the jo’burg project

7/31/2019 THE JOBURG PROJECT

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THE JOBURG PROJECT

A Paranormal Thriller

IRENE BARON

www.irenebaron.com
http://www.irenebaron.com/http://www.irenebaron.com/


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Published in the United States of America 2012

Irene Baron

Copyright 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior permission in

writing from the Publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Baron, Irene

The JoBurg Project: a paranormal thriller

ISBN (softbound)

LLC


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AKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In the process of research, writing and preparation for publication, many persons have

provided assistance along the way.

Many thanks go to: Alex Manz for his astute evaluations and suggestions and to H.J.Lewis, M.D.

for providing answers to my technical questions.

Thanks you editors, one of whom said she couldnt put the manuscript down and had never

read such an exciting story, Catherine Frompovitch, Justine Wittich, and Sandy Wickersham

McWhorter. You gave smiles, support, and suggestions to perfect the story.

Thank you First Readers who provided positive suggestions including: Arthur & Vicki Whitacre

Moose, M.D., H.J. Lewis M.D., and Kathy Rowan Brantley.

To all the Generals, Colonels, Majors, and civilian personnel at the Office of the Secretary of

Defense, Advance Research Projects Agency, Research and Development Center-Bangkok,

Thailand, Thank you for the knowledge, advice, and hands on experience with many projects

over the 4-years of my assignments with you. Giving me the opportunity to fly the Mekong

River sitting left seat in the Sikorski Helio-19 many times during my aerial photography missions

and research cannot be equaled.

To the members of Det B-420 Company D, 1st

SFG(Abn), 1st

SF Green Beret Unit based in

Thailand, thank you for your friendship and advice. I have cherished my appointment as an

Honorary Member of your unit entitling me to participate in all SF activities.


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THE JOBURG PROJECT

A Paranormal Thriller

IRENE BARON


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INDEX OF ABBREVIATIONS

ACCM Alternative or Compensatory Control measures (U.S. Navy Black Budget

or deeply secret)

AISC Army Intelligence Security Command

BRN Barisan Revolusi National, SE Thailand

CIA Central Intelligence Agency

COMINT Interception of Electronic Communications

CONUS Continental United States

DARPA Defense Advanced Research Project Agency

DCI Director Central Intelligence

DIA Defense Intelligence Agency

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid

DOD Department of Defense

DSS Diplomatic Security Service

ESP Extra Sensory Perception

GMT Greenwich Mean Time

HALO High Altitude High Opening

JPEG Joint Photographic Group

LPS Laboratory for Physical Science

LTTE Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam

MARSOC U.S. Marine Corp Special Operation Command

MEG Magneto encephalography

MFF Military Free Fall


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MSOR Marine Special Operations Regiment

NAVSOP Navigation via Signals of Opportunity.

NCTC National Counterterrorism Center

NOFORN No Foreign Access

NORAD North American Air Defense Command

NRO National Reconnaissance Office

NSC National Security Council

OBE Out of Body Experience

OSD Office of Secretary of Defense

PDF Portable Document Format

PhotinT Photographic Intelligence

SAP Special Access Programs

SCI Sensitive Compartmentalized Information

SDI Strategic Defense Initiative

SIGINT Signals Intelligence

SINCGARS Single Channel Ground & Airborne Radio System

SLC Satellite Link Card

TSCC Top Secret Crypto ClearanceTS-SCI Top Secret-Sensitive Compartmented Information

USAP Unacknowledged SAP

USID United States Identity Card

VESPER Virtual ExtraSensory Perception Experimental Research

Wfirst Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope


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CHAPTER 1

25 AUGUST

EAGLESTICKS GOLF COURSE

SOUTH ZANESVILLE, OHIO

ANY SENSITIVE OBSERVER would know Anna Masterson is different. Rooms she enters begin to

hum with invisible energy exuded from people who dont know why their lives suddenly seem

more exciting. When she feels positive, everyone within forty-feet of her adopts an

unfathomable optimism followed by a gradual rise in the decibel level of their conversation.

