OVERMIND (Fallen Drakon Empire Book 1)

by Diana Drakulich

  “What?!” Margie was completely flabbergasted.

  “You heard me. Sorsha DeTaurica injected me with a sedative. Locked me in a storage closet. While I was unconscious she helped a very dangerous patient escape The Center.”

  “Oh no-ooo.” Margie wailed, knowing her job might be on the chopping block. Carter would find some way to get rid of her after this debacle.

  “But Dr. Carter I distinctly saw DeTaurica leave The Center at the end of the midnight shift. And she was with YOU. I wasn’t the only one who saw you leave with her. Several other people did too.”

  “You have got to be kidding me.”

  “Swear to God. I have witnesses to prove it.” Margie was as anxious to pass the blame as Carter was.

  “People saw ME leave The Center with DeTaurica?” Carter huffed a stunned grunt.

  He could understand why the naked alien had taken his clothes, but to mistake him for the alien was impossible. They didn’t look anything alike and the alien was a head taller than he was.

  “That’s right Dr. Carter. Everyone saw you walk out the door with DeTaurica. She got on the bus and you went to the parking lot. I saw you, talked to you myself. I can’t understand it.”

  This was getting crazier by the minute. Carter didn’t wait to hear any more. He simply hung up, grabbed his laptop and dashed out the door, headed for the airfield.

  Chapter 39

  Sava opened his eyes to the first grey light of day. He shook Sorsha’s shoulder lightly. “It’s Time.” He exhaled a heavy whiff of norepinephrine to reinforce his command.

  Her eyes popped open. She fairly leapt up as if a great hand lifted her, muscles ready for fight or flight.

  “Where is the stargate?”

  Taking her hand he led her to a fissure in the cavern wall that opened to the outside world. The narrow opening was barely four feet wide by eight feet tall.

  Standing near the edge, Sorsha stared straight down at a sheer drop of some 100 feet. The bottom looked very hard, very rocky and completely unforgiving. She sucked in a shocked breath. She had a dizzying fear of heights.

  Some 60 feet away, the silver surface of Lake Mead gently lapped the shore.

  “So - where is the stargate?” He can’t mean what I think he does.

  “Here. Just step through this crevice.” He waved toward the thin air beyond.

  “But there’s nothing there!” Her voice resonated with shock. God. If only the water was directly under the cliff, then I might consider stepping off into thin air.

  “This is the stargate to Drakonis.” The alien’s voice was limitless. Boundless. Deathless.

  And Sorsha realized this would be the greatest test of her life.

  “The perfect confluence between the sun’s Flux Transfer Events and earth’s Telluric Waves are at this exact spot. This it. Are you ready?”

  He grasped her hand, pulling her unwilling feet a half step closer to the edge.

  “Wait! Wait just a minute here. Is this `stargate’ like those motivational workshops where they tell you to walk barefoot across hot coals? Then if you get burned they tell you that you just didn’t `believe’ enough?”

  “Not... exactly. The earth is linked to the sun by Flux Transfer Events, or FTE’s - a network of magnetic portals emanating from the sun. At the exact moment of the sun’s Flux Transfer Event at dawn, the Wisdom Eyes on the wall behind us will light up. The earth’s Telluric Waves will rise and extend out to connect with the sun’s FTE’s. This connection will form a bridge to open the stargate. And we will step through into another dimension - Drakonis.”

  “Oh.” Gripping his forearm with whitened fingers she stared down at the rocky bottom, so far below. “Last I checked I couldn’t walk on air. Are you asking me to commit suicide?”

  “Didn’t you vow to follow me to the very Pit of Hell?”

  “That’s right, I said I would follow you TO the very Pit of Hell. Not INTO Hell.”

  Sava grimaced. “Oh. NOW she tells me.”

  “I thought the stargate would be like in the movies where you just step through a glowing doorway. Not step off the edge of a 100 foot cliff!”

  “So you would rather stay here? Without me? Go to prison?”

  “At least I’ll be ALIVE.”

  “You think I want to die? This is not death.” His tingling vibrant fingertips caressed her cheek. “Don’t you understand? YOU are older than the mind can imagine.”

