Simultaneous Past

by Reserved Rodent

From the tapes of Dr. Erom
Reasons Behind a Fur Claiming to Have Been Cesar Volkus the Third in a Past Life
Subject 3
Rockford, Douglas Aaron
Male Armadillo, age: 43
First session


“Three. Your body is relaxed and light as a cloud,” the elephant sitting at the desk said to the armadillo reclining comfortably on the nearby day bed. “Two. Your mind is calm and you feel safe. One. You are prepared to honestly answer questions without fear of judgment. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Dr. Erom,” the armadillo answered softly. The elephant marked the answer down with a quiet scratch of his pen on paper.

“What is your name?” the hypnotherapist asked, not bothering to look up from his notepad.

“Douglas Aaron Rockford.” The pen continued scratching, though the top of the paper already had the patient's name.

“What species are you?”

“Armadillo.”

“Do you believe in reincarnation?” the hypnotist asked, pen moving to check the expected answer.

“No. Good Armadillos go to heaven when they die,” the patient replied calmly.

Surprised by the answer, Dr. Erom looked up from the pad on his desk, checking to make sure the subject was still in a trance. Seeing no change in breathing and that the subject's eyes were still closed, the elephant wrote down the unexpected answer while his trunk pulled his coffee cup up to take a sip.

Once braced with a little more warm caffeine, the planned questions continued. Dr. Erom wanted the sessions to maintain uniformity in the first instance, even in the face of unexpected answers. If he were going to have a solid study to either prove or – more likely, the hypnotherapist assumed – disprove the possibility of past lives, the elephant would have to gather reliable data. He could follow up on oddities in future sessions.

“Do you believe you have lived previous lives?”

“Yes.” The armadillo answered, as expected. The subjects were all selected not only because they believed they had lived a previous life, but each one believed they had been the same historical figure as well.

“Who do you believe you were in your past life?” The elephant asked, relieved to have the session continuing as anticipated.

“Which one?” Douglas asked, making the elephant stare over at him again before jotting down the question he'd just been asked. He saw that he should have worded his question better. He had assumed that the furs would focus on having been the more famous individual. Large ears rippling slightly as they twitched in agitation, the hypnotherapist tried to calm himself while writing down his unplanned follow up question.

The first two subjects had led Dr. Erom to believe the study would be a simple and quick procedure. Both the previous subjects had such patterned answers under hypnosis that the elephant expected they both read the same book on past lives at some point. He did not assume that they had been purposely misleading him, but so much information about the subject was available in today's society, that they could simply have been exposed to it earlier in life and over time came to construct the same fantasy. Later sessions would try and delve into that possibility. The first sessions were supposed to just get a quick introduction to how they viewed the past life.

As a scientist, though, the hypnotist wanted solid data. If he let his own feelings cloud the study and tossed out data simply because it did not support his views, it wouldn't be science. He had thought he was approaching the study without allowing his bias to tilt it, but now had to wonder. There would be time to review his procedure after this interview. For now, he needed to focus and document what he did in his notes. Each session might be getting recorded on video, but he needed to keep track of his first impressions as they happened as well.

“List the names and species of those you remember clearly,” Dr. Erom stated.

“Cesar Volkus the Third, wolf,” Douglas began, which made the elephant relax. That was the name he needed for the study.

“Lukas Davin Shadowtree, panther,” the armadillo continued.

Still writing, the elephant's trunk curled up as he frowned. That was the name of another subject from his study. The college student was still alive and younger than the armadillo. Had the two of them gotten together ahead of time to plan some kind of elaborate joke? They were from different parts of the country, but that did not guarantee that they had no contact, he supposed.

“And Tomas William Bluefire, dragon,” the calm armadillo finished, naming off the city councilor who was running for a state senate seat in next month's election.

Scowling, Dr. Erom slowly wrote down the last name below the first two. He sat in silence, pondering how to proceed. By claiming to have experienced past lives of two individuals who were still alive today, the subject lost all credibility. Twirling the pen in thought, he came to the decision that he should continue with the series of planned questions for each of the names given. Even if there was a prank, it did not make the study invalid. In fact, it would support the supposition that folks who claimed to be reborn famous figures from history were making it up. An easy assumption with dozens of folks claiming they were the same furs reborn.