Anna Masterson had been born a sensitive telepath. As a child, her assumption that

everyone was a telepath created trouble. Bizarre problems she produced became so great;

after her family was threatened, Anna kept her telepathic ability secret.

The Masterson family was thankful the public had short memories and often asked

themselves why Anna had been gifted with telepathy. Her father laughingly suggested a burst

of neutrinos hit her embryonic brain when it was just a few dividing cells. Her mother

wondered if he had been on drugs when Anna was conceived.

While in the womb she began to telepathically learn about the outside world. Her innate

drive to experience telepathy had always been as natural as breathing. Over the years shed

learned to exercise her psychic ability discretely so others were not aware of it. She could lightly

flit in and out of minds without leaving a trace of intrusion.

At the top of the broad, polished oak staircase at the restaurant entrance, Anna and her

friend, Josie, paused. Anna looked forward to relaxing in the congenial atmosphere of golf


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enthusiasts where she had often lunched with her former husband. Blonde, blue-eyed and

lightly tanned, she looked like a golfer ready to attack the links.

Across the room sunlight filtered through the west windows. Around the walls were

recognizable pennants of national football teams. Words scrolled across the bottoms of five flat

screen television sets hung from the ceiling while sounds of predominantly male voices and

laughter throughout the room brought a sense of camaraderie. The aroma of grilled steak and

onions whetted her appetite.

Josie asked, Any lovers here? Anna had once told her it was easy to see the heat and

usage in different areas of the brain she used to identify whether couples were friends or

lovers.

The two guys in matching green polos, she answered, surveying the predominately

male crowd.

Josie chuckled. You never cease to amaze me.

By blocking mindsongs created by neural activity of others, Anna felt at peace until

jolted into psychic awareness. The touch of someone visually scanning for firearms hit her

senses. What in the world? She reacted too late to home in on the scan. Turning to Josie, she

asked, Any law enforcement here?

In full uniform at five feet five inches tall, Josie Garcia looked less like a deputy thananyone in the sheriffs department. Her black eyes sparkled as her right hand automati cally

moved to rest on the holstered firearm. Josie looked around the room. Leaning toward Anna,

in a low voice she said, Whatd you pick up? Josie was the only person outside the Masterson

family currently aware of Annas telepathic ability.

Anna answered softly, Someone just scanned the room for firearms.

Josies sharp eyes reviewed the room. No one from my department. Her, short, black

hair bounced as she turned her head back and forth. An observer would never suspect Josie

was tough. She had taken down angry men twice her size while conversing with another

deputy. Do your mental thing, Annie. Youre always telling me youre afraid youll lose it if you

dont use it. Grinning, she rubbed her hands together in anticipation. Josie always enjoyed

guessing what unpredictable thing would happen when Anna used her telepathy.


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Anna glanced at Josie and grinned. Except for unruly students in her classroom, she

didnt normally use telepathy. She felt exposed when she did, afraid of the consequences. Yet,

Josie had a point.

Youre right. With apprehension, she used pent-up psychic energy to telepathically

scope the area and find the firearm searcher. During the probe, as her psychic energy moved

over the crowd, every head turned toward Anna in a wave. In the process, she identified and

zeroed in on the weapon seeker, hoping his intellect would be half as attractive as his face. He

sat at the far corner of the bar, protecting his back with the wall. Quickly skimming information

from his mind, she learned he went by the name of Jonathon Coulter. He appeared mentally

strong with intelligent eyes. She liked him instantly. The only problem was, hed recognized the

head-wave as a psychic-caused event.

Coulter glanced back and forth over the crowd as though not believing his eyes. He

appeared dumbfounded. The head turners nonchalantly continued about their business,

unaware of anything unusual while he searched for the head wave catalyst. When their eyes

met, Anna froze. He suspected her as the catalyst and raised his mug in salute.

They examined one another before she casually looked away, trying to appear innocent.

Taking a deep breath, not realizing it had been held, she decided to steer clear of him.

Dismayed the only vacant seats were across the Cheers style rectangular bar from Coulter,she let Josie know about him as they sat down.

In a lowered voice Josie said, Never saw him before. Good looking guy.

