“How can you prove it?”
“That’s the million dollar question isn’t it? I’m working on another theory I have and I’m hoping people like your mother are going to help me with it.”
“How?” Madison asked, “I was wondering how Mom fit into all of this.”
“Compared to a normal person, your mom is different. Something has changed inside her. Whenever someone has an NDE, that’s what we call a Near Death Experience, something is altered inside them. Some switch or trigger has been set off or switched on prematurely, and that’s what I’m trying to find. The switch, or trigger, or key if you want to call it that.”
“When you find this switch or key, how will it help you see this other plane? Will it unlock something?”
“I’m hoping that the key will enable me to keep the conduit open between our plane of existence and the afterlife’s, and then we can communicate with the other side or even interact with it.”
She sat silent for a moment and Jake could tell she was thinking hard about something.
“I want to be part of this,” she blurted.
Jake laughed. “I thought you were. These dreams have brought us together already.”
“Well, yes, but I want to do more. I want to be involved in the research.”
He looked at her hard, thinking he didn’t need another assistant. She would probably get in the way. And Teri would probably have a fit! Still, something felt right about bringing her in.
“I really don’t need another assistant. I’m not really sure what you would do besides get in the way.”
She looked hurt at this and Jake immediately regretted saying it.
“All right,” he said. “What can you do?”
She brightened a bit.
“Just about anything. I can do secretarial stuff, like typing reports or answering phones. I’m good with people and I can find you more subjects. Mom has contacts all over who have had similar experiences. She says they seem to find each other somehow. Could you use more NDE’s?”
“Yes, actually we could. We’ve been having a hard time finding new subjects with these experiences. That would be excellent. You could locate new test subjects and do the preliminary interviews on them, then report to me so I can choose which would be good candidates. How does that sound?”
“When can I start?” she asked, excited.
“I don’t know what I can pay you. The budget is a little tight and we just lost our two corporate sponsors.”
“It doesn’t matter. Gas money would be fine. I’d do it for free anyway.”
“How about the day after tomorrow? Will that be all right?”
“That would be great,” she said, smiling. “I haven’t really done anything since—well, since Ryan died. I’ve felt so lost, but this seems right. I’m excited! Thank you!”
She jumped up and hugged him from across the table.
Surprised, Jake stiffened, but relaxed after a second. She felt warm and soft and her hair was clean and fresh.
She said into his ear, “Besides, now we can keep track of each other’s dreams.”
She pulled away, smiling.
12
January 11, 2010 8:30 a.m.
Orange Park, Florida
Jake slept like a log that night and thankfully, had no nightmares.
When he arrived at the lab, Teri was not there, which was unusual for her. Since their only other test subject, besides the now defunct Peter Vargas, was Rachael Swanson, and she was out of town, the only thing they could do was review previous sessions or perform maintenance on the system. Since he needed Teri here for the reviews, he started on some maintenance of the complex computer system which was essentially the heart of Andee. Teri showed up an hour later.
“Are you ok?” Jake asked as she walked in.
“Yeah. Sorry. I woke up late and there was an accident on I-295. Sometimes I hate living in Mandarin.”
He nodded. “I was worried. Glad you’re ok. I was just doing some much needed maintenance on the computer. I figured we would review Rachael Swanson’s sessions after lunch. Sound good?”
“Uh huh, sounds good to me. Speaking of her, I e-mailed Rachael last night and she’s back in town. She’ll be ready to continue tomorrow if we want.”
“Great! Perfect timing. We can only review so much. We need new data.”
“I agree. Since we had to dump all of Peter’s stuff, Andee is dying to be fed.”
Jake couldn’t figure out how to tip toe around the fact he’d hired Madison, so he just came right out with it.
“We may be getting some new subjects in the near future. Madison’s mom, Sara, knows more people who share Near Death Experiences and I hired Madison to do the preliminary interviews on any new contacts she can find. She’ll also do secretarial work and reception duties to free us up for research time.”
She stared at him. He could see the wheels turning in there and braced for the impact, but it never came.
She said, “Fine.”
Jake could tell it wasn’t ‘Fine’ but he didn’t push it.
They worked the rest of the day without any mention of Madison and even though Teri was somewhat distant, she was amicable enough. She only brought it up at the end of the day.
“So, when will Madison start?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Oh—well I guess I’ll have to come up with an apology then.”
“That would probably be good. I want you guys to get along. Will that be a problem?”
“No, I’ll be good.”
Jake laughed. “I know you will. She really needs something to do. Apparently she’s been cooped up all by herself since her fiancé died. And she’s going to find us some new test subjects.”
He walked her to her car and said goodnight. He wasn’t certain, but he thought she was crying as she drove away.
13
Tallahassee, Florida
Rachael Swanson was a student at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida when she died. She tells people she’s the reason the saying ‘Party ‘till you die!’ exists.
