Episode 044 Previous Episode	Next Episode
“Their skins were different colors but they all belonged to the same ethnic group: military.” Hiro Protagonist, Snow Crash Outside, the wind blew the soft clouds across the silvery sliver of a moon. The trees rustled quietly in the nighttime heat as the stars twinkled playfully. In the distance, crickets chirped; their calls accentuating the wind and the distant sounds of civilization. Inside, Everett leaned next to the front door, his arms crossed. In black slacks and a red shirt, matching the other five knights in the room, he listened with a look of resistant open-mindedness. Across from him, standing in front of the edge of the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room, Alan took a moment to breathe as he gathered his words. He began with a small laugh. “I’ve spent the last week reading up on this material, going over it back and forth,” he said with a smile, his voice barely above a whisper. “And yet, when I’m finally supposed to present it to you,” he looked at Everett with an optimistic smile, “hopefully our greatest ally,” he laughed again, “I find myself struggling for even the slightest way to begin.” “I take it ‘the beginning’ is out of the question?” Everett ventured. Alan resolved himself for a moment. “What makes a knight?’ he asked in a tone that Everett mistook for rhetorical. When a moment passed and Everett, glancing at the other knights in the room, realized he was supposed to answer, he said “Allegiance to the Oath of Chivalry. And dedication to the four principles of Chivalry.” “Why Chivalry?” Alan prompted. Everett was at a loss. “Long ago,” the knight began, taking a single step forward, “we had different types of people. Soldiers, priests, hunters, artisans, people like that.” Everett nodded, following. “And somewhere along the way, someone figured out that codes, like codes of conduct, codes of behavior, helped to direct and centralize those people. This is where we get oaths from. You take an oath to, say, a guild, and you endow, within your mind, membership to that guild.” “Now,” he ventured, taking another step towards Everett, “imagine if there was more to it than that. Imagine if those codes of conduct, those oaths, didn’t just work on a conscious or even subconscious level, but worked deeper.” “Unconscious?” Everett asked. “Deeper,” Alan said. “What’s deeper than the unconscious mind?” he asked. “Genetic,” Eliot answered with a confident smile. Everett looked at him, a troubled expression growing on his face. He looked at Alan. “What?” Alan was about to speak but paused. “The evidence is, incomplete,” he confessed. “We’re,” he started, glancing at the others, then gave up. “I’m still combing through the data, and there’s a lot of it. But it suggests, strongly, that there is a genetic predisposition involved with knighthood.” Everett was completely motionless. He stared into Alan’s eyes before he cracked a smile. “You’re kidding me?” he asked. “You’re actually buying this?” he asked to the other knights. “Everett…” Alan started. “This is preposterous,” he barked. “Vas keayo leelyou,” Alan said. Everett shook his head and grabbed one of the chairs from the dinette set. He sat down in it, crossing his arms. “You’re out of your mind,” he exclaimed. “Am I?” Alan asked, unable to keep from smiling. Everett grew uncomfortable by the smile. He looked at the others, seeing them smile. “Why’d you sit down?” Everett looked from Alan to the chair, as if for the first time noticing he was sitting. He looked up, unable to process what was going on. “Veas kuool kamitasu alleyata,” Alan said. Everett stared at him, confused. “Hold up your right hand,” he suggested. Everett’s eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what Alan was getting at. “Hold up your right hand,” he commanded, looking demonstratively down at Everett’s hand on his knee. When Everett wouldn’t move, Alan lashed out at him with a quick punch to the right side of his face. Without getting up, Everett blocked the punch with his left hand, barely deflecting it in time. The two were still, Everett holding Alan’s hand next to his head. He glared up at Alan but the knight smiled. “Why in the world will you not hold up your hand?” he asked. “Why won’t you stand up?” Everett continued to glare, saying nothing. Alan slowly stepped back with a proud smile. Everett remained seated, his hand on his knee. “It’s called Knightspeak,” he explained. “I first encountered it with some of the retired knights in Ohio. They all knew about it and kept it as a very closely guarded secret,” he explained with emphasis. “But none of them knew how it worked.” “What is it?” Everett asked, unwillingly glancing at his motionless right hand. “I don’t know. Or, I didn’t know until I found the research.” Alan stepped back against the bar. “Now I’m starting to get an idea. I went to Europe to find research on this, hoping that the European Knights might know more. Sadly, they were less than cooperative. When I came back here, though, I knew where to find the single largest cache of research and information on Knightspeak.” It hit Everett like a hammer to the back of the head. “Jericho,” he concluded. “Jericho Kingston understood Knightspeak better than anyone,” Alan confirmed, “but he was just beginning to scratch the surface. Part of the reason why he orchestrated the takeover of the Brotherhood of the Sun was so that he could divert researchers to a private project to unravel its secrets.” “Like I said,” Everett ventured, “what is it?” “It is the weapon that knights are truly meant to carry,” Alan answered. “Knights use swords, martial arts, yes, but it is Chivalry above and beyond all else that is meant to be our weapon against injustice and evil. And Knightspeak is Chivalry manifested.” Alan smiled. “And it looks like it’s just the beginning.” Everett swallowed fearfully. “Can it be undone?” Alan grinned. “Elias Kuntabiostuas.” Everett immediately jumped to his feet. Behind Alan, Ryoko’s hand whipped to her katana but she didn’t draw it. Everett got comfortable with moving, glancing over to the ninjato in the corner. “What does that mean?” he asked to Alan. “Elias kun-whatever.” “It’s gibberish,” he said with a smile. “I could say it again, but the words would be different.” “What?” Everett exclaimed, confused. “It’s a living language, Everett,” he said. “It’s a language that is reinvented with every word. Every time it’s spoken, it evolves. And it’s a language solely spoken by knights. Solely spoken, but understood by anyone.” “How’s that possible?” “Okay,” Alan confessed unabashedly, “I’m still working on that part. There’s a whole lot of data and research to go through. A whole lot.” He shifted uncomfortably. “That’s kind of where I was hoping that you and your team might come in, to help us with decoding the data. You guys have access to resources that would be really useful.” “You want us to help you with data entry?” Everett asked, incredulous. “Well,” Alan started when the door unlocked. The six knights all turned as the door opened. Armand stepped inside before he noticed the other knights. He stopped instantly, causing Ledger to run into him, with Roland colliding with Ledger, nearly knocking Armand to the floor. “Hey!” Roland exclaimed at the impact, getting his balance. He looked around, seeing the other knights for the first time. The three newcomers were quiet for a moment before Roland looked at Everett. “We interrupting?”
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