Ever Essence

By David Hollands Curran

Imagine living longer, being healthy and having a youthful appearance for hundreds of years. How would you spend your extra time? Would it enable you to achieve impossible dreams? Become part of the movement, the excitement and the fascination. ’Ever Essence’ will change your life too.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ReadOnTime BV
• Release date: Feb 6, 2013
• ISBN: 9781742841472

Book preview

Ever Essence

David Hollands Curran

Smashwords Edition

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Ever Essence

Copyright © 2011 David Curran

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

The information, views, opinions and visuals expressed in this publication are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the publisher. The publisher disclaims any liabilities or responsibilities whatsoever for any damages, libel or liabilities arising directly or indirectly from the contents of this publication.

A copy of this publication can be found in the National Library of Australia.

ISBN:  978-1-742841-47-2 (pbk.)

Published by Book Pal

www.bookpal.com.au

* * * * *

In Dedication and in Memory

To the most special of all mothers:

My mother, Cherie Curran

1948 – 2010 – to Eternity

You gave me life

Then you saved my life

Once, then twice and then three times

* * * * *

Acknowledgement

Dear Mum, you believed in the book and I thank you for your encouragement during the writing. Still it is your support I feel now. I hope to validate your investment in me through lifelong good works.

Special thanks to my grandmother, Dawn Browne, for wanting me to continue to edit and listening over and over again to my changes while I was editing.

Gratitude also to Gloria Webb of Wordfix for your valuable and insightful direction. It has been your guiding hand which has ensured quality and the best readable format possible.

Thank you to my many friends: Ramzi for your belief in me and being an unofficial mentor; Letizia for leading the way with your writing and being my adoptive sister; Tony and Angela for your support in so many ways; David and Wendy for listening to my poetry; Marion for keeping the dream alive; Tresna for providing a remarkable work environment of security and exceptional morale; Rosemary for that last boost of encouragement needed to finish; Stuart for your incremental feedback during each stage of your reading providing a real reader perspective and interpretation of the material; and Faye for your trademark positive enlightenment. Also Margaret and Rod: thinking of you both has kept me going over the years.

There are many more of you I have reason to thank - people whom I have met all over Australia: teachers and students at my eleven schools; the people in my life in my more than sixty-five residences; the family members I have had contact with over the years; my many work colleagues in five organisations; my hundreds of customers who have inspired me; and those fine people instrumental in the Cairns community associations I know.

Cheers

David

* * * * *

Contents

Acknowledgement

Chapter 1 Nine Seals

Chapter 2 The Promise

Chapter 3 Rytania

Chapter 4 Island of Secrets

Chapter 5 A Frenzied First

Chapter 6 Closer

Chapter 7 Thriller Night

Chapter 8 Senses Aroused

Chapter 9 Emergency Measures

Chapter 10 Silent Sleepers

Chapter 11 Studio Stand-off

Chapter 12 Drones

Chapter 13 Heat

Chapter 14 Rehabilitation

Chapter 15 Completeness

Chapter 16 Maintaining Consciousness

Chapter 17 Halls of All Power

Chapter 18 On the Run

Chapter 19 Evil Exposed

Chapter 20 Alternative Exit

Chapter 21 Missing

Chapter 22 The Deadliest?

Chapter 23 In the Numbers

Chapter 24 Change-over

Chapter 25 Sempronius

Chapter 26 Emerging

Chapter 27 Rising Hell Firing

Chapter 28 Re-genesis

Ever Essence Contacts

* * * * *

Chapter 1

Nine Seals

‘Welcome, Brethren, to this auspicious gathering. We are here for the initiation ceremony of our most promising new lion member,’ said the hooded and masked speaker. ‘Young men for the sake of making a name are usually willing to sacrifice their souls, long before they know they are doing it.’ This pronouncement marked the commencement of the covert proceedings, filling Markus with terror. There was no way back! Markus felt his chest tighten.

‘But in this case,’ the enunciator continued, ‘I present to you the thinking man, who is to be our new Brother. He is not sacrificing his soul. He has chosen to receive new life. Within Markus Billings’s hands is the power of life beyond anything we have today. He will determine the future of mankind. He will possess special knowledge and command secret power. This ability we will bestow upon him. We will reveal truths unknown but to a handful of our elite.

‘We wish that he may be a champion and a guardian of the certain and current mysteries. Beyond this, there is much more to be discovered. Markus will learn of our greatness and of our miraculous mastery over life. The world is entirely unaware of the mysteries that exist in the present day.’

Markus was prepared for the offering, which was a call upon him to declare himself true to the Brethren. He was asking to be accepted among wise and distinguished counsel.

Naked and stretched out upon a large altar, he felt vulnerable and exposed. He lay on a blood-red cloth which draped to the floor over the altar. A glass prism in the shape of a diamond covering his manhood was all that provided a token reflection of modesty.

