Matt cautiously made his way back to his dorm, keeping an eye out for military in case they should reappear. Then he quickly packed up some clothes for his stay at Melissa’s. When he was done he locked the door behind him and headed off to class.
Later that day, Matt met up with Melissa and Greg in Anthropology. It was the day of their presentation, and Mr. Wilson asked Greg to start them off. Once Greg started in, Matt looked around the class to gauge the response and was relieved when he saw everyone seemed to be enjoying the petroglyph pictures and Greg’s corresponding narration. When it was over, Matt patted Greg on his back as he sat down. Melissa gave him a smile and then they looked on as the next group gave their presentation.
When all of the presentations were done, Greg looked over at Matt and Melissa and whispered, “I think we did better than most.”
“I liked them all,” Melissa replied.
“So did I,” Matt added.
“Peas in a pod…” Greg was about to say more, but Mr. Wilson interrupted him.
“That was an excellent presentation. Greg, you were clear and concise, and the class seemed engaged. I must say that the written portion of the presentation was also very well done. It is obvious that the three of you spent a great deal of time working on your presentation and it was very good,” Mr. Wilson acknowledged.
“Thank you,” Melissa replied.
“Keep it up,” Mr. Wilson added as he headed over to congratulate another group.
“Did you hear that? He loved our presentation,” Greg said in an arrogant tone.
Matt rolled his eyes and looked down at his watch. “I have to get going. I’ll see you later.”
“So do I,” Melissa added as she followed him out the door.
“Okay,” Greg replied, sounding a bit annoyed by their desire to leave without giving him more accolades. “I can pat my own back,” he mumbled before heading out.
Chapter 15
When Matt finished his last class of the day he headed over to Melissa’s dorm. As he passed fellow students along the way, he felt estranged from them. He knew fundamental things about the universe that they had not yet discovered. It seemed impressive from a certain point of view, to know things others don’t. But at the same time, shared experiences were the glue that created bonds between people, and forged friendships. Besides Melissa, he was alone in his new found knowledge. Matt wondered if that was what drove so many brilliant minds mad through the ages.
When Matt reached Melissa’s dorm he gently knocked on the door three times.
“Hi, make yourself at home,” she said with open arms. “Unfortunately the bed is the only comfortable place left to sit. I gave away all my other crappy furniture, not expecting I’d need it again.”
“That’s okay,” Matt commented as he set his pack on the floor. Then he glanced around at the nearly vacant room and noticed a small framed picture of himself on the wall. “How do you sleep at night with that staring at you?” he joked.
“Stop that! It’s a good picture of you,” Melissa contended. Matt frowned at it, thinking that he never liked his picture taken, and that the proof as to why was on her wall.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Melissa asked.
“Sure, what do you have?” Matt replied.
“Juice and bottled water... I haven’t been to the store in a while.
“Water sounds good,” Matt replied.
“Here you go,” Melissa remarked as she tossed the bottle over to him.
“Thanks,” Matt replied as he caught it with his left hand.
“That’s funny, I thought you were right handed?” she remarked.
“I am ambidextrous, not completely, but pretty close,” Matt admitted.
“So what was your impression of Greg’s performance today?” Melissa asked.
“He did a really good job. I just wish he was a little more humble,” Matt replied.
“Yeah, he’s kind of tactless, but I will admit he was one of the better presenters though,” Melissa acknowledged.
“I’ll be right back,” Matt said as he excused himself to use the restroom. While he was in there he noticed a partially used packet of birth control pills and he picked it up to have a closer look at it. Then he put them back on the shelf and came out. A moment later Melissa went in to use the bathroom and when she emerged she was smirking and holding the birth control pills in her hand.
“I see you’ve been looking at my private stuff!” she said in an accusatory tone.
“I apologize... I’m a terrible snoop. It’s one of my many bad habits,” Matt admitted with an embarrassed look on his face.
Melissa smiled, “Matt, you can look at anything I have. I trust you completely.”
“So, how did you know I peeked?” he asked once his face had returned to its normal color.
“You left wet finger prints on them,” Melissa revealed.
“I guess I would not make a very good criminal,” Matt replied.
“Probably not, but more importantly, I didn’t think you wanted me pregnant before we had the wedding,” she joked.
“Goodness no, your dad would kill me if that happened!” Matt gulped.
“Yes he would, and he would disown me as well,” she exclaimed.
“I was irresponsible back at the lake... and the other night,” Matt said with an ashamed look on his face.
“I instigated those events, and I would not have done so without proper protection,” Melissa insisted as she sat next to him on the bed.
“Even so, I should have been prepared and not depended on you to do the right thing,” he remarked.
“It’s getting late, are you tired enough to sleep?” Melissa asked as she changed the subject.
“Yeah, I’m worn out.” Matt replied. “Do you still want to try the dreamstone tonight? I can put it back in my car if not.”
“Don’t you dare! I said I would help you figure this out, and the only way I can do that is if I go into the dream with you,” Melissa insisted.
