The Chronicle of Belthaeous
by John W. Steele
Chapter 34: Jerus
I sped down the highway so fast that the broken yellow lines on the road merged into a blur. The tires purred on the pavement, and their hypnotic cadence reminded me of what the aliens told me about space travel.
Early in my first encounters with them, I was forced to meet with the Enukai to be debriefed. They taped electrodes to my skull and interrogated me to assess the level of my awareness.
I was allowed to ask them questions, and they seemed to be very open to my queries. I wanted to know how they could travel thousands of light-years in what seemed like a few moments.
Croitus acted as my interrogator and, though he was twisted and cruel, he held profound scientific knowledge. He asserted magnetic drives both negative and positive propelled and attracted their craft to whatever destination they focused on in the galaxy.
According to him, electromagnetic energy held infinite power, and it abounded in a latticework throughout the universe. Because of the free-flowing energy in space, no fuel supply was required on board their vessels. He claimed they had learned to harness the alternating forces of positive and negative polarity, and this energy allowed the Enukai pilots to propel their time cruisers many times faster than the speed of light.
He claimed that velocities beyond the speed of light caused the physical dimension to implode, and the faster they traveled, the smaller the universe became. Because of this, they could journey anywhere in the galaxy in a matter of a few hours.
Croitus went on to say that beyond the moon, nothing existed in deep space but scant particles of hydrogen scattered thousands of miles apart. He claimed that when the time cruisers were at full warp, the atoms grew so dense that it was like sailing on an ocean.
He asserted this finer and more refined dimension existed at the border of Third and Fourth Densities, but they could not penetrate the Matrix shell because matter was confined to this Density. He claimed the true Vulpeculans and the Council of Five existed beyond Fourth Density, but the Enukai could not survive beyond the quantum level of the Matrix illusion.
The steering wheel trembled, and a growl thundered in the compartment. I’d drifted onto the rumble strips and now headed straight for the embankment. I snapped out of my muse and jerked the wheel violently to the left. The fender grated against the guardrail, and the vehicle swerved. I released the accelerator and stepped on the brakes with a firm even pressure. The vehicle swayed and headed back to the highway.
A flash of sparkling light surrounded the car and then disappeared like a bolt of lightning. The scent of lavender hung in the air... Ursula. I remembered what she said about death; I cleared my mind and focused on the task at hand.
Five miles out of Seattle, a pair of ruby-colored dots appeared in the rearview. The Enukai bastards could hide anywhere, and it seemed there was nothing they couldn’t do.
I’d managed to find a gold chain tucked in a drawer in my desk. I threaded it through an orifice in the Eye and hung it around my neck.
* * *
When I arrived at Heidi’s condo, she stood waiting for me in the foyer. We embraced and kissed each other madly. A tsunami of burning passion swept through my spine and into my loins. When we were together, this was the effect she had on me.
We tugged at each other’s clothing and stumbled towards the living room. We made it as far as the Oriental rug in front the fireplace. There was nothing sweet or tender about our lovemaking. Waves of animal passion erupted like spasms of lava from a raging volcano. I knew a oneness with her I’d found in no other woman. The tenderness would come later, after the tempest of pure sensation mellowed.
When it was over, I rolled to the side and rested my forehead in the haven of her tender cleavage. “I’m frightened, Heidi. The world has changed, and I can’t believe what I’ve seen.”
“I’m so glad you’re back, Rodney. I’ve been freaking out about you and whatever it is you’re involved in. I’m afraid for your safety, honey. There’s got to be a way for you to be rid of this.”
I thought about Croitus and his remark about surveillance. I wondered if the perverted voyeur had watched the show.
“It’s not fair for me to keep you in the dark, Heidi, but I have no choice. The game has gone supernatural. I don’t think you’d believe me if I told you. I can’t believe it myself.”
Heidi sighed. “I know there are things on the other side, Rodney, but they’ll stay over there as long as we don’t invite them in, won’t they?”
I wanted to tell her that those things were already here, and they’d been here for a long time.
“You’ve no need to fear them, Heidi. It’s the men they control that must be feared.”