The intention was to overwhelm and subjugate him spiritually. He had been oiled in preserving fluids, of the kind in popular use throughout ancient times. This symbolic representation was meant to fill the candidate with awe and reverence.

It would be an event he would never forget. It was intended that he would relive this in his mind over and over again. The impression of this night would be stamped as a constant thought in his mind, so that he would remain true to the ideals and live by them continually.

A stand-alone mirror was placed across the base of Markus’ neck as though ready to cut him like a guillotine. His head was raised and supported. He could look into the mirror and see the reflection of his own eyes. He gazed upon his face which looked strange to him. ‘Who is that?’ he momentarily wondered. If he had had enough time to ponder, his own thoughts could have led him to think that this was a dream.

The chant began, at first unrecognisable. It was in another language, perhaps Latin. Something was partially laid over him, and he did not know what that was. It was cause for no alarm and it felt soft. Occasionally it would seem to move. It felt comforting. The brethren gathered round him, encircling the altar completely. They were all dressed in black velvet hooded robes. The masks concealing their identities were of a mirror finish. Holes remained for their eyes, but the nose and mouth areas were entirely open. Markus could see stubble and beards all around him.

The chanting continued. Each member of the Brethren placed his left hand upon some part of his body, until practically no place except for his face and neck area were uncovered. There were many hands touching the haired portions of his head. Those who could not reach from their standing positions from the second and third surrounding tiers placed their left hands on the shoulders of those in front of them. In this way the spirit of connection intensified into compound energy.

The leader of those assembled spoke in a low and slow monotone.

‘In this fraternity union and in our connectivity of all the Brothers’ membership, we call upon the Great Spirit Zyoon, whom we worship, to sanctify these proceedings, and we pray that you shall support us in our agenda and conquests. We pray that you will provide your blessings upon all our works which we do in your name. We pray to you to accept our new Brother, Markus Billings, and guide him so that he may be the exemplar future leader of this select group. I call on all of you to repeat our Acceptance Incantation of the Nine Seals of Trustworthiness.’

The incantation began with a deep resonance. Most of the attendees were men. The hall space seemed to fill with some type of spirit, and Markus felt he was part of one whole.

‘Acceptance: will you honour your chosen course?’ Markus answered, ‘Yes.’

‘Are you proud of the directives and of the decisions made?’ was the affirmation confirmation question. Markus again replied, ‘Yes.’

Abruptly the lights went out. There was complete darkness. The focus now intensified, and Markus felt even more central. He sensed the air turn suddenly cold, as though a spirit had entered the room. But it was not a welcome one.

‘Yes,’ Markus repeated with boldness and with defiance, in acquiescence to a spirit of good or in concession to one of evil.

Within an instant his lifelong sense of reasoning didn’t matter anymore. Everything he was ever taught seemed amiss and out of place. Now he was emerging into something more. He was moving towards something greater. It was taking control over him. The incantation continued.

‘Obedience: do you obey the command of the Brethren chain of authority? Are you subservient to the Brethren?’ Markus answered, ‘Yes.’ With each question, the room seemed colder and colder, the air danker and danker. A sense of heaviness and foreboding engulfed him.

Instead of feeling enlightened or in a state of togetherness, now he felt he was all alone. It was a loneliness that he felt could last forever. Never before had he experienced a feeling like this.

Still the hands were all upon him. He conjectured that somehow it was he who was the only living, breathing life force there. Yet even as he tried to continue his inner speculation about what he was feeling, he was slipping away, his thoughts fading. He felt his throat tighten. He gasped for breath. Life was being sucked away from him second by second. Powerless, he continued to slide further into an inevitable complete submission. At last, he was able to draw another breath.

The sound around him seemed to skew and contort and warp. Faint music started flowing, and now the chant took on a set rhythm.

‘Quietness: do you say nothing, to not speak to reveal anything?’ Then the rhythm became a little faster.

‘Bravery: can you react bravely and quietly in the face of capture or torture?’ Then faster still.

‘Stamina: when left alone, have you the fortitude to carry through? When a trap is laid out around you, do you rise to survive and thrive?

‘Fidelity: are you true to the Brethren? Are you prepared to sacrifice your life for its preservation?

Spiritualism: have you the strength of character to lead?’ Faster and faster the pace accelerated. ‘Do you make other men follow?’

‘Fraternity: are you capable of doing everything to protect your brethren and champion the cause?’ Louder and louder: the force was becoming irresistibly compelling.

‘Resolution: are your loyalty and steadfastness to the determined course unfailingly resolute?’

A beating drum and cymbals were introduced. The music grew louder and the pace frenetic. The whole nine verses were repeated again and again. His heart pounded. All he knew was the sound of his ‘Yes’ that grew louder and more prophetic as he grew into the raw animal follower he was meant to be. His responses were taking on a mesmerising tone as he started to growl like a lion.

