***
During the build up to the maiden voyage, Paul ran a series of maintenance tests on the machine, including the calibration for the oscillator and the rotating electromagnetic field. He operated the field at sixty-five percent, checked the monitors, laboured over the EEGs and ECGs, and scrutinised every dial, slider or button on the bank of instrumentation in the control booth.
Casting his gaze over the machine, this polished metal pyramid housed within its dedicated barn, he felt quite emotional at the sight of his own creation. He couldn’t envision life without it, couldn’t embrace life without his vision, nor could he envision failure. Months ago, it had simply been an idea, however, he’d breathed life into this seed, fostering and nurturing it until it germinated, believing in it until it blossomed into full bloom.
An inordinate amount of pressure besieged him though, to make this fruitful both for the continued funding of the project and also to fulfil Max’s expectations. He contemplated how to create an unforgettable maiden voyage. Would a field strength of sixty-five percent be powerful enough to release the binding of thirteen consciousnesses from their bodies? The current intensity had proved to be medically and psychologically safe, now he gave serious consideration to increasing the percentage to seventy-five. Surely it could do no harm and bolster the experience for the participants? What difference could an extra ten percent make?
On the morning of the day before this crucial expedition, Paul awoke earlier than normal, gave Tahra a kiss on the cheek as she slept, and drove to the village shop to pick up a newspaper and milk. He ate breakfast while reading and it took his mind off the pressure, as his nerves jangled even though he’d tested every single piece of equipment.
He needed to impress Max.
Putting a smile on his face would encourage a glowing report, which potential investors would read.
Funding bodies would read the report and embrace his vision, see the potential for the human race, and they’d sign on the dotted line, ensuring another three years of funding.
Paul made a decision as he gulped the dregs of tea from the bottom of his cup. He’d run the field at seventy-five percent of its full intensity. This expedition would be truly unforgettable.
Meanwhile upstairs, Tahra opened her eyes when the first rays of the hazy sunrise breached the horizon, at five minutes past seven. However, she
opened her eyes to a strange and disturbing sight. One of the capuchin monkeys from the Therianthrope Realm sat on the end of her bed, its startling human face staring at her. Its green eyes watched her and froze in bed, afraid to respond.
Because it persisted in staring at her, she picked up her pillow and threw it at the monkey. It reacted by jumping off the bed, screeching and disappearing through the doorway to the small ensuite bathroom.
Tahra lay still for a while, trying to comprehend the sudden reappearance of these other-worldly beings in her life. There’d been a lull for a while, now they’d returned despite a latent period of three weeks where she hadn’t stepped into the machine. After a few minutes of gripping the bedclothes, she wondered if the monkey had disappeared back to its own realm, or whether it lay in wait, sitting in the bath, or on the toilet…
What a bizarre thought.
How could she explain to Paul they had a monkey in the bathroom?
She slid out of bed with caution and tiptoed into the bathroom, although why she trod so delicately, she didn’t know. Peering around the door, she wanted to squeeze her eyes shut, afraid to accept the monkey’s presence in the house. She held her breath and pushed the door open, sensing the presence of something not of this world. Tahra noticed the shower curtain drawn along the side of the bath and wondered if the monkey hid behind it, so she pulled it across, expecting to find the hybrid creature. An empty cast iron bath stared back at her, with a lone rubber duck sitting near the plug. She breathed a sigh of relief…the monkey had only made a transient appearance, just to annoy her.
Deciding to take a shower, Tahra twisted the faucets and a gush of water shot out. She drew the curtain and began to get undressed, hanging her silky nightdress on the brass hook by the door. Needing to check for signs of fatigue, she looked in the mirror, rubbing away the condensation. The reflection that confronted her made her jump. The ibis headed therianthrope looked at her kindly via her reflection, and spoke.
“It is time,” he said.
Tahra had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“Time for what?” she questioned, spinning around to see if he stood behind there, but there was no one there.
She turned to face the mirror, sensing something on the horizon…something out of her hands, something that had already been decided… something significant.
Tahra joined Paul at the table in the kitchen after her shower, with a towel still wrapped around her head. For some reason, she couldn’t tell him about the visitation she’d just received but he assumed her expression merely reflected the jitters before the first major expedition. He poured her a cup of tea and set a few slices of toast in front of her. She smiled and nibbled the toast, finding no great appetite.
“Max is overseeing this expedition,” Paul informed her.
Tahra failed to feel enthusiastic about his visit.
“He won’t arrive until tomorrow morning though,” Paul added, “so it won’t disturb our…nocturnal activities.”
At least it meant no over-night stay. Max’s presence at the farmhouse still had the potential to rattle her nerves, especially due to the secrecy of her relationship with Paul.
“I’m considering a change to the operation of the machine,” he continued.
“What are you proposing?”
