Faster than thought I am standing next to Joe, "Of course not", I say. We engage in an elaborate fist bump hand shake and Joe visibly relaxes. "I rarely accept friends, and even more rarely give up on them." I say. I ask Joe, "How did you die"?
Joe looks visibly shocked by my question. He hesitates for a moment, seeming to debate what he should say but finally says, "I got in over my head dude. I was looking for The Society. I had researched for months for their location and met up with a few contacts in Ann Arbor. One of those contacts told me he had a lead that I needed to meet. He told me to meet him in downtown Ypsilanti at midnight at the Wooden Nickel. I was ecstatic! This was the break I had been waiting my entire life for. I showed up at midnight. The bar was closing down, but there were a few older dudes in the back dressed in high end suits. They were definitely not the sort of crowd that hangs out at the Wooden Nickel. We exchanged a few words, they told me to meet them out back. They had a long Cadillac stretch limo out back. I got in. They told me to put a hood over my head. I did as they told me. They told me we had to drive for a good way out of town where we would exchange cars with someone from The Society who wanted to meet me. After 30 minutes, we stopped. I got out of the car. There were...three shots. Then I blacked out. I cycled for a while before I realized I was a ghost. I discovered that it was much harder to hide secrets from a determined spirit. It still took me some time, but eventually I found some low-level Society operatives. I guess intelligent ghosts like us are actually pretty rare. Most ghosts never stop cycling. The ones that do are usually a pain in the ass until someone sends out a spirit assassin to get rid of them. Anyway, I never did find out who killed me or why I was considered a threat. The real Society said they had never heard about me until I showed up as a ghost."
Joe is lost in thought for a moment, but looks over at me and asks, "How the hell did you break out of that cell? The Society is advanced in science and technology far beyond the level our government has attained. That was a fourth generation plasma force field and you were fitted with an energy to matter stabilization band that should have kept you stuck in a mortal form until The Society decided to remove it."
I flash my now trademarked wicked smile at Joe and say, "Because I wanted to. You see..."
Apparently my wife is tired of listening to us because she interjects at this moment, "Enough with the lovefest! Use your Jedi-magic and get me out of this cell dear husband...or I MAY forget that I have decided to offer your friend a temporary truce until I determine what the hell is going on in this place."
Joe says, "I really don't think that is a good idea. She killed four of our men!!"
Life says, "The number will be A LOT higher if I spend one more minute in this cage!!!"
Before this escalates into a nuclear attack, I reach through the plasma shield and take hold of Life's arm. With a thought I pass on this information she needs to free herself of the band. Seconds later, her band slips from her arm and she steps outside of the cell and stands next to me. She says, "I Can't say I'd ever thought to be glad to lose the chance to take human form again, but being a ghost suits me better anyway." She glares briefly at Joe who know seems indifferent to her presence.
Suddenly Life bursts out emotionally, "What right do you people have to gas the Michigan militia? What good is your stupid society? How dare you! You asshole!!! I am fed up with this or that group telling people what to do! If there are so many of you that you could help everyone escape and take all the equipment back with you, why the hell didn't you just help us fight that evil pastor and his mercenary lackeys? Did you kill them? Where the hell is Fast Eddie and his people...and why the hell do those society members dress like idiots? The Will Smith, Men in Black look is moronic! Why not just dress like the Three Stooges? Maybe I should just kill you after all Joe, and we will be on our way!!"
Joe holds out his hands defensively and says, "Whoa, whoa, whoa sunshine! How about one question at a time! Nobody ate your friends! They have all been given ample living quarters, fresh clothes, good food and they are free to come and go as they please! You will meet up with them in the assembly soon enough!"
Life interjects, "Oh so we are the only people subjected to the Gitmo treatment!?"
"That was just temporary until you calmed down. You two are a lot more dangerous than the rest". Joe says.
Before my warrior princess can ask another question Joe says, "Okay, so let me tell you what I can about The Society. As far as I can tell The Society was formed during the Italian Renaissance period in Naples. They tried to depose monarchies and end the concept of divine right rule. Although they achieved much success there was a heavy backlash from powerful monarchist movements who also aligned themselves with the Catholic church. Assassinations of prominent Society members were becoming so common that The Society was forced into hiding. Some scattered throughout Europe and Asia. Others headed to the New World. The Society regained some standing and reentered regular societies through philosophers and writers. While other groups were spreading nonsense about the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant, The Society was spreading the philosophy of reason, enlightenment, the search for scientific answers, equality for all and the inalienable rights of man. Our greatest success was in France and the United States. The Bill of Rights is something The Society is particularly proud of. "
Life asks, "Why the clown routine with the same suits and clothes?"
Joe says, "The Society has become very isolated over the centuries. They are very careful as to who is allowed in and therefore very little new blood enters the mix. Quite a few members have become light sensitive over the generations. The head to toe clothing is to protect the skin and eyes. As a sign of solidarity, members who do not have this condition dress the same when dealing with outsiders. "
I ask, "So answer Mrs. Archer's question, Why did The Society wait until the last second to help? I presume you knew about the Michigan Militia for quite some time. Why wait until we were being bombed?"
Joe looks apologetic, "The Society is very secretive. Sometimes so much so that they are trapped by the inertia of the layers of their secrets. They are very much a pacifistic society and are terrified of doing something that will result in the further escalation of warfare. Perhaps their worst secret is that there are not that many of them left. The Homeland Agency of Defense discovered quite a few members of The Society through diligence, luck and because our members do not blend into regular society that well anymore. The Society survives because of their secrets, but even they have come to understand that the time for shadows in the dark may be nearing an end."
Life looks at Joe with a tiny bit more respect and asks, "So Joe, why are you our keeper?"
Joe lets out a brief laugh, "I've been assigned to you because they know we are friends and because as a fellow spirit, they felt you would adjust to them better if you talked to someone like yourselves first. Hey, you've been out for a long time. The others are getting restless and there is a meeting scheduled for today in the assembly. I was going to use drastic measures to wake you two if you hadn't snapped out of your cycling today. So let me give you a tour of this place and take you to the assembly room to meet The Society".
Tired of talk, we both nod in agreement and follow Joe out of the room.