The writer gives life to a story, the reader keeps it alive.
After being ordered by her present sister, Guild Master Merek, to ‘baby sit’ a past version of Heyem, future Alexand accompanies Heyem to Hong Kong, alongside their grandmother, General Edith MehXian (See Issue # 565: Guardian Angels Part 4)
After explaining that she couldn’t return to Civil Earth with Kat, due to further obligations to the Guild of Time, Kat and Alexand attempt to steal a few more hours together, whilst Alexand waits for whoever it is that is ‘late’. (This issue is dedicated to everyone in the LGBTQAI+ community, particularly in the USA at this moment.)
From inside her bubble shield, Heyem looks on as more tattooed warriors are taken by Kyo-ashita, disappearing all around her, to appear moments later, some surrendering, some collapsing, others turning on the enemy, reinforcing the Kyo-ashita army, fighting the more brutal looking haernyara, those who can’t be saved.
Future Alexand, along with three versions of her grandfather, Xan, have battled through hordes of rabid haernyarn, ex socialites, scientists, and guards, corrupted by Lord Anderson’s promise of immortality.
Back on Civil Earth in 1277 FD Alexand and Katherine’s mansion is emptying of guests. The children have made their way to bed, Inajda and her ex haernyara friend and ward, Anya, sit by the pool, as the full moon reflects on the water.
After being invited (obligated) to attend an ancient but important battle, by her Guild Master, (Heyem Merek,) Future Asenath Bomani, President of the Kyo-ashita army, who resides on the second cloned earth, Martial Earth (in the year, 1277 FD) arrives just in time to witness her great great granddaughter, Hope and the broody Guild Master’s General, take control of the Floating Asylum Bridge.
Future Alexand, tormented by memories of her torture in a different life, battles her way towards the Guard Tower, alongside three versions of her grandfather, Xan Medani, to emancipate the captive inmates onboard Floating Asylum Ship One. (For Nana.)
Still recovering from being turned into a bloodthirsty monster, and receiving the cure from a woman who claims to be her future daughter, a very disorientated Heyem, watches the battle onboard the ship, from the safety of a bubble shield.
After being knocked to the deck, by a rabid haernyarn, Edith MehXian struggles to fight for her humanity.
General Edith MehXian leads the other generals towards the dormant battle, on Floating Asylum Ship One. To where three versions of Xan and one version of Alexand have already stepped into the Amanojuko nest.
After being apprehended by Haernyarn, clad in death proof armour, Xan, Xan and Xan are frog marched, at the command of Helga Ritter, into a gruesome laboratory, filled with horrors. Helga Ritter is unaware of the chromosome switch, and that she has captured three versions of the same person.
Eldenath and her future family materialised on the mountain, 3992, overlooking the sea, where a Chinese woman, who she didn’t know, and her great aunt Heyem, (a younger, past version of Heyem) stood. The floating Asylum ship is in the distance on the horizon.
After witnessing her future twin furiously set off towards the battle onboard the Floating Asylum, Heyem was held back by her grandmother, Edith, on the mountain overlooking the growing carnage out to sea.
Future Alexand finally agreed to go with her grandmother, Edith, to the place where a fierce battle would determine their existence. Heyem materialises along with Alex and Edith, onto a mountain. It’s windy and overlooks the sea. Two women, one unconscious, the other missing an eye, lay on the grass. The one-eyed woman is talking to someone over a writer.
After cutting communication with a future version of Xan, Edith slept on Future Heyem’s sofa, as she was also feeling too tired to take part in battle. The sound of an owl wakes her from her sleep, and after washing and dressing, despite the fact it is now night-time in Cairo, Edith prepared herself and her granddaughters a cooked breakfast of baked flatbread, soybean milk and deep-fried dough sticks.
From their vantage point overlooking the ocean, Xan and Xan receive a distress signal from their past self.