Without thinking, Anna telepathically entered the optical nerves of the bartender as he

offered to take their order. Checking her appearance through his eyes as though looking into a

mirror, she smoothed an errant wisp of her wavy, short, blonde hair. Her personal ethic of not

invading private mental space of others existed, but she believed a simple hair check didnt

count. Anna ignored Coulter as he stared at her. She and Josie placed their lunch orders before

guessing the purpose of his presence.

Josie asked, Is he carrying?

Anna shook her head. Perspiration rolled down her back as she suddenly felt hot. She

told herself, relax ... calm down... no reason to worry no one knows Im telepathic.


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DURING THE DRIVE to his Montana ranch, Jon Coulter had taken a golf break. Two copies of the

U.S. Marine Corps leave orders locked safely in the trunk of his BMW allowed fourteen days of

relaxation. Seated at the sports bar, he listened to the buzz about the easiest holes on the golf

course and the layouts of the tough ones. He looked forward to his tee time at one of the

better stateside golf courses.

Jon was a special operations warrior recovering from life-threatening wounds sustained

in the Middle East. Hed been temporarily assigned a desk job as liaison officer between

VESPER, the Presidents Virtual ExtraSensory Perception Experimental Research project, and the

Office of the Secretary of Defense. Jon called the VESPER work top secret mumbo-jumbo.

Disgusted with the idea of being near psychic misfits, he was determined to let no creep invade

his mental privacy.

Sometimes special ops soldiers were considered highly perishable military assets, in part

due to the risk of injury or death. He was alive, but nowhere near his former fitness level. In his

present condition hed cause failure of any operation and death of team members. He

wouldnt risk that. Beginning to feel like a loser, he had no idea what field to go in to if he

couldnt get back into prime physical condition.

VESPER had been recently formed by executive order of the President. He hadrequested the creation of an organization with the sole purpose of using telepaths to identify

terrorists by reading their minds. Sometime during the Thanksgiving holiday, major airports in

the United States were targeted to be destroyed by radical Islamics detonating nuclear bombs.

The FBI agents discovering and verifying the aviation targets had no luck identifying the

terrorists planning execution of the events. If terrorists followed past procedures, American

born, locally recruited, suicidal radicals of average to low intelligence would place the bombs.

To avoid panic, information of the impending attacks had not been released to the

public. Keeping knowledge of terrorist targets quiet was standard operating procedure for

government agencies. The public had no idea how many narrow escapes there had been since

9-11, thanks to the hard work of the federal agencies working together with allied

governments. Fortunately, terrorist ring leaders had usually been located and disasters


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averted. But not this time. Not yet. So far every government agency attacking the problem had

been stymied.

Constantly vigilant and aware, Jon Coulter had recently been VESPER trained to

recognize phenomena caused by psychic activity. His dislike of working with what he termed

weirdo psychics was of no consequence. He obeyed orders. Semper Fi. Those current orders

required all VESPER personnel to find a strong telepath. Be continually observant of

surrounding activities no matter where you are, even while taking a leak, they taught. Keep

your eyes open for unusual events.

Once found and successfully tested, the telepaths would use their mental acuity to

identify terrorists threatening the United States airports. If not located, the detonated bombs

and resulting radioactivity would kill most of the population in the United States. Winds

carrying the radioactivity would contaminate the rest of the globe.

Remaining observant, Jon had questioned if hed recognize a psychic event if one

happened right in front of his nose. Hed been trained as a Marine and worked with the SEALS

on special missions. He constantly scanned for firearms and did so within the sports bar. Except

for the deputy, the room looked clean.

Watching the wave of heads turn, Jon said in a barely audible whisper, Sweet. Did I just

find a psychic? Everyones zoning in on those two women and theyre not that attractive.Blondies average height, good skin, looks fit, in her thirties. Looks good with that black T-shirt

over white slacks. Touchable. Others Mediterranean or Spanish American. Both clean cut. Now

what do I do?

