The journey to the top level of Terran City, the militarized zone known as the Mathios District, was a five-minute ride up the North elevator, reserved only for personnel trusted by the CMC. It was long enough for Maya to brief Andrew of the very special person they were about to meet.

"You've heard of the Possessed, I assume?" asked Maya as she pushed her fingers across her tablet computer.

"Heard of? I had to shoot three of my buddies to stop them from turning! I nearly became one myself if Sino hadn't been by my side!" Andrew said, disbelieving. He was sure he'd told Maya his story countless times, and that she had taken him in not just for his physics background, but also because she has shreds of sympathy.

"Well, this guy we're about to meet is a Possessed," she said, disregarding his chagrin.

"What?" Andrew was about to chide his supervisor for insulting his intelligence, but he knew that Maya would never joke about this kind of thing. She too had lost friends and family, some of which she had to shoot several times.

"He's not the same as the others, obviously. Here's his picture."

She showed Andrew a picture on her tablet. It was a kindly-looking middle-aged man with amber skin. He had a small crop of black hair, neatly trimmed and modestly groomed. The photo only showed him from the chest up, so all Andrew could see of his clothes was his plain blue polo. He had a quiet gaze, one that was rare even before the invasion. The quality of this portrait was marred by the height markings behind him, in big bold black. Somehow, assigning a number to him seemed spiritually wrong.

"Was this taken before or after the possession?" asked Andrew, not wanting to envision the suffering of such an individual.

"This was taken about a month ago," replied Maya. "He's been with us since 2182."

"The year we turned the tides of war?"

"You got it," Maya said as she stowed away her tablet. "He's the guy who's been helping us all along. I couldn't have made the possession guards without him."

Andrew's first instinct was to look around them. There were only two other people riding the elevator, all wearing the khaki uniforms of the CMC adorned with various colors of threads. The CMC had no badges; those were meaningless without the old military command, so their honors were mostly made with yarn and hooks. The two of them returned Andrew's stare and nodded.

"I'm guessing this stays at the top?" Andrew asked as he turned back to Maya. 

"Only near the top. I'm not certain that Onsager knows of him just yet."

"Onsager doesn't know? Isn't she the Commander?" asked Andrew.

"Yes, but not the Commander that led us to victory. This matter is mostly left to the Second-in-Command, and they aren't so willing to confide in their boss just yet."

Andrew has always been surprised at how much Maya knew about the CMC's inner runnings. It would all make sense if she was privy to what was likely its biggest secret. 

"Anyway, I'd still like to know a little more before I meet this man," said Andrew. "Who is he? Why isn't he trying to kill all of us? How can he help me, and why does he want to help me?" 

Maya gave Andrew one of her rare sincere smiles.

"He calls himself Rinpoche. The Lemurian soul had the misfortune of possessing the body of a monk, one Thongwa Yeshe. For reasons I don't quite understand, the mind of Thongwa Yeshe had somehow made the Lemurian nicer, and the two minds have merged into a single, compassionate one. The other answers you'll get from him."

Andrew knew better than to probe his supervisor further, but he couldn't stop the tirade of questions that flooded his mind. The term 'possession' is somewhat of a misnomer. If it were up to him, he would have called it 'spiritual murder'. When a Lemurian falls in combat, their reincarnation technology allows them to destroy the soul of a nearby human being, thereby opening up their body, mind, and memories for takeover. For a good chunk of the war, this process allowed the invaders to learn of our technology and combat prowess, and there were the obvious opportunities for espionage. It was difficult for him to fathom that a victim of such a dastardly tactic would be willing to help the humans achieve victory. 

It seemed that the CMC had the same thought. They had confined the man called Rinpoche to a high-security facility located ten kilometers from the North elevator. With an area of a hundred square kilometers, this meant that the duo had to travel nearly to the other end of the Mathios District. It has been at least five years since Andrew had been this close to the surface, the ceiling a mere two meters below the ground. The whole place was built like a massive bunker, reinforced by meter-thick steel and concrete walls. There were windows spread sparsely across the ceiling, but with the perpetual presence of stygian clouds, little natural sunlight came through. One could say that they were more of a formality, a reminder that the world outside still exists. 

