Diamond Sky (Diamond Sky Trilogy Book 1) (27 page)

‘Who would do such thing? Apart from you and I, there is
only Bradley who had access and he lacks the knowhow.’

Charlie looked nervously at his feet.

‘There was one other,’ he sheepishly told her. ‘Remember
yesterday when the professor was playing around with the settings to try and
extend Mike’s journey time. Perhaps he did this.’

‘Absolutely not,’ she told him. ‘Pops would never endanger
anyone so recklessly. If anybody did this, it was the Americans. We have to be
careful around them. Mike has a document supposedly signed by my grandfather,
which transfers ownership of this facility over to the U.S. Military. Pops
would never have done that without a good reason. I need to find him, Charlie,
with or without your help.’

‘Okay, but would it not be easier for him
to come to us?
I mean, surely all we need to do is wait.’

‘We haven’t got time. Mike’s superiors are going to send
more people here, it’s inevitable. Besides, I never told Pops about the
encounters. He died without fore-knowledge of what would be next. We have to
assume that his passing will be no different to any other. The only connection
we have is through this girl’s father. I don’t know how or why, but for some
reason he has found a way to bind his spirit to hers. I know that I can find
him again.’

‘Okay, but you better know what you are doing.’

Now she had Charlie’s co-operation, she ran over to explain
her plans to Lucy. It did not occur to her that the news would be met with
anything other than excitement. After divulging her plans she watched as Lucy
ran her hand over the cold steel of her machine.

‘Well?’ she asked.

Lucy looked at her, the sense of betrayal clearly showing in
her eyes.

‘Why are you doing this?’

‘For me, for you, for humankind.
Don’t you see; soon I will be able to bridge the chasm between life and death.
All that fear, doubt and despair; I can eliminate it overnight.’

‘You’re crazy and you’re exploiting everything that I told
you. My father is gone.’

‘I’m trying to help you.’

Emmy
reached out to put her hand
on Lucy’s shoulder, but the other girl recoiled from her touch.

‘I don’t need your help. I tried to help somebody today and
look where that got me. Now if you don’t mind, I would rather get out of this
place.’

She turned her back on
Emmy
and
began walking towards the door.

‘What about that night in the field? I know you felt his
presence then and you were not wrong. The kangaroos were circling around you,
but you did not feel scared. You knew you were not alone. I know because I was
there. Not in body, but in spirit. I saw you and I saw your father.’

‘Leave me alone.’

Lucy did not look back, but carried on and walked out of the
door.
Emmy
turned to Charlie.

‘What did you expect,’ her friend said. ‘There is only one
way to make people believe in what we have achieved here and that is to show
them. Unfortunately, I do not think you will get another chance.’

***

Lucas got to the observatory before dark. He was
determined to get the bodies checked out as quickly as possible. Bradley was
not waiting for him as he had expected; instead it was Mike. He told the doctor
to stay in the truck and went out to talk to the captain.

‘You know why I am here,’ he said. ‘Your colleague promised
to give us custody of the bodies. I hope you are not going to make a liar out
of him.’

‘I would not dream of standing in the way of the law,’
replied Mike. ‘Take the bodies; I have no use for them.’

‘There are also some files that belonged to Professor Fox
that I would like to take back with me. He was helping me out with something.
It was nothing of consequence to your government; just a local pest control
problem.’

‘Until it has been declassified, everything the professor
did is my concern. Nothing leaves his office and that is the end of the matter.
Now if you don’t mind; please take what you came for and leave.’

Lucas knew there was more to be lost than gained from
arguing with this man. He called for the doctor to join him and they entered
the observatory. Mike led them to where the bodies were being stored. They
loaded them both onto a trolley and as they were leaving, Lucas saw Lucy
huddled at the end of the corridor crying.

‘Lucy,’ he called as he jogged over to her. ‘Are you okay – what
happened?’

‘I need to get out of here,’ she told him. ‘Please, just
take me with you.’

‘Of course.’

He helped her to her feet and as he turned around and caught
the doctor’s eye, he remembered why it was so important that they had the
bodies.

‘Has something happened to you?’ he asked. ‘I mean, have you
experienced anything strange?’

‘This whole place is strange. The scientists are crazy. I
just want to get out of here.’

‘I can’t let you go home. Something has happened in town.
There is some kind of illness going around. Have you experienced anything
strange?’

‘Like what?’

‘I
dunno
- visions maybe? Have you
had any visions?’

She put her head in her hands.

‘Not you too?
Am I the only sane
person in this place?’

