Yet A(nother) Year In Seattle

Sunday August 29, 2066 - Old Friends

Today Fr. Martin brought a visitor with him-someone from my past, a man named Pacal Juerez. He had been visiting as part of a mission report and when he found out Fr. Martin would be visiting me, he asked to come along.

Now, of course Alan was immediately suspicious, let's face it a teacher from ATZ coming to visit is a little too… convenient.

Convenient unless of course you consider where he does his missionary work and more importantly who he works with. Let's face it, the Freedom Snakes aren't known for their close ties to ATZ.

It also helps that he had called ahead to make arrangements with Mom Walker and the Salish-Sidhe nation. We had another visitor from the Sidhe side of the Salish-Sidhe.

Pacal had contacted the proper channels to invite Ayana to visit as well.

He couldn't add any information on what was going on, but having him know the score and more importantly knowing he would tell Yachacheq and the Freedom Snakes was a big help.

They might not be able to help us specifically but we do face a common foe, and the more eyes we have on our situation the better.


Monday August 30, 2066 - On the right trail

Maybe it was last night's visit with Pacal. Maybe it was thinking about time spent… stuck in a cave… maybe it was trying to explain it all to Alan.

No matter what it was, I wish I could turn it off.

I think if I'd been anywhere else, with anyone else I would have been attacked by a very large cat. As it was I woke up in the middle of the night hearing a jaguar cry from the bay.

If it was meant to scare or warn me off, it failed. Instead it strengthened my resolve. It means, in my messed up view of the world, I'm on the right track.

Now I just have to explain that to everyone.


Tuesday August 31, 2066 - turning the tide.

I have to laugh. When I explained my evaluation of the situation Case hugged me tight, resting his chin on my head. "Only you..." he said shaking his head.

I think I saw something in Alan's expression when he saw it. It was like… for the briefest of moments he saw the adult me but he quickly hid it.

He's been spending a lot more time with Mom and Dad Walker. I think it's helping but he's been alone so long, you wonder if he'll ever trust anyone who isn't Matt.

We're getting closer to figuring this whole thing out, and if we can figure out the motivation we can plan an effective defense and let's face it, with this lot the best defense is a seriously strong offence .


Wednesday September 1, 2066 - Time to start again

I'm not exactly sure if I'm reading more into this or not… but tonight at dinner… Alan teased Michael. He may not like Nathan, and he may not trust Jonathan… but he's somehow connected with Michael as a 'little brother'.

I'm hoping it's a sign of things to come, but only time will tell, and we are talking about one of the few people who's more stubborn than I am. I've been debating about letting Alan read my journal or a very seriously edited version of it.

It would explain a lot.

Even as I write this, I'm realizing something. I'm going to be re-reading my journal. The best mirror of the present is the past.

It's time to start again.


Thursday September 2, 2066 - Old arguments

Mario came to the island today. I had avoided asking him for information on the rituals and the like, but he knew what we were up against.

His reintroduction to Alan didn't go all that well. It would seem Alan befriended him strictly for any information on blood magic he could find.

If there is one thing I learned from Mario it's that blood magic runs different ways. There's the kind he practices where he imbues the magic with his own life force, his blood… and then there's the kind that ATZ practices… the kind that involves unwilling victims.

Not that you could ever convince my brother of that. He paints them all with the same brush. Sometimes I wonder if maybe I was adopted. It would explain a lot.

It would be nice to imagine… maybe my real parents are out there somewhere… they could be anyone or anything… Medics… law enforcement… who knows they could even be chemists some place nice and peaceful like Florida.


Friday September 3, 2066 - Drudgery Days.

Today I collated. I'd love to say I found something that if it doesn't solve our situation it at least pointed us in the right direction but for the life of me, I can't tell if I actually achieved anything.

I did come up with the idea of transparent index cards so you could overlay information… but nothing that really helps us get anywhere.

Judging by the way people were acting, I wasn't the only one.

I know that behind every "Eureka" moment there are hours upon hours of research and negative results but why did today have to be one the drudgery days?

But I really think I hit on something with the transparent index cards.


Saturday September 4, 2066 - Actionalbe information

Another day of collating, tabulating and analyzing everything I could think of. At one point I tossed the cards into the air and read them in as random an order as I could think of. Even out of order it's not a pretty picture.

I even programmed virtual versions of the cards, transparent and otherwise as a way of reviewing the information we've gleaned and all I got was a headache.

The only good thing to come out of the day was the fact that if we survive this, I could be on to something with the transparent index cards. Unfortunately surviving this is going to require translating all this data into actual and actionable information.

I just hope we have enough time.


Copyright 2010 M.T. Decker



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