“It is only the beginning, Austin.” Marcel was nearby, unseen. “You need to follow my voice, come to where I am.”
Crap, this is weird. He did his best to move in that direction without a body. “Where? I can’t see you.”
The frothy darkness exploded in white light, encompassing everything.
“Oh my god.”
The white faded to reveal an earthy scene: they stood in a room whose walls and floor were of glass, suspended over a field of molten magma. A vast rock cavern with low ceilings stretched out in all directions. In the center of the glass room two lounge chairs and a table caught the light from the superheated rock beneath them.
Marcel walked to the wall. “One of nature’s hidden glories, never seen by the eyes of man. Inside Mount Tambora.”
He stared in awe.
“So you made it. How do you feel?”
“Like I’m dreaming. Lucid dreaming.”
“A lucid dream that I am directing, yes.”
“Yeah, I feel your control. The white light just now. It was the same light in my first out of body experience.”
Marcel shrugged. “Not sure who did you the favor. Another bit of mystery.” He returned to the chairs. “Have a seat.”
They sat just as a massive chunk of lava erupted from the molten sea and crashed into the rock ceiling. It burst into smaller chunks and rained down.
“Now I’m going to give it to you like it is. Are you ready?”
“I guess so.” Something was missing for a lucid dream. He lacked some analytical ability and feeling of choice. Maybe a lot.
“Dreaming is a world unto itself, a playground of possibility and meaning, a therapy of the highest caliber. We’ve not only found how to connect to others here, we’ve managed to cross the bridge to the waking world. Well, into the attic of the waking world, you might say. Some of our most important work happens here. It is a realm more complex than the waking one, but dreams are not our focus right now. We start here only because it is the best place to introduce the truths.”
The walls of the Sistine Chapel surrounded them, their chairs now suspended by ropes from its ceiling. Austin stared in awe at the illustrations of saints, prophets, and scenes from the biblical story of creation meticulously rendered on plaster.
Beyond the artistry, what captured his breath was the way Michelangelo’s and Bernini’s imagery had come alive, conveying meaning in a lurid, almost mystical way. Temptation, evil, courage, redemption, wisdom, faith... all leapt from the scenes, translated by a shifting of thoughts not his own – all part of the dream via Marcel’s intention. The effect was enthralling.
“You now know more about Raon, the grid that is our physical reality. You now also know that you have a soft side, your meta self, that plugs into it via the fifth element. It’s time to learn more about meta – what they don’t want everyone knowing about.”
The Sistine Chapel faded around them. A field of stars replaced it, twinkling diamonds that nearly obscured the darkness of space. They sat at the edge of an ocean with sand dunes at their backs. A warm breeze came off the water and an orb glowed in the sand between them.
“Raon connects us. It is that stage upon which we are merely players. Filling the actors is meta, the soul, the embodiment of creation and the essence of consciousness.”
“Where does it come from?” Austin asked.
“Saoghal.”
“Which is?”
“The native space of souls and our dreams. Think of it as a root dimension, a darkness never meant for waking minds. It is a shared space we all spawn from and where all metabodies live. It is your true home, the one that receives you when you rest every night.”
“They’ve broken into Saoghal, then. You have, too.”
“Some have learned to cast light there, yes. The light of awareness.”
“How?”
“There is a conduit to the body through which meta flows. It is the droichid, located in your brain. It marries meta to the body. Should the flow of meta break, the heart stops, the body begins to die. The droichid is the bridge of life.”
“And you know how to cross it. Cross into others. With rathad. To read minds.”
Marcel nodded. “And with practice, introduce ideas and feelings into their flow. Like dropping petals into a stream.”
“Mind control, then. You’ve been dropping things into my stream, haven’t you?”
Marcel looked over. The orb in the sand cast light and shadows across his face. The dream intensified with a clarity that could only be the Frenchman’s work.
“Some. Only when essential. And nothing forceful or false, I promise you.”
Austin pulled his gaze away to the ocean. Suddenly trust was a currency that he needed more of. “This is the alternate reality stuff you talked about. I’m supposed to learn how to control my awareness and travel around Raon and Saoghal?”
“Yes. With meta awareness, you can explore both realms. The focus of your meta, the rathad, is the essence of your seventh sense – knowing where you are and what you are experiencing. It defines reality. It is the true awareness.”
“How can meta exist in both dimensions? And what is it?”
“What is electricity? Some things just are, Austin. What’s important is what it does. The meta stream interacts with the brain in a very intimate way, birthing emotion which in turn ripples your meta outward via the fifth element. Much like a wave of sound.”
“Meta mixes with other meta.”
“Precisely. We are meant to feel it and understand it just as we do sound, touch, smell. You should recognize this concept because you’ve been feeling it all your life. Now, as a basic introduction, you can begin to imagine the importance of meta awareness and understanding rathad. If you join us, you will learn to realize your meta self and what it means to be all the way alive.”
“There’s more, behind your words. There’s danger. I feel it.”
“Additional points are yours. I will never let you forget the danger. It is far too great.”
“Who are the others? The other group?”
