Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 - BLAZE
CHAPTER 2 - THE END OF INNOCENCE
CHAPTER 3 - THE MIRROR
CHAPTER 4 - THE PARIS FACILITY
CHAPTER 5 - INITIATE
CHAPTER 6 - HORIZON
CHAPTER 7 - RECON
CHAPTER 8 - UNSENT
CHAPTER 9 - THE STARS
CHAPTER 10 - TAKEOFF
CHAPTER 11 - THE SIGNAL
CHAPTER 12 - ORBIT
CHAPTER 13 - TREY
CHAPTER 14 - EXPLODE
CHAPTER 15 - REENTRY
CHAPTER 16 - RISE
CHAPTER 17 - RETURN
CHAPTER 18 - THE DARK
CHAPTER 19 - VIOLENCE
CHAPTER 20 - GOING BACK
CHAPTER 21 - MARBLE HALL
CHAPTER 22 - THE HEART
CHAPTER 23 - MANY WORLDS
CHAPTER 24 - TREY, GONE
CHAPTER 25 - THE SILENCE
RISE
AN ETHEREAL VISION NOVEL
BY
LIAM DONNELLY
Published by Liam Donnelly
Copyright © Liam Donnelly, 2016
www.liamdonnellyauthor.com
www.facebook.com/liamdonnellyauthor
Cover design by Mario Lampic
Ebook formatting by Guido Henkel
This is a work of fiction. However, many locations throughout this book are real. The names, characters, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, (living or dead) or events, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
For John.
On every page of my life, there is a picture of you.
CHAPTER 1
BLAZE
Jane held her breath. In the rearview mirror, she could see nothing but the blaze of headlights that approached rapidly and flew past the truck. They were concealed well, although they would no doubt attract some attention; it was inevitable. She wished that the truck were facing in the other direction so that she could see the gas station directly. This only brought to the surface the serious ambiguity she felt at what they were about to do. At best, it was dangerous and ethically questionable.
She glanced just a fraction to her right for a few seconds and saw that Morris’s body was stiff and unmoving. He, too, was watching in the rearview mirror. For a moment, Jane glimpsed Mike in her mind, hiding among the reeds at the side of the road. Instinctively, she reached for the door handle. Morris’s strong hand gripped her arm immediately. She turned to look at him, and he shook his head. His eyes appeared a dark shade of blue in the dimly lit cabin.
“Let him do it. If there’s just one of us, there’s less of a chance that we’ll be caught.” He released his grip on her arm and slowly turned back around to the mirror on his side.
Jane knew he was right. The argument had lasted mere moments, and Mike had come out the clear winner. He had left the back of the truck then and walked in the direction of the gas station, stopping approximately two hundred meters away, roughly halfway between it and the truck they had used to escape. Jane focused on Ciara. In her mind, she saw her sitting in the back section of the truck, down on one knee, staring out into the night.
Ciara? she asked, starting up the telepathic dialogue that she had become so used to.
All good, Jane. I’m going to clear the station. Hang on.
Jane took a deep breath and placed a nervous hand on her throat, still questioning what they were about to do and ready at any second to call the whole thing off.
***
Clara Jameson had fled from her home in the middle of an argument with her husband. They had been happening more frequently of late, and these late-night trips were becoming common. Sometimes she found herself in twenty-four-hour grocery stores, or sometimes convenience stores, or she just sat in empty parking lots staring at the sky. Lately, though, she had been begging for something to happen in her life—something extraordinary. She had drawn herself to just such an event now, though she would remember very little of the details until much later in her life, when a fresh trauma would bring the uncanny memories of what was about to unfold to the surface.
Without thinking much about her destination, she had driven to a gas station with a small store attached to it and gone inside. She was reaching for a chocolate chip brioche—shouldn’t have them right now—when she shuddered inexplicably. She let go of the plastic wrapping and turned to her left. There were four other people in the store, and they all seemed to be looking around in confusion. The attendant behind the protective plastic at the front of the store seemed the most bewildered. Then the whispering began—slowly at first—but then more pressing and urgent, until it became a strong, stern voice carrying a clear warning.
GET OUT OF THE STORE NOW. STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND LEAVE. DO NOT WAIT. LEAVE IMMEDIATELY.
She turned toward the door, along with the other occupants and the cashier. She walked with them in unison, and the doors opened automatically in front of them. Standing aside, she acted on instinct, and allowed the others in the store to leave before her. Together, they walked past the gas pumps and charging stations over to the left. Once past this point, they walked on the rough patch of grass that ran alongside the road. After a few moments, the station was just another light in the distance, and they didn’t stop walking for a full hour. Clara later placed a call to her husband asking for a lift, complaining that she had no memory of what had happened to her.
***
Mike was kneeling in the long grass at the side of the road. He sighed with tremendous relief as he saw the last few remaining patrons exit the gas station and walk down the road out of sight and out of harm’s way.
Mike, they’re coming.
