Petre returned to the living room and sat down on the couch next to his sleeping little girl. Now what? He asked himself. This isn’t so hard, I wonder why women are always complaining about how much work children are? They seem pretty simple to me.
Now that he had all of his supplies ready, he could not think of any reason to hang out in this stupid little town. He had places to go, cargo to sell, and people to avoid! He gently picked Jena up and cradled her in his left arm. Walking carefully he made his way out to the telepod. He went to put her down when he realized he had no place to keep Jena without having to worry about her falling and getting hurt. With her still in his arm, he went back into the house to look for something to put Jena in during the transport.
Finally, in the bedroom, he found a laundry basket which would be a perfect vessel to hold her. He dumped out the dirty clothes with his free hand and carried it back to the telepod. He set the basket on the floor and awkwardly arranged several towels onto the bottom. He set Jena onto the makeshift bed and fussed with it a little longer.
Satisfied that he could do no better, Petre palmed the side door shut and moved into the operator seat. He activated the telepod and then realized he had no way to open the garage door from inside his purloined transportation. Leaving it running, he palmed open the door and jumped out. He took the several steps necessary to press the garage door button and then hurried back to the ‘pod. With alacrity, he gingerly moved the telepod onto the waiting platform outside. He concentrated on his destination coordinates, set his hand on the control module, and blinked out of Kirma forever he hoped.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bryon was in the air for only a couple minutes as he noticed a telepod leaving a garage a few streets over from his current location. This would not have been such an unusual sight; however, Bryon was fairly sure he saw the number thirteen written on the roof of the telepod just as it blinked out of sight.
Personal telepods were not numbered only corporate telepods were, like the one that went missing a couple of days before from their own shipping yard. He directed his telepod to hover over the driveway from where the telepod had disappeared. He noted the address and called over to his shipping yard as he settled his telepod onto the ground.
“Kirma Shipping and Receiving, this is Frasnia, can I help you?”
“Frasnia, this is Bryon. Can you look up Ninan’s address for me?”
“Sure thing, Bryon, just one second.” She came back a moment later and said, “His address is Thursto Block 43-3. What’s going on, Bryon?”
Nodding confirmation, Bryon replied to Frasnia, “I think I just saw our missing telepod leave his driveway. Can you begin a focused search on the beacon signal from that telepod? Thanks, Frasnia, I have to go now.” Without waiting for a reply, Bryon changed the radio frequency back to 7-4-6 and said, “Officers, please initiate a search for Jena’s abductor at Thursto Block 43-3. I just saw a stolen telepod leaving this address.”
Within a few minutes, several authorities converged on the house where Bryon was waiting in the entry of his telepod. The officials were able to confirm the front door was forcibly entered which also confirmed Bryon’s growing suspicion that Ninan was also in trouble. If Ninan had been a party to the abduction, he would have let Petre into his house without damage to the entrance.
He flagged an official and stated, “One of Kirma Shipping’s telepods went missing last week as well as the shipment and operator. I now believe that Petre MacVeen somehow stole the shipment and either abducted or killed the operator. I have our office tracing the beacon signals for both the freighter and personal telepods that are missing.”
“That’s good information,” the official stated as he continued to make notes on his scratch pad. “Can I have your name as well?”
“Sure, I’m Bryon Kesh. Jena’s father.”
“Okay,” replied the official as he wrote the provided information and turned to his partner, “Let everyone know we are now looking for a stolen freighter with cargo, a personal telepod, an operator, as well as Jena. Kirma Shipping is tracking both of the telepod beacons and will let us know if they receive any information.” The officer looked significantly at Bryon who nodded confirmation immediately. “Bryon, why don’t you come down to the station and file an official theft report while my men search the house for any clues as to where the abductor might have taken Jena.”
Bryon acquiesced and turned to enter his telepod. He had a sinking feeling he was not going to see Jena again that day, and he fervently hoped Petre would not harm her. Visualizing the coordinates for the station, Bryon completed the start up sequence and blinked out of the driveway.
Chapter Eleven
JASMINE KNEW WHAT Dr. Gascon would make of her latest notes. She sat across from him in their daily consultation of Amanda’s progress.
“It seems significant to me that Amanda would continue to villainize this Petre fellow. It seems he might be the key to finding out the truth. I’m also intrigued by the fact she feels the need to divide up her children as though she feels she’s been left out of her own family structure.”
Jasmine nodded noncommittally while she waited for Stephen to continue to psychoanalyze her notes.
“Also, Ninan appears to be working both sides, but Amanda feels as though he can be of help in her delusions. Make a note to follow up on him as well. What I find most insightful is that she’s maintaining the stories of the people in Tuala when she’s obviously safely home with her family. I think she is displaying a lot of guilt by insisting on returning to Tuala. She must really want to get Nealand out of what could possibly be a dangerous situation. Do you agree?”
“Absolutely, Dr. Gascon. My thoughts exactly.” She could barely choke the words out. If Dr. Gascon were not so respected in his field of medicine, Jasmine would wonder about his sanity. How could he not see there may be more truth to Amanda’s story than any of them may know? What if Tuala really were a real place? Who were they to say that Amanda had to be delusional to have these memories?
