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.
‘What’re you doing?’ Jimmy asked in astonishment, but not with any real concern.
‘Could you see what I was about to do?’ she asked.
‘No,’ he replied. ‘I saw what I was about to do and then I did it.’
‘It worked!’ she exclaimed with joy.
‘What worked?’
‘This is brilliant,’ she said, ignoring his question. ‘I think I’ve found your trigger. There’s only one way to be certain and for that we need to make a little trip outside.’
‘I don’t understand what you mean. What is a trigger – are you talking about a gun?’
‘Of course I’m not talking about a gun. A trigger is what makes the visions manifest themselves. When I threw the first apple it caught you by surprise, but when I aimed the second one directly at you, you saw it coming. The only difference was the element of danger or threat. I think that if you’re placed in danger the visions will activate as a form of survival instinct. If we can confirm this hypothesis then we may be able to come up with a predictive theory.’
‘Okay, but why are you taking me outside – are you looking for rocks to throw at me?’
‘No, not rocks. I’m hoping to find a snake.’
Even after what followed, the boy had been unfazed and she hoped he retained that same spirit in the present. The Americans may have thought they had him under control, but she knew differently. With Jimmy, everything happened for a reason. His visions always served a greater purpose. With each passing day they were getting closer to discovering what that purpose would ultimately be.
Chapter 16
The laboratory was designed to mirror the one she had used at the observatory in Jackson’s Hill. In fact, much of the technological parts of the new machine had been taken directly from the original. It did, however, come complete with a vastly superior computing setup. No expense had been spared in providing her with the tools she needed to recreate a fully functioning astral projection unit.
To aid in her work she had been assigned two lab technicians and a senior scientist named Dr Constance Stark. The newcomers had all been prepped and she was impressed with the knowledge they displayed of her previous research. She saw no reason why they could not have a prototype up and running by the end of the week. Provided that was, that there were no clashes of personality.
Dr Stark was twenty years older than Emmy and attractive with it. She had shoulder length blonde hair (not unlike Lucy’s), a trim healthy figure and exuded the kind of sexual confidence that only comes with maturity. There was also a strange familiarity about her, which gave Emmy an unshakable feeling of déjà vu. Her new lab partner may have met the academic requirements for the job, but Emmy wondered if she had been recruited with an altogether different selection criteria in mind.
‘We’re really very excited to have you here,’ said one of the lab rats, a geeky English kid named Paul. ‘I can’t believe that I’ve finally gotten to meet the granddaughter of the famous Jackson Fox.’
Emmy scowled at her subordinate.
‘Infamous would be a better word to describe him,’ she told the tech. ‘I’d prefer it if you didn’t mention his name again. Do you understand?’
‘Sorry,’ the tech replied.
The other technician, Peter, let out an amused giggle, which was quickly cut off by a stern look of disapproval from Dr Stark.
‘Please forgive the impropriety of youth,’ she said. ‘I assure you that what they lack in discipline, they more than make up for with their abilities.’
‘If youth were to blame, then I would be just as guilty,’ Emmy replied. ‘However, I am well aware of the damage that gossip and rumour mongering can do. If I cannot trust my team, I will request another one. Is that clear, Dr Stark?’
‘Please, call me Connie.’ Her tone was over confident and condescending, or maybe it was just Emmy’s paranoia making it appear that way. ‘I assure you there will be no problems with our working together,’ she continued, before then directing her attention toward Peter and Paul. ‘With any of us working together.’
The two of them looked down at their feet like a pair of naughty schoolboys. Emmy did not think they would pose any real trouble, but it was vital that she ensured her authority was felt from the beginning. Her influence had already been compromised by the fact she was essentially a prisoner,
whilst her team were free to come and go as they saw fit. Establishing her seniority was the key to retaining what little power she still had. If anything, being mentored by her grandfather had taught her the importance of discipline – a lesson she expected to call upon often in the coming weeks.
‘In that case, as long as you all do as I instruct (she made a point of looking at Dr Stark when saying this), we should get along just fine. I’ll need a volunteer for the early stage testing. I’ve never done a dual trip before so there’re bound to be a few kinks to iron out.’
