“We’re not with Morris.”
“Then who are you?”
“Someone who wants to prevent the release of the file.”
“Okay, that’s easy. I don’t have it, never did. I don’t have the downloader app, either. It’s gone. Deleted. Bit bucket.”
Edward paused, staring at him with the effect of an x-ray.
“You still have the downloader. I ask that you refrain from further deception.”
Fear struck, bringing two sudden realizations. One, he didn’t want telepathy to be real and two, Edward’s hospitality could turn to hostility at any moment.
“Technically, no, I don’t have it. I tossed the laptop. And I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t finish the download. Could you just cut to the chase and tell me what this is about?”
Edward turned to look out at the city lights in silence.
For long moments Austin studied his face. Wistful. A bit of hope. Regret? The range of feelings surged, too many to keep track of. Edward seemed to exude emotion like rolling ocean waves. He glanced at the ankle bracelet and thought maybe they had delivered a drug through it.
Edward took another sip and turned back.
“Cutting to the chase, you’ve stepped into some serious shit. The kind you won’t be able to wipe off by yourself.”
“Yeah, I kinda noticed. But why am I here? Who are you?”
“You are here because you know there is more to life than what the surface presents. You understand that reality extends beyond what science yet explains. You may even have stumbled upon things that burden you with their... undefinability. Unconventional perceptions that you dismiss despite your fascination. You keep your speculations to yourself and largely out of mind because they are a distraction and worse, a liability. But in truth you want to know more. You have a real, almost timeless longing.”
He looked away. Fear flowed like hot butter into every nook of his being. All that was in the past. Yet, there was one damned, fucked up, insane part of him that knew there was a mystery to existence that ‘everyday life’ didn’t address. There were truths just out of reach. Part of him wanted to know what was in the file, yet... the violence, the criminal charges. And his dad, Kaiya, his future at InterGen, his home... it was time to put things back together, not dick with the unknown.
Silence ensued, drawn into moment after uncomfortable moment. Asian Man was stoic, observing peripherally. Edward’s x-ray mode remained. He tried to read him in return but it was like poking concrete with a pencil. The effort did seem to prompt him to speak, though.
“In the hospital, you went for a little walk?”
“Thanks to your people.”
“No. I mean prior to that.”
Time ground to a stop. The astral walk. There was no fucking way he could know about that. Fear struck savagely.
“What are you talking about?”
Edward arched his brow. “I asked that you cease deception.”
Nothing, nothing had prepared him for this. Beyond all else, this was not okay. Hackers with stolen government secrets, fine. His house blown up, okay. Another out of body experience, cool. Rogue government agents, alright. Kidnapping, great. All of that was intense, but viable, plausible. There were frameworks of reference for all of it. Shit happens, don’tchya just know it. But this, this was from his own head. Only he had experienced that. Only him.
He gripped his leg as the world began to spin without motion. The hacker’s desperate words echoed. They are on the ground and in people’s minds. Pain spiked in his shoulder, a gathering roar that made it hard to think.
“I’ll take something for the pain, now. Make it a double.”
As if waiting in the wings, the woman appeared with a prescription bottle and glass of water.
Vicodin. He wasted no time in popping two and emptying the glass. Asian Man watched. The driver sipped his drink at the bar. Edward seemed content to wait, studying him.
Took a walk. It meant Edward either dug through his mind or somehow observed his ‘walk’. Save for the old man who had died, assuming he was even real, no one knew what he’d done. Something big gave, the unmistakable shift of change. Everything he’d ‘seen’ during that ‘walk’ could have been a combination of imagination and coincidence – but no more. Edward had broken the rigid walls of reality.
“Time for my questions and the non-deception clause better apply. Who are you? What country?”
“Not yet. First, your walk. Why does the topic make you uncomfortable, Austin?”
“Why the mind screw, Ed? You know damned well you shouldn’t know anything about that ‘walk’. You’re mind-fucking me and I don’t like it.”
“Relax.” Edward motioned and the woman went to refill his glass. “I only want to talk. How and when did you learn to leave your body?”
“And I only want to know how the hell you know I did.”
Edward didn’t respond; instead, he appeared to weigh the situation.
Austin shifted on the couch, skirting the edge of comfort, trying to get back in. Telepathy. Why was he so scared? He’d suspected it, deduced it, even wished for it to be true, yet having it shown so bare was terrifying.
He breathed and stared at his hands. A dangerous notion presented itself: the inclination to trust Edward. It was more than his knightly demeanor, his manners, or his grandfatherly English accent. Instinct was pushing him to trust, to open up. He struggled with compromise, to explore the situation without giving in completely.
He remembered exactly how he’d come to astral walk though he’d never mastered it. To make any sense of the situation, to learn anything about what was going on, the story had to be told. Since Edward sensed deception there was no use in leaving anything out. Let him figure it out for me.
The woman refilled his glass.
“Alright, you wanna know? Fine. I was seventeen. Big into psychic shit. Auras and vibrations and astral projection. I’d been into it for about a year, since just after my mom’s death, except this one evening I got tired of it all, specifically with the astral projection book I was reading. I wanted to know if it was real or not. I was determined, almost pissed. I didn’t want to be a sucker believing in something made up for book sales. So I marched upstairs to my room to do the exercise.”
