CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

“The words that enlighten the soul are more precious than jewels.” Hazrat Inayat Khan “Senator Horn thinks you were trying to elevate yourself as an equal to God.” “Yes.” This concept sent her mind reeling. The magnitude of what she was trying to absorb became too heavy for her legs. Penelope Spence blinked and fell into one of the waiting area chairs facing the window. Horn had told her that every major religious organization in the world would try to stop Walker. The implications for organized religion were far-reaching and dangerous, at least to them. If common people could connect directly to a higher force, why would they need expensive churches, or to pay the bills of ministers, rabbis, Imams and priests? Organized religion around the world could become superfluous¹, and every place of worship a quaint² remembrance of diff erent times. If what Walker was saying were true, then they were about to enter the Fourth Awakening³ and the entire social fabric⁴ of the world could be shredded⁵. To some religious leaders and their followers⁶ it might appear to be the end of the world. And they would be correct; it could very well be the end of their world. Penelope shivered as she remembered what Walker had said earlier. He was right. They would not give up their power and position without a fi ght. “What we’ve shown you in the past few days…” 249 The Fourth Awakening Penelope jumped. The sound of Walker’s voice drawing her back to reality was like a heavy book hitting the floor of a quiet library. “…We usually spread out over a longer period of time to allow your mind and body to adjust to the new reality.” Walker gripped Spence’s arms, lifted her to her feet and turned her to face him. Penelope felt her heart flutter and her cheeks flush. “It is critical that you stay focused and positive. Do you understand?” “Why is it so critical?” Walker gathered his thoughts and chose his words carefully. “Because of what you’ve been through in the past few days and the fact that, while you started down this path willingly, we may have pushed you too fast.” “What are you telling me?” “Your fMRI is showing some of the same markers as the people we lost.” Penelope Spence’s mouth fell open and her body turned to ice. “What have you done to me?” “I’m sorry to expose you to this risk but it was necessary.” “What kind of risk?” Any thought of remaining positive was being pushed further and further from her mind as the anger and the fear began to build. He had betrayed her, and possibly put her life in danger. Walker sensed the change in Penelope; he glanced up at Sally Winters. “Calm down, we won’t allow anything to hurt you,” Walker said. Behind Penelope and out of her sight line, Sally Winters had quietly opened a small leather case and had taken a syringe in her hand. If it became necessary, she could inject the sedative⁷ in Penelope’s neck in less than a second. Sally Winters’ eyes locked on Walker’s, awaiting the signal. “Don’t tell me to calm down. What kind of risk?” “Enlightenment is like a pyramid. The wider your base the higher you can go. What has happened is you have developed faster in certain areas, and you may not have a sufficient base to support this growth.” “What have you done to me?” Penelope felt hot tears forming in her eyes and streaming down her cheeks. “Nothing has happened, and nothing is going to happen. You’re in the compound now, and we have people to help you get over this last barrier.” Walker glanced up at Sally Winters, who moved to within mere⁸ inches of the shaking woman, as she removed the cap from the needle of the 250 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin syringe. Following his eyes, Penelope saw the syringe poised⁹ next to her throat, a drop of clear liquid already on its tip. Penelope tried to run toward the door but Walker held her arms too tightly. “You betrayed me! YOU ALL BETRAYED…” Unable to fight or fl ee, circuit breakers in her mind began clicking off as she slumped¹⁰ forward. “Penelope. PENELOPE!…” Penelope Drayton Spence didn’t hear anything else. . TThe fear is gone and has been replaced with an overwhelming bliss¹¹. A sense of total peace and calmness settles over me. I hear a familiar voice. “Please come back.” “Why would I ever want to leave this place?” “Trust me.” . MMark Hatchet¹², reading glasses perched on his nose, reread the executive summary. This obviously wasn’t Nellie’s work; it was too clinical and bloodless. It had no flow, and whoever had written it managed to bury the lead that the Hermes Project had experienced some kind of breakthrough in expanding human consciousness. Still, it gave the crew he was able to round up on short notice something to do during the four plus hours they were in the air, besides drink coffee and stare out the window.
 The two reporters he really wanted on this story weren’t here. Th e obvious first choice because of his personal relationship to Walker, Kent Lazlo, was on assignment in London at a G-8 Conference. His second pick, a young fire breather name Stacey Grover, who reminded Hatchet of Nellie in her prime, hadn’t made it to the airport on time. He had her booked on the next commercial fight out to Jackson Hole but she wouldn’t be there in time to contribute much before deadline. He had known that even giving Spence the initial contact was risky¹³, but now he was in career jeopardy¹⁴ territory. With this huge buildup, if she didn’t deliver she could run back to Charleston and lick her wounds. He, on the other hand, was in the corporate¹⁵ jet with his boss’s boss and the CEO 251 The Fourth Awakening of the paper. If this didn’t go well, the blame would rapidly run downhill in his direction. He still had his big trump¹⁶ card, the confidential¹⁷ source he still hadn’t revealed even to his boss. Even a pipeline¹⁸ straight into the Oval Office might not be enough to save him if things went south. In her day, Penelope Drayton Spence had been the fi nest investigative reporter he had ever met, including some of the legendary¹⁹ ones on his own staff. But did she still have it? Th e first two stories she sent him on the Hermes Project were impressive, and would likely win her every award in journalism²⁰ this year. This was something very diff erent. Th is was the kind of story that defined a career, the kind Hollywood makes movies about. Mark Hatchet popped another Tums into his mouth. . PPenelope Spence’s eyes flew open. Standing²¹ in front of her was a terrified Sally Winters. “Are you all right?” Penelope was unable to speak but nodded that she was okay. “Are you sure? Who am I?” “Sally Winters,” Penelope said in a barely audible voice. “Where are you?” “Jackson, Wyoming at the Hermes Project.” “Thank God.” Winters hugged Penelope tightly. “We thought we had lost you like the others.” That was when Penelope saw Michael Walker on the floor. Jerold Altman was pushing on his chest and counting. He stopped, then breathed into the prone²² man’s mouth. “What happened?” Penelope tried to shout but her voice was like a clarinet with a broken reed. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “What happened?” she finally asked in a soft husky voice. She tried to move toward Walker, but in her weakened state she was no match for Sally Winters. “You fell into a complete non-symbolic state.” “What does that mean?” Penelope asked as she realized she was too weak to struggle and gave up the fi ght. “You completely let go of your ego²³ and for a flash you were completely enlightened.” “I have no idea what that means.” “I know,” Sally Winters said as she stroked her hair. “I know.” “What happened to Michael?” “We have no idea. He muttered ‘trust me’ then fell to the floor. No one has ever seen anything like this before.” 252 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin The room began filling up with people; instructions and shouts were ringing in Penelope’s ears. She barely heard them. Dr. Altman came in and the crowd parted as he made his way to his fallen friend. Turning to Penelope he asked softly, “What happened?” “He spoke²⁴ to me,” Penelope’s voice cracked. “What did he say?” Sally Winters gave Penelope a liter of water from which she sipped²⁵ enough so she could speak above a whisper. The room fell silent. All eyes in the room, except for those belonging to those giving Walker CPR, turned to her. “He asked me to trust him.” “My God,” Altman shouted as his mouth fell open. “He did it. He did it!” He fell to the floor next to Walker and gave him a shake. “Don’t you die on me now! Do you hear me!” Walker’s eyes fluttered open. “I think everyone in the state heard you.” “Well?” Altman demanded. “Is it scalable?” Walker was helped into a chair and the color was starting to return to his cheeks. He waved away offers of further assistance and rubbed the middle of his sternum. “Your grandson is stronger than he looks.” “Yes, yes,” Altman made no effort to hide his annoyance²⁶. “Is it scalable?” “Th at depends.” “Depends on what?’ Altman demanded. “Her.” All eyes in the room turn to Penelope. “How are you?” Penelope did a quick personal inventory²⁷ and was satisfied. “I’m fi ne.” She crinkled her nose and looked at her different body parts and nodded her head. “I would say I am much better than fine. But you already knew that,” she said with a smile. “Yes, yes,” Altman said impatiently. “We can all plainly see you’ve had a glimpse of the non-symbolic state and are none the worse for wear. Welcome to the Hermes Project. But that is not the question on the fl oor,” Altman turns back to Walker. “Can you do it again?” “With a bit of work, I would say yes.” “Hallelujah!” Altman dropped his cane²⁸ and danced a little jig²⁹. Everyone in the room watched in bemused wonder. Altman came over to Penelope and took her hands. “Madame, prepare yourself,” he said, pulling to her feet. “I am going to kiss you full on the lips.” And kiss her he did. No one had ever seen Nobel Lauriat Dr. Carl Altman in such a state. 253 The Fourth Awakening Walker rose to his feet and motioned for Jerold Altman. “Take your grandfather to his room and get him ready to go to the airport before he hurts himself.” As Jerold Altman began to walk toward his grandfather, Walker tugged³⁰ on his arm, turning him back around. “And for future reference, I was fine. I just used too much energy and couldn’t move.” Jerold nodded. Walker smiled. “I appreciate the eff ort.” “What is going on?” Penelope demanded. The smile on Walker’s face would clear a cloudy day. “We did it.” “Did what?” “What we’ve been working on since the accident.” Walker surveyed the room where fi fteen members of the Hermes group had gathered and more were coming through the door. A fl icker of recognition began to light the eyes of the others in the room. Excited whispers turned into shouts of “YES!” “Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?” “For the past year we have been looking for a way to repair the damage we inadvertently caused. And you were the missing element.” “Why me?” “Because, thanks to you and your pig…” Walker caught himself. “Because of your steadfastness³¹ we now know where we made our biggest mistake. Since the incident we have been overly cautious. Because of circumstance, you are the first person we have allowed to develop this rapidly. By fighting me every inch of the way, the same way some of them did, I was able to find the path to rebuild their egos³² and bring them back into balance.” “Will you be able to restore them all?” “Possibly. It will depend if they are just residing in a non-symbolic state of enlightenment or if there was permanent Kundalini damage. Th e important thing is, for the first time in a long time, there is hope.” “Did you hit your head when you fell?” “I did not.” “Then what in the world are you talking about?” “Remember the place you were?” “A little hard to forget.” “I’m confident that at least seven of the soldiers are at that place or even deeper, and possibly two more of them as well. Because of your glorious steadfastness they will have the option to return to their families.” 254 Rod Pennington & Jeffery A. Martin “They will have options?” “Of course, we all get to select our own path,” Walker said with a smile. “Some may choose to not come back but it will be by their choice and not ours to make. Thank you for trusting me by the way.” Penelope felt her cheeks flush and she lowered her eyes. Walker kissed her in the middle of the forehead and she felt the now familiar jolt³³ of energy surge through her body buckling³⁴ her knees. He swept her into his arms before she could fall. “Do you tango?” “Not in the past 25 years.” “It’s like riding a bicycle. When this is over, we dance!”