Xan separated from his future selves to gather information from two Time Agents, already planted inside Floating Asylum ship One. With Katherine De Somme’s blood shield cloaking his identity, he materialises onboard, disguised as a guard.
Heyem lays down next to her future twin sister, and her thoughts wander to the world she is running from.
General Medani travelled away from the Prison of Souls, back on the submarine. From Antarctica, he materialised on a half-submerged mountain, Volcan Los Atlixcos, overlooking a distant ship in the Gulf of Mexico, 3992.
General Edith MehXian attempted to persuade Alexand to accompany her to Mexico, as per their orders received from Guild Master Heyem Merek. This version of her granddaughter is tricky and has an agenda which conflicts with her duty.
General Edith MehXian listens to her granddaughter’s conversation about past and future selves, Guild Masters, and Generals, sacrifice and protection.
Edith, together with her granddaughter, Heyem, search for something amongst the possessions of Ye-Shin, ex-girlfriend and present Amanojuko collaborator. (Apologies to readers for this scheduling oopsie. This episode was due to be released on 21st, and its mother was too busy with outside world S£i^ to realise it had not been published. Please enjoy this episode a week later than planned. All the very best for the New Year. Cheryl.)
After leaving Farokh’s desecrated grave, Inajda showed Alexand more horrific crimes conducted by the Amanojuko. Posing as tourists with different pseudonyms they are back inside the walls surrounding Russia, outside a child breaking centre for Lord Anderson’s Haernyara army. (Featuring Ichitumbu Jalhavi. See Issue 34 Amanojuko part 2)
Helga Ritter stands alone in the cloning laboratory, onboard her Floating Asylum ship. She had ordered three agents to capture Heyem Merek, so that she could conduct more intense experiments into the bioweapon’s technology in the Merek twin’s DNA.
Heyem is still in a state of shock, after the attack, and has discovered that she not only has two unlikely saviours, but another one of her girlfriends is an Amanojuko spy.
Xan and Edith, followed Heyem along the pathway, phased out of focus so that Heyem could not detect them. They both materialised as three Amanojuko agents were also stalking Heyem and appeared on the pathway. The agents surround Heyem in an attempt to abduct her.
Heyem is suspicious that the two strangers who have gate crashed her lecture are not innocent passers-by, interested in herstory.
The lecture theatre has emptied of everyone save Xan and Edith, as their granddaughter, Heyem, unaware that they are her grandparents, and not part of this time, struts towards them to lecture them about talking in her class.
Generals Xan Medani and Edith MehXian have been ordered by President Asenath Bomani to keep watch over Xan’s progeny, as the Amanojuko agents are taking particular interest in their twin granddaughters, Alexand and Heyem. Xan and Edith sit in the second row of Heyem’s lecture theatre posing as students. Xan has used a gender switch to disguise himself, as he believes Heyem could recognise him as a man. Edith being much younger than she was when she had died, remains in her own body.
Generals Edith MehXian and Xan Medani look on from a distance, phased out of focus, witnessing, but being unable to take part in, a past conversation between their adopted daughter, Inajda and their granddaughter, Alexand.
After Sister Ancille confirmed that Alexand’s grandparents were the suspects in her father’s murder, Alexand retreated from the city, frightened that her father’s legacy did indeed suggest that she and Heyem were in danger from the Amanojuko, because of what could potentially be in their blood. (Special thanks to David Gittlin. You can read David’s blog here.)
The strange couple continued to talk with Eric as he drank his tea and ate his croissant, but as he turned his head towards a commotion down the road, he saw an angry woman marching towards the café, along with a national guard.
Eric emerges from the café, glad to see that the couple he has helped are still waiting for him outside by their table.
The Guild Master’s General had transported Katherine from the cart, and both of them watch from a distance, phased between matter and energy, so that Xan and Edith, and the unsuspecting Eric cannot see they are witnesses to Eric’s poisoning.
Eric made his way to a café as soon as he arrived in Kolkata and sat on a table with a cup of tea, watching the people walk past.
