Dreams Unleashed (17 page)

Are they doing ESP experiments here
? I wondered.

Bob stood up silently, nodding his head to the instructor and the woman, and led me away from the pair gently by my elbow. We entered a glass observation room where we could watch the pair training. Once the door was shut, he began to explain.

"You probably think it's a type of ESP experiment, right?"

Looking sheepish, I nodded.

"Well you're going down the right road---but what we're doing here is called
Remote Viewing
. In remote viewing, we do use extrasensory perception, but we also use specific protocols, so our technique and environment is controlled, and the technique is learnable. A trained remote viewer can sense an object, person, or event existing anywhere,
in any time
---present, past, or future. Time and space is not a limitation in remote viewing. What we're doing here is training individuals to remotely perceive intelligence targets of foreign entities."

Wow
. My mind was reeling.

"Now you can understand why you were not allowed to know anything about our project before you were granted a TS-SI clearance."

"Yeah, I understand," I confirmed, nodding seriously.

"Ann, the work we're doing here is a kind of parapsychological intelligence." Bob paused, then asked, "Have you ever heard of astral projection?"

"You mean like Shirley MacLaine's out-of-body experiences?"

"Yes,
some
people---like MacLaine---call astral projection an out-of-body experience," he responded, seemingly irritated.

"The beginnings of remote viewing were discovered during astral projection research conducted at Stanford Research Institute in the seventies. The research we were funding at Stanford was very interesting. Let me explain the breakthrough we had there," he said, looking to me for understanding.

I nodded.

He continued, "We realized that geographical coordinates were ultimately necessary for precognitive remote viewing. This is similar to how memory works. When you remember what you did yesterday, you think about a location, and an image forms in your mind. The same principle is used here, only in reverse. If we needed to know about something before it happened, like an enemy plot, for example, then the targeted coordinates were essential to our success. We also learned that some viewers were naturally predisposed through their genetics to be very accurate remote viewers. We could only identify this genetic predisposition when it was manifested by the individual, in the form of vivid dreams, astral projection, extrasensory perception, mental telepathy, and other natural gifts. Once we knew of the necessity to use geographic coordinates and to select gifted viewers, we began Project Stargate here at the CIA."

"So the Stargate program uses all of those parapsychological gifts?"

"Yes. We've learned a great deal so far. You'll learn more as you're trained."

"I look forward to it."

"You should know that other government and non-government organizations do not realize that Project Stargate is still conducted here at the CIA. Those organizations believe that we passed this program on to other agencies. Ann, you'll be protecting this knowledge for the rest of your life, and you can never speak of it to anyone outside our group. Now you understand what I said earlier about family," he stated with seriousness, looking directly at me.

"I do," I responded, although I felt unnerved by his statement.

"You might want to know that we selected you for this project because of your score on the parapsychological tests you took at Keesler. Although the Air Force tests at your recruitment center were our first indications that you could be a asset. A portion of that test reveals the natural gifts that we're seeking. We rarely add new personnel to our project. You are the first Air Force participant, and the youngest."

"I'm eager to get started."

"Let me introduce you to our team members," he said, standing.

I also stood, facing him.

"John O'Brien, who I'll be handing you off to in a minute, will be your training partner. You'll work with him every day. He's eccentric, but I think you'll be able to overlook some of his odd tendencies."

What tendencies
? I thought nervously.

"My door is always open, Ann. You can speak to me about anything at all. Don't forget that."

"Thank you for choosing me," I replied graciously with a smile.

"Let's go meet John," Bob said, leading me out into the viewing room.

As we crossed the room and approached the far side, a tall man with jet-black hair and broad shoulders strode around the corner, nearly running into Bob.

"Gabh mo leiscéal!" he cried out in an Irish brogue.

I unguardedly let a laugh escape my lips. The man had said, "excuse me," but he seemed only slightly sorry.

"Oh come on, speak English, John!" Bob chastised.

"Gabh mo leiscéal! Tá brón orm!" John said, offering his apology. Then he looked over at me. "Now will you be introducing me to the young lass, Bob, or will you keep her to yourself?" he asked, meeting my eyes.

"Oh, brother. Ann Torgeson, meet John O'Brien, your trainer."

I held out my hand and offered, "It's nice to meet you," looking up to the thirty-something with a smile.

"And you," John replied, meeting my eyes while shaking my hand.

"He's harmless, Ann," Bob clarified. Then he pointed to John, saying, "You---behave yourself." Then Bob left us.

Nice introduction
.

John looked at me, silent.

I dove in. "I only vaguely understood what you said, but I do recognize it as Gaelic," I said to him, trying to break the ice.

He lifted his dark brow in reply. "Now how is that, lass, with a name like Torgeson? There's no Irish in that name."

"It's my grandfather. His surname was Dunseath. His mother taught him the Gaelic. When I was a little girl, he would speak it to me. I never did learn much that stuck, but I can sometimes identify it as Gaelic when I hear it," I told him.

"Well then, maybe I can be your trainer in the Gaelic too---besides remote viewing," he said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Oh, I don't know about that. It's pretty hard for me," I cautioned.

"Maybe we can call your Irish blood to assist you---or maybe the wee fairies," he offered with a smile.

