Chapter 56 A special delivery

Monday 16th August

An unmarked van was allowed through the outer security curtain surrounding the Shorncliffe Army Camp. The vehicle stopped in front of another barrier, and three soldiers approached it – two carrying assault rifles.

The driver got out of the van and walked to its rear door. He keyed a code into a touchpad, and the door opened.

As the soldiers reached him, the driver lifted a cardboard box from a rack within the van. He then handed it to the soldier who was not carrying a weapon.

‘Thank you,’ said the soldier, who then turned and walked away. The two others followed.

At the entrance to the nuclear bunker, Peter Rogers and George Mackenzie took delivery of the box.

‘I was beginning to doubt we’d ever get this,’ said George as he and Peter walked back down a corridor towards the laboratory.

‘Things have turned out rather well, as it happens. Neither the Russians nor the Chinese know we’ve got the Teterodat. We were right that one or other would try to destroy the consignment if they couldn’t get it for themselves, and we correctly guessed that knocking out our military transport in mid-Atlantic would be a likely way for one of them to try.’

‘Very efficient, those space lasers.’

‘Very efficient at locking onto a drone that was broadcasting the transponder signal of the Globemaster that launched it. Not so efficient at picking up the actual Globemaster with the Teterodat onboard.’

‘Is everything ready to start phase two, George?’

‘It is now.’

Chapter 57 Difficult decisions

Monday 16th August

‘So, we were successful in shooting down the aircraft with a laser from our satellite.’ Li Xiu Ying said to Zhang Wei as she entered Zhang Wei’s small office.

‘We were successful in shooting down something, but I fear it may not have been the British transport plane.’

‘What leads you to think that?’

‘Two things, Li Colonel. Another satellite in a lower orbit appears to have imaged the Boeing Globemaster after the time at which we thought we’d downed it. Also, agents in England reported that a Globemaster with no transponder signal landed at RAF Northolt at around the time they would have expected the flight from Mexico. Something was seen being loaded from the transport into a van, and an agent followed the van to Shorncliffe Army Camp in Kent.’

‘Ah, we already have some limited intelligence suggesting that the base for Starchild might now be at Shorncliffe Army Camp.’

‘If you take all those indicators together, Li Colonel, I think the British most likely have the Teterodat at Shorncliffe Army Camp and are preparing for the fourth of September.’

‘Do we have any agents who can infiltrate the base?’

‘No. That would simply not be possible. There are multiple layers of security that we know about, and certainly others that we don’t.’

Li Xiu Ying sighed. ‘The situation is increasingly forcing us towards our plan of final resort. Will we be in a position to implement that plan?’

‘Our destroyer, the Haikou, will be docking at Portsmouth on a goodwill visit on the third of September. It could launch cruise missiles with tactical nuclear warheads that would destroy Shorncliffe Army Camp. The British laboratory is in a former nuclear bunker, but it would not survive a direct hit by a DF-17.’

‘I never thought I’d be planning a nuclear strike on England,’ replied Li Xiu Ying sadly. ‘I attended university in the English town of Oxford. I’m still in occasional contact with one of my tutors there. It would be a great sadness for me to be forced to attack the country.’

‘I’m sorry, Li Colonel, we seem to be very short of alternatives at present.’

Chapter 58 Base camp

Monday 16th August

Ben unlocked the front door of the holiday bungalow on the esplanade at Sandgate.

Sam looked back across the coast road towards the sea. ‘It’s a great place for a holiday cottage.’

Ben opened the door. ‘That’s why Mum bought it. It’s in demand to let all through the year, and family and friends can have holidays here. It’s just a ten-minute walk from Mum.’

‘And it’s just a ten-minute walk from the nuclear bunker at Shorncliffe camp,’ noted Sahadeva. ‘If that’s isn’t proof there’re no coincidences, then I don’t know what would be. I think we are witnessing underlying reality in some way sculpting the course of events.’

Ben, Sam, Sahadeva, and Sue carried their bags into the bungalow and put them down on the lounge carpet. It had been agreed that Shingetsu would remain in Norfolk unless a clear role emerged for him.

Sam had put her bag down next to Sue’s. ‘Thanks for joining us, Sue. You went to a lot of trouble to get cover for yourself at the hospital at very short notice.’