That was Ciara; her distinct telepathic voice radiated in his mind, as definite and clear a sensation as the cold wind that blew at his cheeks. He squinted then and saw them. The black vehicles that had previously chased them were now coming upon the gas station. It seemed there were extra vehicles along with the ones that had originally pursued them.
Ciara, are you projecting the image?
Yes.
The cars swerved violently off the road suddenly and drove up the ramp into the station. They pulled to a stop, and Mike watched as Lucas stepped out, placing one foot firmly on the ground. He looked around, then proceeded to exit the vehicle fully. The others got out more slowly, following his lead. His eyes were focused on a particular spot, and Mike watched as he walked forward slowly, approaching a space that was entirely empty. He had a weapon held down at his side and was speaking to his subordinates, who all approached slowly as if stalking an invisible predator. Mike couldn’t help but smile.
They’re seeing the truck, Ciara said clearly.
How close is it to what we escaped in? Mike asked.
It looks identical. They can’t tell the difference.
Now Mike did laugh. He heard Ciara join in for a second.
Then he saw Lucas jerk his head backward, as if startled.
Sorry, lost my concentration, Ciara said.
It’s OK. Don’t keep them there, though. Send them away now. Quickly!
OK. Got it.
Mike watched as, after a moment, Lucas turned around and looked toward the other side of the street. Then he began barking orders at his subordinates. He ran toward the road, and they
followed him, crossing amid dangerous traffic.
I projected an image into his mind; he thinks he saw us running out toward the empty land on the other side of the road. Now’s your chance, Mike. If you’re going to do it, do it now.
Mike scanned the station one last time. It was empty. They had made certain of that. He focused on the gas pumps, and gripping all four of them in his mind, he pulled them free. Then he felt for the handles and pressed them hard. Gas began gushing out onto the concrete and quickly formed a large pool around the pumps.
***
Lucas and his team had found the truck relatively easily. They pulled over and approached it carefully, only to be distracted by the sight of the Ethereals escaping into the reeds on the opposite side of the road. He ordered his team to follow them, and the six of them had dodged dangerous traffic as they crossed the street together. It was only when they reached the darkness of the recessed, dusty land on the other side of the road that suspicion immediately stole over Lucas, and he realized within seconds that he had once again been tricked. The area—and he could see quite a distance ahead—was completely empty. There was nobody there. If he had been alone, he would have screamed at the thought that he had let this happen again.
“Sir?” One of his female subordinates was staring at him, holding her weapon high and waiting for his orders.
He had none as he scanned the empty land in front of him. He turned back toward the gas station and knew immediately that something was wrong. The truck that the Ethereals had used to escape was no longer there. Another illusion, he thought, and gasped. Then he saw the pumps gushing fuel out onto the ground below. His eyes grew wide.
“GO!” he screamed.
***
Within a few moments, the pool had expanded until the entire area was covered with the liquid. Mike saw Lucas appear then at the other side of the road and detected the shock that appeared on his face as he saw what was about to happen.
He hesitated no longer. His eyes widened as he reached out to the sprawling liquid with his thoughts, looking into its constituents. As soon as he saw the molecules, he accelerated them rapidly and sparked it. He saw the spark spread out from just a few molecules, quickly expanding to millions of others.
For a second, it seemed like nothing had happened. There was a tiny flash, then a muted pause. Then the world was filled with light as the entire station erupted in flames. The shockwave hit Mike and knocked him backward, winding him. He sat up and saw the swirling ball of fire rising into the air. Gasping, he got to his feet and began to back away, breathing heavily. Then, as the flames in the sky grew dark and turned to smoke, he ran back to the truck.
They would be pursued no more that night.
***
At the primary control center just outside of New York City, Marie Donaldson stood in front of a large blue screen staring at a collage of unusual pictures. She didn’t turn around when she heard the door behind her slide open with a gentle hiss. She guessed it was Lucas, and a brief glimpse of his torso on a darkened section of the screen in front of her confirmed his presence. For a moment, she didn’t acknowledge him and merely continued to stare at the objects in front of her. She was being drawn into examining them again when she pulled her attention away and addressed him.
“You see this?” she asked.
Lucas walked forward and stood to her left. She glanced over at him. He looked tired but hid it well. His white shirt was spotless and looked good with a black tie.
“Yes,” he replied, reaching up a hand and placing it over his face, rubbing two days’ worth of stubble there. “Looks like a car wreck.”
“Yes. These remains were found in the Chihuahuan Desert in the year 2016.”
“And why are we looking at them?” he asked, waving his hand dismissively.
“Well,” Marie responded, “it’s quite a standard car wreck other than the fact that it appears to have had an impact with thin air. There was actually nothing in the vicinity that could have caused such an accident—just flat plains. That’s the first thing. The second and more alarming thing about it is that this car wasn’t actually constructed until the year 2018.”
Lucas turned toward her. “What?” he asked.
“As you can imagine, the remains were confiscated immediately upon recognition of this fact. We checked, and sure enough, this very car rolled off the assembly line in January of 2018. The serial numbers and manufacturing records are identical. The vehicle wasn’t seized at the time. The decision was made to let it go out into the world.”
