THE 33 KEYS: Key 2 - ANSWER THE CALL "Listen for that Perfect Beat"

CHAPTER 6: PRESERVE THE HUMANS

"Fix them. Fix the problems that divide them."

"We're listening."

"The war isn't that far off. I can feel it. Let's just reset them like we always do."

"And drain ourselves?" Fantum shouts. "Kill ourselves so they can live? I won't allow it!"

"I agree that we should keep resetting them," Xaxu addresses Suke. "But not to us dying."

"Mother will just have to fill us up again when she comes."

"Yes, but she can't fill the dead!" Fantum thunders.

"Who says we'll die?"

"We all do," Fantum replies, shocked at her naivety. "Even Kat knows it."

"Then we'll drain ourselves to save the humans," Suke carries on undeterred. "Mother must come back soon. That forest is near extinction. The countdown is almost up. I can feel it."

"But do you have the exact date?" Raea asks.

"No," Suke admits. "But I remember everything she said. And I have faith in who she is."

"You mean was," Fantum says. "For all we know, she's dead and we're obeying a corpse."

"She's not dead," Qira replies. "She's hiding out in the ocean and you know it."

"When last has she spoken to us?" Fantum asks.

"It doesn't matter," Suke says flippantly. "We all have to obey."

"But that's what Mother fought against," Raea reminds everyone. "So I agree with Fantum."

"I also agree," Xaxu says, and shocks everyone. "But that doesn't mean I'll disobey."

"You agree with Fantum?" Suke asks.

"Our job is to stay alive to protect the children," Xaxu reminds them. "If we die saving humans, all Mother's sacrifices would've been in vain, including all those shadows they murdered. There has to be a better way to solve our problem."

"If only we knew the exact date of this war, that would settle everything," Qira says.

"The war starts as soon as Mother awakens," Xaxu replies.

"And when is that?" Raea asks.

"When all the children awaken."

"Those little brats she bore to replace us!" Fantum spits out. "I say we kill them all while they're still asleep. Just blow them up with the other human pests and walk away."

"Fantum, shut up!"

"Jarka," Xaxu says now. "What say you?"

"You just gave yourself the answer," she replies, her voice a sexy purr.

"What's that?"

"Awaken them. Awaken the children. Awaken the sacred ones."

"You know that's not our job to do."

"But we can trigger them, can't we?"

"That would be unethical and you know it."

"Rules, rules, rules," Fantum says in disgust.

"This hour glass," Xaxu points at the earth, "releases sand one grain at a time, Fantum."

"For them, not us! We don't move by linear time."

"True they don't live in our world," Xaxu reminds her. "But as long as we enter this plane with them, we play by their rules."

"I won't play by any puny human's rules."

"Fantum, you won't play by anyone's rules. Not even Mother's."

"That's because I'm in charge of me."

"Yes, but this is Mother's war and Mother's rules. So you'll have to live with them."

"We don't have to do anything big," Jarka reveals.

"I already said no."

"A miracle here. A revelation there. A whisper in their ear at the right time. Anything to make them wake up."

"Mother made it very clear," Xaxu insists. "Each of them is supposed to make the call, and we simply answer whoever does. Besides, they live among billions of people. Without the call we'll never find them. Kat made sure of that."

They all turn to look at Kat.

"Any idea where they might be?" Jarka is the first to ask.

"No," Kat replies. "But you already know that. I simply released them and walked away, just like we all did."

"Then who raised them?" Jarka speaks again. "This whole thing seems so unreal."

"We should be the last people to talk about anything being unreal," Kat tells her.

"You know what?" Xaxu laughs to break the tension. "We're all fussing over nothing. This problem's already been solved. It's either we're already dead or Mother has led us to victory in the war. We're just blind to it at the moment. By the way; Jarka, I reject your idea."

"I guess I'm up next, right?" Mira says with her resounding tone.