“What is your most clear memory from the life of Cesar Volkus the Third?” Dr. Erom asked, figuring he might as well start with the subject of the study.

“The look of shock in the eyes of the first enemy soldier I killed,” the armadillo snarled in perfect, unaccented, ancient Wolven.

Dr. Erom blinked and picked his pen up from where he had dropped it at the guttural words the armadillo farmer had just growled. He opened the file under his pad, looking over the educational history of Douglas Aaron Rockford. No college education. Mr. Rockford hadn't even finished high school before dropping out to help with the family farm after his father's death. No indication of the language being taught formally, but some research would have to be done to make sure he didn't have wolf neighbors from the old country. Even then, the language was mostly dead, the elephant only knowing what it was because he spent extra time learning the more modern version of it to make researching his Master’s thesis easier.

But the answer to how that language came from the farmer would have to wait. There was no easy way to answer it at this moment, so Dr. Erom decided to continue this most unusual session. “What is your most clear memory from the life of Lukas Davin Shadowtree?”

The armadillo rolled his shoulders while lying on the day bed, not speaking for several seconds. When he finally spoke, it was with a slightly deeper voice and a slight east-coast accent, “That's a hard question to answer, Doc.”

Dr. Erom wrote the comment down, noting the change in Doug's voice, and twirled his pen once before asking, “Why do you say it would be hard to tell me your clearest memory?”

“Come on, Doc, we covered this during that first session you hypnotized me. I remember everything clearly. Perfect recollection of everything I've experienced. My first kiss from almost a century ago is as clear as what happened right before I went... to sleep... last night...” the deep voice seemed to roll slowly to a stop. “Kyle, our adopted kids and their children,” the armadillo picked up again, slow and with an edge of sadness, “they all gathered so I can tell them how much I love them. How proud I am of each of them... I'm dying.”

The elephant realized he had to pull his subject out of this line of thought. The emotions were growing too strong. “Relax, Douglas Aaron Rockford. You are not that panther. Those memories cannot hurt you. Do not dwell on them.”

“Okay,” the armadillo said in his own voice, seeming much calmer.

Dr. Erom breathed a sigh trying to relax before taking a deep drink of coffee. He set his pen down, realizing he had stopped taking notes sometime during the armadillo's memory as the panther. It had been a very intense and believable performance. The hypnotist wanted to end the session now and figure out how the panther and armadillo knew each other and why they would be working together to destroy his study. Yet, if he hoped any chance to salvage his research, he needed to continue as planned.

“What is your most clear memory from the life of Tomas William Bluefire?”

“Walking in and seeing my wife getting fucked in the ass by Judge Hardy,” the armadillo said with a slick voice. “I mean, not only is that fat hog something hideous to see grunting and sweating and naked, but I had not idea he was having an affair with my wife! Fortunately, I had my phone out reading a text from my campaign manager so I managed to quickly get some great blackmail photos. That was the first mistake my wife had made that I was happy to have seen. Well, maybe I didn't actually want to see it, but I could use it to my advantage.”

Determined to wrap up the session as normal, Dr. Erom went on to the last questions. “Remaining aware that it is not really happening and cannot harm you as you, tell me the last thing you remember as Cesar Volkus the Third.”

“I remember feeling helpless against the blades of the traitorous senators because Klaudious turned his own blade against me rather than guarding my back,” the armadillo said softly in perfect ancient Wolven. “The sting of that treachery was much worse than any of the physical blows.”

This was a very typical response, but then, it was a very well-known and often times romanticized historical figure who had died in a public assassination. That was one of the reasons, in Dr. Erom’s opinion, why so many furs claimed to have been the wolf Cesar. It was easy to either fake them consciously or for the subconscious to latch on to the details that everyone knew. It was much rarer for the native language of the past life to be used. Admittedly, while it sounded perfect to the elephant, he was not an expert. With two different answers presented that way, the hypnotherapist realized he should get the opinion of someone who could better analyze them. It was possible the usage, while not current day, was also not in form with how it was spoken during the dead wolf’s lifetime.

Dr. Erom wondered whether he should ask this question in regards to Lukas. While doing so would keep the system consistent, the question had already been answered. Considering the worrying reaction at that time, the hypnotherapist decided to pass over it, writing down that fact and the reasons why.