He waited. When the blonde made eye contact, Jon saluted her with his mug. Before

she looked away, he saw her teal blue eyes. Tinted contacts, he muttered, I give her a point

for pushing the appearance. He leaned back to scrutinize Blondies every action knowing hed

unwittingly identified a telepath. Who knew, he whispered as an afterthought. At a golf

course! With satisfaction he watched Blondie and her friend take the only empty bar seats

while he took a long swallow of cool beer. T he friends a deputy, so Blondie must be living on

the right side of the law. Thats two points. So far so good, he mumbled, planning his next

step as the afternoon progressed.


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ANNA PICKED UP Coulters thoughts about VESPER. To Josie she said, Never h eard of his

psychic organization. Must be a perfect place to work. No wonder the guy recognized the head

wave. We need to learn more about him but keep our distance.

What do you mean we?

She and Josie playfully theorized about the man while enjoying their lunch. After making

plans to meet in a few weeks, Josie left for work while Anna finished her sandwich. Not wanting

to look directly at Coulter, she observed him through the optical senses of others. I have to be

careful, she thought. He scans the room periodically, always stopping on me. Sure is muscular.

And those scars. Wonder what happened? That new one parting his left eyebrow matches the

direction of the one across his nose. Cleft chin. Paper-thin watch. Must be a Rado. That means

hes either wealthy or single. Hands look rough. She overheard him mumble to a neighbor

about tee time.

Coulter stood and glanced in her direction. He ambled around the bar, beer mug in

hand. Knowing hed pinpointed her as the catalyst of the head wave, Anna didnt know what to

do. Eyes widening, she leaned back and looking straight ahead, crossed her arms. No doubt

about it, she thought, hes a magnificent specimen.

Hi. Im Jonathon Coulter, he said, his breath pure Marlboro. My friends call me Jon.He stood beside the seat vacated by Josie and said with a beguiling smile, I wondered if we

could talk.


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CHAPTER 2

25 AUGUST

EAGLESTICKS GOLF COURSE

SOUTH ZANESVILLE, OHIO

HI, JON, SHE said, motioning to the empty bar stool. Have a seat. Im Anna Masterson.

May I buy you a drink? He was fascinated to learn her eyes were a natural color. The

teal irises were flecked with black, navy, and shades of lighter blues.

Thanks. Im having soda water with lemon and lime. No ice.

In this hot weather? He took a sip of beer and placed his mug on the bar, establishing

a claim to the seat. The frost remaining on the outside of the mug slid to the bar forming a pool

of water.

She nodded, smelling the malty scent of ale.

Jon ordered refills from the bartender. Do you golf here often?

Just stopped by for lunch with a friend. What about you?

Wanted to see if I could still swing a club. I detect an accent. Are you from Kentucky?

Thaaats sooouthern Oh-high-aah twaaang, she said, emphasizing the hillbilly

pronunciation. He chuckled. Anna wanted to know his thoughts, but refused to use telepathy

on a psychic organization employee. From the short haircut, posture, and precise motions, he


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gave the impression of what a military drill instructor would look like in street dress. She felt a

sense of adventure being in his presence.

I watched what happened when you entered the room. Neat trick, Jon said quietly

and observed her flinch. The bartender served their beverages.

They always forget and add ice, Anna said, stalling for a good rebuttal. Ice clinked as

she stirred a swizzle stick in the glass before taking a sip. What trick? She turned innocently

away, looking at Jon from the corners of her eyes.

In a lowered voice he replied, The head-wave ... when every face turned toward you as

you entered the restaurant. Howd you do that?

Apprehensive, she looked at him more closely.

JON ASKED HIMSELF, is she strong enough to identify terrorists? I need to get her back to

VESPER for testing. Could probably get her into bed, but how do I get her to New York? What

do you say to a psychic? Shes probably reading my mind right now. How would I know? Ive

been trained to recognize psychic phenomena and find the psychic causing it, but not what to

do next. How does anyone go about bringing a psychic in? Be arrested if I used force. I

thought telepaths would all be male. He cursed under his breath. Im in over my head with thi s

broad. If she takes off, Ill follow her. Wonder what she drives? My luck shell be in the lowerparking lot near the highway while Im up at the top.

