This isn?t happening? this is only a dream. Brooklyn had to remind himself. The dream world he was experiencing was more intense than any other he had ever dreamed of before. Maybe it was muscle and nerve memory? He didn?t know for sure but, it would explain why he was familiar with the sounds and the smells of that world. He had relived that moment several times in his dreams. To say that the real-life events had left quite the impression on his mind was putting it lightly. Ask any soldier if they changed after coming back from a war and they will tell you yes and that, no matter how hard you try, you can?t really adjust back to a normal life afterwards. This was war and war is hell.
?If you?re going through hell, keep going.? -Winston Churchill.
He remembered the first time he had heard that quote. It was his mentor at New Horizons that had taught him it during his first year when ?Brooklyn? was still learning to cope with his abilities. He was a different person then and went by another name. One of the seniors had taken the freshman on as a ward at the recommendation of the headmaster of the school. Christopher Martinez had told him that when, during his first month, he had been subject to the ridicule of bullies.
Now, as he saw the school in front of him, it was a war zone. It was hell and the demons of Lucifer himself were storming past the gates and confronting the only protection the students had, their teachers who were using their own gifts to try to keep them at bay. They were falling left and right, sheer numbers breaking through their protections. Brooklyn had fallen victim to that type of attack in video games before repeatedly and knew that very soon the school would fall. The students around him saw it too and were growing anxious. They knew, as he did, that if the school fell they would be subject to experimentation; and no one, not their parents or any local officials would come to their rescue. The military was too clean in their methods. A cover story was already in place and everything would easily be explained as a ?terrorist attack?.
???
?Still think that we can live in peace and harmony with them, Nathan?? the voice of Rico Robertson called out next to him. ?Still think that we can just pretend like this isn?t happening.? The voice continued as they watched the scene unfold before them from the little safety they had in one of the classrooms.
?This is not what they all think, Rico,? Brooklyn heard the words in his mind before his voice said them. His voice sounded younger than it was now, it lacked the confidence that he had as an adult and at the moment was full of fear. A fear that intensified as a thunderous noise echoed outside of the building they had taken refuge in. The window to the outside world vibrating in such a fashion that there was no doubt it would break soon. ?But we do need to stop this..? he added in a low tone as he looked around at his other classmates. His girlfriend Jasmine, looked back at him and her brow rose up inquisitively.
?You?re not going out there?? she asked and looked out the window. ?Nathaniel, they told us to stay put in here,? she continued and looked around at the other students who, by now, had already started to get antsy of waiting for the coming onslaught.
The dream played on as it as the real life events had gone. The decision made to go and help. The loud noises of explosions around him. The school being riddled by bullets; certain areas having holes being blown into the walls. The students going out to join the fight. In the middle of it all was a teenager named Nathaniel that was using his abilities to coordinate everyone at once. There were casualties on both sides and in the end he found himself staring down a machine.
To say that it looked like a tank was putting it lightly, it was quite the behemoth, slightly larger than a Norwegian CV90 but missing the thin rotating turret, instead a transmitter was mounted to the top of the vehicle. Covered in the traditional camouflage colors utilized by the military, it stuck out like a sore thumb at the entrance of the school grounds. It was the transmitter that had grabbed his attention during the battle. Something about it was beckoning him forward to the machine.
Behind him he could still hear the screams of people (he couldn?t tell anymore if it was a student, teacher or soldier), it didn?t matter anymore to him because he had been drawn to this spot and he was not going to let himself be distracted as continued to walk, oblivious to the few soldiers guarding the vehicle that suddenly dropped, holding their hands to their heads as if they were about to explode, when he walked close to them.
Though he didn?t feel it at the time, the dream world intensified the power he felt surging through his body as with a motion of his hand the steel door that led into the ?tank? was thrown open with such a force that it nearly ripped it off the hinges. He felt a sense of tunnel vision come over him as he peered into the darkness, the only lighting within the machine was a dull red glow. ?What? is this?? he thought to himself, oblivious of his motions as he stepped up the few steps that led into the belly of the beast.
