Ascension: Mirrored Worlds Book 2

Author

Chapter One – Older Than Dirt !

Weeks and weeks had transpired. Diligent attempts at deciphering and translating the ancient stone tablets continued. Some were too worn to work with except to extrapolate from other stones. Fortunately, they were in chronological order and were well marked. As such, this made it relatively easy to make a cognitive leap where the images were too difficult to clearly observe.

Vince van Demuir and his archeological staff had been unrelenting; spending twelve to sixteen hour days (including weekends) decoding the tablets. They had been making excellent progress in his opinion. A couple hundred tablets had been completely, though crudely, translated already. These managed to be successfully divided into categories based on content. Originally there were only four staffers including himself but he had since hired an additional seven – just for the translation. Though initially time consuming, Vince and his colleagues managed to do what he could not alone – break through the secrets of the older images by utilizing tablets from the oldest known language on the planet. Enough distinct categories existed that he was requested to hire nine highly specialized recruits. None of them were adept at translating the documents but would excel at interpreting them. His employer was happy to fund as many as necessary to complete the task. A small fortune had already been spent just to find and bring the tablets back for translation.

A man well known in his field, Vince had no trouble recruiting the newest nine positions. All were experts in their own right and were eager to join the team. None of them, except Vince, had much of an idea where the tablets originated from or what the end game was after they were translated. It was obvious to all who heard about them that they were a very rare and extraordinary treasure. None of them questioned the odd fact that the tablets’ discovery was not reported in the technical journals or any media at all.

The team assembled included Ted Brown – a respected expert on the discovery and interpretation of ancient scientific artifacts. He had taken several unknown devices from the past and had managed to reconstruct them. He successfully made them functional with current materials and technology. His hands resembled those of a mechanic more than a noted scholar. Ted had been one of the first to be hired in anticipation that some of the texts contained detailed engineering data that might lead to new and exciting machines and devices.

Jericka Markos was a world class researcher of magic lore and the art of witchcraft. She had written many books and articles relating to the subject and discovered the practice existed well before modern recorded history. Jet black hair, dark eye make-up and silver fingernail polish helped her look the part. She not only understood her work but actually believed in it and performed cursory examples that were a little frightening. It was not magic per se that was of interest to her employers. It was actually the result of what was called magic and how it was performed.

Drew Michaels held a masters degree in a similar field. Telekinesis was his particular forte. The ability of an individual to move things (small or large), with their thoughts, had intrigued him from childhood. He had never disclosed this to anyone as an adult, but at the age of six he had wrecked his bike and it lie broken over a large embankment. It had been a birthday present a couple of days earlier and he was afraid he would be in a world of trouble if his parents found out. He managed to concentrate on the bike and it miraculously drew itself up the hill to the road. No one believed his tale and soon he came to disbelieve it as well. He tried to move other objects just to prove that he could but somehow the tiny bit of doubt caused his concentration to fail. Although he could never manage to repeat it, he was hooked for life!

A separate gift of the mind was studied by Chris Summers. His field of study was fortune telling or prophecy. A fascinating subject and one that almost every individual either wanted to possess or wanted to know someone who did. Through the years, however, it was believed that while long term futures could be predicted with a relative level of accuracy, short term ones were far more volatile. Much speculation indicated that short term abilities may be more subject to unsettled variability and the lack of concentration by the fortune tellers themselves. Another school of thought theorized that long term predictions were subject to broader interpretation and therefore, massaged into an accurate prophecy. Chris personally hated the name ‘fortune tellers’ because he thought it was a terrible interpretation of the ability. He had what is known as ‘a bad feeling’ while in college but failed to heed it and wound up lying in the street, close to the bar he frequented, with a major concussion. The driver sped away but his memory of the vision allowed him to provide a fool-proof description to the police and he was apprehended that same night. The following week he changed his major to history and mysticism with a minor in psychology and left mathematics for true statisticians.

