Near Death (A Jake Townsend Science Fiction, Action and Adventure, Thriller Series Book 1)

by Richard C Hale

  After introductions were made, Frank said, “Doc, how can you concentrate with all these pretty ladies around?”

  Maddy smiled and Teri blushed, but Jake said, “It’s not easy. You’ll help keep them off of me, won’t you?”

  “You bet,” Frank said with a grin. “You won’t even have to pay me.” And he winked.

  Teri said, “Please, follow me, Mr. Lucas. I’ll be prepping you for your session today.”

  “Lead on young lady, lead on. Time’s a wastin’.”

  Teri began the process of placing the leads and connections onto Frank’s skin and scalp and she explained what would be happening today for him as they progressed. Maddy came over about half way through and went through the interview she had conducted over the phone with him the other day. She asked if there was anything else he wanted to add but he could think of nothing. He said it was still very fresh in his mind since he had died less than two weeks earlier.

  Maddy explained to him Andee would pick up anything they missed, but for the most part, people who had had experiences such as his, had an almost photographic recall of the event.

  “Damn right,” Frank said. “It made quite an impression on me.”

  “My mother also,” Maddy said, smiling. “She still recalls every detail of hers and she was eleven at the time she drowned. She’s in her fifties now.”

  Jake stepped up and said, “Mr. Lucas, we’re going to start today using an older body mold, which is this device here.” Jake indicated the body mold hanging from the ceiling next to them. “If it proves unsatisfactory, we’ll measure you for your own, but it will save us quite a bit of money if we’re able to utilize this one. The process of recording your Near Death Experience usually takes between ten to thirty minutes per session. Do you have any problems lying supine for that length of time?”

  “Supine?” Frank asked.

  “That means on your back,” Jake said.

  “Oh—ok—no, sir.”

  “Great. We usually try to do two or three sessions in a day, but we can accommodate anything and always keep your best interests in mind. Don’t hesitate to let us know if you are tired or uncomfortable. We’ll make it right. We’ll be starting in a few minutes, so try and relax while we get you hooked up.”

  “Yes, sir,” Frank said.

  Teri finished hooking the leads up and Frank was now in the chair, resting comfortably and ready to go. Jake had Bodey’s disc in the drive and the system was online and ready to record.

  “Mr. Lucas, this is very easy on your part,” Jake said, talking through the two way intercom. “We’re going to ask you to visualize a few specific items in your mind to help calibrate the system to your specific body mechanics and then we will begin the actual Near Death Experience.”

  “Sounds good,” Frank said, a little muffled. “I’m ready.”

  Jake went through the process of having Frank visualize the blank room and then the ball in the room, along with a few other tests. Everything looked good, so he moved on to the actual NDE.

  “Now Mr. Lucas,” Jake said, “we want you to relax as much as you can and try to empty your mind of everything but your experience. All you will need to do is relive it in your mind and the machine will capture the whole event. Are you ready?”

  “Yes,” Frank said.

  “Great, sir. Begin anytime you would like.”

  Jake, Maddy and Teri watched the events unfold on the monitors starting with Frank rising above the scene as he left his body, floating overhead. The picture and sound quality were excellent as expected, but Jake was waiting to see how Andee dealt with the musical chord and Life Review.

  A figure which could only be Frank’s father appeared and outstretched his hand toward Frank who in turn reached for the offered hand. As their fingers touched, a brilliant light formed to the right side of the display and the fullest and most beautiful musical chord Jake had heard suddenly filled the lab with its vibrant sound. The music seemed to come from all around them, filling every void with its sound and texture. Jake gasped at the magnificence of the notes, as he not only heard the sound, but felt it all the way to his core.

  He turned and saw Maddy weeping, clutching her hand to her heart as she laughed. On her face, the most glorious smile Jake had ever seen.

  Along with the music, a wave of comfort swept over him and he stood in awe of what he was experiencing.

  The Life Review had started and the images, though crystal clear, were racing by at a speed which did not allow him to see anything but brief glimpses of Frank’s life. Suddenly the life review slowed and Jake watched a scene unfold before him. A woman was being raped and Jake watched Frank try to stop it. Jake could feel the horror and anger Frank was feeling as a man with dead eyes attacked him and they fought. It ended with the man’s hair on fire and Frank stabbing him in the throat with a knife. The Life Review moved on. Jake didn’t understand what had just happened but he knew it was something very important in Frank’s life.

  Jake had to pull himself away from the experience and monitor the systems he knew would begin ramping up as the NDE progressed toward its conclusion. He was shocked to see the cooling system already at ninety percent and watched it very closely. He could not hear the pumps running because the music dominated the sounds of the lab.

  Just then, a loud sucking sound, followed by a huge thump shook the room and caused a coffee mug to fall off the console onto the floor. It shattered and spread its contents in a widening circle on the floor. Jake ignored it.

  Teri was trying to get his attention, pointing at the gauges of the cooling system as they approached the ninety seven percent mark. She had a hand poised over the abort button and a questioning look on her face, but Jake shook his head no. He wanted to see how far he could push the system. Teri shrugged and removed her hand from over the button.