“To try to astral project.”
“Yeah. OBE, out of body experience. I laid on the bed and did the relaxation routine, spreading warmth from my toes to my head, yada yada. I did exactly what it said to do. Next thing I know, bam! I’m standing next to my bed. Full color, smooth, just standing there, except I can’t feel a thing. I’m just there. I look over and see my body lying on the bed but can’t see my face. It’s blanked out white. I realize I’m actually doing it – astral projecting. Then I remember the walls mean nothing, that I should be able to move right through them. I pass through the bed and the wall and come out on the other side. There I am, hip-deep in the bathroom sink. I see my dad down the hall in his room folding clothes. It blew me away. I was outside my body.”
Edward closed his eyes, as if visualizing it himself.
“I knew I had to check myself, to see if I was asleep or imagining it. So bam! I’m back behind my closed eyes, looking at gray. I reflected and reviewed and knew I hadn’t been imagining it or forcing a vision. I hadn’t been asleep because I wasn’t the slightest bit sleepy. It stood then as being real.
“The thought of resuming brought me right back to the other side of the wall. Definitely surprised me, sort of confirmed something special was happening. I walked through the bathroom into the spare bedroom and up to a window. I knew I could move forward, outside over the front yard, and sure as shit, I did. Walked a dozen steps out past the second story window, standing on nothing. I looked around and thought, ‘I could go anywhere.’ Then the weirdest thing: I rotated ninety degrees so I was facing straight up into the sky. I didn’t try to, it just happened. I walked away from the ground, maybe a couple dozen paces until I was above the rooftops. I looked sidew
ays across the neighborhood then straight ahead into the sky. I knew there was one place I really wanted to go, but it would take a real long time to get there.”
Edward opened his eyes. “Space.”
“Yeah but just then, at that thought, everything faded to white. When the white receded, it was to a translucent orange and white cloud. A nebula, deep in space. Someone or something brought me there. Something that had been following my thoughts. I remember feeling gratitude. The next thing I know I’m behind my eyes again. I wasn’t imagining and I wasn’t just waking up.”
“What did you do?”
“I was blown away. I had my answer but also a dozen more questions and no one to ask. I walked down the hall and saw my dad putting away the last of his laundry. It felt amazing. I had done it.”
“You didn’t tell him?”
“Yeah I did.”
“And he wasn’t much help.”
“Yeah, no. Not at all.”
“It wasn’t the last time you’d do it.”
“Once more about a year later though it was short. I was surprised. I thought I’d never experience it again. Like maybe it was just imagination after all.”
Recalling the day brought to mind the other, bigger weirdness. Another repressed set of memories.
Edward’s x-ray picked up on it. “What else?”
“Well, it’s a lot weirder. My wind story.”
The driver looked up from his phone. Edward’s x-ray intensified. “Wind story?”
Hello. Leverage...
“Yes, the wind.” He imagined trading it for some assurance of safety. “A very personal story, actually.”
When he didn’t elaborate, Edward nodded. “I see. Well, we wouldn’t want you to share anything too personal.”
The room fell silent, an awkward abyss swallowing his power play.
“Okay, look,” he said. “My life is up in smoke. You’re talking about shit I only imagined was possible. I’m excited but scared to death. And I don’t know anything about you. You gotta work with me here.”
He emptied his water in one long draw.
Edward studied him.
“Come on, what?” Austin asked. “I need firm ground, man. What does all this mean? Who are you people and how are you reading my mind?”
Edward nodded slowly and returned to the bar to begin work on another drink, quietly exchanging words with the driver in a clipped and guttural language. Ice clattered into a glass. Edward spoke louder, addressing him.
“I understand where you’re at, Austin, I truly do. There is much to cover and time is not in abundance. Let’s start with the most pressing issue.” He tipped a bottle to fill his glass. “The laptop. Where exactly is it?”
He hesitated. “I’m supposed to just trust you? Just give it up?”
“You’re going to have to come to trust on your own. I do need to recover the laptop, though. Non-negotiable.”
“Okay, fine.” Despite Edward’s warning, he lied about its location again, only he didn’t treat it like a lie. Mentally, before and after, he treated it as truth and didn’t hesitate in thought or tone delivering it. “I’m guessing they found it by now.”
“You told them?”
“Not the exact location but close enough.”
“I see.”
“So how about telling me what this is all about.”
“What exactly do you want to know?” Edward asked, returning to his chair.
He ignored the impulse to think he had successfully lied to Edward. Instead he slid right into the most pressing question he had. “Mind reading. How do you do it?”
Edward shook his head. “Not something I can easily explain.”
“Could I learn to do it?”
“Yes, with practice.”
“How did you know I traveled in the hospital?”
“Our people were there, observing already, your case having drawn our attention. You were awake, not too heavily drugged. When you closed your eyes, began meditating, and crossed over to explore, it came as a shock. The ability is exceedingly rare.”
“Already observing me? So you’re who the hacker warned about.”
