Chapter 33
The creatures were, to all practical intents and purposes, indestructible. Esteban had no hope of defeating them. He sought only to distract them long enough to buy his friends the time they needed to make a safe getaway. His own survival was now of little consequence.
Fifteen seconds was how long he expected to last. Maybe thirty if he was unlucky. Any more was out of the question. They were too quick and too powerful. All it would take was one landed blow and he would be finished. That blow could come at any moment and without warning. There was no way of predicting just what these monsters would do next.
He turned the torch over in his hands. It was not the most substantial weapon, but it did give him one slight advantage. The flame seemed to confuse the beasts, allowing him to get close enough to strike them. Every time he scored a hit, however, it was met with the same reaction.
Nothing.
These animals (if they could be called that) did not feel a thing. No pain, no fear, no remorse – just the inescapable urge to destroy their prey. They were the perfect killing machines and they had Esteban in their sights.
The creature closest to him lunged forward. He countered the attack by thrusting out with the torch, but with its indistinct form and lack of features, he could not determine the best place to target his strike. He was not even sure if placement mattered at all. As with his previous attempts to hurt it, there was no apparent effect. All he gained was another handful of seconds where he was not having his limbs torn apart. This time, they were likely to be his last. As he stepped backwards, he felt the cold surface of the stone wall press against his spine. There was nowhere left to run.
His only remaining desire was the hope that the others had made it out. To trade his life for theirs was a worthy exchange. After ducking another potentially fatal swipe from one of the creatures, he managed to steal a glance past the beasts. The entrance to the tunnels was clear, but his relief was short lived. Emmy was still in the chamber.
He could not understand what she was waiting for. Surely she understood the sacrifice he had to make. She opened her mouth as if to scream, but before he could hear any sound come out, he was knocked off his feet, losing his grip on the torch as he hit the floor.
He quickly rolled, in order to retain mobility and to keep some separation from the beasts.
That was when he saw it.
Unlike the dogs, its entire body was covered in fur; thick and brown. It was too large to be a bear and it dwarfed the original monsters. Ignoring him, they had now redirected their attention on the new threat. They did not stand a chance.
The monster grabbed the first of its foes and lifted it from the ground like it was composed of nothing but hot air. As the second dog leapt toward it, the larger creature batted it back down to the ground using the body of its first victim like a mace. It then proceeded to smash the beast into submission before tearing its unwitting weapon clean in two. As the dog’s body ripped, it bled pure energy, which briefly lit up the chamber with blinding electricity. The fight had lasted just seconds, leaving the previously thought indestructible destroyed, but the monster was not finished yet.
Once done with its prey it turned towards Emmy, who continued to scream mindlessly. Her eyes were closed and she seemed oblivious to the advancing danger.
‘Emmy, run!’ Esteban shouted.
She could not hear him and it was already too late. The beast grabbed her by the throat and raised her up three feet above the ground bringing her face level with its own.
Esteban picked up the now extinguished torch and leapt at the creature’s back, but it was ready for him. It swung around and swept the weapon away from him using its free hand with minimal effort. In doing so, it presented him with an unobstructed view of its face. He could see deep into its eyes and was confronted with a surprising familiarity.
‘It can’t be,’ he said. Then looking at Emmy, he added; ‘Emmy, that monster is you.’
The scientist gasped for words, but the creature strengthened its choke hold on her, preventing her from speaking.
He was losing her.
That was when he finally put the pieces together. His talks with Jimmy, the inexplicable surveillance footage; now it all made sense.
‘It’s a tulpa – your tulpa. I don’t think it’s your first either. Your subconscious has been manifesting itself ever since you left Jackson’s Hill. When you escaped that place on your own. When you lived for months in the outback – on your own.’
The monster loosened its grip slightly, but he could see in her eyes that she did not believe. That she did not want to believe.
‘Tell her, Jimmy.’
Their friend had climbed back out of the tunnel when he heard Esteban pleading with Emmy. He too was unsure, but from fear rather than incomprehension.
‘Tell her about what you found in the outback, Jimmy. Tell her who she was with.’
‘She was with nobody,’ replied Jimmy. ‘When I found her she was alone.’
The beast loosened its grip further, allowing her feet to touch the floor.
‘I don’t understand,’ she said. ‘You know I wasn’t alone. I was with Lucy. You saw us together.’
‘No,’ replied Jimmy. ‘You were on your own. You’ve always been on your own.’
‘That’s impossible. She was with me.’
Her eyes darted from one man to the other, looking for confirmation, but finding none. Esteban stepped forward, signalling for Jimmy to stand aside and let him take over.
‘Like she was with you that night in your cell?’
The confusion that had been in her eyes returned to fear and once more the creature tightened its grip on her throat.
‘Emmy, please,’ said Esteban. ‘You have to listen to me. You can stop this, but first you have to let go. Let go.’
This time the creature released its grip entirely before slinking back into the shadows and out of sight. Esteban placed his arm around the confused scientist and steadied her on her feet.
‘What did you see in the cell?’ she asked.
‘Enough,’ he replied.
