Soul Tracker

By Nicholas Crabtree

This story follows a doctor and his assistant as they accidentally discover a method to observe life's energy as it leaves the body, their quest to follow the energy to its source and its subsequent reenergization leads them to depths and places far beyond their earthly imaginations.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nicholas Crabtree
• Release date: May 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215575017

Book preview

Chapter 1

Mariska climbed wearily out of her car, moisture drizzled down like a heavy wet mist, neither rain nor fog. What a great start to the workweek. She had parked her Kia Forte car partway under a small overhang that her lab department called undercover parking. Half of the car was under and a half was not, depending on the weather the parker got to decide which half was under, front or back.

To make matters worse, you had to time your exit from the vehicle during roof drips on rainy days. Today was no exception.

She always remembered after the first day, never wear open-toed shoes or canvas shoes on rainy days. The parking lot had more puddles than Minnesota had lakes.

She stepped out of the car and slammed the door, as usual, it did not close properly and of course, she had already pushed down the lock button. She shimmied and slammed her thigh against the door, it clicked into place, the door that is. Now her side was wet. One more thing to add to an already bad start to the day.

As she walked across the parking lot she glanced up at the side of the building. It was an old building built around the end of the 1940s. The whole side of the building was made of glass and paneling, although she was sure the paneling was asbestos, her bosses denied the fact.

She looked up and saw the lights on in her boss's office. This is most unusual Dr. Bertrace does not normally come in until nine and it was only eight-thirty. She headed for the door.

Dr. Bertrace stood in his lab and stared out of the window. The window overlooked the parking lot. Good, Mariska is here. He turned back to his monitor screen, clicked the mouse, and started the video he was watching, as it began, he clicked pause, he did not want Mariska to miss any of the footage.

In his research, he dealt with alternative energy resources, such as solar power, electromagnetic energy, magnetic resonance imaging, etc. Dr. Bertrace was considered a pioneer in his field.

Recently he had become bored with that line of research. Alternate fuel and power issue had been invented and perfected for years, it was the oil companies and the lobbyists in congress that delayed its implementation, and too much money was at stake for the oil companies.

Lately, he had been working on a new MRI system, something he felt was worthwhile and could benefit everyone, not just the greedy fuel merchants. During this work he was forced to become involved with the patients, this role did not come easily to the doctor. He became involved with terminally ill people that were suffering from terrible illnesses. It was through this involvement that he had begun to look at energy and its evolution in a completely different way.

This morning, he had come in early and had been down to the MRI department at the far end of the building helping with the setup and operation of a new MRI unit. Dr. Bertrace had modified the unit to probe deeper into the softer tissues of the body to detect early cancerous tumors. If the unit lived up to expectations, it would revolutionize the diagnosis of cancer in its early stages.

During the setup, he had found that when the machine was at full power, the magnetic resonance image was blurry at best. The vibrations caused by the higher power had destabilized the function of the machine. To overcome the destabilization Dr. Bertrace had designed a new frame for the front of the machine. The frame would hold the patient transport slide rigidly and the patient while the machine operated. The original frame design was too enclosed and contributed further to the claustrophobia that some patients could not deal with. So, a rigid screen, much like the ones on a screen door, was added to the front and back of the resonator. The idea was to make the machine more stable at the core but less prone to vibration at the extremities.

The first tests went well, and the image appeared clearly on the video monitors in the observation room.

It was not until a few days into the trials that something spectacular happened, during a routine scan, the patient in the machine suffered a massive brain aneurism and died almost instantly.

Nurses and resident doctors rushed to the aid of the patient hoping beyond hope that something could be done. Dr. Bertrace remained in front of the monitor, transfixed.

As standard procedure during the testing of all new or modified equipment, the process was being captured on digital video. The video was stored on a removable storage chip, like the disc in a digital camera. This chip was more sophisticated as it had to withstand electromagnetic waves, waves that would erase the digital camera chip as fast as it recorded.

The testing had gone completely to plan, and it was unfortunate that the patient had expired during the routine scan. The digital video chip was removed for review as is normal practice and handed over to Dr. Bertrace, with copies to the heads of each relevant department.

Just as Mariska was driving to the office, Dr. Bertrace had been viewing the images of the last fatal moments of the MRI.

Dr. Bertrace had inserted the chip into the port on the side of his computer and he watched the footage of the test. He simultaneously ran the power results and magnetic resonance spikes on a screen to one side of his laptop. As he watched the graph showing the resonance levels climb and then level out, he glanced back at the screen showing the patient. The patient convulsed and appeared to spasm, then relaxed and lay still, out of the corner of his eye he saw the resonance graph spike almost through the top of the screen, but that was impossible he thought to himself.

