‘We shall go to her now,’ said Yonten. ‘She has exerted herself, but the greater her mastery of her power, the more quickly she will recover.’
‘Recover – from death?’
The monk offered him a puzzled look.
‘From her meditations. I was with her when she repelled the invader. She is a remarkable woman. To affect such control over a tulpa requires the greatest purity of mind.’
‘She’s alive?’
‘More so than you or I could possibly imagine.’
Jimmy overheard the two men talking. As soon as he became aware that Emmy was alive he was given one of his unique glimpses into the near future. Computer monitors took the place of the food hall benches. It reminded him of the laboratory back in Australia. Emmy and Esteban were with him along with an Asian man whom he thought he recognised from Jackson’s Hill. He assumed this was Charlie.
‘It’s over,’ he heard Emmy’s former lab partner say.
‘We can’t just give up,’ she replied.
‘What else can we do? There are eight human bombs out there and we have no way to pinpoint their exact locations. It’s too late. General Tao will have his war and he will win.’
‘There has to be a way.’
Jimmy saw a ghostly image of his future self entering the scene. He heard just two words and then the vision dissipated. He was back in the food hall. Esteban and Yonten were still in dialogue, completely oblivious to his foresight. They broke away from their conversation when he approached.
‘What’s wrong, Jimmy?’ asked Esteban. ‘You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.’
‘I always see ghosts,’ he replied. ‘Isn’t that why you brought me here?’
‘So what’ve you seen this time?’
‘The soldier who attacked the base; there’re eight more like him.’
‘Eight?’ Esteban thought back to how close they had come to being defeated by just one. ‘We stop them though – right?’
‘I don’t know.’
Both men searched the other’s eyes, hoping to find any sign of hope. Neither was successful.
Chapter 40
Time was up and there was still no word from the team in Tibet. The politicians were determined to press ahead with the planned drone attack. By flying low and staying below the mountain peaks, it would be able to stay off the Chinese radar. Whether it would go undetected by their other form of defence was another matter entirely. Either way, the mission was now out of Colonel Rodman’s hands.
The soldier had no desire to witness whatever tragedy was sure to follow this latest course of action. He had seen enough of death during his long and distinguished career.
After reporting the launch to James Earl in Washington, he tidied his desk, put on his medals, then pressed the nub of his standard issue service pistol to his temple and squeezed the trigger.
His life did not flash before his eyes.
It was the lives of others that were to be the image he would leave the world with. The face of every man and woman to die under his command briefly raced through his thoughts.
Having overseen the latter stages of Operation Sleepwalker, he thought he had a good idea of what to expect in the moments after the bullet carved its fatal path through his cerebral cortex.
He was wrong.
The sensation was so slight as to barely qualify as an experience at all. All of his feelings, his passions and his desires died with his body. He took his memories with him, but without a brain to process the information, he no longer had access to them. All that now mattered was a single overriding purpose.
As his flesh began to rot, what remained of his life’s energy left the closed confines of the base and was drawn as if by an invisible magnet to the closest, similar, newly released essence of a human being that was no more. When the two energies converged they opened up a wormhole in space and time. What passed through was not the disembodied consciousness of Colonel Rodman, but merely recycled energy. In accordance with the laws of thermodynamics, nothing is ever lost. It simply changes form. Human experience has a beginning and an end, but the energy is eternal.
Chapter 41
‘I want Lucy to do it,’ said Emmy.
‘Are you sure?’ replied Esteban. ‘We can’t afford for anything to compromise our mission. I think it would be better for you to go into this with your eyes open. Your subconscious mind is too...’
‘...unstable,’ she finished for him.
‘I was going to say unpredictable.’
‘Well, it doesn’t matter – my mind is made up. I know you probably think it crazy, but I will feel better with her by my side. It doesn’t matter that she isn’t real - just that she is there.’
This time Esteban did not object. Emmy was not a fighter. Neither was Jimmy, yet he was asking them both to go into battle with him. Who knew if any of them would survive what they were about to face. The least he could offer them was the ability to meet their fate on their own terms.
His plan was simple. He was to go in first and take out the EMP whilst Jimmy and Emmy found a way into the complex using the former’s psychic sense. The monks had volunteered to provide a distraction. In total they numbered thirty. Having dedicated their existence to meditation and peace, they carried no weapons and did not intend to engage in any form of combat.
With the possibility of astral spies watching the monastery, the safest way to the base of the mountain was via the network of hidden tunnels running through its interior. Despite the fact these subterranean corridors had not been used in years, Jimmy was able to guide everybody through and safely to the bottom without incident. Once in position, Esteban then had one last opportunity to rally his troops.
‘Are we all ready?’ he asked, leaving a pause at the end for Yonten to translate for his brethren. ‘Once we break cover we have to assume that we will be met with deadly force. There is a very real possibility not all of us will make it through this. If anybody wants to back out now, I will understand.’
Silence fell over the group. They were in this together and if necessary, they would die together.
