Searching For The Ethereal Nebula (The Anomaly Duology Book 2)

Book summary

Searching For The Ethereal Nebula follows Robert Emerson, who is thrust to the galaxy's edge by the enigmatic Weird Man. Tasked with locating the rogue alien Sentral, Robert ventures through a mysterious space teeming with strange beings. As truths about Earth’s Anomaly unfold, Robert faces questions of trust, redemption, and humanity’s fate.

Excerpt from Searching For The Ethereal Nebula (The Anomaly Duology Book 2)

Through the vastness of space and immersion into the mysterious unknown, Robert Emerson materialized on a small station orbiting a lit-up planet populated with ultra-modern cities, as seen from the station’s window. He was mesmerised by what he was witnessing—a large planet about four times the mass of the Earth, entirely urban except for tiny pockets of strange vegetation. This station orbited the planet and was home to the grey aliens, like the one who had just transported him here.

He appeared dazed and confused, unable to believe his eyes. “This must be some kind of military deception. You’re not real. None of this could even be remotely possible,” he said to the Weird Man, who then transformed into one of these extraterrestrial beings.

“No! Stay as the Weird Man! I find it easier that way!”

The being obeyed and transformed back into his human disguise.

“That’s better,” cried Robert. “Why have you brought me here?”

The Weird Man began to speak softly in response to his question. “You’re the first human being ever to be here. You are located on the far side of the Milky Way galaxy.”

“Why me?”

“As I told you: to find the Ethereal Nebula and stop a certain being from destroying it.”

“Why should I care?”

“Because the beings who created it require Earth to be a part of it too. You are here because your very purpose is to facilitate humanity’s transition to the Ethereal Nebula. The purpose of our existence is to protect the Cerebral Neural Network. The creation and purpose of the Anomaly near the Earth is to provide a means to separate each human being’s consciousness and essence from the shackles of the physical universe, so they can be in harmony within the Cerebral Cloud.”

“Sounds a bit like the process when I was first transported to the micro-universe.”

“Yes, precisely.”

Robert looked around and tried very hard to absorb everything he was perceiving—all the smells, the various shades of light, as well as the strange sounds he could hear.

“And if I refuse?”

“You could refuse, but then we would be forced to find another candidate. The unity of humanity is something you’ve always intrinsically desired, deep down. You may not have realised this until recently, but it has always been there inside you.”

Robert pondered what this being had just told him, fathoming everything that had occurred up until now. “You mean it was your kind who led me to believe that I had a daughter, only to cruelly take her from me? Did you set all this up?”

“No. Not quite. Events in the micro-universe happened at random with no interference from us. The nova of the Betelgeuse star created a shadow pocket universe.”

“So you guys just sat back and watched?”

“I can assure you that there was no perverse intent. We must now undertake a memory engram transfer of your brain.”

When Robert heard that, it was the final straw for him. There was no way he was going to let anyone plug anything into his head again—perverse intent or not. “No way! I’m done with all that!”

“It’s not as crude a procedure as the method Sloane used on you. It enables you to ascertain everything you have seen and heard throughout your life, both in the prime universe and the micro one. We will be able to transfer everything in your mind into our consciousness and process it individually in seconds. It’s harmless, despite your irrational fears.”

“Get it over and done with, then,” replied a sceptical Robert.

As the Weird Man gestured for him to follow down a long corridor, Robert saw black vegetation being tended to in a hydroponics chamber. He nearly felt sick as he witnessed these beings dissolving one of their dead to nourish the vegetation. Two grey aliens then consumed the vegetation, which grew darker and shinier as they ate. Their own bodies began to pulsate with a golden colour. They were like perfectly mannered children dining in an upper-class restaurant, with impeccable table manners. Robert didn’t comment, as he was used to other cultures he once detested having strange customs.

They arrived at an open room containing unsettling alien technology, including large spore-like needles. Robert was fretful but had already agreed to carry out their wishes and couldn’t back out now.

The Weird Man pointed to an empty part of the room, and a bed materialised out of thin air. Robert marvelled at how advanced these beings were. He walked over to the bed and lay down. As the spores approached his head, he felt uneasy, as though being put into a trance. The spores emitted a ray beam that scanned Robert’s brain. In a few seconds, it was over, and he got up as the bed vanished.

A chair appeared, and the Weird Man gestured for him to sit. Robert complied.

“Recently, you had a quest for vengeance. The brutal rape and mutilation of your offspring in the micro-universe incited you to ask the man known as the Exterminator to murder a young man called Billy McIntyre.”

“Yeah, so?” replied Robert. “He had it coming to him! But I’ve since changed my mind.”

“Why did you have a change of perspective, Robert?”

“The Billy McIntyre in the prime universe was innocent. He had nothing to do with Angelica’s death.”

“Is it because the Billy McIntyre in the micro-universe was a reflection of you before you arrived in that reality, and you, in some way—even though you had hidden and suppressed it—wanted to afford him understanding?”

Robert abruptly stood. “Are you telling me I wanted to let him off the hook?”

The Weird Man didn’t respond.

“Believe me, if I could change things, I would!”

“We believe you, Robert Emerson. You indeed want to change—change everything around you and the life you’ve lived in the past—hoping to become the man you were for a brief period in the micro-universe.”

Robert started weeping. “Look, I was only there a couple of weeks, and I was a better person for it. The alternate version of me that my consciousness occupied had a better start in life than I had. I grew up in a home of conflict. My parents were polar opposites in their political and religious beliefs, and I became torn as a result of that. I had strong affection toward them both, but I knew I had to define my way through life by conflict.”

The Weird Man stood, watching Robert reveal his true inner pain. It made him realise how complex each human being was, instilling in him another reason to proceed with their master plan.

He led Robert to the station’s shuttle bay and showed him a small, man-sized craft. “This is for you, Robert. We have already programmed a flight plan. The on-board computer, called Penelope, will speak to you in a human voice and in the English language. All you have to do is set out on your journey and watch out for an alien male known as Sentral. He is from a species like humans. We want you to bring him back here into our custody.”

Robert realised that these beings meant business. “And after that, can I return home?” he asked.

“After this, you will experience a new future.”

Robert then realised that this species was much more advanced than he had thought, and he believed this would be impossible. “Just how do you expect me to apprehend this Sentral guy?”

“The craft will be taken to an array called the Metroplexus. Here, your surveillance equipment embedded in your attire will search for Sentral’s DNA pattern. You can then arrest him and bring him back here.”

“Why can’t you arrest him?” Robert asked.

“He has similar technology designed to detect us. We have tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to cloak our DNA but failed. Just one more matter.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s imperative you avoid space storms; otherwise, the onboard computer could be compromised.”

“I’ll do my best—besides, it looks pretty calm out there.”

The craft’s door opened, and as Robert entered inside, he experienced a strange sense of euphoria because of the memory engram transferring process. Once inside, the door closed, and the computer voice alerted him to brace himself as the craft made its way farther into deep space.