Coalescence (Camden Investigations Book 1) Page 15

  Minutes later, the ghost hunters—sans DJ—assembled in the kitchen.

  “Are you all with me?” Iris asked Kassidy and Rachel. We need to refuse Galloway’s wishes. It would go a long way if you two stood by me. It seems Mitchell’s team already had their minds made up.”

  Kassidy and Rachel traded glances. “That could be a problem,” Rachel said.

  “What do you mean by a problem?” Iris asked. “I heard you two out there. I was proud of your critical analysis. You didn’t buy into a theory because someone with a higher education tried to belittle you with big words.”

  Rachel arched an eyebrow. “Uh, that’s not how I felt. What I mean to say is that I don’t think Evan or Mitchell talked down to us. Yes, some of their beliefs are transparent, but then again, ghost hunting is so not an exact science. I know what I said about Galloway. He’s living, uh, scratch that, proof that ghosts exist. But beyond that, we don’t have much tangible evidence either. Look at the video footage. Can we even begin to explain what happened there?”

  Iris nodded. “I can. I should have presented it to the teams, to you guys. I’m sorry.”

  Kassidy feigned an accent of British royalty and cocked a wrist at Iris. “You mean you segregated us from your theorizing. The audacity . . .”

  “Enough of the mocking, Kassidy,” Iris said. “I have more than theory. I think Ron was manipulated by some of Galloway’s enemies. I don’t think my original investigation was correct at all. Ron wasn’t affected by ghost children. He was altered, at least in his mind, by an alien presence. I saw it in my mind’s eye during my last contact with Galloway.”

  Kassidy shook her head. “I haven’t had that much to drink. What the hell are you getting at?”

  “I believe aliens cooked up something out of a Stephen King novel—for our benefit. It proves what they show us can be deceptive. If that’s true, everything Mitchell and I experienced could be trickery. We can’t believe these aliens to even be aliens.”

  Kassidy grunted. “But you just said aliens pretended to be human ghost children. Doesn’t that mean they are aliens?”

  Iris clenched a fist before her mouth to suppress a yawn. “Okay, you know what I mean. Information gleaned from Galloway is suspect nevertheless. This was going to be my final argument. I thought I would have you guys to back me up on the rest. So, I ask you again, are you with me?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “A HYPER-COMMUNICATION network . . . phantom DNA . . . we exist in a place for a time even after we’ve left . . .”

  “Yeah, I recall her eyes boring into the back of my head . . .”

  “Can you tell us how it weaves its way through the fabric of our universe without detection?”

  “Consider visitations by aliens . . .”

  “If six out seven would die, you have to stop it . . .”

  “We need to enjoy our time together, it may be short . . .”

  The voices continued to swirl about Iris. At times they sounded clear, other moments garbled as if mumbled under water. She was certain of who the voices belonged to: her team, Mitchell’s team, and what seemed to be a thought telepathically confiscated from DJ’s mind.

  But where she was and what moment this was remained enigmatic. And as the voices continued to swirl, she caught a panning glimpse of what appeared to be an alien being. She was floating toward it. Its profile suggested it was seated at the conference table in her living room. From its side, she caught it mimicking a human posture. Its over-sized eyes and taut mouth line were a dead giveaway as to its original origins. No one else seemed to notice. She struggled to discern what it was saying amidst the voices. A sudden realization sent a chill through her. She recoiled back in reaction.

  Damn it! It was one of them. Someone she believed she knew and trusted—

  A louder voice than any other shocked Iris out of her slumber. She fought off grogginess and bleary eyesight to discern who it was. Mitchell was on his cell and quite upset.

  “I am so sorry about this. I’m just glad no one was hurt. I’m sure arson investigators will figure this all out. The lab should be insured.”

  Mitchell continued rambling, trying to offer comfort. She could only surmise it was the botanist, the MUFON researcher who had analyzed the tainted corn samples. She shook her head. Rachel charged over to her with a glass of water. “Here drink this. Guess you dozed off for a minute.”

