The Otherlings and the Crystal Amulet

by S V Hurn

  “Not that I had a choice in the matter.”

  “For that you have our sincere apologies. But let us go inside so we can discuss our future.”

  Lucca escorted the group into one of the buildings. “Please follow me.” As they entered through the main door, they saw men and women going about their daily routines. He said, wondering how the information about to be shared would be received, “I would like to show you something in the main auditorium.”

  Alex recognized the room as soon as they entered. It was the auditorium where Dorathy had stood in front of the science community to offer her deal. The large room, its rows of seating resembling lecture halls at numerous universities, was now empty and seemed to demand silence as if it were a place of worship.

  “Please take a seat,” Lucca said in a hushed tone. “I think you will find this . . . enlightening.” The lights dimmed and a large image came alive on the main stage. Athena shifted in her seat and as she glanced down, she noticed a golden flicker on Lucca’s left hand. It was the same ring worn by her grandfather and the young man in the photo. Lucca caught a glimpse of Athena’s reaction to the sight of his ring and smiled to himself—he felt he now controlled the cards.

  Slowly the screen came to life. One by one, old forgotten photos of John Rosen as a young man faded in and out, showing Athena her grandfather in a new light. These were photos taken long before her birth, photos she had never seen before. These photos were being shown only now to reveal the true nature of John Rosen’s and Dorathy’s involvement with the Illuminati.

  Athena frequently peeked over at Alex during the presentation to see if there was any truth to what they were watching, but she could tell by his expression that he was just as perplexed by the images. Athena suddenly stood. “Please stop, I don’t want to see anymore.” Lucca pressed a button on a key fob. The screen went blank and the lights came up, illuminating the room back to its original cold glare.

  Lucca shifted in his seat and carefully chose his words, “My dear girl, my intent was not to upset you but to shed light on your family’s involvement in this organization. Your grandfather, as you could see, was closely involved with the science that has moved our planet forward. He dabbled a bit in the ‘derogated section,’ but he too came to realize that the population needed to be ‘controlled.’

  Athena became exasperated. “My mother . . .”

  Lucca coolly cut her off. “Your mother was involved with our attempts to depopulate the planet. We were rapidly approaching ten and a half billion inhabitants, how many more do you think our small planet could support? The needs of the many, in this case, do not outweigh the needs of the few. John set forth his objective to better what was left of mankind knowing most of the population was on a self-destructive path. My dear, don’t you see what is happening around us? Your grandfather knew that it was just a matter of time before the current population would experience another cycle of de-evolving. The derogated section was just the beginning. Most of the human race is doomed. It is written in our DNA.”

  Athena almost screamed her response at him. “What the hell are you talking about? Are you insane? Depopulation sounds a lot like murder!”

  Lucca wore a weary smile. “Most of our current attempts have failed. Presently we are not planning to cull the herd, we are planning to leave the herd behind. Initially, when the derogated section started to fade away, we were heavily involved with alternative fuel sources, trying to clean up the mess humans had made of the environment. We then moved to genetically enhancing our food sources to feed the population. Then came your grandfather’s involvement in 3D Bioprinting and medical advancements, which again exacerbated the problem of over-population. I do believe that is when our purpose shifted from trying to take care of everyone to taking care of a chosen few. You see most of us are destined to become an endangered species. This will create the dawn of a new age for mankind and with it perhaps colonizing another world; a new world populated with evolved enlightened members of humanity. Just as the black plague brought forth the Renaissance, the breakdown of our DNA will bring forth human transcendence.”

  Alex drew a long breath. “I do know this much about my wife; she was excited about the future. In her own way she was telling me all along what you have shown us here today, but without coming out and saying, a ‘New World Order.’”

  “Yes, Alex you are correct. Dorathy withdrew from active membership when John was found dead.”

  Hugo now demanded the truth. “Who killed John Rosen and why?”

  Lucca rubbed his tired eyes. “Hugo, I think you already have the answer. There are many members of religious factions that wanted to see John Rosen dead for the reasons I have revealed today, but we believe the assassin to have been a loner acting on his own beliefs. He committed this horrible crime and escaped capture. He still lives and could in a sense have been responsible for Dorathy’s death.”

  “Still lives?” Athena said, sounding confused. “How do you know he still lives?”

  Lucca paused a moment and decisively said, “He was one of your grandfather’s . . . experiments.”

  Now all eyes were on Lucca and although he suspected he had already said too much, this was his opportunity to divulge the truth about what they were doing and why.

  “Back then John was creating life with 3D Bioprinting. Not just body parts for transplantation, but trying his hand at creating a new body and attempt to transfer one’s consciousness. Not much different than what we have now been able to achieve with our SELF. His experiment was not quite successful and the individual to whom he had given life has been faced with a painful unending existence. You see, he is somewhat immortal. This person has stolen the body of our dear Simon and has managed to alter his DNA to resist the aging process. He cannot die unless of his own doing and his religious beliefs will condemn him to eternal damnation if he does. This demented individual managed to manipulate his way to our brother Simon and has been residing within his mind for many years.”