‘I take that as a no.’

‘Of course it is a no. I have not had any visions. If I
cannot go home, just take me back to the station. I want to be anywhere but
here.’

‘Okay. You can come back with us. I have to warn you though,
it may not be safe. People are suffering from some sort of mental disorder. I
think this may also be the reason why David
Armareth
did what he did.’

The mention of the late mechanic’s name stirred something
inside of Lucy. She pulled away from Lucas and looked up at him, suspiciously.

‘Why did you tell her about me?’ she asked.

‘Tell who what?’ he replied.

‘Dr Rayne; you told her what I told you about my experience
in the field. I confided in you with the strictest confidence and you betrayed
me.’

‘She’s a scientist and I needed her advice. She’s suffered a
lot today, but I have faith that if anybody can explain what is going on in
this town; it is her.’

‘Do you really trust her that much?’

‘Without question.
I would never
have let you stay here with those army creeps if she were not here too. With
her grandfather now gone, there is nobody whose judgement I would trust more
than hers.’

The doctor tapped on Lucas’ shoulder.

‘We really should be going,’ he said. ‘There is no time to
be waiting around.’

‘I understand,’ Lucas replied and then turned back to Lucy.
‘We can talk about this at the station, but we have to go now. I’m worried that
if we delay anymore, Mike may change his mind.’

‘I’m not coming,’ said Lucy. ‘I’ve changed my mind; I want
to stay here.’

‘But...’

‘Leave her, Lucas,’ interrupted the doctor. ‘It may even be
safer for her if she stays here.’

Lucas took the trolley and transferred the bodies over to
the pick-up truck. As he started the engine and pulled out of the driveway,
Lucy was standing in the doorway watching him leave. Her earlier sadness had
been replaced with another emotion that he could not quite place. She possessed
a countenance he had seen in another already that day. It was the exact same
look
Emmy
gave him when he dropped her off.

Chapter 30

Emmy
flicked switches, hastily
trying to prep the device before Mike could find out what she was doing.
Charlie assured her that the rogue programming had been cleared and the
machinery was perfectly safe. Well, as safe as it could be. Thanks to Mike’s
little episode, she would never again feel one hundred percent comfortable on
an astral journey.

‘Good luck,’ said Charlie as
Emmy
slid into the matchbox.

‘She doesn’t need luck,’ said a familiar, though unexpected
voice. ‘What she needs is this.’

Emmy
pushed herself back out to
see Lucy standing in the doorway. Her right arm was outstretched and she was
holding something small, but very precious in her hand. It was the urn
containing her father’s ashes.

‘Why did you change your mind?’ asked
Emmy
.

‘I didn’t,’ Lucy replied. ‘Let’s just say that it was
changed for me - by a mutual friend.’

‘Lucas?’

‘He’s been good to me since I came here and if he says that
you can be trusted then I believe him.’

‘I appreciate your support, but we have to act quickly. If
Mike catches us, he will shut us down for sure.’

‘What do you need me to do?’

Emmy
showed Lucy to a quieter
corner of the laboratory, which offered privacy from Charlie.

‘Just do whatever you would normally do. Talk, pray, it
doesn’t matter what you want to call it. As long as he can feel your need and
desire, he will come.’

‘Where will you be?’

‘I’ll be right beside you. Of course, you won’t be able to
see or hear me, but I promise I will be there.’

Emmy
then left Lucy and climbed
back into the matchbox. With every journey it took less effort for her to
achieve the separation. Just seconds after she closed her eyes, she was
floating back towards Lucy like a butterfly riding the breeze. She saw the
spirit hovering just behind Lucy and assumed he had been there the whole time.
It was even possible that he constantly remained by her side.

When the spirit recognised
Emmy’s
energy signature he morphed into his human shape.
Emmy
did the same. She was unsure how he would react to her after the recklessness
she displayed at their previous meeting caused so much devastation. Her fears
were allayed when he took a step towards her and extended his hand. As before,
the world around them seemed to turn itself inside out when they touched.

‘I know why you are here,’
he said.

‘Can you tell me why you are here?’

He glanced down at his daughter then looked back to
Emmy
.

‘I understand that, but why?’

‘That I cannot tell you.
I remember nothing after my death until a few days ago when something pulled me
back to Lucinda. I can no more leave her than I can return to my former body
and live once more.’

She glanced around. Unlike the last time, no doorway had
opened up and elements of the real world still remained.

‘How long do we have?’
she asked.

‘Eternity if you require it. We are no longer bound to
time as you would perceive it.’