His spirit became consumed. Just as this fiery essence ignited within him, the lights extinguished. Before this, the lights had been gradually coming back on during the ceremony and had built up to such intensity that they were almost blinding.

Now the reflection he could see in the mirror against the faint light was his animal spirit. It was a horned and hairy beast and it made him shudder. He wondered why the image was not of his usual self. The chanting continued in the darkness. His feeling of being trapped within a vacuum of unfamiliar territory intensified.

His eyes were closing more frequently and for longer spells. Each time he opened his eyes he struggled to focus clearly. It was like he was being drugged. But the source of that force was his fear and the bending of his mind. In the contortions of his mind, the room seemed to sway and the Brethren in cloaks around him appeared to flicker in a dance in tandem to the candles above him and in harmony with the warping eclectic sounds. Rather than a clear sound, the chant melted into sheer noise. He felt the noise was blending into the blood flow inside his veins, dancing in rhythms upon his psyche.

The music and chanting suddenly stopped. The mirror was raised abruptly, and immediately right in front of his eyes was a Cobra in striking position, with tongue touching and moving about on the bridge of his nose.

The hands released him and the circle of members moved away. He felt the snake’s body writhing on his as it held its position. He dared not flinch.

His body tightened all over, his heart raced to his throat, and he felt every vein inside pumping with the flow of blood as though it was boiling. His temperature escalated and he was turning red all over. His body was overtaken by shivering and trembling spasms. His eyes glazed over and then closed fully. He collapsed, unconscious.

The mystery of where he went to at that point would only be answered by the actions he would be responsible for over his lifetime.

* * * * *

Chapter 2

The Promise

It was an impressively lavish ceremony, the likes of which the city had never previously held. This was the dinner event of the year. Anyone who was someone wanted to be in attendance.

Special guests included celebrities from the world over. News media were represented in swathes. Only the Emporium Dome could cater for the six thousand guests in attendance. It was also a gathering of the greatest scientific and political minds ever assembled. Certainly, it was the biggest crowd that had ever gathered at the Eagle Emporium International Hotel.

Not only did Palamas City house the most influential institutional bodies in the country, including Federal Parliament; Palamas was also the home of the prestigious Antiochus Medical University.

The Gala Dinner was the highlight of a week-long World Medical Conference. Each day was devoted to presenting and testing new medical theories and procedures. Awards were issued for outstanding technological breakthroughs.

Professor Amadeus, who had just been pronounced the International Medical Laureate for the year, was to attend. The excitement about what he was going to describe to the world for the first time was building in intensity. If there was ever a medical celebrity, it was Amadeus.

The function was compered by Humorous, the acclaimed comedian and actor. Episodes of wonderfully choreographed dance routines were interspersed with light spectaculars. Renowned international solo and group performers took the stage to swells of cheering adoration. The audience were treated to entertainment appropriate for the momentous occasion that it was.

Standing outside by the red carpet were reporters from around the planet. Their reports streamed live on camera back to their studio networks. They were sharing the excitement of the evening’s proceedings with an enthralled public. There had gathered over the years an expectation that viewers would directly benefit from some of the breakthroughs about to be announced.

Among the pulsing throng of media, most were dressed in the authorised theme costume. This year there was a Brethren overtone of cloaks and hoods.

The serious connotation normally associated with the Brethren organisation was given a light-hearted dimension. The healthy respect people had for the Brethren generally was due to their sponsorship of innovative medical technology. Yet largely they were surrounded by mystique. It was, after all, an exclusive club. Some would say it was a secret society.

What this world-wide stage would do for the Brethren was to cement it in the minds of the population as the pre-eminent organisation responsible for the economic wellbeing and even the future of the nation. How better to present than to evoke an inclusive fun-loving and modernistic brand imagery?

The week-long event had evolved over the past few decades as a type of Medical Olympics. Medical Professors competed to be recognised for their inventions. Their remarkable achievements were on show. What they had invented needed to be proven. Medical subjects or patients were paraded, often becoming celebrities themselves. The patients were scrutinised by panel judges made up of medical teams. Whole medical histories would be subject to open discussion, interpretation and debate. Points would be awarded and voting would be held in private meetings. The battle would be fierce. High calibre journalists were privy to all information, and major national broadcasters could purchase medical histories and professorial commentary. This was the face of modern carnival and circus.

Professor Amadeus’s ground-breaking achievement was said to be related to brain cell research. There was much anticipation about what his inventions and discoveries had led to since the previous Medical Conference four years before.

Professor Amadeus’s most famous subject was the proven miraculous recovery of a life-long brain-damaged man known as Jerry. Jerry had an irreversible congenital disorder of the brain. Its effects had limited his life opportunities in ways largely unimaginable to most people.

