by John Nelson
I looked askance at him and he laughed.
“We not need old-fashion tech when we got Maria,” he said.
Maria turned to me. “Alan, on our last … healing exchange,” she said, slightly blushing, “I planted an energy cord in you that would allow me to track you wherever you are.”
“Even noncommercial airliners?” I asked with a smirk.
“Yes, and even through their electronic static.”
“Well, thanks everybody. I guess the rest of my questions can wait.” Emma squeezed my hand, and we finished our meal.
58.
After the women cleared the table, Maria and Emma took me out to the porch with our after-dinner coffees or cocoa. Someone had lowered the mosquito netting, and we sat there and stared out into the jungle with its amazing bird and monkey caws and its insect chirping and buzzing.
After a while Maria said, “I know you have a lot of questions, Alan, and we’ll answer them over the next few days, and I have a few of my own. But you’ve had quite a shock, and while your consciousness rose to the occasion as I predicted, you’re still in recovery and should take it slow.”
“Okay, but you need to know, since so much was riding on them not realizing what we’ve done and rolling out the X5, that I was able to deflect their chemical interrogation on whether I had somehow affected the neural processor.”
“We know, Alan,” Maria said and turned to Emma. “Show him the news release.”
Emma turned on her portable and showed me today’s Bradbury Institute’s press release on the rollout of the new X5 neural processor, which will ‘Give you greater computing power with less emotional interference.’
I had to laugh. “And eventually …”
Maria put her finger to her lips. “It’s better that our little exploit remains within our small circle.”
I stared at her, and she almost read my mind. “Javier and crew are engaged in dangerous exploits; any of them could be captured and so the less they know the better for all of us.”
I nodded my head. “Are we staying here permanently?”
Maria turned to Emma. “That depends on what the two of you decide.”
Emma quickly added. “Alan, I’m not assuming we’re a couple, but we do have a similar problem.”
I took Emma’s hand. “I’m not going to lose you again.” She teared up and hugged me with her other arm.
Maria smiled. “Well, you can stay here, where I’m going to remain until the ‘climate’ in El Norte changes, figuratively speaking. But you may want a more active role, which Su Ling can provide.”
I thought about this for a moment and looked at Emma. “I don’t want to speak for you, but I’ve realized the limitations of adversarial opposition and that there are better ways to effect change.”
Emma squeezed my hand. “I agree.”
Maria seemed delighted. “So we stay here, and if not in this compound, amongst these people who are more in touch with the natural world and the natural state of consciousness.”
“How long do you think it will take before the new X5 … does its job?”
Maria smiled again. “It’ll vary person to person, and may even take a generation or two, but we’ve salvaged their society to seed this eventual change, and must allow it its own timing.”
I nodded my head.
Emma stretched. “It’s time for bed.” She turned to me. “We have limited space, but …”
“I’m sleeping with you.”
Maria stood up. “I’ll let the two of you figure this out, and tomorrow we’ll work on a plan for the next six months, which may mean getting you up to, if not my level, then a little closer. This way there’ll be two of us doing the ‘heavy lifting.’ But, we’ll talk about that later.”
Emma and I stood and we each kissed Maria lightly on the mouth, and after she left and while we were still standing, Emma put her arms around me and we kissed, then parted and looked each other in the eyes. The future was indeed unlimited now.
About the Author
John Nelson is the author of novels Starborn, Transformations, and Matrix of the Gods, originally published by Hampton Roads Publishing. He authored the nonfiction book The Magic Mirror, which won the 2008 COVR Award as best book of the year and best divination system, and edited the anthology Solstice Shift.
John was the editorial director of Bear & Company in the mid-1990s and Inner Ocean Publishing in early 2000. He is the owner of Bookworks Ltd., where he edits fiction and nonfiction books for a variety of authors and publishers. This includes The Sacred Promise by Gary Swartz, The White House Doctor by Dr. Connie Mariano, The 12-Step Buddhist, and Bright Light by Dee Wallace.
John has been a yogi and a meditator for over forty years, and brings an expanded consciousness perspective to all that he writes. His fiction is a blend of hard science, science fiction, and psycho-spiritual insights.
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