“I have the rest of the morning free. Are you meeting with Amanda right now?”
“Yes, she’ll be brought to my office in about five minutes.”
“Good, I’ll sit in on this session. Let’s walk to your office now and wait for her. I’d like to get some answers today.” Dr. Gascon stood up from behind his massive mahogany desk and tapped the stack of paper notes before setting them precisely on the edge of his tabletop.
With no other choice, Dr. Medin rose from her chair and nodded affirmation at Dr. Gascon’s request. She could hardly tell the Cannon Memorial Asylum Director of Psychiatry that she did not want him interrupting her patient’s session. Her only solace was that she had already programmed Amanda to ignore any further post-hypnotic suggestions. Dr. Gascon’s visit would not impede Amanda’s progress, maybe just slow it down a little.
They met the attendant and Amanda in the hall on their way to the office. Jasmine thanked the attendant and Amanda walked with the two doctors into Dr. Medin’s office.
“Amanda, as you can see, Dr. Gascon has once again requested to participate in your session today. He has reviewed your file and has a few questions he would like to have answered while you are under hypnosis. Please take a seat and we’ll get started right away.”
Amanda trusted Dr. Medin to keep her safe from Dr. Gascon now so she complied quickly. She closed her eyes and nodded her head indicating her readiness.
“We’re going to continue where we left off last time, Amanda. Please take a deep cleansing breath and release it slowly. You are feeling warm, safe, and secure. Good. Now another deep inhalation…”
Amanda sat with her parents in Shemalla’s living room for the second time within a week. She was excited to hear any news which Shemalla might have learned regarding her return to Tuala. Their host seemed hesitant to start the conversation which everyone was waiting to discuss. Amanda decided to break the tension and ask, “Have you heard anything from the Elders about my bein
g transferred to Tuala?”
“About that,” Shemalla started but then paused as she looked first at Amanda, then Diane and finally Chris before she hesitantly began again, “I haven’t found a good enough reason to explain to Elder Vargen why you would want to come without raising his interest in your journey. He is one of the founders of the Old Soul Engineering Facility and would be the first person to apprehend you. His questioning techniques are very thorough, and I fear anyone who may have helped you in the past would be in danger.” She looked down into her lap at her clasped hands. “I may have given you false hope when I said I thought I could get you passage into Tuala.”
“Oh,” was all Amanda could come up with as a response. She could understand the position in which she had put Shemalla. Now that it was explained she should have known it would be this complicated. “Are you saying that it’s impossible except by accident?”
“I’m not saying it’s impossible…just more challenging, possibly dangerous.”
“Now, wait a minute,” Chris interrupted, “We just got Amanda back from what we feared was death, we are not about to put her in danger just so she might be able to travel to Tuala. It’s just not worth it!”
“Not worth it? My children are still on Tuala, and they are worth everything to me!”
Chris raised his hands conciliatorily as he spoke, “I understand your feelings, Amanda. We need to find an alternative which will pose the least amount of risk.”
“That’s right,” interjected Shemalla. “There are other possibilities which we should seriously explore.”
“Okay,” Diane finally spoke, “Let’s talk about Amanda’s other, less dangerous, options.”
“Right,” Shemalla said. “Remember how I told you that there are many gates into Tuala here on Earth which have no need of being guarded since Earth beings have no understanding of how or where to cross over?”
The three guests all nodded with renewed excitement evident on their expressions.
“This is where it will get tricky,” she continued, “We will need to find a gate, closest to your children, which is not monitored by an Elder. To do this, I will have to conduct some covert research. I don’t mean to offend any of you, but in good conscience, I will only be able to share that information with Amanda since she is the only one of you who has been to Tuala. Actually, I shouldn’t even be offering to help Amanda since she’s an Earth resident and not a Tualan. You must understand?”
“I don’t like it,” Chris began after looking at his wife, “but I do understand.”
“Would you like Chris and me to leave?” Diane asked quietly.
“I think that might be for the best,” Shemalla answered with a sad shake of her head. “I’m so sorry,” she said as the couple across from her rose from the couch.
“Don’t think anything of it,” Chris said. He thought he would probably be able to talk to Amanda when she was through talking with Shemalla. Amanda never kept secrets from them. She would need their help to get wherever she was going to have to go anyway. He told himself it was just a minor inconvenience that he would not be a participant in the fascinating conversation which was about to occur.
Shemalla walked them to the front door and bade them a good evening. She assured them that she would not be too long talking with Amanda this evening. She would bring her back to the hotel when they had put together an initial plan of action.
Shemalla watched the couple walk down her sidewalk and then get into their vehicle. She waited at the front door until they drove away before she shut her front door. Slowly, she turned back to go into the living room not knowing exactly what would happen tonight.
Amanda looked up expectantly when Shemalla entered the living room and sat down on the couch which her parents had just vacated. “What’s next?”
