The Samsara Project - David Burgess (early reader books .txt) 📗

would you need to know that?” she said, smiling at him. John realised that was not a question, it was more a statement. He decided not to pursue things any further.
“Just making conversation,” he said meekly.
Just then two more people walked into the room. Nurse Rae looked over at them. “Hello Professor, I was just about to let you know that Mr Reynolds had regained consciousness. As you’re here, I’ll leave you to it then.
“Thank you Nurse Rae,” said the professor.
The two men looked at John; he was staring back at them.
Peter was the first to speak, “I expect you have a lot of questions you want to ask and I promise that I’ll answer then all as best as I can.” Peter walked over towards John who backed off slightly. Peter held his hands up, “It’s OK John, you’re safe. I realise you might not think so just now but you are in the safest place you could ever be.”
John still said nothing, he looked over at the other man, “Hello John, it’s good to see that you’re OK,” said DCS Hughes.
“At this exact moment John I know little more than you.”
John started to feel a wave of anger building up inside him. His memory flashed back to Tracy, it flashed back to the court, it flashed back to the prison. He stood up from the chair and stared straight at Peter.
“What have you got to do with everything that has happened to me in the past couple of weeks?”
Peter looked at John and held out his hand.”
”None of this is what you think John. Come on through to somewhere more comfortable and we’ll talk.” Peter turned towards the door. “Nurse Rae,” she walked in, “would you help John into the main lounge please?” She nodded, left the room and returned a few moments later with a wheel chair.
“Please John,” said Peter, almost pleadingly.
John sat in the chair so Nurse Rae could wheel him out of the recovery room, along a short corridor and into the lounge area. John got out of the wheelchair and sat in a single armchair. Peter sat opposite him, DCS Hughes to the side.
“Just answer me one question,” said John. “Why did you send an army after Tracy and me; shoot Tracy and then send a second group after, drug me and then ... this.”
John was getting emotional as he thought of Tracy and what she must have gone through.
“I had nothing to do with Tracy’s shooting. I did though arrange for the ambulance that picked her up. For reasons that will become apparent I could not allow Tracy to be treated in a conventional hospital.”
“Are you saying she’s alright, she’s OK?”
Peter looked at John, then at DCS Hughes.
“Tracy was very seriously injured in the attack; it’s still touch and go. She is in intensive care and I can promise you she is be looked after by some of the best medical staff in the world.”
As Peter was telling John about Tracy DCS Hughes looked across at him, then he looked away and put his head down slightly.
“As for the second group this morning, they actually saved your life.” Peter then told John about the ambush that had been planned for him by the HSS agents. “They are the group who attacked you and Tracy in the wooded picnic area. After you were lifted out of danger this morning I’d arranged a little surprise.”
Peter then ran John through the events after John was released from the prison wagon. John looked shocked. “Who helped me this morning then, and why drug me if you wanted to help me.”
“You were rescued by Red Troop, Twenty Two Squadron Special Air Service. The drugging is standard procedure. In a single hostage release situation the last thing the SAS need is a freaked out hostage. They are far more able to contain a situation once they no longer have to worry about using valuable man power containing whoever they have released. Especially, as in your case when you didn’t even know you were in any danger.”
“So where are these rouge agents now? Will there be a trial of some sort that I’ll have to attend.”
“No nothing like that, these people know how the system works. They all signed on the dotted line, besides which a trial would not be in the public’s interest. There are times when the public are better being ignorant of the agencies that work to protect them from internal and external threats. Until the Iranian embassy siege in the nineteen seventies the government had managed to hide the fact that the SAS existed. There were rumours, but they had always been denied. It’s very difficult to have deniable operations when you can no longer deny the force that used to carry them out. As a result new and more secretive options were quickly put into place and the SAS became a more ‘consumer friendly’ outfit. Most of what they do is of course highly classified but there are leaks from time to time, anti terrorist and counter drug insurgence. Things the public can relate and agree to.
As we speak the agents who carried out the attack on Tracy and yourself at the picnic area, who incidentally, are the same agents who attacked Pat, and placed the bugs on tracking devices on your car are on their way to a little island of the coast of Scotland. Most people think it’s a meteorological site but it is in fact a high security prison for those whom a trail would not be the best option.”
John was still looking a little perplexed. DCS Hughes saw this and walked over to him, “I only found out about a lot of this a few days ago, Peter has briefed me in more detail today. I had no idea that you would be here today but I must admit it is good to see you. The incident you were involved in this morning was recorded on DVD if you would like to see a replay. The second ambush was also captured.”
