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Foreword Working with Ted to peel back the layers of deceptive illusions and probe the depths of consciousness required long hours of concentrated focus. The intense ordeal revealed a man of tremendous courage, willing to trust, willing repeat- edly to subject himself to the mental torture chamber in which the truth became reality. And even when that reality brought him close to an emotional crisis, Ted Rice persisted through agonizing hours of tears and recollections as he worked toward recovery and recognition. Through his unceasing effort and determination, we have all gained a greater understanding of this illusive alien relationship with humankind. Barbara Bartholic Tulsa, Oklahoma September 1994 Masquerade of Angels vi Introduction Destiny. Karma. God’s plan for your life. Whatever you want to call it, there is a force at work—or at large—in this world that can move us around like pieces on a boardgame. Most of us go through life thinking that we are in control of things, hardly aware of subtle touches from fate’s hand. In the disguise of coincidence, it rarely reveals itself. But in the lives of some people, these manipulations are more direct, more blatant, and often more terrifying than our worst nightmares. As a researcher into a phenomenon of highest strange- ness, the abduction of humans by non-human beings, I have talked with many sane people whose experiences include bizarre encounters with ‘alien’ entities performing physical procedures on them and delivering messages of predictions, warnings, and esoteric information. In most of these cases, alien encounters seem to be rare intrusions into an otherwise normal life. But in the case of Ted Rice, a gifted psychic, the pattern of planned manipulation in his life has been consistent. When I began investigating his experiences, I had no reason to think this case would be any different from hundreds of others. Delving into his background, however, I soon discovered that almost everything in his life had been shaped by an external force. Where he lived, the people he met, the work he per- formed, even the details of his dreams—all was directed toward molding Ted into a very unique individual, possessed of paranormal abilities, whose course through life has been propelled by the most extraordinary events. In the course of this investigation, Barbara Bartholic and I interviewed almost thirty people who had first-hand knowl- edge of Ted’s various experiences and who had in many Masquerade of Angels vii