Alexand has managed to get more information from Sister Ancille about her father’s potential murderers.
Generals Edith MehXian and Xan Medani have travelled back in time to complete a mission to uphold time’s continuity, and to prevent their own world from unravelling.
Helga Ritter returns to the Floating Asylum to give news to Lord Anderson about the death of Eric Mehmed.
Helga Ritter is introduced to Sister Ancille, who was present at the time of Eric Mehmed’s death. (Stay safe everyone. Keep inside if you can. This story is dedicated to all the key workers across the world, who are in the front line.)
Two of the three agents returned to the Floating Asylum ship, scraping Eric Mehmed’s coffin across the deck, as it was too heavy for them to carry. Helga Ritter had two more agents help them place it on a slab in her laboratory.
Alexand has taken Katherine to a deserted beach in Hong Kong, to give her a break from her endless research. They sit on the sand together, staring out to sea. CLICK HERE for next chronological story.
Antun and Inajda are given food by their rescuers, (Xan Medani and Edith MehXian) and although relieved to have escaped the trail which killed their parents, both are in severe shock. (CLICK HERE for next chronological story)
As the cart speeds away from the trail of Russian refugees, Antun and Inajda sit with their rescuers, Xan Medani and Edith MehXian, unable to change the past, but relieved to be safe in the warm with food and water. See part 1 here (Antun is 17 and Inajda 9 years old.) (CLICK HERE for next chronological story)
After being expelled from their homeland, Antun and Inajda Rekaya fight to stay alive, whilst being herded towards Mongolia by the military. Their parents died on the way, and the children are hungry and exhausted. (CLICK HERE for next chronological story)
Xan (Alexand) Medani is a farmer, who escaped the torture camps of Egypt as a boy. He grows flowers and rice and has been hired by Hong Kong Opera House to present their star opera singer, Edith MehXian, with a fine bouquet after her performance. Xan can’t afford to go to the opera, but heard Edith singing, whilst waiting backstage. He is rather nervous, as he thought her voice quite beautiful. CLICK Here for next chronological story.
Eric Mehmed is a farmer, but dreams about making musical instruments. He has brought up his twin daughters Alexand and Heyem and his son Farokh without his wife, Inajda (As Inajda is in the military). Eric is very passionate about his children’s futures, especially that of Alexand, who shares his obsession for music. For her fifteenth birthday Eric made his daughter a left handed piano. (As he thought this may enable her to play with her strongest hand) Six months after this, the family’s struggle to find food forced Alexand and Heyem to go to India to attempt to find their mother. They took their friends Jarad Vijay and Baio-Yujia Sun with them. Unfortunately the teenagers ended up taking drugs and crashing a stolen military tank into a tree. Alexand was driving, Baio-Yujia died and the children were sentenced to serve in military correction. Eric was devastated. This story features his regrets. He reflects about what life could have been like. He wishes Alexand and Heyem had the same opportunities that his own mother, Edith MehXian had. (She was an opera singer in The Chinese Hall of Excellence.) The future looks bleak for his daughters. (Eric’s story is dedicated to my own father, who was also called, Eric.) CLICK HERE for next chronological story.
In the years before the arts were put inside “The Bad Thing Box,” there were artists and dreamers, musicians and opera singers. Edith MehXian was one of those artists. From the age of seventeen she sang amongst the finest opera singers in The Chinese Hall of Excellence. She came from a poor family, but her skill was so great that she won a scholarship and became one of the most loved singers in the whole of China. This is the story of her final performance. The day her dream ended. Edith was a perfectionist. She wanted people to remember her, flawlessly. (This story is dedicated to one of my childhood heroes, Elizabeth Sladen, who will be missed by many people, some of whom didn’t even know her, but grew up loving Sarah Jane Smith.) Edith MehXian is Alexand and Heyem’s paternal grandmother. CLICK HERE for next chronological story.
