With no more reason to stay, Esteban arranged for return transport to the base in Australia. He was to meet with a contact in Kathmandu. Firstly, however, they had one last item of business to take care of. The bodies of both Jimmy and the general were infected by the astral radiation and needed to be disposed of.
‘I wish it didn’t have to be like this,’ said Emmy. ‘His body should be repatriated for burial with his family.’
‘You know that’s not possible,’ replied Esteban. ‘This is the only way.’
She nodded. With the high concentration of astral radiation in Jimmy’s bloodstream and his unique ability to control the changes it brought about, they could not risk it falling into the wrong hands. If his corpse was experimented on, it could lead to any number of potential biological weapons being developed.
They lit the fire together and watched as the flames engulfed the cadaver of their friend. For Esteban this signalled the end of his mission. Emmy, however, still needed to do one last thing before she could achieve closure.
‘I’m going back with you,’ she said.
‘Are you sure that’s wise?’ he replied. ‘I could tell them anything you want me to. You can finally bury your old life and start afresh without anybody looking for you.’
‘It’s tempting, but what would I do? Besides, I still have unfinished business with your superiors. I cannot walk away without knowing. Surely, you understand.’
‘I do. That is why I will do everything in my power to help.’
***
Following Colonel Rodman’s suicide, all military involvement in Operation Sleepwalker was suspended. The American and Chinese Governments agreed to co-operate moving forward with a full disclosure policy put in place regarding future advancements in the astral technology. Charlie was reinstated as a professor and appointed to lead the joint venture between the countries. When brokering the deal, he arranged for Emmy to be given a full pardon. This, of course, came at a price, but it was also one she was happy to pay.
‘So I am now your assistant?’ she asked.
One month had passed since their return from Tibet. The lab had been fully refurbished and all of the astral pods repaired. She was eager to get back to work, but first she had questions that she wanted answering.
‘Don’t worry,’ Charlie replied. ‘You’ll find me a relaxed boss. Just don’t go starting any fires and we’ll get along just fine.’
She could not help but smile. Her experiences had given her perspective on what had happened at Jackson’s Hill and she no longer felt burdened by guilt. Despair had been replaced with hope and she was optimistic about the opportunities facing her. Dr Stark had been removed from the project, but the work she had carried out in Emmy’s absence offered much promise.
‘Now that I’ve signed my life away, do I finally have the clearance level for you to tell me what I want to know?’
‘You haven’t signed your life away, but yes, I managed to get the information that you requested.’
Her stomach tightened. Since discovering that the woman she had gone into hiding with was really a tulpa - nothing but a lifeless entity created by her own imagination, she was determined to find out what had become of the real Lucy Skye.
‘When do I get to hear it?’ she asked.
‘I’ll take you to her now – if you want.’
Her head started to spin. She had to go over his words again to make sure she had heard him correctly.
‘She’s here?’
Charlie nodded.
‘Like the residents of Jackson’s Hill, she never regained consciousness following the disaster. Unlike the others, she is not affected by the radiation and her coma was not induced. Her body is perfectly healthy so nobody knows the cause of her condition.’
‘I do,’ said Emmy. ‘When those bastards in the army took over the observatory, they used Lucy as a guinea pig. I begged them to send me in her place, but they wouldn’t listen. She never came back from her astral trip. If not for my psychotic imagination, I would’ve seen this sooner. Maybe I could have helped her.’
‘Maybe you still can. Come on, let’s go and see her now.’
The medical bay remained full with the survivors from Jackson’s Hill. They were still comatose, but no longer under sedation. Their bodies were now empty vessels after having the consciousness zapped out of them by Charlie’s trick with the global satellite relay.
Lucy was being cared for in a private room. When Emmy saw her it brought a lot of repressed emotions to the surface. She cursed herself for being so stupid. For allowing herself to succumb to a delusion. After just a short while it became too painful for her to look upon the still, apparently lifeless form of the woman she loved.
‘Please tell me the clowns that were running this place left us something to work with,’ she said, once they were back in the laboratory.
‘Not much,’ Charlie replied. ‘Their main focus was in trying to understand the radiation and Lucy was clean. The one thing we do know is that the consciousness does not stick around for long outside of the body. Especially once the cord is cut.’
‘Does anybody know what happens to it?’
‘According to Dr Stark’s notes, and this is based upon observing both the infected and natural disembodiments...’
‘Natural disembodiments?’ she queried.
Charlie looked away, awkwardly avoiding her gaze.
‘You know – dead people.’
‘Oh.’
‘Exactly. It’s a sticky subject. Anyway, what we know is that disembodied consciousness’ seem drawn to one another. It’s almost as if the energy is magnetized. Once contact is made they appear to annihilate one another. My observations back in China corroborate this theory.’
‘So where do they go?’
‘Unknown. We don’t even know if they actually do go anywhere.’
‘They do – I’ve seen it. My father, Lucas, Sammy, even Pops – I saw them all cross over.’
‘Don’t get ahead of yourself.’ Charlie could see the conversation veering towards the idea of an afterlife and he was uncomfortable with the idea. ‘We experiment and we observe. Only when we have the data, do we start to theorise.’
‘So let’s go get the data.’
Chapter 47
The prospect of her first astral trip since leaving for Tibet made Emmy more than a little nervous. She had learnt so much more about herself in the intervening time and the things she was capable of frightened her. Both Charlie and Esteban had sworn not to reveal her ability to create the tulpa, but there would always be fear in the back of her mind that it would resurface when she least expected it. To try to prevent this she was experimenting with various forms of medication in the hope of suppressing her ability as best she could.
