The Fall of the Absolute

by Karen Page

Chapter 19

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Chapter 19

Christmas wasn't like the Christmases when Jennifer was young. Gifts had gone out of fashion. Why worry about a gift when you had anything you wanted? With most things free, the commercialisation of Christmas had disappeared.

With so much automated, the number of people having to work on Christmas Day had diminished. Instead, it had returned to a day of family. And, surprisingly in a world knowing about aliens, religion.

"Ooh, it's snowed," Jennifer remarked, looking out of the window.

"Snow boots for the walk and changing into fancy shoes," Theo acknowledged, getting out two bags for them to carry the change of footwear.

For some time, snow in the UK had become rare. Winters had gradually become warmer. Then two events seemed to have contributed to that reversal. After the burning of major oil fields and the mass fuel shortage, the transition to electric vehicles had made a huge difference to pollution. Then the change more recently from planes to hoppers. It wasn't that climate change had reversed, but with cleaner skies and no contrails, the UK winter had regained some of its old bite.

Theo had a smart suit, and Jennifer a tailored dress in dark greens. Ready, they went out to join the gathering. The plan had them setting off at 7:15 for the thirty minute walk. As a group they all set off down the driveway, the three children leading the way, enjoying the fresh snow. When Tilly slipped, her two brothers were quickly beside her. She was soon back skipping in the snow, a brother each side of her joining in.

Jennifer found herself near Andy. She said to him, "How do you keep up with the three of them?"

"There's four of us, and three of them. Far better odds than a normal family," Andy replied, a twinkle in his eye. "They are just children and we give them space to have fun. They deserve that. John and Paul are starting to realise how different we are, but it doesn't seem to have impacted them yet."

Jennifer wondered if Andy was referring to there being four parents, them often going away on business, or if the children knew their parents cross dressed. Yet they would know they were loved.

At the gate, the children waited. It was shut. The gates smoothly opened, when one of the people with a control instructed them to open, but the three children waited. Tilly wanted to go on, but the two boys held onto her until the adults got there.

"Choose an adult," Helen said to them. "You stay with them during the walk to the church."

The children did as they'd been instructed. Paul came across to Jennifer. "Can I walk with you?"

"Sure," she responded slightly surprised that their six-year-old child had picked her. "You've been to the church before?"

"Yes," he said, not at all shyly.

"Oh good. Then I won't get lost," Jennifer said. He reminded her of her own youth. She was never shy around adults having been around them all the time. Paul had been brought up to mix with many adults, so meeting a few more wasn't an issue.

"What's the food like on the station?" Paul asked as they made their way down the narrow lane.

"You get a choice. If I go to a café or restaurant, I can decide if I want food from Earth, or one of the many species. One of the chef's there has created a meal with ingredients from many worlds."

"I tried a Scotutr food once. It tasted funny."

Jennifer nodded. "Did your parents cook it, or was it shipped in?"

Paul shrugged. He had no idea. He knew his parents cooked a lot more than other parents, but this wasn't a usual dish.

"Cooking the dishes can be hard. Reginadde dishes are an easier taste, though cooking is hard unless you get things right. My first attempt at cooking a non-human dish was Alphonian. It ended up in the bin. I didn't know how to jiggle."

"Jiggle?" he said laughing. "That's a silly word. Do you mean wiggle?"

"Jiggle. It's a translation of an Alphonian term. Have you done any cooking?"

He nodded vigorously. Jennifer wasn't surprised. Cooking was something they all ended up enjoying.

"Well, the cooking instruction said to 'jiggle until lava jellifies'. I had no idea what that meant."

Paul laughed. "I'd love to see one of my parents try that. Pop took me to a volcano once. There wasn't any lava there."

"Fresh lava is hot. I doubt he would have taken you if there was hot lava. It might have been cooled and looked like rocks."

Jennifer had no idea who was Pa and who was Pop. That would be a discussion with one of the parents later.

After about a fifteen-minute walk, they rounded a corner and the church was visible in the distance. The slate design stood out in the early morning dawn where the sun had not yet risen.

When they got to the church, Paul went off to sit with his parents and Jennifer met back up with Theo, Kelly and Hope. There were two columns of pews with an aisle between. Each pew was narrow, seating five maximum. She'd only just finished putting on her dress shoes when the vicar appeared.

"Welcome," he said, glancing around the room. "And Merry Christmas. This is our annual multi-faith service. The birth of Christ is very much a Christian event. But while we may touch on this, it is a celebration in terms of what that means. Compassion, peace and goodwill. These are testaments that stand true for all religions."

This was a first for Jennifer. At school, the services at the school chapel had been Christian led. It was where she was confirmed. Religious Education lessons covered other religions, so she had some grounding.

When it came time for readings, she was pleased when Sakura got up and gave a relevant Dharma Reflection on compassion, harmony and loving-kindness.

No other species, not even the Yvestigans who were the second youngest, had a religion. If they did and it faded away, Jennifer didn't know. Faith had withstood First Contact mostly untouched. There had been questions and deep thought. Did intelligent non-humans mean there was no god? Some left the faith, but many stayed. Some who had no faith joined a religion, finding comfort at a time of major change.