“Remaining aware that it is not really happening and cannot harm you as you,” the elephant asked, “tell me the last thing you remember as Tomas William Bluefire.”

“I remember walking in to give a speech at the Rosegold Auditorium at Central State University. There was an inordinate amount of security walking around me because of that idiot saying my life was threatened, but it was just weeks away from the election, and if I was going to be a senator, I needed to be seen and heard. There was a shout followed by a loud boom and that’s the last thing I remember.”

Struggling to control his temper, Dr. Erom shut his eyes and counted to ten. It was disruptive to his study for a subject to say he had lived past lives of people who were still alive. To suggest that one of them was going to die in a few weeks added a level of insult to the entire process that upset the hypnotherapist.

Before the elephant had gotten to three, the Armadillo continued speaking, though it was the farmer’s voice again instead of the slick politician. “The back of my head really hurts.”

“Remain calm and feel at peace. There is no pain. You are Douglas Aaron Rockford, an armadillo,” the elephant’s ears twitched slightly. “When I count to three, you will awaken and feel refreshed. The memories you have recalled from your past lives will remain separate from your own memories. One. You will have no clear memory from your time under hypnosis, but will feel it has been an informative session. Two. You will remain relaxed and honestly answer the follow up questions your hypnotherapist has. Three. How do you feel, Mr. Rockford?”

“I feel pretty good, Doc,” the armadillo stated. “Did you get what you needed?”

“I got the information I hoped to this session. I do have a few follow up questions for you, though,” the elephant said with a friendly smile.

“Well, ask away, then, Doc,” Douglas grinned back.

“Do you know a panther by the name of Lukas?” The elephant asked.

“No,” the armadillo said, nose twitching in thought, “I can’t say that I do. I don’t know any felines except David, and he’s a puma.”

“Have you had any dealings with Councilor Bluefire?” Dr. Erom asked.

“That blow hard city dragon who’s running for Senate?” the armadillo asked, tail thumping the day bed in agitation. “Unless you count watching his stupid commercials talking about how he’s all for farmers when we all know that he’s ruined the farmer’s markets in town during his time on the council, I’ve never seen the snob.”

From the venom in his subject’s voice, the elephant wondered how deep this anger went. There was so much research to handle before the next session with Mr. Rockford.


-----


“That's just the thing,” Dr. Erom told the badger sitting across from him in the booth where they were sharing their routine morning coffee break, “I'll hopefully be better able to figure out if there is a connection between them when the other subject gets into town for his first session, but so far my research has not brought to light any connection between the two of them.”

Dr. Trawlats, the badger, sat quietly as his colleague spoke. He could tell the elephant was agitated from how the elephant kept twirling a spoon around his thick fingers. “Dr. Erom, I know you hope that this study will solidly debunk the theory that people remember past lives by figuring out what it is that generates what people believe to be valid memories. I understand why you are trying to focus on a group of furs who all claim to remember being a specific historical figure.”

“Cesar Volkus the Third,” the elephant agreed, “because he's not only the best known leader of the Wolven Empire, but with all of the shows and literature and plays about him, there are plenty of things people think they know about him that are actually inaccurate. I hope that the inaccuracies will help me focus in on real causes for the false memories.”

After waiting to make sure the interruption was finished, the badger continued, “Right. But if the subject you've told me about is not a true believer in the phenomenon of past lives, and if he also is working in a conspiracy to invalidate your study from within, why do you assume that he and the subject he mentioned are the only ones involved? If it turns out that both are party to some plan against the study, how much harder is it to believe that a third party would be the only point of contact between the two? One who could easily do the research behind the scenes and school both of them – either in how to fake going into the hypnotic trance, or to actually hypnotize them and implant false memories and enough lines from the older form of the language to seem valid.”

The badger took a quick sip of his own coffee before continuing, “You know I'm enough of a fan of conspiracy theories to see them in anything, so I know you're not surprised I can make your concerns into one. But even I have to admit that something seems off about the scenario I just spelled out. If the purpose is to destroy your research why those behind it go to the trouble of making the one memory you're looking for seem more plausible?”