‘The last time we touched, a doorway opened and I felt
drawn towards it. Why is that not happening now?’

‘The mist has grown denser. The stronger it becomes, the more
in control I feel. It is not easy, but so long as I concentrate, I can keep the
doorway closed.’

‘You mentioned a mist – what does that mean?’

‘You do not see it?’

‘I don’t know what you mean.’

He looked deep into her being and appeared to become transfixed
by what he saw. He then turned his attention to his own ethereal form before
looking back at
Emmy
.

‘I see it now,’
he said.
‘Your spirit is clear,
untainted; as is your friend over there. The others are not so lucky. I have
tried to protect Lucinda as best I can, but I cannot hold it off indefinitely.’

‘Hold what off?’

‘The mist.
It grows
stronger by the day. To the living it can bring only pain, but to the dead it
can be a source of great power. It is only a matter of time before he learns to
use it. You have to stop him.’

‘Stop who?’

He looked down at his arms again and then over to where Lucy
sat. Alarm spread across his translucent features.

‘It is growing as we speak. I no longer think that it is
safe for you to be here. You have to return now.’

‘What happened to eternity?’

‘I’m sorry, but you have to go. You have to stop him. He
has already killed again and more will follow. Like I am bound to Lucy, he is
bound to you. Please protect my daughter.’

He let go of her and before she knew it the fabric of her
astral reality had returned to normal. She saw him across the other side of the
lab standing next to Charlie. His ghostly hand hovered over the abort switch.
Could the strength he claimed the dead were being given be enough for him to
operate it?

‘No!’ she attempted to scream, but without a physical
presence the word was merely an echo in her mind.

Then she was back in the matchbox. She climbed out and
walked over to Lucy.

‘What’s wrong,’ said Lucy. ‘Have you changed your mind?’

‘No, I have just returned. It worked; I saw him.’

‘You are joking, right?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You didn’t go anywhere. I watched you climb into that
machine and then you climbed straight back out.’

‘She’s right,’ added Charlie from somewhere behind. ‘The
readout is telling me that the journey aborted the moment you separated. Are
you sure your recollection is clear?’

‘I’m positive. I saw him. We talked for at least a few
minutes.
Even in real terms that has to equate to at least
twenty to thirty seconds.’

‘I’ve got nothing here,’ said Charlie.

‘Well, trust me; it worked. He said we were outside of time,
maybe that has something to do with it. When we touched there was a shift in
our surroundings. He also told me other things. Things that I do not fully
understand, but I think they are important.’

‘What about your grandfather. Did he tell you how to contact
him?’

‘No, he terminated our conversation before I could ask. He
said there is a strange mist growing in this place and that there has been
another murder. He warned me more will follow if we do not put a stop to it.’

‘I don’t like this,’ said Lucy. ‘Who would do such a thing?’

Emmy
averted her eyes from the
other woman.

‘He did not say the name, but he did not need to. I think he
was talking about David
Armareth
.’

Charlie walked over and stood between the two women.

‘That’s impossible. David
Armareth
is dead.’

‘So is her father.’

The three of them looked at one another uneasily. A brief
silence followed before Charlie finally spoke again.

‘Perhaps we should warn the soldiers. They may be able to
defend us.’

‘Okay,’ said
Emmy
, ‘but we have to
stick together. Nobody goes anywhere alone; do you both understand?’

The scientist and the nursery teacher both nodded.

‘Come on,’ said
Emmy
. ‘We’ll warn
Mike first and then go find Brad.’

She powered everything down and locked the lab shut behind
them.

Mike was in his room. He looked burned out when they found
him.
Emmy
knew he was in bad shape, but this was
worse than she had expected.

‘Are you okay?’ she asked, whilst the other two stood
nervously behind her.

‘I’m fine. I just need time to rest, that’s all. Today
has...taken a lot out of me.’

‘What about Bradley?’

‘What about him?’

‘Where is he? We have reason to believe that we are all in
danger. David
Armareth
may have found a way back.’

The captain lay back on his bed and laughed, more to himself
than for the benefit of his audience.

‘You have to be kidding me,’ he said. ‘I already killed the
guy and not half an hour ago I gave his corpse to Lucas. Do you really think I
should be worried about a dead man seeking vengeance?’

‘This is not a joke. If you do not believe us; fine. Just
promise me you will stay vigilant.’

He reached across and pulled out the bottom drawer of his
bedside cabinet. From inside, he withdrew his firearm. It was the same weapon
that he had used to kill the mechanic.

‘I have all of the vigilance I need, right here,’ he told
her.