‘I’ll go with you,’ offered Dr Stark. ‘I’m well versed in the art of yoga and believe my experience in meditation will be of service.’
‘I wouldn’t count on that,’ Emmy replied. ‘Meditation only helps with getting the process started. Once you achieve separation, there’s nothing that can prepare you for what follows. It’s also important that you don’t get carried away. The only reason I’m co-operating on this project is to help those coma patients. Therefore, there’s no reason for the cord to be extended beyond the confines of this laboratory.’
‘That’s fine with me,’ replied Dr Stark.
Although she was yet to be given any cause, Emmy still did not trust the sincerity of her new lab partner. After agreeing to take part in the project, she had decided it would be safest to assume everybody was lying to her all of the time. For that reason, she did not plan on taking Constance into her confidence anytime soon.
***
With Emmy now in custody, Jimmy was no longer under any pressure and was therefore able to devote more time to his mother. He stayed at her bedside day and night, ever hopeful that his gift would show him what had to be done, but the result was always the same.
Nothing.
No matter how much he tried to visualise his goal, the visions did not come. He received no guidance. No prompts. There was no way for him to help her or any of the others. It was as if he had been rendered completely powerless.
As a small amount of consolation, this lack of psychic activity did at least make him feel human again. It also implied that nothing or nobody in the compound posed a threat to him. He was safe.
For the time being, at least.
If it had taught him one lesson, his ability to see the future had highlighted the impermanence of everything. All things were subject to change and the greater the change, the quicker it would come about.
He hoped he would soon see a change in his mother’s condition. That one day he would arrive at her room to find her awake and talking. When he had thought her dead he was at least able to grieve. Now there was only pain and uncertainty. Something had to change. But sadly for him, Jimmy had no way to make this happen.
Esteban, meanwhile, was growing increasingly restless with each passing day. He had completed his mission in delivering first Jimmy and then the scientist. The integrity of the base remained uncompromised and he could see little point in his being there. Yet no new orders had been handed down. The powers that be wanted him to remain where he was.
They had to be planning something, but he was at a loss to think what this could be. He could do nothing but bide his time and wait for them to make their play. Until they did, he would make sure he was prepared. Whilst everybody else seemed to have lost interest in young Jimmy, Esteban continued to keep a careful eye on the boy. When the time came for him to return to action, he wanted to make sure he was the first to know.
***
Emmy and Dr Stark were ready for their first dual trip ahead of schedule. She would have preferred a solo test of the equipment, but any pretence that she was in charge would easily be broken by her lab partner placing a call through to the colonel. Either they went together or not at all.
The reason for the dual trips was simple. Emmy’s mission was to attempt to cure the infected townspeople of the psychic radiation by subjecting each of them in turn to an astral journey. It was a risky proposition, but by being alongside them, to guide them on their journey, she hoped to minimise the risk and bring them home. There was no other way.
‘Are you sure the casing will contain the radiation?’ she asked the techs, who would be monitoring the experiment from a bank of computer monitors, which displayed everything from the pair’s biometric readings to a simulated path of their astral trajectory.
‘The walls are made from six inches of titanium reinforced with another inch-thick layer of lead in the middle. You’ll be sealed off tighter than the crown jewels,’ replied Peter. ‘When we flush the containment area, any residual radiation produced by the machine will be channelled to a storage tank deep underground. If even the slightest trace amount of radiation escapes into the atmosphere, the mission will be aborted.’
Emmy nodded.
‘In that case - let’s do this.’
They climbed into the astral unit, which afforded little more space than a pair of Tokyo hotel pods. Once Paul sealed them inside the lead lined vault, they could only communicate via a speaker system built into the walls of the machine.
‘Are you ready to begin the countdown?’ asked Peter, through the speakers.
‘I’m ready,’ replied Constance, with such nervousness in her voice it made Emmy laugh.
‘Don’t worry,’ Emmy assured them all. ‘This is only dangerous if we have a saboteur among us. So long as nobody is planning on turning traitor, we’ll be fine.’