  Stuart interjected, “So this Simon character really has someone else lurking inside his brain?”

  Lucca nodded his head. “Yes, he wanted to even the score by infiltrating our exclusive society and kidnapping Simon; and with an upload of his immortal soul, resides within him. He uses the technology he stole from us and reengineered it to perfection to maintain his youth and his appearance. He has become quite powerful and will stop at nothing to find the truth of our mission. In his possession he has the world’s oldest artifact and is desperately seeking the knowledge of the power it possesses. He knew the artifact had a special purpose but has not figured out what that might be. He only knew that whatever powers it had could only be harnessed by John Rosen and his offspring. The purest of our alien ancestors. Thus, he believes we are the product of Satan himself, and God himself has placed him on this path. It is why he has claimed membership in, as you must already know, the Knights of Christ.”

  Everyone saw how it was all starting to connect.

  Stuart, having witnessed their technology, observed, “Although you have the means and the science to create life you are still looking for ‘the other side’ or some might call it ‘Heaven.’ The way I see it, you are using science to prove its existence, not using science to prove it never existed at all. To me that sounds a lot like faith.”

  “Yes, we have faith that there is an afterlife. We want to not only prove its existence, but how and why it exists in order to finally lay to rest the quarrels over religion.”

  “Buddy, quarrel is a hell of a way to describe the damn Holy Wars which spanned thousands of years!” Hugo was becoming animated now as he was remembering his time served in the Middle East. “Those jihadist bastards were shooting and beheading innocent people on the streets, there and on our shores, screaming, ‘Death to the infidels,’ all in the name of Allah! You bringing back proof is supposed to fix that? There’s an old sayin where I come from, “You can’t fix stupid!”

  Lucca had to laugh. “Yes, my fri
end, I would have to agree with you there. Our goal is to prepare mankind for the truth and slowly those who fail to evolve from religion superseding logic will simply die off as evolution has proved in the past. We know now that it is the case, ‘directed panspermia;’ we were seeded by an ancient alien species and buried in our DNA is the sequence to evolve past this barbaric behavior. Some of us will fully evolve in time, and our job is simply to help it along. And the ones who don’t have the gene sequencing will no longer be allowed to carry on as they have.”

  Athena, recalling what she had been told in the past, mused, “That part of our civilization either evolves or they are simply left behind; left to their own devices. The rest of us continue on with the goal of working together for a better future for all of us.”

  Lucca looked upon Athena now as he would if she were his own daughter. He reached over and put his cold weathered hand on hers, “Think of the possibilities mankind could achieve if we were to come together in the realization that we have a purpose in this life and that purpose is greater than just an individual’s needs.”

  Athena’s eyes started to well up, as she knew her mother had adopted this way of thinking. “My mother worked hard at her career, she gave her time and her wealth, and she strived to better herself and the lives of those around her so that they would have the means to contribute to society. If my mother taught me anything in life, it is that with hard work we could achieve anything and that there was nothing gained by having everything handed to us. This from a woman who never actually needed to work at anything, or for anyone.”

  Hugo straightened his uniform and said, “I understand you boys have been busy, and now that we all know a little bit about the whys, I want to hear more about the hows of this mission. How the hell do you put together a mission of this size and importance and hinge it on faith?”

  Lucca looked over with assurance. “We have, without a doubt, uncovered the information buried in our own DNA that is needed to complete this mission. We have broken the code and have successfully deciphered it as coordinates on the other side.”

  Hugo shook his head. “Tell me this then, are these directions to another dimension, or to another world?”

  Lucca responded, “Both. Upon reaching the other side the team must find the starting point from which the map had been sent.”

  Hugo closed his eyes and turned away in bewilderment. “What if these poor bastards you’re sendin’ out can’t find their startin’ point within the other side, then what?”

  “I have complete confidence that they will.”

  Hugo was skeptical. “Somethin’ tells me that we aren’t getting the whole story about how you plan on findin’ the place where we all seem to go when we pass to the other side.”

  Lucca had the look of a man who held the secrets of the universe in his coat pocket. “In time my friends, in time . . .”

  CHAPTER 26

  The following day, after a long discussion about their mission, the group was sitting on the runway ready for departure. It would be a short trip to their destination in the middle of the Swiss Alps.

  Hendrik looked over the flight plan, scratching his head. “Ms. Rosen, this is highly irregular, but if you are confident that these coordinates are correct, then I will get us there without incident.”

  “No worries Hendrik, many other jets have landed here, so I know we will be fine in your quite capable hands.” Hendrik punched in the coordinates. He thought that if someone else was able to fly into the side of a mountain then so could he. Having served time in the UNSC Defense Force, Hendrik was more than qualified.

  Within minutes they were on final approach to the secret facility. The spaceship carrying a team of SELFs was ready to depart this reality for another dimension. Their mission was to bring back proof of the existence of not only the other side, but of an ancient civilization that was responsible for creating life on Earth. It had been considered quite an enormous task for such a small, select few. The clock was ticking.

