Defence rather than exploration was
now at the heart of his work. Thousands of miles of borders could be patrolled
by a small team of just a few men and they had the power to repel any attack –
either physical or otherwise.
Unlike the Americans, China was not so
preoccupied with interfering in the affairs of other nations. They did not rely
on instability in the Middle East to strengthen their trade position. They
already held a monopoly on exports in practically every industry. They were
reinforcing their position as the world’s fastest growing economy and the flow
of the money was weighted strongly in one direction. Put into the simplest
possible terms; they received a lot more than they gave.
‘How long will it take you to find her?’
asked General Tao.
‘Assuming it was Dr Rayne on the train,
and that is by no means certain, they will take her to a covert base of
operations. Depending on how far along their program is; she could help them to
achieve astral capability in a matter of days. All we then have to do is wait.’
‘For her to show herself?’
‘Yes. She will have to test her work and
I believe I know exactly where she will do that. I will be waiting for her.’
The general showed his approval with a
delicate bow of his head.
‘Will you be going hard or soft?’
Hard and soft were the terms given to the
two levels of astral travelling. Back in Jackson’s Hill, only a soft journey
had been possible. This was the standard out of body experience where physical
interaction with the material world was all but impossible. It was the safest
and most stable application of the technology.
‘Soft will be adequate to set the trap.
Emmy has been out of the game for a long time. She could not begin to guess at
what we will have in store for her.’
‘Excellent. In that case, I will trust
you to make the necessary preparations.’
Charlie offered the general a bow and
then watched as his commander left the laboratory. Once he was alone, he let
out a large gasp of air.
The general made him nervous. Members of
the military always did. After the appalling handling of the crisis in
Jackson’s Hill, he had little doubt that soldiers were not equipped to deal
with this new technology as either friend or foe. There was no way that he
would allow his work to directly aid the military, but if he was successful, he
hoped it may be used to negate the military.
There was only one obstacle left that
posed any real risk to his research. Emmy had once been his partner and she had
always been his friend. They had worked on the astral project together from the
start. Betraying her was not going to be easy.
He only hoped that when she saw how far
he had come without her, she would understand. Because if she did not, she
would become his enemy. It was a prospect that saddened and terrified him in
equal measure.
Chapter 14
If there was ever any doubt as to whether
she would cooperate with the Americans, it was removed when she saw the
hibernating residents of her hometown. It was the first time she had witnessed
the consequences of the radiation on the wider population as opposed to just
what it had done to her grandfather. Until that moment she had always focused
on the cause rather than the effect.
They were completely helpless and she was
their only hope. Not only that, she was also the reason why they were now
trapped as prisoners in their own bodies. The fundamental purpose of science
was to aid and protect mankind. Her lust for discovery had yielded the opposite
result and she had to make things right.
As ever, the military were prepared to
place as much trust in her as she could reliably place in them. This was, of
course, none whatsoever. They insisted she undergo a polygraph test and that
she should also face a rigid interrogation by a psychiatrist. It was an
inconvenience for her to have to do this, but relatively speaking, only a small
compromise to make.
The first two sessions with the
now at the heart of his work. Thousands of miles of borders could be patrolled
by a small team of just a few men and they had the power to repel any attack –
either physical or otherwise.
Unlike the Americans, China was not so
preoccupied with interfering in the affairs of other nations. They did not rely
on instability in the Middle East to strengthen their trade position. They
already held a monopoly on exports in practically every industry. They were
reinforcing their position as the world’s fastest growing economy and the flow
of the money was weighted strongly in one direction. Put into the simplest
possible terms; they received a lot more than they gave.
‘How long will it take you to find her?’
asked General Tao.
‘Assuming it was Dr Rayne on the train,
and that is by no means certain, they will take her to a covert base of
operations. Depending on how far along their program is; she could help them to
achieve astral capability in a matter of days. All we then have to do is wait.’
‘For her to show herself?’
‘Yes. She will have to test her work and
I believe I know exactly where she will do that. I will be waiting for her.’
The general showed his approval with a
delicate bow of his head.
‘Will you be going hard or soft?’
Hard and soft were the terms given to the
two levels of astral travelling. Back in Jackson’s Hill, only a soft journey
had been possible. This was the standard out of body experience where physical
interaction with the material world was all but impossible. It was the safest
and most stable application of the technology.
‘Soft will be adequate to set the trap.
Emmy has been out of the game for a long time. She could not begin to guess at
what we will have in store for her.’
‘Excellent. In that case, I will trust
you to make the necessary preparations.’
Charlie offered the general a bow and
then watched as his commander left the laboratory. Once he was alone, he let
out a large gasp of air.
The general made him nervous. Members of
the military always did. After the appalling handling of the crisis in
Jackson’s Hill, he had little doubt that soldiers were not equipped to deal
with this new technology as either friend or foe. There was no way that he
would allow his work to directly aid the military, but if he was successful, he
hoped it may be used to negate the military.
There was only one obstacle left that
posed any real risk to his research. Emmy had once been his partner and she had
always been his friend. They had worked on the astral project together from the
start. Betraying her was not going to be easy.
He only hoped that when she saw how far
he had come without her, she would understand. Because if she did not, she
would become his enemy. It was a prospect that saddened and terrified him in
equal measure.
Chapter 14
If there was ever any doubt as to whether
she would cooperate with the Americans, it was removed when she saw the
hibernating residents of her hometown. It was the first time she had witnessed
the consequences of the radiation on the wider population as opposed to just
what it had done to her grandfather. Until that moment she had always focused
on the cause rather than the effect.
They were completely helpless and she was
their only hope. Not only that, she was also the reason why they were now
trapped as prisoners in their own bodies. The fundamental purpose of science
was to aid and protect mankind. Her lust for discovery had yielded the opposite
result and she had to make things right.
As ever, the military were prepared to
place as much trust in her as she could reliably place in them. This was, of
course, none whatsoever. They insisted she undergo a polygraph test and that
she should also face a rigid interrogation by a psychiatrist. It was an
inconvenience for her to have to do this, but relatively speaking, only a small
compromise to make.
The first two sessions with the
Similar Books