“Alright,” Matt sighed. “I just want you to know that I really appreciate what you are doing for me.”
“I still can’t help but feel this problem has been unfairly placed upon you, but hopefully together we can figure this out,” Melissa replied.
Matt nodded and then got undressed. Then he placed his pants next to the bed after getting into it. Melissa turned out the lights and joined him. Then she rolled over until she was up against him and draped her arm over his chest.
“Good night,” she said as she closed her eyes.
“Good night,” Matt replied, and then he cleared his mind and closed his eyes. Before long the dream started in and he found himself on the alien ship standing in a large open area. Melissa was next to him breathing hard while holding her midsection.
“It takes a few minutes for your lungs to acclimate,” he said in a reassuring tone.
“Yeah,” I forgot about that part,” she replied.
“I see you brought your friend with you,” Helios said as he came walking over to greet them. Matt glanced over at Melissa and offered his hand which she immediately grasped as she retained her apprehensive pose.
“We would like to know more about the dreamstone in order to better determine who to pass it on to,” Matt stated. Helios blinked a couple of times and cocked his head from side to side.
“In the past we left dreamstones for other humans to find, hoping to make contact early on and avoid the fear of direct contact in the future. What we found was that most of your species was unable to use the dreamstones because of an ingrained fear of the unknown. A few stones did make their way to indigenous tribes and were often passed down through generations until they reached a close-minded individual. When your species developed the nuclear weapons, we stopped all contact expecting self-extinction to occur long before you developed the technology to shift into hyper-reality. However, you have surprised us, and your species will soon be able to use hyper-reality on a practical scale. We can no lo
nger depend on chance to bring a dreamstone into the right hands, so we have given one to you in the hopes that you can divert the technology into the right hands. We want to help your species, but we must also safeguard and protect other life forms from the hostile use of this technology,” Helios explained.
“I don’t fully understand how humans could use the technology to harm other species,” Matt questioned.
“The Philadelphia Experiment was your species first trip into hyper-reality. It was accidental, but the significance of the discovery was not overlooked. Your military has been conducting experiments to learn more about hyper-reality ever since. At first they made little progress because they lacked the mathematics to understand the physics of hyper-reality. Recently though, we have detected many small emissions of an energy wave only emitted when an object transitions between reality and hyper-reality. The duration and strength of the emissions indicates your species is close to transporting larger objects through hyper-reality. Do you understand our concern?” Helios asked.
“Yes,” Matt replied with a sinking feeling that surfaces when you feel that you’re in way over your head with no way out. He looked at Melissa to see how she was taking the news and she appeared amazingly calm in light of the situation.
“Can you explain how hyper-reality works?” Melissa asked. Helios hissed a little, and then she saw what appeared to be a smile on his reptilian face. It surprised her that the creature displayed such human-like emotions and body language. Melissa was especially taken by it, since it seemed to indicate there might be parallels in human cultural development and the aliens. She could not help but wonder if those similarities could provide a glimpse into human evolution and developments to come. Helios stood silently, as if he was waiting for Melissa to finish her train of thought before he gave his explanation of hyper-reality.
“The technology that your species is working on can allow life forms to shift into and out of hyper-reality without killing the physical body. Therefore, life forms which can normally only survive in the dimension of reality are able to pass through hyper-reality and reemerge in a different location within normal reality unharmed by using the technology. The advantage of traveling through hyper-reality is that one can cross the vastness of space in a short amount of time. The speed of light is not a barrier in the dimension of hyper-reality, therefore traveling through it requires infinitesimally less energy than it would to cross the same distance in normal reality going slower than the speed of light,” Helios explained.
“How can less energy propel you faster and further?” Matt asked looking confused. Helios hissed rhythmically, amused by Matt’s primitive linear thinking.
“Imagine you are at the beach waist high in the water; if you tried to run through the water you would exert considerable energy and move at a relatively slow speed. Now consider doing the same thing on dry land. You would use far less energy, and move considerably faster. Hyper-reality works in a similar way. The technology to shift allows the traveler to efficiently cross the vastness of space and emerge somewhere else unharmed. Can you see the potential problem of having that ability to explore the cosmos without the proper moral or social restraints? Your species could wreak havoc and destruction on lesser life forms, strip mine entire planets, or worse,” Helios stated.
Matt and Melissa sighed as they realized the scope of the problem, and Helios could sense the emotional strain on them.
“We like your species, and we will find a way to help you. Even if you are unable to find a suitable recipient of the stone, we will find some other way to prevent the misuse of the technology,” Helios promised. His words of encouragement failed to provide them with the intended comfort, and now they wondered what actions Helios’s race would take if they didn’t succeed.
“How much time do we have before you have to intervene?” Matt asked.
“Based on the accelerating frequency and magnitude of the energy wave, I would say your military will have a working prototype soon,” Helios replied before walking away. Matt noticed that he joined several other creatures that were standing further back in the haze. It was the first time that he had seen more than one of the aliens. They appeared similar-looking to Helios, only differing slightly in size and coloration. One of the smaller creatures seemed especially curious, but when it started to approach, the others called it back and the dream suddenly ended.
