Love Story: In The Web of Life (12 page)

"Conventional scientists such as physicists,
engineers, chemists, medical researchers, and others who believe
that reductionist science has all the answers, are reluctant to
believe that any psychic phenomenon can be valid, because it
doesn't fit any scientific paradigm that they know. They will have
heard many anecdotal tales of people experiencing psychic
phenomena, but will dismiss it as superstition, ignorance, or lack
of education. Many will present an angry response to the mere
mention of the idea. They have 'skeptic' organizations that strive
to debunk any claims of psychic phenomena. They claim to be on the
side of science but tend to be hypocritical in using a
non-scientific approach. They set out to prove the claims wrong.
They only approach the investigations from the standpoint that it
is a hoax and ignores data that do not support their belief system
that it is a hoax.

"In the film, we show interviews of a few
people who report their own psychic experiences.

"The first interviews are with people who
inexplicably changed their routines and avoided accidents. We
inserted some clips of normal people perceiving some event in
future time, that we would call a
premonition.

"One is a businessman who refused to board an
airliner because of his visions of it crashing. The airliner did
crash on takeoff, and everyone was killed.

"The second clip is a housewife who, for no
apparent reason, decided to pick her daughter up at school. The
school bus that her daughter would have ridden was hit by a drunk
driver, and several children were badly injured.

"The third clip is of a farmer who related
that, on his way home from town, he decided to take an alternate
route that he never used, past a lake. As he arrived at the lake,
he saw a car with a woman and a child go off a bridge and plunge
into the water. He was able to save them.

"Then, we have an extended clip of experiments
at SRI with people remote sensing targets in the Stanford area. I
believe you know about those experiments.

"Many university laboratories have done
experiments with psychics and other people to test the ability to
perceive things in space-time. Little of that research is highly
valued in the academic community. Largely, these studies document,
and compile statistics about observable psychic phenomena. That is,
stuff that simply happens that has no scientific basis. UFO
sightings fall into the same general category of studies. If there
is no scientific basis, the subject can be ignored by the
scientific community at large. Conventional science is an ostrich,
hiding its head in a four–dimensional sand."

"OK, "I replied, "I get the idea that the
theory of an eight-dimensional description of reality can be
formally demonstrated by mathematics, and in experiments. The idea
can be confusing to people without the mathematical training. I'll
have to take some time to assimilate all this."

"I understand," said Candice, "This is quite a
bit for one lesson. This is probably enough for one
day."

I agreed. I walked Candice out of the
conference room to the lobby to make sure she had her parking
validated.

"Thank you so much, this has been
enlightening."

"You might also like to spend some time with
Tom, my significant other. He has quite a good business in
counseling that involves space-time perceptions." She dug into her
purse for a second and then said, "Here is his card."

"Thanks," I said, and she left.

Carolyn cheerfully gave me her "I am available
after work" smile.

****

After about five minutes in my office, Zaza
buzzed me.

"Carolyn says your cutie is back in the lobby
and wants to talk to you."

I hurried to the lobby and saw Candice with her
eyes opened even wider than before.

"Someone was hanging around my car when I got
to the garage. Could you check it out for me? I think he was up to
something, because he quickly walked away when he saw me. He went
down the parking ramp instead of back into the lobby."

I gestured to Carolyn, "Please call Mr. Steel
in building security. Tell him to meet us in the visitors parking
area."

"Did you get a good look at him?"

Candice replied, "Not very good-he was too far
away. I recall a white, male Caucasian, about five-five, stocky
build, grey crew cut, round gold rimmed glasses, wearing khaki
pants, and a white business shirt, no tie."

"Sounds like a very good description," I
observed. "Dore said to report anything suspicious to her, so I
have been kind of paranoid.”

"I'll get security to make a report, and I will
forward it to Dore if there is anything serious."

We took the elevator to the lobby and started
to the door to the garage. Then, I heard, "Mr. Willard, is there a
problem?"

I introduced Steel to Candice and she related
her encounter.

"Let's check it out," said Steel. As we entered
the garage, Steel asked, "where did you see him?"

"I was right here and he was by the driver's
side of the car."

Steel asked, "Which car is yours?"

"That blue Volvo over there."

I thought to myself that it was not the most
likely model for a car thief to choose in this building.

We stood back as Steel checked under the hood,
examined the interior, and shined a flashlight underneath the body.
In a few minutes he came over and said, "Two things unusual: There
is some kind of symbol drawn in the dust on the windshield, and
somebody wiped the dirt from the door, as though they were
eliminating fingerprints. Otherwise, it looks as if everything is
normal."

Steel pulled out his security radio and called
someone. Then, he wrote down everything Candice had said. Soon, a
guard appeared with a camera that Steel used to take several shots
of the symbol on the windshield. I carefully examined the symbol.
It looked almost like a Mayan hieroglyph, a square with a stocky
stick figure, possibly a man, with its arms hanging
down.

"Do you have any idea what this symbol is or
pertains to?" asked Steel.

We both shook our heads to say no.

"Where is that Symbolist from the Da Vinci Code
when you need him?" I quipped."

Steel offered to test-drive the car, and
Candice agreed. Steel drove the car down to the next lower garage
level. We could hear the tires squeaking and his gunning the engine
and stopping.

