Dreamstone

by Ben L. Hughes

  “Hi, I am Matt… are you Angelia?”

  “Yes,” she replied. “You are welcome to come in if you would like.”

  “Thanks, it’s nice to finally meet you,” he said as he sat down on the overstuffed chair near the balcony.

  “You are very clever,” Angelia said with a smile. “I had the most outrageous dream last night, but I bet you already know this don’t you?”

  “What happened?” he asked hoping she would say more so he could be certain she was telling the truth.

  “I met your friend Helios, and all I can say is wow!”

  “What did Helios look like,” Matt asked as a final test.

  “Reptile-like,” she replied.

  “Well, I see the dreamstone worked on you,” Matt admitted.

  “It sure did, and we need to get moving on this right away. I would like to call an old friend of mine who can help,” Angelia suggested.

  “Who?” Matt asked in a reluctant tone.

  “Congressman Anderson, he has been a long time champion of the space program and I believe he will be our best bet if we have to challenge the Department of Defense,” she said optimistically.

  “Do you think you can trust him with something this unique?” Matt asked.

  “Yes, I have worked with him in the past on some pretty radical projects. He is one of the few politicians that has integrity and is not afraid to stand up for issues he is passionate about,” Angelia insisted.

  “How do we meet with him?” Matt asked.

  “Let me give him a call and see what I can do,” Angelia said as she pulled her cell phone from her purse. Matt got up and went outside the room so she could have some privacy. After a few minutes Angelia came out holding a piece of paper with some notes scribbled on it. “He is in San Francisco, but after some arm twisting I have convinced him to fly up here later today. I realize you have been harassed by the military, and I also understand the importance of keeping the dreamstone safe, so if you’re not comfortable meeting with him, let me know.”

  “You trusted me enough to come all this way, the least I can do is meet with your trusted friend,” Matt replied.

  “The congressman is going to call me when he lands, but we need to decide where you would like to meet him. I’ll leave it up to you since you know the area,” Angelia claimed.

  “There is a Public Library near the airport. Do you know what time he is planning to arrive?” Matt asked.

  “He should be here around 3:30 pm,” she replied after looking down at the piece of paper in her hand.

  “Okay, if he is coming around 3:30, than we should plan to meet him at the library around 4:00. That would give everyone time to find the library and allow for some wiggle room in case he is late,” Matt suggested.

  “That sounds good to me,” Angelia replied.

  “Thanks again for coming here and for setting up the meeting with your friend. I guess Helios must have made quite an impression on you?” Matt commented.

  “He sure did, and once he explained the dangers of hyper-reality to me, I knew I had to help. Just being able to communicate with an alien species has profoundly changed my outlook on our space program. I can’t thank you enough for bringing me in and trusting me. I will do everything I can to help,” she promised.

  “It certainly has changed my life too,” Matt added in a tone that conveyed a mixture of feelings. “I am going to take care of a few things, but I look forward to meeting your friend, and I hope we can convince him to help us.”

  “I think he will,” Angelia added as she headed back to her room.

  “How did it go?” Melissa asked when Matt returned.

  “It went great. Helios made contact with Angelia and now she is eager to help. She has set up a meeting with a friend of hers who is a Congressman, and is willing to take on the Department of Defense if he believes us,” Matt said with a hopeful smile.

  “It seems like things are starting to fall into place,” Melissa remarked.

  Chapter 23

  Matt and Melissa waited outside the library until a black Escalade limo pulled to the front step and parked. A moment later, the limo driver came around to the side door and opened it, revealing Angelia and a well-dressed man who was obviously the Congressman.

  “Hi Matt, this is my friend Congressman Anderson,” Angelia announced. Matt shook his hand and then introduced Melissa to them.

  “There’s a nice quiet area inside the library that we can go to and sit, if that’s okay?” Matt suggested.

  “Sure, lead the way,” the congressman replied.

  After everyone was seated, the Congressman looked over at Matt and said, “You have twenty minutes... what evidence do you have to justify an investigation into the Department of Defense?”

  “What has Angelia told you so far?” Matt asked.

  “She said the Department is secretly developing a technology that will revolutionize space travel,” he replied in a deep resonating voice.

  “Well, we have two different types of evidence. The dreamstone, which is like a communication device that Angelia has experienced first-hand. Since she knows how it works, I’ll skip over that since we have limited time. Angelia can give you those details later. The item that I think would be of the most use to you is a journal from a retired sailor that Melissa and I recently met. He served on the U.S.S. Eldridge nearly sixty years ago when it was used to test the radar invisibility technology. During the last test, something went terribly wrong and the crewmen on the ship became ill and some even died. It was called Dark Shadow, have you ever heard of it?” Matt asked.

  “I remember reading that the Eldridge was caught in a severe electrical storm and several sailors were struck by lightning. I think a couple of them were killed and a few others received medical discharges,” Congressman Anderson declared.

  Matt sighed, “We have evidence to the contrary.” Then he reached into his backpack and pulled out the leather-bound notebook and slid it across the table. The Congressman opened it up and started to read some of the entries. Matt looked on trying to gauge his reaction. The Congressman paused after a few minutes and looked over at Angelia, “You didn’t mention this book when we talked.”