  “Well I can imagine alot but I know the difference between fantasy and reality. Is this some Drakonic version of killing the body so the spirit can rise to the higher realms?”

  “Sorsha - do you believe in me? Trust me?”

  “Ahh - Most of the time.” She qualified. No matter how much she wanted to stay with him. To be with him, Sorsha just could not find it in herself to step off a 100 foot cliff into nothingness.

  “You must trust that I can access the Force. I can get us both through this.”

  “You have such highly developed mental powers Sava, maybe you can access this `stargate’. But I can’t walk on air or water. I will fall.”

  He heard the terrified desperation in her voice.

  “I will carry you in my arms Sorsha. Either you go to Drakonis with me or we go down together. I won’t leave you Sorsha. Ever.” His tone held a stunning finality.

  Wracked with fear and indecision, Sorsha gazed out at the dawning world around Lake Mead. For this one pristine moment at the crack of dawn, the world was still and quiet. But soon, too soon the mechanized world would roar into life.

  The desert air was pure crystal. She waved her hand. Waves of iridescence seemed to pass through her fingers.

  Frozen rigid, she gazed down. 100 feet straight down. This was way worse than hanging poised at the top of a roller coaster. And she was terrified of roller coasters.

  “Don’t look down Sorsha. Look up - at Lord Sun.” The alien pointed at the thin crescent of golden red barely edging above the horizon. “The Force is rising. Are you ready?”

  As they spoke in hushed tones, the glowing reddish-orange crescent growing steadily larger on the horizon. Long colorful rays of light emerged, stretching across the dark blue waters of Lake Mead.

  “It’s almost time Sorsha.” The alien shifted uneasily. “Look well at Lord Sun...The sun is so much more than you know. It is a pulsating magnetic gateway between planets and dimensions.”

  As the first bright rays of sun struck the cliff face, the fissure walls began to glow with color. The light glittered on veins and embedded nuggets of gold, turquoise, quartz crystal, royal blue azurite, purple amethyst and green malachite.

  Every moment as the sun’s rays brightened, the colors of the minerals lining the fissure became more intense. Waves of color radiated, creating a halo around the fissure. It seemed to Sorsha the colors were streaming out of the fissure like a rainbow bridge.

  “Can you see it now?” The alien whispered in her ear. Mother Earth’s Telluric Waves are reaching out to Lord Sun’s FTEs. Make up your mind Sorsha. It’s now or never.”

  His innards were tied in knots by her desperate hesitation. She was torn between taking this final leap into the Unknown with him and her fear of Death. Granted it was a logical concern. So far Sorsha had remained courageously by his side every step of the way.

  A shame to give up just as freedom was in sight.

  The alien considered emitting potent doses of enhanced endorphins to increase her impulsivity, her attachment to him and submission to his will. Nay, I can’t do that. This has to be her free will. Her decision.

  “Sava - I’m so scared. Scared of heights. Scared of dying”. She squeezed his hand, her knuckles white.

  “Look at me.” The Drakon demanded. “Look into my eyes.” His eyes reflecting the rising sun, flashed with golden sparks of primal power. “I will get us through this Sorsha.”

  But she was frozen with fear. Her mind flooded with an ominous sense of her imminent Death.

  And then all Hell broke loo
se.

  Chapter 40

  The menacing whup whup of helicopter blades like a swarm of giant hornets broke the peaceful dawn stillness. The calm air was split by shouts and barking dogs. An explosion vibrated the cavern floor. Pieces of stalactites crashed down, scattering dangerously sharp shards of rock behind them.

  “The police tracked us here. Carter must have inserted a second chip in my body that I didn’t know about. They dynamited the secret door!” The alien stared into her eyes, willing her to come with him. To make that leap into eternity. Now.

  “You go Sava! Leave me here. If you try to take me too, we will both fall.” Eyes wide, body rigid, her eyes pleaded for understanding.

  “Nay. I won’t leave you.” His golden eyes blazed with fierce determination.

  “Please - just go! Now - while there’s still time! Just - Remember Me.” She kissed him tenderly, passionately. A kiss that sucked out his soul, then returned it tenfold. “Now go! Hurry!” She hissed.

