"The Waters of Xelin"

"Who are you?"-Ambassador Kosh from Babylon 5

*****

Fei woke up in a cold sweat. Even after five years some of the nightmares still persisted. This one was were Id and Grahf were literally pulling him apart to posses him and the power he once carried inside him.

He turned to his side. His wife slept soundly next to him. He could feel Elly's warm body against his. He drew comfort from that.

Elly stirred and opened her eyes. She turned to Fei. Half awake and half asleep she asked, "Are you alright?,"

Fei smiled, "Yeah, just a nightmare. Nothing to worry about."

Elly returned his smile with one of her own. "With everything that's been going on I wouldn't be surprised that you wouldn't be having nightmares."

She drew Fei closer to her and said, "When your project is over you will be able to sleep better. Now get some rest Kim. Tomorrow is a busy day."

Fei's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. He laid on his back staring at the dark ceiling trying to think. She had never called him by his ancestors' names. He shook his head. Maybe it was leakage of the memories from her sub-conscience. Elly was probably dreaming about one of her past lives. He sometimes dreamed about his past lives when he slept so why would not Elly? Yet for some reason Fei could not convince himself of the reasoning.

*****

In the morning Elly woke up. She felt very refreshed and at the same time as though she had slept for days. To her that seemed odd.

Elly went outside the house that she and Fei had built. The house was an almost same as the one that Fei had lived in before Miang and Grahf had destroyed the little paradise that he lived in.

She found Fei staring at the sky. He seemed upset about something. He turned and looked at her. It was a look of disbelief.

"Elhaym? Oh god Elhaym you're alive! I don't know how but your alive!," he exclaimed.

Elly stared at him in confusion. What was wrong with him?

He then ran to her and hugged her. "I thought the Emperor had killed you. When we were running I saw the blast and felt your cries," he said as he cried. "You told me to live. I've been trying so hard Elly."

Elly felt a chill run up her spine that had nothing to do with the cool air of the early morning. She only knew of one time 'she' was killed by Cain. Hesitantly she said, "Abel, is that you?"

Able laughed, "Yes my love its me. To tell you the truth I don't know how I got here. But that doesn't matter now."

It could not be. Yet was it possible? Elly had to get Fei back. "Abel I want you to do something for me," she said.

"Anything my love," replied Abel.

Elly started to shake. "I want you to close your eyes. I have a surprise for you. I don't want you to say a word."

Abel smile widened, "A surprise. Well I usually don't like surprises. But from you why not."

He closed his eyes. Elly hoped this would work. Using the same tone she had used to wake-up Fei in the forest she said, "Fei. Fei! Fei!!"

Fei opened his eyes and looked at Elly. Frowning he said, "Elly you don't have to yell here I am...?"

He stopped and looked around. Turning back to Elly he asked, "How did I get out here?"

"Fei?," asked Elly.

"Yes," answered Fei.

Elly swallowed hard. "Fei, Abel was in control," she said.

"W-w-what?," said Fei, still a little confused.

After a long pause he said, "I think we better go see doc."

"Yeah," said Elly. "We don't need a repeat of history."

"Elly this affects you to. Last night you woke up and called me Kim," said Fei.

"Oh no," whispered Elly.

*****

Citan was afraid of this. When the truth about Fei and Elly came about, he had wondered if something like this might happen. Looking at the scans confirmed his fears.

Citan looked at his friends and explained, "I may have a theory of why this is happening. Remember that Zohar was designed to make the improbable possible. Not only that but the Wave Existence's tampering of your introns. These brainwave scans show that your introns have returned to normal. This was caused most likely by the lack Ether on our world. Unfortunately the altered introns kept your past memories from overlapping to your true-selves. With the introns back to normal you both are now like it was with Id. You both now suffer from multiple-personality syndrome."

Elly gasped as she took hold of Fei's hand.

"Oh god no," said Fei in a weak voice.

"How bad is it doc?" Fei finally asked.

"From what you both told me, your past memories take stage. Yet they take stage at various points of each lives. Abel after his Elly had died and Kim's wife when he was almost finished constructing Elmeralda."