“Are you telling me there was a Hollywood film crew there as well?” said John
“No,” replied DCS Hughes, “everything was captured by a surveillance satellite. The clarity of the pictures is just incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Then it’s just as well the good guys won.”
Peter took control again, “The good guys did win this time, but that’s not always the case, we have lost a few.”
John looked at Peter, “A couple of weeks ago I came to you to ask a favour, I asked my brother- in-law for help. Now I find out that I don’t even know my brother-in-law. I have no idea who or what you are anymore.”
“You do know me John, I’m the same person. I am who I have always been and always will be. The only thing you didn’t know about me was exactly what I do.”
”Then tell me Peter, what do you do?”
At that moment Nurse Rae walked in with a tray of drinks, “Please, feel free to have whatever you would like,” she said, then she turned around and left.
“You bring John as up to date as you can, I’ll be mother.” said DCS Hughes.
“Thanks,” replied Peter. “Have you any idea where you are John?” he asked.
“How can I, there are no windows anywhere.”
“At least you are aware of your surroundings then that’s good. You are actually in my lab, or more precisely under it.”
”I’m in Liverpool,” said John, “How long was I out for?”
“About an hour and a half, the SAS drove you to a waiting helicopter and you were then flown here. You came round about twenty minutes later. You’ve been checked over by the way and you’re in excellent physical shape.”
“Keep going,” said John, “I’m listening.”
“Have you ever heard of Joseph Williamson?”
“No, should I have?”
“Not really, he was a local tobacco magnate who was responsible for much of the building in the Edge Hill area during the early eighteen hundreds. He was a great philanthropist and is most famously remembered as the 'Mole of Edge Hill'. At that time in Liverpool work was almost impossible to find and thousands of families lived the most appalling conditions imaginable. Joseph Williamson helped as many of these families as he could by employing hundreds of men to dig a network of tunnels beneath the Edge Hill area. Neither he, nor the City of Liverpool had any use for the tunnels but it ensured that the men worked for their money. This was not charity or a hand out he was giving and only those willing to do the work were employed by him. But, no one was ever turned away. This put the onus on the workers and Joseph Williamson offered a way out of poverty to all those who wanted it. Once Liverpool’s economy picked up the workers all found jobs in the City. Employers were keen to take them on as they knew they all wanted to work. This resulted in the tunnels quickly falling into disrepair and for many years they were forgotten about. It is only fairly recently areas have been renovated and opened to the public. It’s quite an attraction. Some sections though will never be opened to the public, and we’re in one of them now. The tunnels were the perfect place to build the laboratory’s need for the Samsāra Project.”
“The what” asked John.
“The Samsāra Project,” replied Peter, “That is where I come in. I am the head of this project and have been for the past five years. The university centre is real, it has to be but it is ultimately a front for the project, a cover to keep it and everyone connected with it safe.”
“Samsāra,” interrupted John, “is a Buddhist and Hindu belief, it means reborn of reincarnation. The term reincarnation implies that there is a transfer of conscience or one’s soul to the new life. According to Buddha, the beginning point of Samsāra is not evident. It is just like finding the beginning point of a circle. Another way to think of it is to imagine a billiard ball hitting another billiard ball. While nothing physical transfers, the speed and direction of the second ball will be directly related to the first. In other words your new life relates directly to your previous one.”
Now it was Peter’s turn to be impressed. “That is pretty much spot on, I couldn’t have put it better myself.”
John nodded, “Background is the key,” he said, “It’s surprising what snippets you pick up as a journalist when you have all those endless column inches to fill. So, are you going to tell me how you, Samsāra and me have all managed to come together in a secret tunnel underneath the streets of Liverpool?”
“Under normal circumstances, absolutely not, but the Prime Minister has agreed that providing you sign the ‘Official Secrets Act’ then I can tell you. You have already been checked and cleared by the way”
“Where do I sign,” said John.
“You don’t, it’s just an expression. It’s all done on trust. Both DCS Hughes and I are witnesses that you agree to be bound by the secrecy clauses contained in the act. Break that trust though and you’ll be enjoying Scottish hospitality for a very long time.”
Peter did have a smile on his face when he said that but both John and DCS Hughes knew there was a lot of truth in what he had just said.
John nodded in agreement. “I would like to know about the Samsāra project, but I’d also like to know who my brother-in-law is.”
Peter nodded in agreement. “After the