1 superfluous   

adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的

参考例句：

• She fined away superfluous matter in the design. 她删去了这图案中多余的东西。
• That request seemed superfluous when I wrote it.我这样写的时候觉得这个请求似乎是多此一举。

2 quaint   

adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的

参考例句：

• There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里，有很多小巷。
• They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。

3 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。

4 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

5 shredded   

shred的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Serve the fish on a bed of shredded lettuce. 先铺一层碎生菜叶，再把鱼放上，就可以上桌了。
• I think Mapo beancurd and shredded meat in chilli sauce are quite special. 我觉得麻婆豆腐和鱼香肉丝味道不错。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 sedative   

adj.使安静的，使镇静的；n. 镇静剂，能使安静的东西

参考例句：

• After taking a sedative she was able to get to sleep.服用了镇静剂后，她能够入睡了。
• Amber bath oil has a sedative effect.琥珀沐浴油有镇静安神效用。

8 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

9 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

10 slumped   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
• The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。

11 bliss   

n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福

参考例句：

• It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
• He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴，因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。

12 hatchet   

n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀

参考例句：

• I shall have to take a hatchet to that stump.我得用一把短柄斧来劈这树桩。
• Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet.别用斧头拍打朋友额头上的苍蝇。

13 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

14 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。

15 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

16 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

17 confidential   

adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的

参考例句：

• He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。
• We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。

18 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

19 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

20 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

21 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

22 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

23 ego   

n.自我，自己，自尊

参考例句：

• He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。
• She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。

24 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

25 sipped   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sipped his coffee pleasurably. 他怡然地品味着咖啡。
• I sipped the hot chocolate she had made. 我小口喝着她调制的巧克力热饮。 来自辞典例句

26 annoyance   

n.恼怒，生气，烦恼

参考例句：

• Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气？
• I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。

27 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

28 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

29 jig   

n.快步舞（曲）；v.上下晃动；用夹具辅助加工；蹦蹦跳跳

参考例句：

• I went mad with joy and danced a little jig.我欣喜若狂，跳了几步吉格舞。
• He piped a jig so that we could dance.他用笛子吹奏格舞曲好让我们跳舞。

30 tugged   

v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
• A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

31 steadfastness   

n.坚定，稳当

参考例句：

• But he was attacked with increasing boldness and steadfastness. 但他却受到日益大胆和坚决的攻击。 来自辞典例句
• There was an unceremonious directness, a searching, decided steadfastness in his gaze now. 现在他的凝视中有一种不礼貌的直率，一种锐利、断然的坚定。 来自辞典例句

32 egos   

自我，自尊，自负( ego的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Their egos are so easily bruised. 他们的自尊心很容易受到伤害。
• The belief in it issues from the puerile egos of inferior men. 这种信仰是下等人幼稚的自私意识中产生的。

33 jolt   

v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸

参考例句：

• We were worried that one tiny jolt could worsen her injuries.我们担心稍微颠簸一下就可能会使她的伤势恶化。
• They were working frantically in the fear that an aftershock would jolt the house again.他们拼命地干着，担心余震可能会使房子再次受到震动。

34 buckling   

扣住

参考例句：

• A door slammed in the house and a man came out buckling his belt. 房子里的一扇门砰地关上，一个男子边扣腰带边走了出来。
• The periodic buckling leaves the fibre in a waved conformation. 周期性的弯折在纤维中造成波形构成。