"Its not like Id," said Elly. "So it can't be that bad, can it? I mean those people were decent people. They can't do any harm can they?"

Fei shook his head no. "Yes they can Elly. What if Lacan takes the stage at a time after he went insane?"

"There is also a slight chance Elly, however unlikely, that Miang might also reappear. I doubt she would be in a happy mood," finished Citan. "On top of that, they would perceive today as their present. You already saw what happened when Abel was in control. He still believed it was ten-thousand years ago."

"What about Sophia? Remember at the Soylent System? I explained what happened to me there. How did Sophia know what was going on?" asked Elly.

Citan shook his head. "I really don't know the answer to that. Although at the time your past memories might have been able to look through your eyes and saw what you saw."

"Well the solution is simple," said Elly. "I mean Fei had no problem integrating Id and the Coward."

"Elly you must understand something very important. At that time, the Wave Existence and the Zohar Modifier were at the focal point. Those two factors aloud the miracle to happen," said Citan. "The cold reality is that multiple-personality disorder normally takes years of psychotherapy before it is cured... if at all."

Elly tried her best not to cry. She choked backed her tears. If they had cancer it would have been easy she thought to herself. Just find Taura and get some nanomachines to destroy the tumors. Yet this was a mental condition. She stopped in mid-thought as a ray of hope entered.

"What about that device that Taura created for Fei. The one that kept Id from reappearing," said Elly.

"No Elly," said Fei. "That device didn't work all that well."

"Then what do we do?" asked Elly.

They all sat in silence.

Then Yui appeared. "Citan," she said. "Bart is here as you requested."

"Good. Send him in please," replied Citan.

Bart walked in and asked, "So what's the emergency?"

"My god! What happened to you? First Krelian now you. Has the whole world gone to hell?" asked Lacan.

Bart looked at his friend in confusion. "Nothings wrong with me. What's with you?"

"Your eye Roni. Or is this one your stupid jokes?" asked Lacan.

Bart looked at Citan and mouthed, "Roni?"

"Fei, er Lacan," said Citan ignoring Bart. "I am a doctor. Your friend was injured in an accident. He lost an eye."

Lacan nodded. He looked around and saw Elly. He stood up and took a step back which nearly caused him to trip over a chair.

"It can't be!" he yelled. "You died! This is a trick! A Solarian trick!"

Lacan went berserk and tried to fight his way out. Fortunately at this point of his life he did not have the fighting skills of Fei or Grahf. Bart grabbed Lacan in a bear-hug. Citan grabbed a syringe and a sedative from his medicine cabinet.

Seeing the needle caused Lacan to struggle even more.

"Hurry up will ya Citan!" demanded Bart.

Citan injected the sedative into Lacan. Lacan collapsed into Bart's arms.

Citan saw Elly staring at them with wide eyes full of fear. "Elly, are you alright?" he asked.

Elly was crying. She finally understood what was, and could, happen to her and Fei. "What will we do Citan?" she asked. "How can we live like this?"

"I don't know," answered Citan. "I am certain though, that there is a solution."

Bart placed Fei on a couch. "Excuse me Citan, but just what is going on? First you tell me there is an emergency. I arrive only to find my best friend go crazy again."

"What did he call you Bart when you came in?" asked Citan.

"He called me Roni," answered Bart. He paused for a moment. "Roni?! Wait a sec Citan. Don't tell me Lacan or Grahf, or whatever the hell he called himself still succeeded in taking over Fei!"

"In way yes. But it's not Grahf. But that may change at anytime," replied Citan. He went to explain what happened to Fei and Elly.

"So why did you call me?" asked Bart.

"We need the Yggdrasil to take us to New Shevat," answered Citan. "Hopefully we can find some help there."

Fei moaned on the couch. He sat up on the couch. Elly came over and hugged him.

Fei returned the embrace. He could not recall the last few minutes. That alone made him realize what had happened. "How bad was it?" he simply asked.

"Lacan," answered Citan.

Fei shook his head in despair. "Doc, what will we do? We can't live like this. We have plans. Elly and I are...were planning on starting a family. With this over our head it would be impossible."