  As a second defibrillator jolt shocked Frank’s heart back to life, another larger sucking sound overcame the music, followed by a thundering clap which shattered one of the glass room dividers that separated the console from the chair.

  Maddy screamed in surprise and Jake shouted, “Are you all right?!” She nodded, but looked shaken up a bit.

  The NDE ended and silence returned to the room as everyone looked at one another and then surveyed any damage which may have occurred. Other than the broken glass divider and shattered coffee mug, Jake could see no other damage except maybe some papers shuffled to the floor.

  Jake smiled at Maddy and said, “What a ride!”

  She nodded, catching her breath. It was then Jake heard a sound. It was coming from the intercom system. A soft whimpering could be heard. They all rushed to the chair and raised the body mold to find Frank crying. His face was happy, but tears streamed from both eyes.

  “It was beautiful,” he cried. “How did you do that? It was like I was there all over again. I didn’t want to come back.” And he sobbed into his hands, overcome with emotion.

  Jake, Maddy and Teri looked at each other, shock and disbelief in their eyes. Jake wondered what other surprises lay in store for them this day.

  38

  January 18, 2010 9:45 a.m.

  Orange Park, Florida

  Teri let Frank out of the chair to take a break and he relaxed, sipping a soda. He said very little and Jake could tell he was overcome by the experience. Jake, Maddy, and Teri gathered at the console to talk about what had just happened.

  “Maybe we should send him home for the day, Jake,” Teri said. “He’s seems pretty shook up. Hell, I’m shook up.”

  Maddy nodded.

  “I’ll talk to him in a minute, but I agree,” Jake said. “I don’t want to stress him this close to his recovery.”

  “Jake,” Maddy said, “What was so different about today than from the others? Why was everything that much more powerful?”

  “It must be the music,” Jake said. “Now that we can hear the whole thing, it’s having an effect on the system. It really must be some kind of key or signature and now w
e have the ability to unlock some of those effects.”

  “I don’t like some of those effects,” Maddy said. “What else could we unlock?”

  “The music was beautiful, though,” Teri said. “I felt so calm and peaceful. How could that be?”

  “It must be having some residual effect on our surroundings,” Jake said. “This is all new to me, guys. I’m trying to figure this out as we go.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t go any further,” Maddy said, a worried look in her eyes.

  Jake looked intensely at them both and then over at Frank and said, “Let me talk to him. Let’s see what he’s feeling, now.”

  They all walked over and Jake said, “How are you Mr. Lucas?”

  “It’s Frank. Please call me Frank. I’m fine. Just a little confused about all this. I’m not quite sure how to feel.”

  “Of course, Frank,” Jake said, “I wouldn’t know how to feel either. What happened today has never happened before. We weren’t expecting this and I want to apologize to you.”

  “No need, I’m in awe of what you can do here. I wish you three could have felt what I felt. You might understand a little better.”

  “Try and explain it to us Frank,” Teri said.

  He thought for a minute. “When it was over, I was disappointed. Disappointed because I was still here. I felt exactly like I had when I first experienced the heart attack. I can honestly say, it felt like I just had another Near Death Experience and I’m ashamed to say I wish I hadn’t come back from it. Is that wrong?”

  Jake smiled. “I can’t answer that for you, but I can say from our experience with other survivors like yourself, it would be unusual for you not to feel this way. Whoever created us must have engineered this process to happen for a reason. To ease our transition from this life to whatever awaits us beyond it. The peace and comfort you feel only helps alleviate the fears everyone experiences, naturally, with death.”

  “Your explanation makes sense,” Frank said, “but it does little to change the fact I still feel regret about being alive.”

  “Hopefully it will pass with time,” Jake said. “Because you did not move on, your mind, or soul if you want to call it that, has to deal with the effects of being prepared to move on, while still being in this realm. I’m sure it’s very confusing and upsetting.”

  Frank nodded.

  “I think we’ll call it a day if that’s ok with you?” Jake said. “We’ve put you through enough.”

  “No! I want to stay and help. I can’t stop now. I’m fine—let’s get me hooked up again and fire this thing up.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Frank. I don’t want to overstress your body so soon after your heart attack.”

  “Nonsense, I’m fine.”

  Jake looked at Maddy and Teri, but neither offered any support one way or the other.

  Jake stood and paced a few steps. “All right, we’ll do one more session and see how you are, but if I feel it’s getting too tough on you, I’m pulling the plug and we’ll start again another day. Ok?”

  Frank nodded. “Fair enough.”

  They had him hooked up and after a preliminary check of the computer system, everything was ready to go.

  Jake pressed the intercom and said to Frank, “Before we start, there is something I want to check in the last session. Relax, and we’ll start up again in a moment.”

  Jake said to Teri, “Bring up his session and let’s look and see where the music starts. I want to be sure we know where all the extra effects begin.”

  Teri loaded the file and began playing the recording. Jake watched as the playback began and then out of the corner if his eye, he saw Maddy’s head jerk up from her notes as panic spread across her face.

  “Jake! Stop! He’s hooked up to Andee and…!”

  As the music began to play, a low rumbling began from somewhere below them. It rapidly grew to a tearing, ripping roar as the floor shook and items began breaking all over the lab.

