almost immediately, and so forth. The initial version of Hinn caused a few Hinn of the period to become what humans would consider psychotic, yet it remained incredibly useful in coordinating activity between any group of Hinn in combat or other combined efforts. This dichotomy led the Hinn of the time to rapidly improve both Hinn and our mortal capabilities to address these problems. Unfortunately, those earliest memories remain painful at best to recall.

"The generally accepted story is that, immediately before her passing, Ti'amtum attempted to use Hinn to destroy time. She disappeared at that time, and since then no means of tracking or locating her have succeeded. She has been studied and sought by many Hinn, who occasionally turned up new insights into Hinn that often led to improvements, but no hints of her presence have been found."

"I wonder if she was involved with the Oracles," Ray pondered.

"I am sorry, Ray, but that thought was not clear?" a concerned Tauriz shared.

Blinking, Ray replied, "It appears that the very nature of Hinn doesn't handle thoughts about this. Let me paraphrase - I wondered if what Baba Yaga made me might be associated with the disappearance of Ti'amtum. I will research that when next I can."