  Golden eyes gleaming like a cornered lion poised for battle, the Drakon refused to move.

  Dr. Carter and several military police rushed into the cavern accompanied by furiously barking dogs straining at the leash.

  “Don’t move! Hands up! You’re under arrest! You are surrounded! Halt or we shoot!”

  The alien squeezed her hand. “We go. Now.”

  “But Sava -” At that moment she felt a tremendous punch to her back.

  The explosive crack of a bullet echoed against the cavern walls. And Sorsha went down - silently, softly. But she never hit the cavern floor. The alien had her in his arms, holding her like a treasured child.

  “Halt! Don’t move or we shoot!”

  But the Drakon knew their minds. The last thing the authorities wanted was to kill him. His knowledge was far too valuable. The girl however, was disposable. Shooting her was a warning to him.

  Sorsha was hemorrhaging. Calling on his mental powers, Sava pressed his hand over the bullet hole in her chest, filling her with his healing Life Force. The bleeding slowed, almost stopped.

  “Sava,” she gasped, eyes flickering open. “Don’t leave me. Take me with you…”

  Trembling with rage at what they had done to his love, Sava ignored the shouts of the irate lawmen. Holding Sorsha in his arms, he stood facing the sun, now cresting over the water.

  Poised. Just seconds remaining...Waiting...for that precise moment...

  Two MP’s darted forward to drag the alien back.

  “No!” Carter shouted. “He might jump!”

  Blinding golden rays streamed through the fissure. The narrow opening lit up with a myriad of glittering colors reflecting the veins of gold and gemstones in the rock.

  Sorsha glanced over Sava’s shoulder just as the sun’s rays struck the Wisdom Eyes on the opposite wall. Chunks of quartz crystal embedded in the eyes blazed with stunning brightness.

  A cryptic saying came to her mind - The journey is long but the way is short. Grasping the small gold cross around her neck she held it to her lips.

  She had never prayed in her life before. Not really. In the past she had only been going through the motions. Lip service. Now she prayed with total focus. With all her heart and all her soul.

  Lo though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil… PLEASE GOD - SAVE US. Lord - I will never forget. I will always honor you. Please God - Help Us! … She prayed her mantra over and over.

  A strange sensation came over her then. Of something invisible, intangible, yet palpable descending over them like an invisible force field.

  And then everything went into slow motion...

  Laying back in his arms, she looked up to see the alien’s captivating golden eyes shining down on her. He smiled into her eyes with a light as blinding as the sun.

  His lips moved without sound. You did it Sorsha. You slowed Time. You brought down The Force.

  Sava pressed his lips to hers in one last warm, soulful kiss, then looked up, straight into the golden-red, pulsating sun cresting now over the horizon.

  A beam of light from the crystal Wisdom Eyes in the cavern was streaming out through the glowing fissure, connecting with the sun’s rays to form a shimmering bridge of light.

  The alien began to chant. An ancient, timeless chant. The words strangely familiar to Sorsha’s ears -

  Oh great golden eye of God…

  With a shout they lifted him up

  And he came forth by day

  A shining thing.

  Then, carrying the woman in his arms, the alien stepped out into the Light.

  And Sorsha felt no fear.

  Chapter 41

  That Damn FOOL Alien - Killed himself and the girl rather than surrender! Clutching his medevac kit, Dr. Carter rushed back down the dark cave passage, emerging into a brilliant golden-lavender dawn.

  The loss of the alien was incalculable. General McVeigh would be furious. Carter could lose his job over this. Unless he did some very convincing fast talking. Like the cowardly miscreant he had become, Carter was already thinking about who to throw under the bus.

  That damn cop who shot the girl - it’s all HIS fault. He made the alien jump. But I was the one who gave the order to shoot her. I thought it would scare the alien into giving up. Not kill his damnself!

  Shoving his coke bottle glasses up on his nose, the doctor huffed down the narrow trail outside the cavern, at times stumbling, nearly falling over rocks in the early light. Already sweating in the rising desert heat, he relentlessly pushed his out of shape body toward the lake.