The answer was something that, to this day, repulsed him and would make him shake with rage. Strapped down to a metal slab that was built into the wall, body wrapped in a plastic wrap that restrained it from motion, was his friend and mentor Christopher. A series of cables were plugged somehow into his skull, IV needles also were fed into his wrists, presumably, to keep him sedated. His once tanned skin had gone pale, head shaved and body a little thinner from malnourishment but there was no doubt to Nathan that it was his friend. He made the assumption that the reason he had been drawn to the transmitter like a moth to a light was because Christopher had been connected to it.
?Chris! What did they do to you?? he sent the request telepathically, knowing that as sedated as he seemed, Christopher was not going to answer him physically. ?Chris!? Nathan screamed again with an intensity that garnered a spike in the brain-wave monitor that was attached to his friend. ?Hang on, buddy.. I?m going to get you out of here!? Nathan called out, vocalizing his thoughts as well this time as he started to carefully study everything that was connected to the body. He followed one of the wires and saw that it was attached to a port in a computer. ?Alright.. Well that doesn?t seem too vital..? he thought to himself as he unplugged the cable from the computer.
The pattern on the monitor spiked, greater this time than before but nothing else happened.
?Alright? there is one,? Nathaniel muttered before placing his hand on Christopher?s head. ?Buddy, if you can hear me? I could use your help.? Nathaniel?s tried to transmit his words to his friend again only to be met by what could best be described as a foggy mist. ?Damn it, Christopher? I can?t do this alone!? he growled out and placed both of his hands on his friends head and forced himself into Christopher?s mind?
?
He was surrounded by a dense fog, swirling grey clouds dancing around him obscuring anything from his vision. ?Hello?” He called out, his voice echoing in the vast expanse of fog as if he were inside a gigantic cavern. The only response he got for a moment was his own voice calling out to him faintly. ?Chris, I?m here!? He stated the obvious as he dared to venture forward into the fog.
He felt like he had traveled no more than thirty meters when he saw a feint pulsating red glow. ?Chris?? Nathaniel asked again, hoping he would get an answer this time.
?You shouldn?t have come in here, Nate.? A voice familiar to him growled out. ?I?m not myself.? Chris?s baritone called out as the red glow started to concentrate itself into two distinct orbs. After a moment a figure appeared through the fog.
Nathaniel peered into the foggy mist as the figure seemed to materialize. It looked like Christopher but there was something remarkably different about him. Chris?s features seemed sharper than normal, his eye color, though red, had a digitized feel to them. Even the clothing he wore seemed unnatural, it was too clean, too straight. It was different than the other times they had met in this plane before. ?Chris, I?m here to save you. What did they do to you??
Christopher let out a deep chuckle, the sound of it sending a piercing stab through Nathaniel?s heart. ?Save me? Nate, that?s laughable at best,? his tone was insulting and performed their desired effect as Nathan took a step back from the words alone. ?You?re the one who is going to need saving, Nate.? He said as he started to move forward. ?And that is what I?m here to do. All of the suffering, the need to hide.. The lies to your parents. All of that ends now. It?s why they sent me here to get you.?
?Chris, you?re not making sense,? Nathaniel replied and took another step back. ?Who did this to you?? He asked as a little voice called out in his head that he should start to put up some defenses and quickly.
?The same people who are going to help you, Nate. The same ones who are going to give your life a new purpose,? Christopher?s hand reached out as he neared.
?Chris, please, I don?t want to hurt you. I am only here to help you out of this machine,? Nathaniel pleaded as he took another step back. ?Don?t come any closer?? the voice called out to him again to not be stupid and put up his shields.
?Hurt me? Nate, I know you and what you are capable of. Nothing that you can do will possibly hurt me,? Chris stated as he closed the distance and reached out to place his right on Nathaniel?s arm. ?Besides, I am the machine and the machine is me. And soon, you will be too,? his hand pressed against Nathaniel?s arm only to find that it was protected by a very strong, diamond like substance. ?Oh, come on now, Nate. You and I know that isn?t going to protect you for very long.?
