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John hears the familiar shuffle of footsteps approaching from behind him—that distinctive gait he'd recognize anywhere.
"Well, well, if it isn't Tekky himself," John says with a grin as his old friend Ben ambles up to the table. "What brings you down here? I thought you were chained to your desk up there—couldn't leave or the whole operation would come crashing down?"
Ben flashes that characteristic wide grin of his. "Hey, even I get to stretch my legs once in a while. Penny's holding down the fort for me." He chuckles and adds, "But I better get back before she decides to rearrange everything and paint the walls pink or something."
Sally can't help but giggle at that. "Honestly? Maybe you should just let her. Might be an improvement."
They all share a good laugh before Michael's curiosity gets the better of him. "But seriously, what does bring you here? This isn't exactly a social call, is it? You checking up on us?"
"As a matter of fact, yeah, I am," Ben admits with a slight shrug. "Look, there are several billion souls up there who are pretty invested in seeing how you folks are progressing down here. I've got to file some kind of report, so—how's it going? How are our young prodigies holding up?"
Michael nods thoughtfully. "They're doing fantastic, actually. Between the two of them, I think we might be closing in on some real answers. It's still mostly theoretical at this point—we've got a mountain of work ahead of us—but we're definitely making headway."
"Fair enough," Ben says, settling back in his chair. "In that case, I think I'll treat myself to a cup of that incredible Powder Junction coffee you guys are famous for, then head back before nature calls, if you know what I mean."
"Aw, come on, stick around for a while," John insists, leaning forward. "I really want you to hear what these kids have been working on. It's all technical wizardry—right up your alley, Tekky."
Ben's face brightens. "Alright, twist my arm. But I'm ordering some real food while I'm here. I get hungry as hell whenever I'm in Powder Junction." He pauses with a rueful smile. "Sure, Penny Lake's got plenty of fish, but you can't get a decent steak up there." So Ben orders himself a thick, juicy steak, while the others, having just polished off breakfast, content themselves with watching him eat—though Sally does sneak a few bites of his mashed potatoes and gravy with her pie fork. "You know, I'm following what you're saying about this 'it' theory," Ben says between bites. "It's definitely within the realm of possibility. Though I have to wonder—if the network did somehow become alive, we might be dealing with a form of consciousness so alien that we'd have no way to relate to it whatsoever." He pauses, chewing thoughtfully. "But here's the thing: if it truly developed consciousness, even at a basic level, we should be able to detect it somehow. I mean, we can sense the consciousness in plants, insects, all sorts of simple life forms—even though they lack self-awareness, we can still perceive their essence. So maybe the net did evolve some kind of consciousness, maybe even awareness, but of such a foreign nature that it's completely invisible to us." He shakes his head. "I don't know. It's a fascinating concept, but I'll be damned if I can figure out exactly how it would all work. What's really troubling is that if such a consciousness did emerge, it seems to have been fundamentally hostile—like it despised organic life and was determined to wipe it out." He looks directly at Sally. "What's your take on all this?"
Pat jumps in eagerly. "I've actually been thinking about that a lot—"
"Hold on there, son," Ben interrupts, raising a hand. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, really, but I specifically asked Sally. She's got some unique insights here that she might not even be consciously aware of yet." He turns his attention back to Sally, his expression growing more serious. "Sally, I know you probably don't spend much time thinking about your parents these days—they're in a different domain now, after all. But I need you to really dig deep here. Both your mom and dad were network specialists, right? They were part of the team that developed the INA chip, which is exactly why you were selected to receive one. That gives you a perspective that nobody else has—your parents helped create the network, and you were more intimately connected to the mind of that beast, if it had a mind, than anyone else who survived." He leans forward intently. "So tell us—what are your thoughts?"
Sally puts her hands to her temples, looking suddenly overwhelmed. "God, my mind is just racing right now—I can't even grab onto a single thought. There's too much happening all at once—memories, images, ideas all jumbled together." She stands up abruptly. "Listen, the boys got me a new room here. I need to go check in, get settled, maybe put on some fresh clothes and just... process all this. Pat, come help me move my stuff, would you?"
Ben nods understandingly. "Of course, sweetness. Take all the time you need. I'll just sit here and literally chew the fat with these guys until you get yourself sorted out. We'll talk when you're ready." Sally and Pat head off to handle her move, leaving Ben to return his attention to his steak.
