Chapter Four
When everyone was settled down at the table the next morning, Hawk asked for a rundown of the data that had been sent in.
Peter said, “Well, Hawk, Shauna didn’t send hers to me. I tried to call her last night, but she didn’t answer.” All eyes went to Shauna. She looked down. Then she looked at Hawk.
“I had a terrible headache. Sorry about that,” she said.
“Why didn’t you call me? I could have come over and helped you. I do healing work too as you know. I also could have at least gotten some of it sent in,” said Hawk. He was frowning at her in a way that made her feel like a kid who didn’t do their homework. “How are you feeling now?” he asked.
“I’m fine now. Just fine.” She could hear something creeping into her voice that sounded like she was just gonna blurt out everything, and she didn’t want to do that. She got control of herself, even though she hated keeping secrets like this. Everyone here should be in on this. They should be told. She was not liking Hawk very much right now. What the hell did he have to gain by keeping everyone in the dark? she wondered.
“I’ll go home right now if you’d like,” she said coldly. She felt aloof towards him now. This was ridiculous.
“No, no. I want you here for this. It might not be as bad as we think. Peter, you wanna give us the lowdown?”
What did he mean it might not be so bad?! It was the end of everything and he was continuing on with this farce. Trying to hold her temper she looked towards Peter.
“Well guys, I think Noah and Fern’s work with the hurricane victims in South Carolina was the most promising since Noah was able to speak with the departed souls who actually died from the devastation there. They got groups of local people together at churches and halls from ads in the paper and Noah went into trance and let his guide, Jackson, loose,” Peter smiled, and everyone laughed. They all knew Jackson. He was about as different from Noah as a caterpillar is to a butterfly. And the impression he made was highly substantial. Jackson was a huge man with a thick southern drawl. He’d been a slave in his last life on a plantation in Georgia. They had whipped him near death and made him sire almost fifty children there because he was the biggest and strongest slave they had. That was the only thing that saved him from being killed or hobbled by cutting open the back of his heel where the Achilles tendon was.
Every so often he would make mention of his sexual prowess in that life to the astonishment and mostly delight of the crowds that flocked to hear him speak with their loved ones who had crossed over. Noah Meade was very well known in the United States, Canada, and several other countries. That’s why they had all felt very lucky to have gotten him to agree to help in this work.
“So what’s the verdict then, Peter?” asked Hawk.
“It seems quite a few of the people had been wishing things were better for a long time. About half of them said they actually said the words ‘I wish a hurricane or something would come and wipe all this away’ in one way or another. Very few hadn’t had some kind of wish or feeling that things were too far gone to repair. About seven percent. They were all in great despair.”
“There we go everyone,” said Hawk. “That’s my theory right there,” he beamed.
“Yeah, we just need to talk to the dead people,” Shauna said despondently. She was thinking of Meera and what she’d said. Maybe everyone, or at least the majority of people felt that way about the whole Earth. She sure felt hopeless at least some of the time. Power, politics, war; everything was going to hell. Now tell us about the aliens, she thought as she looked at Hawk.
“I knew we were on the right track with this. We’ll need more data like this. We’re going to have to do some traveling now of course. Noah, you’re going to have to step up your lessons with Peter,” said Hawk. Peter was an undeveloped medium. Noah had been working with him to help him become ready to help people contact their loved ones on the other side.
“He’s doing great already,” said Noah. “He’s given readings in a few group situations already.”
“I don’t think I’m ready for what you’re talking about, Hawk,” said Peter.
“Don’t worry Peter,” said Hawk. “We’ll be right there with you.”
Shauna spoke up. “Noah, can Jackson speak to people from other planets who have passed?”
Noah looked confused. “Why would you want to do that?” he asked.
“Well, if you wanted to, could you?” she asked.
“Gosh, I don’t know. Nobody’s ever asked me that. People usually want to talk to deceased relatives or friends, not aliens,” he said. “Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know. I was just wondering. I mean, if there is alien life than they can pass over too can’t they? And if they can then you could speak to them couldn’t you?”
“I suppose so. I’ve just never tried. I’ll ask Jackson.”
Hawk looked at Shauna suspiciously. He wondered what was going on in that head of hers. She had an incredible mind, but this was straight from left field.
“It was really awesome getting to see Jackson at work coming through Noah like that,” said Fern. “He was amazing. We not only talked to the dead from the hurricane, but a whole lot of others, too. Even little kids. He could see them clear as day. I wish I could do that. Those people were so happy to find out their families and friends weren’t really dead in the sense they thought they were. I cried as much as they did! All I could do was sit there and record and take some notes. Then we’d go back to the hotel and put everything in a graph. Then last week we finally started putting it all together and found out it really does look like these people created this for themselves on some level.”
“So when we put all this information together what does it look like, Peter?” asked Hawk.
“Hold on a sec.,” said Peter as he tapped madly on the keyboard.
“I need some coffee,” said Rob, getting up from the table. Shauna followed him. When they were far enough away to whisper without being heard she asked him, “What does he think he’s doing?” Rob filled the pot with water. “The numbers are going to be dragged down by all the others. This doesn’t prove his theory, though, it disproves it unless we only use Noah’s numbers.”