Nathaniel knew that he was in quite the predicament, Chris?s grip on him was stronger than previous times. The last time that he had challenged his mentor in such a fashion it had been a rather long and tiring battle. In the end, Chris had won out, just barely, but this time he seemed stronger and more determined to break through Nathaniel?s protective layers and the layers he had put up spontaneously were already starting to crack and give way. ?Chris, listen to me! I don?t know what they did to you, but you don?t have to do this!? Nathaniel pleaded with him as he felt crack after crack appear over his shielding until it seemed like little more than a delicate spider web mounted in a pane of glass. ?Please let me help you!?
?Aww, is the little child in need of help again?? another voice rang out in Nathaniel?s ears. This one was intimately familiar to him. Even in the dream state, Brooklyn knew that it was his own voice.
?Oh god, not you! No, go away!? Nathaniel answered back as he struggled with the futility of trying to reinforce his shielding.
?What?s the matter, kid? You used me last year when times were tough and we made a good team.?
?I said no! Last year you nearly made me kill Rico! I barely wrestled control away from you before you tried to kill him!?
?Surrender to it, Nate. You?re only making it harder on yourself. Trust me, I know. In the end, the drugs will take away the pain and you will feel complete when they turn you on for the first time,? Chris?s voice taunted him as he gripped Nathaniel with both hands now as if trying to squeeze the shielding right off of his body.
?Yeah, kid, surrender to it. Or surrender to me and live, it?s one of two choices.?
?I?m not going to let you kill him!?
?Fine, I promise I won?t kill him but will you let me help you already? I have just as much to worry about here as you do!?
?Just think of the good times we will have together again, Nate. You and I, always connected and in control of their cool toys. You always enjoyed flying, imagine what it feels like to actually BE the plane and not some lowly passenger stuck inside of it,? Chris?s voice continued to taunt as he caused yet another crack to appear. ?It?s going to feel incredible, I promise. Just stop fighting it and you will see how it feels.?
?I reckon that we have about twenty seconds until we are BOTH screwed, Nathan. It?s now or never.?
?Swear to me, swear to me that you aren?t going to kill him.?
?I promise I will do my best to not kill him. I?m afraid though that it might be too late for that.?
?Promise you won?t kill him!?
?I said I would do my best to not kill him.. More than that you aren?t getting.?
???
The shielding went down completely and Christopher let out a chuckle. ?I knew you would eventually come around to see things my way, Nate.?
Nathaniel?s eyes stared blankly at Christopher?s for a moment. ?You were right, Chris. I just needed to surrender to the inevitable. I?m ready now.?
?Wonderful,? Chris tightened his grip harder on Nathaniel?s arms and smiled sinisterly at him. ?I promise you are just going to feel a small prick and then it?s not going to hurt at all.?
Nathaniel?s lips turned into a smirk as a light began to form around him. ?You?re wrong, Chris. This is going to hurt. And it is going to hurt a lot,? the words were just barely out of his mouth before an explosion formed between the two of them that sent both of their bodies flying back. While Nathaniel?s body seemed relatively unscathed, Christopher?s seemed to be burn to a crisp before it slowly started to flake away.
?You promised you would do your best to not kill him!?
?Relax, kid. I only did what needed to be done. You can take control now.?
As the fog started to clear in front of him as a result of the explosion, Nathaniel could see the outline of Christopher?s broken body several feet away. Gone were the sharpened features instead, this body, looked like a reflection of what was laying down on the metal slab. ?Chris??
?Nate? you came for me,? Chris?s voice was very weak now and it seemed to be fading even as he spoke those few words.
?Chris, what happened to you?? Nate asked as he rushed over and knelt by his side.
?Nate, I don?t have much time? help me up.? Chris asked as a small white dot appeared several meters away.
