Fire - Betrayal (17 page)

I
removed the ultra high technology solar energy laptop computer from my bag to begin the process of collating the information and pictorial evidence I had collected.

I
turned on the power to the laptop computer and began to enter my username and password, except, I didn’t get that far.

At first,
I thought I was hallucinating.  I thought I could hear Cate’s voice.

But
I couldn’t have. She was dead.

My beautiful, beautiful Cate
….

Maybe someone was playing psychological games with me, determined to break my mind and send me to the nut house, rendering me incapable of anything because I would remain locked in my own torturous world, totally detached from reality.

“Ben,” called Jack.

I looked up, tracing where the sound of the voice was coming from.  Who would know my name here, in the ruins of this old farmhouse, except detectives that had been following me?

I
quickly closed up the laptop computer and inserted it back into the backpack, securing it all to my back, ready for fight or flight.

My
senses were now on high alert, my escape plan sorted in my head.

“Ben, it’s Jack.  We met you at
Cate’s house, remember?” Jack said.

“Show your face Jack so that I know it is you!”
I retorted, my voice harsh.

Moving slowly and non-threateningly, Jack presented himself to
me from the other side of the room.  He had been hiding behind a large square timber pillar.

Using mind communication as a test for Jack’s authenticity,
I discovered that he was who he claimed to be.  In the very brief mind communication that took place, I found that all six Terreans were there, also wanting to return to the parallel world.

Then
I heard Cate’s voice again, and my face twisted in pain. I lowered my face to the floor and clenched my teeth, fearing that I was indeed going crazy.  I closed my eyes gently at first and then squeezed them shut, trying to block out the voice in my mind.

My beautiful, beautiful Cate
…

I felt the light touch of a hand on my shoulder, expecting it to be Jack, offering his sympathies at the loss of Cate’s life. I opened my eyes keeping them fixated on the stone floor, concentrating on keeping my emotions in check.

I
anticipated seeing the shoes and legs of a man, but instead was greeted with feminine shoes and a light cotton flowing dress.  It must have been Julia, Jade or Jazz.  I kept my eyes on the floor.  I didn’t want them to see my emotional weakness.

“Ben,”
she spoke in a soft voice, “It’s me…. Cate.”

My
heart was pained.  I felt hope, but I did not want to give in to it because Cate was dead.  She had been murdered.  I closed my eyes again.

She
moved her hands to my face, gently.

“Ben, Look at me.  I really am here.  I survived the house fire,”
she said soothingly.

I
forced my eyes open and then turned to where her voice was coming from.

My
intake of breath was sharp.

She
was
standing next to me, in the light cotton flowing dress, and feminine shoes.  But I couldn’t believe it was really her. She had died.

I
took a step away from her.  I was shocked and confused. I started shaking my head.

“Ben?”
she asked, staring at me with a worried expression on her face.

“
Cate, Ben was led to believe that you had died in the house fire.  He has been grieving for you. He has been on an emotional rollercoaster for the past week,” Jack explained to Cate after reading into Ben’s mind.

Then Jack mind communicated to me.

          “
Ben, during the fire, we had no way out of the house.  We were certain to die, but Cate saved us.  She led us to the portal to ensure our safety, not willing to come herself because she said she was forbidden to enter the parallel world.  As she was denying herself the right to live, another massive explosion went off in the house, and Cate was knocked unconscious.  I couldn’t leave her there to be incinerated by the fire, so I dragged her by the legs into the portal, unconscious.  We weren’t sure if she would live, but we cared for her as best as we could. She still isn’t 100%, but she is here with us…alive.”

I
stared at Cate. I still couldn’t believe that she was standing there breathing the same air as me.

My beautiful, beautiful Cate
…

She slowly walked over to me again, looking into my eyes.

She
did not speak to me, but lifted her hand up to my face, then put her arms around me to hold me close.

I
slowly wrapped my arms around her, holding her lightly at first, and then as I began to believe that she really was here, I held her more tightly.  I breathed in her scent while I whispered her name.

She
looked at my face again, tears rolling down mine.  Then I slowly moved my lips to hers and kissed her gently, feeling again her warm, soft lips on mine. I pulled away and looked deeply into her eyes and whispered her name, then I brought my lips urgently back to hers, kissing her deeply.  I released from the kiss overcome with emotion, and held her close, crying deeply, this time not with sadness, but with pure happiness.  The light in my life was here.  I would no longer be surrounded by the darkness.

I
held her in my arms for quite some time, letting the feeling of ecstasy encompass my body. I talked softly in her ear, saying her name over and over again, and moaned as I felt my whole body overcome with my love for her.

My beautiful, beautiful Cate
…

Then Jack audibly cleared his throat.  It was time to move on.  He called my name to interrupt my connection with Cate.

Unwillingly,
I pulled away from her, but continued to hold her hand in mine.

“Ben, we want to return to Une Autre Terre, even though we have not completed our mission.  We have failed, but we are too traumatized to continue on.  We are very aware of the consequences, and hang our heads in shame at our failure.  We have tried to enter the portal, but it will not allow us through
,”Jack explained.

