In Search of God: The Deepest Darkness Book 1

At 5:00 am Holloway woke-up Daniel. After a quick shower, he and Holloway took the elevator to the garage where Teleson waited for them in a mid twenty-first century model solar powered car. Cylindrical in shape, it was large enough to fit four people comfortably. Inside the car was roomy with a posh, synthetic leather interior. Built for long dis¬tance travel, each passenger had a mini sun roof and their own enter¬tainment center. With the flick of a switch the car could expand, like an accordion, so each passenger’s seat became a bed. The driver could also set the controls for autopilot and the journey could continue while everyone slept. In the car he sat in the rear and recounted Mylandt’s visit to the two men. “It’s my fault,” confessed Holloway. “I told him more than I should have.” “That’s okay, I’m glad I had a chance to meet him. It’s hard for me to understand where he’s coming from. At times he seems sincere; other times it seems he’s hiding something.” Teleson who drove said, “Did he say anything about his vision?” “Nothing. But when he tried to hypnotize me—oh, it’ll sound silly…” “Go on,” said Teleson turning his ear toward him. “For an instant I sensed I was somewhere else—like I had awakened during a nightmare, and the nightmare was still there.” “It’s not silly. Dr. Han believes your mind is repressing something so terrifying that it wants to totally remove it, but of course it can’t.” “Mylandt believes something very powerful has tampered with my mind.” Teleson curled his eyebrows. “Do you?” He thought about this often while in the hospital undergoing all of Dr. Han’s tests. He refused to believe anything could bend his will. Yet, since last night, a gnawing realization surfaced in his mind. “Yes—something…” He turned to the window; he wanted to cry. The president’s secretary led him into the oval office. Teleson and Holloway went to meet with the Chief-of-Staff. The president sat on the edge of a polished oak desk reading some papers. A glow from the morning sun filtered across his desk. The fireplace crack¬led with a freshly lit fire. President Ling looked up when he entered, put the papers into the center desk drawer, walked over to him, and gave him a warm embrace. Tall by oriental standards he was a firmly built man with jet black hair. His smile was gracious, his eyes bright, but prob¬ing. A man of power who knew how to use it, but not, Daniel felt, in a threatening way. They sat in a burgundy leather sofa against the wall across from the desk. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about you from a number of peo¬ple, but all I needed to know was that my niece, Mary, thought highly of you.” The president smiled; his eyes sparkled. Childless, it was obvious his niece was more like a daughter to him. Unlike most famous people, Daniel felt he was as friendly in person as he was on TV and he relaxed. “How is Mary?” “Very well, thank you. I have her doing some very important work for me. Work, if we had the time, you would be very interested in hear¬ing about.” A mysterious smile crossed his face. It quickly passed. “There’s a lot of pressure on you to go on this—this publicity trip.” Something like anger flared in his eyes. “What should be a scientific study has become a grand stage for the famous Mylandt. But, I want you to know, that as far as I’m concerned, you don’t have to go.” The president put a hand gently on his knee. His eyes did not betray the answer he expected to hear. He swallowed hard. The light in the room waned as clouds covered the sun. “I—I’d rather not go. But I have to go. I’m sure you understand.” The president squeezed his knee. “It’s the answer I expected.” He got up, clasped his hands behind him, and walked toward his desk. The desk top was clear of papers, but a number of Chinese objects were precisely arranged around the perimeter of the desk. A vase with a lotus flower drew Daniel’s attention. He sat on the edge of the desk facing him. “As you know I pro¬posed the first expedition. Science aside, my philosophical beliefs were the reason for my proposing the expedition.” With his right hand he picked up the vase with the lotus flower. “I believe the balance of the universe has skewed toward darkness, that is evil, and away from goodness and light.” He spun the lotus flower. “Without balance there is chaos.” He shook the vase. “The world is in chaos!” He collected his thoughts; his eyes fixed on the oscillating lotus flower. Balance. Moderation. These concepts echoed from deep within him. Things his father taught him, but what was it his grandmother believed? “There is only one Way. And no other,” she said. “The world strives for a balance that can never be reached because there is no balance. Balance is an illusion.” He looked at the president and said, “You’re right, sir.” And then quickly lowered his eyes so they wouldn’t betray his uncertainty. “I knew you would understand. Now, is there anything I can do for you?” He sat upright; the opportunity he hoped for had come. “Sir, there is something that has been bothering me. It’s Kruger. Was he a part of a secret organization?” President Ling shook his head. “I’ve got all my investigating agencies looking into the matter, but they’ve turned up nothing so far. Believe me; I’ll not leave a stone upturned until I find out the answer.” The president stood up. “Is there anything else?” “No, thank you, that’s all, sir.” The president took hold of his hand like a man clutching the hand of a dear friend. “Thank you. May the God who is the Balance in the universe be with you!” Outside the oval office a familiar voice called out to him. He turned to see Mary Ling running up to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him. “Oh, I’m so glad I had the chance to see you before you left.” “It’s great to see you too. Thanks for the good words you told the president about me.” She stepped back and looked at him intently. “I wanted to go along on this trip. I feel cheated from the first one, but uncle Pres wants me to look for the Psalt…” she caught herself, smiled, hugged him again, and said, “I know we’ll see one another again. God be with you.” The rain came back. It settled in for four days. Maura’s image faded from the screen of his wall monitor. She called when he was out and left a message. She looked great. But her words troubled him. “I’m sorry I missed you. Holloway was so nice to let me know how to reach you.” She smiled shyly. “Mom and dad send their love—we miss you. We’re fine, but the media has found out about us. Tough to go anywhere without one of them popping up—but it’s okay, really it is. It’s nothing compared to what you’re going through.” He could see tears fill her eyes, but only for an instant. Her smile radiated through the screen. “Almost forgot the good news. Holloway says that I—we can send you a video message during your trip. Isn’t that great?” She brushed the hair back from her face. “I have to go. The Lord be with you. We—miss—love you.” He sat on the edge of his bed; his heart heavy. He replayed the message. He could picture the media harassing the people he loved and it angered him, but it was Maura’s final words that tore into the fibers of his heart. The phone rang. There was no video. “We’ll arrive in five minutes. Meet us following plan B instructions.” The phone clicked dead.