Spiritual healing was long practiced by ancient natives of nearly every culture and was prominently told on cave wall pictographs and early writing. Mystical healing was still practiced today in deep jungles and other remote locations around the world. It was not actually a subject offered at any university because it was so narrow but Bobby Michon had taken every course possible that dealt with it. This included courses in herbaceous healing plants, hallucinogenic substances and medical/nutrition courses. No one on the planet knew more about the culture and history of the subject. Because it was such a niche subject, Bobby’s recognized field was the study of lost civilizations.

Jon Norris studied mental prowess, or the ability of the mind to know, calculate, understand and determine things, much like a computer. The ancient owners of this particular ability were said to have run astral-physical equations in seconds. Any time Jon explained his field of study, he nervously fiddled with his thick glasses. The tic was long imbedded in a boy that struggled in front of the class telling book reports

Jim Thomas’ fascination with the ability to alter the basic structure of an object either mentally or through some lost and ancient chemistry drove him to the field of alchemy. His curiosity was not for greed but for purely academic reasons. This opportunity appeared to be a perfect vehicle to obtain that fantasy.

One mental aptitude that was highly regarded in history was astral projection. The ability for the consciousness to leave the body in a semi-awake state and move about un-tethered to the physical body except by the mind was extraordinary. April Kapoor was thrilled to get the call that requested her presence on the team. Her family was honored that she chose to pursue this avenue since their ancestors came from the middle-east where shamans practiced astral projections from the beginning of recorded history. She was more than a little disappointed that they were forbidden to inform anyone of their whereabouts or the nature of the work they were preparing to undertake.

The final member was Miguel Sanchez who held a doctorate in physical abnormalities. The ability of a man to transform into an animal at will was included in his field. The concept intrigued and drove him to learn everything possible about it.

Vince kept his archeologists working on the tablets and, per his eccentric employer, did not allow any contact between them. In fact, they did not even talk to each other while they worked. Secrecy was the order of the day. The esoteric team members had no clue of how many tablets existed or that they were being continually deciphered. Likewise, the archeologists knew nothing of the newly formed think tank. The level of mysticism gave Ramendien the comfort of believing that no one would discover the grand objective and steal what he fully believed to be his. Somewhere among the cryptic writings, he believed, was the key to his survival, even his rehabilitation. This team would be sure to discover it and teach him.

Vince was only superficially aware of the think tank team members because of his all-important contacts required to corral them. He only needed to know their areas of expertise so that he could cover all the specific topics that were discovered in the records. He was not privy, however, to listen in on the specific instructions that Ramendien was about to convey to them. Although not very happy about the arrangement, Vince knew these were the job requirements and grudgingly accepted them.

The mysterious spiral bound notebook that had been discovered in the pedestal from the dessert structure was safely locked away. Vince managed to maintain possession of it but only for the purpose of pursuing its message. Ramendien would have certainly kept it in a personal bank vault that no one knew about. He would fail to realize that it would serve little purpose until its secrets were exposed. Vince kept it in a wall safe within his room and only looked upon it late at night when he was certain that no one could ever see it.

Unfortunately, while many of the symbols were similar between the stone tablets and the metallic book, nothing translated from them gave any insight to their meaning. The writing was so unrelated that no connection what-so-ever could be made. Vince did not want to admit to Ramendien that he had no clue nor did he currently believe that anything would grant access to the alien words within. So long as the remaining stone tablets were being processed and the esoteric team had something to work on, he felt there was no rush to expose that information.

Vince didn’t personally know any of the recruits gathered in the conference room below but, through his many scholarly contacts, recruited them for the job. Why these so-called experts were needed eluded him somewhat. Sure, the tablets translated thus far had described many odd abilities, but nearly all ancient cultures considered mysticism a reality. Typically, Ramendien kept the reasons close to the vest and shared them with no one, including Vince. Because his employer had been planning this for awhile, many of them had been identified ahead of time but Ramendien could not obtain their services on his own. He would simply have not been considered a legitimate or even serious venue. Part of Vince’s job was to use his contacts and professional credibility to bring these experts to the table and he succeeded very well.