Lucas huffed. “Playing with causality?”
“Something like that,” Marie replied.
Lucas took a step forward and stared at the monitor, scrutinizing it more closely. “Why haven’t I heard anything about it until now?”
“Beyond your clearance. And you haven’t heard anything because any reports about it were quickly and violently squashed. We were drawn to the crash site by the presence of a massive psionic shockwave. There was one reporter who was led to the area by a local who claimed to have seen the wreckage of the car. She managed to take close to a thousand photos of the remains. Thankfully, she didn’t publish them to the Internet because she’s a meticulous editor and the Committee got to her first. She was pliable and relinquished the photographs. She agreed not to discuss the matter further. She’s been monitored since then, although it doesn’t really matter now who she tells, I suppose.”
Marie reached up and swiped her hand sideways. The image on the screen was replaced with another. This one showed the same vehicle, but from a different angle. They both glared at it in silence for a moment before Lucas spoke again.
“So tell me, what happened with the car?”
“Well, it sat on the showroom floor of an upscale mall in Bangkok, Thailand for a full six months before anything actually happened. For a while, we thought we might have mistaken it for some kind of very advanced marketing strategy. We were concerned that we had embarrassed ourselves terribly.” Once again, Marie reached up and swiped her hand.
There was another pause in the small, quiet room, and this time, it was filled with wonder and just a trace of growing apprehension.
“Then this happened,” Marie continued. “This one you might be familiar with.” There on the screen, what appeared to be the interior of a shopping mall was now displayed. There were cameras set up throughout the perimeter in the image, and a few investigators lined the edges of the picture. In the center, the focus was taken up by a large wall, which appeared to have been constructed artificially. It stretched from one side of the shopping center to the other. Massive holes had been punched through the central portion of the wall, and chunks of rock rested on the floor up to a distance of forty feet from it.
“Yes,” Lucas said. “I remember this, of course—and the car that disappeared on the same night from the showroom in this mall.”
He was facing her now, and she didn’t turn around as she nodded in agreement.
“It was the same car.”
Lucas took a breath and glanced back at the screen. “How is that possible? I remember reading about the investigation—they thought it was some kind of complex robbery or practical joke. There has never been an Ethereal on record capable of doing something like that. The spontaneous formation of walls from solid matter? It’s not possible by our understanding.”
“That’s correct,” she said. “Jane wouldn’t even be capable, right?” She watched as Lucas paused. He seemed poised to gasp when he quickly regained his composure and shook his head.
“No, not Connor.”
“Or Trey?” Marie asked, her eyes narrowing to slits.
He hesitated. “I’m not quite as sure about Trey. It’s difficult to say.”
“I agree. Also, as fascinating a subject as Jane is, there’s no record of her displaying that kind of power. Not only that, but in 2018, she would have been too young. She was nowhere near Bangkok,
nor was she anywhere near Mexico.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Lucas sighed. “I don’t understand,” he said. “The disappearance of that car was supposed to be some kind of Ethereal freak event. Now you’re telling me that what, it traveled through time?”
“That seems to be the only logical answer. And there’s one final thing. The car and the concrete that was disturbed in the shopping mall…” She paused as she rearranged the images on the screen until they formed a different collage. “Each of them carries a tiny but distinct residue. There are traces of the elemental signature we detected in the components of the Machine. They were all in contact with it somehow, if only in some small way. The connection is undeniable.”
“That’s not possible,” Lucas said, shaking his head in absolute disbelief.
Marie looked at him. “Do you think we gathered enough information at NY-one to construct the artificial signal?”
Lucas turned to face her. “I’ll have to check. I think they’re getting closer.”
Marie glared at him.
“I think so, OK? That’s the answer.”
“That will do. So long as we’re close.” She paused for a moment before asking her next question. “We may have to recall him, Lucas.”
He crossed his arms and took a deep breath. “Yes,” he replied, the begrudging tone in his voice evident.
“I’d rather not, but if that’s what it takes. The signal could fail, so we’re going to need her back here, or none of this will work.”
“When are you convening with the Committee?”
Marie fumbled now—something she rarely did. “Soon,” she replied in a low tone. She had turned to the floor, and now she slowly brought her gaze back up to the monitor, where the dim blue hue from the reflective screen shone across her worn but wise face.
CHAPTER 2
THE END OF INNOCENCE
Jane was staring down at the golden-colored platform that she stood on. It was suspended in the sky, held there in the grip of her power. Her friends were circling her somewhere, but for a moment, she stopped focusing on them and turned around. The wind blew her hair up around her, and it was longer now and unkempt—wild. The golden light of the setting sun reflected off the surface where she stood. She smiled as she looked around further and then glanced down at the distant earth far, far below. Then, the sound of Mike’s telepathic intrusion broke the serenity, and she whipped her head around.
Rise (The Ethereal Vision Book 2) Page 1
