Bill turned away from Thralesh and came back to where Nick was standing.
“Well Nick, this is where we part company for now. I am leaving you in Thralesh’s capable hands; she will take good care of you. I’ll still be keeping tabs on you of course, if I have time I will drop by and visit you.” He extended his hand to Nick and Nick shook it. “You don’t know the magnitude of the service you are performing for mankind Nick. Maybe one day you will appreciate just how huge it really is.” With that he brushed past Nick and went back to the waiting elevator and got in. As the doors closed he gave Nick a final smile and the doors came together noiselessly. Suddenly Nick felt all alone, like he had been abandoned here, at, he didn’t even really know where at. His one source of normality in all that he had seen and heard, as much as he felt Bill was withholding some information, he felt connected to him. Maybe it was a prisoner/jailer type bond or a master/servant bond but he didn’t think so. Nick felt it was because they were both human. Everything else was so extra terrestrial, so alien; it confused his logic, threatening to overwhelm him if he gave it a chance. Like a boa constrictor waiting for his prey to exhale before he could get in that fatal squeeze. Bill was his link to humanity and with him gone, Nick felt abandoned.
A soft reassuring voice spoke to him through the turmoil and, turning, Nick was once again doused in Thralesh’s charming aura, his cares sliding away like they never existed in the first place.
“Come; walk with me Nick and I will take you to your new quarters.”
They fell in step beside each other and walked in silence for a bit, Nick content to bask in Thralesh’s presence.
She walked beside him quietly for a time before asking “How are you adjusting to everything Nick? I can only imagine how overwhelming this all must be for you and I can sense that your anxiety levels are higher than the normal range for human beings.”
Nick was taken aback for a second; it seemed this power went beyond simple telepathy. How much more could she ‘sense’ he wondered? Perhaps his instincts to suppress his plans for escape had been right.
“It is difficult to put into words” he replied, choosing his words carefully. “I have always believed in life forms on other planets but when you’re thrown into the thick of things your first reaction is to not believe it. I know that Bill has said a lot of effort has gone into finding someone who they can use for this mission, but I can’t help but feel that someone else is better suited. I feel like I don’t know anything. You guys are the ones with the technology and the abilities; my brain keeps asking me ‘why aren’t they able to pull it off?’ How will I succeed where these powerful beings cannot? This may sound naive but I guess I always thought that other life forms would share our sense of adventure, our thirst for knowledge and want to share with humanity as we would with them, not come to this planet to enslave us all to do their bidding. It all sounds like some sort of galactic soap opera.
Thralesh was looking at him with her deep blue eyes, at once inquisitive and powerful and he had an odd feeling, like he was being scanned, not just bodily, but his soul as well. Everything was there like an open book for her to read. She broke off her stare and looking ahead again she responded “I read a lot of things from you right now Nick, confusion, fear, anxiety but above all, great courage and ability. You don’t see it yourself because what you’re going to learn is something you never thought possible so it’s normal for your brain to not accept it. Well were here” she said indicating an open door and they both entered.
“This will be your new home for the next few weeks. If you need anything just use the panel and it will be brought to you. Try and get some rest, we start bright and early tomorrow morning and because of the time concerns, we will be putting in long days to have you ready to go.” With a dazzling smile she turned and walked out the door and it shut quickly and silently behind her.
Nick turned to look at his new quarters, only to find they were not unlike his last; a simple square room with a bed in one corner, a full bathroom through a door across from the bed and a table in the middle with 2 chairs but added was a comfy lounge type chair tucked into another corner with a floor lamp beside it, all lit by a strange light. It looked like daylight but it was coming from several tiny little lights set into the ceiling, with no flicker that you would associate with regular lighting. The overall effect was very calming on his eyes. His growling stomach indicated that he hadn’t eaten in a while so he went over to the panel that Thralesh had indicated and discovered it was all computerized with a touch screen keyboard. After a few moments of working with it, he was able to figure out how to order food, then sauntered over to the recliner chair and sat down, sinking into its inviting comfort. Rubbing his eyes with his palms he leaned back and let the feeling of relaxation wash over him. He must have fallen asleep as the next thing he knew the door was opening and a gray was coming in with the food that he had ordered through the console. Silently the gray placed the food on the table and left the room. Nick made short work of the chicken dinner and made his way to the bed and lay back wondering about the next day’s training and what it would bring.
Nick was awakened by the melodious tones of Thralesh’s voice, bent over his bedside gently urging him to wake up. Slowly he opened his eyes and focused on her lovely face taking in every hypnotizing detail. “Oh good, you’re awake. I’ve been trying to rouse you for about five minutes now” She said straightening up and walking over to sit down at one of the chairs placed at the table. Nick closed his eyes, stretched and yawned then rolled out of bed and joined Thralesh at the table where there was a simple breakfast waiting for him. She watched him as he ate, her piercing blue eyes taking in every detail. When he was done she said “Well, if you’re ready, it’s time to start training” and made her way to the door.