Jerry stood up at the podium, his face smiling, and waved to the crowd. They cheered long and hard. The impact of that was enough to make tears roll down his face. Then there was silence. Jerry’s story was already a familiar item and had been discussed widely. It was enough to make him a show-stopper, and the audience were with him in spirit.

As he stood up, a little stooped, an image of him was projected onto a wall screen behind him. It was an image of a photograph taken of him only months before Professor Amadeus’s surgery. The difference in appearance was breathtaking. His facial expression had improved amazingly, he had more control over the movement of his expressions and he appeared far more radiant and life-like.

There was a momentary pause as Jerry caught his breath and began.

‘Hello to you all. I have never spoken to an audience like this before. Your warmth makes me feel welcome and more comfortable.’

The crowd roared with cheers and cries of elation and euphoria. There was a brief video-recording showing various times in his life. It covered times after failed treatment procedures. It showed his ongoing affliction through many years.

‘Tonight I speak to you all like I could never have done before,’ continued Jerry. ‘I am healed. I am a new man. There is nothing I cannot do, and tonight I’m declaring myself as your Progressive candidate for the Mayor of Palamas.’

The atmosphere was electric. There were startled faces everywhere, while others emanated pure joy. Those looks were of relief, blending with anticipation for the promise of a bright future for all those with similar afflictions. Everywhere in the world, new hope surged in waves for anyone who might experience a degenerative illness in the future. Help, it seemed, was guaranteed.

Professor Augusto Amadeus was then called to the podium. The applause for him heightened to an all-time crescendo. Amadeus shook hands with Jerry, and Amadeus lifted up Jerry’s arm. They held their stance amid camera flashes and roaring accolades.

‘We are on the cusp of unimaginable new beginnings. Humanity, as we know it, is on notice. Human disease will be eradicated. Our lives will be longer. Our afflictions will no longer stem from anything inherent or genetic,’ Amadeus pronounced.

The applause reigned across the soundwaves.

‘This would not have been possible without the support of my team. Special mention goes to Professor Gerhard Meister and Professor Carla Douthwaite. Your expertise is and will continue to be invaluable. Individually through your efforts you have saved the project more than once,’ said Amadeus.

The two other professors joined him on stage. Instantly the ceiling opened up and thousand dollar bills wafted like snow over Meister and Douthwaite. Fans blew the notes out through the auditorium. Theme music belted out.

‘We have made history,’ Amadeus said. ‘We are finalising tests which we expect will confirm that we have eliminated seventeen major brain dysfunctions.’

Amadeus took a pause, raising both arms towards the crowd in a gesture of openness. ‘Calm,’ he requested, motioning with his hands for them to quieten. ‘What is more,’ he stated, ‘today I can say that Alzheimer’s is a thing of the past.’

The roar pressurised the ceiling. ‘I say that anyone contracting that disease today will not die from that anymore.’ Now the response was hysterical.

‘I have one more thing for you. We have discovered Remote Intelligence Assistance. This is available to you all now – every one of you in this audience. Raise your left hand if you would like Remote Intelligence Assistance.’ A sea of upright left hands waved like coral amid the sounds of ‘Rhapsody of Frenzy’.

‘This is Mariah reporting live from the Dome. Tonight we have witnessed history. I have with me Professor Amadeus. Professor, what a night!’

‘Yes, and even more than this, politicians I have spoken to this evening have pledged their support for funding new projects. Because of the estimated cost savings of these new technologies, they will bank-roll all our current projects and assist a more rapid roll-out of new procedures and medications,’ gloated Professor Amadeus.

‘Professor, the night was both successful and memorable. What do you see as both your legacy and your defining achievement?’

‘Apart from plug-ins like the Remote Intelligence Enhancer Mind Integration Android to Human Synthesis technology, I would say we have delivered bright colourful hues of glorious hope and wonder of a future for humanity free from needless pain and suffering.’

‘There you have it, first and live on Network One. This is Mariah, your trusted news service reporter.’

* * * * *

Chapter 3

Rytania

Markus stopped at the open doorway of Professor Huntingdale's chambers and knocked at the open door.

‘Come in. Come in. Oh, please close the door behind you, if you wouldn’t mind. How did you go the other night? Impressive, wasn’t it?’ said Huntingdale.

Markus was still a little shocked. His first purpose was simply to arrive for his initial day at work. But also Markus was keen to gauge Huntingdale’s responses in order to understand a little more fully what he had become a part of.

‘I feel transformed in some way,’ Markus said slowly and a little hesitantly.

‘Good, good,’ replied Huntingdale, ‘you’re meant to.

Reviews for Ever Essence

[emily1s · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Wow! What a thrill ride!Ever Essence is a completely engrossing adventure the whole way through! The world Curran’s has created gives an entirely new view on society wanting to be younger (with an exciting twist at the end!).I’m sure the sequel will be just as great! :)