  After landing they taxied into the huge hangar that had been excavated out of the side of a mountain. Inside were two smaller jets parked side by side. The base had been connected to an ancient sink hole that had been turned into a modern facility. The Illuminati’s sole purpose was to build the most extraordinary spacecraft ever imagined, with a crew of the most advanced specimens of humanity ever conceived, on a mission that would change the face of the planet if they were to succeed. This grand plan was a collection of scientists from around the world working together to achieve the goal of a greater existence, a new world order; all members of this exclusive secret society.

  Athena, Alex, Hugo and Stuart descended the stairs from the private jet; Hendrik was happy to stay behind knowing they were in Hugo’s capable hands. Hugo had given him a small communicator in the event things went south. Hendrik could prepare for immediate take-off and assist, if need be, with the arsenal of weapons at his disposal. Over the years, Hendrik’s quick thinking and military training had extracted members of the Rosen clan from many sticky situations. He had filled a variety of job descriptions; pilot was just one of his more menial tasks.

  At arrival they were greeted only by an open elevator door. The elevator sat waiting for them without escort. Its open door invited them to enter to access the secret chambers below. The group looked around at their surroundings, unsure what might be waiting below the surface. They gave one another uncertain glances, then accepted the silent invitation and entered.

  When the doors slid open after a short descent, Hans Grobler was waiting for them and loudly, almost eagerly, said, “Welcome my friends to the Rabbit Hole. I assure you that what you are about to see will change your thinking about our place in the universe.”

  When Stuart caught Hans’s eye, he noted a glimmer of surprise and fear. “Nice to have you back under different, more positive circumstances,” Hans said, wishing he were more prepared for Stuart and the others’ unexpected arrival. Stuart was suddenly very uneasy with Hans, and it wasn’t merely the fact that he was back in this place. Something was terribly wrong, but regardless he felt comforted knowing they were armed just in case Hans had other plans for their small group.

  They stepped out onto the main floor and gazed up in amazement. The ship capable of existing in multiple dimensions was sitting on its launch pad as steam vented from its underbelly like the hot breath coming from a beast ready to sprint.

  Athena observed a familiar face approaching through the cloud of steam, his hazy appearance coming into focus from under the ship. “Hello Athena, nice to have you join us for the launch of a new era for mankind.”

  Athena’s body language spoke volumes. Arms crossed tightly around her chest and a chill running up her spine, she gasped, “Simon, what have you done with my mother?”

  “Yes, never skipping a beat, just like your mother. Simon has almost disappeared from existence and is only a distant voice now in the void at the back of my thoughts. Your mother’s demise and then her involvement in this fruitless endeavor to the tune of 150 billion dollars. It was a smart move on her part, although she contributed that boost to the mission’s success unknowingly. As far as what happened to your mother, I believe her untimely death was orchestrated to assist in this mission.”

  Simon Bedford had been a strikingly handsome man, with a piercing gaze and bald head, a man who should by all rights be well into his eighties. He looked to be in his forties. Under his strong form was a fierce opponent with a mind as sharp as a whip and eyes that shone with intelligence.

  “My dear Athena, all those years I had been with your grandfather carrying out his wishes. Along the way I grew more powerful, almost capable of snuffing out this constant nagging in my brain from your dearly, almost departed Simon. My only endeavor had been to rid the world of your kind, but you see curiosity had gotten the best of me over the years. Your grandfather had an artifact in his possession that had an evil glow when I pried it out of his dead hand. Your mother’s DNA, as I discovered
over the years, also has the ability to wield its power, therefore preventing me from extinguishing her myself. Fortunately for her she has been safely tucked away. You see your mother, no matter how she tried to pull away, will always be a member of this illustrious group. Now I have something for you.” Simon reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a gold ring. “This needs to be passed on to the next generation. It belonged to your grandfather and I claimed it after his death. You are now its rightful owner. Poor girl, lucky for you your DNA is degrading like the rest of the mere mortals.”

  Athena snatched the ring from his grasp, blinking back tears and trying desperately to hold on to her composure, but she found herself snapping back at Simon or whoever this person was, “What have you done with my mother?”

  “Believe me when I say there were many who wanted your grandfather and your mother eliminated, but I discovered they possessed a power and with it the capability to leave our mortal disabilities behind. “Your mother’s abilities, as I recently discovered, posed a great threat to our religion. I now know I needed her to destroy the evil power within your grandfather’s crystal trinket. But her involvement has changed the playing field with this new discovery, a discovery that could finally prove once and for all the origins of mankind and by doing so pull our civilization into a dark abyss of faithless creatures.”

  Athena’s head began to spin, and she began to shout at Simon with an anger that was welling up from her depths. “Do you know who killed my mother?”

  Alex pulled her gently away. “Dora wanted no part of any of this madness. Your words are lunacy!”

  Simon shook his head. “Why would she? She wanted to separate herself as much as possible; admitting to it would have defeated the purpose. But she could not change who or what she was. The power she possesses is evil and for that she should have been eliminated.”