Once they're out of earshot, Ben lowers his voice. "Michael, do you think they're starting to figure it out?"
Michael considers this carefully. "I'm honestly not sure, Ben. I don't think they're deep enough into it yet to really feel what's happening."
John looks between them, confused. "Wait—know what? Feel what? What are you two talking about?"
Ben sets down his fork and looks at his old friend with a mixture of affection and gravity. "John, my friend, those two kids aren't what they appear to be—but they don't know it any more than you do." He pauses, choosing his words carefully. "You remember how it works when we prepare souls to return to physical bodies, right? We explain that their old consciousness will gradually fade into sleep, that they'll become this new consciousness completely, and when they eventually return here, they won't retain much memory of their previous earthly lives—usually just the most recent one. They essentially become that last person they inhabited. Now, some of us can eventually remember multiple past lives, but honestly, those memories usually just create confusion and complications. Everything important from those previous lives gets integrated into the final incarnation anyway, so there's no real benefit to cluttering things up with old memories."
He takes a sip of coffee before continuing. "There are exceptions, of course. Sometimes a life ends unexpectedly and there's unfinished business that needs attention. In cases like that, someone might remember their previous life alongside their new experiences. The hardest cases are always the suicides—they arrive here expecting relief, only to discover they've brought all their problems with them and now have even fewer resources to deal with them."
Ben gestures toward John. "Take you, for instance. You're probably pretty much finished with earthly incarnations. I don't mean you couldn't go back if you wanted to, but you'd likely never feel a strong pull to do so. Most of your future visits would probably be purely observational. You'll probably eventually move on and establish your own domain, like Michael and I did. And someday, Michael and I will close out these domains we're running and advance to an even higher level ourselves."
His voice takes on a tone of deep respect. "Now, there are some—it's rare, but it happens—who make the complete journey from whatever domain they're in, whether it's level 3, 5, 7, or beyond, all the way up to level 10. We call them ascended masters because they ascend directly from their current level to the highest plane. Usually they're off pursuing their own purposes at that level. Honestly, those of us down here can't really comprehend what level 10 masters do with their existence—it's beyond our understanding. But we know they're out there, and occasionally one will manifest to observe something or, very rarely, to teach. But their appearances here or on Earth are extremely uncommon."
Ben's expression grows even more serious. "What's even more extraordinary—almost unheard of, really—is for a level 10 master to voluntarily incarnate into a physical body at level 3. It would take truly exceptional circumstances to justify that kind of sacrifice. Something like, say, the complete destruction of an entire solar system." He pauses meaningfully. "Those level 10 beings must have known what was coming, because there were two physical bodies down there, right in the thick of everything that happened, housing level 10 souls. You know them as Sally and Pat."
John's eyes widen in disbelief. "You're kidding me."
"I wish I were," Ben continues. "They act like typical young people because that's exactly what they are to us—young souls having their first experience at level 3. They don't remember who they really are. But they were there for a reason, John. We can only hope—and assume—that they were placed in those circumstances so they could be part of what happened, so they'd eventually be able to fix it. We've been waiting over three thousand years for them to begin their awakening. I believe that's what we're witnessing now." He shakes his head slowly. "But time means something completely different to level 10 beings than it does to those of us still tied to the level 3 temporal domain. So we can't be certain that now is their time. That's all I know for sure. And now you know it too."
John runs his hands through his hair, looking stunned. "Jesus Christ, Ben. That's the longest speech I've ever heard you give. I had no idea you were such an expert on soul evolution and all this metaphysical stuff." He looks genuinely worried. "So what happens now? When they come back, should I bow? Bring flowers? How the hell am I supposed to act around them?"
Ben chuckles and shakes his head. "Don't change a thing, John. They have no idea who they are, and if we dump this on them too fast, we could scare them off completely. Just treat them exactly like you always have—like the kids they appear to be. Teach them the way you've been teaching them. Love them and let them discover themselves at their own pace. I'll warn you though—waiting for a level 10 being to get around to something can be incredibly frustrating. But their timing isn't something we can influence or control. They operate on their own schedule."
John's worried expression gradually transforms into a smile. "Alright then, I can do that. I'm still going to call him 'Son' and I'll always call her 'Sweetie.'"
Michael bursts out laughing. "Oh man, I nearly lost it when she asked me if I was an Archangel. Hell, at this point it's more likely her than me!" They all crack up at that.