MONAD 12.21.12

by T. Anderson

  “Drugged, but cooperative, they went ahead with it. Once the transfer was complete, nothing could be reversed. It was too late to turn back.

  “After the procedure, Stella’s body lay lifeless beside Cybele’s seemingly normal one. They monitored the babies and Cybele, who all seemed healthy and unharmed. As Cybele became more aware of her surroundings, she began to make sense of it all in her head. As she floated in and out of her drug-induced stupor, she recognized the familiar laboratory. She saw Stella’s body on the table next to her. She saw Vern standing over Stella, kissing her forehead. She watched Erl check on her own monitors. She knew. The anger she felt was dulled by the drugs. She was too weak to fight, but the fight would come. This was the moment that changed everything. A war had been waged. They were her enemies and she was their prisoner.

  “What happened next was even more unexpected. When Cybele was stronger and able to move, Vern deceived Erl. He’d only used Erl to save his wife’s soul. He wasn’t about to allow Erl to exploit them or sell them out to some government research program. They would not become specimens for study. Vern accurately predicted Erl’s bad intentions and had already planned Cybele’s escape and disappearance. He contacted me. I was frantic that Cybele hadn’t returned home from her “quick trip to the store”. He told me to gather some things and meet them if I wanted to keep Cybele alive, implying they’d done the unthinkable—performed the Aeon Project on my wife. We met in the desert and made the exchange. The prisoner was free—but only for a moment. Vern vanished before I could follow him.

  “I was relieved to have Cybele in my arms, but I knew we couldn’t go home. We would be on the run until the babies were born, and probably long after that. If Vern didn’t come looking for us, Erl surely would.

  “We did our best to keep moving. One city to the next, one apartment to the next. The months went by and our unborn twins were healthy and thriving. We flew under the radar. We never saw the same doctor twice. We would walk into a new hospital and claim we were traveling and needed a check-up to make sure everything was okay. We paid cash for the services and used different names every time. No one suspected we were “fugitives.” But despite our best efforts, all the hiding was futile.

  “Against Petra’s wishes, Erling signed the contract with the government to develop the Aeon Project. MONAD would live on. He’d filmed the procedure and sold it as leverage. Petra felt trapped and although she was disgusted with what he’d done, she knew the only way she would be able to stay close to it all was to go along with Erling. When he proposed marriage to her, she put on her best face, managed a smile and agreed. Erl had everything he wanted. And in the next month, the twins would be born. Meanwhile, MONAD had developed into a sophisticated agency working with the U.S. government. They were equipped with people ranging from scientists to intelligence agents who had been tracking us the whole time. Undercover MONAD agents were placed in the hospital when Cybele gave birth.

  “Right after the twins were born, at the first sight and touch of her newborn daughters, Cybele knew immediately which would be named Stella; she said she had some kind of premonition, a gut feeling about it. She’d visualized the other baby acting as a beacon, guiding Stella to her new home, so she chose the other name, Aron, because it stood for illumination, light. It was perfect. We were completely wrapped in our joy, but it didn’t last long.

  “The agents, disguised as medical professionals, discreetly performed various scans of the twins and Stella was taken only hours after her birth. They’d obviously detected something we were unaware of. There was nothing we could do. We were powerless against the MONAD agents. Then, after we’d lost what we’d tried so hard to protect, there was no point in running any longer.

  “We returned to California, made a home in San Francisco, and started a seemingly “normal” life, raising Aron as an only child.” Gunnar paused here and gripped his wife’s hand tighter, reassuring her with his eyes, before telling Stella, “But not one day would pass that we didn’t think about you. We wanted you back so badly, but none of our plots would ever prove successful.”

  Cybele felt strong enough to continue the explanation to the twins. “It wasn’t long before Verner came looking for us. We gave in to his persistence and agreed to meet with him—only because he was in obvious distress. His pyrrhic victory was short-lived. Little did he consider when he performed the procedure on his wife that he may never see her again. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. It wasn’t what he wanted.

