The Spaces in Between (15 page)

Upfront, but greedy. Then where the hell did you get this power?

***

The screen changed.

Ryoma was now looking in at a hotel room later that day. A notepad on the nightstand had a green Radisson logo on it. Cameron’s mind was filled with planning. He had left his job as a graphic designer and liquidated all his possessions to travel around the world learning occult secrets. He was four months behind schedule, but fortunately the whole debacle didn’t cost him much.

His next route would be San Francisco – there had been rumor of a psychic that could shoot laser beams from her eyes. A skill she had been taught by the ghost of Bigfoot being channeled through Uri Geller’s zombie from an alternate universe. Or something to that extent, but most likely the phenomenon moved on. Something as big as that usually vanished within six months.

Before going to bed Cameron preformed the rituals he had come to loathe so much. It was a habit. He quickly ran through drawing the Pentagrams, chanting the Godnames in each corner, and invoking the archangels. Then moved on to chanting the Godnames of the Middle Pillar. He vibrated each Hebrew name of God in the base of his throat.

But when he reached the second to last name. SHADDAI-EL-CHAI. The name of God in the Astral the word got caught in his throat. With much force Cameron was able to finally spit out the words encased in mucus. Then everything turned white and a searing energy poured through him. It started at the top of his head and drizzled down his body. His skin tingled and burned as it poured down like a honey pot of energy over his head.

Once his body was caked in the energy it pierced through the top of his head and splattered at the soles of his feet. He was being filled with this energy. It was like he had been hollow all of his life. There were things inside him sure, but it seemed to him that his body was actually a vessel for this power. Once every nook and cranny inside him was filled the energy overflowed from the top of his head.

It rushed over his body again and collected on the ground at his feet. Soon he was an ankle deep in this liquid electricity. Then knee deep. Before long Cameron was struggled to his chin above it. This was getting serious now. He could drown in this energy.

He quickly clamped his hand over his mouth and nose to hold in oxygen while he found a way out of this ocean. Ryoma was not worried at all in fact he was both intrigued and amused. Just like the audience in today’s movies Ryoma was positive no harm would come to Cameron since he was the star of his own past.

Cameron realized that it didn’t matter that the energy would fill his lungs. It had already been filled with the energy that went through his head. He inhaled deeply and his lungs were on fire. He wished he could relax and completely give in to the feeling. It was like complete ecstasy and agony at the same time.

The power poured and penetrated through each cell and atom of Cameron’s being. His stomach screamed out and knotted up. He felt that if this was going to go on much longer he would burst. His cells and atoms vibrated and it continued to go on, but he didn’t burst. The lights dimmed and the feeling left him.

Of course he still felt something. Cameron felt the best he had ever in his life. He felt bigger than anyone else back on the Earth. Pure energy not blood rushed through his veins. Every part of him was vibrating and ready to act. Reality was listening attentively to his every whim.

So he was just some spoiled brat that got all this power tossed at him, because he didn’t listen and ended up abusing one of the rituals the Urban Shaman taught him. He is no great master this was all just an accident. Somehow this is all very fitting…
Ryoma tried to remember what exactly was the correct pronunciation of SHADDAI-EL-CHAI, but for the death of him couldn’t remember a detail of it. He re-watched the whole exchange several times and still got nothing.

Fine, then. What did Cameron first do on the Astral?

***

The first thing that Cameron did was, well, Lilith.

Of all the spirits that took notice of Cameron’s ascension Lilith was the first on the scene. It really wouldn’t have mattered if she was the last spirit on the scene she was certainly the only one endowed to convince him to follow her. He spent three days in Fae where she taught him the basics of the Astral. How to influence it to bring change in the Physical, how to travel through it, and words of power to bind lesser spirits to him.