Despite all of her earlier apprehension, she felt excited to be back doing what she was born to do. The euphoria she used to experience had returned. She almost dared to dream that her work could mean something once again. That she had returned to the cutting edge of human and scientific endeavour. She dared to dream her life actually mattered.
Emmy achieved the separation with ease. For Dr Stark, it was a much bumpier transition. The moment when consciousness leaves the body is when the urge to wake is at its strongest. Just the slightest mental twitch can interrupt the process. Three times Constance broke her trance and each time the equipment had to be reset and recalibrated costing valuable time. At the fourth try, she finally managed to allow her conscious mind to break free and found herself hovering two feet above her body.
Her first instinct was to try and gasp for air in the way that a drowning swimmer might as they sink ever deeper into a murky abyss. There was no physical response to her instructive thoughts. She could no longer feel lungs rising and falling in her chest. She could no longer feel her chest or anything else for that matter. Then slowly, a gradual awareness began to insinuate itself into her thoughts. She sensed something in front of her like a blind person senses movement in the air. A light seemed to be growing and spiralling toward her like a kaleidoscope.
Finally, her mind began to make sense of what was happening. Just as one of those magic eye pictures eventually reveals its secret, so too did the intrinsic energy of the doctor’s surrounds. It reminded her of early virtual reality simulations with their simplistic geometric shapes, but in some way it was...beautiful. She had finally made it to OZ and now she was peeking behind the wizard’s curtain.
The two resting bodies of Constance and Emmy were at the centre of the space. Two small slithers of energy ran between their disembodied essences and their physical beings below. Just as Emmy had told her earlier, this was the link that kept the two parts of her being working together in harmony. It appeared smaller and less substantial than she had imagined it would. She wanted to reach out and take hold of it for extra security, but in her shapeless, limbless form this was impossible. Besides, she did not even think she could touch it even if she had hands. It was not composed of the same energy as the rest of her being. It was something beyond her understanding entirely; a telepathic connection that seemed to exist separately from the normal rules of time and space.
So absorbed by her own essence had she become that she failed to even notice her colleague and fellow traveller. Unlike Constance, Emmy was familiar to this experience. She could exert an element of control over her disembodied form and
mould and shape her essence to her will. Her greatest trick was the ability to replicate her appearance from the material world, though this hollow, ghostly image could only be seen by other astral beings.
Now she had Dr Stark’s attention. The other scientist was completely absorbed by her beauty and radiance. In fact, she was so transfixed she did not even notice that Emmy was reaching out with her hand to connect with her spirit directly.
‘Are you impressed?’
The voice was unmistakeably Emmy, but it felt different. Not so much quiet, but distant. It was more like an echo than a direct sound and it seemed to originate inside her mind.
‘Have we woken?’
Constance’s own words also seemed strange yet familiar at the same time. With no vocal cords or lips through which to speak, she was not even sure how she had given voice to them at all.
‘We are still travelling, but our consciousness has become entwined,’ Emmy explained to her. ‘I did not mention this before, because I was not sure if it was a fundamental property of astral travelling or a product of the radiation. Whenever two separate energies touch, they are able to communicate with one another.’
During the experiments of three years earlier, the coming together of astral beings had heralded the opening of a portal. It was a wormhole in space and time, down which Emmy had feared to pass. No such anomaly occurred this time. The questions this posed were outweighed only by relief. It may have been one more puzzle to solve, but it was also one less danger for her to worry about.
‘So where do we go from here?’ asked Constance
‘We go back. It’s no different to waking from a dream. All you have to do is focus on what your body is doing right now. Find the rhythm of your breathing and then concentrate on nothing else but opening your eyes. As soon as I let go, you will wake.’
In an instant, Dr Stark was back in the curved horizontal chamber of the projection unit. The metal felt cold against her skin, but it was also reassuring. She had made it back safely. She was also now a member of the science community’s most exclusive club. She was an astral traveller.
Diamond Sky Trilogy Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 44
