CHAPTER EIGHT

“Not creating delusions¹ is enlightenment.” Bodhidharma PPenelope stared at Walker looking for a tell or change of expression that would tip his real thoughts, but couldn’t fi nd one. If he was lying or pulling her leg, it wasn’t on his face. “Where is Dr. Altman now, and the staff for the Hermes Project?” “They are working at a secret location.” “Why secret?” “If you want to do research on the government’s nickel you have to play by their rules. Every federally funded research project can be taken over at any time and for any reason. But you already knew that.” Penelope ignored his comment. “And you were afraid they would seize your work?” “They had already done it once; we were all hoping it would be cancelled so we could get it away from the government and into private hands.” “So you admit you intentionally² manipulated Senator Horn to take control of the project.” “I suppose from your viewpoint that is how it would appear.” “What in the world does that mean?” “A group of enlightened people wanted the project out of the hands of the government and it is now out of the hands of the government. To your mind it would appear to be manipulation to mine it is a perfectly³ 60 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin logical outcome.” Penelope shook her head and sighed. “Where is this group of enlightened people now?’ “We took everyone involved with the basic research and moved them out of reach of Homeland Security and the guys at Ft. Meade.” “I see. So they are all fi ne?” “Of course they are.” Walker was a bit taken back. “Do you actually think I would hurt any of them? What kind of a person do you think I am?” “Oh, I don’t know. The kind that wears an orange jumpsuit and is handcuffed to a table in the high security wing of one of our nation’s most secure prisons.” Walker pondered her comment for a moment, and then started laughing. It was a throw your head back, straight from the belly⁴ laugh that filled the room. He laughed so hard tears glistened⁵ in his eyes. “You do have a point. But you need to understand this is all being done for your benefi t.” “What?” “If I had shown up at your door and said I needed you to write a story about a highly classifi ed government project and that, by the way, Homeland Security is looking for me. What would you have done?” “Called 911.” “Exactly.” He let her process this tidbit for a moment. “So, you’re saying you intentionally allowed yourself to get captured just so you could meet me under the right circumstances?” Walker smiled. As she gathered her thoughts, Penelope closed her eyes and drew in a large draught⁶ of air through her nose, feeling it tingle⁷ in her forehead before descending⁸ down her spine⁹. While only in this relaxed state for a matter of seconds, she felt the tension leave her shoulders as her body relaxed. When she opened her eyes she found Walker staring at her with a wry¹⁰ smile. “How long have you been able to do that?” “Do what?” “That was pretty advanced Integral yoga.” Penelope was stunned¹¹. How could this man possibly know what had just happened to her? “I just closed my eyes for a moment and relaxed.” “You must have an excellent teacher.” 61 The Fourth Awakening¹² Penelope was nonplussed¹³. “I almost always meditate¹⁴ alone and I don’t really have a teacher.” Walker drew in a breath to speak but thought better of it and smiled instead. “That makes what you did even more remarkable¹⁵.” The two stared at each other in an awkward silence for several seconds. “Can we get back to the Hermes Project?” Spence asked. “Okay.” “Where did it start to go wrong?” “The day Homeland Security got involved.” “Explain.” “Dr. Carl Altman was doing some remarkable research on expanding human consciousness using sophisticated direct brain stimulation¹⁶ interfaced¹⁷ with fMRI technology to monitor….” “fMRI?” “Sorry. Functional¹⁸ Magnetic Resonance¹⁹ Imaging. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but the short version is he was able to track diff erent brain activity and was, and is, working on ways to stimulate²⁰ or cause different sections of the brain to relax or synchronize²¹ in certain ways.” “No drugs?” “Nothing sinister²², Ms. Spence.” “Penelope.” “Michael.” They both nodded their agreement. “Dr. Altman was getting mixed results, depending on the person who was involved in the testing. Those who had studied yoga or were creative did better than those who were less fl exible in body and mind. He had a couple of people who showed completely unexpected results, and that was enough to get the attention of someone at Homeland Security.” “What kind of unexpected results?” “In due course Ms… Penelope. At that point the government stepped in and turned the project over to us. At first it was welcomed by Dr. Altman because it meant more funding and better equipment.” Walker paused, his face grew more stern, and he shook his head. Penelope noticed the change. “What?” “I wish I had found Altman before Homeland Security. I could have financed the entire project and avoided a lot of pain and aggravation²³.” “What did Homeland Security do?” “They wanted to use Dr. Altman’s techniques to ‘improve the quality’ 62 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin of our law enforcement people. He was able to take a sample group of trainees²⁴ fresh out of one of Homeland Security’s training academies and basically teach them techniques to help overcome fears, control emotions, and exhibit more self-control.” “So far, I don’t see any problems with this.” “Hang on, we’re getting there. Then someone came up with the bright idea of sending Altman the best of the best. People from Homeland Security’s various elite²⁵ SWAT, tactical, and counter terrorism units, who already had these skills, to see what would happen. That was when the wheels started to come off . These people had spent so much time grounding themselves in objective reality that they were not ready to