But mostly it was just sex. Despite his reservations Ryoma didn’t bother to look away or fast-forward, but he did resist the urge to hop on the memory of Cameron’s nerve endings. Now Cameron was in one of Lilith’s majestic beds. This one was her third most majestic bed. It was two times larger than a king size bed with tall posts and curtains surrounding it. It was littered with silk pillows, but sheets were unnecessary.

He had her in the spoon’s position and his left arm was asleep. He was thinking about how lucky he was. This tutor was a lot better than the last one. What was his name? The Urban Shaman, that’s right. He didn’t want these days to end. He smiled knowing that tomorrow would bring more of the same. This was a routine he could get accustomed.

Suddenly he remembers something. Something that hasn’t come up or mattered to him in the last three days
. My physical body! I haven’t tended to it for the past three days. I’ll die of thirst if I don’t go take care of it.
Yet despite this urgency he still had to will himself to go…

But he couldn’t get up. He counted down from ten. And again. Finally he used the big guns, “If you don’t get up when I count down from ten you will never be able to know this feeling again.” That one did the trick. It was a threat he learned from hypnosis to get people out of deep trances when they don’t want to leave. Of course, no one can stay in a trance forever despite what movies and television tell you. However, escaping from reality like that can lead to a lot of problems in the long run. Like forgetting to feed and water your body.

He turned his mind’s eye to the Physical and let go. There was a pause as if reality needed a moment to process this new data. Then the silver cord tugged Cameron away. He opened his eyes expecting to see his hotel room, but instead he was greeted with a white room and the chirping of life support machines.

He tried to cry out, but something was caught in his throat. Cameron’s eyes darted about and he saw that he full of tubes. So many he couldn’t even fathom their purpose. He struggled to move, but his limbs just didn’t seem to really give a crap.
Geeze, out for three days and my body gets that pissed off?
He weighed his options for what would be the best solution to wake up his limbs.

A young blonde nurse walked through the door with a cart of supplies including sponges and a basin. Judging by her reaction she would have dropped it all if she were carrying them. One of the coma patients just woke up and seems to be choking on his feeding tube. She leapt across the room to pull the feeding tube, which Cameron would remember as the worst feeling in his life. He would always hold a place in his heart for porn stars from this day on.

She wrote something on his chart. “I need to get the Doctor.” There was such a reverent tone in her voice that Cameron assumed that the Doctor should be capitalized like talking about God.

“Could you bring the Sandwich instead? Or whatever passes as food in the mess hall?” He licked his lips. “Where am I by the way?”

“Oh, you’re at St. Brendan’s,” she turned for the door. “I’m getting the Doctor. I don’t think solid food would be a good idea at the moment. You haven’t had any of that in three years.” Before he could argue the point she had passed through the threshold presumably to beg a favor from the shrine of the Doctor.

Three years? It’s only been three days!
Then suddenly everything that Cameron had ever heard about Fae came back to his mind, particularly, the story of Rip Van Winkle. The story can be summarized with this fun fact: one day in Fae is a year in reality.

That bitch! She didn’t bother mentioning that to me. She took three years from me and only taught me parlor tricks. She’s worse than the Urban Shaman.
Cameron would later retract this statement since Lilith had a much nicer rack. Because of the sex he would have forgiven her entirely, but in the long run it killed his libido. What would any other woman have to offer? How would they compete? Lilith was handcrafted by God. Only two other women could say that.

Ryoma was really impressed that Cameron did not doubt for a moment that his visions were true. A sane and rational person would have written them off a traumatic dream brought on by traumatic circumstances. Instead of waiting for the Doctor, Cameron pictured himself outside and in his clothes. He could feel the heat of the summer asphalt faintly beneath the soles of his shoes, the hot wind feeling him up through his clothes, and the strong scent of dead fish.

When he opened his eyes Cameron was outside the hospital.

Then the proximity alarm when off in the ship.