“They started as scientists a very long time ago, in an age before the common elements of civilization. They kept their meta discoveries to themselves. With it, they forged control at the expense of others. They became powerful beyond what anyone could imagine, then or now.” There was pain in the telling, conveyed in the weave of the dream. “They caused needless suffering in return for their place as kings of the world.”
A break in the continuum of Marcel’s presence signaled a problem.
“My attention is required. I’ll release you to sleep and see you when you wake.”
The sense of Marcel faded, leaving Austin alone with thoughts of power on that scale. The drive to preserve such status would be immense. Selfishness on a grand and inhumane scale.
The beach began to fade until blackness consumed all. The emptiness offered no traction and no boundaries, nothing to keep him in or others out. He hadn’t felt afraid of the dark since he was a boy...
A shimmer of light formed, revealing a playground scene he recognized. Fourth grade, the day his friend Cory kicked him in the chest while karate sparring. The perfect footprint it left on his white shirt made everybody laugh, himself included. Such a warm memory reminded him of Kaiya. If only they could join up, things would be far better. As if in response, the scene shifted to something unfamiliar and less appealing.
Night’s darkness split to reveal a circus wagon rolling down a dirt road, rattling and creaking. Nothing was pulling it. Behind the bars meant for a lion were two clowns in colored garb lying face down in straw. At first detached, he found himself gripping the bars, riding the outside of the wagon.
He called out, “Hey! Hey you! Wake up!”
One of the figures shifted. He repeated his calls. The clown pushed up from the wagon floor and turned to face him.
It was Mac Payant, the CIA agent. He was unmistakably upset behind the garish face paint.
&
nbsp; “Austin? Where have you been? Kaiya’s worried sick.”
“I couldn’t help it, they took me. Where is– is that Kaiya? Kaiya!”
“Shhh! Don’t wake her... not until you can get us out of here. As soon as this wagon gets to town they’re going to have their way with both of us. You gotta get us out.”
“This, this is just a dream, Mac. Where are you really?”
“The hell this is a dream! You need to get us out, now! Go around back and try the window. Now, son! We don’t have much time!”
Frustrated, Austin could only go with it. He climbed towards the rear, thinking about how dreams mixed with real world facts. He asked Mac, “Do you know the name of the next town?”
“We’re headed towards Janesville.”
“Janesville? In California?”
“Yeah. We’re on the way to the cabin but I’m sure they’ll be coming soon. We don’t have a chance without help. Did you reach the window?”
There was no window, no door, and no handle. He had to shout over the wagon’s racket. “I’m working on it! Mac, where is the cabin? Tell me exactly!”
“Smith Falls, near the Idaho Canada border. But if you don’t get us out of here, we’ll never see it!”
“What are you two driving in?”
“This thing!”
“Describe it, Mac. What are you driving in?”
“Are you trippin’? This RV! You’re climbing all over it!”
The wagon was gone, replaced by a large camper. He clung to the rear ladder.
There wasn’t anything else he could think to ask. “Mac, I’m gonna try to help you. I’ll try to reach you. Hang on and be careful!”
With that, he leapt from the ladder, hit the dirt, and rolled several times before stopping. The taillights of the RV lurched down the bumpy road and receded into the night.
• • •
“Sir, Austin’s email account was accessed. Oscar has a match against the target’s laptop.”
“Any other traffic?” The supervisor stood and walked over.
“No sir, just the email server.”
“Point of origin and our proximity?”
“Outside of Portola, California. Connection’s registered to an RV park. We have two units in a half hour bubble.”
“Move them in and put local authorities on standby. Possible sighting near the park. I want them ready for the takedown but no one spooks them. Bring up any SAT feed you can get and put in a panel request while we’re at it. Priority one.”
He clapped twice. “Java, please!”
• • •
Austin blinked awake and propped himself up. “Where’s Marcel? I need to talk to him.”
Meng still stood in the doorway of the bedroom, hands together in front of him. “Relax. He’s doing business. You want something to drink? Those pills can cause headaches.”
He got up and brushed past Meng into the hall. “I need to talk to him right now. Seriously, Meng, it’s about Kaiya.”
Marcel emerged from a room down the hall. “What about her, Austin?”
“She’s about to be caught. You’ve got to do something.”
Marcel guided him towards the family room. “And how did you learn this?”
“The dream, how else? They’re traveling towards Janesville in an RV and if we don’t do something, they’ll be caught.” Not seeing the urgency he wanted, he added, “Look, these are the people I need to protect, like I told Edward. You need to help them.”
“Sit, please. Relax.” Marcel sat on the edge of the sofa. “Why do you think they are going to be caught?”
“Mac said so. He’s right, I just feel it.”
“Okay. We’re aware of the situation. They used your laptop and the Comannda are moving in to find them. I can’t promise anything at this point, but we’re setting something up. We have to wait and see how it goes.”
“The Comannda?”
“The other group. The ones most in control.”
“Where’s Kaiya?”
“Austin, listen to me: you cannot do anything. Leaving–”
“Bullshit. They want me, not her. Me and the laptop.”
Marcel frowned. “Dead heroes make horrible lovers. If you want a chance at seeing Kaiya alive, focus now. Our people will do their best which is far better than you could. That is the reality – now you must deal with it.”