“I am as ready as I’ll ever be I suppose” said Nick as he followed her out the door. They walked for a while twisting and turning down different hallways that all looked strangely identical so that soon Nick was completely lost and directionless. After some time they arrived at a set of double doors that opened silently as he and Thralesh approached and they entered. It took a moment for Nick’s eyes to adjust to the lighting in the room. It was still a natural looking light but much dimmer than the hallway lighting. It was a wide room with an office at one end and a door beside it that opened onto a stairway; a large window that ran almost the whole length of the room and was angled so individuals seated at the chairs and tables appointed in front of it could observe the goings on in the lab below. It was empty at the moment and the lab down below was dark and foreboding.
“Let’s go into my office for a minute” she said and walked toward the office at the end of the room. The office was nicely appointed and decorated with art that he assumed was from Nibiru as its design was unrecognizable as something made my man; even the desk and chairs were of a futuristic design. Thralesh motioned for him to sit down and he did so as she assumed the seat behind the desk. She touched something on the desk and what looked like a monitor appeared and hovered in thin air over the top of the table. Unreadable from his side Nick admired the technology none-the-less noting that instead of a mouse and keyboard she would touch the holographic image itself and as she did so lights came on in the lab below and noiselessly, devices came to life. She took a few more moments to manipulate the screen then she sat back and the holograph disappeared. Collecting her thoughts for a moment Thralesh regarded Nick and wondered how would he fare with what he was about to undergo. She had done this before, many times in fact, awakening the dormant telepathic abilities of humans. Some would only handle small amounts of ability, perhaps telepathy to others but not to themselves, some would resist the ability altogether and would inevitably go crazy, others still would seemingly be coping well with it, then in their quest to get more proficient their brains would succumb to the stresses being placed on them and they would go into a coma and eventually death or plain old die outright, their brains imploding from th
e strain. Knowing this she was hesitant to set the pace that Bill said they needed. What good would it be if Nick went crazy or worse, died, halfway to Nibiru, halfway to his objective? Unfortunately there was no time to worry about such matters, Bill had assured her that the program had been augmented and this would not happen. Besides, to accomplish this mission he only needed to master some of the more basic skills, and not the advanced ones.
“Let’s head down to the lab then” She said and Nick rose and they both went out the door and to the left and down a short flight of stairs to the lab below. It was a large room with a couple of chairs surrounded by what looked like medical monitoring equipment at the nearest end with a row of cupboards on the far wall. The opposite end looked very comfortable with more subdued lighting, inviting chairs set facing each other, the walls lined with oddly shaped objects ranging in size from small to large.
“Please have a seat” Thralesh said motioning to the closest of the chairs and then busying herself at a counter. She turned back carrying what looked like an elongated mp3 player, which, as with all the electronic equipment Nick had seen, emitted a purplish glow making him think that they were somehow sentient or organically based. She pressed the device to his neck and he felt a small amount of pressure for a moment and then she pulled it away.
“I just infused you with nanobots” she said rather nonchalantly, as if this were something that humans had done to them every day.
“They are designed to seek out the part of your brain that controls telepathic abilities and repair it at the genetic level, allowing you access to those abilities.” She continued on as Nick stared at her like she was speaking a different language. “The human brain is not unlike a computer and can be repaired or reprogrammed in much the same fashion. We have to do a series of infusions, maybe five at the most.”
Nick was feeling something in his brain, a feeling he couldn’t really put his finger on. It felt at once tingly and euphoric, as though this was the best thing in the world, like he was invincible and could conquer anything. “Why a series of infusions?” he asked.
“It’s been our experience that if we try to do too much at once, it can have catastrophic effects on the human brain. That part of the brain was purposely left inactive when the Annunaki carried out their genetic engineering on early human beings all those years ago. So now the brain may try to rebel because it doesn’t understand, almost like when the human body rejects a transplanted organ, because it sees it as something foreign to the body and tries to rid itself of it. In this case it’s the brain so that can cause….problems. So we have to do a little at a time to make sure that everything is going smoothly as we progress”
“What do you mean problems?”
“Honestly, it ranges from person to person. Some people get severe headaches and some, well, let’s just say it can get worse from there” Nick didn’t like how that sounded but decided that he would probably be better served not knowing exactly what these problems could be-especially if they included death.
“You can’t do another infusion to reverse the effect?”
“Once the ability is awakened you can’t turn it off per se, what we can do is some memory modification. Unfortunately like a computer hard drive, even when something is deleted, it’s not really deleted but sitting there flagged as hidden and that can cause interference with their perception of reality and they are never usually the same person afterward.”
“How many people have you put through this procedure?”
“A few” She answered, purposely evasive “As you know we have been searching for a candidate for this mission for a while now and we had some potentials come in and we started working with them only to find that their brain wouldn’t accept what was happening. Once we found that out we did what we could to return them to their normal lives”
Nick remembered his first contact with Grolen and it felt like his brain was being ripped apart when he tried to communicate telepathically with him.
“Are some humans born with this ability functioning?”