“I don’t know what to say, Shauna,” said Rob. “You know how he is. Or at least you’re getting to know how he is. I’ve known Hawk a long time. He gets something in his head and he can’t let it go until it lets go of him. It’s like he’s being held prisoner. It’s not his fault he’s like this. He’s one of the greatest guys I know, but he’s got his foibles just like the rest of us, ya know?”
“Yeah, but now he’s gonna have us go all over the place talking to the dead so he can prove he’s right. That’s not science.”
“Hey, a lot of people wouldn’t call any of what we’re doing exactly science, Shauna,” he smiled. The coffee started to trickle through to the pot, making a steaming sound.
“Well it isn’t right him not saying anything about the alien encounter you two had....”
“Hey you guys, the moment of truth has arrived,” said Hawk. “You might want to hear this.”
They turned, and Shauna walked back to her seat while Rob waited for the last drips of coffee to fall. The smell of it filled the room.
Peter looked up at Hawk, who had come to stand next to him. “It looks like there’s a three hundred to one chance that we create our own realities...uh...of course that’s with the type of research and statistical data we’ve collected. If it were just Noah and Fern that number would shoot way down there, man.” Peter drew a hand through his hair. Hawk stood, looking at the screen.
“Marvelous!” he cried. Shauna jerked back in her chair. A lightning bolt of pain jolted her temple. Her hand leapt to the painful sensation. What the.....
“I’ll make all the arrangements this afternoon and next week we can be on our way,” said Hawk. “I’ll choose a smaller team to make the trips. All of us needn’t go. I’m thinking Hutch and Susan can stay here
and I’ll find them something to do. This should only take two or three weeks if we schedule it right. We can do some online work to set up groups. We’ll stay in the U.S. No reason to go too far away when we have so many wells of resources in our own back yard, right?”
“Are you out of your ever living mind Hawk?” asked Shauna suddenly. “What are you thinking? We can’t just do the research any old way to fit the results we want. That’s ludicrous!”
Hawk turned towards her smiling, “Come on Shauna. We were just going down the wrong track is all, surely you can see that. The people who survived the disasters weren’t the right ones to provide the pertinent data. They all survived. That means they didn’t have as much thought going into that reality. It’s those who perished who have the last word. They’re the ones we should have been interviewing all along.”
“But you can’t change horses midstream. The ones who are doing the funding aren’t going to go for this,” she said, but she was already losing steam. He had a point.
“I might as well tell you all now anyway. We’ve lost our funding. I’ve been paying for everything myself since last week.” Hawk brushed back his hair nervously. “I didn’t want you guys to know. This is all my baby now. At least until I get in touch with some other possible backers.”
Hutch spoke now. “Do you really know what you’re doing here, Hawk?”
“I think I do,” he said.
“If you’re sure then I support you,” said Hutch, getting up and patting Hawk on the back.
“Thanks Hutch. You’re a good friend.” Hawk looked at Shauna. She wasn’t happy in the least, but said, ”Okay, I guess I support you too.”
“What about the rest of you guys?” Hawk asked. “Who’s still in with me?”
Rob raised his hand. Fern was next, then Susan. Soon every hand was raised.
“I guess we’ll give this a go then. Alright!” said Hawk enthusiastically. As talking broke out amongst the group, Shauna felt anything but enthusiastic.
Chapter Five
Shauna walked home in a funk. Stomping the dried leaves on the sidewalk was an excellent way to vent one’s frustrations. Reds, greens, and yellows colored the fallen foliage this time of year. It hadn’t rained in several days, so they were nicely crisp, making a crunching sound as her boot came down on them.
“Hey, Shauna! Wait up,” she heard from behind her. She turned around to see Hawk jogging towards her. Oh, great, she thought as she waited for him to catch up. She didn’t feel like talking to him right now. The leaves scattered in his wake.
Out of breath, he said, “What made you take off in such a hurry? I didn’t even see you leave.”
“I just wanted to get home is all,” she said, and started walking again, with Hawk stepping in stride next to her. Neither spoke for a moment.
“You’re upset,” said Hawk.
“No I’m not, I’m just tired,” she said.
“I know when you’re upset, Shauna.
“How can you possibly know that?” she asked, continuing her long strides.
“I just do. Tell me what it is. Or will you make me guess?”
Her silence told him which it was going to be.
“I know what it is. This turnaround in the study. You don’t think it’s the right thing to do. But you’re wrong, Shauna. Like I said, we were just looking down the wrong road. Maybe this isn’t absolutely scientific, but we’re breaking all new ground here. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Now we know exactly what we need to do and how to do it.”
“What am I supposed to say, Hawk? I already told you I will support you in whatever you decide. This is your project, after all.”
“But you’re upset. What can I do to make it better?”
Shauna stopped and turned to him. “There is nothing you can do. You can’t make it better. You can’t fix it, okay?” There was disdain in her voice. She began walking away from him. He came up next to her.