  Kassidy, who was watching a TV news broadcast on her laptop, cocked her head toward them. “Yeah, you didn’t miss much. Only the beginning of an all-consuming fire that’s going to eat the world . . .”

  Rachel intervened. “Kassidy, that was so uncalled for!”

  Kassidy grunted and returned her attention to the screen.

  “Rach,” Iris moaned more than said, “what the hell is going on? And how long was I out?”

  “Only minutes, you all about collapsed after we voted. I’m sorry, Iris. I know I must appear a traitor, but I had to conclude we can’t trust government officials to do the right thing for the public.” She slapped her hands against her thighs. “I mean, shit, look at what just happened.”

  The cold realization that the teams had agreed to pursue Galloway’s quest seeped back into her consciousness. And whatever she had just witnessed in her sleep was a testament, it would seem, that pursuit would only lead to the kind of danger she had feared. Only she hadn’t a specific image to rely on before. Now, she did. Rachel had just confirmed she was only out for minutes. Not enough time to go into REM. That meant she’d had contact in a dream vision. It was a premonition, a warning that someone among them might not be who they claimed to be, and it made her stomach flop. She clutched it as Rachel retrieved the glass of water from her hand. “Oops. Sorry. Guess water wasn’t a very good choice.”

  Kassidy tapped a finger against her vodka bottle. “This will put you straight.”

  “Straight into a—” Rachel’s response was terminated by a tap on the shoulder from Iris.

  “Shush, Rache. Mitchell is closing his call.”

  Iris observed Mitchell’s body language. He ran a hand through his hair, staring inquisitively at his phone for a nanosecond. Then, he nearly broke it in half. Seconds later he held his phone in his left hand and its battery in his right. “This is how we must have leaked it. I mean, this is how I must have leaked it. I can’t believe I was so careless.” He tossed the phone onto the conference table and stood glaring at no one particular, hand on hip.

  Evan whisked the phone off the table. “Someone could have listened in. Or, maybe someone heard what our botanist friend was telling someone else. Mitch, don’t beat yourself up. He could have leaked it too; he was hell bent on writing a journal. He could have had conversations with any number of people.”

  Mitchell sighed. “I know. But the deal is done. A lab with infinite value has been turned to ashes. Thank goodness, no one got hurt.”

  Kassidy pounced from her seat with laptop in hands. “Wait a minute. You’re talking about the lab? I thought you were talking about the cornfield.” She held the computer in front of her chest and peered down at it. “See. The farmer’s cornfield, the site of our crop circle, was torched overnight.”

  Mitchell shuffled away, turning his back to the screen. This is bad. Really bad.” He suddenly shuffled back toward the screen like some Motown dancer. Then, he glared at everyone. “I hope you all know what this confirms. I’m sorry, Iris. But we were all right to agree to Galloway’s plan. This is evidence.” He pointed at the screen and continued trading glances. “We can’t trust officials.” He paused. Iris broke her gaze with him.

  She felt as if he was referring to her Dad. She was the only one in the room who knew it or thought it. Still it was painful.

  She finally returned her glance and lifted herself off the couch. “You may be right in that regard, but it doesn’t mean what you plan to do won’t be fraught with danger.” Her calculated, deliberate tone even alarmed herself. But she was confident in her premonition. Something i
nvolving a dark secret would emerge if they pursued their plans. She wasn’t going to combat anyone anymore. She let her words hang for emphasis. If someone here could not be trusted, she had let them know in an indirect way of her suspicions.

  “I don’t think anyone can disagree with Iris on that,” Mitchell said. “I will give you ladies time to rethink if you want to join us or not. In the meantime, we need to solicit aid from the Hopi Nation. They may be our only hope of finding a guide to navigate us through Chaco Canyon.”

  Darian and Gavin powered down their phones. Mitchell turned to them. “I suggest you also deactivate them, take the batteries out. We’ll be traveling in radio silence. No phones, laptops or GPS. We’ve already learned the hard way. I never thought I would work a case so close to the truth. But that’s where we stand right now. We’ve already begun to unravel something. There was a message in the cornfield and there was evidence of what happened to the corn. It’s gone now. They’ve eradicated proof. But they haven’t stopped us.”