Shaking his head and setting the spoon back on the table to pick up his coffee cup, Dr. Erom simply said, “I don't get that either. That's exactly the kind of detail that would have had me more likely to change my opinion on the possibility of past life memories. Why put that in and also add memories of events that haven't happened yet to folks who are currently alive and well and try to pass them off as past life memories as well? I am worried that the memory I was looking for was perhaps a real one. If so, and there is any level of conspiracy that caused the other memories, it certainly will invalidate the entire study. I suppose that could be the whole point, but I'm not sure who would want to do that.”

“Hard to say,” Dr. Trawlats commented as the elephant took a drink of coffee. “I feel I should ask if you have contacted anyone in Councilor Bluefire's campaign to inquire if there are any speeches planned for Rosegold Auditorium before the election?”

The elephant gave a soft snort, “No. I mean, even if I believed my subject had some sort of future knowledge, what would I tell them? 'Hey, I've got a patient that remembers being the councilor and dying here before the election. Can you tell me if it's a place you plan to go to?' I can't see that conversation being productive for them or me.”

With the hint of a smile, the badger nodded, “A valid point, except I had only asked if you had inquired about their schedule. I figured you might want to research if there is an upcoming visit planned, and if so, how well known that information is. At best, it turns out there is no intention for the councilor's campaign to visit, so you can stop worrying about if there is some truth to that statement from the trance. Even if there is going to be a visit, if it is not a well known fact, it might help you figure out what is behind the subject being brought up by your subject. You can also make sure there isn't some dangerous reason for that kind of a memory to have come up. As important as your research is to you, it would be a shame to be looking for the wrong conspiracy in all of this.”

“You don't seriously think there's anyone who hates Councilor Bluefire so much to want to kill him, do you?” Dr. Erom asked, pulling cash out to leave for his order as well as a tip. “The dragon hasn't done too bad of a job for the city. He's certainly been better than his predecessor.”

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Dr. Trawlats added cash for his own coffee plus tip to the middle of their booth's table. “You're asking the conspiracy theorist who occasionally gets called in to assist a government intelligence agency if he thinks someone wants to kill a politician? What do you think my answer will be?”

“Something that sounds crazier than people with past lives that occur at the same time as their own, most likely,” the elephant said with a grin.


-----


From the tapes of Dr. Erom
Reasons Behind a Fur Claiming to Have Been Cesar Volkus the Third in a Past Life
Subject 8
Shadowtree, Lukas Davin
Male Panther, age: 20
First session


“Three. Your body is relaxed and light as a cloud,” Dr. Erom said, sitting alertly at his desk, eyes on the young panther lounging on the nearby day bed. “Two. Your mind is calm and feels safe. One. You are prepared to honestly answer questions without fear of judgment. Do you understand?”

“Yeah,” Lukas replied calmly as the elephant took notes.

“What is your name?” Dr. Erom asked, forcing himself to remain calm and keep the session in the same tone as the others.

“Lukas Davin Shadowtree, though I prefer to go by Luke.”

The hypnotherapist noted the answer, including the stated preferred name, before moving on to the next one. “What species are you?”

“Panther.”

“Do you believe in reincarnation?” Dr. Erom asked, looking more eager after every question.

“Yeah, I do,” the panther answered. “It might not be something science can see, but I’m well aware of how often science discovers new ways to see new things.”

Jotting down the answer, the elephant also made a note to himself to investigate why the college student was offering a little more than the basic answer. It might be a sign of the panther working to muddle things up with the study. So far no connection between the armadillo and panther had been discovered, but Dr. Erom intended to insure that every possibility of collusion was investigated.

For the moment, however, the hypnotherapist planned on following his script for the study. “Do you believe you have lived previous lives?”

“I’m not one hundred percent sold on the idea, but I believe so,” the panther said, making the elephant’s eyebrows raise and his pen scratch some extra notes.

Wincing slightly because he no longer liked the way he had phrased the next question, Dr. Erom asked it anyway. Other than Mr. Rockford, none of the other subjects had a problem with the question, but the elephant fully expected it to be an issue this time. “Who do you believe you were in your past life?”

“I’m not sure on all of them, Doc,” Luke said, confirming the hypnotherapist's assumptions. “I only believe I might have been someone in a previous life because of snippets of dreams I remember, and I don’t often remember my dreams, which is odd, since I can perfectly recall everything that has happened to me while awake.”

