The dollhouse cardboard lawn is a Kelly green.
‘Girl, I ain’t askin’. I said spread your legs!’
The windows of the dollhouse are trimmed in pumpkin orange.
Her grandfather’s probing fingers are cold as ice.
The chimney is mouse brown, as are the exterior walls.
Hot, rancid breath comes at her in waves. The five o’clock shadow scratches at the inside of her unblemished thighs.
Lilith’s mind escapes inside the nexus as Quenton’s wet tongue once more violates her innocence.
Longboat Key, Florida
The president’s helicopter circles the compound twice before landing on the front lawn.
Dominique exits from the kitchen, waving at Ennis Chaney. She does not recognize the tall blond-haired Intelligence officer carrying an armful of presents.
Chaney greets her with a bear hug. ‘Dominique, you look better every time I see you.’
‘And you tell bigger lies.’
‘Where are the twins?’
‘Manny’s in the SOSUS lab. Jake’s swimming.’
‘Good. Let’s go someplace quiet where we can talk.’
Her heart jump-starts. ‘Talk? Why? What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing. Can’t I visit my two godsons without something being wrong?’
Unnerved, she leads the two men inside.
Jacob secures the rope around his waist, then loops the free end through the center of the forty-five-pound weight plate and ties it off. Satisfied, he picks up the iron plate and climbs down the steps of the swimming pool, wading deeper until the waterline is up to his neck.
The white-haired twin takes a deep breath, then lowers himself to the bottom.
The steel plate sinks, dragging him with it.
Hovering inches off the bottom, Jacob closes his eyes and relaxes, searching the dark recesses of his mind.
In due time he sees the pinpoint of light. His mind’s eye focuses upon it, making it grow.
The pain in his chest eases. Concentrating on the bright light, he allows his mind to slip inside its warm white haze.
Lilith, are you in here?
Chaney sits back in a padded lounge chair. He sips an iced tea, then stares out the bulletproof glass at the inviting waters of the Gulf of Mexico. ‘Always loved this view. Wait and see, one of these days I’m gonna retire and move to Florida.’
‘Sure you are,’ Dominique says. ‘So? Are you going to introduce me to your friend?’
‘Dominique Gabriel, this is Major Richard Phillips. Major Phillips is the director of Project TRINITY.’
The major attempts to disarm her with a friendly smile.
Dominique is immune. ‘What exactly is Project TRINITY, and what does it have to do with my kids? And don’t bullshit me. The staff does that enough.’
‘Okay, ma’am, straight and simple: TRINITY is a covert Intelligence program, its origins dating back to 1978 when it was called Project GRILLFLAME. The purpose of the program was, and is, to recruit, train, and utilize psychics for the gathering of Army intelligence.’
‘You’re telling me the United States government recruits psychics?’
‘Yes, ma’am. The DIA-the Defense Intelligence Agency-took over the project in the late 1980s, changing its name to STARGATE. The program was revamped and renamed TRINITY following the extraterrestrial interactions of 2012. I took over the project four years ago. My qualifications include sixteen years in STARGATE as a remote viewer.’
‘And what is a remote viewer?’
‘Remote viewing is a mental faculty that allows an individual to describe a target or event that is hidden from our normal senses by distance, shielding, or time. In essence, it’s the phenomenon of clairvoyance or telepathy.’
‘Sounds like hocus-pocus to me.’
‘A typical first reaction. The hypothesis behind the art is that all knowledge exists in a vacuum of pure energy. Remote viewers have the ability to tap into this realm. I can assure you from my own experiences at STARGATE that the phenomenon is quite real and governed by a well-structured scientific protocol.’
A chill runs down her spine as she recalls Evelyn Strongin’s words: ‘To understand inter-dimensional communication, you must first accept that we are surrounded by energy, and energy is everything, it is only our perception within the universe that changes.’
‘You’re here to recruit Jacob.’
‘Easy,’ Chaney says. ‘I merely wanted the major to meet both boys and evaluate them.’
‘Why? Why do they need to be evaluated? Why can’t you just let them be?’
‘Dom, a few days ago, Jacob sent Rabbi Steinberg to Washington to warn me of an assassination attempt.’
‘What?’
‘His information led to the arrest of one of Air Force One’s crewmen, a racist nutcase who would have blown up Air Force One and everyone on board.’
‘My God…’
‘It’s no secret the twins are special. There’s no harm in seeing just how special.’
‘Ma’am, it’s very possible your boys possess the gift of psychotronic perception. If that’s true, then my department can help them realize this gift to its fullest.’
‘For what purpose? So they can spend the rest of their lives locked up in some windowless chamber, telling the CIA what the North Koreans are up to? No-I won’t have it.’
‘Dominique, open your eyes. There are groups out there-religious zealots, Mesoamerican fanatics-that may be planning an attack on your compound as we speak. If Jake or Manny could see them coming-’
‘God, I hate this, I am so tired… fine, just do it… do whatever the hell you have to do. Test them. Poke and prod them if you have to. Take more DNA samples, hell, put them in a goddam bottle-’
‘Dominique-’
‘My sons have become the world’s sideshow, Ennis, and it’s my fault. So just do whatever you have to do and get it over with!’
She storms off, leaving the two men alone.
Lilith?
Jacob? Two pinpoints of azure blue twinkle back at him from beyond the white haze. Where have you been? I call out for you every day.
It’s not always easy for me to enter. Evelyn says I have to get my adrenaline pumping in order to find my way in.
Who’s Evelyn?
Evelyn Strongin. You’d like her. She’s a psychiatrist, she had a near-death experience years ago. I want her to teach me how to communicate with my dead father.
When did your father die?
Long time ago. Before I was born.
My father’s in prison. He killed my mama when I was born.
Geez…
Jacob, when we’re together in the nexus, it feels like our souls are one.
He’s hurting you again, isn’t he?
Yes.
You should tell the cops.
I can’t.
Why not?
I just can’t.