  Iris felt her stomach flop again. She was watching a man she considered a close friend, possibly more, ranting as if he wanted to throw himself down the rabbit hole. Iris knew that kind of pursuit was reckless. If someone were out to suppress evidence, they would surely be motivated to finish the job. Now Iris had to wonder who might represent the bigger enemy. The enemy aliens Galloway claimed existed, and possibly now were confirmed in her premonition, or government suits, possibly. But if they were feds they sure as hell weren’t her father. Dan Camden would never harm anyone. Despite his broken marriages, Dan never raised a hand to any family member. Iris was certain of this, and she didn’t need any psychic connection or premonition to confirm that truth.

  MITCHELL DROVE and Evan rode shotgun. Darian and Gavin shared the backseat of the SUV. The ride to Arizona would be a long one. It’s the only reason Mitchell agreed to Darian’s request to stop at a friend’s home on the route out of town. That friend, Kim, had quite a few books on mythology, among them one dedicated to the caduceus, the winged serpentine creature the OBOLs had supposedly created as a crop circle—an image now decimated thanks to arsonists.

  “So guys, what does that book say that’s so important? I hope it will keep my eyes open during this ride.” Mitchell and his team were only awake via adrenaline. No one had slept. No one could. Pursuing a power source in the ruins of Arizona and news that an arsonist was out to destroy evidence competed for everyone’s attention. Mitchell hoped the mythology book might give everyone a release from that tension.

  He gripped the wheel tighter. He thought about the consequences of stating his concern aloud. No one carried any electronic devices, but he still couldn’t be sure “ears” might be listening. Finally, he gave his thought life. “I feel quite bad, needless to say, about the cornfield and lab. But I think it means whoever is behind this, might still be in the dark as to what our real mission is.”

  “And that is . . .?” Evan inquired, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’ve got to get used to this altitude. I’m sorry, what’s your thought?”

  “I don’t think they are on to the dial.” Darian, using Kim’s car, had checked in on it at the storage facility. No fires. No locks cut open. The object was safe and secure along with other less important items like ugly lamps from the 80s and bad knockoffs of Van Gogh. “Darian, thank Kim again for me. I’m glad we didn’t use any of our vehicles. I just hope we weren’t tailed at the rental agency.”

  Evan laughed. “Buddy, you take the cake for paranoia. I think you’re even more paranoid than that X-Files dude, Mulder.”

  “Don’t know if I can claim that quite yet. I haven’t seen any people with black oil seeping out of their eyes,” Mitchell answered. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for everyone’s snide remarks to subside. But paranoia made him think about the information leak—again.

  It didn’t have to be from a phone, Mitchell pondered. What if Iris made good on her threat? What if she shared some knowledge with her father, maybe as a means to test him? He wouldn’t put it past Iris to challenge his suspicions about her dad. If she told him about the corn . . . well, then she had been proved wrong. Her father couldn’t be trusted. He just hoped she omitted details about the dial As long as the pursuers were in the dark about the dial and its purpose, they might yet accomplish their task without opposition. But they had to find the power source to do that, and at the moment, Mitchell was certain it was one big Easter egg hunt they were sure to fail at without assistance. But the outlook wasn’t entirely bleak. The Hopi had agreed to meet with them, after all. Mitchell prompted Darian and Gavin to share their new insights on the caduceus. It would keep his mind off the possibility that the Hopi just might refuse to assist them.

  Gavin began by noting how the winged serpentine creature was born from Greek mythology yet came to be revered by physicians who used it as a symbol of medicine.

  “But not all cultures interpret the symbol the same. The serpents, coiled on the staff, might represent the pituitary and pineal glands. The staff itself might represent the spinal column, and the wings, the two hemispheres of the brain. That might mean,” Gavin concluded, “that humans might not only have the power to heal—as seemingly inferred by the medical profession—but the capability of transcendence as well.