WITH A NERVOUS laugh, looking over the rim of her glass, Anna said, Ive heard of come-ons,

but yours is definitely an original. In the past, talking about telepathy always ended with

ridicule and threats. People fear what they dont understand. She mumbled, I better leave.

Jon stood as her toes touched the floor.

Wherere you heading?

Out of here. She slid one hip off the stool, half rose, and turned away from him. She

wanted to stay and talk with the guy, but worried about repercussions.

Did I hit too close to home?


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Never entered my mind. With obvious insincerity as her face reddened, she mumbled,

Im running late.

Please stay, he said in a soothing voice. Five minutes of your times all I ask. Just

listen to what I have to say. Were in a public place. Youre safe.

Questioning if she were in her right mind and if her curiosity about Coulter was normal,

Anna settled back on to the barstool and grumbled, Okay. She studied his appearance. Hes

about six feet tall, she thought. Brown eyes, interesting face. With more interest as he raised a

questioning eyebrow, she said, The head turns were guys just checking out the merchandise.

Lifting the lime off the edge of her freshened drink, she squeezed the juice into the glass,

releasing its pungent flavor into the club soda and its citrus aroma into the air. She stirred the

drink and slid the swizzle stick slowly across her tongue.

Watching the swizzle stick, he wiped the gathering condensation off his glass mug.

Would you laugh if I said your government needs you? To ensure no one overheard, he

leaned toward Anna and said softly, Im temporarily assigned to an agency using psychics to

locate terrorists. Weve been searching for telepaths to jump -start our project. Right now the

security of the United States is at stake and time is running out. He looked out to the golf

course and back to Anna who tapped her short fingernails on the bar. What it boils down to is

this. A telepath can recognize a terrorist. You may be exactly what ... or who ... we need.Or maybe not , she replied.

You give off psychic energy without even thinking about it.

I dont think so, she said brusquely, downplaying her ability. Needing more

information she asked, Whos in charge of this VESPER?

In charge? Lets see , he into her eyes, right now its like alphabet soup. Theres the

OSD, thats the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the DIA, Defense Intelligence Agency,

SOCOM, the U.S. Special Operations Command, the Army Intelligence Security Command,

maybe a dozen others. Of course theres Homeland Security. It goes as high as the President of

the United States. He receives VESPER data at the daily briefing. He grinned. You may be the

next event.

Is there a telepathy protocol used by your staff? Some kind of ethics statement?


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Protocol? Most of what they do right now is just out-of-body work to visit distant

places mentally. VESPER hasnt found any strong telepaths yet. Jon grunted and said, So I

cant answer your question, but know someone who might. He told Anna about his friend,

Colonel Andrew Anderson, a psychiatrist and VESPERs Medical Director.

Andy has been involved in government operations with Army, Air Force, Navy, and

Marine Corps Special Op commands. Over the years, he had a hand in every type of military

task you could imagine and had contacts at every level. If you want to get anything done, going

through him made it easier. The man had a handle on everything. A real genius.

While listening to Jon, she decided to be unethical and skim his thoughts. Except for

unruly students while teaching, she didnt usually invade others thoughts. She tried not to smile

when she picked up his thinking of her ski-jump nose which tipped up slightly at the end. He

noticed her teeth were almost straight; her smile crooked, and body healthy in appearance.

Bless him, she grinned, he thinks Im in my thirties.

Would you go to New York to get tested? Meet some psychics? He paused to give her

time to think about it. Can you get away from your job for a few days? What kind of work do

you do?

Im on summer break. As a matter of fact, she said patiently, Id enjoy being tested

for psychic ability. She pressed against the leather cushioned back of the stool, thrilled inanticipation of learning more about VESPER. How can I say no? In the past Ive been criticized

for being a psychic. VESPER people may think Im great. She smiled again. How can I lose?

A teacher? When she inclined her head he asked, How are students now days?

In the past they were all excited about learning. Lately, a few obnoxious ones were

never taught right from wrong and have no respect for anyone or anything. They bully peers

into misbehaving and try to control the classrooms.

