THe Hedron Series Chronicles

Tyler went through Bach"s "Jesu Meine Freude" one more time . He was tired he"d been practicing all day for his recital at the A.Y.M. ( American Youth Mentorship) tonight . It wasn"t like he needed to practice he could play Bach,Mozart,Beethoven,Chopin and Puccini perfectly in his sleep practicing just helped his nerves.Tyler had apprenticed with the A.Y.M. for the past year and a half when at the time he unexpectedly ran into them outside the Electronic Music Festival in Detroit two years ago.They were standing outside the festival protesting and recruiting youths to come to a political meeting the following Saturday and he"d agreed mostly because one of the protesters was a five foot eleven caramel skinned guy with bright hazel eyes preaching about how the youth of this country were being brainwashed by mass media in conjunction with our universities for higher learning into automatons who would never make true discoveries for themselves.There was an unearthly glow to his eyes as he brushed his reddish brown locks away from them. His name was Deveon and during his impassioned speech he posed the question, how do you really know what you think you know? How can you prove that what you think you know is the truth,can you prove a truth to be a truth? Tyler remembered going into the festival buzzed from some pot he"d found in his parent"s room and preceded to immerse himself in the evening to drown his senses in the hypnotic beats and enchanting percussion"s vibrating through the speakers. Caught in the vibe of the place and the seduction of his high he danced for hours much of the evening was a complete blur . When his buzz came down he decided or better his stomach decided for him to leave the festival and go get something to eat before he went home. Leaving he noticed the protesters were long gone he walked to the nearest Coney Island and ordered some Chili cheese fries and a beer . Chewing on the fries he thought back to what the protester Deveon had said maybe he was right maybe they were all being brainwashed ,here there was a war going on a totally and undeniably farce of a war where people were dying for oil and big business all in the name of freedom and democracy. Meanwhile here in the U.S. birthplace of that modern ideal in the twenty-first century big business and individual new world order cells in our own government were fighting under the pervading blanket of fear to take those very rights away from it"s own citizens slowly with more and more abstract wording they were dismantling the Constitution and the Bill of Rights while pacifying the populous with gladiatorial fights in the arena"s of football fields and baseball diamonds. Sedative and mono-chronic beats not done with the human voice but with cold neutral machines with as much creativity as taking a dump while smoking a cigarette. With no longer the need for subliminal messaging people were told how to think and how to act and feel depending on what market the Technocratic World Order(TWO) decided it wanted to experiment in subjugation this week. Using a hypnotic beat and hidden chords that made almost everyone malleable to what to buy, what to eat and what to believe. Tyler could pretend that this wasn"t the case that this wasn"t going on but he knew pretending wasn"t going to change things only action would but what could he do his only skill was music and mathematics as far as breaking down the complex but often simple fractions in Bach"s musical works and his own unique skill in feeling music and seeing it he was able to mold complex works like the bards of old to elicit whatever he wanted from his audiences so with his music and degree in theater arts he could command a crowd as no other . Which in the end was what had drawn him to Deveon the man had a natural skill akin to his own but it was raw and Tyler could tell he had never been trained but his presence was almost overwhelming it seemed as if he could look into your soul know what you were thinking before you did yourself it was eerily comforting and unsettling simultaneously. Tyler sipped his drink perhaps he would go to this meeting I mean nothing significant was going on in his life since the breakup with his best friend Carlos a year ago, he"d finally admitted to himself that he was practically coasting through life with no definitive destination ahead .So why not hell he didn"t have anything to lose what"s the worst that can happen he thought . Jogging to the underground garage where he"d parked his car Tyler realized maybe this was the kick he needed that would extricate him from his mothers" unbearably suffocating maternal instinct such as it was. Maybe, maybe. That seemed a million lifetimes ago the meeting was everything Tyler hoped it would be it didn"t disappoint the ideas and philosophies were eons beyond anything taught at he universities. Here was a