  “I didn’t know about it,” she replied, looking a bit confused as she looked over and read a couple of the entries.

  “Angelia, I didn’t mention the notebook because I wasn’t sure how far I could trust you. As I mentioned before, the military has tried to take away anything that leads back to the hyper-dimension project. As you can see, that notebook all but proves that the Department of Defense’s story about what happened on the U.S.S. Eldridge is a farce. There are twenty-two entries from the crew of that ship recalling the events surrounding the ‘accident’, and their encounters with the beings who helped them after it. Now that you have read some of the first-hand accounts of what the sailors went through, can you help us?” Matt asked.

  The Congressman took a few deep breaths and then looked Matt straight in the eyes, “Tell me exactly how all these events are connected together. I am still a little unclear on some of the details.”

  “As best as we can figure, the crew of the U.S.S. Eldridge was exposed to some kind of powerful electromagnetic field experiment that was designed to make the ship radar invisible. The thing is, the experiment worked too well. The ship not only became radar invisible, it also shifted into another dimension and then shifted back a few minutes later. The problem was, the experiment had unintended consequences that severely impacted the crew. Some of them were killed instantly, others were partially fused with ship, and several more slowly lost their grip on reality. When the ship shifted from our reality into the other dimension, it did not go unnoticed. An alien race came to investigate the energy signal generated by the inter-dimensional shift, and when they saw the suffering of the sailors, they offered their help. Then they left after they saw that we were still decades away from using the technology to travel out of our solar system. The military has spent the last six
ty years developing the technology. Now that they are on the verge of success, the aliens have returned because there are significant risks involved with shifting between dimensions. The aliens believe that we need their help transitioning into the galactic community, and they are very concerned that this technology, if used indiscriminately, could lead to irreparable damage to our species or others. Basically they don’t want the technology to be used as a weapon, and if left in the hands of our military, the risk is that it will be,” Matt explained.

  “What is your impression of this?” he asked as he looked over at Angelia.

  “Everything he just said I also believe to be true. The significance of this new technology is unimaginable, and the consequences for its misuse are equally dramatic,” Angelia replied.

  “So how does the technology work?” he asked while still looking at Angelia.

  “From what we have learned from the aliens, space travel as we know it is about to be revolutionized, and NASA, not the Department of Defense, should lead up this project,” Angelia asserted.

  Congressman Anderson sighed and seemed to be pondering his options as everyone sat quietly waiting for his response.

  “I would like to point out that any aerospace project, secret or not, falls under Executive Order 12591, Section 2, which allows NASA to participate in any relevant technological advances under the Technology Share Program, and Section 5, which mandates Technology Transfers from the Department of Defense,” Angelia added.

  “I am familiar with that order. However, it was not drafted to act as a blanket, and its scope is limited by National Security considerations. The Executive Order was enacted primarily as a tool to gather and share technological advances and information between governmental agencies. Applying the law to expose a secret project could be very difficult to justify to the other members of congress,” he contended.

  “That might be true, but either way, we believe the Department of Defense is ignoring the considerable risks associated with their hyper-reality experiments,” Angelia added.

  “Your point is well taken and I appreciate you bringing this matter to my attention. I ask that you give me some time to consider this issue and all of the ramifications associated with it. In the meantime, I must insist that you keep this to yourselves,” Congressman Anderson replied.

  Matt and Melissa nodded in agreement, but Angelia could see there was an obvious look of disappointment in their eyes. The Congressman also noticed it and closed his briefcase signaling the end of the discussion.

  “I am sorry I have to rush off, but I’m due back in Washington D.C. tonight,” he said with a forced smile as he got up from the table and started to leave.

  Angelia lingered behind for a moment and whispered, “Don’t worry, I will talk to him. I still think he is going to help us,” she whispered.

  “Thanks, Matt replied. Angelia nodded and then waved good-by as she headed out after the congressman.

  “What do think?” Melissa asked, knowing Matt was mulling things over in his head.

  “I don’t know,” Matt replied hesitantly. “Things just didn’t work out the way I envisioned it. I wanted the Congressman to spend the night here so he would have had a chance to experience the dreamstone for himself. The notebook is a great piece of evidence, but the dreamstone provides the real proof behind the story.”

  “At least Angelia is on our side. Hopefully she can win the congressman over,” Melissa added.

  “I know, it’s just that things were going so well, I would hate for them to fall apart now,” Matt remarked with long face.

  Chapter 24

  Matt and Melissa spent the next few days trying to go about their daily lives, but in the back of their minds, they were eager to hear some news. Finally on Monday, Matt could not take the waiting game any longer and called Angelia’s work number. ‘Hello, you have reached Angelia Aether, please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you.’ Matt hung up and then decided to call Angelia’s sister’s house, hoping she might be there. An impersonal pre-recoded message, prompted Matt to leave a message. “Hi, this is Matt calling for Angelia; I just wanted to see how things were going, please have her contact me as soon as possible.”

