We had vast stores of knowledge in us, they told us, which would enable us to understand any sort of language quickly, and we would recognize the useful or medicinal properties of animals and plants in the world to which we were going. And we understood the stars when we came to see them, and how vast was the universe, and how vast the “Realm of Worlds,” to which they referred. It was for the “Realm of Worlds” that we would execute our purpose. The “Realm of Worlds” was horrified by the ascent of mammals on Earth, and was sending us to correct what had happened there.

Throughout the “Realm of Worlds,” evolution had almost always favored other species, not mammals, and on Earth a dreadful thing had happened in that mammals had gained self-awareness and intelligence and now ruled the planet with tribes and packs and the great city of Atalantaya. To use Gabrielle’s word, it was an abomination to the Parents, and to the “Realm of Worlds,” and we were to go to Earth to infiltrate the mammals, and gain access to the domed city of Atalantaya.

How much of what we understood was already known to us, as opposed to being told us—this is all confusing to me now. But there was never a time when I didn’t know how much the Parents abhorred mammals, and the emotions of mammals.

A great physical catastrophe had occurred on Earth and that was the only reason mammals had gained an advantage in the evolutionary process. This catastrophe was the result of several small worlds or asteroids colliding with Earth and poisoning the atmosphere so that reptiles and birds had died in great numbers while mammals survived, and grew to enormous and unwieldy size in the absence of reptiles and birds to prey on them. We, the People of the Purpose, as they called us, would work another catastrophe which would reduce the planet to an early stage where once again reptiles and birds would have a chance to overtake mammals in development.

I don’t think the Parents ever spoke of mammals or mammalian nature without expressing outrage and distaste. They warned us that mammals were aggressive, vicious, and dangerous. Male mammals abused female mammals. But we would be able to fool them easily into believing we were mammals. If we did find ourselves at their mercy, if they tortured us or sought to kill us, we would survive. Indeed, it was our solemn purpose to survive. Intense pain would produce unconsciousness in us over and over again; and this unconsciousness would aid in the healing we would experience from any injury or wound.