by Justin Price
Fernando nodded in agreement. "And you don't want to end up in here like me."
"Exactly", said Joanna.
"I can totally understand. Believe me, I would much rather be a free man. What I have found though is much better. The ones who are outside of this place walking around every day think they are free, but they are more imprisoned that I am. They are told what to think and how to believe. That isn't freedom."
"We know that you were having the same dreams too before you were put in here.” said Noah. "We know that you had always believed in the Creator, but what did you find out that got you put in prison?"
"Well, as you know I have believed in a higher power for a very long time. The more we found out about the complexities of life from the smallest inner workings of a cell up to the vast universe that we live in, the more I believed that these things had to have some type of intelligent design. Think if the human race and all that we have achieved. We have tiny chips that cannot be seen with the naked eye that can store tons of information. We have been able to explore outside of our solar system. We have seen serious diseases cured and our life expectancy now surpassing one hundred and fifty years. We have the ability to take life and replicate it through cloning. Human beings are intelligent beings, so there had to be someone or something that gave us that ability."
"Okay", Noah nodded. "Keep going."
"I had drawn those conclusions years ago, but when the dreams started happening, that's when I made the leap to believe the way I do now. I saw a man with a white beard who was seated on the most glorious throne. He wore a crown on His head and He had the most amazing, piercing eyes. As I looked deep into them, they seemed to look like flames of fire. I couldn't help but feel like He knew me better than anyone else. He even knew my thoughts. There was literally nothing hidden from Him."
"Who was this man?” Joanna said.
"Listen guys. If I tell you His name, there will be no going back. You could end up in here with me. You have your boy here to worry about. I want you to know the whole truth, but I don't want to be responsible for putting you in a position where you lose your child or your freedom. At his age, the government will take him and enroll him in their schools and indoctrinate him with their lies. You may never see him again. Do you understand?"
"Yes, uncle, we understand all of that," said Noah. "We need to know the truth though. We feel like with his dreams, we are supposed to know."
"Okay, but I am only going to tell you a little. I have to be careful here. I am sure they will be monitoring this conversation." Fernando leaned in as close to the red laser bars as he could as the family leaned in as well to hear him.
"He is the one that our forefathers worshipped. They have tried to rewrite history and they have treated His name like a plague. He is called I AM."
"How can I find out more?” said Noah.
"Do you remember that place we used to play as kids out in the forest?"
"Yes I do."
"Go there and find the big tree that we used to camp out at. There will be a hole at the bottom that is hollowed out. Inside of it, you will find what you are looking for."
"Thank you Uncle Fernando."
"You are more than welcome. It has been great visiting with you today."
"We love you and we will do what we can to get you out of here early.” said Joanna.
"Don't spend your time worrying about me. Take care of yourselves okay? Always be aware of who is behind you and who is listening."
Just as they finished, one of the guards came up behind Fernando and said, "It’s time to go."
They led him out one door as Noah, Joanna, and Ryan were led out the other door. They couldn't help but wonder if they had been listening in on their conversation or if they even cared. As they walked back down the corridor, they could feel eyes on them from every direction. Noah started to sweat and his hands became clammy. The tension in the air was building as he could hear the footsteps of two other guards walk up behind them.
Abbie and Jenna headed out into the warm summer evening just as the sun was starting to set. The beautiful colors it made against the skyscrapers downtown was absolutely breathtaking. It was one of the many reasons they loved Nashville so much. The city had grown up to over a million, but it still had a small town feel with big city amenities. A gentle breeze was blowing as the trees outside of their apartment rustled.
"Even nature plays music doesn't it Jenna?"
"It sure does. It couldn't be a more gorgeous night for this."
As they drove along through town, Jenna noticed a big red pickup truck seemed to be following them. She tried not to think about it too much. It was a large city after all, and they probably just happened to be heading the same direction.
"Thank goodness for auto drive.” said Jenna. "I don't plan on being able to drive us home. I just have to make sure I am awake enough to remember our address."
"You've got that right.” said Abbie. "It has been way too long since we've let loose and gone buck wild."
The sun was just barely hanging on over the horizon as the girls pulled up to the club. The Smashville club was one of the town's premier places to party. It's where all the stars hung out when they weren't touring. It was invitation only and if you didn't have an invitation, you didn't get in.
Everyone's finger prints were preloaded if they had an invitation. The two girls got out of their car and a man with a thick Indian accent asked if he could park the car for them. They said, "absolutely sir. We don't get this kind of VIP treatment very often."
They headed for the entrance and placed their fingers on a small silver sphere outside of the doors. It confirmed their identity and their invitation in the system and the doors slid open for them to enter.
"Wow, this is fancy Jen."
"Yea, it's pretty upscale. It's good to know a couple people here in this town. We may not have fame and fortune yet, but we've at least earned a couple privileges."
