The Hypnotist: The White Lotus

Part One Chapter 27

Previously on The Hypnotist:

Logan takes a reluctant Juno to a strip club to meet Jo, who mysteriously knew they were coming, with Logan cryptically telling Juno that Jo probably "smelled him coming hours ago." Meanwhile, Dr. Vlad returns to his secret hospital facility in West Virginia, where he learns that while they have successfully captured "the boy" to use as bait for Bastion, they are still searching for Juno, who was last traced to Palm Beach County.

Chapter 27

The elevator doors opened to a dark cavern of a room. Warmth washed over us. A welcome reprieve from the dropping temperature outside. Juno cleared her throat. The sound echoed into the room. I looked at her, seeing the whites of her eyes gleaming in the darkness.

“Is she going to turn the lights on, or does she enjoy melodrama?”

I laughed at the statement. “She’s waiting for us. Follow me.” The moment I stepped outside the elevator, the lights came on like dominos, revealing a large open room. In the center was Jo’s workstation. Computers and televisions, hundreds of screens littered across the walls. A large desk sat in the center, fifty feet long and curved like a horseshoe. The computers came on too, along with the televisions that all revealed different scenes and circumstances across the globe. The room was bigger than the club upstairs and took up the entire building that housed the club.

Juno was looking over the room, taking it all in. “Is she some sort of government agent or something? Why does she need such an operation?”

I shrugged. “She likes to stay up to date with certain… happenings in the world.” I looked at Juno and cocked my brow. “Someone’s got to keep the world from destroying itself.”

Juno looked up to the ceiling. “Is she some sort of God or something?”

“No, but I’m getting there.”

Jo stepped in behind us, startling Juno. She just about jumped out of her skin with a yelp, turning around to Jo as the elevator doors closed.

“So, sorry,” Jo said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” An obvious lie. She very well intended to stir Juno up, much like she was assessing Juno, looking her up and down before training her eyes on me.

She hasn’t changed a bit since I last saw her. In another life, Jo would have been the world’s greatest super model. She was tall, thin and outstandingly beautiful. Dark, wavy hair cascaded to her shoulders. Her face was thin, her nose a button painted with sporadic freckles that added to the natural beauty. Her eyes gleamed with emerald sparkles that carried flecks of gold in the irises. She was wearing a sweatshirt and shorts, looking as comfortable as she seemed. In another life, she would have made a lot of teenage boys happy. In another life, sure, but in this life, Jo wouldn’t have taken a modeling job for all the power in the universe. Her IQ was well over 160, and she had a sixth sense featuring clairvoyance and an uncanny knack for conjuring energy in her palms. Plus, she was skilled in the art of combat, weaponry, and martial arts. You wouldn’t know it by looking at her, but Jo can dismantle a threat within seconds.

I should know. I’ve been on several missions with her.

I introduced the two of them and, after an exchange of pleasantries, I got down to what we were here for, namely information pertaining to Juno’s family and Clementine.

“Seems there is a lot going on in the ethereal world,” Jo said. “A lot of dark energy spilling between dimensions.” She looked from Juno to me. “There are people on both sides who’ve become frightened over the dark veil.” She shook her head. “So much has happened since you left. I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

“Let’s just take it from current circumstances. Maybe there’s a lead we can follow.”

She paused briefly, running her tongue across her teeth. “Follow me.” She walked ahead of us, towards the workstation. “I did some research this morning. Trying to find the missing link in your conundrum.” She took a seat by the desk.

“Did you find something?”

She nodded, clucking her tongue. “That I did.” Jo spun the chair around to face the monitor embedded in the desk. Punched a few keys on the keyboard and brought up an image of a rune with rubies in the handle and the celestial constellation for Orion’s belt. “Have you ever seen this before?”

The rune looked familiar, but where I’d seen it before evaded my thoughts. I noticed Juno’s stiff body language. She remained silent. “Looks familiar,” I said. “What is it?”

