Dawn of the Void

Chapter 84: Interviews

Ive really fallen down the rabbit hole here, said Cindy, smiling up at James from where she sat at her computer. But in many ways this is still simpler than running fantasy conventions. No prima donna Hollywood guests, no switching schedule, and dealing with a few thousand people instead of a hundred. Still. She typed into the command window and brought up the search function. Despite all the moving pieces, Star Boys created this lovely database that does most the work. What are we looking for?

Replacements for Inspire and Dark Vision.

Those were Bjrn and Becca, werent they? She suddenly looked stricken. They fall in battle?

Something like that.

Cindy studied him for a moment then decided not to pursue it. All right lets see. Smite is the biggest overall category, but only a quarter of Smiters went Dark Vision. That leaves us with seventy-five candidates, as weve had some luck recently forming new squads. Cindy hesitated. As well as needing to patch holes. What sort of person are we looking for? Male, female, age, etc.?

We can drill down that much?

To a degree.

James thought of Becca. Acerbic, confident, brash. How shed always felt outside the team, to a degree, and latched on to Bjrn so quickly. Team player. Someone whos going to work with us, lift us up, be a good influence.

Hmm. Cindy tapped her lip. Good influence. Lets see. She scrolled through the names, then stopped. Oh! Kerim might be perfect for you. Lets see here he is. Kerim Alakuolu. Forty-two, visiting professor at Columbia University, Novitiate 2, went Smite, Dark Vision, Shadow Step.

Shadow Step? James considered. Good mobility. What brings him to mind?

Hes very striking, for one thing. Cindy sat back and sighed. Very handsome man, very dignified. But a profoundly good man, you know? Which is a weird thing to say about a person, especially as I dont know him, but you get the impression right off. Very educated, very thoughtful, but he has this I dont know. Not reserve, but this old school dignity? You should just meet him.

OK, sure. What about Inspire?

Cindy tapped on the keyboard a few times. What are we looking for?

Same again. Bjrns saturnine features appeared in his minds eye, his powerful, dour personality, his sociopathic tendencies, his arrogance and scorn. Someone nice.

Someone nice. Someone nice. Cindy searched through the database, frowning. Oh, Kimmies an Inspire. Where is she? Here. Kimmie Baum. Twenty-three, was a yoga instructor, worked at a rock-climbing gym, went Bless, Inspire, Holy Zeal. Shes like a ray of sunshine.

Ray of sunshine sounds good.

I think youll be really happy with them both. Kerim and Kimmie are real steals. Theyre on the premises right now. Let me call them down.

Sure. How about you ask them to meet me in I dont know. Conference room #3? The small one past the business center? Lets do them one at a time. Kerim first?

Sounds good. Ill let you know when hes on his way.

Thanks Cindy. James smiled at her. Youre the best.

The best? asked the Anima, whod been hovering silently behind Jamess shoulder the whole time. That is incredibly impressive.

James chuckled. That she is. Lets go, partner.

He grabbed a cup of coffee en route, and then entered the little conference room, grabbed a chair, and slumped back. Sipped till Cindy paged him that Kerim was inbound, and a few moments later there was a polite but firm knock on the door.

Come in.

Kerim was as elegant and dignified as Cindy had said. Tall, poised, with a coffee-colored wrap around his shoulders and a pair of slender spectacles balanced on his nose, he had the air of a medieval scholar, a man whod traveled the world describing all the far-fetched wonders hed discovered. Lean, with a mass of chocolatey-black curls about his head and a trimmed beard, he closed the door and entered. Mr. Kelly? Ms. Robinson said you wished to speak with me.

Take a seat, said James, gesturing to a chair across the table. Crimson Hydra lost a few folks today, and were looking to get replacements as soon as possible. Cindy spoke highly of you.

Ms. Robinson is too kind. Kerim sat, smoothed down his shirt, and studied James in turn, his gaze lively, curious. So this is an interview?

Of sorts. No need for a resume. James sat up, prompted to better posture by Kerims own alert poise. Just seeing if well get along. Tell me about yourself.

Very well. My name is Kerim Alakuolu,and I am - or was - the Robert Yik-Fong Tam Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, where I taught comparative literature and poetry.

His accent was curious, refined, polished, but subtly inflected in a way that made him sound foreign.

Visiting from where?

Most recently out of Frankfurt, Germany, where Id been living this past decade. I was born and raised in Istanbul but found the political climate growing too repressive to remain. He frowned gently. Certain religious fundamentalists took objection with one of my poetry collections. I wrote openly about the Armenian genocide, and a criminal case was opened against me. Ultimately, I was forced to pay a fine for having insulted the honor of various gentlemen, and that was sufficient for me. I left for Germany and have only returned home a handful of times.