Sue smiled at her. ‘If you’re going to insist on taking a psychoactive drug that may have an uncertain effect on you, you’re going to at least need a doctor around.’

‘The only problem,’ said Ben, looking around the lounge area, ‘is there are only two bedrooms. Sue and I will have this one.’ He picked up his bag and walked towards the open bedroom door. ‘But I don’t know what you two want to do.’

‘I’ll sleep with Sahadeva,’ said Sam in a matter-of-fact way, lifting her bag and walking towards the other open bedroom door.

‘Yes, we can sleep together,’ added Sahadeva in an equally casual manner as he picked up his bag and followed Sam.

Sue and Ben looked at each other in a puzzled manner. Ben pondered on whether Sam and Sahadeva were so casual and matter-of-fact about their intentions to share a bed because that was unremarkable at their levels of enlightenment. Alternatively, they might already have a relationship of which he and Sue were unaware, and they were having a joke.

The fact that Sahadeva and Sam didn’t look at each other until the bedroom door was closed gave no further clues.

When Sahadeva and Sam finally caught each other’s eyes, they both burst into suitably subdued laughter.

Chapter 59 The black bear

Tuesday 17th August

Ten-year-old Rod joined his mother in the lounge of their house in the outer suburbs of Salem, Oregon. ‘Mom, I think I saw that black bear again in the woods. It could be the same one that scarred us three weeks ago.’

Rod’s mother, Alexandra, looked at him. ‘There’s been a lot of reports of a bear since we saw that one. It could be the same animal. Usually, they don’t stick around, but the ones that stay get more dangerous as they start to lose their fear of humans.’

‘Will they shoot it, Mom?’

‘We like to look after animals, but sometimes we have to make hard decisions. A man’s coming from Oregon Wildlife tomorrow. I hope they don’t have to shoot it, but they may decide they have to.’

As she finished speaking, there was a loud crash from the kitchen. Rod’s twin sister, Mary, rushed into the room. ‘Mom, Mom, that bear’s trying to break down the kitchen door.’

Alexandra quickly stood up. ‘Go into the bedroom, both of you, and lock the door.’ Alexandra watched her children as they ran towards the bedroom. She then turned and hurried to the door which led directly to the garage.

Once in the garage, she switched on the light and then crossed to the far wall. There was a tall cupboard fixed to that wall. She pressed a code into the lock, opened the door and removed a shotgun. Alexandra knew it was already loaded. Its purpose was to protect the family from intruders, animal or human, when there was no time to lose in finding cartridges and loading.

The rear door to the garage was ajar, and she heard a creak as it moved on its hinges. The head of a black bear appeared in the doorway.

Alexandra stood still as the animal lumbered into the garage. The beast then stood on its hind legs and stared at her. Its head dropped to one side as it gazed at her – an almost human mannerism. It then opened its mouth – although not in an aggressive manner. It was almost as if it was trying to speak.

Had they been outside, she might have shouted loudly in an attempt to scare the animal away, but the rear door to the garage was hung poorly and had a natural tendency to close itself. It had done so as soon as the bear had entered, and now the creature had no escape route.

The bear was less than ten feet away from her. Alexandra knew she would not be able to reenter the house by the route she had come and secure the door before the animal reached her.

She thought of her children. She reviewed her options and then fired both barrels of the shotgun.

Alexandra was under any circumstances a good shot, but at that range, she could not miss.

Chapter 60 The answer is blowing in the wind

Tuesday 17th August

Sam lay on a bed at the bungalow of Ben’s mother in Sandgate. She was supported in a semi-reclining position by a large cushion that had been positioned between her back and the headboard.

Sue sat on an upright chair beside her, and Sahadeva sat in an armchair by the window.

‘Each of the original Teterodat syringes contained point seven millilitres,’ said Sue. ‘I’ve put exactly a quarter of that dose into this syringe. Are you ready to see what happens?’

‘Yes,’ Sam replied. ‘It’s the only way we’ll get a clear idea about why Teterodat is so important to everyone.’

Sam closed her eyes. She felt a slight prick in her left upper arm. She then breathed deeply and relaxed.