His eyes flicked back to the patient screen and his jaw dropped, he could not believe what he saw.

Chapter Two

He was tingling with excitement, waiting to show his lab assistant Mariska.

The interior walls and doors of the offices, on this floor, were glass halfway down from the ceiling. He watched intently as the elevator numbers slowly illuminated and then went out as the elevator passed each floor. Damn, these elevators are slow he cursed under his breath. Finally, the number turned to a bright red four and the door slowly opened. He beamed at Mariska.

She stepped forward, seeing Dr. Bertrace immediately as she stepped out. Morning she mouthed to him through the glass, just going to get my coffee she mouthed again. He frowned and gestured her to come into his office. He was waving like a bird taking off from a lake. So, she slumped her shoulders and headed for his office.

As she opened the door, he came up to her and got hold of the back of her coat trying to pull it down and off as quickly as he could. She struggled to change hands with her bag as he tugged the garment from her.

Sit down, sit down, he said, no good morning or how your weekend was. No. Just sit down, I have something to show you.

She sat in his office chair and he leaned over his hand on the mouse. He said, Here is the MRI unit you and I worked on last week, but due to some high levels of vibration we had to make some modifications. This morning we were able to use it on a patient, he explained what had happened to the patient but continued with his description of the scan. Mariska looked up at him with her mouth open, he looked down and nodded for her to look at the screen.

He clicked the left mouse button on the play icon. The image and the sound started both at once, not much happened in the image as the patient was already in the machine. The familiar, deep bang, bang, bang, bang from inside the machine was unmistakable.

The image was stable and crystal clear, unlike the foggy image it showed before the weekend.

A faint hiss could also be heard from the air being blown over the patient's face.

The screens that had been added as a modification partly covered the front opening of the imager, there was a slight gap left so as not to cause any further stress for the patient in the form of claustrophobia. The front covers had been removed and a bar had been bolted to the mainframe to help in the stabilization.

As the video moved on second by second, the patient’s legs could be seen to twitch, the right leg drew up and then flopped down, it was very disturbing. Patients usually lie perfectly still, a few moments later, a nurse and a doctor come into view, the screens are pulled open, the patient is slid out of the machine and the doctor begins to pound on the patient's chest. The nurse goes off-screen but can be heard shouting for a crash cart. Code red! Code red!

Mariska and Dr. Bertrace watch the tape, Mariska in some discomfort as the doctor pressing on the patient's chest slowly eases up and steps back. The crash cart crew arrives but the doctor waves them off, the battle is lost, and the patient is gone. Then Dr. Bertrace steps into the frame. Mariska had forgotten that he had been there working on the machine. He looked up at the overhead camera, a strange look was on his face. Now she looked up at him as he stood next to her in his office.

Excitedly he asked her did you see, did you see?

Somewhat angrily she replied, see what, a person dying? not something I wanted to add to my already dreary start to the week.

No, no, no, watch it again, he leaned over and hit pause, dragged the video bar back to the start and clicked the right arrow play symbol. The video started again.

This time as the video progressed, Dr. Bertrace kept the mouse cursor hovering over the pause icon. The video came to the part where the patient began to twitch and raise a leg, it was at that moment that he hit the pause icon.

Now do you see, he asked Mariska.

There in the middle of the screen, rising toward the newly added magnetic screens was something she could not comprehend, or at least her mind could not.

She turned and looked at Dr. Bertrace, what is that coming out of the patient?".

I am not sure, said Dr. Bertrace, but, with your help, I would like to find out

Mariska looked back at the screen, a cloudy fog was rising from the patient's chest, the mist glowed, it held steady for an instant then shot forward toward the screens at the front of the machine. The mist stopped for an instant as if it had hit a barrier, then it seemed to find the gap and flashed downward and disappeared from the camera's view.

Chapter 3

Dr. Bertrace had been called into the Dean of Medicines office, so Mariska pulled out the research binder on the train propulsion system she had been working on. But it was no use, she could not get her mind off the image she had just seen on the screen.

Mariska was not a religious person per se, she was a scientist first, needing things proven to her before she would believe it to be true.

For example, the trick of levitation that David Blaine would perform, real science knows that human levitation was nigh on impossible, especially when the person levitating was standing up. No, the scientist in her could not accept what she saw.

The same skepticism applied here, could she believe what she saw, even though she did see it. This was going to take a lot more research.

The intercom on her desk phone buzzed, she tapped the answer button it was Dr. Bertrace, Mariska meet me in MRI ASAP, and we have another patient heading in for a scan and guess what their medical prognosis is not good.