place where hyper geometries ruled, analytical and quantitative discussions on philosophy played ,where the true discoveries of scientific principals were enacted, it was a virtual whirlwind cornucopia a quintessential smorgasbord of intellectual delight this was home. Instructors for a year and a half breathed life into the classics in music ,literature,poetry and art;never had he truly appreciated the fine arts as much as he did now it was in much to shallow a summation absolutely amazing. After the initial meeting that Saturday Tyler learned that a scientific retreat would be leaving that Monday he was invited to go he hastily agreed, this felt as if some divine providence had been set in locomotion it all felt too right. Arriving at the kick off point of the road trip Tyler waited to be assigned which vehicle in the caravan he"d be included in while other unprepared youths scrambled like proverbial chickens with their heads cut off (which is comical yet disturbing )rushing to hammer out the last minute details he wondered and hoped he"d be in the van with Deveon during and after the meeting he"d had little chance to talk with him the initial reason he was even here at all . But fate worked against him it seemed he was put in a minivan with four others a (couple) Jennifer and Abe and two young guys who appeared were close friends because they seemed to share everything Josh and Brogan. Though they asked him numerous questions about his life and Tyler gave only superficial responses that they either believed or were content to believe and the trip to the campgrounds was mostly uneventful and boring with the only excitement being the undercurrent of what seminars would take place there. Looking back at it now he"d made some startling discoveries on the the unique principals guiding the curvature of the sphere,music and geometric sympathy as well as who he was and could be he worked as many seminars as he could and partnered with Deveon constantly whose joy and optimistic approach to life left Tyler awed consistently. There were others at the retreat that had a clonic quality that whispered cult and Tyler made sure that every opportunity he had left him within sight of Deveon if this was a pod hatchery he"d stick with the one person he knew wasn"t one. At some point at the retreat Tyler broke down it was as if his eyes had been opened to a world hinted at glimpsed out the corner of your eyes but never seen full glance a world of sound and truth where truth reigned supreme and he felt unequal in every way . Every evening ended with dinner and chorus practice with El maestro San Juin a Bel canto master from Italy. No matter how hard he tried Ty knew singing was definitely not his thing and he was embarrassed tremendously whenever it was his turn during the line to vocalize it wasn"t that he couldn"t catch the beat or he didn"t know the tone or pitch he just couldn"t make his voice sing melodiously like some of the other youths . After four days Tyler realized that his contribution to the chorus would primarily be instrumental and background vocal support and he was truly okay with that. At last on the fifth morning after a quick and inelegant breakfast of cereal,toast,coffee,and a sad assortment of muffins they proceeded to pack up and get the caravan started on their return journey back . Thank god him and Deveon would be riding back together it was inexplicably odd that he felt himself drawn to someone so quickly over such a brief amount of time, Tyler knew that If any of them found out the truth about him they would never speak to him again ,he needed to start fresh , mold himself into something new become as close to perfect so no one would ever suspect the truth and he was determined no-one ever would. His past was history this was his life now..his future. Shrugging off these thoughts he watched as everyone climbed into their respective vehicles following suit they soon all rolled out.The return trip was magickal he found himself laughing at almost ever joke Deveon said his sense of humor was slightly wicked he told Tyler in confidence. It was that along with a few other things as the trip progressed where Tyler became convinced they were two peas of the same pod almost two halves made whole he felt drawn to him in a way that was eerily reminiscent of the old Tyler the one who died long ago. At the first rest stop Tyler realized he"d spent too much money on the trip up and was a little short on funds while everyone was trying to figure out on what they would eat he hung back . Deveon seem to be watching him closely and asked was he getting anything "Nah" Ty replied he wasn"t hungry . "Are you sure "? Dee asked him again "Well I"m a little short till I get back home " Ty responded. "I"ll front you but you better pay me back later no need to go hungry if someones got your back. "Thanks ,I really appreciate this " " No