  “He explained how he’d followed baby Stella as she was delivered to Petra and Erling. He desperately tried to gain access to any information about her, but he was never allowed near MONAD. He became a bother to Erling, who consequently made pathetic attempts to pacify Verner by offering him menial positions within the organization. Although tempting, Vern didn’t accept. His conscience would not allow him to associate with the enemy. He made contact with Petra at one point, but she feared losing Stella if she was caught. Eventually he gave up and spent some time grieving his loss. He had such regret, he could no longer live with the guilt. He knew he had to make things right in any way he could.

  “Time healed the wounds Vern had inflicted on us. The three of us bonded in our anguish over the betrayal by Erling and Petra. We spent many long nights, after Aron had gone to bed, discussing our original intentions with the Aeon Project. We once believed we would be able to harness a portal that would catapult humans more quickly toward ultimate enlightenment. How could such good intentions have gone so wrong?

  “Our first priority was Stella, but we also knew we needed to gain access to MONAD and determine what would be done with the Aeon Project, in general. We knew that it would be used for all of the wrong reasons. We needed to recruit like-minded individuals and secretly infiltrate MONAD to assess the situation. This is how the Fifth Circle was formed. It took several months, but with patience we collected a handful of trustworthy partners. And the fight was on. We took advantage of the fact that Erling Steinar and everyone else at MONAD underestimated our stealth and cunning. Within a few more months, not only had the Fifth Circle grown its strength in numbers, but we’d also managed to put our people directly inside the MONAD Agency.

  “We learned that standards had been set on all testing involved in Stella’s progress. In order to preserve the integrity of Aeon, she couldn’t be fed information, but had to demonstrate evidence of the successful displacement on her own. Our sources told us that early on, when Stella was a young child, the accounts of her “dreams and visions” were very encouraging, giving them insight that might confirm the success of the project. Erling was held in high regard with the government officials overseeing the project.

  “Petra participated willingly, but it was obvious that she was protective of Stella. She had the child’s health and well-being in mind and wouldn’t allow the research to go too far. This was reassuring news for all of us here. We wondered if Petra was secretly on our side…

  “As Stella grew old enough to communicate more maturely and focus her thoughts, she was placed in the care of Doctor Myra Hadrian, a psychiatrist. Doctor Hadrian was one of the agents who kidnapped Stella from the hospital and brought her to Minnesota. She’s very close to the case and is still considered a major player in the project. She monitored every move that Stella made. When Stella was young, she trusted Doctor Hadrian, believed she was a friend who was trying to help her sort out the erratic thoughts that kept her awake at night. But things began to change.”

  Cybele understood this narration was aimed only for Aron and Stella. And it should have sounded more personal, but it was easier for her to keep the explanation generic, as if she were telling a stranger. “Stella was a very intelligent child. She excelled in school. She was insightful. Some would call her intuitive. For her age, she was highly perceptive of the small nuances given off by other people—their body language, their eye movements, expressions and voices. As she approached her teens, she began to question out loud the interest that e
veryone had in her. Then it seemed that her progress was slowing down, virtually coming to a halt. MONAD officials began to scrutinize the project. They held inquiries with all staff involved in testing. They began to doubt Erling’s theory that the development would accelerate as Stella matured. They’d originally set an age of thirteen as a benchmark to begin further displacement in other candidates. They already had the first candidates chosen and had begun preliminary testing. When evidence of decline was apparent in Stella, the project was officially put on hold…Thank God!

  “Well, Erling was obviously dumbfounded and furious. He’d become accustomed to a luxurious, powerful lifestyle and was not about to give it up. He gathered a few of his top scientists and they began new research and even branched out into other fields of study. MONAD had been hemorrhaging money for years and now it was time to cash in. If it wasn’t with Aeon, it had to be somewhere else. If they didn’t produce something soon, they would be shut down.