  “If this is true,” Gavin added, “it lends credence to the notion that the enemy’s weapon might truly cause humanity to evolve. Maybe the OBOLs created the caduceus so we could see the truth behind Galloway’s prophecy. Galloway believes most would die as if infected by a plague. But if what Evan proposes is possible, then some might evolve into higher beings from the light, the caduceus seems to back up those claims.”

  “Yet,” Darian offered, “we can assume many would die in this transformation. So we’ve got to ask if sacrifice is worth the cost. Maybe, it is. Put simply, humanity is likely already on an extinction course, and if something doesn’t come along to change us, we might all die out regardless. But if we allow this change to occur, humanity in the long run might be stronger for it. Bottom line, it might survive to live on a planet that has become festered with pollution from overwhelming greed. Maybe it’s time for us to stop being so greedy.”

  Gavin whistled. “Wow, that’s a pretty radical stance, Darian. I know you’ve been preoccupied, but I never knew you might oppose our involvement.” He shook his head. “I can’t really believe you believe what you just said. And if you shared this earlier when we voted, you’ve might have given Iris an ally.”

  “It’s just a thought. You know how I voted. Come on, Gavin, don’t make such a big deal of it.”

  Evan tapped his window to gain their attention. “What Darian feels is valid. From a scientific standpoint, using only cold, rational logic, we might deduce rapid evolution might be best for the species as a whole. But we aren’t just cold, rational scientists. We have emotion. We just can’t willingly sacrifice the many for the few.”

  Mitchell flexed a hand cramped from gripping the steering wheel. What if they already had? What if the leak would now prevent them from repowering the object? He was damn certain there were those in power who were cold, but not for rational, scientific reasons. They were cold because they wanted a better world for the chosen few. They might easily sacrifice the many while hiding away in some bunker like guiltless human squirrels, biding their time, gnawing at their supply of nuts, waiting for black skies to dissipate so they might show their traitorous faces to the Earth once more.

  Mitchell adjusted the rearview mirror to better see the backseat occupants. “Tell me more, guys. You’ve got me intrigued.”

  Gavin punched Darian in the arm. “Okay, if I continue, oh wise one?”

  Darian responded in kind. “Yes, prove to us that you can really read.”

  Gavin cleared his throat. “A scientist named Joshua Gulick posits the caduceus is an archaic blueprint for an infinitely resonant device to project fourth dimensional waves. We all know the fourth dimension represents time, uh, do
n’t we, Darian?”

  “Come on, Gavin, remember the fate of the world hangs in the balance,” Evan said, his tone dripping with mockery. “For the benefit of the group, please remain on point.”

  “Okay,” Gavin responded. “Then what if this fourth dimension affects three-dimensional space and everything in it, including humans and animals? At least that’s what Gulick proposes. If he’s right, the light weapon might also affect the animals, bugs, and the very planet itself. The staff of Hermes, which might also represent the staff of the caduceus, was said to have anesthetic properties. I think that means that if you can affect the firing of neurons with the staff—with great precision—you could create alpha and theta states in the minds of an entire populace. Does this verify what Galloway later charged, that the enemy aliens would use mind control? Or does this simply mean, the caduceus, representing our energy weapon, might simply be used to heal, because these same frequencies might also destroy bacteria. So if this weapon is some kind of a plague, it is a very complex one; on one hand it infects the victim with light but also might heal. It’s all about perspective. You might be able to walk on water and feel like a kid—forever—but you just might be under the thumb of an intergalactic race of beings hell bent on mining Earth’s final resources. Take your pick, gentlemen.”

  Evan applauded. “Very good, Gavin. I like how you presented both sides of the coin, so to speak.”

  Darian grumbled. “No one seemed to appreciate that when I tried. Well,” he sighed,” like anything else, presentation is key, so kudos, Gavin. May the best-dressed, well-spoken candidate fool the mass populace yet again.”

  “Come on,” Mitchell retorted. “Stop being so snark, Darian. I know you know what that means, by the way, even if it isn’t yet considered a real word in Webster’s universe. Anyway, I’m sure you used some presentation skills with DJ. She seems quite smitten with you.”