Episode 9: Dream Weaver
The strange dream-like world where I found myself was hard to focus on. The walls of the room seemed to shimmer and at times disappeared completely. Whispers were everywhere, none prominent, all somewhere in the background. As I walked forward the scenery moved by quickly.
I was holding a red notebook. It felt important to me but I had no idea why. A man approached and tried to take the book from me. I held it close to my chest and scurried away. I didn't know why I was protective of a book I knew nothing about.
I didn't know where I was going, but I just kept moving. I made it outside and found a French looking bistro. People were sitting at tables. They flickered in and out like bad reception on an old television. They were there but they really weren't there. The only thing I knew for certain was that only I seemed to be completely in the world.
A man approached from the distance who also seemed as solid as I was. I walked toward him, but I lost my balance stumbling forward a few steps. Somehow those few steps moved me miles away. I looked around. The man was nowhere to be seen, neither was the bistro. The landscape was now filled with dying fields of wheat. The color of everything washed out and appeared a strange glowing amber/tan shade.
"Where am I," I whispered, but the sound of my voice wasn't soft. It was like a sonic boom.
Held the hand over my mouth in horror. How had I done that?
My eyes watered as I pondered the only question that kept coming into my mind. Where was I?
***
Jared Watson had never seen such a fragmented reality before. His only explanation was that the two incompatible nanites had damaged her in some way. He had almost caught up to her but immediately lost her again.
He was connected to section 57 through an internal link. His controller spoke in his ear through a wireless device created by A51 techs.
"Dude, I am I receiving this right? Everything seems strangely off-center. Ozzie Ladd was watching from back at section 57.
"I think the incompatibility between the nanites somehow damaged her dreaming mind." Jared checked the electronic device he held in his hand. He turned and moved toward where the blip indicated Taffy was located.
"Her dream reality has been fragmented," Jared said.
Can you repair it?" Ozzie asked. "From where I'm sitting at doesn't look like an easy task."
"If I can find where the split began, I may be able to save her," Jared said.
"And if you can't."
"She maybe stuck in the dream state forever."
***
"What are you doing," Carter said to Penny
"Snooping would be the operative word. And FYI, Indian dude is not in there," Penny said.
"What?" Carter threw the door open. Taffy was lying on the bed paler than anyone should have a right to be. He felt for her pulse. "It's too low. Call Clarke. He needs to be here to help her."
Penny grabbed for the in-house phone on the bedside table. She tapped the connection. "It's dead." She came back to Taffy's side and gave Carter side glance. "You know something. Spill it. Who's the Indian guy?" Carter sighed.
"He's a Watcher for section 57. They keep track of all of us. Jared only follows the lives of special people. Taffy must be one of them."
Penny noticed something on the side of Taffy's temple. It almost looked like a tracking device. "What's this?"
Carter touched it and felt the world around him slow down. The fake trees of the Concourse blinked in and out of existence.
"Focus, Taffy," he said barely speaking above a whisper. "Bring everything back into focus."
It had been years since he had traveled into someone's dreams. Carter never thought he'd do it again, especially while he was fully awake.
"Taffy. Come and find me. Bring me to you," Carter said.
