The Universe's Mixer

Bare from the waist up, with every bit of his blood saturated in spice, Leto dropped to a knee beside the sandtrap in Sietch Jacurutu. He'd lived this moment countless times in his vision, this focal point. He went back -- he went forward -- but it was always here, here: the Golden Path began here. The choice his father could never make. The preservation of the future of humanity -- and all the terrible choices that must rise from this one. Gently, he lowered his hand toward the sand, touched it, slid his fingers deeper --

-- and found himself kneeling on lush, thick grass, blinking in the brightness of the sun. He was never for a moment confused: This was no vision. Leto stood to his feet. He was dressed in strange clothes - finely made, but not in any of the styles of the Fremen or the House Atreides. Stretching his arms out in front of him, he smiled a quirky little smile and then turned his attention fully outward, eyes closing as he breathed in deeply.

This was not Arrakis. This was not even his solar system. And this existence was wholly, blissfully free of the stagnation brought about the dependency on melange, the power of the Spacing Guild... and the Bene Gesserit... and the Kwisatz Haderach breeding program. Here, humanity's evolution would continue, unfettered from the traps of Arrakis.

His electric blue eyes snapped open again. At once, Leto began to smile. The smile grew and grew until at last he was laughing -- laughing warmly in the freedom. There was no need for that Golden Path now. Humanity was free.

Leto was free.

"Out of synch. Not firing on all cylinders. Everything is out of whack." Fred mumbled softly to herself as she walked home. Well, it wasn't her home, but it was. The City hadn't taken it away yet; maybe it understood that she really did want to make a go of things, and she really was looking for a new place for Angel Investigations. In fact, she'd even looked at a few places. It was just the getting the money together that was causing a problem.

Dean and Jo had been helping out. Working cases when she found out about them, they were truly a superior being send. So, she had a little money. She didn't have enough for some of the places she looked at, but there had been a few she could probably live in and work in. But, her living and working situation wasn't what had her out of sorts. That she knew she could fix.

She'd taken some advice that she had given herself. Or more, followed a particular lead as the private eye types might say. The brainy female found Jesse in their usual spot. She only asked him once if he knew she needed him, and he'd simply asked her what she thought. She believed he had, and that was enough for her.

They shared some waffles and bacon, drank a little coffee, and got down to business. Her friendly neighborhood deity told her what was what as best he could. The City was broken. The City had thrown a shoe. The City pinged, and not in the good way. Jesse had tried a few metaphors and similes, but none of them explained what was wrong in a way that could be mended. When asked if he could fix it, Jesse gave her a pained look; they both knew he could fix it on some level, and it would be okay. Yet, the big question was should he fix it?

Fred didn't ask him to do it. She had to think. Not only did she have to think, but she had a feeling more needed to think. Questions had to be asked, and the world had to be righted. Jesse wasn't always going to be there, possibly, and they had to make sure they tried their best before relying on a reluctant God. Or semi-reluctant.

Fred would find the smartest, within reason, and they would make it right.