“Listen, there’s something I need to tell you. You’re not gonna believe this. This summer in Indonesia Rob and I, well, we met someone. Her name was Meera. She’s not from here.”
Shauna said, “Really.” Not a question.
“Yeah. She’s actually an extraterrestrial, a Starborn one. She told us some very interesting things. Mind if I come in and we can talk about it?” he asked. They had reached her house.
Shauna pulled her keys out of her purse and jammed one of them in the lock on the door.
“I guess that’d be okay. Come on in.”
Her home was part of a split up old Victorian, which was common in this area. You could turn one big Victorian into several separate units and rent them out, especially to the many college students that populated Six Rivers. It was all natural redwood and ornate woodwork, with old wallpaper and high ceilings. Shauna threw her coat down and sat on the couch.
“So what happened with your E.T. lady?” she asked sardonically.
“It was a truly amazing experience,” he stood as he spoke.
“First of all she looked just like us. Maybe she could just make herself appear like us. I don’t know. But she explained to us what’s really going on in the world.”
“And you believed her because.....” said Shauna.
“Because. Because her race is way more highly evolved than us. That’s why. Shauna, why are you being this way? I don’t understand.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” her eyes bored into his accusingly.
Hawk sat down next to her and put his arm around her tentatively.
“Look, we weren’t lovers back then. Rob and I didn’t tell any of the other project members about it. I didn’t want to skew the research we already had going on. And when you and I started seeing each other there just never seemed to be the right time, what with you keeping me in bed half the time.” Shauna smiled. “I’m really sorry about that, sweetheart,” he said and kissed her cheek. Then he kissed her mouth. Then she kissed him back, and they were half-lying on the overstuffed sofa when the phone rang.
“Damn,” he murmured.
“I should get that,” she said as she moved out from under him and got to her feet. She smoothed her skirt as she went to pick up the phone. Hawk sat up on the couch. Shauna brought him the phone.
“Here. It’s for you,” she said, and handed it over to him. Nobody knew he was seeing Shauna, so he wondered who it could be asking for him at her place.
“Hello,” said Hawk.
“Your associates told me I might find you at this number,” the caller said.
“Who is this please?” said Hawk.
“You don’t know us, but we know about the project you have been working on.”
“Okay, so who are you?” he asked again.
“We’re a subsidiary of the Walker Group. Have you heard of them?”
“Yes, I think I have,” he said.
“Good. Very good,” said the deep voice. “The reason I’m calling, Dr. Hawkins, is that we believe we can be of mutual benefit to one another. Our benefactor has a keen interest in what you are trying to do as will become clear in what I am about to offer you.”
“Go on,” said Hawk.
“Our offer is for the sum of two and a half million dollars.” Hawk nearly dropped the phone, and scrambled to get the receiver back to his ear.
“Did you hear me, sir?” said the voice.
“Yes. Yes, I heard you. Okay, so what do you want me to do for this much money?” he asked. Shauna stared at him, puzzled.
“Why we want you to stop the world from coming to an end of course. That’s what, in essence, you are doing, correct? You have been searching for the cause of this coming Armageddon from a metaphysical standpoint from what I gather. And we’re assuming you can find a way to stop this ugly mess. It would be such a bother to so many people, don’t you agree, Dr. Hawkins?”
Hawk looked to Shauna questioningly. She mouthed, ‘what?’ to him.
“Look, I don’t know where you get your information fr
om, but I’m certainly not out to save the world. I’m not even sure anything will happen in 2012. I’m just a researcher trying to figure some things out.”
“Being that as it may we are sending you half the money by courier this evening and the other half when we feel you have made some headway with the project. Do you understand?”
“Yeah. I understand, but...” Hawk looked at Shauna for help.
“All I can do is give it my best, sir. That’s what I try for anyway. I’m not Superman. I can’t change the clock back in time. If I could I would ask the Mayans exactly what they were thinking when they predicted the end of Earth time as being in the year 2012. I’d talk to the Hopi seers who predicted the coming of the Blue Star Kachina. And if I could do that I might as well ask God himself or herself what the hell’s going on with the earth these days. But I’m just a puny little human…”
“...with friends who are not,” finished the caller.
“What? How did you..?”
“We know a lot of things, Dr. Hawkins. The important thing is we believe in you and are offering you a great deal of money to do something you already want to do. Isn’t that true?”
“Yeah, I guess it is,” Hawk sighed, defeatedly. “Are there some papers you want me to sign? A contract or something?”
“That won’t be necessary. We prefer not to. Less mess that way you see. So, can we count on you, Doctor?”
“Sure. Yeah.”
“Then you have our benefactor’s greatest thanks. The courier will arrive at Dr. Troy’s home within the hour. We will be in touch.” He hung up. Hawk sat there with the phone still to his ear trying to make out in his mind what was happening. He couldn’t seem to digest it all at once.
“Who was that?” Shauna asked him.
“I have no idea,” he said.
“Well, what did they say?” she asked.
Quantum Earth Page 4