‘So it’s like a form of teleportation?’
‘Exactly – and thanks to the technology, we can greatly amplify the effects. Hence, my consciousness was able to travel from one side of the solar system to the other at the speed of thought.’
The psychiatrist was taking notes. Judging by the length of the writing involved, they were analytical and speculative, rather than just a shorthand version of what was being said. This made sense as Emmy had no doubt the interview was being recorded.
‘So could the machine be used to teleport a material body, like an actual person, for example?’
‘No – that’s impossible. One of the few guarantees in science is that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. In any closed system the net amount of energy within will always stay the same; the books have to balance and all debts must be paid in full and on time. What effectively happens is that the particle borrows energy in order to make the jump, but then has to repay the debt as soon as it re-materialises. Essentially, it sacrifices its remaining lifespan to do this. The only way that teleportation would work is to have a means of replenishing the energy lost at the point of re-emergence. If you want to physically cross space then you’d need technology at both sides.’
‘But this doesn’t apply to astral travelling?’
‘Energy by its very nature is more lucid than matter. The cost of making the trip is not so great and the technology that we used effectively paid the energy price in advance. If an imbalance did occur then the cord would pull the traveller back instantly.’
‘The cord?’
‘Figuratively speaking,’ replied Emmy. ‘It doesn’t exist in a literal sense. It’s not like an astral traveller is physically tethered by a rope. It comes down to another quantum process known as entanglement. When two particles are entangled they’ll always mirror one another no matter the separation between them. Even when light years apart; one will instantly know if a change has occurred in the other. That’s how we were always able to find our way back home. Of course, it is possible to break the signal. If a second astral being were to cross the cord it would produce interference and therefore sever the bond between mind and body.’
‘Is that what your grandfather did?’
Emmy tensed.
‘Yes.’ She took a deep breath before continuing. ‘Although we can’t see the cord in a conventional sense, we are aware of it. It’s very hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t travelled, but without the physical senses, we can place our surroundings only by an intuitive awareness of matter. With experience the awareness increases and in time I even learned to distinguish between different animals.’
‘So once Professor Fox had severed the cord of his victim,’ she briefly checked her notes, ‘Captain Peters - he stole his body.’
‘Yes, but the manifestation wasn’t permanent. The body ultimately rejected him and he had to take another, which also rejected him. He then tried to steal mine and I resisted. After that, nature finally took its course.’
Emmy noticed that the psychiatrist closed her notepad and withdrew another despite it being far from full. She sensed a change in the direction of the examination.
‘That is when you went on the run?’ the doctor asked.
‘I first made sure the technology was rendered useless, but yes; that was when we left.’
‘We?’
The psychiatrist briefly stumbled on her notes, but quickly regained composure. It had not occurred to Emmy that they did not know about Lucy. She inwardly cursed herself for making such a clumsy error, but it was too late to backtrack.
‘Lucy Skye was with me. She wasn’t a resident of the town, but a traveller passing through when her car broke down. She witnessed one of the murders and was subsequently held prisoner by my grandfather. When the military assumed control of the facility they forced her into the machine as a guinea pig. Her return was not...instant.’
The memories of the cruelty inflicted upon her former lover still stung. She clenched her fists, tightly digging her nails into the flesh of her palms. The physical pain helped to block out the emotional.
‘In a way this was lucky,’ she continued. ‘When my grandfather attacked, he didn’t leave any survivors. When Lucy’s spirit finally returned to her body, he was already dead. We travelled together for a brief time after that.’
‘And where is Lucy now?’
Emmy bowed her head. Her reply was barely audible.
‘She’s gone.’
***
James Earl was eager to know how Dr Rayne had performed in her psyche evaluation. Putting a civilian in charge of his country’s flagship science project was one thing, but recruiting a fugitive for such a project with military applications was a serious gamble and it was his head on the block should everything not go to plan.
The catastrophe of three years earlier had the potential to be a public relations nightmare. The fact it happened on foreign soil would only have added to the embarrassment had details entered the public domain. Both the US and Australian Governments went to great lengths to prevent this from happening. The cover story of a radiation leak may have explained the destruction of the town, but the deaths of so many American service men and women still caused the current administration a great deal of damage.
It was decided that any further developments in the astral field would have to be rubber stamped by the highest level of government. This time the military were not the ones making the decisions. That privilege now fell to James Earl and he wanted to make sure those subordinate to him knew it.
The colonel had been the first to look over the report and he was far from satisfied by the information it contained. Though Dr Rayne’s technical knowledge was as great as they had hoped, she could not be trusted. The potential of another disaster such as what happened at Jackson’s Hill would always be hanging over them with her on the team.
‘What steps are you taking to keep Dr Rayne in line?’ he asked Earl. ‘There’s a strong chance she’ll betray us at the first opportunity.’
‘It’s more than a strong chance,’ replied the politician. ‘I would say it’s an outright certainty.’