What do they call you?

Most of my kids are wonderful. They call me by my name or mom. The nasty ones?

Behind my back, Ms. Witch with a B. or worse. Reminiscing over bad student attitudes of the

past year, she was getting more excited about the VESPER opportunity. She rested her hands on

her thighs to keep them still.


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Live with anyone?

Thats a personal question. The answers yes, with the Holy Spirit.

Dumbfounded, Jon backed up. She was not only a weirdo psychic, he thought, but a

ranting Bible nut. He rolled his eyes, wanting out of VESPER. Anxious to be with his special

operations team saving the world and not mingling with psychics, he vowed to get back into

prime fighting shape as soon as possible. Psychics were downright creepy

If its okay with you, he said questioning his sanity, I can drive us to Columbus to

catch a New York flight. Let me check with Colonel Anderson, a good friend. He punched in

the number on his cell. Andy, he said on the pick up, Im in Zanesville, Ohio at the

Eaglesticks Golf Club. Found one. He sat back with a satisfied smiled at Anna and continued,

Name is Anna Anna Masterson. Can I bring her in tomorrow? Jon listened to Andys

affirmative reply and that there would be someone sent from VESPER to immediately check her

out. Great. If we can catch an early flight, well see you about noon. Before Jon closed the

connection he asked, She wants to know if VESPER has set up an ethics protocol for

telepathy. He received a negative answer.

To Anna he relayed the conversation and said, Andyll start a background check on you.

Hell have data from every source possible in front o f him when you walk into his office

tomorrow. I dont think Ive ever met a more brilliant man. He may not know everything, butask a question and hell find the answer.

With a curt nod, Anna said, Ive no idea what Im getting into here. Sure hope it gets

me out of teaching. This year was sooooo bad. A few kids came to school only to see their

friends and try to destroy whatever class they could sneak into. They cant wait until theyre

sixteen so they can drop out of school and go on welfare like their dad and granddad.

With a disgusted expression, Jon said, Third generation welfare recipients? Thats

disgusting. He used his cell phone to check departure times with his favorite airline. What

time can you be ready in the morning?

She answered with a grin, Im an early riser.

He booked the first morning New York flight out of Columbus International Airport and

punched the phone off.


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Anna said, Youre the first person I ever met who not only identified me as a psychic,

but wants the government to verify my ability. On top of that, you expect me to be offered a

job to work with others like me. She leaned back and sighed, There is a God!

As he confirmed the flight time, Anna felt someone beside her. She saw no one nearby,

yet the hairs on her arms were standing on end. I cant see you, she said softly, but feel your

presence. Definitely male. You from VESPER? The sensation stopped as suddenly as it began.

Unaware of the intrusion, Jon gave Anna the logistics of the flight to New York.

After leaving Jon to his golf, Anna put on her aviation sunglasses. I must be crazy to do

take off for New York with a stranger, she said. But his mind was sincere.

Walking to her car she called Zanesville ATIS, the Air Traffic Information System out of

the municipal airport. The automatic recording gave her the current fair weather conditions.

Addicted to flying, her next call reserved a Cessna-150 airplane at PARR airport north of the

city. If leaving town, she wanted to get in a quick solo flight before sunset. Things are definitely

looking up, she said with a broad smile.

In New York at the VESPER facility, for anyone to discuss information critical to the

defense of the country on an outside line was rare. Since VESPERs recent and rapid inception ,

nothing unusual had happened. However, someone with an intricate knowledge of the in-house communications system had prepared for critical conversations. Although there were no

traceable wire tap devices on any individual desk telephone, every VESPER landline

conversation to the outside world had been compromised. Because of that advance

preparation, Jons information to Colonel Anderson concerning Anna Masterson had been

clandestinely recorded on an anti-American terrorist cell network link at VESPER. The call had

been automatically forwarded to an outside radio pick-up. By midnight, an operative within a

primary New York al-Qaeda cell would also be running informational background checks on one

Anna Masterson.