The drive to the facility took half-an-hour in an old twenty-first-century car. It would have been much shorter if not for the maze-like structure of the place. Buildings were built in the middle of roads, and some roads branched off into three or more meandering pathways. Many of these pathways led to dead ends. When Andrew was first conscripted into the defense eight years ago, his first assignment was to memorize the convoluted series of routes. The purpose was to thoroughly confuse the enemy, in the event that they find and attack the largest human stronghold. Of course, this would be pointless if a human defender got possessed, but there was only so much a mere mortal could do before the possession guards were invented. In the five years since Andrew's last visit, the maze seemed to have gotten even more confusing. Was this a necessity for a possible return invasion, or was it just the project of the very bored, and some say feckless Commander?

Andrew recognized the person greeting them almost immediately, but he was surprised that they had deemed this important enough to make an appearance. Kennedy Hooke, the long time Second-in-Command, was standing in full honors and the pride of a flag when the car pulled in. They were stern, and would never let anyone see the more lax side of the CMC. However, Andrew knew them to be an understanding individual, having served under them and the late Commander Mathios. 

"Good morning, 2IC!" Andrew instinctively gave an awkward salute but fumbled the downstroke as he remembered he was no longer a soldier.

"At ease Andrew, you don't work for me anymore," replied Hooke, playfully returning the salute. 

"Good morning, Hooke!" chirped Maya. "As you can see, the hero has returned!"

"Are you referring to yourself or Andrew?" they laughed. "Come, we're losing daylight, or what passes for it nowadays."

*** 

There was a total of fifty meters between the floors of the Mathios District and the surface, but about four hundred meters between said floors and the ceiling of 1RD. The facility, sometimes referred to as the new Alcatraz, extended for about half this four hundred meters. This was where the CMC put what they deem to be the largest threats to humanity; a group of captured Possessed, some careless members of the School of Reincarnation, and citizens who had refused to be conscripted into the militia. Andrew could feel the air warming up as they took the elevator dow, his anxiety grew with the numbers on the elevator display. They were heading to the bottom, which he assumed was where the worst of the lot lay in wait. He was therefore taken aback by the lush tropical paradise that greeted them. It was an average-sized room, filled with a soothing ambiance of light and wind. Fresh plants adorned the sides, and the sounds of exotic birds played on the speakers. In the middle of the room was a simple wooden table, and seated at the table was the man called Rinpoche. A guard was standing at attention beside him, armed only with a baton.

"Thank you, Serena, we'll call you when we're ready," Hooke said to the guard. Soon, there were only four of them in the room. 

"2IC Hooke and Dr. Roberts! It's good to see you all again! And this must be Dr. Lim," said Rinpoche as he got up from the chair. He was wearing the same blue polo he had in the photo, accompanied by light brown slacks. His steps appeared to be made with the purpose of spreading calmness, and despite his initial apprehension, Andrew was quick to open up.

"Fake Doctor," he said. "I never got to finish my Ph.D."

Andrew was surprised to find himself extending a hand to Rinpoche. When he saw Hooke and Maya do so as well, he realized the very new situation he had found himself in. 

"I'm sorry," Andrew turned to look at Hooke. "Why is he here?"

"He volunteered to stay here," they replied. "He figured that the rest of humanity wouldn't be so receptive."

"It's true," interjected Rinpoche. "It's better for public trust in the government if I were to remain out of sight."

"For the last time, we're not a government," came Hooke's exasperated response.

"You collect taxes, you're a government," laughed Rinpoche. Andrew had a hard time stifling his own laughter. He suspected he wouldn't be able to tell Sino about this. It was just going to have to be one of those itches one can never scratch. 

Maya and Hooke soon left the room, leaving Andrew alone with the former monk. When he was a graduate student, Andrew had seen a few therapists, and he was slightly bemused by how similar the situation was at that moment.