There was a pause while the elephant wrote down what the panther had said, adding a few notes, but the subject surprised him when he continued, “So the only two I know the names of are Councilor Bluefire and Senator Volkus. I'm not one hundred percent sure about the Senator, but I had a wolven instructor tell me that was what the phrase 'Senator Volkus' meant in that language. I could tell that was what I was being called during some big forum in a stone auditorium full of wolves wearing togas that I dreamed once. There may be other past lives, but the best I can remember are vague snapshots without context.”

Dr. Erom was hastily writing down what was said, his mind pondering how to structure a session to potentially discover more about the dreams – as well as what might be causing him to remember some of them but not all of his dreams.

Luke remained silent as the notes were finished, so the hypnotherapist continued with the line of questioning he had planned. “What is your most clear memory from the life of Councilor Bluefire?”

“If I can remember it, it’s clear, Doc. I have two memories I can solidly attribute to being from Councilor Bluefire. One is a televised debate. I know who I am because the blue heeler moderating the debate specifically said, ‘Councilor Bluefire, how do you respond to those who question your promise to cut the deficit for the state, when you have supported seven years worth of programs that have tripled the city’s deficit?’ And I remember seeing the jackal I was running against grin.”

A smile slowly came over the Panther’s features, “I remember feeling very proud with my answer, ‘I would respond with two points to those who would try such an attack. First, while the total deficit increased each year, the percentage it raised during most years has been less than one percent per year, which was much better than the average of eighteen percent that occurred before I sat on the council. My second point would be that during two of the last seven years, we also suffered from both the coldest winter, causing an unprecedented number of water main breaks, but also the worst flooding in over a century. Even with state and federal assistance, these disasters have been costly. That the deficit has tripled is unusual only in that it only tripled instead of a worse outcome.’ The best part was the bear’s scowl.”

Dr. Erom had stopped trying to write every word down, making notes instead to transcribe the question and answer and look up to see if a debate matching the conversation existed. It also seemed odd that while the panther got a hint of the councilor’s speech pattern, hitting the cadence, certainly, it did not seem Luke was trying to exactly copy the voice. In fact, it seemed more like the panther was describing the memory rather than reliving it. Perhaps there was a correlation between the claim of perfect memory and how all of the subject’s memories were relayed. The elephant made a note to investigate that in later sessions.

“The other fragment I can clearly recall as being Councilor Bluefire is walking into the side entrance of a hotel with at least six security guards. As we were going in, I remember one of the guards, a jackal, though I didn’t catch his name, saying how worried he was. ‘Councilor Bluefire,’ he had growled, ‘I do not like you coming here after having been threatened. Is this dedication speech for new wing at the library worth risking your life?’ The building we were entering looked like the back of Rosegold Auditorium, but I don’t remember getting a good enough look to be one hundred percent certain.”

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, the panther continued. “The memory gets very intense after that. We move inside, me telling the jackal, ‘There has been no actual threat, just some idiot calling in with a stupid story that was investigated and deemed a demented prank on the poor fellow. He meant well, but he there’s no threat. I’ve kept the increased security you hired when we first heard his story and hiding at this point in the campaign could cost me the senate seat. Do your job and everything will be fine.’ The guard nodded, falling back behind me after that and I continued unworried.”

The elephant leaned forward, seeing Luke’s fists clench as the panther continued. “I had turned to talk to the gryphon in a business suit walking with me when from behind, the jackal’s voice growled, ‘You should have listened.’ This was followed by what I recognize in reflection, as the sound of a trigger being pulled and a gun firing. The memory ends with a terrible force hitting the back of my skull.”

A light sheen of sweat covered the panther’s brows, but his breathing was regular and he seemed to relax once he finished speaking. Dr. Erom’s ears twitched in irritation as he watched for several seconds to make sure his subject had not fallen too deep into the memory. Real or not, it was important to keep from associating with death too closely while hypnotized.

Feeling safe that the panther was okay, notes were quickly scribbled as the hypnotherapist shook his head. He was growing concerned that, prank or not, he needed to double check the memories being discussed as quickly as possible.


-----


“Listen,” the badger said calmly, staring straight into Dr. Erom's wide eyes, “You need to relax. You have done everything you can. Worrying about Councilor Bluefire's decisions will not help anyone.”