After he returned he said, "It seems OK to me.
Just to be safe, have someone check it over at a garage with a
hoist. I could not see much with the car on the floor."

Candice replied, "It is due for a lube service.
I'll have it done tomorrow."

Candice vigorously shook both our hands and
thanked us, took the keys and left.

"I think I need a full written report. We are
working on an unusual court case, and it might have something to do
with it."

Steel nodded yes, and said, "Give me your keys
and I'll check your car out."

I went back to my office. Carolyn gave me her
'later?' smile as I went in.

In a few minutes, Steel appeared in my office.
He was carrying a little black box in a plastic sack. "I found this
on your car. It is a GPS tracking device. Is it yours, or part of
an anti theft system?"

"Neither," I said.

"It is a model that is used by law enforcement,
not the cheap private detective quality. Do you want me to scan
your car every day for a while?"

"Seems like a good idea."

I returned to my office and checked my email. I
sent a brief email to Dore about what had happened. In
thirty-seconds, I had a reply instructing me to send the report to
a firm she identified as their security consultants, EB
Services.

****

Chapter Four

THE
WAVE

I spent the rest of the week preparing my case,
reading about remote sensing, and delving into the mathematics of
eight-dimensional space.

Friday, just before noon, I got an email from
my friend at the Aviation Weather Station at LAX, also a soaring
pilot. She said that a late-season cold–front was approaching.
Tomorrow, about noon, there would be a good chance for a mountain
wave at CrystalAire.

I got excited. As the cold front approaches,
the wind over the mountains forms a wave that can be tens of
thousands of feet high. In the ocean, surfers on boards ride along
waves that might be twenty-five feet high on a very good day.
Sailplanes can "surf" along a mountain wave to great heights. I
have soared to thirty–thousand feet on a wave. They are really
fun.

I thought for a minute. Tina might be on lunch
break now. I called Tina on her cell.

"Hi stranger," she answered. "What's
up?"

"How is school going?" I asked.

"Great! I just finished a final exam in my
night school class. This was the tough one, statistics, and a
subject that I was really worried about, required for my Masters,
one of my big hurdles in the program. Math is not my thing. How is
your new court case?"

"It is getting very interesting and puzzling.
Something strange seems to be going on; several simultaneous
related things are happening, first, there was Uriel telling me to
learn about space-time. Then, I get a new civil case involving
psychics. I have had to read up on ESP and something called remote
sensing. Then, you take me to hear Herondus who talks about the
same things. Then, your friend Elise tells me that Uriel may be
related to me somehow in future space-time. Then, a consultant
shows me mathematical theories that suggests there are shortcuts in
space-time that we can use to perceive distant, future or, past
things!"

"Watch out for them shortcuts. Duck when you
see the next Then coming," Tina giggled. "Really, I don't
understand much about space-time and all that stuff. You know how I
am on math. But, I do have an appreciation for psychic stuff. I
thought you didn't like to talk about it."

"A couple of weeks ago, yes. Now, I have no
choice. I am very interested."

"I guess it is too late to warn you about them
shortcuts," she giggled again.

"I am going to the desert tomorrow, just for
the day. Be back in late afternoon or evening. Would you come along
and we could talk some more about all this? I'll even take you for
what might be a spectacular glider ride."

"You have fallen out of your shortcut at a good
time. I need a day off from grading papers and cramming for exams.
You know how I love the desert. I do have to get back tomorrow
night. About the glider ride: we have been intimate before, but
won't both of us in that little cockpit on your sailplane be a
little too friendly? You barely fit in alone."

"I will use one of the gliders from the flying
school there. They have two big seats, one behind the other for
instructors and students.

"Don't you have to prepare for your court
case?"

"My time is really my own when I prepare for a
case. I think I need some time for my mind to assimilate all the
new ideas. Tomorrow is an unusual weather day, one that might
happen only every year or two, producing a wave at CrystalAire.
Flying on wave days is really fun."

"I'm in, if you can assure me there are really
two seats. Can I bring a picnic lunch?"

"Wonderful!" I replied. "It might be kind of
cold so bring a jacket or sweater."

After we made meeting arrangements, I hung up
the phone and thought, 'I really like this lady, I wonder where she
buys her perky pills.' I noticed I felt a nice warm feeling in my
heart region. 'That's a new phenomenon. Some kind of shortcut
between us?'

****

When I was a few minutes away from Tina's
apartment, I called to say I was nearly there. She said she would
meet me at the street so I wouldn't have to find a place to park.
Again, I noticed this unusual feeling or energy around my heart.
'Interesting,' I thought.

As I turned the corner onto her street, I saw
her standing at the curb, wearing light blue jeans, white tennis
shoes, and a brown patterned blouse. 'That is a nice leggy look,' I
thought. She was rocking up and down on her toes, apparently in
anticipation of the outing. She saw me, smiled broadly, picked up a
picnic basket and a down jacket, and walked off the curb. As I
stopped, she put the basket and her jacket in the back seat, and
slid over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Tina always has an
impish smile, as though she was up to something, or about to
present me with a surprise.

She looked at me in mock seriousness and said,
"Two seats in the glider–you promised?"

That broke the ice and I laughed. "I called the
airport and they have reserved a two seater for us."

"Are we going to fly far or land somewhere
else? Should I bring the picnic in case we get stranded on that dry
lake?"