“Some are, but not fully functional, only in a small way. They usually end up working as a psychic of some type because they have some limited ability but not the means to control it or direct it, but they can use it to sense things about people and their futures.” She answered thoughtfully. “How are you feeling Nick?”
“I feel really good, like I could do anything; take on the world you know”
“That’s a normal reaction to the nanobots. We start off by doing some light telepathy exercises. If you can handle that then we move on to more difficult tasks”
“What is the limit of my potential?”
“Elders on Nibiru can do many things with their mind. Crush objects, command objects to come to them, shield themselves from physical attacks, make objects become animated and do things for them, but they are very practiced and disciplined, taking many of your Earth years to achieve such a level. I really don’t know what the limit for human potential would be. Although it can be very fragile the human mind can also be very powerful and adaptable when it needs to be.” Thralesh turned and went back to the counter behind the chairs and put the device she used to infuse the nanobots away and returned to where Nick was. “Stay here for a few moments so we can continue to monitor you” she said, smiling broadly “I just have to go up to my office for a moment. When I return we can start training and see how you’re reacting.”
Nick watched her go up the stairs, equal parts lust and awe in his mind then sat back and closed his eyes and tried to assess what he was feeling. Still aware how euphoric he felt he tried to look beyond that. It felt like all the blood was rushing to his brain, not making him groggy, more like something was coming to life, as if a repair was underway. Different thoughts would suddenly enter his mind, disembodied voices with no clear words just parts of words, like a faint echo. Nick wasn’t sure where they were coming from but the sensation was scary and exhilarating all at once. Soft footsteps on the stairs announced Thralesh’s return. Opening his eyes to look Nick noticed that she was not alone. “Let’s get more comfortable over here and we can start trying out a few things.” And she moved off to where the lab was more inviting and sat down in one of the chairs. Nick got slowly out of the chair he was in, his head still swimming from the infusion, and made his way shakily over to where Thralesh was sitting. The protégé that had come with Thralesh followed Nick closely making sure he didn’t fall and guided him to a chair across from Thralesh and then padded softly to her own chair and sat looking inquisitively at Nick.
“How are you feeling Nick? Any notable change?” Thralesh inquired
“Still feeling good, and I can hear or sense voices or thoughts, I am not sure which, not complete thoughts though, only fragments. It is a very strange feeling”
“That sounds like a normal reaction to the infusion. I would like to introduce my assistant” Thralesh indicated the woman now sitting beside her “Her name is Zalath; she will be assisting us in our practice sessions.”
Nick faced Zalath and took a long look. She was as tall as Thralesh, but her frame was more demure and slight. Every bit as stunningly beautiful as Thralesh but in a different way, with her dark hair hanging in wavy curls at shoulder length, her eyes a smoldering black like lumps of coal, high cheekbones and a sharp pointed nose gave her an almost elf like look. Nick wondered if all the women on Nibiru were this attractive. He managed a perfunctory greeting to which she replied in a soft reassuring voice “Hello. It’s nice to meet you Nick” and looked at him, her eyes, not piercing but alive with an infectious fervor that intensified Nick’s feeling of invincibility but also seemed to house something secret. He returned his gaze to Thralesh and waited expectantly for whatever was going to come next.
“As I was saying Nick, we start small and keep expanding your knowledge little by little. You say you can already hear something, something you can’t quite put your finger on. I am not surprised you call it hearing, as the only frame
of reference you have is auditory hearing with your ears. Really they are thoughts that people are projecting to others. After a while you learn to tune out all the fragments and only receive messages intended for you. Where I want to start is getting you to reach out with your mind, really focus on whom you want to communicate with. Close your eyes and visualize that person clearly in your mind. Imagine a solid link between your mind and theirs and see what comes through the connection. To start with I will think of one word only, something simple that you would be familiar with. So go ahead when you are ready and Zalath will monitor your brain to make sure you’re OK.”
With that Zalath got out of her chair and made her way to a closet and got out a device and returned and stood behind Nick’s chair, her scent was intoxicating. He leaned his chair way back and could see up into her face and she gave him a reassuring smile. He closed his eyes and formed a picture of Thralesh in his mind, then he tried to visualize a connection between them and the only hard link that came to his mind was a network cable connection. So he added that to the picture and imagined it linking their minds, he could feel the connector as it clipped into his brain. Thoughts and images burst into his mind like fireworks, but none really clear. They were all blurry or fragmented and he pushed those out of his mind and really concentrated, searching and seeking for the one thing Thralesh was thinking of and slowly an image formed in his mind. It started out as a blurry smudge but as he focused on it, intensified the connection to Thralesh and refined the image it slowly morphed into the word Nick.
As the word formed in his mind so did the pain. A twinge at first, but as the bond strengthened and the word became clearer the pain intensified, he tried to sever the tie, cut the bond connecting them but he couldn’t figure out how, the pain rising in a steady crescendo, his head felt like it was caught in a vice that was slowly tightening, crushing his skull. He screamed out and everything went black.
Chapter 7