  “Stella continued living her life as an adopted, privileged daughter of a high-powered, professional couple. Hoping things would change and Stella would have a breakthrough that would validate him, Erling convinced MONAD to allow her sessions with Doctor Hadrian to continue. He was exasperated and virtually gave up on the Aeon Project. He left it up to Myra and Petra to oversee anything to do with Stella. They would give him weekly, uneventful reports. MONAD became what the public always assumed it was—a diverse government-based research firm dabbling in everything from bioengineering to mining, environmental, and energy studies. The Aeon Project was never made public and was rarely discussed in the last years before Stella left home.”

  Gunnar took over for a while and added, “While Cybele and I were patiently waiting for our opportunity to have Stella back in our lives, the Fifth Circle was gaining ground. It had become popular in the global spiritual crowd and had many faithful followers. We believed we were headed toward a new state of global consciousness that would be granted when enough humans sustained a collective energy. In other words, the more who believed in a peaceful existence, the closer we would all come to enlightenment. To us, it wasn’t a radical theory, nothing cult-like…it was a message of a peaceful choice. The Circle attracts people of all faiths and religions. We don’t discriminate.

  “But we have kept this secret—the secret that all but a few of the founding members know nothing about. We are the guardians of the portal. We know how to move a human soul through the portal and into another life, while still retaining clear memories of its previous life. No, we’ve never attempted it again since Stella, but we’ve always been confident that it worked. And we’ve guarded this secret with our lives. We’re confident that the ability to utilize this secret will greatly benefit the human race. Just think of it—if human beings were committed to a true path of enlightenment and could take the knowledge of their previous lives with them directly into their next lives, the rate at which they could achieve an enlightened state would greatly increase. What a remarkable spiritual tool!”

  Gunnar was becoming so passionately involved in this part of the story that he had to be cut-off to bring him back to the room. Stella asked, “Sorry to interrupt, but I need to know something. Was it just fate that I ended up here in California—at Berkeley? Or was this part of the plan?”

  Aron added, “Yeah! We’re roommates! That can’t be a random coincidence. How did you manage to do this?”

  “Good question, girls,” Gunnar agreed. “The Fifth Circle has expanded even greater than MONAD. We have followers in every university in the country. Professors, staff, students. I guess you could say good really does conquer evil.” He grinned as if he just made a very witty joke, then realized no one was laughing so he continued his explanation. “When we learned which schools Stella had applied to, we made a few calls and things just fell into place. We arranged the dorm as a last-minute decision. We thought it would be the best way to get the meeting out of the way. We hoped you two would discover each other and we could tell you both a simple, concocted story of hardship. We wanted you to believe we had to give Stella up because we were young and not ready for two kids so early. We were preparing for a completely different scenario than what has actually happened here.”

  “And what has actually happened here?” the two girls asked in unison.

  Vern interjected, “Well, after today, I’m even more convinced the Aeon Project has been successful.” He glanced at Gunnar and Cybele and they answered with small nods. “Stella, what do you think?”

  All at once, their eyes turned to her. Aron squeezed her hand as if to tell her that it was okay to be honest. There was no need to be afraid here. She was safe. After a deep breath and a quick self-check, Stella answered, “I agree.”

  “When you’re ready, would you mind answering a few questions for us or telling us about some significant experiences you’ve had?” Gunnar asked. “We want to make sure you’re okay. And we think we can help you sort some things out.”

  “No, I don’t mind. I’m just relieved to hear that I’m really not crazy or anything. It’s been hard for me. It’s scary when it happens and I’ve always tried to stop it. You’ve already helped me so much by telling me what’s wrong with me,” said Stella.

  “Stella,” Cybele stopped her. “Honey, there is nothing wrong with you.” She was obviously hurt by what her daughter just said about herself. “You don’t ever have to think that again. We’re here to help you understand that, okay?”