As they entered, they saw their friend speaking to his assistant. He was an average looking man with his black, greasy looking hair slicked back. His tailor made suit and designer sunglasses told the story. Jenson Moon was the thirty-two year old owner of Moonshine Records. He had created the company in his basement during college and it grew very quickly. He was a shrewd businessman who became a millionaire within five years.
Despite his hard business demeanor, he was a great friend who always thought of people who were in less fortunate positions than himself. Abbie and Jenna had been in contact with him for over a year regarding their music, but he hadn't budged. There were too many acts like them in Nashville, and they needed to mature as performers. Despite the initial rejection, they became friends as he offered as much advice as he could. He hated turning down talent on a personal level, but he knew what was best for business at the time.
"Hey there Jenson!” said Abbie. "It's good to see you! Thank you so much for the invitation here. The place is beautiful."
"Any time girls. Go out and have fun! The more you drink, the more those folks over in Clarksville will have to rebuild their neighborhood.” he said with a grin. "It's not often you get the opportunity to help folks out by getting completely inebriated."
The two girls laughed in unison. "Well, we are going to see what kind of trouble we can stir up."
"Have fun ladies."
As they headed over to the bar, Abbie noticed a man standing in the corner with a long black trench coat and a cowboy hat. She was sure that he was staring at her but she couldn't see his face because it was hidden in the shadows.
As they approached the bar, Jenna said, "two shots of Tequila and a couple of beers please. Let's start this thing out right."
Charles arrived home at lunchtime to find his daughters taking a break from class. As he walked in, he addressed their robotic nanny. "Hello Rain. Is everything going well today?"
"Of course sir. I have just prepared some lunch for the girls. You are home quite early. Do you have any information t
hat I require to be of assistance?"
"No. I just decided to take the afternoon off. You can carry on."
"Yes sir"
He met the girls halfway down the hall that leads to the bedrooms. "How is school going today?"
"Not bad. It will be going even better in a couple of hours when we are done", said Raelynn.
"Yea, I kind of had one of those days too", said Charles.
"I still don't see why we can't just have most of our learning downloaded into our minds like most of our friends do", said Caitlin.
"Well, the reason I don't let you guys do that right now is that you need to learn perseverance. Yes, we can obtain knowledge very quickly, but knowledge without character is dangerous. Wisdom in how to apply that knowledge and the character you build with good old fashioned work is worth more than head knowledge."
"Oh dad... you're so old", said Raelynn.
"I know... and I feel it every day."
"You know we're just kidding right?"
"Of course I do. You girls go ahead and eat some lunch okay? I am going to go in my study and lay down for awhile."
"Alright pops. We love you."
"Love you too girls."
Charles headed down the long hallway of his state of the art home. All he could think about was what he was carrying in his bag. He was carrying the most important piece of technology in the history of mankind and if he was right, it was the answer to what everyone wondered about the afterlife. The sound of each footstep echoed throughout the hall as his feet hit the marble floors.
He thought about the risks he was taking by carrying the wormhole generator in his own home. Even though he was the boss at the lab, he was still a government contractor on this job. If the World Council found out, he could only imagine what consequences would be waiting on him. Even more troubling to him was the prospect of him disappearing and never being able to make it back or even death. His girls would be orphans because he was all they had.
As he reached the door to his massive master suite, he opened the door and shut it quietly behind him. He walked across his study which was full of experiments, equipment, and a library of old books. It was a very outdated way to keep information, but he loved the smell of the pages of a book as he did his research. Of course, he also had a computer that projected holographic images that he could manipulate with his hands. All of the current knowledge in the universe was right at his fingertips. Now, he could add a missing piece of the puzzle to that information.
He sat down and with a flip of his hand, he locked the door to his study. He took a deep breath and opened his bag. He pulled the small device, about the size of his hand, out of the side pocket. As he turned the device on, he thought back to what he had seen at the lab earlier that day. Despite all the risks he was taking by doing this, nothing could replace the prospect of seeing his wife again. He wondered if she would look the same as she did in life. Would she know where she was? Had she been watching him all along?
He had so many questions without answers, but this is what he thrived on. Finding answers to difficult questions was his job, but this was different. This was the first time that he had allowed his own emotions get involved in the scientific process. He had reached the point where he could either follow his heart and do this or follow his head and take the device back where it belonged. As he wrestled with the final decision, all he could see was the face of his beloved wife. He pushed the red button and the device came on.
Charles aimed the device at the middle of the large room and proceeded to push the digital control up on the touch screen. The small ray of light came out of the antenna on top and stopped half way across the room. A small black hole opened up and slowly became larger as he dialed it up. A book floated off of a desk nearby as he cautiously walked toward the hole. According to his own calculations, he would be fine. Despite past experiments, it was the first time a human being would go through the portal. But, if it was going to be anyone, it needed to be him. He wouldn't have it any other way.