?Chris, I?m going to get you out of here, everything is going to be okay,? Nate added, his voice pleading for his friend to hold on as he helped him get to his feet.
?It?s too late for me Nate,? Chris replied as he pointed to the white dot that was slowly starting to expand, by now it had grown to be the size of a fist. ?I need you to shut up and listen.?
Nathaniel looked over to the white dot and nodded quickly. He had seen this before and was all too familiar with what was happening. ?Chris, you?re going to pull through this, but say what you have to say!?
Christopher explained to him about the trip he had taken on the headmasters orders to South America, the weapons manufacturing plant that was in Brazil where the machines were built. Image after image flooded into Nathaniel?s mind of the trip, a trek through the jungle, the way Chris had snuck onto the property and the access tunnel he had used to get into the actual facility. Everything right up to his capture and the process used to connect him to the machine was shown to Nathaniel.
?Nathaniel, for a short bit I was able to do things that they didn?t know about. The fight here at the school? I was able to transmit some video footage to one of the news networks. It?s the only way I could figure out to stop it from happening. The school won?t be able to repel another assault like this.? Chris?s voice was starting to go completely as the white hole had grown to almost half the size of a standard door. ?You need to make sure that this doesn?t happen again. Make sure those machines and that plant are destroyed before it is too late.?
?Chris, you?re asking the impossible. I?m just a teenager, how the hell am I going to get there?? Nathaniel asked before looking at the white door that was now as large as it needed to be for a man to walk through comfortably.
?There?s a woman who helped me, a brunette named Orianna. She works for some guy with a French name.. Du?ma-something or another. Check your email, you should get something from them soon. I told them to message you if they didn?t hear back from me in two weeks. It?s almost been that long. ?
?Chris, please? don?t go through there. I?m sure there is way you can pull through this,? Nathaniel pleaded as he saw his friend start to walk towards the white doorway.
?Nathan, you and I have both walked other people through this door before. Each time we have been afraid of what was beyond and have tried unsuccessfully to bring them back. I?m not afraid of this anymore. You need to go back now and help the others recover.. My time is up.? Christopher spoke his last words to Nathaniel before he was engulfed in the white light before the doorway suddenly closed, darkness suddenly engulfing Nathaniel.
??.
Current Day:
Brooklyn woke up from the nightmare gasped out for breath, his body drenched in sweat. Whether it was from the dream or from the micro-furnace that was curled up sleeping soundly next to him, he didn?t know. What he did know is that he had not experienced that moment in such a fashion since when it really happened.
?What?s the matter, Brooklyn? The ghosts of your past starting to haunt you?? It was a younger voice that was taunting him now. ?You see the happiness that I had with Jasmine with her and are afraid that it?s going to end for you??
?Shut up, Nathaniel? everything I?ve done has kept us alive so far. Don?t ruin it now.?
Brooklyn ignored the protest from the little voice inside of his head and buried it deep in the prison that was his own mind. He turned to look over at Violetta and a soft smile formed on his face before he leaned over and gave her a kiss on her forehead, right before he snuck out of bed to go practice his early morning meditations.
?If you?re going through hell, keep going.? -Winston Churchill.
He remembered the first time he had heard that quote. It was his mentor at New Horizons that had taught him it during his first year when ?Brooklyn? was still learning to cope with his abilities. He was a different person then and went by another name. One of the seniors had taken the freshman on as a ward at the recommendation of the headmaster of the school. Christopher Martinez had told him that when, during his first month, he had been subject to the ridicule of bullies.
Now, as he saw the school in front of him, it was a war zone. It was hell and the demons of Lucifer himself were storming past the gates and confronting the only protection the students had, their teachers who were using their own gifts to try to keep them at bay. They were falling left and right, sheer numbers breaking through their protections. Brooklyn had fallen victim to that type of attack in video games before repeatedly and knew that very soon the school would fall. The students around him saw it too and were growing anxious. They knew, as he did, that if the school fell they would be subject to experimentation; and no one, not their parents or any local officials would come to their rescue. The military was too clean in their methods. A cover story was already in place and everything would easily be explained as a ?terrorist attack?.
