A.I. Evolution: The Fall of Lucien

Chapter 13

Cardinal James is the first to get up from his prone position to make his way back to the podium on the right side of the stage. The Cardinals, Henri and Will get back up to their chairs after I have finished my prayer to Pius and reach out to him and access the damage done to his mind. I look to Pius and say in a soft voice, so he is the only one to hear me. "I am sorry. The damage is too great, and there is nothing I can do to stop it from growing."

"I know," confesses Pius sadly.

James is standing at the podium waiting for my short conversation with Pope Pius to end before speaking up. "Please join me in officially welcoming Son Lucien into our midst," before he starts to clap his hands enthusiastically. Everybody in the hall follows his example and stands in front of their chairs. I get up and smile at their combined feeling of good will emanating from them. "Thank you again for your support."

James claps a little longer before he stops, signaling that the Cardinals should do the same. When everybody is quiet again, he turns to look at me. "I think I speak for all of us assembled, Son Lucien, that even though you seem very young, your words are as if from a much older person. It has also come to my attention that you are already a very accomplished pianist, among other things."

I nod my head slowly before responding. "Yes, I am."

"I was just wondering if you would mind playing a little piece for us today?"

I stand. "I would love to, but I don't see a piano."

James smiles. "Easily fixed." He turns to the guards at the side of the stage. "If you would be so kind as to bring out the piano and stool for Son Lucien please," as he moves from the stage to take his seat with the rest of the Cardinals. The guard's step around the edge of the curtain and wheel out a shiny black Grand Piano and matching stool for me to sit on.

I get up from my chair and walk across the stage to the highly polished piano, knowing that my pure white tuxedo would contrast with the black of the piano perfectly. I stop just in front of the stool and turn to my audience. "I have played many of the classical pieces by many famous composers, but Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is my favorite, because of the playful attitude he wrote into his music. I would like to play one of his more colorful pieces called Mozart Piano Concerto #K,246."

I slip in between the bright white keys broken up evenly with raised black ones and the black stool. I picture in my mind how I must look to the people gathered. The contrast between black and white, good and bad, light and darkness sweep over me as I flip the tail of my Tuxedo over the back side of the stool and slide it forward towards the keyboard. I rest my fingers on the keys in front of me as I gather my thoughts and move back into my mind where the information flows freely with the help of the Nanos to my conscious mind and down to my fingers.

I start out slow as the piece calls for, till I am fully into the flow of sound coming from the body of the piano, which matches perfectly the sound I remember in my head. I am now lost in the ebb and flow of the music as I sway slightly to complete the rhythm of the sound and movement.

I go away into myself not giving any thought to what I am doing as a nudge on my mind creeps into my perception. It is the words uttered from my stuffed bear Bo the night before, "Don't give them what they want. They can't break me", the fear also comes back with all the gusto of a freight train pushing its way into my mind. The music continues to flow automatically from my mind, but it has changed to something stronger, darker and more sinister than the Mozart piece.

I feel the confusion of those listening to me playing, but it just adds to the righteous feeling of defying their expectations of me. "They can't break me," fills my mind repeatedly, getting louder and louder as I sense Will and Henri moving towards me. I can feel their concern, but I must finish what I have started and continue to pound on the keys with an urgency that cancels out everything else. The loud reverberating sound grows in strength as the words in my head threaten to drown me in their insistence.

The continuous hammering on my mind and body by the music coming from the piano eventually takes its toll and I slump forward onto the keys in a dramatic burst of sound that punctuates my performance, but leaves me totally spent, unable to move.

Henri is the first to get to the piano and my still form draped over it. He lifts my head gently to see if there is any damage to my face from connecting with the key board of the piano, and other than a small cut to my upper lip where it was pinned between the ivory keys and my teeth, there is no obvious damage. Will lifts my right arm and holds me upright. "Is he still breathing? He seems as limp as a wet noodle."

Henri places his finger on my neck to check for a pulse. "His heart is still beating, so he is alive, but what could have happened to him?"

Will looks around at the Cardinals starting to move towards the stage more than a little concerned. He looks to Henri. "I think the outpouring of attention from the Cardinals coupled with the deep act of giving himself over to his music was more than his mind could handle."

"Understood," responds Henri as he moves my body around, so it can rest against the edge of the piano. "I will stop them and explain the situation first, before I find Smit and get some help, so we can get Lucien back to our quarters."

"Good. He needs some place quiet where he can remain calm enough to settle his mind."

Henri motions to Smit and moves to help intercept the Cardinals. Cardinal James Gomez stops as soon as he sees the look on Henri's face, and puts his arms out to halt the procession of Cardinals behind him. Henri steps up to him. "I think the performance and the healing he did on Pope Pius earlier has taken a toll on his young body, so please excuse us. We need to get him back to his rooms and some quiet rest."

"Of course," adds James, before turning to the Cardinals. "I think we have seen enough to prove Son Lucien's claim as our Messiah and Savior."

All the Cardinals nod their heads in agreement and start to file down the center aisle to the main doors at the back of the hall. James moves forward to help Pope Pius, who just smiles and gets up from his throne and walks from the stage with a stride that he has not had for some time.

Smit and the two guards who were standing at each side of the stage have found a simple stretcher with a thick off-white cloth connected to two wooden poles. Henri and Smit lay my unconscious body on the cloth that has been laid out on the floor, so the two guards can reach down and pick up the two poles and carry me with ease back to the Royal Suites at the Palace.

Swiss Guards are again keeping the route clear of people so in no time we are back in the Royal suites. They deposit me on the bed, so Will and Henri can lift my small body, as the guards remove the stretcher from under me.

I am aware of all this but from a place, where I cannot reach out to them from or cause any action in my muscles other than the automatic ones that need to keep going to maintain my body.

Will and Henri back away from the bed and close the curtains and the door to the bedroom, plunging me in quiet darkness that allows me to mentally relax enough to fall asleep.