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CHAPTER 3

25 AUGUST

CONFERENCE ROOM, UNDERGROUND VESPER FACILITY

JAMAICA, NEW YORK

IN THE WINDOWLESS conference room located two stories underneath the runways of John F.

Kennedy International Airport, Colonel Andrew Anderson stood impatiently behind an

uncomfortable folding metal chair. He hoped more comfortable chairs had been requisitioned.

The anxious expressions of the recently appointed VESPER Board of Directors seated

around the rectangular, walnut conference table were scrutinized. He knew names, but needed

to associate them with faces in this new organization.

Gleaming white marble walls lightened the room. Wall-to-wall burgundy carpet

softened the sound. Chief Executive Officer, Hermann Wald, sat furthest from the door. That

portly Wald had a brilliant mind and frequently breakfasted with the President was common

knowledge. His rumpled beige shirt, brown suit, and nondescript tie belied the fact he was an

efficiency genius with close friends in both the Congress and Senate. Politicians sought his

advice and respected his quiet opinions. When he spoke, people listened and followed his

advice with positive results. For that reason the President had recently appointed him to direct

VESPER, the Virtual Extrasensory Perception Experimental Research project.

Herman Wald snapped his pen once against the table top and conversation ceased.

Since the President created this organization, Wald began, weve been assigned to use


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psychics to locate al-Qaeda operatives within our borders. So far, weve only had access to

remote viewers going out-of-body to find terrorists, much like our predecessor organization,

the Star Gate Project that was shut down in the 1990s. Repeating their failures, our attempts

to find terrorists using remote viewers have not been productive. Although you may not

understand exactly how remote viewers work, were all familiar with their techniques. Their

minds somehow travel out of their bodies to different locations around the Earth while their

coaches sit beside them. Its been proven they can definitely observe areas unavailable to us

and watch others, but they cant read minds. He lowered his shoulders and looked down. In

addition to the latest nuclear threats to our airports, recent terrorist incidents have escalated

to a critical point. Ive asked Colonel Anderson to present a viable option for us. Consider this as

a way for VESPER to reach its objectives and satisfy the President.

All heads turned toward Anderson who straightened. He clasped his hands behind his

back and slowly walked around the perimeter of the room. Dressed in military khaki, with an

authoritative demeanor, he had everyones attention.

Im going to tell you a true story, Anderson began in his loud, bass voice. The Stars

and Stripes is a weekly newspaper available to United States military personnel wherever

theyre stationed around the world. In the 1970s, the newspaper published an article about a

group of genius children born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Assigned to Ramstein Air ForceBase in Germany at the time, I became intrigued, grabbed a military hop to Johannesburg, and

found the story was indeed true. Anderson crossed his arms, thinking back to that time.

Running a hand over the short, gray hair neatly skimming his darker skull, he took a deep

breath and sighed.

An incredible story, he reminisced, and I guarantee its authenticity. A gynecologist by

the name of Reginald Beckman tried to make his pregnant patients more comfortable without

medication. Remember the thalidomide babies? A few heads nodded. Babies born to women

who took that medication were missing hands, feet, arms and legs, and sometimes all four

limbs. Anderson scrutinized his audience to assess their concern. Doctor Beckman tried to

help his patients without medications. He invented a personal vacuum chamber which could be

sealed around the torso, top and bottom. His hypothesis? When turned on, the machine would


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reduce the surrounding atmospheric pressure. It worked. The mothers found relief from

internal uterine pressure during pregnancy and pain. It became so successful; there was a

waiting list of women wanting to use the contraption.

Im not a doctor, but it sounds like a creative idea, Communications Director Phillip

Arnold commented. Lowering his chin and looking at Anderson over half-glasses, he asked, Did

it work?

As Anderson scanned the room, he saw Arnold absently touch his American flag lapel

pin. He wondered if that was an innocent and gesture or one made to reinforce a patriotic

impression. I must be paranoid, he thought. Everyone here has top secret security clearances

or higher. He relaxed, but looking back, saw a malicious expression cross Arnolds face for a

nano-second and wondered what brought that on.

Dont keep them in suspense, Wald said, slapping his hand against the table top. Tell

them what happened. Wald looked ready to stand but instead, leaned back into his chair.