Rachael and her boyfriend, John, were at John’s Frat house for the annual hazing party during Rush week, and having a great time, when she finished her fifth Long Island Iced Tea and began seizing on the floor.
The first thing Rachael remembered was waking and finding she was looking down on her own body sprawled on a hospital gurney while doctors and nurses scrambled around her. She had tubes coming out of everywhere and people looked frantic.
Sounds from the scene below began to fade and she heard music, beautiful music that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It felt like it was lifting her higher and for the first time she noticed glowing shapes around her. They slowly materialized into beings of warmth and light so bright they shimmered, yet it did not hurt her eyes to look.
Within the light, scenes flashed by, offering her views of her short life. Things she had forgotten and things she would never forget. They flew by at incredible speed but she saw and recognized every one. Her mother cooking dinner, her father helping her with homework, her sister breaking her arm after falling out of a tree, her grandma dying when she was eleven, she and her friends teasing Chloe Davis until she cried just because they could, her first car, her first kiss. It was all there and it was all so real, like it happened yesterday. It was then she realized this was her whole life flashing before her and she must be dead.
The beings of light began to merge into one glowing orb of golden light that beckoned and pulled at her. She heard voices calling to her from within the light but she couldn’t tell what they were saying. She only knew she must follow.
Suddenly, the light faded a bit, as if it had a hiccup in power, and the hospital scene below her began to take focus again.
She could hear what the doctors and nurses were saying and the wonderful music began to fade. She could also hear what the doctor was thinking, which was really strange, and wondered if he was really pon
dering that left over pasta he had brought for dinner. One of the nurses was having an affair with the doctor and one of her co-workers knew this. Rachael’s boyfriend, John, was still drunk, staring at a nurse’s rear end and grinning, thinking things Rachael couldn’t believe.
Rachael knew her relationship with John was over. Not because she was dead, but because he was an ass.
A roaring, tearing sound began to overwhelm her senses and then a voice in her head said “Go back!” and she sank from her lofty view back into her body with a whoosh. She awoke to pain and noise and a nurse saying, “The epi did it. We’ve got a good rhythm now.” A male voice said, “Stop compressions! See if we have a pulse.”
Rachael did.
Rachael was back from the dead.
And Rachael had the ability to see the future and read people’s thoughts. It was strong in the first days after her death, but slowly faded with time. It never went away completely, but it was never as clear as those first few days.
Something had changed inside her and she would never be the same.
14
January 12, 2010 - 8:30 a.m.
Orange Park, Florida
Madison walked into the lab at 8:30.
Jake had arrived a little early because he wanted to be sure he was there when Madison showed up. He was still a little worried about Teri’s reaction, but those fears were unfounded when Teri greeted her pleasantly enough and then proceeded to apologize.
“I wanted to say I’m sorry for the other day, Madison. I was way out of line. I guess I was a little stressed after all that’s been happening. Forgive me.”
“That’s Ok,” Madison said. “I was probably acting a little psycho myself. Who could blame you?”
“I was still not myself, and you didn’t deserve it.” Teri paused, “I want us to be able to work together. I was hoping we could start over again.”
Madison stuck out her hand. “Hi, I’m Madison.”
Teri laughed and took her hand in her own, “I’m Teri.”
“Thanks,” Madison said sincerely, “this means a lot to me.”
Teri blushed. “Well, let me show you around.”
“That would be great. By the way, I love your hair.”
Teri smiled and said, “Thanks! I just had it colored at this little shop on the Westside…” And off they went, chatting.
Jake was relieved. He hoped it would last.
* * *
Madison felt a little apprehensive before arriving at the lab, but as the morning progressed, she relaxed. Jake was cute, Teri seemed amicable enough, and their test subject this morning ended up being someone she knew.
Rachael Swanson buzzed the door at a little after nine and she immediately recognized Madison. They were both the same age and had attended FSU at the same time, even took a couple of classes together. They spent some time catching up while Jake and Teri prepped Andee for the session.
When Madison realized Rachael was here because of a Near Death Experience she asked, “I remember when they took you to the E.R. after that frat party, is that why you’re here? Did something happen in the E.R.?”
“Yeah—I died,” Rachael said. “I had alcohol poisoning and croaked right there in the E.R. That’s when I had my NDE. Not too many people know about it. They think I was just sick and then went home.”
“Oh my god! That’s what I thought. You know my mom had one too. I didn’t believe her for the longest time until I came here with her last year. I’m a believer now!”
“What do you do here?” Rachael asked. “Did you just start, because you weren’t here before?”
“Today is my first day.”
“Don’t you just love Dr. Jake,” Rachael whispered. “He’s so cute!”
Madison smiled but said nothing.
“So your mom had an NDE too?” Rachael asked.
“Yep,” Madison said, nodding. “She fell in a pond in her backyard and drowned. Her grandma, who had died a year before, was there with her and told her what her children’s names would be. Madison and Charlotte, my sister. Freaky huh?”
“I could read people’s minds. I still can, periodically, but not whenever I want. It happens whenever it happens. I can’t control it.”