The service lasted just short of an hour. Jennifer felt uplifted, which she was surprised about. It had been the strangest church service she'd been to. Perhaps that was what came from trying to balance all religions rather than the service being about one. Something to ponder on when she next had a restless night.

When they got back to the cottages, Theo said, "I'm going to change."

"Do you need a hand?" she grinned, her eyes full of mirth.

"Thanks, but this is something I want, no need, to do myself," Theo responded lightly. "It's been too long. Perhaps it is time to introduce Tegan and Richard to The Station."

Jennifer's eyebrows went up a bit. "You're talking about the Station AI, aren't you?"

Theo nodded. "I'm curious if the station can detect any difference in us. And I don't mean cameras or sensors, but by our brain patterns."

"But our brain is still our brain."

"Yes," Theo said, wondering how to explain his thoughts. "But when I dress as Tegan, I mentally become Tegan. If I didn't, I'd easily slip up. I just don't know if that difference could be detected by the device interface and the station. Perhaps not with the default scan, but something it could do."

Jennifer paused and thought. It was an interesting idea. "Okay. We can have an experiment when we get back ... to the station."

"Where is home to you?" Theo asked, having noticed Jennifer's pause. "The Station, or London?"

"For now, the station. We have a house in London, but I'm not sure if that is home. Home was with my parents. Then school was home. Now, I don't really know."

"Not just me then. I'll see you soon."

Theo darted up the stairs and Jennifer wandered out of the back door to the communal area. The piano was free, and she sat down on the bench. Her fingers traced over the keys. Memories of playing on it ten years previous came back, and she started playing I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas.

The roots of Christmas was in religion, but even in the late 20th century, it had started to become something bigger. It wasn't just celebrated in Christian countries, but it had spread as a festival. Some countries tried to ban it, as it was deemed western greed, but it still spread.

After EarthGov had settled into its role, they ruled that major events were for everyone. Diwali, Vesak, Eid and Passover were holidays for everyone, just like Christmas. It meant something different if it was for your religion, but people started to try and understand their neighbours. The EarthGov leader was asked once why they'd enacted this rule. He responded simply. "If we can't understand our neighbours, what hope do we have to understand the aliens."

As Jennifer finished White Christmas, she started on Winter Wonderland. The snow had started to fall again, and it seemed like a wonderland outside. The distant mountains had disappeared, and all that could be seen was snow falling at a steady pace.

Jennifer had cycled through both the modern and Mozart versions of Sleigh Ride before Tegan appeared. She was too engrossed with her playing that it wasn't until Tegan sat at the end of the piano bench that Jennifer knew. The familiar shape and scent were the big giveaways.

"Beethoven sonata for four hands?" Tegan said, as Jennifer finished.

Jennifer nodded, and together they started. They had several pieces they played together, but this was one they played the most. It was a simple, elegant tune. They lost themselves to it, and there was applause when they finished. They saw people were standing around watching and listening.

"We're going to do a music extravaganza tomorrow," a female voice said behind them.

They whirled around. Lisa was standing next to a woman that Jennifer hadn't seen in years. A name popped into her head. "Jayne?" Jennifer asked tentatively.

"Well remembered. Come with me. I want you prepared for tomorrow."

Lisa went across to Kelly and Hope, and they were soon joining them.

"Tina kept this hidden from you ten years ago. Apparently, you got lost in the music you were playing."

Jayne took them across to one of the bookcases and removed several books from the third shelf. A small hole was visible.

"There's a switch. See if you can feel it," Jayne said. Jennifer indicated the others should try before her. None of them pressed it. Jennifer did, and the bookcase swung open to reveal a secured door with a keypad on it.

"You must have been really engrossed in your playing to miss this," Kelly teased Jennifer.

"It was the first time I'd played a grand piano. Yes, I was distracted."

Jayne gave the code, and Jennifer unlocked it. Inside were instruments neatly arranged on shelves. But that wasn't what caught her eye. At the rear of the room was another keypad.

"What's the other keypad for?" Jennifer asked, pointing to it.

"Weapons, just in case we need to defend ourselves. This is a bolt hole if things go wrong."

"How many here have the code for that?" Kelly asked.

Jayne smiled. "A very astute question. Not many. At the moment, you don't have the code either. Grab an instrument if you want to practice tonight. I doubt you have anything at the station."

"We do," Tegan replied. "Don't forget we're there in plain sight. We are going to be there years. I'm not going that long without playing. One day it might feel like home."

"That is some commitment," Jayne admitted.

"And you haven't committed your life?" Jennifer retorted. "You have three children between you. Yet you haven't retired like other investigators do. Are you the oldest investigators?"

"We are now. Two people from Italy were for a long time. Then June and Aaron, who were a year above Stacy and Andy. I think it's because there have been such big successes. When you see what illegal depravities some people were getting away with makes you want to keep going. As we are older, we've found different ways to investigate. Someone older can sometimes appear less of the threat."

"What about deep cover investigators?" Kelly asked.