I laughed out loud.

"Why is it that you don't have much of an Irish accent except when you're speaking Gaelic?" I asked boldly.

He shrugged with brows raised, then smiled.

I smiled in return. I could tell that we were going to get on just fine, even though he was a bit odd.

"I went to university here, in America. I guess these blokes thought they needed a gifted Irishman to round out the CIA," he spoke in perfect English without an accent. "How would you like to meet the rest of the team?" John asked.

"Sounds great."

John then introduced me to the remote viewing team, which numbered nearly fifty. I hoped I wasn't supposed to remember all of their names. We then returned to the observation room, which I learned was soundproof, and John began to explain more about the process of remote viewing.

"You observed Grace during her training, right?"

"Yes."

"What you couldn't observe during her viewing is how the photos were selected. The photos were chosen because they were strong images, not too complex, but they could hold the viewer's subconscious mind. The three images were also distinctly different, which helps the trainer to tell the sketches apart," he said, looking to me for acknowledgement.

"How long has Grace been training?" I asked curiously.

"Nearly three months now."

"Wow," I blurted out, surprised.

"Does that seem like a long time to you?" John asked.

"No, the opposite. That doesn't seem like a long time to learn a new skill that you've never used before."

"Well, not exactly. We believe that the skill of remote viewing uses the same part of the brain used when dreaming. We think that's the limbic region of the brain---the part of your brain that controls emotion---but that has not been confirmed by scientists outside the CIA," he clarified. "So it just may be that remote viewing uses the same brain processes as when you dream."

I nodded, considering the implications.

John had been looking out the glass window into the observation room as he was explaining to me, but when he finished, he looked directly at me. It was as though he expected me to say something.

"I've had crazy dreams as far back as I can remember," I said softly.

"We know. The Air Force paranormal tests you took in Mississippi confirmed that. Most of the people we bring onto this project are powerful dreamers. We're seeking that out in candidates, among other natural talents."

"Well at least someone will have the benefit of my dreams," I told him.

"Why do you say that?" John pursued.

"Well, I dream things that I'd never consider imagining when I'm awake. Some of those things are hard to deal with sometimes," I confessed. I immediately became embarrassed about telling him this, and I could feel my face flush.

"You're not the first dreamer to feel that way, Ann. With time, you'll find its benefit to you in our work here," he said compassionately.

"Hmmm," I responded, still embarrassed.

"Since we're talking about dreaming anyway, let's talk about color. What's your impression of color in the viewing room ahead of us?" he asked me, intentionally changing the subject.

"Well, it's pleasant and has soothing color combinations."

"We've learned that dreams seem to be stimulated by the brain's limbic system---as I told you before. This system associates emotion with visual stimuli, including color. We also know that our autonomic nervous system unconsciously responds to color---"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but what's an automatic nervous system?"

"It's
autonomic
nervous system," he corrected me.

I continued blushing in embarrassment.

"The
autonomic
nervous system controls the organs of your body---it's the automatic pilot part of your body that runs your heart, stomach, intestines, and muscles---"

"Oh---I get it now," I interrupted.

"You are unaware of your autonomic nervous system because it functions in an involuntary, reflexive manner. For example, we don't realize when our blood vessels change size."

I nodded.

"The autonomic nervous system responds to color. The color blue, for example, elicits serenity, inspiration, and communication. Green brings balance and calmness."

"It sounds very metaphysical---very Shirley MacLaine."

"Ann, don't say that name around Bob," he warned.

I swallowed nervously.
Too late
.

"I'm pretty sure he hates Shirley MacLaine," John added. John laughed as he observed my reaction. "You already said that to him, didn't you?"

"Uh-huh."

He laughed harder.

"Well, at least I'm giving you a good laugh," I said, slightly annoyed.

"No worries, lass. He already knows you're young."

"Well, now I know not to say it again."

"We all learn that way, Ann."

"You were telling me about how our bodies relate to color," I offered, trying to deflect the topic away from me.

"I was. Here's a little tidbit for you. The people who study time travel here believe that green governs it," John said.

"Are we time traveling here too?" I said excitedly.

"No---not yet," he chuckled in response. "That's another project. With our project, we've tried to think multi-dimensionally to open all possible channels for success in remote viewing. Project Stargate is all about outside-the-box thinking, and we've sought out others like you, who naturally possess that way of processing information."

"How do you know how my brain handles information?"

"The tests you took at Keesler tested your paranormal skills. Didn't you wonder what they were for?"

"Yes. I guess I now know," I said, developing a thicker skin as our conversation continued. "So you're using color in the room to tap into the brain's limbic system?"

"Yes, exactly," John confirmed. "You're smart for a young lass," he remarked in his Irish lilt.

I smiled big.
He doesn't think I'm stupid
.
That's a plus
.

"So I've learned that you're looking for vivid dreamers and unconventional thinkers. What other qualities do you seek in remote viewers?"

"Intuition. Taking intuitive risks is essential for success in remote viewing. You have to trust impressions that you're not sure of. Sometimes information will not make sense, so you'll have to intuitively trust what's right. Intuition is an important quality we need here. An individual either has it or not; yours is very strong. Most candidates are rejected after our psychological testing."