“Ok, girls,” Jake said. “You can finish catching up later at lunch. We have to get going.”
“Coming!” Rachael said to Jake, and then to Madison, “Watch my session. You’ll see the mind reading part.”
“I will.”
Teri spent the next twenty minutes with Rachael, getting her hooked up to Andee, while Jake went over what he wanted Madison to do. Basically, she was to take notes on the whole session, paying special attention to comments made by Jake and Teri during the experiment. She said she could handle that.
Rachael’s NDE started and very shortly into it, the distorted sound began and Jake said, “Two minutes and thirteen seconds into NDE, sound anomaly begins.”
Madison remembered the same thing from her mom’s session and started to comment on it, but decided she would wait until they were finished. She had heard this kind of distortion before, but wasn’t sure if it was what she remembered from her mom’s NDE or something else. She didn’t want to interrupt, so she waited.
When Rachael’s life review came up, Madison couldn’t make out any of the images. They were somewhat distorted and went by so fast.
Jake said, “Life review anomaly begins at four minutes and thirty-seven seconds.”
“They look more distorted today,” Teri added. “I can hardly make out anything.”
“I noticed that too,” Jake said. “I wonder if we have a loose lead or something.”
“I’ll check it after the first run through.”
Jake nodded.
When the NDE arrived at the section where Rachael could read the thoughts of the doctor and nurses, Madison laughed, then said, “Sorry. It’s like watching a soap opera.”
Jake and Teri nodded.
Just then a booming, thunderous, ‘Go Back!’ shook the room. They all jumped, and Madison screamed. It was very powerful.
Jake said, “Energy spike at eight minutes and twenty-two seconds.”
The whine of the cooling system running at a high level could be heard in the background.
Teri said, “Coolant system at 85% and rising, should we stop?”
“No,” Jake said. “She’s almost done. Just a few seconds more.”
Madison watched the coolant system gauge creep up toward 90%, then as the NDE ended, rapidly drop back to a range of 15%.
“That was intense,” Madison said. “Do all of the sessions have events like that? I remember my mom’s having something similar.”
“Pretty much,” Jake said. “They’re all different in what the event is, and some are more intense than others, but they all have some kind of energy spike with an uncontrollable auditory feature. We’ve had water glasses shatter. Sorry, I forgot to warn you about it.”
“That would’ve been nice. I think I peed my pants.”
Teri grinned and said, “I knew it was coming, but I think I peed my pants too.”
Madison laughed.
Teri continued, “They used to really scare me, but I’ve gotten a little used to them. It doesn’t happen when we play it back. You can hear it, but it’s at a normal volume and intensity. We haven’t figured out why yet.”
A muffled, “Everything Ok?” came from the other side of the lab.
“Yes, Rachael,” Jake said. “I want to play back a part of the recording before we go through it again. Is that ok?”
“Yes,” she said. “I just have to pee.”
“What is it with everybody having to go to the bathroom whenever they get in there?” Teri said.
“It must have something to do with knowing you’re stuck in there for a while,” Jake said.
“Ok, play it back from the beginning. I want to hear something again.”
Teri started the recording at the beginning and they all watched it play out again.
Madison had moved up to the console and was leaning on it close to Jake watching the screen intently when Jake brushed against her and a tingle raced up her arm. Suddenly, Rachael laughed from across the lab.
“Thank you, Dr. Jake,” Rachael giggled.
“Thank you what?” Jake looked confused as Teri stopped the playback.
“I could hear what you were thinking,” Rachael said, giggling some more. They waited and she said, “You were thinking how lucky you were to have three beautiful girls in your lab, all to yourself.”
Madison turned to him smiling and he blushed, looking away.
“I was—just—uh…” he stammered, and all three girls laughed. He smiled and said, “Sorry. It’s true. I am lucky. You shouldn’t be reading my mind anyway.”
“It just happens,” Rachael said. “I can’t control it.”
“All right. You’re forgiven this time,” Jake said. His expression changed as if something just occurred to him. “Rachael, what am I thinking now?”
“Uh—I don’t know. It’s gone. I’ve got nothing.”
Jake rewound the recording back to where the distortion anomaly started and hit play. “What about now, Rachael?”
“Wow! I can see it! You’re thinking about a big Philly cheese steak sandwich, covered in cheese and onions.”
He stopped the playback. The distortion immediately stopped.
“And now?” Jake asked.
Sounding disappointed, Rachael said, “Nothing—I lost it.”
Jake turned to Teri whose mouth was hanging open.
“She could see what I was thinking when we played this sound anomaly back. We can affect an ability by playing back a recorded session while she’s hooked up to Andee.”
He looked excited, pacing back and forth. “What did we just do? What is so special about this distortion? Why can’t Andee decode it? We need to know what this is.”
Near Death (A Jake Townsend Science Fiction, Action and Adventure, Thriller Series Book 1) Page 6