"I was just talking to Bart and Elly about that. We plan on going to New Shevat," said Citan.

Fei frowned. "Yeah right. So Zephyr and those others can freeze dry me again? I'd think not!"

"I know how you feel about her Fei," said Bart. "But this might be the only chance."

Fei sagged in the seat. "Alright, alright. But I am not going and neither is Elly," he said.

Before anyone could object Fei continued. "Just listen for a second. I was fine until Bart came in. Then Lacan took stage. I don't know how but familiar faces seem to trigger the others taking stage. That means we can't let Emeralda know. Heaven only knows how Kim or his wife would react to her presence. And from what Citan told me about Lacan showing up, it must have been at the time after Sophia's death. I doubt he would be happy to see Zephyr."

"It does make sense," said Citan.

Turning to Bart he asked, "When can we leave?"

"Right now," replied Bart.

*****

After the fall of Deus and the start of the rebuilding of human civilization, the people of Shevat returned to the earth. At least for a short while. It was not that they could not adapt to living on the ground, nor did they have the mentality of living among the land dwellers. It all came down to a massive case of home sickness. With the help of so many, the new flying city of New Shevat was born out of the ashes of the old. The new city was the same shape and design as the old, only a lot bigger. The new city now held the same number of people as Solaris once did.

Citan and Bart stood before Queen Zephyr. She seemed to be aging now along with the others who had cursed themselves with long lives.

"So that is what happened," said Citan. "We were hoping to find some information or guidance that might help our friends."

Zephyr nodded gravely. "Where are Fei and Elly?" she asked.

"They are on the Yggdrasil," answered Bart. They had convinced Fei to at least stay on the ship while they talked to Zephyr.

"Fei thought it that it would not be wise to meet with you given your past with Lacan and Sophia," said Citan. "Lacan appeared when Bart first came into my house."

Zephyr flinched on her throne. She tried her best to five-hundred years of guilt. "No," she said mostly to herself. "It would not have been wise. Yet to be able to talk to the both of them. To beg for their forgiveness."

Zephyr quickly composed herself. "Anyway we owe those two so much. We were fortunate that we had the foresight to make backups of the books we had in the Shevat Library. That and all of our resources are at your disposal."

*****

As Bart and Citan searched the library, Elly and Fei were entertaining a friend.

"What brings chu here?" asked Chu-Chu.

"We are in a middle of a crisis," answered Elly.

Chu-Chu nodded and asked, "Can I help chu?"

Fei shook his head. "Sorry Chu-Chu, but what is effecting Elly and I can't be easily cured this time."

"How can I help chu, if chu don't tell me what the problem is," said Chu-Chu.

"I guess it won't hurt to talk about it," said Elly.

After Elly finished telling Chu-Chu what had happened, Chu-Chu said, "No problem for chu two. I can help."

"How?" asked Fei.

For the first time since they met Chu-Chu they heard hesitation and seriousness in her voice. "There is a healing pool called The Waters of Xelin," explained Chu-Chu. "These waters can cure anything. One of my people's greatest secrets."

"But with no Ether it won't work," said Elly.

Chu-Chu shook her head. "No Elly. The waters exist for looong time. Before the ship crashed into the planet."

Elly and Fei looked at each other with hope in their eyes.

Yet Fei turned back to Chu-Chu and asked, "Chu-Chu is there something your not telling us?"

Chu-Chu was suddenly still. This was the most serious Elly and Fei had ever seen the pink creature.

Chu-Chu answered, "The waters may or may not work. Originally meant for Chu-Chus."

"We have to try anyway," said Elly.

Then Elly doubled over and screamed.

"Elly!" yelled Fei.

Elly curled up on the floor. Her eyes started to bulge. She started to scream as tears ran down her face. Cold sweat drenched her body. "NO! PLEASE DON'T! YOU'RE TEARING ME APART! IT HURTS! MOTHER! FATHER! PLEASE SSSSTTTTOOOPPP!"

"Chu-Chu get the ship's doctor, then go get Citan!" yelled Fei.

Fei grabbed Elly and held on to her. "It will be aright Elly! God please let her be alright!"

Elly still screamed.