"Some of them have been under cover for decades. They are handled separately, and most of the time we don't interact. Details are passed to us when needed." Jayne laughed. "Jennifer, I saw your birth mother take a deep cover agent down to stop him escaping the police. He ended up in jail for a few years. It actually helped him get closer to his target."

Tegan, who was stood next to Jennifer, cuddled in closer.

"Watch," Jayne said and slowly punched in the code. The light flicked green and the weapons door unlocked. She shut it. "Got it?"

The four of them nodded.

"Good. I hope you never need to use it here. You four are the third team to have that code and only Tina has opened this door to retrieve a gun for a few hours."

Jennifer's mind nearly overloaded with that revelation. Out of all the investigators in the room, their team was being lumped in with Stacy's and Tina's teams. This was turning out to be some Christmas.

"Thank you for your trust," Jennifer murmured.

Jayne just nodded. "Now go and mingle. It's a few days where you get to know each investigator. When you come across them, they might be male or female. This is why we do these two days. Talk to them. Find out what their specialities are. So, if you need help, you know who to call."

Jennifer thought back to when she'd seen investigators in operation when she was younger. "Like when Tina organised shipping of parts to the factory? She knew one of you was qualified to drive a lorry."

"You've got it. Now mingle for now. Hopefully if it stops snowing the children will want a snowman competition."

"The children of all ages," Hope said. "I'm not going to miss out on building a snowman."

"Can your children play an instrument?" Megan asked Jayne.

"The two eldest. Tilly has picked up Stacy's violin a few times. We'll see if she stays interested."

"Tilly's Hytuna is very good," Jennifer remarked.

"We all talk different languages to them. They've picked them up organically. Hytuna is now the official second language taught in the majority of schools. Though not all the older generations have got there, especially in countries that didn't prioritise it in education."

"How are you doing?" Jennifer asked Tegan as they went to mingle.

"You're asking how I feel to be dressed as Tegan?"

Jennifer nodded.

"I don't have an issue with it. The only time I really did was that first Mix-Up Monday. The only reason I got upset was because I was confused that I didn't seem to care that I was in female clothing. I was worried what it meant about me. When I learnt it didn't mean anything sinister, I was fine."

"You did better than Hope."

"Sheesh. She struggled so much in the first few years, trying to bury the thoughts and desires she'd had for years. Thank goodness she had Kelly as a Study Partner," Tegan said, a small smile as she reminisced. "Oh, I do have some news. I checked my email via the secure proxy. I had a message from my dad wishing me a Happy Christmas."

"Wow," Jennifer said, turning to look at Tegan. "That is the first message for years, isn't it?"

"Yes. I'd sent him a Happy Christmas message as soon as we got up. I've no idea why he suddenly responded. I sent a message asking how he is. I'll see if I get a response."

It was a strange day. A day relaxing. A day getting to know more of the larger team. There were always some deployed, but they always tried to be there. And then there were the meals. Large tables where they all sat round and ate. It reminded her of school, though those tables were round.

As they were getting ready for bed, Jennifer checked her emails. There was a message from Reggie. All was good. There was one from her mum. She opened it. Inside was a picture and her heart almost stopped.

"Theo. Look."

He rushed across and gasped when he saw the picture. There was a Christmas gathering. His Dad was there with Jennifer's parents and Kelly's. "How?" Theo asked, shocked.

"My Ma met you and had your name. I wouldn't put it past either of my parents to do a bit of sleuthing and find your dad."

"At least Hope's parents aren't there. That would put pay to all the reasons we keep apart for four years. Let me get Kelly in here. She needs to know."

Theo wasn't long and returned with Kelly and Hope. Kelly gaped when she saw the picture and asked Theo, "Is that your dad?"

"Yes."

"No sign of my parents," said Hope. "Hopefully it stays that way until I can out myself in person. That is a conversation I don't look forward to."

"I'll be there with you," Kelly promised, intertwining her fingers in Hope's.

Jennifer constructed a response, the other three reading along over her shoulders as she typed. "I hope you had a good time. I know you wanted to get to know Theo's dad, but this caused some shocks. We weren't there to introduce you, which is the normal custom. How much did you tell him?"

"I'm okay with that," Theo said. "Hope? Kelly?"

They had no qualms and Jennifer sent it.

The response arrived quickly from Ashleigh. "Roger saw Theo in the news at Stratford with you and Reggie. He is the one that contacted us. We invited him to Christmas so we could discuss things discreetly. Roger was confused why his son hadn't visited after finishing school. I explained it was a school tradition for the children to want to do their own thing. I explained my sister went there and it was four years. He saw the countdown clock we have and understood. Your jobs weren't discussed."

"Well, that changes things," Kelly said. "It doesn't explain why my parents were there, but they've been friends for thirteen years, so it could have been a coincidence."

"It also shows your dad is interested in you," Jennifer said to Theo. "He might not respond to any of your messages, but that might be more that he doesn't know what to say rather than not caring."

"I know. Perhaps Christmas miracles do happen."

----

For those that haven't read previous stories here are some of the cross-dressed names:

Normal Name	Cross-dressed Name
Stacy	Marcus
Andy	Brenda
David	Jayne
Helen	Christopher
Tina	Tony
Luke	Lisa