The glass ceiling allowed Vince a perfect, birds-eye view of the assembly but not a sound passed the thick, clear divider.

A few moments passed and then a door opened and Ramendien rolled in on his custom wheel chair. The quiet whirr of gears and electronics drew the attention of the occupants and brought all independent conversations to a close. Vince leaned forward as much as the glass allowed and strained to hear the conversation and read lips as well as, if possible.

Being permanently bound to a wheel chair had not diminished Ramendiens’ ability to polarize the room and command instant attention and respect. He allowed his eyes to roam around the room in smug satisfaction. Having studied the candidates he desired for so long, he was ecstatic to have successfully recruited every single one of them. His gaze quietly rested for a moment on each and every candidate wondering which one would achieve the necessary breakthrough, the long awaited discovery that would free him.

After a period of time that was long enough for some of the participants to begin a restless exhibition of fidgeting and uncomfortable glances around the room, Marcus began addressing the audience.

In a clear, projecting voice he stated. Ladies and gentlemen… You have been assembled here because you are the top of your respective fields. You were all recruited successfully by Dr. Vince van Demuir, but make no mistake, I am the one who hired you. Not only that, but you will not interact at any level with Dr. van Demuir unless I bring you together. The reason for this is simple: I want to maintain complete secrecy. You are about to begin on the adventure of a lifetime! he paused briefly for effect. One that will thrill and excite each of you beyond your wildest dreams. His eyes scanned the room just slow enough to catch each recruit eagerly listening. Just as your fields of interest are not mainstream or even considered legitimate we will operate under the radar. To that end, nothing discovered or developed here will leave this facility. You will not achieve any notoriety or even credibility in the scholarly world, but you will possibly fulfill your lifework.

He looked calmly around the room and continued, Does anyone wish to leave now before we go any further based on what I said? He paused a moment. Because once I begin the next sentence, you will be forever committed, like it or not, to the project … and to me.

Not a single sound arose from the group. It was as if none of them even breathed or blinked for a full three minutes. Marcus scanned the faces for any kind of doubt, any reservations or objections at all. Finding none, he continued to speak.

We have made a discovery almost beyond comprehension. Following some ancient clues that I uncovered over years of study, a team of archeologist hired by me found a tomb concealed for centuries. In fact, we do not know how old it really is. All of our dating capabilities suggest that the contents of it are older than dirt itself. Older than any known history of the world, and yet, that is not possible. What we found was a collection of stone tablets, written eons ago by presumably our ancestors. I have had a set of scholars translating them so that you may study them and determine where they lead. I will split you into groups and divide the texts among you based upon the subject of your study. After today, none of you will have contact with anyone other than your team. I will not tell you what we are looking for or why. That way, any information and theories you advance will be scientifically sound and without prejudice.

The silent and stunned faces in the room began wondering who they would be paired with and why. Before they could even form an opinion, Marcus began telling them who their teammates would be.

Chapter Two – Together But Separate

I have grouped you into three teams based upon your expertise and how closely aligned your fields are. Please move to a seat next to your partner as I call out the teams. Ramendien allowed his eyes to make one final sweep of the room before beginning the roll call. "Once you get to know your team members it will become more apparent why I chose to group you in such a fashion. I hope that you will be as closely aligned socially as you are by your field of study.

Miss Markos, Mr. Sanchez and Mr. Michon; please move to adjoining seats. Without waiting on them to relocate, he announced the next team. Mr. Brown, Mr. Michaels and Mr. Thomas – kindly do likewise.

The room was large enough to accommodate nearly double the chairs as the occupants. This made the move easier, though not without its associated noise and confusion. Marcus paused to allow the first two teams to regroup in a common location. They were making cursory introductions through whispered speech which further added to the commotion but kept it to a minimum while all the groups could be named.

