The Dharma Revelation

Chapter 57

Daniel, Petra, Vincent, and Dharma got into the car and headed east. It was going to be a long drive home, but they felt relieved about the way things turned out. Dharma was safe, and they were all headed back to Osiris.

As they rode, they called home and checked in with loved ones. Vincent called Aaron and shared the good news. He and Caleb didn't wait; they had a date set for the second attempt at the CCE. Even if the attempt to get Dharma back had failed, they still wanted to proceed with the experiment.

Aaron was stunned to hear the story of the narrow escape, and of how Cavanaugh had changed his mind. He asked to speak to Dharma, and she repeated the same thing to him that she told the others. Humanity passed some sort of test, which would lead to new insight and revelation.

When Daniel finally got a hold of Eric, he told him what happened.

"What do you mean, he switched sides?" Eric asked.

"Exactly that," Daniel said. "He literally had his gun pointed to her head and then changed his mind."

"Unbelievable."

"I know," Daniel continued. "The rest of us were all praying that he wouldn't do it. But Dharma was as cool as a cucumber the whole time."

Dharma looked at him curiously.

Daniel winked at her.

"Well, I have a surprise for you," Eric said. "Hold on one second."

The phone was passed, and Daniel's heart skipped a beat as he guessed what the surprise was the instant before it happened.

"You are such a troublemaker," it was Jessica's voice. She sounded a bit tired, but great.

"Jessie!" Daniel said excitedly. "Praise God that you're alive! How are you?"

"Pretty good, considering that my house fell on top of me," she said dryly. "Remind me never to help you with a problem ever again."

He laughed. "It's so good to hear your voice. We all thought—"

"I know," she interrupted. "Eric told me everything. Apparently you've had quite the adventure."

"That's one way to put it," he said. And then he asked, "Are you still in the hospital?"

"Yeah," she said. "But they're letting me out soon. I have to start rehab the day after tomorrow."

"That's fantastic," he said. "We should be home by then. I'll stop in and see you as soon as I can."

"That sounds great, Dan," she said. "Here, Eric wants to talk to you. I'll see you soon."

"Bye."

"Dan," Eric said. "I just didn't want you to be surprised. When Jessie regained consciousness, the police questioned her, as did the media. After her statements, the investigation turned to Darcie and his group, and more importantly, something they are referring to as 'the Plato cover-up.' They're looking into why it was shut down and questioning the motives of certain members of government."

"That's great news," Daniel said. "I wonder where that will lead?"

"If Cavanaugh or Heller comes forward, it will be pretty damning evidence against their group."

"Yes, it will."

"Well, I'll let you go. Be safe. Ask that young girl to take extra good care of you, you need it. Check in when you get home."

"Okay, Eric," Daniel chuckled. "Bye."

Daniel looked at Dharma, "My brother Eric says hello."

Dharma smiled at him, but before she could respond, Vincent interrupted.

"Dharma, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"The incident back at the park," Vincent asked speculatively. "Did you know that was going to happen?"

"No," she answered. "I didn't. I knew there would be a test, and I knew if the test was a failure, I would die."

Daniel looked at her, "So all of this time, everything we've done up until today, it always came down to Cavanaugh?"

"Yes," she said.

"It never had anything to do with the CCE, or how society would react to such an experiment?"

"It always came down to Tom."

"Why him?" Daniel asked.

"In the battle between mind and spirit, he was at the forefront. He represented a key component in the fight. For him to favor his spirit over his mind, it was an indication that everyone—humanity as a whole—is ready for the next step."

"What do you mean?" Vincent asked.

"He didn't kill me," she explained. "Despite the fact he was trained to, ordered to, and conditioned to. He chose instead to do the right thing."

Daniel nodded softly to himself; it made sense. Every one of them thought that this "test" Dharma constantly referred to involved all or part of them, or at the very least the CCE. The fact that it came down to Cavanaugh was frightening, to say the least. But there was a certain elegance to the way everything played out. As if humanity were knocking on the door for the next step, but the next step wasn't allowed until the human race proved itself worthy.

Daniel turned to Petra, "Would you like to use my phone to call your sister?"

"Yes, thank you," Petra said.

"Do you think she's out of the hospital by now?"

"Yes, she is."

"Your sister was in the hospital too?" Vincent asked.

"Yes," Petra responded. "She was in a serious car accident. The doctor said it was a miracle that she pulled through."

"Really?" Vincent asked with an odd lilt to his voice.

"Yes, why?" Petra asked.

"What hospital was your sister in?" he asked curiously.

"St. Agnes," she answered.

Vincent paled, as if his suspicion were confirmed.

"What?" Petra asked. "What is it?"

"St. Agnes is the hospital Plato used as part ofits prayer experiments."