“But they're not giving it any consideration at all,” the elephant said, pounding the table strong enough to make both cups of coffee hop with a clink. “Luke has perfect recall and he quoted the words said in a televised debate exactly over twenty four hours before it happened. The councilor's life is in grave danger if he goes to to the presentation tomorrow.”

“You need to keep your voice and temper in check,” Dr Trawlats said in an even tone. “The councilor and his staff have been warned. Your tapes and statements have reached the paws and ears of the agency I work with. Security has been increased around the dragon. Your subjects have been researched and found to have only one connection between them – your study. Agents are going to be watching them, and you, very closely now. Nothing is going to happen.”

Large ears waving in irritation, Dr. Erom picked up his spoon and tried to twirl it around his fingers, but put so much force behind the maneuver the silverware flew out of his grasp and clanged across the diner's tile floor. “Damn it. If he would just not go, then it can't happen. Even with everything you've said, why risk it over some silly little appearance at the university.”

“Don't keep stressing about the decision someone else is making. You've done what you can,” the badger started.

Shaking his head, the elephant let out a deep sigh. “The Cesar didn't listen either.”

“What?” Dr. Trawlats asked.

“Maybe it's all the research I've done for the study that's got me so agitated,” Dr. Erom said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I just can't keep from thinking about how similar this is to Cesar Volkus the Third. He had been warned not to go to the senate that day by a seer and several loyal companions. He didn't pay it any heed and ended up being killed. One of his closest friends, Klaudious, supposedly struck the first blow, similar to the famous play about the assassination. I've read papers saying that this longtime close companion claimed – even unto his death – that he did it because he felt the wolven leader had chosen his own pride over their friendship. The wolf had felt betrayed that his council had been ignored. How many friends is Bluefire ignoring the advice of at this time?”

“You need to let go of that line of thought and make sure you stay away from the councilor during his visit,” the badger stated, the edge of a growl to his voice.

Dr. Erom nodded. “No worries there. I intend to avoid the campus until after the election. I had thought about just staying home that day, but might make sure I'm somewhere very public on the far side of town that day if I'm being watched, as you say. I've already canceled the sessions with different subjects this week so that none of them will have reason to be in the area either. I'm not even entirely sure I won't cancel the whole study rather than reschedule. The whole idea of furs having the memories of another life in their subconscious is rather sour to me currently.”


-----


From the tapes of Dr. Trawlats
Testing to determine sanity of prisoner 44452011
Daniel T. Dusken, male jackal, 38


The jackal sat quietly on the wooden bench against the wall, his eyes unfocused after having been hypnotized by the badger in the tweed suit.

“Do you recognize who I am, Mr. Dusken?” the gruff hypnotist asked.

“Yes, Dr. Trawlats. You are the psychologist sent to help determine if I am fit for trial,” the jackal responded.

“Very good. Do you realize that what you say here may be used in the court of law to determine your guilt in the murder of Councilor Bluefire?” the badger asked, arms crossed as he watched his patient.

“Yes. I remember being told that before confirming I still wanted this,” came the reply.

“Why did you feel the need to be hypnotized to determine why you shot your dragon employer?” Dr. Trawlats asked.

“Because I do not understand why I would shoot him. He was a good boss even, if he didn’t take the threat to his life seriously. I wanted him safe, not dead,” Daniel said slowly.

“Did you resent him not taking the threat to his life seriously?” the badger asked.

“Resent? No,” the jackal answered. “I was worried, sure, but I could understand why he didn’t take it seriously.”

“Why do you feel Councilor Bluefire didn’t take the threat seriously?”

“It was just... odd. I certainly take every threat seriously, but I can understand why the councilor and other security personnel were able to dismiss it,” the jackal in the orange prison jumpsuit said, his ears twitching slightly in irritation. “Certainly, the psychologist who brought the concerns to us and both of the furs claiming to have knowledge of the shooting happening were thoroughly investigated, but too many people were treating it like a prank or a threat from one of them. Dr. Erom was just trying to make us aware of another threat. He was just suggesting that we not put the councilor into the situation his subjects had seen. No one believed the threat because of the source though.”

“What did you think about the suggested threat at that time and place?” the badger asked.