As the last chair scraped across the floor, Marcus again began to speak. And finally, the third team will consist of these three gifted individuals; Mr. Summers, Miss Kapoor and Mr. Norris. Please relocate to a common area.

He looked up for a moment and watched the last of the group slide into adjoining seats. Once positions were taken and the room again quieted, he continued. Marcus was one who did not like to raise his voice so he spoke in consistent, modulated tones. Thus he replaced volume with inflection to portray the weight of his speech. I have grouped you based solely upon the field of your study. While you are all significant and different, you also bear similar educations to your team members. Since there is not a recognized organization or society for your studies, none of you have crossed paths before now. It is very important that you have a complete understanding of your team mates’ expertise so that you may collaborate effectively. I am giving you till the end of the week to become acquainted intellectually and socially at what-ever level you deem appropriate.

We have accommodations on our campus that will be your home for the foreseeable future. This will include housing, food and entertainment. Part of the condition of your employment is that you may not leave the campus for any reason without prior approval and, if granted, a chauffeur and chaperone will be provided for your trip. You may also not have contact with anyone outside of your team except for those that I send to speak to you or get updates on your work. Each team will have a separate building to preserve this requirement. This may sound a bit extreme or at least mysterious but I want your work to be pure and not influenced by any of the other teams. Anything recorded in history will be at your disposal. You have simply to ask for it and it will be provided to you. His eyes scanned the room and by the lack of concern on their faces indicated that they were a group of social misfits, outcasts at least, in their minds. That was, of course, part of the profile used to select them for the task.

Several documents will now be passed out for you to fill out and sign. These consist of emergency contacts, medical history, secrecy policy, intellectual property policy and preference on how you would like your compensation dispensed. Please read them carefully as they will be binding from this point forward. Sign and date all forms please. Some of them require initials also and, if asked, please print your name clearly. Marcus pressed a button on the arm of his chair and an associate entered the room carrying a stack of folders containing the documents just described. The un-introduced man began passing them out to each member of the group. Once complete he left wordlessly through the same door he entered.

Most of the group began reading the documents carefully as requested but a couple of them just began signing and dating everything. Those that chose not to read anything were finished in a few minutes and replaced the signed papers back into the folder they arrived in. For the rest, time varied from individual to individual, depending on how fast or how intently the documents were read and absorbed. Over the next twenty minutes, papers were completed and resting on the table in their folders.

The last holdout had a single page yet to sign and he continued to read and re-read the paper thoughtfully. A large sigh passed from his lips and he lightly shook his head in consternation.

Marcus observed the young man and after waiting a few minutes spoke. Mr. Brown it appears that you have encountered a document that is causing you concern. Please share your concerns so that I may address them and make you more comfortable in signing it.

Ted peered over the top of the paper he held and his eyes slightly squinted from the knit brows above them. He looked a long minute at Ramendien and then averted his eyes to scan around the room. He saw nine completed folders setting on the tables in front of the other members. His left hand rose to rub the three day stubble covering his chin in contemplation. The other hand which held the document waved slightly to and fro causing it to act as a fan. His eyes turned back to Marcus and he shrugged his shoulders. I am a little uncomfortable with this demand for signing over all intellectual property. Several of the artifacts that I have reconstructed have become pretty good money makers. None have been earth-shattering yet but one is just around the corner!

Marcus smiled wryly and his eyes twinkled slightly as he responded. "Well … if the information used to develop anything was truly discovered by you or even jointly by us, then you might have a legitimate argument. The simple fact is that I own all the documents you will be using for this endeavor. I have invested in the discovery and recovery, not to mention the translation, of these ancient scripts. That alone provides me with exclusive property rights to anything found within." Marcus raised his hands in front of him to signify that everything was explained and final.

Ted absentmindedly stroked his facial stubble a few minutes and then set the paper down. He squinted and wrinkled his mouth slightly before speaking. Ok, that is fair enough on the face of it. What if something derived from the work is not directly described or identified by the documents that you own? Something that I personally developed and had no direct connection to your discovery?