‘Okay,’ continued Esteban. ‘The important thing is that we keep them busy. Do not take any unnecessary risks and watch each other’s backs. Once the EMP is taken down, the balance will tip considerably in our favour.’ He then withdrew two short range radios, which along with his handgun and a third for himself, was all he had managed to retain from their original kit. He gave one radio to Emmy and another to Yonten. ‘These are for emergency use only. Surprise is our best chance and for that reason we will need to maintain radio silence for as long as possible.’
The scientist nodded and the monk offered a delicate bow with his palms pressed together in front of him. Now everyone knew what was expected of them they fanned out to begin their mission. It was not long after they approached the base that the generators burst into life. Esteban’s stomach tightened as he waited to see if the shape that materialised was humanoid or canine.
It was vaguely human in shape.
He glanced over his shoulder to check how his friends were holding up. Jimmy was taking cover behind a large buttress of rock. With luck, this would shield him from the manifest astral being’s scope of awareness. Emmy stayed a little farther back so as not to interfere with the psychic’s intuition. They would both get their chance soon enough, but at that moment it was up to Esteban.
The CIA operative dropped to the floor and waved his arm as a signal to Yonten. The head monk then took a breakaway group of his brethren and headed toward the far side of the complex. The astral sentinel took the bait. It switched its position in an instant, blocking the path of the monks. They responded by spreading out, forming themselves into a wide arc around the traveller. As they raised their arms and joined hands Yonten led them in a slow, even chant.
The traveller was caught completely off guard. Although he had a physical presence, his perception of the outside world was no different to that of any other disembodied consciou
sness. He experienced the world like a three dimensional heat map, with objects acquiring visibility in terms of their requisite energy density level. Sounds were only comprehensible as vibrating waves, distorting the air that carried them.
The monks’ chant was a thousand year old mantra and the sound waves it emitted resonated perfectly with the electrical frequency of the astral being. The resulting vibrations literally shook the traveller’s concept of both time and space, confusing and immobilising him. He could neither move nor think. They had him trapped.
With the threat contained, Esteban made his move. He got back to his feet, taking a wide path, approaching the compound from the right flank. When he was within ten metres of the outer wall he was joined by Jimmy. This was not part of the plan.
‘Is something wrong?’ Esteban asked.
‘Just following orders,’ replied Jimmy.
‘But my orders were for you to wait until I took out the EMP.’
‘I’m talking about my...other orders.’
He briefly evaded eye contact, as if ashamed of his incredible gift.
‘Oh, I see,’ said Esteban. ‘In that case - tell me what you see.’
Up until that point, the young psychic had only followed his vision as far as joining Esteban, but it was not long until he received his next visual clue. He was to lead the soldier past a series of trip wires and security laser beams that he may otherwise have overlooked. Ordinarily, Esteban would have the equipment to identify and navigate these traps himself, but with no such tools available and the added camouflage of freshly fallen snow, the task would have been all but impossible without psychic intervention.
Thanks to Jimmy, they safely and swiftly made it to the concrete outer wall of the compound. The astral being was still incapacitated in a trance-like state due to the harmonious chanting of the monks, but its lack of progress had alerted whoever was in command that it was in distress. The generator coils once more whirred into life. Then in a flash the traveller disappeared, only to rematerialize back at its source. As if no more than a simple software error, the Chinese scientists had rebooted the system.
Back to full strength and awareness, there was no way that the astral being was going to fall for the same trick twice. Heavy duty blast doors opened at the front of the complex and a squad of nine soldiers emerged. These heavily armed infantrymen immediately began to lay down a line of fire directed at the monks. The holy men had no option but to flee for their lives, leaving fallen brethren behind as the infantrymen slowly advanced to finish the job.
‘We have to help them,’ said Jimmy.
‘No,’ replied Esteban. ‘We have to focus on the primary task. They have a job to do, as do we. We have to take out the EMP. Once we do that – Emmy can take over.’
Jimmy knew that his friend was right and received no direction from a sixth sense telling him otherwise. They were hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned. Without the tulpa they could never succeed, but until the enemy’s defences were immobilised against such a force, Emmy could not act. Though not harmful to her physical being, a blast from the EMP would severely disorientate her and leave her unable to conjure up another projection for some time.
The two men ascended a ladder leading to the roof of the compound. Again, there were trip wires, and again, Jimmy negotiated them with ease. Once topside, they found an array of satellite dishes. At the centre was a larger device, which resembled a lighthouse beacon.
‘That’s it,’ said Esteban.
He withdrew his gun. The device had an access panel that was encased in a protective shield, fastened with a secure lock. In circumstances such as this, a bullet was as good as a key. Esteban raised his weapon to fire, but did not get to pull the trigger as something grabbed him by the scruff of his jacket and hurled him back towards the edge of the roof.
Jimmy did not have his usual relative luxury of foresight. This was one of those moments when his psychic ability was so acute that it directed his movements in real time. He saw Esteban hurtling towards the edge of the roof and reacted instantaneously.