*****

"Doc how is she?" asked Fei in a whisper.

Citan looked at his friend with grave concern. He had never seen Fei like this. His face was ashen and looked as though he was about to pass out or be sick or both. He was in shock.

"She will be fine Fei," said Citan.

Fei slammed his fist against the wall. "Fine!? Neither of us ever be fine doc! Not until we get through this crisis! This was worse than when Miang took over her body!"

Citan did not say anything. He knew his friend was just blowing off steam.

"Fei what happened?" asked Citan.

Citan carefully examined what Fei had told him. After a few moment Citan said, "Fei that was a memory. From what you told me of Elly's and your own origins, that Elly might have been when the original Elly was split into two; herself and Miang."

Fei's eyes widen. "It must have been painful for her," he said in a whisper.

Citan did not comment on it. Instead he said, "Bart and I didn't find anything. But from what you and Chu-Chu told me, the Waters of Xelin might be your best hope."

Fei watched Elly stir in her sleep. "I hope so doc. I pray that it does," he whispered.

*****

The Waters of Xelin was located under the Blackmoon Forest directly under on of the giant logs that served as a pathway.

Citan laughed, "I'll be damned. If the Gazel Ministry knew how close I was to such a treasure."

"Exactly why we never told any outsiders," said Chu-Chu.

They were all surprised at Chu-Chu's seriousness. She was so easygoing and happy even in the face of danger.

"As far back as we can recall," said Chu-Chu, "these waters served to heal us."

Chu-Chu lifted a hidden hatch beneath the log. Then the four walked down a long flight of stairs.

At the bottom they saw a huge circular cavern. A single set of steps lead to the pool.

The pool itself seemed warm and inviting as steam hovered just above it. It gave of a light golden glow that was the caverns only source of light.

"What do we do?" asked Elly.

"Just enter the pool and relax," instructed Chu-Chu.

Elly and Fei were about to enter when Chu-Chu said, "First you have to take off you clothes."

Elly laughed as Fei said, "Say what?!"

Citan tried not to laugh. "You heard her Fei. Strip!"

Elly was half-way undressed when she said, "Good grief Fei, you're the most modest person I've ever met!"

Fei tossed his hands in the air. "Oh alright. On one condition though, doc and Chu-Chu have to wait outside."

"Come now Fei," said Citan. "I've seen it all and then some."

Chu-Chu tugged on Citan's leg. "He's right Citan. We can't be here. Only they and they alone can witness what is to come."

Citan shrugged and left with Chu-Chu.

Elly entered the shallow end of the pool. "It feels so...pure," she said.

Fei entered the pool. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

Fei and Elly leaned back against the pool's edge. Fei placed an arm around Elly. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Now what?" asked Elly.

"Look!" said Fei as he pointed.

Elly gasped at what she saw. The water in the center of the pool started to bubble. Figures started to rise from the water.

"Its, its...us!" exclaimed Elly.

Hovering above the water was their past lives. Abel, Lacan, Kim, and all the Ellys. Each were clothed as they were remembered by Elly and Fei. They all had an aura surrounding them.

"What Solarian trick is this?!" yelled Lacan.

"Abel? Abel where are you?" asked Elhaym.

Then everyone started to talk at once. The voices started to get louder and louder. Echoing off the cavern's walls, the noise was nearing the point of causing deafness.

Fei looked his wife, "We have to get control Elly!"

Elly nodded in agreement.

Then with the loudest voice Elly could muster she yelled, "QUIET!"

Everyone stopped speaking.

Finally one of the Ellys spoke, "What is going on? The last thing I remember was...Oh god no. I recalled being in the lab, and...I-I was shot.."

"Elly?," asked Kim carefully.

His wife looked at him and nodded. "Yes Kim it is me."

Without even realizing it, Kim floated over to her and hugged her. "We...we're dead aren't we? But...who are these people?"

Fei knew it would not be easy to explain. "We are the same, yet we are different. I, no, we each carried our ancestor's memories." He then went on to explain their history.

Kim turned to Abel. "Yes I recall dreaming about you. I always thought is was just a strange dream. A wish for simpler times."