Marcus closed his eyes to mull over the question. He had truly not considered much resistance and certainly not reasonable questions as those posed. The fact that nothing hoped to be discovered was based on monetary value caused the ramifications of the questions to be minor. It appeared obvious from his body language to the audience that he was leaning toward agreeing with Ted – at least in principle.

Ted spoke again before Marcus could respond. I would like to amend this contract with verbiage that corresponds to what I mentioned as well as a statement that places a time frame on these restrictions following employment termination.

Chuckling quietly, the wheelchair bound proprietor of the ancient tablets accepted the request. Fair enough! He motioned with a finger around the room. All of you take out the paper that is on the discussion table. I propose to amend the document to state that discoveries are limited to those directly defined by the texts. I also will include a time of three years following termination before you may pursue anything on a personal level. Lastly, anything determined to be non-inclusive will have to be disclosed and approved by myself before it may be pursued. I trust that this will satisfy all remaining objections… He nodded toward Ted as he spoke the last statement. Observing Ted return the nod in affirmative agreement, he continued. Please pass all documents forward – they will be collected and destroyed. Revised versions, as discussed, will be distributed shortly. If there are no further objections or questions, please follow your respective team leaders to your homes for the foreseeable future…

He waved a hand toward the door as three additional men entered (none of them the same as the one who delivered the folders). Each approached one of the three teams and softly commanded them to gather their belongings and follow quietly. As the first group stood to exit, the leader of team two held a hand up to signify pause. He made them wait until team one had completely left the room and then bade them stand and follow him.

This process repeated for the last team as well. Between the exit of teams two and three, the document bearer entered the room once again and retrieved the papers that were to be destroyed. He left again without a word.

As the last team left the main research building they saw no sign of team one. Team two was entering one of the smaller buildings that looked a lot like a cross between middle class suburb homes and military barracks. They were walking swiftly toward a third such building which was closer. Between the second team and the research building stood a third structure and they instinctively knew this was where they were headed.

April vocalized the obvious. Looks like that building is going to be our new home for a while. She pointed toward the barracks and shrugged. I guess it is as good as anywhere. A slightly thick Indian accent accompanied April’s comment.

Chris felt a little annoyed that April had stated the obvious. He couldn’t help but think that if this was normal for her he would get tired of it real quick. Resisting the desire to make a snappy, derogatory statement, he rose above it and said simply. I am hungry so I hope that there is a well stocked fridge and a stove in there.

April wasn’t oblivious to what she had just said and was grateful that Chris did not call her out for it. April, too, had remained quiet and the uncomfortable moment passed. I only completed my graduate work last year so I was a little surprised to get the invitation. She tried again to make an icebreaking comment. I forgot to ask about pets or visits from the outside.

Well, I am pretty sure that if we are not allowed to leave to see other people, they won’t allow any to visit us. As for pets, who knows, it wasn’t covered at all but how would they get here? Stated the third team member, Jon.

They had arrived at the entrance to the barracks. Their escort opened the door and said matter-of-factly, Here are your accommodations. You should find everything you need to be comfortable and productive. There is a fully stocked pantry and refrigerator. Someone will come around weekly to refill them and discard anything outdated. You will be able to identify your assigned rooms by their contents. A trash can is located at the back door which leads into a gated fence. This fence is electrified for your safety but you may go into the yard anytime you wish. Since Mr. Ramendien desires you to become acquainted, no one will disturb you until next week. Please make yourselves comfortable. Oh, and if you need anything, please speak into the intercom located here on the wall beside the front door.

On that note, the escort turned sharply on his left foot and departed, closing the door behind him. The three looked at each other with an incredulous chuckle on their lips and heads slightly wagging back and forth.

This is almost crazy. uttered Chris, "Was it just me, or did that guy seem very militaristic to