With oxygen and nutrition through the umbilical cords unimpeded, Anderson

continued, fetal brains developed as perfectly as Mother Nature intended them to be. What

resulted were super geniuses and more.

Like Adam and Eve, Wald added.

Anderson raised his eyebrows and looked around the room for questioning faces.Seeing none, he continued, In addition, its been rumored that these JoBurg children used

telepathy when communicating with one another. Exclamations were voiced around the

room. I created the word mindreacher to describe them, Anderson added, and to define a

person able to use communal telepathy.

Communal telepathy, Wald clarified. That means they mentally shared information

instantly among themselves. When one would think of something, they all knew the thought.

He paused to let the concept sink in as the awareness in the room grew.

Anderson could feel the excitement growing as everyone sat up and leaned toward him.

He continued, Theres no other instance of such telepathy in written history. Take a moment

to conceptualize in your mind how they could, as adults, use this talent to ferret out terrorists.

If we could find these now middle-aged telepaths and convince them to join us, terrorism


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would cease to exist. They could bring world peace using their mental abilities to find every

terrorist in the world. He put his hands in his pockets and waited.

Find them? Arent they in Johannesburg? Arnold sat on the edge of his seat.

Colonel Anderson opened his mouth to reply when Security Director Shelly White

interrupted, How many children are we talking about? An efficient blonde with a medium

build, she usually wore a boxy suit to hide her thick waist. Shelley White had volunteered to join

VESPER from an administrative position at the Office of the Secretary of Defense. She hoped

one day to be taught telepathic techniques. This new situation appeared to intrigue her.

We dont know, Wald answered. Maybe twenty?

Shelly White gasped open mouthed. Whoa I ahh I was thinking three or four.

According to what I learned, Anderson continued, the communal mental link stopped

when a child traveled over five hundred miles away on holiday. The parents discovered a great

distance presented barriers to the telepathy between the children. They realized if the children

were separated continent to continent, their telepathy wouldnt work. He seated himself,

concerned that board members wouldnt accept the fact mindreachers existed.

Imagine if you will, Wald said, lightly tapping his pen twice on the palm of his left hand

before continuing, parents welcoming a beautiful new baby into their lives, planning to

nurture it, give and receive love. Didnt happen. By age two, these children talked in complexsentences. By age three, they were devouring books and questioning everything. When

parents couldnt answer their questions, the toddlers turned to one another . They eliminated

slow oral communication by finding it more efficient to communicate instantly and

telepathically with their peers. They plucked what information they needed from adult minds

and used mind control on antagonistic siblings and others, including their parents and other

adults.

Shelly White requested, Would you please clarify communal again?

Mass mental telepathy. When one of these kids used telepathy, all the others could

pick up their thoughts at the same time. When one learned a new word, they all did. The same

with languages, math and science.


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Kind of frightening. White replied, squeezing her hands together under the table.

Everyone knew she wanted to learn telepathy. Right now it appeared she questioned that goal.

These children were given a blessing with a burden, Anderson continued. From what

Ive been able to discover, Dr. Beckman recommended that each frightened family move to a

different country to effectively separate the miniature mindreachers. Once settled into a new

location, the children were to be hypnotized to forget their telepathic abilities. If they have

been using their mindreaching abilities over the past thirty-years, I hypothesize they would

have been creating continual headlines. We havent heard about them. Do they know theyre

mindreachers? We dont know. What will we have to do to get them into their mindreaching

mode, if anything ... or to help us? We dont know.

Shelly White asked, So, what happened to the children?

Once these families separated, Anderson responded, the doctor paid off his staff and

disappeared. That took place before I arrived in Johannesburg. I did locate two of his nurses.

Tried to find traces of the families but didnt have enough leave time. As far as I know, theres

been no trace of the kids since. He took a deep breath through his nose and expelled it silently

through his mouth, his chest deflating. Over these last forty -years Ive harbored the

knowledge of these children and hoped the rest of the world would forget about them to give

them peace. Until now, they werent needed.


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the jo’burg project

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