have their consciousness radically²⁶ altered in the ways Hermes was experimenting with. It was an unmitigated disaster.” “And these were already well-trained law enforcement offi cers and special agents?” “Exactly. “Did any of them leave the facility?” “No.” “Were they a threat to the civilian²⁷ population in any way?” “The only threat they presented was to themselves.” “I don’t understand.” “I know. Let’s just say there are doors in the mind that need to be opened voluntarily, and that should never be forced open until it is time.” “Time for what?” “Time for them to be opened.” “That’s very Zen but not very enlightening.” “Actually it’s very enlightening.” “Let me guess. This will make sense later, after I’ve opened a few more doors in my own mind.” Walker smiled again. Now Penelope was convinced that Michael Walker had zero appreciation²⁸ for sarcasm²⁹. “What happened next?” “That was when Senator Horn cancelled the funding.” “I see. One thing still confuses me.” “Only one?” Penelope laughed. Maybe he had a sense of humor after all. “Where does Senator Horn fit into all of this? What did he object to in the 63 The Fourth Awakening Hermes Project, and why the personal animus³⁰ towards you?” “Well, there was a completely unexpected side eff ect.” “What was that?” “Me.” “You?” “Yes, me.” “Care to explain that?” “When people are around me they begin to act diff erently.” “I can believe that,” Penelope muttered under her breath. “What does that mean?” “I’m a non-violent person who has only known you for fi ft een minutes, but I’ve already had the urge to strangle you a couple of times.” Walker chuckled³¹ and shrugged³². “I’m assuming other people have a different reaction to being around you?” “Yes. There are those who are already on the path and I seem to illuminate³³ it in a way that makes their journey easier. If you continue to spend time around me you’ll start seeing the eff ects.” “So you think I’m on the path to enlightenment?” “We all are, in one form or another.” “Okay. I still don’t see the problem with Senator Horn.” “Because of some of the things that have happened, he considers me at best a cult³⁴ leader and at worst a false prophet.” “A false prophet? Why would he think that?” Walker sighed and leaned back in his chair. “You have to understand that we were doing some very high-end research on the functionality of the human nervous system. Our results were so stunning³⁵ that two schools of thought formed. Th e first was that this was too important to keep secret, and the other that it was too dangerous to release. Th at argument is still raging.” “That doesn’t explain the personal animus Horn showed toward you.” “One of the people at Homeland Security wrote an evaluation³⁶ of the project, and he speculated that I might be an outlier or an extreme deviation³⁷ from the mean.” “You and every other billionaire. Why is that a problem?” “When the senator asked him to name previous outliers he gave some examples that really upset Horn.” “Who did he name?” 64 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin “Moses, Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha³⁸ — pretty much all of these types of religious leaders throughout history.” A short whistle escaped from Penelope’s lips. “I’m guessing Horn didn’t take that too well?” “That would be a mild understatement,” Walker said as he rubbed his chin. “It was meant to be illustrative, that down through history there have been some that see the world differently and who attract followers³⁹. He could have made the same point with secular⁴⁰ or lesser⁴¹ known examples. Horn went out of his mind and immediately accused me of trying to play God.” “Were you?” “Of course not. But after he read that report he never trusted me again. He became hyper-paranoid about me and my contact with the governments of Europe.” “Why?” “The EU Division of Walker Industries is the largest non-government provider of military parts and equipment on the continent. Th is caused Horn to wonder where our loyalties⁴² might lie.” “Why would that be a concern to Horn?” “Horn is a literalist when it comes to the Bible. When we had oversight⁴³ hearings he liked to quote various verses. Revelations, especially 13:1, was one of his favorites: “I saw the beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy⁴⁴.” “What does that mean?” “According to Senator Horn, it represented the wealthy and powerful Europeans.” “How in the world did he arrive at that?” “The Common Market in Europe originally had six members, with France blocking the British entry, but effectively they were the seven ‘heads’ or leaders. Guess how many royal families there currently are in Europe?” “You’re kidding me?” “Nope. There are exactly ten ‘Crowns’, or royal families left in Europe.” “That’s a bit of a stretch.” “That’s what I told him, but he is a man of strong convictions. He feels there are other reasons to distrust the Europeans.” “For example…” 65 The Fourth Awakening “Senator Horn firmly believes the past 60 years of peace in Europe has been enforced by American guns and that they are still a powder keg waiting for someone to light the fuse.” “What do you think?” “I’m with you. I think it’s a bit of a stretch. But he does have some valid⁴⁵ points. In all likelihood, the worst reaction to the new awakening will come from Europe.” “The new awakening?” “Yes, the Fourth Awakening.” “The Fourth Awakening? What is the Fourth Awakening?” “We’ve reached one of those points you wanted me to tell you about.” “Tell me what?” “You said you wanted me to tell you when we reached a place where your mind would not be able to understand what I was telling you. We’ve reached one of those points.” Shaking her head, Penelope said, “Fine. Are there any other things I should know about Senator Horn?” “There are all sorts of things you should know but we’ll take this up further when we get outside.” “Outside? What do you mean outside? “We’re leaving now.”