On the previous evening, she and Sahadeva had spoken about how Sam might conduct this experiment. They suspected Starchild might relate to remote viewing in the way that Stargate had. It seemed logical, therefore, for Sam to use her recently practised skill of relocating conscious awareness. They decided that she would attempt remote viewing of the local environment but with the aid of Teterodat. Thus, she could compare the experience to a dissociation without the drug.

With her eyes still shut, Sam visualized the view of the room as if she was looking at it from somewhere above her left shoulder. The picture was clear – as she would have expected. It seemed no different from her experience without Teterodat. As the minutes passed, however, the view became increasingly brighter and more vivid. Much more so than without administration of the drug. Sam also felt as if she had greater precision of control over the seat of her awareness – almost as if she was piloting a drone.

She moved her awareness around the room and looked at Sahadeva and Sue. Sam then imagined herself passing through the window into the outdoors.

In the room, a minute passed in silence.

‘AB56 UIT,’ said Sam suddenly.

Sue looked quizzically at Sahadeva.

Sahadeva wrote down the reference. ‘Sam’s attempting remote viewing. She’s trying to read car number plates in nearby driveways – ones she couldn’t have seen when we arrived yesterday afternoon. Information gained by most people during out-of-body experiences is usually inaccurate when you reference it against verifiable data. What seems to be an out-of-body experience is usually a very convincing lucid dream.’

‘BR69 YUR.’

During a ten-minute period, Sam continue to recite number plates, and Sahadeva continued to record them

‘I’m trying to come back,’ said Sam suddenly with a tone of anxiety in her voice, ‘but it’s as if there’s a wind out here that’s blowing me away from the bungalow. I can move away easily enough, but it’s a huge struggle to return.’

Sam suddenly opened her eyes. She was breathing heavily and looked frightened.

Sahadeva quickly stood and rushed to where she lay. ‘Are you OK?’

‘Yes, but that was scary. Usually, I just think about relocating awareness within my head, and it happens. I was slipping away out there. I literally felt a wind blowing me. It was forcing me away from this room. I’ve never experienced a physical sensation during an OBE before, but it was just as if I was fighting a headwind. I thought I might not get back.’

‘How do you feel now?’ asked Sue.

‘I think I’m OK, although my pulse is still racing. I don’t know if that’s an effect of the Teterodat or because I’m still a bit shaken.’

Sahadeva glanced out of the window and then pointed at some trees. The comet was visible through branches that were swaying in the wind. ‘There’s quite a stiff sea breeze out there, but I’ve never heard of physical factors in the world of forms bearing on an OBE like that.’ He looked back at Sam. ‘Do you fancy a breath of fresh air and some number plate checking?’

Sam forced a smile, nodded and then rose from the bed. She remained breathless and was initially a little unsteady on her feet.

Sue stood at the same time. ‘Do you want me to do anything?’

‘We’ll only be out for ten minutes,’ Sahadeva replied. ‘A cup of tea would be good when we get back.’

Sue watched Sam and Sahadeva leave the bedroom, and she heard the sound of the front door opening and closing. She then walked to the kitchen, switched on the kettle and took a teapot from a cupboard. She put their last two teabags into the pot. There were not many supplies in the bungalow, which is why Ben had gone shopping.

While the tea was brewing, Sue moved the pot and a jug of milk to the table and then found three mugs and spoons.

Just as the tea was ready to pour, the front door opened and Sam and Sahadeva returned. Sue looked at them in a way that asked the question.

‘Fourteen number plates,’ said Sam. ‘Every one correct. It’s the sort of result they … we … used to dream of in Maryland.’

Sam then fell silent.

Sue glanced at her and then at Sahadeva. ‘There’s something else, isn’t there?’

Sam and Sahadeva joined Sue at the table. Sue poured two mugs of tea. Still, there was silence.

Sahadeva picked up one of the mugs and sipped its contents. ‘Near the last car, we found what looked like a dead seagull. It wasn’t dead. It was catatonic. A passer-by had picked it up. He said he’d seen the bird hover in the breeze above each of the cars on that side of the road and then finally fall from the sky at the last.’

Sam picked up her mug of tea. ‘Those cars were the ones I’d viewed during the OBE.’