Abel shook his head in sorrow. "There was nothing simple about it."

Abel then looked around and in a voice full of panic, "Elhaym? Elhaym where are you?"

"I am here Abel," she said. Like Kim, she floated over and embraced Abel, only harder. She looked at Fei and Elly, "We will never be parted again."

"No we won't," said Sophia. "We will never be separated by tragedy again. Isn't that right Lacan?"

"I-I can't Sophia," said Lacan. "I remember everything I did after...after you were killed. What I did...can never be forgiven."

"Lacan," said Fei. "I forgave Krelian at the end. I also forgave Grahf and in turn forgave you."

Then the final truth came to Fei. It was not the memories that he and his wife carried, but the actual souls!

As if picking up on Fei's thoughts Sophia said, "I remember in their time of need that I helped them. In that awful place were the human body, mind, and spirit was twisted, I helped to sooth the Wels' troubled souls. Unfortunately I caused stress on Elly's mind and body. I still want to help, as we all do, but our time is, and always has been over since the time of our deaths. We cannot allow anymore hardships to befall these two. For as we must be set free and so must they."

"But I do not want to be left alone," whispered Lacan.

Sophia floated to Lacan and said, "All of our lives we denied each other. Now we must accept each other."

Hesitantly Lacan held out his hand. Sophia to hold of it in her hand. "It was never that hard of a thing to, was it?" she asked him.

Lacan truly smiled for the first time in his existence. "No my love it is not," he replied.

"And I always thought the Chu-Chus caused teeth decay. This is ten times as worse," said an angry woman's voice.

Everyone looked at the woman.

"You!" exclaimed all the men.

"You set Elhaym and I up!" said Abel.

"You're the one who betrayed Elly and I to the soldiers!" said Kim.

"You manipulated me into causing five-hundred years of pain and grief!" said Lacan.

"Miang!" said Fei and Elly at the same time.

Miang hovered above the waters like the rest. She looked as she did the first day she arose from the Eldridge's wreckage. Yet her words betrayed the darkness of her heart.

"Just as you are a part of each other, so am I a part of the Ellys," said Miang. "I am the dark side of each woman so to speak. The part that would jump at the chance to resurrect Deus. All I am is the leftover from each of your pitiful minds."

"Is that all that there is left of you Miang?" asked Sophia. "Hatred and spite?"

Miang laughed bitterly, "That is all I was ever aloud! There was even very little of that! I never cared if I survived the merging with Deus or not! I just wanted to be gone!"

"I once felt the same thing," said a man's voice.

"Id?" asked Fei in surprise.

"Hello Fei," said Id. "I to must leave if you are be cured. In case your wondering why I haven't shown up, I have been watching the good memories and being at peace."

He looked like the rest of the men, grown-up, for that is what he did when the truth was revealed. The anger in his eyes were replaced with peace.

Turning back to Miang he said, "I wanted to destroy the world because of what you did me. That was my one and only goal. Yet Fei showed me that no matter what hell I was put through my mother still loved me at the end."

"Can you say for certain that you never loved anyone Miang?" asked Sophia.

"I have never loved anyone. I was incapable of it," replied Miang.

"What about Kahr?" asked Elly.

"I never loved him. He was just a tool to be used," replied Miang.

"I was there when Kahr stabbed your host. I saw your eyes," said Fei. "I saw the sadness in them. The sadness and regret at what you aloud Kahr to become. You regretted it didn't you? You created the perfect man and you fell in love with him."

Miang was in shock. It could not be true, could it? Was she in love with Kahr?

Tears started to form in Miang's eyes. "I-I it can't be true. He just another tool, but I remember the times. They were the best for me. The best in my ten-thousand years," said Miang. She looked at her shaking hands. "What, what are these feelings?"

"The truth," said Sophia. "Lost love, regret, and guilt. Things you have never felt before. The things that Deus denied you to keep you from being truly human."

"Miang," said Elly (Kim's), "it seems to me that you are victim like the rest of us. You were denied the basic human emotions. Can we truly hate her for that?"

Abel was still glaring at Miang. After a few seconds his expression softened. "I suppose we can't. We have to her forgive her anyway if we are to move on."