This was getting more disturbing by the minute, Dr. Bertrace was becoming way too excited, and she knew he could become obsessed with projects at times, but this was edging toward the macabre.

Do I need to bring anything with me? Yes, he replied, bring your tablet and make sure the battery is charged, I want as much video footage I can get.

When she arrived in the MRI observation booth Dr. Bertrace was already glued to the monitors that showed the patient while in the MRI machine.

Mariska asked him What exactly are we looking for

The moment, the exact moment

What moment

Watch, if things do not go well for this patient during this procedure you may well find out

The nurse and the MRI lab technician came into the booth, they had prepped the patient.

The lab technician saw Dr. Bertrace and told him that they were going to run a standard scan on the patient's head and neck. That process would take around 45 minutes, then they would extract him from the machine and inject a dye into his bloodstream. They were looking for any type of blockage.

Yes yes, get on with it, Dr. Bertrace said impatiently.

He turned to Mariska and said I believe that we may be able to track the energy that creates the matrix of personality and individual identity, I believe that the energy is implanted at the time of conception or closely thereafter. The matrix is a combination of genetic energy as well as biological infusion from the parents. Then you must ask, where did that energy come from in the first place? Then where does it go when a vessel or body dies?

Mariska stared at the doctor; she could not believe what she had just heard. This was way outside the boundaries of their daily research, and she proceeded to tell the professor just that.

Doctor, we cannot just go off and do whatever we like and research whatever takes our interest, we have a clear project list that we must complete.

Doctor Bertrace to stared at his pupil, and sighed then he said: You do not have to assist me with this line of study and experiment if you do not wish, but I think you will once I have given you more to think about.

Mariska fidgeted on her stool and said can we talk about this later? I have to get this magnetic calculation done so I can get it to the resident engineer for testing today.

No problem, said the doctor, all I ask is that you give this some thought and if you have questions, which I am sure you will, we can talk about it later.

With that, she left the MRI department and returned to their lab.

Once again, Mariska found this to be very strange, she had worked for Doctor Bertrace for almost a year, she had never seen him so excited about a project they were working on.

Mariska opened her binder to the magnetic calculus page and began to look over the numbers. After a few minutes, she had read the same line of equations four or five times without understanding anything. With the theory that the doctor had put to her earlier, there was no way she could concentrate on anything.

She was raised in a small town in western Maryland. Her upbringing reflected in her work ethic, she was fastidious and detailed in all her work. Always on time with her projects, so this distraction was not what she needed at this critical point of the project she was working on.

Dr. Bertrace returned from the MRI department, he did not seem overly excited, so Mariska concluded that the scan had gone without incident.

Do you need help with your project? Is that the hydrogen-fueled electric propulsion system you are working on?

No, well yes, I am stuck but it’s mostly your fault, you have put thoughts in my head, and I can’t stop thinking about it.

The doctor could not help but smile and as he did so he turned away so that Mariska would not see.

Let me see your calculations, maybe I can help

It’s very complex, we have to match the magnetic force ratio with the weight of the payload at the same time that the hydrogen and electric propulsion system is pushing the train upwards of 500 miles per hour.

Purely math my dear, purely math.

Well not really, it includes math, physics, and some chemistry.

Chemistry? Where does that come in.

The hydrogen fuel cells, they have to react at speeds unknown before, the biggest fear is that the stress will overload them, and the system will overheat.

I see, well we are working on a maglev rail system, so friction is not an issue, the only obstruction I see is the wind resistance.

That’s exactly what I am working on now.

Then right out of the blue, he asked her Have you considered what happens to you after you die?

She looked up at him over the top of her glasses, seriously are we back to that?

Well, I can’t get it off my mind either, especially now that I witnessed some kind of anomaly at the moment that person died in the MRI machine.

I must admit that does have me thinking too, but I have to get these calculations off to the engineer so he can start to run tests.

OK, let’s work on it together, and maybe we can crack it in short order.

The doctor flipped the whiteboard on its easel, he took up a pen and started to write some calculations on the board. He had taken a page off the table and he was transferring the information to the board so they could both look at it.

Wow, for a moment there Doctor you reminded me of Sheldon Cooper, he liked to write his equations on a whiteboard when he was looking for a solution.

"Sheldon Cooper? The name does not ring a bell is he a resident here. A professor?

No silly, he is a character on a television sitcom.

‘Sorry never heard of him, he must be very bright though, this is an extremely useful method for working out mathematical formulae".

They pressed on for the next few hours and remarkably they came up with all the numbers and calculations they were looking for. Mariska combined all their analysis and statistics into one document and e-mailed it to the engineering department.

Well now that’s done we can get on with some real research, come on let’s take another look at that video of the MRI.

Dr. Bertrace