“Jack, I too am ready to cross over to the parallel world.  I have the eggs from The Magnificent Tree that I must return to the safety of our world. Unworthy, untrustworthy men have been experimenting with the seeds.  Their greed led them to burning down
Cate’s house, not caring whether people were inside when they did it.  Murder was of no consequence to them.  They tried to frame me for Cate’s murder, but I have evidence proving the detectives guilty.  Before I enter the portal, I must consolidate the evidence, prepare it and send it off to the powers to be in the police department.  They must pay the consequences for their deceitfulness, their malice, their greed and total disregard for human life.  So please, bear with me as I do this task, and then we shall enter the portal together.”

Jack nodded, agreeing to wait.  He also agreed to keep watch in case
I had been followed.  I was sure that there was a bounty on my head, but I did not want Cate to know.

Taking
my solar laptop computer, I left the farmhouse to a secluded but sunny place near the safety of the building.  Solar energy was needed to power the laptop, an ingenious addition to my laptop so that it could be used anywhere.  The energy could also be stored, allowing the computer to be used out of the sun, or at night.

I
sat alone to work on the information that I needed to send off to convict the corrupt detectives. I needed to be very clear, precise, factual, accurate and absolute.  I needed to be confident that my evidence was water tight.  I also wanted to take the spotlight off The Magnificent Tree seeds so that the attention would not be turned entirely to them.  If the Earth people became aware of the exceptional properties of the seeds, and the invaluable richness of health benefits, and money to be made from them, then all of my efforts would be in vain, although, I had taken every last seed that was left of The Magnificent Tree, and totally destroyed The Magnificent Tree so that it was beyond recognition visually, biologically and chemically.

I
did not send the information to just one Police Department, but to many, and not just to the Police, but also to the Military.  I wanted to be sure that the information went to the correct people, and that it would be handled in a lawful way.

Finally, after a lot of consideration and deliberation with the document,
I sent the information through cyberspace.  If there was not a bounty on my head before, there certainly would be now.

For a moment I
sat, in reflection silently, collecting my thoughts, preparing my next move. The next chapter of my life. I placed the laptop computer back into the backpack and secured it.  I was ready for the next part of the journey, to Une Autre Terre.

I
looked up at her, aware of her presence.  She was my beautiful Cate that should have been my wife now.  She was my beautiful Cate that I had believed was dead up until one hour ago. Life was full of twists and turns, triumphs and tragedies.  Once I was so certain about my future, but now I realized, nothing is ever certain, and nothing is forever.

She
knelt down beside me.  She did not speak, but simply placed her hand lightly onto my shoulder, and looked into my eyes. She lightly touched the bruising on the side of my face, her eyes full of sadness.

I
searched her face, and then roamed down over her fitted cotton dress.  I moved my hand up to her neck and pulled her down to me, slowly, gently. My lips found hers, touching lightly, then I pressed more firmly, kissing her passionately. I kissed her hungrily, deeply, wanting more than I could have.  She pulled away from me breathless, but then I pulled her back, kissing her lightly, lingering.

I
gazed into her eyes, releasing a deep powerful emotion through my eyes connecting into the depths of hers.  I saw her take a quick sharp breath.  I wanted her to feel totally protected and safe, and loved intensely. Because that is exactly how I felt about her.

A
fter a moment, I stood, and helped Cate up, and held her close to me, kissing her neck and exposed shoulder. I felt her melt into me. I wanted her to be one with me.

My beautiful, beautiful Cate
.

Then I put the backpack on and walked with her back into the old farmhouse, and indicated to Jack, that we were ready to go through the portal.

“
Ben, there’s a problem
,” stated Jack in mind communication with me.  “
We have tried to enter the portal many times before you arrived, but have been unable to do so.  Coming to the earth was so easy, we simply stepped into the portal and we were here.  I was led to believe that the same would happen from this side.  So far, that information has proved incorrect.”

I
remained still, looking into Jack’s eyes, witnessing the images of the Terreans attempts to go back through the portal.

It was true.  This portal was well known for its easy access to and from Une Autre Terre.  But something had changed.  It was operating more like the other portals that had an unpredictable timed window of opportunity for transport between the two worlds.

I approached the portal.  It should have showed signs of operation by now.  But there was nothing.  It looked exactly like a plain brick wall.

I
touched it, again nothing.

I
stood facing the portal, thinking deeply, searching for answers to figure out the mystery of this once friendly portal.  My mind was void of answers.

I
turned on my heel to return to the group to discuss other ideas to return to Une Autre Terre.  Then the portal opened, unexpectedly.  I turned back observing the phenomenon, wondering what had triggered the opening. I walked away to Cate’s side.  But then the portal closed as suddenly as it had opened.

Again,
I went to the portal, facing it, but it did not open, as before.  It wasn’t until I turned around again that the portal opened.  I returned to Cate once more and the portal closed.

This time,
I removed his back pack and stood at the portal.  It did not open, even when I turned around. The opening of the portal had to do with something in my back pack.  What could it be?

And so I began the process of elimination. I
took out the laptop computer and went over to the portal – no opening. I took out my clothes, money and food, leaving only The Magnificent Tree opal oval seeds in the back pack, then carried them over to the portal.

Success!  The portal opened instantly.  The Terreans found this to be absolutely intriguing.  Had they stumbled upon something significant?