???
?Still think that we can live in peace and harmony with them, Nathan?? the voice of Rico Robertson called out next to him. ?Still think that we can just pretend like this isn?t happening.? The voice continued as they watched the scene unfold before them from the little safety they had in one of the classrooms.
?This is not what they all think, Rico,? Brooklyn heard the words in his mind before his voice said them. His voice sounded younger than it was now, it lacked the confidence that he had as an adult and at the moment was full of fear. A fear that intensified as a thunderous noise echoed outside of the building they had taken refuge in. The window to the outside world vibrating in such a fashion that there was no doubt it would break soon. ?But we do need to stop this..? he added in a low tone as he looked around at his other classmates. His girlfriend Jasmine, looked back at him and her brow rose up inquisitively.
?You?re not going out there?? she asked and looked out the window. ?Nathaniel, they told us to stay put in here,? she continued and looked around at the other students who, by now, had already started to get antsy of waiting for the coming onslaught.
The dream played on as it as the real life events had gone. The decision made to go and help. The loud noises of explosions around him. The school being riddled by bullets; certain areas having holes being blown into the walls. The students going out to join the fight. In the middle of it all was a teenager named Nathaniel that was using his abilities to coordinate everyone at once. There were casualties on both sides and in the end he found himself staring down a machine.
To say that it looked like a tank was putting it lightly, it was quite the behemoth, slightly larger than a Norwegian CV90 but missing the thin rotating turret, instead a transmitter was mounted to the top of the vehicle. Covered in the traditional camouflage colors utilized by the military, it stuck out like a sore thumb at the entrance of the school grounds. It was the transmitter that had grabbed his attention during the battle. Something about it was beckoning him forward to the machine.
Behind him he could still hear the screams of people (he couldn?t tell anymore if it was a student, teacher or soldier), it didn?t matter anymore to him because he had been drawn to this spot and he was not going to let himself be distracted as continued to walk, oblivious to the few soldiers guarding the vehicle that suddenly dropped, holding their hands to their heads as if they were about to explode, when he walked close to them.
Though he didn?t feel it at the time, the dream world intensified the power he felt surging through his body as with a motion of his hand the steel door that led into the ?tank? was thrown open with such a force that it nearly ripped it off the hinges. He felt a sense of tunnel vision come over him as he peered into the darkness, the only lighting within the machine was a dull red glow. ?What? is this?? he thought to himself, oblivious of his motions as he stepped up the few steps that led into the belly of the beast.
The answer was something that, to this day, repulsed him and would make him shake with rage. Strapped down to a metal slab that was built into the wall, body wrapped in a plastic wrap that restrained it from motion, was his friend and mentor Christopher. A series of cables were plugged somehow into his skull, IV needles also were fed into his wrists, presumably, to keep him sedated. His once tanned skin had gone pale, head shaved and body a little thinner from malnourishment but there was no doubt to Nathan that it was his friend. He made the assumption that the reason he had been drawn to the transmitter like a moth to a light was because Christopher had been connected to it.
?Chris! What did they do to you?? he sent the request telepathically, knowing that as sedated as he seemed, Christopher was not going to answer him physically. ?Chris!? Nathan screamed again with an intensity that garnered a spike in the brain-wave monitor that was attached to his friend. ?Hang on, buddy.. I?m going to get you out of here!? Nathan called out, vocalizing his thoughts as well this time as he started to carefully study everything that was connected to the body. He followed one of the wires and saw that it was attached to a port in a computer. ?Alright.. Well that doesn?t seem too vital..? he thought to himself as he unplugged the cable from the computer.
The pattern on the monitor spiked, greater this time than before but nothing else happened.