James tried to make sense of this. It felt as if he stood at the brink of a gulf whose depths he couldnt understand. He hadnt even known thered been an Armenian genocide. You wrote those poems knowing youd get in trouble?

Kerims smile grew pained. I wrote them hoping I wouldnt. Trusting that the liberal foundation of our republic would prove strong enough to resist the temptation, but alas.

And howd you come to be Novitiate 2? Id have thought a professor would have just hidden in his office and waited this all out.

Some, perhaps. But I have spent my life writing about virtue and its crucibles. It did not seem to me, when this apocalypse began, that I could hide while others fought and not consider myself a hypocrite. So I ventured forth and was fortunate to join with a group of students who had seen one of your earlier videos. We all placed our points in Fanaa, and more by good fortune than anything else were able to advance quickly.

Fanaa?

I am a cultural Muslim, if not a practicing one, but that was sufficient, apparently, for my sheet to appear differently from that of Christians. Fanaa is the rough equivalent of your arete. It is a term from Sufism which means the annihilation of self before Allah, whereby the self becomes the instrument of Allahs plan in the world.

Fascinating, said James. Do you have Aeviternum?

Kerim smiled at Jamess enthusiasm. I have Haal points. Haal is another Sufi term for a temporary state of enlightenment and transcendence, a gift from Allah over which man has no control. Even nonbelievers are said to be capable of experiencing haal, as it is a gift that stems from Allahs overabundance of divine grace.

Thats awesome. James hesitated and then waved his hand. I mean no disrespect, obviously.

None taken. I am not a mystic and find these terms fascinating and strange as well.

Benedictions?

Karama.

But you have an aura?

We call it Naf.

Thats wow. James sat back. What kind of intelligence is controlling all this? To know enough about what did you call it? Sufism? And whom to apply it to?

Kerim spread his hands. That is a question being debated around the world. The simplest answer might be correct: Allah.

But James frowned. Why would Allah do this to us?

A question that echoes throughout our holy texts. There is a prophet in the Quran known as Job who is tested yet remains steadfast in his faith. He does not understand why he is being made to suffer, but his form of grace lies in not seeking to understand. He remains steadfast in his faith, perseveres, and is rewarded.

So youre saying we shouldnt ask questions?

Kerim shrugged. It is human nature to ask, and I am not secular poet, not a pious man. But when all we are faced with is mystery, I think you must either choose faith or embrace ignorance. Speculation is fruitless.

Yeah, I can see that. James mulled this over. All right, yeah. So, Shadow Step. Why didnt you go with Black Apotheosis?

To be honest? The idea frightened me. Already I feel myself greatly removed from the man I was but a month or two ago. If I were to take on a demonic form of shadow and fire? I Kerim Alakuolu would cease to exist.

But Shadow Step works for you?

It does indeed. Again Kerim smiled his quiet smile. It has offered me great versatility in the field, as I believe the military call it, and at night I am impossible to pin down.

Great. James realized hed already made his decision. You want in with Crimson Hydra?

Kerim laughed huskily. Is that a rhetorical question? It would be an honor.

James extended his hand. Then welcome aboard.

Kerim shook his hand, grip firm, his palm smooth. Thank you.

Ill introduce you to the others soon, and after we have a day working together, well, Ive something big to tell you. If youre fine with that, youll be a full member. In the meantime, Ive got one more spot to fill.

Kerim stood. Ill await your call in my room, then. Good evening, Mr. Kelly, and thank you again.

James sat back, bemused, as the poet left the conference room. Cindy had been right. The man possessed a rare dignity and poise that made James feel educated and smart just for being around him. James grinned. The man would be a good influence, there was no doubt of that.

He called Cindy, who paged Kimmie, and a minute later there was another knock on the door, a friendly rat-a-tat-tat, and the door cracked open immediately so that Kimmie could peer inside, her smile tentative but warm. Mr. Kelly?

Kimmie, hey, come on in and take a seat.

She did so, slipping in sideways through the cracked door and closing it behind her. She was short, lively, her energy fresh and her hazel eyes gleaming with good humor. She wore a green military cap atop her bouncy head of pale blonde curls, and a pair of jean overalls over a long-sleeved white shirt. Snub nosed, freckled, with striking dark eyebrows that contrasted sharply with her nearly white hair, she smiled at him, bobbed her head and slipped smoothly into Kerims chair.

