The Prophecies Trilogy (Omnibus Edition): A Dystopian Adventure

by Linda Hawley

  Chapter 30

  MOUNT ABU, INDIA

  The Year 2015

  The Amrit Vela bells rung me from my slumber at four.

  Can’t the Nectar Time come later in the morning? I thought as I pulled my bed covers aside.

  Dressed for the morning meditation in the casual and modest white linen clothing given to me upon my arrival, I stepped out of my small bedchamber and into the pre-dawn air. It smelled of fresh mountain air. Solar-powered lamps lit the way to the Universal Peace Hall. Chow met me on the pathway, also dressed in white.

  “Sleep well?” he asked.

  “Well enough. Still asleep, I think. Had a vivid dream.”

  He smiled. “Anything important?”

  “Don’t know yet. How was your sleep?”

  “I also had a vivid dream.”

  That woke me up. I put my hand on his arm, stopping both of us, and looked him in the eye. “Were you co-dreaming with me?”

  “You said I needed your permission, right?”

  “Yes. Thank you for respecting my wishes,” I said, and then we continued walking.

  After crossing the street from the University campus towards the Universal Peace Hall, we started to climb the many stairs, which certainly would rouse me. As we entered the hall, my first sensory encounter was with the slight aroma of incense.

  We met our GOG friends in the assembly hall and, along with the pilgrims, joined the meditation in the main hall.

  Afterward, I asked Chow, “How do you feel?”

  “I feel peaceful and invigorated, with my thinking clear and sharp.”

  “Hmm. I feel exactly the same way. I also don’t feel any need for caffeine.”

  “No Mountain Dew up here,” Chow said flatly.

  “I beg to differ,” I joked.

  He chuckled.

  We ate breakfast with many others, back at the University’s dining hall. I listened to the rhythm of the accents, trying to tune my ear. Everyone here seemed happy, and smiles were abundant, even at this early hour. After we ate, Chow and I split away into our private GOG group; there were five of us.

  The small white meeting room contained five white cushions prearranged in a circle on the floor. Along the wall was a small table with a glass pitcher of water, along with glasses. There was nothing else in the room except white curtains and the ceiling fan to move the air; it gave new meaning to minimalist. Chow and I sat next to one another, among our new friends. With all of us dressed in white, the only color in the room was our bodies and hair.

  “First of all, I want to thank you both for coming so far to meet with us. My colleagues and I only traveled from Mumbai,” Aarushi began with his thick accent.

  He seemed to be the leader of the three. Aarushi was the shortest, at only about five foot one, and had a squat body. With his wide black eyes, high forehead, and thick, wavy brown hair, he had a striking intensity. He looked to be in his fifties.

  “We’re happy to go where we’re needed,” I said simply.

  “Excuse me. May I ask, is this room secure?” Chow asked with concern.

  “We are thirteen hundred meters above the sea, surrounded by people on a spiritual journey, at a secluded institution that promotes spiritual understanding and is friendly to our organization,” Aarushi answered with facts, his face expressionless.

  “There is no threat here,” Shubham added, shaking his head. He was an inch taller than the leader, with jet-black hair shaved close to his head. His face was small—beady eyes, modest nose, minimal mouth—but Shubham had the thickest mustache I’d ever seen. He had a firm, fixed nature, and he appeared to be in his thirties.

  “They teach about the nature of the soul, God, and karma here,” Aahan softly chimed in, taking a spiritual tact. Being the tallest of the three at five foot six, Aahan had engaging hazel eyes, a dimpled smile, and an easy disposition. It was difficult to pinpoint how old he was, but I guessed him to be about my age. Aahan seemed to always speak about matters in a spiritual context and seemed quite peaceful and content, clearly a peacemaker.

  Chow and I looked at one another, saying nothing. These three were unlike most members of GOG in North America.

  “Let’s proceed, my friends,” Aarushi continued, certain they’d resolved Chow’s concerns. “There is a complex government problem that has become a crisis—that is why we have brought you here—to help us.” He seemed to wait for some acknowledgement.

  Both Chow and I nodded.

  “We are aware, Ann, of your spiritual gifts,” Aahan said, flashing his dimpled smile.

  “Spiritual gifts?” I asked him, uncertain.

  “Your gifts from God, my dear,” Aahan said, leaning forward.

  I nodded my head. It was just his choice of phrasing that I didn’t understand at first.

  “We believe your gifts can assist us in resolving our crisis,” said Aarushi.

  “What is the crisis?” Chow asked.

  “When our government created its human database by RFID chipping with biometric retinal scans and fingerprints, we knew that their intent was to control and track all Indian citizens. Earlier this year, however, our government began rationing the food of its people. Using their tracking database, each citizen is only allowed a certain amount of food each day, depending upon their height, weight, age, and occupation,” Aarushi explained.

  Chow and I looked at one another; neither of us had heard of this before now.