"So... you're the hero who saved the world and the martyr who lost his soul while doing so," said Rinpoche, returning to his seat.

"How did you find out about me?" asked Andrew, taking the seat opposite him. "I was under the impression that both those pieces of information were classified."

"I have access to such information. I know it's easy to forget that I am not a common prisoner, given what I am. I hope by the end of this meeting, I can prove that I mean you, and the rest of humanity, no harm."

Andrew nodded, tapping his fingers on the table as he assessed the man's visage. He seemed more at peace than most people he knew, even after being confined for years in a deep subterranean building. He felt that he should be skeptical, but Maya's and Hooke's response seemed to show otherwise. 

"So Maya tells me that you can help me?" 

"I can offer you something," said Rinpoche. "But why don't you first humor me by telling your story?"

It was a story that Andrew had only told a few. Priya wasn't even on that list. 

***

"Over the ridge! Andrew!" Sino shouted over the din of artillery and shrills, both Lemurian and human. He still had his old face then, and it was flushed with a mix of excitement and anxiety.

Andrew looked up above the sharp drop and saw the tentacle-like feelers of the Alien Mother. That was a good sign, it was a necessary precursor to the next step of their plan.

"We need to get up there somehow, or at least in line for a good shot. Any ideas?" he shouted back to Sino.

The launcher's sling was beginning to bite into the skin beneath his uniform. He would have switched shoulders, if not for the stinging wound that was on his right. No one would enjoy the idea of lugging that thing up the cliffside, but he was the closest nuke holder to the hive.

"We could go round the side. There's a gentler slope about three-hundred meters to the East," Sino replied.

"That would take too long. We don't know how long we can keep her out here."

The Alien Mother was now fully above the ground, a gargantuan worm-like body standing erect, the size of a small building. Its mouth and fangs were directed towards the sky, spitting out plasma and acid at the fighters and helicopters that were shooting at it. Her aim was nearly spot-on, and their air support was going down faster than they would like. It was also the reason why one couldn't just fire a nuke from the sky. The thing would have to go straight into her mouth to be effective, and she was just too good at intercepting slower projectiles. The only thing that could make contact were bullets, but they weren't enough to make even a dent. They needed a surprise attack.

"It wouldn't take as long as climbing right here! Come on, we need to hurry!" shouted Sino.

The mood was frightful but hopeful. As they made the three-hundred-meter dash, they passed groups of soldiers fighting all forms of enemies. Possessed soldiers from previous engagements were gunned down or bayoneted, while the torso-faced Lemurians were killed either with incendiary bullets or grenades to their bodies. Things were looking good, but if they didn't take down that horror over the ridge, it would be for nothing.

"We're in luck, we can run up this slope. Come on!"

It was easy for Sino to say; he wasn't the one carrying a mini-nuke launcher that was two-thirds of his body weight. He was, however, providing great cover from the defending Possessed, so Andrew let him run ahead, following the Sun Dancer logo emblazoned on his back. They were making good time, but the Alien Mother had nearly decimated all the attacking aircraft. They couldn't afford to lose an iota of speed.

"Almost there! Get close to me and I'll start the distraction."

Andrew had no choice but to summon stamina that he didn't know he had. His left shoulder was burning, his legs were close to numb, and his lungs were trying to stretch out of his chest. He had to switch sling shoulders, but the adrenaline blocked out the sticky pain. Through the sweat and muck that was stinging his eyes, he saw Sino light up the flare and toss the grenade. The surviving aircraft saw what was happening and turned away. It was 'do or die' now.

Andrew dropped down on his left knee, ignoring the sickly crack and the warm, wet feeling that came up. He took aim. The distraction was successful, and the Alien Mother turned her mouth in their direction, feelers following with the precision of a sniper. With a hundred-decibel roar, she bore her shark-like fangs at the duo. This was it!