The greatest scientist of the century stepped closer to the hole and he started to feel the pull of gravity on his body. He couldn't help but stumble a little from the nervousness and the force pulling him forward. He put his hand in the black space and saw it disappear. He could still feel everything, so he slowly stepped through the portal and out of time and space.
John looked around in surprise at the community of outlaws that lived underground. He wondered why everyone was here.
"What do you mean 'called out'?"
David looked at him and smiled. "I'm glad you asked my friend."
He continued, "We are those that have been called out from among society. What our government and the world is doing is not right. We are believers in something greater than ourselves, and that makes us criminals now. We have all made it here to this underground haven under the streets of New York for one purpose."
"And that purpose is?"
"To wait and pray for the day that all is revealed," said David.
"What are you waiting on to be revealed?" asked John.
"The reason we are all here is that we have been called here by a messenger from God in our dreams to wait for the truth to be revealed fully. We have intelligence that confirms that the government has completely removed all information about the God of our forefathers over the last half century. There is no mention of him anymore. Few even know his name."
"I see. Well, it was nice meeting you sir. I have got to get back to reality, so if you will excuse me..."
"No! John, you are a wanted man and now there is a dead federal officer up there. You have to stay with us. I know that it is difficult to swallow, but this is the truth. We are only here to live and discover the truth with as much safety as we can. We would like for you to join us here for awhile. Your skills are much needed."
"I just don't know what I think about being part of this. It's not that I am against what you are doing, I just have more pressing issues in my life", said John.
"What if it could mean your eternal soul John? What could be more important than that?"
"Come on. What does that have to do with anything? We only have today. We don't even know if there is a forever."
"We have reason to believe that there is an eternity and that what we see here is not all that exists", said David.
"Okay. I will humor you for a moment. How do you know this?"
"We have found The Book", David said with a matter of fact tone.
David shook his head and looked down trying to hide a condescending smirk. "And what book would that be?"
"It says New Testament on the front of the book. It is not in good shape as it must be at least sixty years old and has a lot of wear and tear. There are several pages missing and many of the ones present are unreadable. But, we have gathered enough information from the book to believe that the One that we have been dreaming about is the subject of it."
"Right... so let me get this right. You have found a very old, partial book that was actually printed on paper and you now believe that it holds the secrets of the universe. Furthermore, you and your friends here have decided to create a cult around this mythological work?"
"Call it a gut feeling, but we feel like this could be a very big part of what the government has tried to eradicate from the earth for the past two generations. Think about it John. How many people do you know of that have died in prison or disappeared without explanation? Why has the government gone to such great lengths to wage a war against anyone who dare believe in a higher power?"
"They have done this because it is divisive nonsense. I saw first-hand what those last bands of Muslim extremists were capable of overseas and so did you David. You know that it isn't normal to adhere to religion. Nothing good ever comes out of it. The only good in this cruel world is what mankind creates. It was us that cured diseases, it was us that made it possible to feed every person on earth, and it was also us that brought peace in place of division. What has your so-called God
ever done?"
"Who do you think gave man knowledge? Who made it possible for these things to happen? An intelligent being has to have an intelligent creator. Look at all of the robots we have created. They are so advanced that they are almost human. Their intelligence and ability was not given by themselves. It didn't just fall out of the sky. Our intelligence and our creativity made it possible. How can you think it to be any different with the human race?"
John sat down and put his head in his hands. "Look David. I just want to know that my wife is safe and that she is going to be okay. She thinks I am dead and that is probably in her best interests right now until I can figure out what I am going to do so forgive me for being testy. My number one priority now is to get back to her without putting her in danger. If you can help me figure out that predicament, then I will be more than happy to take a closer look at everything. You've made some good points."
David smiled and nodded with sympathy. "I understand your frustration and your pain right now. The best thing you can do is stay here and rest for awhile. I am sure that being on the run for this long has drained you in every way possible. Come on now...I will show you where you can get something to eat and get some rest."
"I can't thank you enough," said John.
"This is what I live for...and don't worry. We will help you reunite with your wife and get her to safety."
CHAPTER 5
Maggie laid in a cold, dark room on a concrete slab. She had awakened from her sedation, but the effects were still lingering. Her mind began to race frantically, but she couldn't seem to get her body moving yet. She laid there and wondered where she was and who had abducted her. Even worse, she wondered what her kidnappers had in store for her.
She continued to come out of her state of extreme grogginess and began to move her legs as she turned her head to the side to look across the dark room. From the other side, she could hear a voice say, "Mrs. Robertson...it is good to see you awake. I trust that you will be more cooperative moving forward."