“Just sit on my hands, then?”
“No, you’re going to help. In just a few minutes. And all you need is your voice.”
• • •
Mac woke.
The occasional yell from kids in the park filtered into the camper. The stillness acted as a sedative, subduing all bad things. It took little effort to imagine that none of the trouble had ever begun. Just a bad dream. The air conditioner kicked on and filled the camper with a low hum and vibration.
A dream. He’d dreamt of Austin. Driving at night on the way to the cabin, he’d appeared out of nowhere, clinging to the outside of the Coachman. There was a threat ahead, Mac had known it in the dream. Austin said he was going to help but had jumped off the RV instead.
Damned dreams. Janesville. They’d pass through it late evening. He checked his watch: only thirty minutes? Why was he awake? Wary, he sat up with the M9 in hand.
Just then a knock sounded at the door.
He peeked out the window. A male with a mop of hippie hair dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt stood with a cell phone in hand.
He opened the door a crack. The man spoke immediately.
“Mac, the laptop connected to the wifi and they traced it here. You have minutes only. You and Kaiya need to come with me now.”
The cell phone in his hand rang. He extended it. “It’s Austin. You’ll want to take it.”
Sure enough, it sounded like Austin. “Mac, you’re in deep shit and need to go with that guy. Leave the laptop, you won’t need it. That’s the best way to get them off your ass, just leave it.”
He had to know it was really Austin. “What was different about your high school graduation partying?”
“What? Oh, alright. How about a CIA agent tailing me to make sure I didn’t get caught up in DUIs and drugs?”
Mac nodded, satisfied. “Are you acting under duress?”
“Not at all, Mac. You need to go now. Seriously, right fucking now. Save Kaiya and yourself, please. Go.”
He eyed the hippie and hoped he wasn’t being had.
• • •
Austin stood at the sliding glass door and watched for the hawk. Despite the harsh wait for word on Kaiya and Mac, he’d made some progress with perspective. The surrealism of the situation had begun to resolve into more conventional, considerable terms. There were people in power, had always been, would always be. Nothing new or especially disturbing in that. There were always secrets used to manipulate and grow power. Advances in the sciences during the last two centuries indicated the world was an amazing, mysterious place with an endless source of new tokens to wield ever-greater power. The revelations of the last two days could only be more of the same, a face of reality that existed as naturally as did gravity or DNA or nuclear physics. This was just his introduction to it.
“They’re clear,” Marcel said. “We bought them a small lead.”
He spun around. “Where are they now?”
“Headed for a safe house. This is still a dangerous situation, Austin, understand that.” Marcel sat on the edge of the nearest couch. “Coincidentally, it’s time.”
“What? To commit? Now?”
“It is past time actually and a necessary formality at this point. Not to lessen the gravity of the agreement, mind you.”
“DFA. What about ability? We didn’t finish the dream testing.”
“Yes, yes we did. You performed as expected though not in the scenario we’d imagined.”
He half-turned to face the window and the pines beyond. “I’ve still got questions, like... like how is my face going to change? And what about my DNA? Or fingerprin
ts? And my dad? They have him, right?” Even as he asked them, he knew the questions were meant to delay, covering his fear.
Marcel’s voice grew soft. “I won’t say you don’t have a choice but Austin, look at it for yourself. Look at the totality. All this is happening for a reason, not by accident. There is nothing ideal about it. Instead, there is sacrifice, change, and danger... but there is survival, too. And not just your own.”
Their eyes met. Truth came off Marcel like ocean waves pounding the shore. Millions of lives in the past, victims of the Comannda; millions more in the future, destined for similar fates. Billions in the middle, rich and poor, simple pawns awaiting their deaths in the sickly half-light of ignorance and division. For the first time, he felt important to something bigger, something Marcel had not yet shared with him.
“I’m supposed to do this, aren’t I?”
Marcel nodded, staring back from the depths. “I have to believe so.”
Meng stood by the kitchen and looked on, unreadable.
“What am I joining?”
“Who, not what.” Marcel straightened. “The Runa Korda. We are the Secret Family.”
The room came into sharp focus, as if many moments converged into one, etching every color and feeling into memory. What he might become... what he might achieve... what might happen. Dad, Kaiya, and Yuni? He was powerless now and crushed by guilt for putting them in danger. There was only one way to help them and maybe redeem himself.
He felt a presence from behind and was certain what it was. Turning, he saw the hawk appear from the tree line, soaring in the blue sky.
He sighed, feeling the pendulum swing towards a future thick with uncertainty and danger.
“Alright then. Where do I sign?”
Austin surfaced and blinked away water in the late afternoon sun. A portion of burden had lifted – Kaiya and Mac were safe and would leave their hideout in the morning. The details on reunion weren’t clear but it was just a matter of time. Knowing she was in their hands was enough to lighten his spirits, although thoughts of his dad and Kaiya’s mom had the exact opposite effect.
He got out of the pool and dried off. Meng sat sentry in the shade. He asked him about his dad and Yuni and why Marcel wouldn’t discuss them yet.
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