‘So, I repeat - what steps are you taking to prevent this?’
‘Agent Cruz is assigned to her security, is he not? He’ll be watching her at all times.’
‘And you’re confident he can keep her in line?’
‘Not at all, Colonel. Given Agent Cruz’s history, he is likely to aide Dr Rayne should she try to escape or interfere with the project. He is unparalleled at what he does, but he also has a problem executing certain orders when vulnerable people are involved, particularly women. You yourself stated that he has already shown compassion towards her.’
‘So why must we keep him on the team? He brought us the psychic kid and now he has delivered the girl. Perhaps it’s time to let him go, sir.’
‘That is simply not an option right now, Colonel. Dr Rayne will only play ball if there is somebody she feels she can trust. We have many agents who can fake a polygraph, but none that can bluff a psychic. Agent Cruz is vital to both her and Jimmy Johnson’s cooperation.’
‘So what is there to stop any of these people from betraying us?’
‘The townspeople you’re holding in the medical bay. With their lives in the balance, I believe Dr Rayne is almost certain to see this project through.’
‘Almost? I’m assuming you have a contingency plan.’
‘Of course. Should a more powerful form of persuasion be required to retain the services of the doctor, we have more than sufficient leverage to ensure her continued cooperation.’
‘In that case, sir, Emmy Rayne is now officially part of Operation Sleepwalker.’
***
A slew of painful memories had been dredged up during her final meeting with the psychiatrist. As such, she struggled to disengage her mind and sleep was not forthcoming. All she was able to think about was Lucy. She could no longer even remember what had driven her former lover away.
All she knew was that given the time again, she would do things differently.
Everything Emmy had ever owned or worked for had been lost at Jackson’s Hill. Her only consolation was that without the tragedy that brought them together, she would never have had Lucy in her life. It was the only good to come out of a whole load of bad. For that simple reason, the relationship had seemed more special than any that went before.
It was precious.
Without it, everything she had sacrificed would have been for nothing.
She longed to return to her lover’s arms. More so now than ever before. In her heart she knew there was no going back, but that did not stop her from allowing herself to pretend. Her memories were all that was left of her relationship with Lucy, but her imagination could keep those memories close. Make it feel like she still had hope.
By closing her eyes and allowing her emotions to be soaked up by her memories, she could actually feel the touch of her lover. She could feel Lucy’s fingers as they traced a sensual path down the centre of her body, stopping only briefly to caress her breasts and to stroke the delicate contours of her abdomen.
It was a feeling she had not experienced for far too long. Loneliness was painful, but it was also a choice. She chose now to reject it. Blocking out the negative thoughts and replacing them with something stronger, she pulled the past closer to her and wrapped herself up in it like a blanket.
The fingers went lower. She blocked out all other thoughts and sensations as her legs were slowly parted, followed by a warm, moist pressure around her clitoris. She imagined Lucy’s eyes staring up at her, playful and demure. As the intensity of her desire increased she let go of all reason and surrendered herself to the burning ecstasy of orgasm.
It had never felt so good. It had never felt so real. If she opened her eyes she believed that Lucy really would be there with her.
Watching her.
Satisfying her.
She resisted the temptation to look, no matter how strongly it pulled at her. The moment was too precious to risk losing for anything. She would prolong it for as long as possible. There was a part of her that wished it would never end.
Above her head, the security cameras tracked all movement within the room. Esteban had been worried about how Emmy would cope following her psyche evaluation and had been watching the live feed to keep an eye on her. The images presented to him came as a greater shock than anything he had previously been exposed to on the mission. It both terrified and concerned him.
Was it an illusion – a trick? He was unsure what to make of it, and until he was in a position to make any sense of it, he thought it best to make sure nobody else knew. The camera feed was being recorded, but it was unlikely that it would be viewed without there being cause to do so. There was a good chance he could amend the footage without anybody finding out.
Once Emmy was alone and resting, he deleted the recording of the previous hour and pasted in earlier footage from the night before. He then returned to his quarters. As it was with the scientist, but for very different reasons, sleep eluded him.
Chapter 15
Colonel Rodman made good on his promise the following morning. Emmy’s Spartan cell was upgraded to a comfortable room with en-suite facilities and a desk for her to work at. The security cameras remained. As did the guard posted at the door, and one more at each end of the corridor, but it was an improvement nonetheless.
Once settled into her new quarters, Emmy again allowed her thoughts to drift back to bygone days. The previous night had brought the past closer than ever. It had felt so real. She could not shake it off even if she wanted to, which she did not.
Now more than ever she needed to have something positive to focus on. She needed an ideal around which to anchor her fragile hopes for the future.
Her time with Lucy had been brief and all too often fraught with danger. Even in the aftermath of Jackson’s Hill, when they went into hiding, it had never run smoothly. It would not have been practical to spend the remainder of their lives in what was little more than a desert, surviving solely on that which their wits could provide. If they were to enjoy any quality of life, a return to civilisation was inevitable, which Emmy’s lover could never fully accept.
