A year had passed since the Sanctum and the Wastes became linked. Their initially tiny connection had grown, branched off, and created many more smaller connections. So they were not really two separate places anymore; it would be fair to say that they were two different parts of the same living thing.
And this living thing was dreaming of crazy things.
The dreams were not like seeing things, but rather like feeling what to do in the earth, the water, and how the fungi spread. Everyone that was connected to the network experienced this gentle push—many people were connected now, thanks to things like Joan's arm and those listening spots Benny and Elara put up.
The dream was about everything Coming Together.
Not crashing together, but merging gently. The network illustrated ways of doing it: such as reopening the paths that had been closed, so that the Wastes' water and Sanctum's water could be mixed. And urging the stone of the Ribcage to get nearer to the skin plains, so that, by the time, the Wastes and Sanctum would turn into one enclosed place.
It was like a blueprint of a new body. A world going inside, putting itself together, making itself whole and self-sufficient. In the dream, you couldn't distinguish between city and wild, or human and symbiote, or alive and stone. They would all blend together until they vanished.
The idea scared most of the people a little.
The Symbiotes thought it was perfect, the very next thing to come. They had always considered themselves a part of the Host, and now the Host was asking them to unite for real.
The humans in Sanctum? It frightened them but also attracted them. They would let go of everything they had fought for—their being, their own problems, even their form. But they would also stop being lonely, stop being cut off from the world, which was the reason they were so into their faith and at the same time so disheartened. It was going back to the god's womb, only as cells, not as food.
This debate was bigger than any of their previous fights. It wasn't about rules anymore. It was about their identity.
Bianca advised everyone to play it safe, to take their time. Don't rush into another hug just 'cause we're scared of being alone! We need to know who we are before we cease to be 'we'!
Naomi shocked everyone by siding with the dream. Dream or not, this is what we've been building, right? All our work—the loops, the links, the getting along—has been leading to this. This is just… the end of that road. To be part of the garden, not just in charge of it.
Lucien considered it an experiment he couldn't forego. To witness a mind—a planetary mind—restructure itself with us in it! The info! What we'll learn!
Maxine analyzed the situation with the help of the figures. Coming Together makes us 300% stronger. It stops us from fighting over resources. It's the best way to go. Emotions don't matter. Survival does.
Joan, the soldier, considered it from the perspective of warfare. It's the best fort ever. No one can attack us from outside or inside. One body. One defense. But… she looked at Benny, …it's also one death. If the body dies, everything dies with it.
Benny and Elara, being like living links, were the ones who felt the most the influence of Coming Together. For them, it wasn't the end, rather it was just another step. Just like going from the hall into a room. What they had was just a little bit of what the world could have. It was frighteningly close, but it felt like home.
They didn't insist on it. They only talked about the network's dream as being: enormous, slow, inviting, and confident. It wasn't giving them orders, just opening up a new way. They could sense the affection in it—the same love that was on the plate before, but now it wasn't offering itself as food, but as a means of belonging.
The Stewards were in a dilemma. The people were divided. The earth was motionless.
Once more, they met in the Heartforge chamber to discuss their final decision. However, they were unable to find the words. They were trying to talk about joining together using words that were designed for being apart.
At last, Benny, a man of few words at meetings, stood up. He didn't address the Stewards. He looked at the heart that was beating slowly, then at everyone present.
It's very soft and clear, he said, Not giving instructions. It has been asking since the very first incision. 'Why?' Then, 'Grow.' Now… 'Come home.' He intertwined his fingers with Elara's. We have been so frightened of being eaten that we didn't realize that we were already being… held. The question isn't whether the dream is good or bad. The question is… are we ready to stop being scared of the hug?
Silence followed. The heart's slow beat was the only sound in the room.
No one voted that day. No one made a decision.
However, they understood something different. Coming Together wasn't only a scheme. It was their destination. And they were already on their way. Every time they cooperated, every time they mended, every time they got along, they were getting closer to that door.
They would not go in there yet. However, for the very first time, they ceased to be engaged in a dispute as to whether the door existed. They were merely standing in front of it, sensing it, hearing the comfortable, green light coming from beneath it, and wondering, together, what was on the other side.