“To compensate for having twelve bodies in there, plus you, I’d like to increase the intensity of the field to seventy five percent.”
“Has the machine operated at that level before?” she asked.
Paul poured another cup of tea, emptying the pot.
“Everything runs smoothly at sixty-five percent, so I don’t foresee any problems increasing the intensity by another ten percent. It may act as a boost, plus we need to impress Max and the funding bodies.”
Tahra raised her eyebrows.
“Was this Max’s idea really?” she asked.
“No,” he answered, quickly. “I’ve been giving it some serious thought. It feels right but I wanted to run it by you first.”
“I see no reason why not,” she said.
“Good. We run at seventy-five percent then.”
Later that night, after the final day of maintenance tests, Paul held a final meeting with the crew and found everyone in a buoyant mood. They understood Max would attend to supervise the expedition, and Paul wished his team the best of luck. Once they’d all retired for the night, he and Tahra relaxed in the bedroom, trying to watch television.
“I’m not really concentrating,” Tahra said, “you may as well switch it off.”
Paul obliged and slid under the blankets, joining her in a state of reflection and anticipation. They lay under the covers, wide awake, unable to think of anything else but the next day’s events.
“I can’t sleep,” Paul complained. “I keep wondering if something will go wrong, yet I’m surging with adrenaline because I want it to blow us away.”
Tahra looked over at him and smiled.
“I know of something we can do to relax,” she said, and reached over with her hand to arouse him.
He laughed, enjoying her touch and rolled on top of her.
“I’m the luckiest goddamn man on this planet,” he declared, and using his lips, he worked his way down her body.
After a prolonged and intense bout of love making, they fell into a deep sleep, ready for OOBE’s first major expedition.
***
They both awoke the next morning with a tingle of anticipation. The day had arrived, heralding the climax they’d striven for and the realisation of Paul’s vision. When the whole team gathered around the breakfast table, with multiple racks of toast, and tea and coffee to be consumed, Paul soaked up the excitement. On top of the world was an understatement. With morale at a high, no one wanted to refuse the trip and even Tahra appeared confident, even though she needed to tow a whole team this time.
Max arrived at 11:00am, two hours clear of the start time to debrief on the progress made so far and the schedule for the day. Tahra watched as they disappeared into the study, detecting an odd underlying tension in the air, however, she kept the recruits motivated and confident in the meantime. The two men emerged an hour later, their expressions giving little away and Tahra wondered what they’d been discussing. Paul gave her a surreptitious wink while Max mustered a quick cursory glance in her direction, finding she’d returned to her conversation with Emile and Nicholas.
Paul and Max fired up the machine briefly, detecting no faults so Tahra and the recruits filtered into the barn one at a time, having just finished a light lunch. Tahra arranged them in a circle before they stepped into the machine, and decided to make a speech.
“Let’s take a moment to reflect how far we’ve come,” she began. “Consider the worlds we’ve seen, contemplate how these experiences have altered our perspective, our concept of reality. We stand at the threshold of a much deeper and greater programme of exploration. Soon, we’ll make further meaningful contact with beings that inhabit these other worlds, treading where our ancestors walked on a regular basis. Maybe we’ll find worlds they’ve never encountered before. This is what I believe to be ‘satus’, the origin, the beginning of humanity’s journey. Now let’s go and visit the goddess.”
Everyone bowed their heads, showing reverence for the beings of these worlds, and the ancestors who walked with the Gods. Once they’d paid their due respects, each recruit looked around the circle, feeling fired up emotionally and physically.
All twelve stepped into the machine, filling the seats in a clockwise direction and Tahra lingered briefly on the outside, glancing at Paul and Max who stood in the control booth. She nodded to indicate her readiness, took a deep breath and entered the machine, taking the last empty seat. The recruits looked towards her and she smiled, taking hold of Peter and Beth’s hands, who sat on her right and left. The others followed suit and joined hands, forming a tightly knit circle.
Paul entered the machine and hooked up the monitoring equipment, placing electrodes on their heads to measure their brain waves and on their chest to ensure their heart rates remained within accepted norms. When he felt satisfied with the hook up, he retreated to the booth, where Max watched the proceedings, arms folded and finger on chin.
“Are you sure the visit to this world will yield the results I desire?” he asked.
“I’m positive the goddess will impart some knowledge,” Paul answered.
“The funding bodies are particularly interested in some useable technology. Only this will ensure the viability of the project in terms of sustained investment.”
Paul began to push the first buttons, and twiddle the first dials.
“I understand, but you need to give us time, this is only the beginning.”
He turned his attention back to the people inside the machine.
“Are you ready?” Paul spoke into the microphone.
A chorus of ‘yes’ greeted him through the speakers. He hunted around for the machine’s signature song, leaving the recruits querying the reason for the delay among themselves. After a short while, he gave his apologies.