“I don't put a lot of stock in the idea of past lives,” Daniel stated. “Someone claiming they had lived life as someone else is already a hard pill to swallow. To further suggest that there were two people alive today who had lived the same past life that happened to be of a well known dragon also alive at the time? That just begs to be considered false. But I looked at the tapes and double checked the time stamps of the session where part of the councilman's televised debate was quoted word for word. I am willing to admit that I don't know everything. Even the possibility of a threat needs to be addressed. Unfortunately, the way it was presented meant I was the only one giving it any credibility. I had to pull teeth to have Dr. Erom and his patients watched and increase security. But councilor Bluefire had been determined to not back away from going to Rosegold Auditorium because someone claimed they remembered being him and dying there.”

“I would like you to take three slow deep breaths in and out,” Dr. Trawlats said slowly, repeating the last three words twice more in time with the steady, relaxing exercise before continuing on. “Now I would like for you to remember back to just before councilor Bluefire was shot and killed. I would like for you to take me step by step through what happened as you and he entered the building. Please describe what happened and what you were thinking and feeling.”

“I was worried. Councilor Bluefire was taking an unnecessary risk. I was running over all of the preparations trying to make sure I'd covered everything while trying one last time to get the dragon to reconsider. He brushed me off and turned to talk to the gryphon who had planned the event when...” the jackal's ears twitched and his lips curled slightly.

“Relax,” the badger stated, “that moment has passed, you are just telling me what happened then and there. What happened next?”

Neck and shoulders twitching slightly, Daniel shook his head, “I don't... I don't remember deciding... He turned away and I was going to check with the security at the other entrances, but then my gun was in my hand and he'd been shot.” The jackal began shaking fiercely, rattling the chains that bound his arms and legs.

“Relax, Daniel. Breathe in, breathe out,” the badger repeated, going through five minutes of relaxation exercises with the jackal to get him in a calm state to try a different approach. “I want you to examine your memories as if they were a series of photos. Each moment stands by itself, with nothing intruding from before or after. The photos are in a book in chronological order, so you can move from page to page and see the flow of your memory, but for now, you are focusing only on each moment by itself. Do you understand?”

“Yes, doctor,” the prisoner said slowly.

“Good,” Dr. Trawlats said. “Now, examine the moment that Councilor Bluefire had turned away from you while entering Rosegold Auditorium to speak with the gryphon. Are you there?”

“Yes, doctor.”

“Very good, Daniel. Remember, there is only that moment, nothing ahead or behind. What were you thinking and doing in that moment?”

“I decided to head to the other entrances and double check with the security there in person so I could cool down and not further upset Councilman Bluefire before he got before the microphones,” the jackal said with calm conviction.

The badger nodded, “Very good. Now, please turn the page to see the very next moment. What is happening in that moment.”

The jackal's head tilted to the side. “That is odd,” he said.

“What is odd, Daniel?” the hypnotist asked. “What do you see in that next moment?”

“I think some pages are stuck together. The next moment has me holding my gun. I can tell it has just been fired and... and the councilman has been shot in the back of his head. I am confused and don't know how that happened so fast.”

“Go ahead and close the book,” the badger said, sitting back and pondering what he had just heard. After a minute, he leaned forward again. “I want you to very calmly slide into that moment right after you decided to check the other security. Drift calmly and fully down into just that lone moment of memory. It will not hurt you, and your memory of that instant can freely come to the surface. What were you thinking at that moment?”

The jackal's voice was much deeper when he finally responded, “I was very angry he had not heeded my warning. So many years of study, proving time and again that people could have memories of experiences of other lives – some in the distant past, but some occurring simultaneously. I understand doubting that someone alive when you are alive might have experienced your life – had experienced your death as a past life experience, but the evidence that my were aware of things before they happened should have made the councilor stay away from that location and time. I was so frustrated at him that I shouted that he should have listened.”

Silence followed the jackal's statement. The badger staring at the prisoner and feeling a chill at how well the voice of Dr. Erom had been mimicked by the jackal. Finally, shaking off the creepy feeling with a frown, the badger asked, “So what happened in the next moment?”

“I was furious. This dragon was just like my dear Volkus, too proud to listen to his one true friend. So I showed him the price of choosing pride over trust in one's closest companion,” the jackal said in perfect, though ancient Wolven. “A Cesar should never be too proud to listen to his most loyal of followers.”

After managing to swallow down the chill he felt, Dr. Trawlats asked, in current day wolven, “Who am I speaking with now?”

“I am Klaudious.”