‘But, that was a dream. It wasn’t real.’
‘You made it real. Your imagination brought it to life. The colonel feared that your grandfather had somehow transferred some of his power to you and he was right. Just like the monks who inhabited this temple a thousand years ago, you can project physical beings with your mind.’
Still, she did not want to believe. How could she? If Esteban’s hypothesis was correct, it meant her life for the past three years had been a lie. It was nothing but a delusion. Lucy had never made it back from her coma. She died in Jackson’s Hill along with everything else Emmy had ever cared for.
‘It’s not possible,’ she said. ‘I’m not crazy. Please tell me I’m not crazy.’
‘You’re not crazy,’ replied a female voice from the shadows where the beast had retreated.
The three of them turned to face the speaker. Jimmy showed little surprise upon seeing the figure facing them, whilst Esteban was frozen in rapt awe. It was Emmy’s reaction that was most telling; she began to cry.
After waiting a moment for her presence to be fully digested, the being that resembled Lucy Skye stepped into the light.
***
‘She’s dead.’
The scientist lifted his hand from the neck of the now lifeless canine. They had used bitches because their temperaments were more adaptable than that of male dogs. This was largely due to their maternal instincts. Females tend to have a stronger survival instinct whatever the species. They are the nest builders. The ones most responsible for the proliferation of life.
‘And the other?’ asked General Tao.
This one had a pulse, but it was not strong. Its death followed shortly after that of its sister. The scientist shook his head.
‘How is this possible? I was assured the Americans astral capability had been removed. Without it, nothing could have cut the cords of these animals. They
must have a secondary facility. I want answers now.’ Then turning to Charlie, his posture stiffened, becoming pregnant with violent intent. ‘Did you know about this, Dr Nguyen?’
Charlie could feel the hypothetical noose tighten around his neck. He had no answer, but no answer was the wrong answer. There was very little he could say that would not result in a death sentence. If he was not careful, he would soon be as dead as the two canines on the laboratory floor. Their fresh corpses already beginning to harden. Their eyes forever open.
That was it.
The eyes.
‘There is no other facility,’ he told the general. ‘These dogs did not have their cords cut. Something else killed them. We’ll need an autopsy to confirm it, but I think it was shock.’
‘How can you be sure?’ asked the military scientist.
The general remained silent. He was still weighing up the factors he would use to decide Charlie’s fate. His prisoner’s next words would determine whether the young scientist would live or die.
‘They died with their eyes open. That means they woke from their astral trip. Whatever ended their lives came from the material world.’
‘Like our EMP defence or the improvised copy that your friend, Dr Rayne, used earlier?’ asked the general.
‘No, that would disorientate, but I don’t think it could kill. If it could, I would never have approved it for use. This is something else. Look into the eyes of the animals, General. Tell me what you see.’
The general instantly recognised the emotion captured like a Polaroid in the eyes of the dead dogs. It was an emotion more familiar to him than any other, though he usually experienced it from afar as a detached observer, despite being its cause in so many men. The emotion was fear. Whatever the dogs had encountered had scared them to death.
‘What could have done this?’ he asked.
‘You mean; what could be so terrifying that it scared two indestructible killing machines the size of bears to death?’
‘Yes, Dr Nguyen, that is exactly what I am asking. Now, are you going to tell me or do we have to take the question to a less civilised arena?’
‘Are you threatening to torture me?’
‘Think of it as a warning. Whether it is necessary is entirely up to you, Dr Nguyen. Now answer the question. What could have instilled such a sense of fear into these dogs that their hearts stopped beating?’
Charlie thought for a moment. There was only one answer he could think to give.
‘A bigger dog,’ he replied.
Chapter 34
‘Do you want some privacy?’ asked Esteban.
‘I don’t know,’ replied Emmy. ‘Do you? Maybe I could give you a box of tissues and just leave you to it. I mean, that’s basically what you’re suggesting.’
‘Slow down, sister. I just thought that maybe, you know...’
She closed her eyes and exhaled to clear her mind. It did not take her long to regain clarity of thought. He was terrified. She could see that now. A seasoned war veteran trained to deal with any hostile threat had been rendered completely petrified by a figment of her imagination. Okay, it was a most unusual figment, which was able to touch and talk, but it was still a figment nonetheless.
‘This is making you really uncomfortable, isn’t it?’ she asked.
Esteban looked to Jimmy, but the boy was not interested in the conversation or the incredible apparition standing in the corner of the room. He was miles away, staring at a wall as if counting the bricks in order to keep his mind occupied.
‘I’ve been uncomfortable since I was first assigned to this mission,’ he replied. ‘First our psychic friend over there, then those seemingly indestructible Hell hounds and now...this. I defy anyone to dare lay claim to this as part of their comfort zone.’
‘So what’s your plan? You’re a tactician. I know you have to be planning something.’
He looked again at the figure in the corner. Unlike him and Emmy, it did not seem troubled. It stood almost serenely, with arms by its sides and an even, patient look on its face.
‘I’ve got nothing,’ he said. ‘We have to contain it, but I have no idea how. Can’t you just shut it off?’