Can I just say before we get started that its really, really great to actually get to meet you? She beamed. Im going to gush a little bit, but seriously, what youve done here is amazing. Blue Light, setting everything up, the patrols, the way weve already cleared out all the symbols in New York while so many other places are struggling? Super impressive. And your TikTok video about aura was like, a literal godsend. Id no idea what I was doing, other than I had to do something, and then you appeared in that amazing outfit and just told me what to do. She shook her head in wonder. And so I just got out there and did it. So. Thank you.

James didnt know whether to laugh or blush. Its nothing. Glad the video helped.

What happened to that fur coat though? You looked so good in it. Like I dont know, an avenging angel sent from the heart of Burning Man.

Burning Man?

You never went? I only got out there once, but it was so mind blowing. Just well. Guess it wont be happening for a while yet.

What wont?

Burning Man. This festival that was held every year out in the desert in Nevada.

No, Im thinking itll be a while till it does, if ever.

If ever? Kimmie sat back. Are you kidding me? People are going to be celebrating like crazy when we win this thing. Itll be Burning Man non-stop.

You think were going to win?

She raised both dark brows. Do I think were going to win? Of course were going to win.

James smiled. I like your confidence.

You dont?

Im not sure.

Well, take it from me. Humanitys got this one in the bag. Im not saying it wont be hard, that billions wont die, but yeah. I just know were going to win. In the end. Nothing can stop us.

For a moment they just sat thus, Kimmie beaming at James, until he chuckled and shook his head. All right, I like your version better. Tell me about yourself.

Oh man. Where to begin? The short version. Im from North Carolina, grew up in the Blue Ridge mountains on a horse farm. Perfect childhood, my moms allowed me to pretty much run wild. But I broke their hearts when I told them I wanted to go to college in New York. So I came here, enrolled in the New School, and started teaching yoga at the studio on Broadway and 43rd? Also got a job at Climb Extreme gym, where I completely fell in love with rock climbing. Before this went down, you could find me there almost every evening. Such a cool crew. I guess I was growing tired of yoga? Been doing it since I was six. Which I love, and I honor the practice, but rock climbing is so fun.

Never done it, said James.

Anyway, then the apocalypse happened, and I took Bless - maybe because of my yoga background, actually, you know, Namaste yall. And Inspiration seemed like the perfect fit, as Ive always felt called to inspire others, or help them find their path, either on the mat, up a wall, or just in life. And then Holy Zeal just felt right. I dont know why. Terrify was out, obviously, and Arete Font just felt too passive. So. Here I am.

James shook his head in amazement. Youre nothing like the last Inspire teammate we had.

Complex emotions flickered through Kimmies hazel eyes. Im sorry. Were you guys close?

No, not really. My comparison was a good thing. How do you use Inspiration? What role do you see yourself playing in a team, in this new world of ours?

I mean, the names right there on the can, right? Inspiration? My job is to get people to do their best, to feel their strongest, to give folks hope.

Yeah? How do you do that?

Can I use my power on you for a moment?

James hesitated, seeing Bjrns dark gaze in his minds eye for a second, then nodded reluctantly. Sure.

OK. Kimmie inhaled deeply then smiled. Despite everything, youre doing your best and its fantastic.

Her power washed over him. But where Bjrns had been a leaden hand reaching into his mind to wrest control, from Kimmie he felt a golden surge of well-being and an elevating sense of confidence. It felt like that moment when you step out of a cold stairwell into the sunlight and raise your face to the warmth. Weight James hadnt even realized hed been carrying seemed to lighten, and tension left his shoulders.

See? Kimmies smile was infectious. Inspire. Its like were all in a yoga class. Ive found that the more Hallmark I get, the better. Its super cheesy, but it works. Things are so dark, so intense right now. A little boost of goodness can make a world of difference.

Yeah, I can see that. The warmth was still there, but James could tell now how it would slowly subside. He gave a surprised laugh. That felt really good.

Kimmie shrugged both shoulders high about her ears and grinned. Even though I know were going to win, I also know its going to be really hard. Im an optimist, but that doesnt mean Im hopelessly naive. So, yeah. Inspire can really help a team stay focused, stay positive, and believe in themselves and humanity.

Youre hired, grinned James. He hadnt realized just how much harder Bjrn had been making things till this moment. Instead of being a net positive, hed been a threat, a drain on Jamess resources and the teams overall vibe. If you want it.

Yes! Kimmie leaped to her feet with a little fist pump. Thats fantastic! Thank you! Wow!

James laughed. Cmon. Well let Cindy know, then Ill introduce you to the others. We need to get ready. Tomorrows the Third Wave. Ill have something big to tell you when the days over, and if youre OK with it, youll be a full member.

Mysterious, said Kimmie, then beamed. But Im sure well be ready from tomorrow. I guarantee it.