  If he could just get there in time Carter might be able to resuscitate the alien. He didn’t give a damn about the girl. This is all DeTaurica’s fault! If that stupid bitch is still alive I’ll make sure she goes to prison. If she even gets that far.

  Halting at the spot directly under the cliff fissure 100 feet overhead, Carter glanced around frantically. Where is the alien?! Where are the bodies?

  Their contorted bodies should be lying in a bloody heap at his feet.

  But there was nothing. Only sagebrush, weeds and dirt.

  Twenty yards away the blue-green waters of Lake Mead lapped soothingly under the first light of day. Carter glared at a nearby MP who stood immobilized. The man’s eyes were literally rolling around in his head like marbles.

  “Hey! Where are the fugitives? Where are the bodies?!”

  The MP’s shell-shocked eyes looked through him with that fabled 1,000 yard stare.

  Carter snapped his fingers impatiently. “What happened?!”

  “I - I saw him standing up there.” The MP pointed at the fissure in the cliff face. “He was standing at the edge with a woman in his arms. His lips were moving. He was saying or chanting something I couldn’t hear. I yelled - ‘NO don’t jump!’ But he stepped out anyway. The sun flashed in my eyes. Blinded me. When I looked again, they were gone. Disappeared.”

  “Disappeared?! You never saw them fall? How could the sun flash in your eyes when it’s rising in the opposite direction from the cliff?” Fool.

  “The light must have reflected off the cliff face.” The MP looked around, dazed. “I checked for bodies. Nothing.” He spread his arms.

  “A suicide with no bodies? No one could walk away from a fall like that. The bodies must be around here, somewhere. Maybe the alien crawled away and is hiding. Keep looking! Find them!” Carter gestured at the confused military police gathered around.

  But there was no cover to hide behind and Carter knew it. Nothing but rolling desert and barren ridges around the lake. Still they looked, leaving no stone unturned. There was just so much at stake.

  “Godammit! This is a matter of national security and YOU let him get away! I’ll have you all discharged for this!” Carter cracked the whip.

  The doctor had nothing left but threats. His own job was probably finished as well.

  As Carter stood there, cursing the flying fickle finger of fate, he almost failed to notice a huge shadow drift effortlessly, s
oundlessly overhead.

  Confused, lost in a miasma of anxious frustration, Carter was only vaguely aware as the shadow passed, darkening the ground around his feet.

  At the last moment he glanced up, but nothing was there. Only clear sky. Not a cloud, a bird or a plane in sight.

  How could a shadow that size have passed over so fast?...Was it a secret military plane? A UFO? There’s always a logical answer. Dr. Carter reassured himself.

  But then something truly strange happened. Something Carter had always attributed to `crazy people’. He heard Voices.

  Singing Voices.

  Voices were coming from everywhere and nowhere. Rising and falling in magnificent eerie harmony. Echoing. Resonating. As if the singers stood in a huge domed temple. Deep rumbling male combined with rising resonant female - Voices - humming, vibrating in ecstatic unison.

  Stunned, Carter gazed around wildly. Where are those Voices coming from?!

  But his eyes saw only barren hills surrounding a blue lake under a clear desert sky. And a magnificent rising sun. Which he ignored.

  Holding up a finger Carter turned to the officers. “Hey - Listen - Do you hear that?”

  “Hear what?” One of the lawmen asked.

  “Voices. People singing. Don’t you hear it?”

  They all looked at Carter like he was losing his marbles. Hell in this situation they were all close to losing it.

  Must be a radio. Carter told himself. It’s the only logical explanation. Someone brought a boombox and it’s tuned to church music.

  But it’s barely light and there’s no one around. No cars. No campers. And it’s not Sunday.

  Chills strummed through Carter’s nerves. His spine tremored. The skin of his arms went cold. He clenched his fists. Fear of the Unknown jolted his nerves into hyper awareness. Yet he felt a strange sense of elation.

  The rising sun was turning the cliff face golden. Eyes swiveling, searching for the source of the singing Voices, Carter’s vision blurred, going in and out. Impatiently ripping off his thick glasses, the doctor gazed around.