Miang smiled at them, not the smile of manipulation, but one of happiness. "I-I thank you. I only wish things would've turned our differently."

*****

They all heard the crying of little children. They all looked at the source. Two younger versions of Fei and Elly were crying.

"C-can you help us?" asked the little boy.

Fei's mouth opened and closed. The memory came back to him. It was the child who survived!

"I-I remember," whispered Abel. "On the ship I, no he, was exploring. He stumbled into the engine room. There he found the Zohar Device being activated."

"I-I remember," whispered Elhaym, "On the ship I, no she, was taken to a vast machine. There her father, the captain of the ship, exchanged his life and the ship's life so his daughter would survive."

"So that's what happened," whispered Elly to Fei. "The machine was Deus. The memory of what happened to me on New Shevat must have been the memory of Deus' way of keeping the promise."

"The trauma must have been so great that the memory was always blocked off for all of us," replied Fei. "Even after the Wave Existence showed me the first encounter onboard the ship, the memory quickly vanished."

"It's alright children," said Sophia.

Kim and his wife went over and comforted them. They tried not to cry. For this brief moment their greatest wish had been fulfilled.

A white tunnel appeared. Everyone turned to it.

"I guess it's time to go," said Id.

Miang looked at the Light with fear. Id reached and took her hand. Together they walked into the Light.

Abel and Elhaym entered the light next. Out of all of them, they had suffered the most. The early times on the planet was primitive and dangerous. They were so young when their lives were snuffed out.

Kim and Elly walked toward the Light with the young children. Before they entered, Kim turned and said, "Before I forget, there is something I need you two to do."

Fei smiled and said, "It has already been done. Emeralda has been awake living among us for the last five years."

"Is she doing well?" asked Elly.

"She has met all of your expectations and then some," answered Elly.

"Please tell her that we will always love her," said Kim.

"I promise," said Fei.

They walked into the Light. The Light then vanished.

*****

"Fei, Elly, come on wake-up," said Citan as he lightly shook them.

Fei and Elly jumped and splashed water everywhere. The two of them looked at Citan and Chu-Chu in surprise.

"What happened?" asked Elly in a confused voice.

Fei shook his head. He felt light. As if a great many weights had been lifted.

Fei asked, "Doc how long were we here?"

"About a minute," answered Citan.

"A minute!" exclaimed Elly as she dried off. "It sure seemed longer than that."

"It is how the water works," explained Chu-Chu. "How do the two of chu feel?"

"I feel...loss, emptiness," muttered Elly.

"Its as if a giant hole has been left in our minds and hearts," finished Fei.

Then Elly and Fei looked at each other in surprise. They both said at the same time, "I can't remember them!"

"Well I do remember what's his name asked. I think it was Kim. Yes he asked us to tell Emeralda that he and wife will always love her," said Fei.

"I expected as much," said Citan. "But think of it this way. You will have a whole lifetime to fill those gaps. Hopefully they will be happy ones."

Fei slapped his friend on the shoulder, "I hope so doc."

"It's time leave," said Chu-Chu.

They started to leave when Fei noticed Citan staring at the pool. "Hey doc you coming?"

"Hm, uh, yes, I'll be there in a minute," replied Citan.

"Don't steal any of the water," said Chu-Chu.

"Don't worry I won't," replied Citan.

*****

Citan stared at the pool of healing water and recalled the conversation he had with Jessie before he and the other invaded Solaris. "If you allow your dark side to take over, I'll shoot you. Even if it means shooting you in the back," said Jessie. "I expect no less," he had replied.

Citan took off his glasses and clothes.

He entered the pool of water in hopes to get rid of the dark side of him that was once Hyuga.

The End

Afterwards: I hoped you have enjoyed this story. I am quite happy and surprised at this story. Quite happy that I am the first to write a story dealing with Fei and Elly's past memories in such a way. Surprised that no one else thought of it so long after the game has been released.(As far as I know.) Although Citan's memory of his conversation with Jessie may not be strictly from the script, I think I got the gist of it. Please E-mail me with any constructive compliments or complaints to chadharger@hotmail.com