‘Don’t you think I’ve been trying that for the past ten minutes?’
Her voice was calm and even. A mixture of fear and scientific intrigue had temporarily stayed her initial emotional response to the truth, or rather the lie, of her recent life.
‘We have to do something. It may not be safe to just leave it,’ said Esteban.
‘Excuse me!’ said the manifestation of Lucy. ‘I have a name.’
He looked to Emmy. She shook her head, emotion starting to re-stake its claim on her face.
‘What’s going on?’ asked Lucy. ‘Why are you acting so weird and what happened to Charlie?’
‘Charlie?’ asked Emmy.
‘I was with him. I helped him to escape. He did escape, didn’t he?’
A haze descended over Emmy. A buried memory started to echo in the deepest recesses of her mind like a partially remembered dream. It involved Charlie. He was being held prisoner. She was with him and yet she was not. It was Lucy who was really there. Except that, she was Lucy. In a sense. The confusion was dizzying. She felt as if she could pass out at any moment.
‘Esteban, I can feel it. You were right. She is me. I don’t know how I’m doing it, but I am. She’s a part of my subconscious.’ She paused for a moment as more snatches of memory were revealed to her. ‘I’ve been projecting without realising it. I’ve seen Charlie. He was betrayed by the military just like I was in Jackson’s Hill.’
‘We have to help him,’ said Lucy.
‘I know,’ replied Emmy and then to Esteban, ‘I can get us into the base. I’ve done it before – she’s the proof. I just need time to figure out how to merge my conscious mind with my subconscious.’
‘How long will that take?’
She smiled; the extremes of emotion having softened her toughened exterior. During the brief time that Esteban had known her, he had often thought that a piece was missing. That she had shut down an important part of her heart. He had witnessed similar many times in the field. Serving soldiers take on a detachment whereby the mundane, everyday things seem hollow and empty next to the hyper-real experience of battle. It is not because they choose not to feel, but because they have become so hardened to pain that nothing can get through. With Lucy, or whatever it was, in the room, it was like Emmy was whole again.
‘It won’t take long at all,’ she said. ‘After all, I am a genius.’
***
General Tao had just received the diagnostics from the failed canine mission on his personal tablet. It confirmed Dr Nguyen’s hypothesis that the animals were not killed by a problem with the astral process, but by acute myocardial infarction incurred through extreme stress. They had literally been scared to death. The enemy had deployed something that he had not anticipated. He had been bested. Outmanoeuvred.
Failure was not acceptable. The screen of his device cracked as his grip on it tightened with impotent frustration. He could not be defeated. He would not be defeated. This was merely a setback. A glitch. The most important thing was that the formula worked. The dogs had remained stable up until their death.
It was time to reinstate the human trials. The foreigners would be coming for him and when they did, he would make sure he was the one who landed the deciding blow. He would claim victory before his enemies even knew the war had begun. And he would start by taking care of Emmy Rayne once and for all.
***
She could not look the tulpa in the eyes. Not because they were the eyes of her former lover, but because of what lay behind them. It was a piece of her soul. The better piece. She feared what that left her with.
It was six hours since this manifestation of subconscious mind had made its presence known and she was no closer to making a breakthrough. Her conscious thoughts did not seem to influence it in any way. She had even tried giving it verbal command
s, but each time it responded in the same way. It responded as if it really was Lucy. Yet this was impossible.
To remove any doubt they decided to interrogate it.
Emmy was too close to lead the questions so she assigned that task to Esteban. He insisted that she stay with him, however. He needed confirmation as to whether the tulpa was answering truthfully or not. It had also occurred to him that it may act adversely should Emmy not be in the room.
‘State your name,’ the soldier said.
‘Lucinda Skye,’ answered the tulpa.
‘That is your full name?’
‘Yes, but you can call me Lucy.’
He glanced to Emmy for confirmation. She blushed. During their brief time together the question of middle names had never come up. She did not know if Lucy had one or not. Esteban resumed with the questions.
‘How old are you?’
‘25.’
‘That’s your age,’ Esteban said, turning back to Emmy.
‘It’s also the age Lucy was when I knew her,’ she replied. ‘She looks exactly the same. She hasn’t aged a day.’
‘That’s because it’s not really her.’
Emmy nodded, but a part of her still hoped her lover was with her once more. To accept the truth without question would be beyond any pain she had ever felt.
‘Where were you born?’
‘Adelaide.’
‘Do you have any siblings?’
‘No.’
‘What do you do for a living?’
‘I’m a school teacher.’
‘What do you teach?’
‘Kids.’
Esteban broke off the questioning to stare at Emmy with a look of utter disbelief.
‘Don’t look at me like that,’ she told him. ‘When we got together neither of us knew if we’d live another day. If you’d seen what my grandfather was capable of, you would understand that we couldn’t be sure if there would even be another day. There wasn’t exactly time for learning every little detail about one another’s past. What we felt at that moment was what was important, not anything that went before or the mess that followed.’
Diamond Sky Trilogy Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 55