by Jerry Ahern
“Imperative,” Rourke said aloud. “What has happened?”
It is better John if you do not speak aloud. Simply think what you want to say; speaking aloud makes our connection difficult. It is like you are shouting at me.
Rourke thought, I’m sorry; is this better?
Yes, John, see how simple it is?
Rourke smiled, Yes, I have heard about telepathy before but never experienced it. Can you read my mind also?
No John, that would be invasive and unethical. Once I have established the link, we just talk to each other. I promise your thoughts are your own. It is only possible for me to attempt contact with another’s mind. That person must be willing to accept the contact for us to communicate. It is not possible for either of us to pry into the others’ thoughts. It is only possible to visit as we are doing.
Rourke frowned, What has happened? Why have you made contact with me like this, and why now? Are you alright?
Yes, my friend, currently I am alright. But, I fear circumstances within my people have changed.
Rourke pulled a tablet and pen from the night stand; Go ahead; I’m going to take notes if that is acceptable with you?
Yes, I have much to convey to you, and I do not know how long I will have.
Rourke had always believed that, because of all his medical and CIA operative training, he would have developed a calmer more “still” mind; but, he had never contemplated something like this. The Keeper spoke again in his head. Rourke did what The Keeper had suggested and pulled himself back from the thoughts and just let them flow by like clouds instead of trying to identify, justify, or disprove them.
He began to see that he was as infected with a running mental commentary as any others. He had judged his abilities as being more “correct” or more “evolved” than others, but he began to see he did the very same thing. He began the process of identifying his internal mental dialogue and attempted to stop feeling that the dialogue was in some way him. They were just random thoughts, nothing more, nothing less.
Rourke wrote furiously, while The Keeper spoke to his mind. Finally, The Keeper said, Excellent, I am happy for your learnings. You may find that the desire to once again immerse yourself in the mental chatter will arise. It is a long developed habit, and it gives the Ego great peace to know it is in charge and contributing so much good will to your life. It can be a long and tedious path to step back out of the mental chatter and to just let it pass by and not identify with it. For most of your life, it has been one of your closest companions, and as the saying goes, ‘Old habits die hard.’
With this, The Keeper said, I will leave you now, but I must warn you this first contact will probably have some physical impact on you. We have seen that before. Relax, it will pass shortly. We will talk again, I fear sooner than later. Until next we meet again my friend, provided we do meet again. Then, he was gone. Rourke sat up in the bed and placed the tablet and pen aside. He found he was shaking and covered in sweat. He called out to Emma; she came running.
“John, what’s the matter with you?” Emma cried out when she stepped into the room.
“Emma,” Rourke said wiping sweat from his face. “Sit down; I have had the most incredible experience.” As he told the story, Emma’s hand flew to his lips.
“Honey, do you hear what you are saying?”
“Yes,” he said with a nod, “I know what it sounds like, but what I’m telling you is true. I need you to call Michael and Paul; I need to speak with the whole family right now. I’m going to take a shower to wash this sweat off. Tell them to arrange for the kiddos and get here as soon as they can.”
*****
Michael and Natalia were the first to arrive with Paul and Annie, pulling into the drive before they had exited their vehicle. Two carloads of Secret Service agents parked along the curb. Rourke, in a heavy bath robe and slippers, was still towel drying his hair. Emma had poured him a stiff drink, and he already had half of it downed.
“Come on in guys,” Rourke waved them into the living room. Michael, the first to speak asked, “Dad, are you okay? Your color isn’t normal.”
“Son, that’s because I have just had a most unusual experience,” Rourke said. “But yes, I’m okay; I’m just a little weak and shaky.”
“What happened, John?” Paul asked steadying Rourke as he walked him to the easy chair. Rourke smiled, took another slug of the whiskey, and said, “There was a time when I held out great hope for mankind. While I’m still optimistic in some areas, I’ve had to make adjustments in others. Our great age of philosophy is considered to have been during the time of the ancient Greeks. Our great industrial age moved civilization forward more rapidly in 100 years than it had in 100 centuries. Our great technological age pushed scientific advancements to incredible heights. Then, mankind almost destroyed everything.”
“While our spirits can soar to great heights and our minds conceive great things and we have the capacity for great good and beauty, it is the flaws of our basic nature that makes us capable of our own destruction. I saw it in my own time before the Night of the War. I saw it when we awoke 500 years later that, whereas we had been strong enough and smart enough to pull civilization out of the cesspool my time created, little had changed. Even after our second sleep, when I awoke, little had changed.”
“Now, we stand poised on the brink of a gambit that mankind might not survive this time. The old evils are still common in our species. Greed, the hunger for power, the need to control, and the wish to dominate must be hardwired into our DNA the way our skin color is. The more that we learned humans were equal to each other, the more some people tried to destroy or subjugate the rest of mankind.”