“Well,” Shemalla began slowly as she reached into the front pocket of her pants. Her fingers pulled a chain out which contained a beautiful white crystal. She noted the expression on Amanda’s face and asked, “Do you know what this is?”
“Sure, it’s your birth crystal.”
“That’s true, this is the crystal that was given to me at my birthing ceremony, but it’s also something more. Do you know what that is?”
“I guess not,” Amanda said with some hesitation. “What is it?”
“As an adult, the crystal becomes something more than a form of protection. This white diamond amplifies my abilities even while I’m here on Earth. One of my abilities is to teleport without the aid of machinery.” She waited a moment to see if Amanda could see any benefit of this ability for herself.
“I guess you’d save a lot of money on airfare then,” Amanda quipped. She still did not understand how this would benefit her situation and said as much to Shemalla.
Shemalla continued on as though she were not concerned with Amanda’s confusion, “It also gives me the ability to erase memories from people around me.” Now she noted a look of fear on Amanda’s face.
“Please don’t make me forget about my children,” Amanda begged.
“Oh, I’d never do that,” she corrected immediately. She was sorry she had given the wrong impression to Amanda. “I only meant to say that I will have to take back from you our conversation tonight so you won’t be able to share it with your parents. I know your father is a very curious man, and I don’t want you to be in an uncomfortable situation with his questioning.”
“Oh,” Amanda sighed in relief and continued, “That makes sense. Do you have a plan in mind for getting my children back?”
“I’m still working on it,” Shemalla admitted. “This is a very complicated situation, and I really do care about your safety first.”
“Okay, where do we start?”
“First, you must allow me to condition your brain to only remember our conversation when we are together. That way we won’t have to start over every time we meet, but you will be safe from your parents or any Elder who might question you.”
“Wow! That must be powerful if it can override an Elder’s questions. I had been led to believe they are almost omnipotent.”
“It only works if you agree to my conditions, Amanda,” Shemalla replied with a smile. “I promise I won’t take any other memories from you. Will you agree to let me continue?”
“I guess I have to if I’m going to get your help. I also don’t want to put you in any danger with the Elders for trying to help me.”
“Perfect,” Shemalla smiled at Amanda and said, “Now if you’ll just lie back on the couch and get comfortable.” She waited for Amanda to comply before she continued, “Without moving your head, just watch the crystal as it swings on the chain. Do not take your eyes from the crystal. Good. Perfect.”
Shemalla continued to gently turn the pendant in a circular motion as she concentrated on the elemy inside of her birth crystal. She had had many years of familiarity with her crystal and understood its resources intimately. With a practiced mind, Shemalla focused the energy through her crystal and gently moved it into a section of Amanda’s thoughts. She could see a change in Amanda’s expression and knew that her conditioning was successful. Now she would be able to share anything with Amanda without fear of repercussions.
“Okay,” Shemalla crooned as she used her other hand to cradle her necklace and set it down on the coffee table next to them. “You can sit up now if you like.”
“That’s it?” Amanda asked with incredulity.
“Yep, your cooperation made it very quick and easy.”
“What else are these stones able to do?” Amanda asked with fascination as she leaned forward to look more closely at Shemalla’s crystal on the table.
“Feel free to pick it up.”
Amanda did so with alacrity. She was surprised that it was warm to the touch even though it was on a cool table. “Does the energy inside it keep it warm or is it your own energy?”
“I think it’s both really,” she answered with a thoughtful expression. “It’s not really a crystal at
all, you know. It’s a white diamond. All of the birth crystals are indeed gemstones even though we call them crystals. There is powerful energy contained in each stone depending on the cut, the setting, and the wearer. The potential power is why it’s so important that the correct stone be assigned to each person at their birthing ceremony.”
“That makes sense, Alena had to request a particular stone for one of my daughters at their birthing ceremony.”
“What stone did she require that Alena didn’t already have?” She had never heard of a stone needing to be requested.
“It was a black diamond,” she replied offhandedly while still inspecting the crystal in her hand. She missed Shemalla’s expression of concern.
“What was your other daughter’s stone?”
“Juila’s was a deep red ruby color, but Alena had that one in her ceremonial box,” she said as she looked up at Shemalla.
“That color is still not very common,” Shemalla spoke softly before continuing, “Are you sure you want to bring your children back here? Maybe you could just watch over them with their crystals.”
“I’ve tried that already. I can’t see anything at all. Are you saying there may be some danger in bringing them home?” Shemalla’s idea that they remain in Tuala caused Amanda to despair that they might not be able to come back. She could feel an element of anxiety begin to grow inside of her mind.
“That’s one way to look at it.”
She considered her next statement before she decided she should probably just get everything out into the open. “The stones given to your children mean they will face great danger in their lives. The deeper the color, the more protection is offered. The black diamond is the darkest possible for birthstones. It could mean that they will be seriously hurt or killed if you attempt to bring them across to Earth. It may also mean that if they are left in Tuala, they will be in grave danger all of their lives. It’s a hard decision you must make and one that I don’t envy you.”
Ascension Discovery Page 40