“The Rune of Sig,” she explained. “Used by the Nazis during World War Two. It was this rune that Hitler was using to win the war.” She zoomed in on the rubies and constellations. “The rubies have the power to open a portal for interdimensional travel between our planet and the ninth passageway to Orion’s belt when the celestial bodies are in a flux state and our planets are closer than they have been in thousands of years. Whoever uses the rune to open the portal will achieve supreme victory over our planet.” She turned to me then. “Fortunately, the rune can only be used by someone who is of a pure heart.”

I shook my head. “How were the Nazi’s using it? Seems like they were not that pure in heart, if you ask me.”

“The rune has a host of powers that any person or entity can wield. It’s only when opening the portal that a pure heart is required.”

Now I nodded. “Arcturian legend?”

“Exactly,” said Jo.

“I don’t get it.” This was Juno. Her eyes were narrow, and the look in her eyes revealed the skeptical nature of her thoughts. “What does this mean?”

There was a pause between us. Jo and I wondered who was going to answer Juno’s question. “It’s difficult to describe.” Honestly, in order for Juno to understand what Jo had discovered she would need to be schooled in the dark veil and the quantum mechanics that exist in the universe, which would take years of learning to fully grasp, but she was in the dark here and I need to give her a little information to cool her heels and allow her to feel like a part of the conversation. “The Arcturians are the keepers of the balance. Think of them like angels whose sole purpose is to enact the law of God and to be certain the balance is maintained. This is why the rune requires a pure soul to open the portal. It’ll assure that balance, since the rune can be used for nefarious deeds.”

“Ok, but what does that have to do with Clementine?”

I looked at Jo and gestured for her to take the question. I had no idea what the link between the rune and Clementine was.

Jo swiveled in her chair to the computer and punched up a news article from a few weeks ago.

Local Philanthropist Found Murdered!

I read the headline out loud. “Who is he?”

“His name is Montefiore,” said Jo. “You know who he is, Logan. We’ve had some dealings with him in the past. Of course, the newspapers don’t know about the many under dealings Montefiore was a part of.” She looked at me. “MK Ultra being one of them.” She turned back to the screen. “I did some additional research and discovered that Montefiore was working with an interdimensional demon by the name of Bastion.” She pulled up another picture. On it was a demon that looked like a bull with his flat, round head and charred skin. There were five children surrounding him.

“What’s with the kids?” I asked.

Jo shook her head. “Don’t be deceived, Logan. Those aren’t kids but devils in sheep’s clothing.” She turned around, staring directly at me. “They can create hallucinations for their victims and, from what I’ve gathered, enjoy indulging in human flesh.” She gestured to Bastion. “And he comes with the shadow people.”

To that statement, my heart just about stopped beating.

“What are shadow people?” asked Juno, her voice inflection revealing how lost she was in the conversation.

I swallowed my breath. “Entities that feed off the life force.” I looked at Juno. “They suck the marrow out of life and leave the soul withered and depleted, living in a state of hell few could fathom. It’s like absence in eternal darkness.”

Juno had no response other than “Oh,” as she shifted her stance, uncomfortable in her skin.

I paused to give myself some time to think. “What’s the connection to Clementine?”

“Well,” Jo stood up. “That’s where things get complicated.” I noticed she looked at Juno.

“What’d you mean?”

She paused as if she didn’t want to say.

“Jo? What is it?”

She shook her head. “I’ve heard some whispers recently.”

She piqued my interest. “Whispers?”

“Yes,” she said. “Whispers from the past, Logan. Whispers about Dr. Vlad.” She stopped right there, more than likely aware how my blood had turned cold. “From what I’ve gathered, he’s the one pulling the strings on Clementine. He had Montefiore bluff this Bastion devil with a fake rune and is using Clementine as bait to make a deal with Bastion.”

“To take over humanity.” I shook my head. “That evil son of a bitch.” I noticed how Jo turned quiet. Her body language and energy shifted. “What else did you find?” I asked.

“Samyaza,” she said.

“What about him?”

“Supposedly, he’s the one who gave Vlad permission and has been helping him with MK Ultra since the beginning.”

Now that was a revelation I did not expect.

“Now I’m totally lost,” said Juno. Both Jo and I looked at her. “You’re saying my cousin is a part of this?”

“More than just a part of,” said Jo. “She has an intimate role to play.”