  For the remainder of the day, an uneasy feeling kept him wondering why he could not reach Angelia. Despite his best efforts, his mind kept playing out improbable fatalistic scenarios which made him feel increasingly anxious.

  When he got home after school, Melissa met him at the door with a welcoming hug.

  “Hi,” she said with a warm smile that quickly faded as her eyes met his. “What’s wrong?” she quickly asked.

  “I called Angelia, but I couldn’t reach her at work or at her sister’s house,” he replied.

  “I wouldn’t worry too much,” Melissa said in a reassuring tone. “Why don’t you come sit next to me on the couch, and we’ll watch some TV, that always takes your mind off of things.”

  Melissa flipped through the channels until she saw a picture of Angelia followed by the headline; “Missing Person”. She and Matt both gasped as they looked on in disbelief: “Our top story tonight is the disappearance of Angelia Aether. She was reported missing on Sunday by her sister in Huston, Texas. The police have not ruled out foul play and said that her travel logs indicated that she flew to Crescent City on business last Friday. Please call the police if you have any information leading to her whereabouts. Now we are turning to Peter Anton who is in Washington D.C. with more breaking news.”

  “Thanks Laura, we just received word that Congressman Mike Anderson suffered a heart attack on his way home from the capital building today. The Congressman was rushed to George Washington University Hospital and his condition is listed as guarded,” the reported said.

  “Oh my god,” Melissa cried. “That can’t be a coincidence, can it?”

  “No...” Matt replied as his stomach knotted up into a ball, making him feel nauseous. Then he jerked suddenly, startled by his cell phone ringing.

  “Hello?” he answered in a nervous voice.

  “Matt, it’s me, the host of Dark Matters... have you seen the news today?” Alex asked in a worried tone.

  “I just saw it,” Matt replied, sounding panicked. “Melissa and I met with both of them on Saturday, what the hell is going on?”

  “Calm down, I have a friend of yours with me...I’ll put her on,” Alex said in reassuring tone.

  “Hi Matt, don’t worry I’m all right,” Angelia announced.

  “Oh thank god you’re ok! The news said you were missing, what happened to you?” Matt asked, sounding relieved and concerned.

  “I’m sorry about that. There was an attempt on Congressman Anderson’s life and I went into protective custody. Apparently your friend Alex is very well connected,” she exclaimed.

  “The news reported that he had a heart attack?” Matt questioned.

  “That is just a cover story,” Angelia replied. “There was actually an attempt on his life, but they have a lead on the perpetrator. The whole situation is unraveling fast and nobody connected to the case is safe. The good news is that Congressman Anderson uncovered a wealth of information about Dark Shadow and its modern day version called ‘New Frontier’. I think the Congressman caught the Department of Defense off-guard, and now they are trying to cover up their tracks. I don’t think the Department of Defense realized how fast Congressman Anderson was going to act once he uncovered the truth about their project. Unfortunately, you and Melissa are still in danger. Arrangements have been made to get both of you into protective custody. The pick-up person will say a password, so don’t go with anyone else. It is voluntary, but I highly recommend you take advantage of this,” Angelia insisted.

  “What’s the password?” Matt asked.

  “Since we don’t know if your cell phone is not secure or not, I won’t say it, but rest assured you will know it when you hear it. Alex and I have to go, but good luck and be careful,” Angelia said before getting off the phon
e.

  “What’s going on?” Melissa asked after she was trying to listen in.

  “Angelia, is safe, but we may not be. One of Alex’s insiders has made arrangements for us to go into protective custody until this blows over... it’s voluntary though,” Matt remarked.

  “I think that is a good idea, as long as we can stay together,” Melissa insisted.

  “Absolutely, we won’t go unless they can promise that,” Matt promised.

  “Did I hear correctly that there was an assassination attempt on the Congressman?” Melissa asked, seeming unnerved by the escalation of violence.

  “Apparently so…I am so sorry that I have placed us in such peril,” Matt confessed.

  “It’s not your fault,” Melissa replied. “They have kept a pretty low profile up to now. I guess the Congressman must have dug up some pretty damaging information, and that their backs are against the wall. They are taking it to the next level.”

  “Yeah, this isn’t fun anymore,” Matt said being facetious. Then he went into their bedroom and started packing some clothes for their departure.

  “When are they coming to pick us up?” Melissa asked.

  “Pretty soon from the sound of it,” he replied.

  “Do you think Greg is in any danger?” Melissa questioned.

  “I doubt that he is of much consequence to them,” Matt replied.

  “True,” Melissa agreed, thinking back about her friendship with Greg and realizing it had never been that meaningful.

  After Matt finished packing their things, he waited in the front room, keeping an eye out for their ride. Melissa added a few more things to the suitcase and then came over and sat next to him.

  “I wonder where they will take us?” Melissa said.

  “I don’t know,” Matt replied.

  “What do we tell our families?” Melissa asked.

  “I’m not sure how all of this works, but our families would want us to be safe above all else, and that’s what we’re doing,” Matt remarked.