‘Are you ready?’ asked Charlie.
‘As I’ll ever be,’ she replied.
Although the pair had been reinstated to the program, the powers that be did not entirely trust them. Several new protocols had been put in place. No astral activity could be carried out without at least one lab assistant being present. There was also a network of security cameras set up around the laboratory, recording everything that took place therein.
‘You know, it feels a little lonely doing this on my own,’ she added. ‘The last time I took a trip, I had Esteban by my side. It was reassuring to have that level of backup.’
‘Well, he has an open invitation to return any time he wants,’ replied Charlie.
‘I can’t see it. He’s a protector not an explorer. Besides, I feel safer knowing guys like him are out there, fighting for a cause rather than an agenda.’
‘I know what you mean. Maybe we’ll be able to lend him a hand some time.’
Charlie set the output to maximum. Emmy could handle it and the more power at her disposal the better. With all of her experience she could achieve the separation as easily as taking a breath and she knew exactly where she was headed.
Her only lead as to what might have hap
pened to the disembodied consciousness’ of the townspeople was the town itself. The last time she travelled to Jackson’s Hill she had found dozens of ghostly spirits wandering the radiation-addled landscape. This time there was none. She was completely alone.
The only living energy sources were from the animals. As her consciousness drifted over the landscape, any creature in her way would move aside. That was the radiation in action. Only those that had been infected and subsequently altered by that fact could sense the presence of an astral being. In a way, she envied them. They were free in a way that she could barely comprehend.
What now?
She was not yet ready to return to her body. When in an astral state, her emotions would become disconnected. All fear and anxiety was kept at bay and she was able not to dwell on her problems. She wanted to hold onto this sense of release for a little while longer. The observatory still loomed large and a feeling that was not quite nostalgia drew her towards it. That was when she saw him.
He was standing at the entrance. When he did not immediately react to her, she concentrated on projecting a semblance of her physical appearance. This seemed to do the trick as her actions were met with a smile. Even in death, Jimmy had an aura of hopeful innocence about him. Once he was within touching distance, she reached out to him.
‘I never thought I would see you again,’ she said. ‘If I had known what was going to happen, we would have thought up a different solution. I am sorry’
‘There was no other solution and you have nothing to be sorry for,’ he replied. ‘Besides, death has not changed me too much.’
‘Sure, immortality and the ability to pass through matter and move freely through space and time are only minor differences.’
Her remark was met with confusion.
‘Okay,’ she added, ‘what I really want to know is - why are you still here? Without a cord, the other spirits should be aware of you. They will help you to cross over.’
‘I did see others, which is why I came here. The green mist keeps me hidden from them, I think.’
‘I don’t understand. Why would you want to remain hidden? Everybody crosses over. Even those, who, like you, were infected by the radiation. I came here to find them, but they have already gone.’
‘I know. That is why I waited. Now you are here, we can go together.’
If she could still feel her heart, it would have skipped a beat. She glanced down to make sure her cord was still attached.
It was.
‘I can’t go with you,’ she said. ‘I still have a life here. It’s not yet my time.’
‘You will return to that life. First though, you must come with me. Don’t ask me why, but it has to be this way. They need your help.’
Was he talking about the townspeople?
‘What about Lucy?’ she asked. ‘Does she need my help too?’
‘I can’t answer that.’
‘My spirit is still bound to my body. This may not even work.’
‘There is only one way to find out.’
Their entwined consciousness rose into the air. They drifted higher and higher into space. When the planet below them was nothing more than a dim after image and the toxic radiation long out of range, she could feel the opening beckoning them toward it.
She thought of home. She thought of her body laying peacefully at rest in the laboratory. Then she thought of Lucy.
‘I’m ready,’ she said.
In a flash, they were gone.
TO BE CONCLUDED...
Sapphire Sky
By
David Clarkson
Emmy has travelled through the wormhole in search of her lost love, Lucy. As she struggles to make sense of the world that exists beyond the physical, her lab partner, Charlie, works tirelessly to bring her consciousness back to her body.
The two scientists are finally applying their technology to its full potential, but they are about to discover that pushing the boundary of human achievement comes at a great cost. This time, the price may just be higher than either of them is prepared to pay...
Coming soon to paperback and digital.
About the Author
David Clarkson grew up in the North East of England, where he studied English Literature at the University of Sunderland. One day, following a drunken challenge from a friend, he bought a one-way ticket to Australia and spent the following three years travelling the world. Upon his return, he struggled to adapt to a normal life and sought solace in his own overactive imagination, where he remains to this day.
To learn more about David’s writing and what inspires him, you can follow his blog at
www.davidclarksonwriter.com
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The Outback
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Matt joins the outback harvest trail so that he can get another year added to his visa. When he arrives to find that drink, drugs and sex are just as easy to come by as they were on the coast, he thinks that the task ahead of him may not be as daunting as he initially feared. Of course, he is not counting on his new boss.
Rhett is a cruel and miserable Aussie farmer. He expects his workers to graft hard and to do exactly as he tells them. He also hides a deadly secret. Thirty years earlier he was involved in a terrible crime, the truth of which only he knows.
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Available now in paperback and as an e-book.
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Available now in paperback and as an e-book.
Emerald Sky Page 28