  Stella lowered her head, looked at the table almost shamefully, and said, “Okay. Thanks.” Cybele instinctively reached for her and cradled her in her arms. It felt nice to be accepted and understood. Stella was never more comforted in her life. It was a wonderful feeling. The room was a safe little hideaway and all the people in it were on her side. After so many years, she felt that she was finally home.

  Aron asked the questions, “What happens now? What are we supposed to do?” She was becoming a little panicked thinking ahead and outside of the safe, sheltered underground room. Her dad quickly stepped in to calm her concerns.

  “There are a lot of details we need to work out. But for now, our immediate concern is the safety of the both of you. We know MONAD will have someone watching you, Stella. There is no doubt they already know Aron is here. They’ll know that we’ve set you up together. But they shouldn’t intervene as long as they think Stella is fine, meaning in “regression.” If anything looks overly suspicious, they will step in. Be ready to seem surprised and shocked about discovering each other. Stella, you’ll need to call home to tell your parents—er, Petra and Erl. You must do your best to pretend everything is okay. Besides that, everyone in your dorm will be asking questions. You’ll need to have your stories straight. And once everything is calmed down, we’ll go from there. It’s going to be fine. Don’t worry.” And then Gunnar remembered something else. “Oh Vern, didn’t you say we’ve got a kid in the dorm too?”

  “Right. Dane Marten. A new member of the Fifth Circle—the youngest member, actually. We don’t normally accept minors, but he was very determined and seems committed. I had him placed right below the girls. He doesn’t know the whole story, but he knows he’s been chosen for something important. He’s a good kid. We can trust him,” Vern assured.

  “Dane!?” the girls exclaimed in a chorus of surprise and then erupted into chuckles.

  Vern looked at his watch and cut them short. “We’ve been down here a little too long. We need to get moving. It should be getting dark outside and I’m sure everyone could use some fresh air.” He was concerned for Stella’s safety. Despite her innate ability to grasp the situation, he knew she was under a great deal of stress. One wrong move and he could lose her all over again. He’d made that mistake before. It wouldn’t happen again. Inside that young, confused girl—somewhere—was also the wife he’d lost so many years ago. He would do anything to protect her. “Stella, I’ll walk you out. Aron, you should go with your mom and dad. We’ll stage the meeting to happen at the dorm
right now. Can you do it?” He looked at both of them as they nodded in agreement.

  “Let’s get this show on the road. I’m hungry and when we’re done, I’m definitely getting pizza,” Stella laughed, to everyone’s surprise. “Aron, you okay?” It was almost like Stella was so used to all of this crazy stuff happening, she just “rolled with the punches.”

  “I’m fine. Let’s go,” Aron answered. Stella’s confidence was rubbing off on her. She was ready. “See you at the dorms. And try not to faint again—let’s not overdo it,” she managed a laugh of her own.

  The Ericksons left the building, got into their Subaru, and discreetly drove through the campus, taking a few random turns and backtracking to distract anyone who could possibly be watching. Vern and Stella made their way through the building inside and up a flight of stairs. He ushered her to an exit at the opposite side of the building and gave her directions to quickly get back to the dorm on foot. When he was sure that she was safely walking a well-lit path, he returned for his car through the building. He would miss the action that was about to play out, but that was fine with him. He’d already seen too much for one day. His Stella was safe for now. That was all that mattered.

  4

  Setting the Stage

  It was pizza night back at the dorms and energized new students were crawling the halls. Karaoke contests and ping pong tournaments were under way in the community room where it was noisy and packed—the perfect setting for the drama about to unfold.

  Dr. Hanson had called ahead to Dane and told him to wait out in front of the building in case he was needed. Just as Dane was making his way through the front doors, weaving through groups of students, Stella grabbed his hand. “Dane! Walk with me. Shit is about to hit the fan and I need your help. I don’t know anyone else here and I’m not about to walk into that room by myself.” She spoke in a low voice through her teeth. When he gave her an unenthused grimace, she added, “It’s a Fifth Circle thing,” and looked at him questioningly. “You with me?”