problem now hurry up or we"ll leave you behind " Deveon joked passing him a twenty and headed back to the vehicle. Tyler placed his order of three ninety -nine cent burgers and a couple of fries and large coke waited a couple minutes for his meal and jogged back out to the van climbed in and soon they were back on the road .The views were magnificent land as far as the eye could see the crisp clean air you never find in the city where the stars seem to jump out the sky ,so close you could almost touch with the tips of your fingers if you stretched out your arm far enough.Looking out the window Dee called Tyler"s" attention to the peculiar pinkish tint the full moon seem to emit within the diaphanous cloud surrounding it. "You know in some ancient myths a pink or shrouded moon portents the beginning of a cyclic union of immense importance" "Really " Ty replied "I didn"t know" . Once again somewhat shocked at the depth of Deveon"s knowledge. Deveon didn"t expound on the topic but he did seem deep in thought . " How is it you know everything you do " Ty asked , "paraphrasing a much greater man then I " " A wise man knows that he knows nothing at all"Deveon answered quietly. "Socrates was very wise indeed " Ty found himself remarking sipping the last of his soda. " Speaking of Socrates how about we read some Plato,"Deveon asked. "Sure",Ty answered "which one do you want to read ?" "I"ll let you pick your choice" " Okay I"ve got it how about the Apology?",Tyler queried. "Sure , great choice," Dee replied . Finding their copies they starting reading Deveon taking the lead part of Socrates himself and Tyler taking on the role of his accusers others in the vehicle took the bit parts of witnesses and friends and before long the play took on a life of it"s own the vehicle faded and they were situated in the small amphitheater of a raised marble dais where Socrates being brought in looked with shining smiling sad eyes at those assembled who would judge him he knew not for any crimes he"d committed but for teaching change and self discoveries of Scientifically proven Universal Truths.""To say that I am eloquent and would seek to sway you with untruth is the oldest of the charges brought against me that I delve into the dark recesses of heaven and earth to transform the unseemly and wrong into right and good with nothing more than clouds of illusion and falsity has been a charge that I have for decades gone without rebuttal and perhaps some would shall divine that that will surely be my downfall. " "The perversion of the minds of youths with the theories that gods do not exist for Socrates neither believe in gods or the finiteness of man would be the latter charge ,and that I shepard youths away to teach them this false knowledge for pay ;I cannot expound upon the latter without first proving my innocence of the first." "Many of my accusers would say ,but Socrates you must be guilty of something for so many to rumor your guilt , but I say nay for look upon the rumor"s intent and the intent of the rumor-er and my innocence of guilt shall be laid bare". As the play progressed Tyler took notice of Deveon awed by his extrapolation of Socrates" truth, it was mesmerizing and breathtaking never in his life had someone embodied the tenets of what Tyler felt were the inherent truths of the Socratic dialogs. Before he knew it they had arrived at the last rest stop before they would enter Detroit.This trip could never be summed up in words it far exceeded anything Ty had hoped for.He wished he"d taken some time on the journey to appreciate the scenery as they drove up to the camp Upper Michigan was beautiful ;the copper ,ruby and golden leaves with inter-mitten flecks of chocolates and vibrant shades of jade interspersed within the boughs of the glades of trees lining the passage through the highway passes brought a sense of serenity to him. Tyler tried desperately to sweep the cobwebs from his mind and bring clarity to the vistas he"d viewed along the lake at the camp;long-legged herons feeding among the tall reeds gracefully twisting in the autumn breezes a few feet from the shore , the dappled doe with her two spotted fawns timidly making her way to the far shore to drink while repeatedly jerking her head up eyes scanning and nose twitching in the air alert to the slightest danger to her young. Yes he could remember the peaceful and serene beauty of the lake and the camp it appeared that that was it"s main purpose it exuded a feeling of well being and he felt whole after his experience there he couldn"t and wouldn"t deny that. It was really too bad that he didn"t stay that way for long he"d fractured before he could minimize the fallout and it had been high the casualty had been his friendship with Deveon. Well Tyler thought, "No use living in the past" he had a show to do and tonight if everything went right his life would never be the same...