Kuso! That’s here.
Ryoma looked out of Cameron’s eye again, but now it was looking in the present. LCD screens around Cameron’s cabin showed a ship that looked like a smooth plastic manta ray. Ryoma recognized this was one of the Ashtar Command ships. This one in particular Cameron’s mind recognized.

The Paladins.

10

Cameron tried to grasp his situation in the desert from another Universe. The man in black he now referred to as Harvey since that took away his foreboding and mystique; which in magic was everything, had dumped him into another Universe. Somehow he had cut off Cameron from his Physical body and the distance killed him. Also Harvey had somehow anchored him and prevented him from using his powers as a spirit.

So now Cameron had his mind’s eye searching for a way out. Sending something to another Universe is no simple task. It leaves quite a mark when it happens that anyone who knows what to look for can find. Sure the mark fades as time goes on, but it will scar. That scar is the weak point that can get him out of this Universe.

Getting back to his Universe was an even trickier part. Considering he escaped this one could he survive being out in the
Aur
or farther out in Nothing, the
Ain
. Those that think space is nothing had not seen Nothing. There are things in space like stars or debris. There was nothing in Nothing. Things simply cannot exist there. But Cameron knew better…here things beyond description dwelled.

Once these hazards were somehow avoided there was the matter of finding and entering his home Universe. One Universe amongst possible billions and for all he knew the Omniverse was still under construction.

Out of the corner of his eye Cameron noticed the sand fly into the air in a torrent.
Great. A sandstorm. Won’t hurt me but it’ll be unpleasant. Is that what Harvey plans to kill me with? Unpleasantness? So far so good – I’m already dead.

His eyes scanned over the landscape to look for shelter, but all he could find was sand.
It would be the last place the storm would look.
However, considering the options it would also be the first place to look. The storm passed over another dune. Its movement pattern reminded Cameron greatly of the Tasmanian Devil. Then a realization came to Cameron like a drop kick from Chuck Norris.

He turned where he stood and ran. His legs pumping really didn’t get him anywhere since they just sank faster into the sand now. The sand storm seemed to change its trajectory to chase him down, but this was impossible to tell since there were no landmarks for depth perception to navigate by. With only one eye Cameron didn’t exactly get high marks for that anyway.

His flight was like a horror movie in reverse. He was slowly moving away, but the monster was on his heels in great leaps and bounds. Still the rule remained firm and true once Cameron stopped moving for a moment the storm would be upon him. Cameron turned to face the sandstorm head on with weapon in hand. Cameron didn’t draw the flintlock. He didn’t want to blow that load quite yet. He pulled the ancient revolver from his coat pocket. It probably won’t fire, but he might be able to get a couple of good bludgeons in.

The sandstorm swallowed Cameron whole.

The sands battered and cut his skin for a second before he entered the eye of the storm. Swirling around him was not just the red sands of the desert, but also a troupe of five strange creatures. Five scaled creatures the shade of lime Gatorade and the stature of a dwarf. They had no tails or clothes even though Cameron felt that they could have used both. They raced over the sand like a Gecko running over water with their powerful legs that reminded Cameron of a dinosaur’s.

Despite the reptilian appearance the creatures had more of a plant quality to them. Several pink tubes protruded from the creatures’ torsos, and they didn’t seem to have a face except for the pair of insect eyes that were on top of what could be called the head. The description pales in what the creature looks like. These creatures were the denizens of another Universe. There are no words from this Universe that could possibly describe them, but they come close.

The hate welling up in Cameron finally overflowed and he tightened his grip on the barrel of the service revolver. The creatures turned and charged towards Cameron – they had a very similar feeling towards this intruder. Maybe later they’ll do the equivalent of scratching their heads and pondering just what was Cameron. Maybe they’ll dissect him and puzzle over his insides. (Or why he doesn’t have any insides.) Probably they’ll bury the body and push the entire incident out of their mind. It’s even possible that they would regret not asking him any questions.

But at the moment, and the moment is where we all live whether we realize this or not, they wanted to kill the intruder.