Leaping into the air, Jimmy spread himself wide to arrest the soldier’s trajectory, deflecting him back onto the safety of the roof, whilst knocking himself over the edge. The snow immediately around the base of the compound was more compacted than the fresh covering adorning the rest of the area. Upon impact with the ground, he lost consciousness.
Esteban quickly reoriented himself, but his situation had improved little. It seemed pointless that Jimmy had even bothered. The soldier's gun was out of reach and he had no other weapon to use against an invincible foe. Without Jimmy, and with Emmy still rendered useless by the EMP, he was alone.
The one-sidedness of the situation was not lost on the astral being. Rather than move in for a quick kill, it advanced slowly, savouring the moment.
***
General Tao watched the unfolding battle with the emotional detachment of an apex predator. He was not the type to hesitate in ordering a man to lay down his life to further his cause. It was not, however, his men who were dying.
‘General, the monks are making a full retreat back into the mountains,’ said Major Heng. ‘Shall I order the men to stand down?’
‘You will do no such thing,’ the general replied. ‘All insurgents are to be eliminated.’
The major hesitated.
‘Do you have a problem executing your orders?’ the general asked.
‘No...sir,’ the major reluctantly replied.
He passed on the order to the squad leader over the comm. After doing so, he felt ashamed. It was as if a great weight had been placed upon his back.
‘Excellent work, Major,’ said the general. ‘It is now time to bring our work here to its natural conclusion. We will release the chosen ones.’
The eight remaining volunteers, who had appropriated new vessels for their life energy whilst dosed up on the psychic radiation, were brought into the command chamber. In turn, each one gave a salute to the general before vanishing into the ether. Once gone, there would be no line of communication between master and servant. General Tao was now fully committed to his nefarious plan.
***
‘Esteban, Esteban – can you hear me?’
The voice was coming from the soldier’s belt. He reached down and unclipped his walkie-talkie. Though slightly muffled, the voice coming through was undoubtedly Yonten’s.
‘I’m a little busy, right now,’ Esteban replied. ‘Jimmy’s down and I won’t be around for much longer. You’d be best to call Emmy.’
‘But you are the one that I can help, my friend. Many of my brothers have been executed. I managed to get away. I have found shelter where they cannot see me, but I can see you.’
‘So what’s the plan?’
The astral being was now standing directly over him and he fully expected the next words he heard to be the last.
‘Hold up the radio,’ said Yonten.
Esteban did so and to his amazement it had an instant effect on the hostile entity. Muffled verse flowed from the speaker of the device in his hands as Yonten recanted the disorientating mantra. It was not as clear as when the monks had chanted in unison so its effect was less powerful, but it was effective nonetheless.
The being’s movements became sluggish as it reached out to smite Esteban from existence. The CIA agent easily rolled out of the path of its arcing blow. It attempted several more times to impact him with its deadly electrically charged fists, but each time the soldier evaded the attack. Like an expert angler, he reeled the being in toward the centre of the structure until he felt his back up against the outside casing of the EMP control panel.
The chanting was cut short by the sound of gun fire. First from the speaker in his hand and then in echo from the surrounding mountain range as the sound waves caught up with the radio signal. By chanting, Yonten had inadvertently given away his position.
‘You bastards,’ said Esteban, but the entity standing over him could only see waves of phonic energ
y issuing from the soldier’s mouth. It neither heard nor cared what he had to say.
With cold steel pressing against his back, Esteban knew he had nowhere left to run. He straightened his body and braced for the attack. It came swiftly, but he was ready for it. He dodged to the right of the ball of solid electrical energy that was aimed straight at his heart. The astral being was committed and had no time to pull back. Its lightning ball of a fist collided with the EMP generator overloading its circuits to the extent that it burst into flames, lighting up the rooftop like a beacon.
The frustrated being turned to get another fix on its prey, but it did not find itself facing Esteban. In the soldier’s place was a much larger foe. If he had human eyes, the astral traveller would have recognised the beast before him from ancient myth and folklore. It was Meh-Teh – the tulpa beast more commonly known by the name of yeti. He did not stand a chance.
After making short work tearing apart its foe, the tulpa-yeti jumped down to the base of the compound. The power coils were already firing up, preparing to create a replenishable army of astral travellers to do battle with the creature from Emmy’s subconscious. The beast did not allow any such materialisations to take place. It raised both of its mighty fists into the air and then slammed them down onto the power coils, ripping them from their mooring as easily as a lumberjack fells a tree.
Upon hearing the roar of the beast, the Chinese soldiers abandoned their pursuit of the remaining monks in order to launch a counter offensive. They formed into three groups of three, surrounding the tulpa and triangulating their firepower in order to maximise its effect. Any mortal foe would have been blasted into oblivion.
The tulpa was not a mortal foe. The Chinese bullets had zero effect. In fact, with each impact, the resulting transfer of energy only served to strengthen the beast. Not that it needed this extra boost. It picked up one of the power coils it had earlier ripped from the compound and threw it into the path of three advancing combatants.
Diamond Sky Trilogy Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 59