  Jake yelled, “Teri! Shut it down! Turn it off!” But Teri was mesmerized by what was happening over the chair Frank was in.

  A pinpoint of light appeared above the body mold and then exploded into a gash of purple and brilliant white streaks all as a horrible tearing sound pierced the room. A hole formed in thin air where the light had appeared and Jake could see through it into what appeared to be a whole other area or room. It was as if a jagged door had opened up into another dimension. A roaring sound permeated the room and Maddy’s cries could barely be heard above the noise as a wind kicked up inside the lab.

  Papers whirled in circles over the chair and were sucked into the hole floating over Frank. Jake watched as an office chair was drawn up into, and through, the hole.

  Maddy grabbed his shoulders, shaking him and shouting into his face, “Jake! Shut it off! Hurry!”

  Jake, his attention now fully on what was happening, jumped over and hit the abort button, shutting the system down and stopping the playback of the recording. The roaring peaked and then a huge sucking sound followed as the hole collapsed upon itself with an explosive ‘whoosh!’

  The papers and chair which had been pulled into the vortex, shot outward from it as it collapsed, the chair shattering into pieces as it hit the wall opposite the console. Papers fluttered to the ground as the machinery spooled down, silence returning to the lab once again, with the exception of Teri who quietly cried.

  Jake rushed over to Frank in the chair and Maddy joined him as they pulled the body mold up to reveal a very still Frank Lucas.

  Jake shouted, “Frank! Can you hear me? Mr. Lucas! Wake up!”

  Jake shook him and put his ear next to his mouth but could hear no breath. He felt for a pulse on his wrist and then his neck, but nothing was there. He turned with a shocked look on his face as Maddy held a shaking hand to her mouth, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

  “He’s gone,” Jake said, and reached for Maddy as she fell into his arms.

  39

  January 18, 2010 10:47 a.m.

  Mandarin, Florida

  Peter had been monitoring the lab with all the new sensors and video equipment installed, when the incident happened at exactly 10:47 a.m. on Monday, January 18, 2010.

  When the hole opened up above their test subject and it seemed the entire world was going to be sucked into it, he stood up, shocked and said, “What the hell!?”

  As the hole closed and a great deal of energy was released with it, the video and audio feeds abruptly came to a halt. They did not return for twenty minutes. During that time, Peter had been on the phone with the General explaining what he had seen. The General was demanding more information which Peter was unable to supply. His equipment was disabled.

  “Well then get your butt down there and find out what the hell is going on!” the General shouted into the phone. “Take charge and start some damage control. If this accident has caused destruction to the surrounding structures, we need to be on top of it. We don’t want this leaking out to the press. Keep a lid on it. I’ll be there in two hours.”

  Peter looked at the disconnected phone in his hand and said, “Shit!”

  Part 2

  40

  January 18, 2010 – 11:37 a.m.

  Orange Park, Florida

  Peter arrived at the lab as an ambulance pulled out of the parking lot, its siren wailing and lights flashing. Peter wondered who was inside. The last thing he had seen on the monitors was the gaping hole over the body of their test subject, Frank.

  He didn’t see any noticeable damage to the outside of the structure and the only emergency vehicle that had responded had been the ambulance. It looked to Peter like his job would be easy. He walked to the front entrance of the lab and, since the door was standing wide open, strolled right in.

  Jake was on the phone. The lab assistant, Teri, was sweeping up what looked like broken glass and the new girl, Maddy, was hovering by Jake listening to one side of the conversation.

  “Yes, Mrs. Lucas,” Jake
was saying into the phone, “they’ve taken him to St. Vincent’s Medical Center.” He nodded in response to something the person on the other line said. “Yes…in Riverside…No, he wasn’t awake. They had to perform CPR on him when they arrived. They got his heart beating again, but he was still unconscious when they left.”

  Jake turned and saw Peter standing in the entranceway. A look of shock, and then anger spread across his face, but he turned back to continue his telephone conversation.

  “I’m very sorry, Mrs. Lucas, I don’t know what happened…Yes ma’am…No ma’am…I will. And please let us know how he is…Ok…Bye,” and Jake hung up.

  He whipped around and strode briskly toward Peter. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I’m here to assist you with damage control,” Peter said.

  “Damage control? What the hell are you talking…?” He paused, a knowing look crossed his face and then he continued, “You’ve been spying on us again. We didn’t find all the bugs did we?”

  Peter kept his face stoic, and chose to ignore Jake’s questions. “The General will be here in about two hours. I’m to detain all of you here until his arrival.”

  “We’re not staying. We’re leaving for the hospital. Now.”

  “My orders are to keep you here.”

  “I don’t care what your orders are,” Jake yelled. “I just had a man’s heart stop in my lab and I’m concerned about his condition. I’m going to the hospital, and Teri and Maddy are coming with me.”

  Peter looked at Jake and was about to say something, but thought better of it. He was supposed to be in damage control mode, as the General ordered, so forcing these three to do something they didn’t want to do might make things worse. It wasn’t that he was worried about being outnumbered, or in physical danger, he just felt a different way might be better. He decided to try a more tactful approach.