She held me close, running her hand down my spine and along my buttocks. “I love you, Rodney, and I have something wonderful to tell you. I’m pregnant, and I’ve been with no one but you since we met.”
My mind surged with oceans of glory, lakes of gratitude, and rivers of despair... Another life in a hell world about to supernova.
I raised my head and kissed her. “That’s wonderful, Heidi. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I’ve only known less than a year. You seem so preoccupied, I felt confused. I didn’t want you to think I’d use this child to hold you hostage. I’m not a home-wrecker. You know how I am. Things unfold naturally. Now is the perfect time. What are you going to do about Lydia?”
A feeling of revulsion seeped into my mind. “Lydia will make this as painful as possible. It’s part of her programming. I know how she is and how she thinks.
“It took me a long time to understand there are emotional vampires whose only purpose is to draw the Light out of people and steal their energy. She is one of them. I’ll give her what she wants. I’m not going to fight forever with her. She loves chaos and confusion like all portals.
“We’ll start new. In some ways, I feel better already, like having a second chance. Forcing the issue will only make it worse. As far as I’m concerned, the contract is over. I wouldn’t leave you now for anything. I’m sure I’ll be hearing from her scumbag attorneys. Why does it seem that we go on forever, waiting for a change, and then everything happens at once?”
Heidi sighed, and the sound of her heart beat softly in my ear. “I don’t know, honey. The story of our life is like a completed novel full of twists and turns that fall into place like chapters. Why are you so paranoid, Rodney? You don’t live life, you live with it.”
“I’m sorry, Heidi I really am. At times I feel lost here.”
She paused. “I understand you. You have no problem unraveling the most difficult challenges imaginable but, when it comes to simple things that anyone can do without thinking, you act as if it’s rocket science. Let me tell you where you’re at right now, honey: what do you want to name our son?”
“How do you know it’s going to be a boy?” I felt her body tremble.
“It’s the strangest thing. I had a dream the other night. A beautiful angel came to me and told me the child would be a boy.”
“What did the angel look like?”
“She looked magnificent. She wore a ruby and diamond tiara that surrounded her in a rainbow of light. She said her name is Ursula. I’ve read about vivid dreams but I never experienced anything like this. We stood in a large empty hall, and she was as real as anything I’ve ever known. What do you want to name our son?”
“It may sound strange, but let’s name him... Jerus.”
She looked at me, her eyes ablaze with light. “How strange, that was the name the angel whispered, but I couldn’t remember it. Jerus... I love it. What does it mean?”
“It means ‘One who has awakened’.”
“Jerus... Jerus Neumann. He can be no other,” she said.
Her eyes locked on the icon. She brought her hand to my chest and fondled the Eye. “My God, what is this thing? It’s absolutely beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It’s an amulet given to me by a dear friend, Heidi. It means a lot to me.”
She stared at the stone mesmerized by its swirling motif. I gently removed it from her hand and touched her chin with my forefinger. “Nothing is as beautiful as you are, Heidi. There is nothing it contains that could compare to what I’ve found in you.”
Her eyes lost their hypnotic gloss, and she seemed to emerge from a trance. Heidi remained silent, and pressed her head to my shoulder. We clung to each other like magnets.
“I don’t want you to mention the amulet to anyone. Do you understand?”
“What amulet?” she asked.
“That’s why I love you,” I said.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t know if I have the courage to do what I must. For reasons I can’t tell you, I’ve shirked my duty once. I love you, Heidi. Promise me you’ll wait for me, and I’ll promise you I’ll return, no matter what it takes.”
She looked deep in my eyes. “Nothing will ever keep us apart, Rodney. You’re the part of me I’ve waited for all my life.”
“I’m going to call Feinstein tomorrow, honey. I’m going to make some changes in my will, and those changes involve all of us. I have a trust fund with Genibolic that Lydia can’t touch. It’s more than enough to care for you and our son for the rest of your life.”
A silver tear trickled down her cheek. I kissed her eyes. We grew aroused, our tongues caressed. I closed my eyes... and fell in.
Copyright © 2014 by John W. Steele