Edward shook his head. “No. We are trying to retrieve what he stole. We arranged to take you only after your walk.”
He sat back, letting it sink in. “Remote viewing, then.”
Edward sipped his drink.
“What about the FBI? Agent Morris?”
After consideration, he said only, “Morris belongs to a very dangerous group. The men the hacker warned about.”
Amazement slewed back into anxiety.
“So I’m in the middle of something?” When Edward didn’t answer, he asked, “How about some background?”
“No background and no disclosure. It’s simple, we need the file contained. Now Austin, I’ve told you what you need to know. Anything more and... well frankly, there is no more. It is the business of my organization only.”
There it was – subtle, in his voice, in his eyes – the reason for all of it.
“That’s why you brought me here. I traveled and you need people that can. You want my help.” He waited for confirmation but none came – nor did denial. “Tell me about your organization.”
The older man shook his head. “For that there is a road to travel. Otherwise we part ways shortly. To be honest I’m not sure you are ready to go forward. Leaving now could save your life.”
“Save my life? What life? I’m screwed and you know it. For all I know you set this whole thing up.” At Edward’s look of dismissal he said, “What I need is safe ground, even if it means walking away.”
“But what you really want is...”
“Jesus Christ.”
Vicodin flooded his system. Regretful for having taken two, he paused. Depth perception tweaked. Edward looked more three-dimensional than he should have. Every breath brought his body closer to relaxation, in sharp contrast to his intense mental and emotional state. Fear and fascination mixed in a sickening combination.
“Alright, I need to know how you are reading my mind.”
Edward turned away, once more studying the horizon. Long thoughts turned. A decision was reached. “It’s simple, Austin. Your brain emits and receives signals. The wifi of the soul, you might call it. Everyone’s connected. Everyone’s sensitive.”
“Alright, I get that. I feel people all the time, but how do you read minds? Really read them? Not just emotions or vibes.”
“The vibes carry the meaning. Technically it requires intelligent pattern recognition.”
“Pattern recognition?”
Edward nodded. “What is speech? Sequences of vibrations. The ear is the receiver. It cannot help but receive the sound waves it is sensitive to. Your brain is sensitive in the same way.”
“But to different waves. And somehow your read them?”
“So do you. Everyone has the sense. Some call it empathy, some call it being sensitive. Most don’t realize it because it is so subtle, but there is already a basic language formed. It manifests as gut level thoughts and responses. Habitual thinking. People just feel and assume without really knowing or even asking why. Without training, you’re awash in the sea. In touch but in the chaos of not knowing.”
“How do I know you’re not making shit up?”
“You know I’m not. You’ve experienced it. It’s what some dread when they join the morning commute or enter a crowded place or run into a particular person. It’s feedback, human feedback, via an energy that connects us. Ping, pong. Marco, Polo. With it we learn the language that shapes our inner lives, our world view, and our responses to it. Positive or negative. Whether we realize it or not, it is the shared field of consciousness. As I said, there is not enough time to explain it.” He surveyed Austin. “Now, normally I would seek to recover the file and return you to your life if possible. However, you present a rare situation. While raw and untrained, your ability to project your consciousness sets you apart. It suggests uncommon ability and instinc
t. Hearing mention of the wind, I’ll admit being even more interested. Truth be told, we could use your help. But what’s more important for you is the obvious fact that you could use our help. You need us, as well.”
Once again the pendulum of inevitability cut the air. Despite fear, an intense draw to know more pulsed, increasing the gravity first formed by the hacker’s files. The veil of life’s mystery seemed to have a break here, with these people, under these circumstances.
Edward set his glass aside, clearing his throat. “I sense your interest. Time is exceedingly short and there is a process to determine if you are eligible. As with all substantial opportunity, there will come a point at which you must decline or commit. We operate fundamentally like a family if that helps tune your perceptions. Above all else, understand this: if you tried to betray us, even once, you would forfeit your life. Become unreliable by choice and your reality would devolve into something less desirable in corresponding degrees. This is not a job offer. This is a life choice.” He paused and the x-ray feeling lingered. As if sensing Austin’s fear, he continued in a softer voice. “You have gifts that will go undeveloped if you turn away now. Gifts that this world needs more of, now more than ever. Cicero reminds us, ‘What one has, one ought to use, and whatever he does he should do with all his might’. You have something. Something to use that the future needs.”
The Vicodin thundered, creating a dreamlike state. So much to consider. His dad, Kaiya, career, home, his dreams, everything and everyone. Yet, so much already altered.
Alone, there were no guarantees, just a system poised to ruin him.
He countered. “There’s also a proverb that says drink nothing without seeing it, sign nothing without reading it. What does your group do? What does it stand for?”
Edward leveled his gaze. “What we ‘do’ is try to guide humanity’s evolution. Protect the species, you might say. Some would protest our methods. I can only say you would be joining the more benevolent of the two groups.” A moment later, he added, “And that there are no other greater powers on earth.”
On earth. The words lingered.
Edward was an impressive speaker, but the last was powerful on its own. Daffy Duck could have spoken the words and the enormity of the truth would have conveyed itself, lisp and all.
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