‘That may not help,’ she said.

‘It has worked well enough so far. Now if you’ve quite
finished with your ghost stories, can you leave me in peace?’

‘You’re an arsehole!’

She slammed the door as she left. Charlie tried to console
her, but she brushed him away. It was Mike’s fault in the first place that they
were at risk. Whilst she did not allow herself to feel remorse for
Armareth
, she did wish that Mike had shown more restraint.

Bradley’s room was just across the hall and she banged
impatiently on the door, hoping the lieutenant would be more reasonable than
his superior officer had been. There was no answer so she cautiously tried the
handle, which turned without resistance.

‘Where is he?’ asked Charlie, as they all looked into the
empty room.

‘I don’t know,’ she replied. ‘Let’s take a look around. He
cannot have gone far.’

They searched the rest of the sleeping quarters followed by the
kitchen and secondary lab facilities. The final place they looked was the
professor’s study.

‘Oh God,’ said
Emmy
as she
approached the doorway.

‘What’s wrong?’ asked Lucy. ‘Is he here?’

‘No,’ she replied. ‘It’s just that this is where we found him.
I thought it would not bother me. I mean, I know he is not gone completely,
it’s just that...’

‘It’s okay. I understand.’

Lucy put her arm around
Emmy
and
unlike with Charlie, the affection was reciprocated. They held each other for a
moment and both were briefly able to forget all about their respective losses.
Then Charlie gently pulled them apart. He had noticed something through the
window.

‘Look,’ he said. ‘Out there; I can see a light. That must be
Bradley.’

This time Charlie took the lead. He grabbed a torch and led
the two women outside. The light was coming from just beyond a ridge past the
cemetery at the rear of the observatory. When they got close they could see
that it was not Bradley at all, but Sammy. Charlie shone his flashlight on the
Aboriginal man. His clothes were dirty and his hands covered in thick red sand.

‘What’s going on, Sammy?’ asked Charlie. ‘Why aren’t you
inside? It may not be safe out here.’

The Aboriginal did not answer and that was when
Emmy
noticed a disturbance in the sand a few feet from
where he stood.

‘Shine your flashlight to the left a bit,’ she told Charlie.

Her colleague did as requested and his light caught the
distinctive outline of a boot. He cast the illumination further and revealed a
partly buried body.
Emmy
felt her stomach tighten and
then expand rapidly as it emptied its contents through her mouth. Lucy
shrieked, and not quite knowing what to do, Charlie raised the flashlight up
above his shoulder like a club.

‘Sammy, what have you done?’ he shouted, the torch shaking
nervously in his clenched palm.

‘It’s Bradley,’ said
Emmy
. ‘He’s
killed Bradley.’

‘Is this true?’ demanded Charlie, still struggling to exert
his authority on the situation.

The Aboriginal man neither answered nor even looked at him.
Instead, he cast his gaze toward
Emmy
. He fixed her
with an intense, yet emotionless stare. It was a stare she had seen before.

‘It’s him!’ she cried out. ‘It’s
Armareth
;
I’d recognise that look anywhere. It’s him; you’ve got to do something!’

Charlie was too confused to react. As he hesitated, the
Aboriginal walked towards them.
Emmy
did not know
what he was going to do. She tried to pull Charlie back to keep him from harm’s
way, but instead ended up pulling him over so that he came down on top of her.
The Aboriginal continued to move towards them and stopped only when a gunshot
echoed into the night. At first,
Emmy
thought it had
to be Mike, but the sound had not come from behind her. It came from Lucy, who
was standing over Bradley’s body with the deceased soldier’s pistol in her
hands.

‘Don’t move,’ she said.

‘You’re making a mistake,’ the Aboriginal replied.

‘The only mistake will be yours, if you do not cooperate,’
she told him.

Emmy
was impressed by Lucy’s
confidence and wondered where the strength came from - if it had always been
inside of her or if she was receiving help from an outside force without
knowing it. If the dead could influence the lives of the living, she hoped that
Lucy’s father would make his presence known to the killer.

‘At least let me explain,’ said the Aboriginal. ‘Put down
the gun and we can talk about this. Nobody else has to get hurt.’

‘Don’t listen to him,’ said
Emmy
.
‘It’s a trick. He wants the gun so he can kill us all.’

The man who may or may not have been Sammy was not prepared
to give himself up so easily. He turned away from
Emmy
and Charlie, and walked toward Lucy.

‘You are not a killer,’ he said. ‘I can see inside of you.
Put down the gun and everything will be okay, I promise.’