Just as he was about to squeeze the trigger, Andrew felt a violent tug on the inside of his throat. Blue light emerged from one of the feelers that were trained on him. To his horror, the possession guard clipped to his ear sounded a high-pitched alarm. Was this thing trying to possess him? But she wasn't even dead yet! The possession guard was soon overwhelmed. He heard a small fizz and a loud crackle just as the tug in his throat grew even more forceful. He wanted to scream, but the tug felt like it was pulling on his larynx. He was completely paralyzed, and he was so close.

"Damn it, Andrew! Just pull the frigging trigger!"

Sino's voice did two things. It jolted him back to attention, and it also caused whatever was pulling on his insides to jerk itself out, taking something along with it. He could not see what that something was, but there was no time to think. Stuck in the perfect position, he fired.

The nuke sailed past the rows of teeth and into the abyss that was the Alien Mother's body. The feelers all swung towards the sky in sudden, violent spasms. The creature let out a long, drawn-out death cry, before a muffled, yet very loud explosion tore at its body from within. Cracks formed in its once impenetrable hide while yellow and red fluids gushed out like a river from a burst dam. Its behemothian form collapsed with a cutting boom and a pulsed tremor. The last thing Andrew remembered was a pile of bulbous flesh falling on a stunned Sino.

***

Rinpoche had a hand on his chin as Andrew was recounting the tale, listening with undivided attention. 

"So that was the moment you lost your soul?" he asked.

"I believe so," Andrew replied. "After the battle, Maya scanned me with the fusion-scope and declared my soul signature completely missing. Interestingly enough, that was the first time we met."

"Ah, then what happened?"

"I thought you have access to classified information?" 

"Classified information, yes. Gossip, no."

Andrew smiled. This guy seemed alright. 

"Well, within the CMC, I was given hero status, being the one to kill the boss and all that. Of course, that didn't mean jack. Mathios decided that my heroics should not be made public, so no street names and no statues. He was skeptical that killing a single member of their command was somehow enough to stop the Lemurian conquest, so I suppose he didn't want to send the message that it was all over. More importantly, he didn't want to draw attention to me. The School of Reincarnation was already active at the time, and he was afraid I might be made a target given my new 'soulless' status."

"Hmm... And that's why you hate them so much?"

"I thought you didn't have access to gossip."

"I don't, but your eyes went a little dark when you mentioned them."

"Oh, no, it's because they're horrible people. Anyway, Maya found out that I have a physics background and she offered me a position in the CRS. I would help her with her projects while getting access to tools that might fix my 'problem'."

Andrew found that he was unable to stop sharing his personal life with this man he'd just met, a man who he learned just a while ago was housing a Lemurian soul. Was this some kind of spell? Perhaps the unstudied interactions between him, Maya, and Hooke had softened the barrier, and the slight smile he was constantly wearing erased it altogether. 

"And how has that been going?" asked Rinpoche.

"In a word, slow. In the first few years, we didn't really have anything to work with. We had stolen technology and have reverse-engineered everything we can. There wasn't much else to be done other than taking the soul signature of some volunteers, hoping we'd be able to find them again in case they meet an untimely end. Things started picking up last year though when children born in Terran began recalling past lives. I've been conducting interviews with these kids and a team on the ground has been corroborating their accounts. Unfortunately, their old incarnations died without a fusion scan, so we can't match their soul signatures to our records."

"I see... "

"Wait, if you have access to classified information, that must mean you already know all this!"

"I do, but I want to hear it from you."

Andrew began to suspect that he really was in therapy. Did Maya set him up? Was this man really just a licensed psychiatrist roleplaying at her behest? He hoped she wouldn't sink that low.

"Well, why don't you tell me something about yourself?" said Andrew. "How did you become possessed and why are you not trying to kill me right now?"

"Oh! Did Dr. Roberts not already tell you this?" Rinpoche seemed genuinely surprised. "Tell you what, let's save the juicy bits for later. We don't have much time left and I still need to tell you how I can actually help you."

With that, Rinpoche leaned in closer to Andrew, like a father about to give his son the best present money can buy. 

"There's something called soul cloning."