  “Of course, the wealthy obtain all the additional food they want on the black market, and the government turns its head. It has caused a great problem of malnutrition amongst the poor of our country. They only have enough food to remain alive—nothing more,” Shubham added.

  “What would you like us to do?” I asked compassionately.

  “You have spiritual gifts, my dear. You must learn how God wants you to use them. We met here at Mount Abu so that you would find clarity, through inspiration, to best help relieve the suffering of our people,” Aahan said, staring me down expectantly.

  “Can you give us details on how they’re storing the RFID and biometric data?” Chow asked.

  “Yes. We know a great deal—we have someone on the inside,” Aarushi confirmed.

  “Good. Why don’t we spend some time learning all you know?” Chow asked.

  For several hours, our GOG associates filled our brains with their knowledge about the Indian government’s operation, including the logistics. We didn’t yet have a plan of how to thwart their control of the food supply, but we did understand how they operated. It was enough to get Chow and I focused on creating solutions.

  Chapter 31

  INDIA

  The Year 2015

  “Do you think we’re in the right place?” I whispered to Chow.

  “Yes. I do not see how it could be any place else,” he said in my ear.

  “But they said there would be a guard here, and we walked right in.”

  “It is two a.m. Maybe the guard is taking an unauthorized nap,” Chow said with a wilting smile. “Let’s just look for the equipment.”

  We opened the door accessing the next room and immediately knew we were in the right place from the cold, air-conditioned room and the computer racks.

  “There it is,” he said gratefully.

  Excitedly, I replied, “Let’s do it.”

  Chow pulled up a computer chair and began to type on the keyboard. We had found the password in the director’s office, on a sticky paper under his desk blotter. Some things never changed with time. We memorized the passcode and left the paper where it was. If his superiors knew of the security breach, he’d be fired, but it was our goal to be invisible today. I saw Chow scanning the list of files, looking for the right one.

  “Got it,” he whispered.

  I handed him the USB thumb drive containing the virus.

  “Uploading,” Chow confirmed. “Five seconds…done.”

  He handed me back the small device, and I pocketed it. Chow returned the chair to its original po
sition and reset the keyboard as well. We stood back to make sure there was no indication of our presence. We backed out the door, closed it, and then went through the next room. Chow peeked out into the hall—still no guard. We left quietly. Once we were outside the building, we slipped back outside the perimeter fence and replaced the breached entry. Chow hacked back into the video and audio surveillance system, along with the motion detection controls, using his handheld and restarted the live feed. There would be no trace of our intrusion.

  “All done,” Chow announced with a smile.

  I returned his smile.

  “So all I do is remember that I have a body?” I asked him.

  “Yes. Just imagine what it feels like to breathe deeply in your physical body,” he told me reassuringly.

  Chapter 32

  MOUNT ABU, INDIA

  The Year 2015

  Feeling the heaviness of my chest, I breathed deeply, then looked over at Chow. He had also just awoken and smiled at me as he began to sit up.

  “Success?” I asked, sitting up as well.

  “I think so. Was it strange this time, having me there with you?”

  “You know, it really didn’t feel any different than when you were with me in Shanghai. It felt natural.”

  “That’s good. How was it coming back into your body this time?”

  “It felt heavier—like I was weighed down—but other than that, it was no different than waking up from a dream.”

  “I think our co-dreaming practice is paying off. We were both able to come back from the dream at the same time, whereas before, you were coming back after me.”

  “This time, doing a real operation felt different from our practice sessions. I can’t wait to find out tomorrow if we had success.”

  “Today is tomorrow,” Chow corrected me.

  “Yeah, but I meant when we wake up.”

  “Ann, the bell rings for Amrit Vela in two hours. I don’t know about you, but I have no plans to sleep before then.”

  “That makes sense. I couldn’t sleep now anyway.”

  “Technically, we already slept.”

  “Chow, please let your exactness rest for a moment,” I said in all seriousness.

  He looked down to our floor. We were silent for several minutes.

  I decided to change the subject. “I think these morning meditations are making a difference for me.”

  “A difference how?” he asked me.

  “Well…you know I’ve been meditating since the CIA first trained me. It’s been a long time practicing. But here, in this place, sitting quietly still while staring at a point of light, something is shifting in me. I feel a life force within me, a sense that I have come home, as though I’d forgotten where I lived.”

  I looked at Chow to see if he thought I sounded a little out there. Thankfully, he was tuned into my frequency, so I continued.

  “Ever since I unknowingly unsealed The Prophecies by bringing my childhood crystal back from the dream, I’ve felt the doorway between my subconscious and conscious reality open wider and wider. But since I’ve been meditating, I’m sensing integration between both. Things that used to be entirely subconscious, I’m now aware of.”

  “Can you give me an example?”

  I thought for a moment. “I’m starting to understand who I really am. I don’t mean maturing, like everyone does. This is more like pure knowledge coming to me that has been coded into my cells themselves.”

  “What is the knowledge?” he asked, my insight interesting him.