“That was unreal, what an incredible experience,” Melissa remarked as she sat up in bed.
“I didn’t think you were going to actually enjoy the experience,” Matt commented, taken back by her reaction.
“I admit I was reluctant at first, but how many people have the chance to meet a completely unique culture, let alone an alien one. Did you hear him talk about the early tribes receiving dreamstones?” Melissa remarked with elation.
“Yeah,” Matt replied, not entirely sure why that was so interesting to her.
“I can’t get believe we were face to face with an alien species … and to think, they have been in contact with us for countless generations,” Melissa exclaimed, seemingly energized by the encounter.
“That wasn’t the first time you had the dream you know,” Matt commented trying to calm her down a little.
“It was the first time I had the dream and knew it wasn’t just a dream,” Melissa replied.
“So now you can see why I am so determined to see this through,” Matt commented.
“I do... didn’t you think the aliens were fascinating?” Melissa remarked as she thought about their mannerisms and appearance.
“Yeah, they’re remarkable,” Matt replied.
“What’s bothering you?” Melissa questioned.
“I can’t figure out why the military let me keep the dreamstone after they interrogated me?” he replied.
“I don’t know.... they must not have realized the stone was from the aliens at that time,” Melissa remarked.
“They certainly knew what they were looking for when they searched my car,” Matt stated.
“That’s a good point. Somehow they figured out what you took after they let us go,” Melissa suggested.
“But how?” Matt wondered.
“I don’t know, but they don’t have a sense of humor,” Melissa remarked, as she thought about how the interrogator had treated them.
“That’s an understatement,” Matt replied. “I think I’m going to run the stone out to my car so we can sleep peacefully the rest of the night.”
“Okay,” Melissa replied, as she pulled the covers over her.
When Matt returned she was sound asleep, so he quietly undressed and then gently got under the covers next to her after turning off the lights.
Chapter 16
The next morning Matt went back to his dorm to drop off his dirty clothes. As he was leaving, he spotted Greg in the distance coming his way. Not feeling in the mood to chit-chat with him, he ducked around the corner until Greg passed by. Then he watched as Greg made his way to Matt’s dorm and knocked on the door several times. When no one answered, Greg looked around from side to side and then pulled out a key and let himself into the dorm. Matt gasped at what he saw, but suppressed his anger and remained hidden to see what Greg was up to. After a couple of minutes, Greg reappeared and then closed the door behind him, checking to make sure he left it as he found it. Then Greg pulled out a small piece of paper and then called someone on his cell phone. Matt slowly edged closer trying to hear the conversation.
“No, I just checked, it’s not in his dorm. I think he’s hidden it somewhere else… yes, I still want the reward money, just give me a little more time to find it,” Greg pleaded.
Matt could feel his temples throbbing as he realized Greg was a sell-out and was willing to betray their friendship for money. He wanted to run over and confront him, but the outcome of such an action seemed too uncertain. Then he noticed that as Greg put his phone back into his pocket, the piece of paper fell onto the ground. As soon as Greg walked away, Matt ran over and gr
abbed it and ducked behind a row of junipers. A moment later he saw Greg suddenly stop, search his pockets and then start retracing his steps. Matt almost laughed as Greg searched frantically for the piece of paper to no avail. Then, in a fit of frustration, he threw up his hands and headed off.
Once Greg was gone, Matt placed the piece of paper securely into his wallet, and rushed to his class which was about to start. His mind kept thinking about Greg and how he had betrayed him. He just couldn’t understand how his friend could turn on him and throw away all those years of trust. It was a painful lesson, but at least he knew the truth now. If Greg ever asked about the stone, he could tell him he threw it away.
Matt’s thoughts quickly turned to Melissa and how she would react to Greg’s betrayal. He knew she would be furious and she would want to rush over and confront him about it. That was something he did not want to happen, but he knew he shouldn’t keep it from her either. When his class ended he went back to Melissa’s dorm and pulled out the piece of paper from his wallet. Then he reluctantly called the number on it. A man answered in a sharp unfriendly tone, “Department of Defense...” Matt instantly hung up without saying a word. It was a voice he would never forger, the voice of the interrogator. Matt fell back on the bed and closed his eyes, as the depth of the betrayal set in.
When Melissa came home later that evening she found Matt curled up on her bed with the pillow over his face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as she lifted the pillow up, and gave him a kiss.
“I’m sorry I dragged you into this mess. I think you deserve better,” Matt said in a depressed tone.
“I love you, and I don’t want anyone else. I know the difference between a passing love and a soul mate,” she replied as she patted his head lovingly.
“There’s something I have to tell you, but I don’t want you to do anything about it. It’s important that we keep this to ourselves,” Matt announced.
“What is it?” Melissa asked fearing the worst.
“I saw Greg sneak into my dorm, and I know he was looking for the dreamstone,” Matt revealed.
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