Lucy never spoke much of her life before they met. Aside from her father, whose death had instigated her trip into the country’s interior, Emmy knew nothing of the girl’s family or friends. Lucy never talked about them and nor did she attempt to make any contact with them whatsoever. Emmy never asked, because whenever they were together, only the present, the current moment mattered. They lived for the day. For a time, it had been enough.
Their first camp was barely even that. They did not have so much as a tent. Just their swags and the bare essentials needed to cook and keep their hygiene within civilised levels. It was a basic, some may say primitive existence, but for a short time, it kept them safe. When each day ended, isolation brought with it one major benefit.
Lucy loved the stars. They both did. Their light guided sailors safely to port, enabled scientists to accurately predict the age of the universe, and they reminded Emmy and Lucy that anything really was possible. Every night without fail the same colours would light up the heavens. So long as they were under that diamond sky, they were home.
In time, they moved to an abandoned cattle ranch. Emmy restored the power and after acquiring a vehicle she was able to make monthly trips into town to stock up on the supplies they needed to keep them going.
Lucy never joined her on these trips. She shunned all contact with the outside world. Whether it was through fear or loathing, Emmy could not tell. After the depths of human cruelty they had both witnessed, either was equally probable. Over time, these short periods apart gave Emmy an independence that made her long to rejoin the real world. Only when the surprise visitor turned up did she make up her mind for certain.
Jimmy was a mess when she found him. At first, she mistook his gaunt appearance and apathetic demeanour to be side-effects of the radiation. Lucy refused to even be in the same room as him. Emmy soon realised, however, that his ill health had nothing to do with what had happened at Jackson’s Hill. Not directly, anyway. He had simply lost all will to live.
He told her about his life after the tragedy. He told her about the gambling (if a guaranteed win every time could ever be considered as such), he told her about his nightmares and he told her about the man he had killed.
‘I didn’t mean to do it,’ he said, almost pleadingly. ‘I was trying to help the old lady. They were crowding around her and I knew something bad was about to happen. I’d never been in a fight before, but I felt like I was being guided by some invisible force. Normally, I’m able to see the future, but at that moment, I could actually feel the future. Before I even realised it the knife was in my hands. I should’ve stopped myself, but I could already see it sticking out of his chest. I didn’t want to do it, but I didn’t know how to stop myself. When I get these visions it’s as if the future has already happened and I’m just catching up to it. I swear, I didn’t mean to kill him.’
She could see the anguish, the torment in every atom of his being. It was at that moment, looking into his frightened eyes, she realised the true price of her mistakes. It was also at that moment she realised how the debt must be repaid.
‘What would you have done if you hadn’t stabbed the attacker?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know,’ replied Jimmy. ‘Before that point, I’d felt guilty for being the only one to get away from the town and for having this power that allows me to take money from others so easily. I guess that helping the old woman would have taken some of that away. I’d have seen it as a sign to carry on. I’d have gone back to the poker and I would’ve put my winnings to good use. I’d have used it to help people. I can’t do that now. Now I know the harm these visions can cause. They’re evil.’
‘You’re wrong,’ Emmy told him. ‘Don’t you see – you can still do some good. How do we know that the mugger did
not intend to use his knife on the old lady or maybe even his next victim after her? Taking his life could actually have saved many more. And more importantly, it stopped you from going back to what you were doing. Instead, it led you here to me.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘The point is that you can still do some good, but not by simply winning money and giving it to people like some roulette rigging Robin Hood. You can actually save lives. Just think of the possibilities if you could harness your power. You could avert disaster before it happens. You could be a hero.’
Unfortunately, he did not share in her enthusiasm. He certainly did not feel heroic. And more importantly, he did not feel like he could ever control the visions. They controlled him. The outcome was dictated to him, not presented as a moral choice. Then there was also the possibility the visions may not come when he needed them the most.
‘I dunno,’ he said. ‘I mean, how can we even be sure that I’ll get a vision when I need it? What if next time the knife ends up in me?’
They were in the kitchen of the ranch building and a fruit bowl lay on the table next to Emmy. She picked up an apple and threw it, aiming six inches to the right of Jimmy’s head. He instinctively ducked away, but not in a way that implied any sort of sixth sense. In fact, his actions were so clumsy that should it have been on target she was sure the apple would have hit. She decided to repeat the experiment, but this time she aimed directly between his eyes.
He caught the fruit without even flinching.
She threw another and it yielded the same result. When all the apples had gone she decided to up the stakes and throw the actual bowl. It was carved from hard wood and even a glancing blow would cause a lot of pain. She lifted it from the table, but as she prepared to unleash her devastating backhand she was prevented from doing so by a set of fingers curling tightly around her wrist.
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