“Countries against countries I can understand. Threats must be dealt with for your own survival, but we seem hell-bent to move from crisis to crisis without pause. Each brings us closer and closer to destruction, and one day, we will be successful and destroy ourselves. There has never been a weapon created that was not used, not once. And each time, it was hoped the creation of that weapon would make war so terrible that we would stop fighting; we never have. I don’t believe we ever will.”
“I saw that people are pretty much the same, no matter what country I was in. The average person just wants to raise their kids and live in peace. People are people are people. It is when ideologies, passions, religions, and governments get involved that it all turns to crap; and people, sometimes entire civilizations, are wiped out.”
“There is a psychopathic strain in us that allows many to justify, and even sanctify, their evil ambitions and desires. An evil person with charisma and evil intentions will always find weaker folks to follow them, and it always ends up ugly. I have often thought my life had progressed like I was dancing a two-step. Two steps forward and one step back, and my dance partner is stepping back two steps and coming forward one. Neither of us are able really to gain a lasting advantage; maybe, in reality, that’s all there ever really is. Life, I guess, is just that: a dance; the trick is to try and be graceful during it.”
“Dad,” Annie said, “I think we have all felt like that from time to time. I know I certainly have, but what is this all about?”
“Annie,” Rourke said, “I think we have just reached a singularity, an event so stunning, so unexpected, so out of the ordinary... And, I have been told something that could alter everything we think we are doing.”
“What was the ‘singularity’ you’re talking about? What happened?” Paul asked.
“Guys,” Rourke said hesitantly, “you’re not going to understand this or believe it. Hell, it happened to me, and I don’t understand it; but, I do know it really happened.” For the next 45 minutes, Rourke spoke without interruptions, often referring to the notes he had taken. At the end, he asked simply, “Well, do you believe me or not?”
Paul was the first to speak, “John, this is incredible. However, ever since you and I first met, the incredible has been a part of our lives; I believe you.”
“
Thanks, Paul,” Rourke said. “How about the rest of you?” They all nodded.
“Okay, Dad,” Michael said, “you described this experience as ‘a singularity,’ an event so stunning, so unexpected, and so out of the ordinary that it could alter everything we think we are doing. What does that mean to you?”
“Michael,” Rourke said shaking his head, “to be honest, I’m not sure at the moment. The Keeper did not explain everything to me, and there is a lot I don’t understand yet. I do know this; there are things happening in the KI community that The Keeper is extremely uncomfortable with. He is sharing that discomfort in the hopes that a great tragedy can somehow be averted. He believes it is possible but will require great effort on both parts. He is also concerned there will be forces actively involved in assuring our efforts will be unsuccessful.”
“I know this,” Rourke continued. “When he was picked up by his shuttle craft, the pilot was carrying a side arm. Seeing that weapon had a visceral impact on him because his people do not have that kind of weaponry. It had a visceral impact on me because I’ve seen that type of weapon before and so have each of you.” Rourke paused for effect, “It was a Russian energy pistol.”
Michael lowered his head, “Oh crap, not those guys again.”
Natalia put one arm over her husband’s shoulder, “That ties to what we learned about the Russians who took Paul hostage. We knew there was some reason for them appearing again, but I never saw this coming.”
John Rourke finally stood, still a little shaky but definitely stronger now. “First rule; this conversation, and this information does not leave this house. Right now, we might have a little edge, a very small edge, but that edge could be extremely important in the days to come.”
Chapter Forty-Five
The next afternoon Rourke was returning from the store when he felt the probing again. Recognizing the feeling, he pulled into the parking lot of a shopping mall, drove to the far end, and parked. Hello, John; is this a good time? The Keeper spoke to his mind.
Shutting off the vehicle, Rourke answered, Yes, it is.
Good, how are you feeling? The Keeper asked.
The effects only lasted about an hour, John answered.
Good, The Keeper said. You should find this conversation much easier with less discomfort.
Rourke pulled his note pad out, That is good, he thought. Yesterday was pretty tasking.
As I told you, each subsequent connection is less... traumatic, I believe is the correct word.
What is going on? Rourke asked.
Changes, The Keeper said. Massive changes in the fabric of the KI society. As I told you yesterday, the ability to make this type of contact is something that all KI had at one time. The discipline, however, has fallen into disuse and is only practiced by those in what we refer to as the Seneia; you would call it a Senate of Scholars and Philosophers. The Keeper continued, Things have changed up here just during the period I was contacting the Wild Tribes. There is now a militaristic slant that is being imposed by the Captain on our activities.
Rourke thought for a moment before framing a response, What kind of slant?
We now have weapons being worn in plain sight; there are escorts for members of the Seneia wherever we go. Excursions to your world can now only be authorized by the Captain. Our leader is in very poor health, John. My estimates are he is within the last days of his life. If I am accurate, the Captain has positioned himself and his force to render massive changes in our culture. The Keeper was silent for what John thought was a long time.
Are you still there? Rourke asked.
Yes John, I’m still here.