1 delusions   

n.欺骗( delusion的名词复数 )；谬见；错觉；妄想

参考例句：

• the delusions of the mentally ill 精神病患者的妄想
• She wants to travel first-class: she must have delusions of grandeur. 她想坐头等舱旅行，她一定自以为很了不起。 来自辞典例句

2 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

3 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

4 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

5 glistened   

v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Pearls of dew glistened on the grass. 草地上珠露晶莹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Her eyes glistened with tears. 她的眼里闪着泪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 draught   

n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计

参考例句：

• He emptied his glass at one draught.他将杯中物一饮而尽。
• It's a pity the room has no north window and you don't get a draught.可惜这房间没北窗，没有过堂风。

7 tingle   

vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动

参考例句：

• The music made my blood tingle.那音乐使我热血沸腾。
• The cold caused a tingle in my fingers.严寒使我的手指有刺痛感。

8 descending   

n. 下行 adj. 下降的

参考例句：

• The results are expressed in descending numerical order . 结果按数字降序列出。
• The climbers stopped to orient themselves before descending the mountain. 登山者先停下来确定所在的位置，然后再下山。

9 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

10 wry   

adj.讽刺的；扭曲的

参考例句：

• He made a wry face and attempted to wash the taste away with coffee.他做了个鬼脸，打算用咖啡把那怪味地冲下去。
• Bethune released Tung's horse and made a wry mouth.白求恩放开了董的马，噘了噘嘴。

11 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

12 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

13 nonplussed   

adj.不知所措的，陷于窘境的v.使迷惑( nonplus的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The speaker was completely nonplussed by the question. 演讲者被这个问题完全难倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I was completely nonplussed by his sudden appearance. 他突然出现使我大吃一惊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 meditate   

v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想

参考例句：

• It is important to meditate on the meaning of life.思考人生的意义很重要。
• I was meditating,and reached a higher state of consciousness.我在冥想，并进入了一个更高的意识境界。