  I paused, trying to put it into words. “That I was sent into this world to fulfill a divine plan for me. I believe my purpose was to open The Prophecies and to use the power given me to change the world. Think about it, Chow…think about all the things that prepared me for this exact point in my life. My near-death experience as a child. Having a dad who taught me to cherish the earth and to seek spiritual guidance. Joining the Air Force and having the CIA choose me for a paranormal project from hundreds of thousands of others. Being offered a job with the CIA as a paranormal agent once my Air Force enlistment was up. Having you target me to co-dream with.” I paused. “Even Armond’s death—which was an indescribable loss—taught me to consider pursuing a spiritual life,” I said quietly. “None of this feels random to me anymore. I have a sense of real purpose and gratitude for being able to change the path of mankind for the good.”

  “I think the Nectar Time is good for you, Ann.”

  “I think you’re right. I know you already know…I’ve been dreaming of him more frequently since we’ve been up here.”

  “Yes,” he replied simply.

  “It feels like Armond is nearby. Like in the next room,” I said, amazed. “Why do you think that is?”

  Chow was silent for some time. “Not long before I left Korea as a teenager, we had many family members come to visit. Perhaps they knew Edwin and I were moving away. My uncle, whom I was very close to, came to visit. I always felt like he was a holy man of sorts. He sat down with me one night and spoke of twin flames—”

  “What are twin flames?” I asked, eager to know.

  “Patience, Ann, patience. Twin flames are literally the other half of our soul—”

  “Oh, you mean soulmates,” I said, interrupting again.

  “No, I do not,” he said sternly.

  Maybe I shouldn’t interrupt him anymore.

  “A human can have more than one soulmate, but there is only one twin flame. Most of us never meet our twin flame in this life. But sometimes, it does happen. Your twin flame is divine love—it is complete and unconditional.”

  I wanted to interrupt Chow, but instead I held my tongue and listed to him.

  “Through this unconditional love, you learn divine empathy. The empathy that you feel for your twin flame then extends to all of mankind, and then to creatures of the earth,” Chow added and then paused.

  He gave me a few moments to process what he had explained.

  “I believe Armond is your twin flame.”

  “You know, I’ve never seen another couple who had the kind of connection that he and I did. At first I thought it was just odd. But as time moved forward, I realized it was incredible.”

  “It is incredible. Uncle told me that twin flames have been known to help one another through the veil, after one has passed on to the world of spirits. Perhaps that is what you are feeling now. Maybe Armond is helping you to bring The Prophecies to pass.”

  Chow’s insight astonished me.

  “This is the first time I have seen you so surprised that you stopped speaking, Ann,” he teased me.

  I smiled, still processing all I had just learned from my friend.

  Chapter 33

  MOUNT ABU, INDIA

  The Year 2015

  We had our answer later that day as we met with the GOG trio. We resumed our same seating on the meeting-room floor, atop our cushions.

  “Initial reports are that your mission was a success,” Aarushi said with a smile.

  I sighed a breath of relief. “That’s very good news.”

  “How was it confirmed?” Chow asked.

  “It’s just as you said,” Shubham replied. “The virus you planted changed the formula that computes rations for the people. We’ve received reports from a number of GOG contacts throughout India already. Food allotments have increased.”

  Chow and I looked at one another, and we smiled in satisfaction.

  Success, I thought excitedly.

  “But what if they discover the virus? Can’t it simply be quarantined?” Shubham challenged us.

  Chow quickly answered. “Much like living organic viruses, this virus self-replicates using a hidden code within the system—”

  “Won’t the government’s software find your virus at some point?” Shubham said, interjecting.

  “The only way to insert this type of virus is into the server itself. Otherwise, it would have been caught by their virus defense network. It is now fully concealed,” Chow in
formed Shubham.

  “I can’t believe that’s possible,” the naysayer said grimly.

  “You see, Shubham, our virus self-replicates randomly. So it is impossible to track. Some of the people will have more rations one day, and then others will have increased rations on another day. It is like a moving target. I expect that the government will have no idea that they even have a problem, until they start to see their hoard of food diminishing faster than what they had originally computed. At first they will likely assume that government workers are stealing it to re-sell the food on the black market. That could go on for some time,” Chow explained, trying to reassure Shubham.

  “What you’ve done here is magnificent,” Aarushi said appreciatively.

  Aahan chimed in. “I agree. On behalf of the people of India, I thank you both for what you’ve done.”

  Shubham remained silent; he seemed ever the skeptic.

  “My friends, I believe our work here is done,” Aarushi announced.

  Chow and I looked at one another; we didn’t expect that. We looked back at the three.

  Shubham added, “Of course, if you have more time, I’d like you to go back in time and change my stock portfolio.” He then laughed obnoxiously.

  “Shubham!” Aarushi scolded him, while Aahan looked at his feet.

  Shubham promptly stopped laughing, but he didn’t look remorseful.

  Aahan looked up at Chow and me. “Again, we are grateful for your travel all this way and for what you have done. I am certain God is happy,” he said, nodding to us in gratitude.