Rourke thought The Keeper was searching for his next words. Rourke finally said, The weapon your shuttle pilot was carrying I recognized; I’ve seen similar ones carried by Russian forces we call Spetsnaz. They are elite Russian assault forces. Apparently, that confirms our suspicions about KI involvement at the village massacre.
The Keeper finally spoke, Yes, I have no longer any doubt about that. The questions I have are what does this all mean, and do we have the ability to intervene in what I believe are nefarious ambitions on the part of the Captain? Unfortunately, John, I have little experience in the ways of scoundrels and intrigue. What should I do?
First of all, Rourke thought, It is absolutely essential that we maintain our communications and the secrecy of those communications. As yet, we have suspicions from our side of the equations, but you may very well be the only hope we have to prove those suspicions. You are probably our only hope to get advanced information that can prevent a cataclysm for your people and mine.
You realize, John, The Keeper said after another long pause, acting against my people in deference to the survival of yours is not something I would be capable of doing. Traitorous acts are not within my makeup.
Rourke took a deep breath, You do not have experience by your own admission in ‘the ways of scoundrels and intrigue’; I do. It was the aggression of the Russians that destroyed my world over 650 years ago. Their thirst for power is unquenchable; their penchant for deceit is unimaginable and their ability to be trusted does not exist. Whatever agreements the Captain has made, I promise you will not be honored. Whatever game he believes he is playing, he is wrong Keeper. Trust me; he is being played by an opponent who has had centuries of experience in the art of lies and manipulations. Their goals have not changed since the end of our own Second World War; their defeats from time to time have only served to enslave new peoples who heard what they wanted to hear and made the mistake of believing the Russians were capable of honor and the truth.
Rourke took another deep breath. He could not push too fast or too far with The Keeper without driving him away, something neither society could afford to have happen. Is it possible for you to return to Earth? Rourke finally asked.
It may be; I have already laid the groundwork to return and finish my studies with your people.
Is the Seneia a body that you can trust? Rourke asked.
No, I cannot trust the Seneia, as a body, but there are those within the Seneia I do trust.
Rourke thought for a moment before asking, Will you have the ability to mentally contact those you have trust in the way you have contacted me?
Yes. The Keeper answered.
Good, very good, Rourke thought. Then, do whatever you have to do to get back down here but be able to have contact with your own people. It is imperative that I have the opportunity to show you some things, but it is equally imperative we have the ability to communicate with people you trust up there. Do you have any feel for how long it will take for you to get back down here?
If, and that is a big question, if I can get back, it will take me two days to prepare.
Good, that will give me time to gather what I’ll have to show you. You are certain that this form of communication is protected from prying eyes or I should say minds?
Yes, John, right now that is about all I am sure of.
Rourke nodded to himself and thought, Then, begin the process and keep me posted.
Be well my friend; we’ll talk soon. With that, The Keeper broke the connection.
Rourke noticed that he was barely sweating and was not shaking at all. He felt clearheaded and even slightly rested. He called Paul, “Are you available for a short conversation?”
“Did your friend call again?” Paul asked.
Rourke smiled, “Yes, he did; we just got ‘off the phone.’”
“All is well?” Paul asked.
“No, not well, but it is not a crisis yet. I’m going to need your help; how’s the research on the book coming?”
Paul hesitated, “The book?” he finally asked. “Do you mean our diary?”
“Yes,” Rourke said. “Swing by the house this evening; I have an idea.”
“Will do.”
*****
Paul arrived a little after 6:00 p.m. “What have you got, John?”
“I don’t have solid proof yet, but it appears that the KI being
known as The Captain has established contact with the Russians and has entered into some type of pact with them. The Keeper is not sure what agreements, or for that matter that any agreements, have been made, but it appears so.”
“That is definitely not a good thing,” Paul said.
“No, it is not,” Rourke agreed. “However, in addition to that little tidbit, it appears the KI are about to change leaders. The current one is in poor health, and The Keeper does not think he will survive very much longer. The Captain is positioning himself for what The Keeper believes will be a takeover of power. Now, the next question is, with that gain of power and with the consolidation of activities with our Russian friends, what does that mean for our own people?”
“Well, we know what that has meant in the past, don’t we?”
“Yes,” Rourke said. “And, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. I see no reason to suspect, or even entertain, the possibility that the Russians have turned over a new leaf.”
Chapter Forty-Six
The armored sedan carrying Acting President Jason Darkwater pulled quietly into the circular drive of the White House. Darkwater exited and walked directly to the door that led to the Presidential Library, knocked once, and entered. Inside were the President and the leaders of the Lockout Teams. “Mr. President, gentlemen,” Darkwater said and took his seat at the conference table.
“Thank you Jason,” Michael Rourke said. “I appreciate you coming.”
“Not a problem, Mr. President. Honestly, I was not expecting action yet.”
“Okay, gentlemen,” Rourke said with a sigh, “the imperative for Lockout has changed. While the original concern about a traitor conspiracy remains of the upmost importance, here’s the situation; I have come into some information. At the present, I’m not at liberty to divulge how I came into this information, but I assure you the source is impeccable.”