15 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

16 stimulation   

n.刺激，激励，鼓舞

参考例句：

• The playgroup provides plenty of stimulation for the children.幼儿游戏组给孩子很多启发。
• You don't get any intellectual stimulation in this job.你不能从这份工作中获得任何智力启发。

17 interfaced   

界面上的，界面的

参考例句：

• The data logger is interfaced directly with the minicomputer. 数据记录器直接与小型计算机连接。
• The Auto Analyzer has been interfaced with almost every measuring device that exist. 自动分析仪已经几乎能和现有的每一种测定装置配套使用。

18 functional   

adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的

参考例句：

• The telephone was out of order,but is functional now.电话刚才坏了，但现在可以用了。
• The furniture is not fancy,just functional.这些家具不是摆着好看的，只是为了实用。

19 resonance   

n.洪亮；共鸣；共振

参考例句：

• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
• The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。

20 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

21 synchronize   

v.使同步 [=synchronise]

参考例句：

• The sound on a film must synchronize with the action. 影片中的声音必须与动作配合一致。
• You must synchronize your Inbox before selecting additional folders. 在选择其他文件夹前，您必须同步您的收件箱。

22 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

23 aggravation   

n.烦恼，恼火

参考例句：

• She stirred in aggravation as she said this. 她说这句话，激动得过分。
• Can't stand the aggravation, all day I get aggravation. You know how it is." 我整天都碰到令人发火的事，你可想而知这是什么滋味。” 来自教父部分

24 trainees   

新兵( trainee的名词复数 )； 练习生； 接受训练的人； 训练中的动物

参考例句：

• We've taken on our full complement of new trainees. 我们招收的新学员已经满额了。
• The trainees were put through an assault course. 受训人员接受了突击训练课程。

25 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

26 radically   

ad.根本地，本质地

参考例句：

• I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically. 我认为我们可能要对我们的政策进行根本的反思。
• The health service must be radically reformed. 公共医疗卫生服务必须进行彻底改革。

27 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

28 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

29 sarcasm   

n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic）

参考例句：

• His sarcasm hurt her feelings.他的讽刺伤害了她的感情。
• She was given to using bitter sarcasm.她惯于用尖酸刻薄语言挖苦人。

30 animus   

n.恶意；意图

参考例句：

• They are full of animus towords us.他们对我们怀有敌意。
• When you have an animus against a person,you should give it up.当你对别人怀有敌意时，你应当放弃这种想法。

31 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

32 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

33 illuminate   

vt.照亮，照明；用灯光装饰；说明，阐释

参考例句：

• Dreams kindle a flame to illuminate our dark roads.梦想点燃火炬照亮我们黑暗的道路。
• They use games and drawings to illuminate their subject.他们用游戏和图画来阐明他们的主题。

34 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

35 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

36 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

37 deviation   

n.背离，偏离；偏差，偏向；离题

参考例句：

• Deviation from this rule are very rare.很少有违反这条规则的。
• Any deviation from the party's faith is seen as betrayal.任何对党的信仰的偏离被视作背叛。

38 Buddha   

n.佛；佛像；佛陀

参考例句：

• Several women knelt down before the statue of Buddha and prayed.几个妇女跪在佛像前祈祷。
• He has kept the figure of Buddha for luck.为了图吉利他一直保存着这尊佛像。

39 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

40 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

41 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

42 loyalties   

n.忠诚( loyalty的名词复数 )；忠心；忠于…感情；要忠于…的强烈感情

参考例句：

• an intricate network of loyalties and relationships 忠诚与义气构成的盘根错节的网络
• Rows with one's in-laws often create divided loyalties. 与姻亲之间的矛盾常常让人两面为难。 来自《简明英汉词典》

43 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

44 blasphemy   

n.亵渎，渎神

参考例句：

• His writings were branded as obscene and a blasphemy against God.他的著作被定为淫秽作品，是对上帝的亵渎。
• You have just heard his blasphemy!你刚刚听到他那番亵渎上帝的话了！

45 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？