?Alright? there is one,? Nathaniel muttered before placing his hand on Christopher?s head. ?Buddy, if you can hear me? I could use your help.? Nathaniel?s tried to transmit his words to his friend again only to be met by what could best be described as a foggy mist. ?Damn it, Christopher? I can?t do this alone!? he growled out and placed both of his hands on his friends head and forced himself into Christopher?s mind?
?
He was surrounded by a dense fog, swirling grey clouds dancing around him obscuring anything from his vision. ?Hello?” He called out, his voice echoing in the vast expanse of fog as if he were inside a gigantic cavern. The only response he got for a moment was his own voice calling out to him faintly. ?Chris, I?m here!? He stated the obvious as he dared to venture forward into the fog.
He felt like he had traveled no more than thirty meters when he saw a feint pulsating red glow. ?Chris?? Nathaniel asked again, hoping he would get an answer this time.
?You shouldn?t have come in here, Nate.? A voice familiar to him growled out. ?I?m not myself.? Chris?s baritone called out as the red glow started to concentrate itself into two distinct orbs. After a moment a figure appeared through the fog.
Nathaniel peered into the foggy mist as the figure seemed to materialize. It looked like Christopher but there was something remarkably different about him. Chris?s features seemed sharper than normal, his eye color, though red, had a digitized feel to them. Even the clothing he wore seemed unnatural, it was too clean, too straight. It was different than the other times they had met in this plane before. ?Chris, I?m here to save you. What did they do to you??
Christopher let out a deep chuckle, the sound of it sending a piercing stab through Nathaniel?s heart. ?Save me? Nate, that?s laughable at best,? his tone was insulting and performed their desired effect as Nathan took a step back from the words alone. ?You?re the one who is going to need saving, Nate.? He said as he started to move forward. ?And that is what I?m here to do. All of the suffering, the need to hide.. The lies to your parents. All of that ends now. It?s why they sent me here to get you.?
?Chris, you?re not making sense,? Nathaniel replied and took another step back. ?Who did this to you?? He asked as a little voice called out in his head that he should start to put up some defenses and quickly.
?The same people who are going to help you, Nate. The same ones who are going to give your life a new purpose,? Christopher?s hand reached out as he neared.
?Chris, please, I don?t want to hurt you. I am only here to help you out of this machine,? Nathaniel pleaded as he took another step back. ?Don?t come any closer?? the voice called out to him again to not be stupid and put up his shields.
?Hurt me? Nate, I know you and what you are capable of. Nothing that you can do will possibly hurt me,? Chris stated as he closed the distance and reached out to place his right on Nathaniel?s arm. ?Besides, I am the machine and the machine is me. And soon, you will be too,? his hand pressed against Nathaniel?s arm only to find that it was protected by a very strong, diamond like substance. ?Oh, come on now, Nate. You and I know that isn?t going to protect you for very long.?
Nathaniel knew that he was in quite the predicament, Chris?s grip on him was stronger than previous times. The last time that he had challenged his mentor in such a fashion it had been a rather long and tiring battle. In the end, Chris had won out, just barely, but this time he seemed stronger and more determined to break through Nathaniel?s protective layers and the layers he had put up spontaneously were already starting to crack and give way. ?Chris, listen to me! I don?t know what they did to you, but you don?t have to do this!? Nathaniel pleaded with him as he felt crack after crack appear over his shielding until it seemed like little more than a delicate spider web mounted in a pane of glass. ?Please let me help you!?
?Aww, is the little child in need of help again?? another voice rang out in Nathaniel?s ears. This one was intimately familiar to him. Even in the dream state, Brooklyn knew that it was his own voice.
?Oh god, not you! No, go away!? Nathaniel answered back as he struggled with the futility of trying to reinforce his shielding.
?What?s the matter, kid? You used me last year when times were tough and we made a good team.?
?I said no! Last year you nearly made me kill Rico! I barely wrestled control away from you before you tried to kill him!?
?Surrender to it, Nate. You?re only making it harder on yourself. Trust me, I know. In the end, the drugs will take away the pain and you will feel complete when they turn you on for the first time,? Chris?s voice taunted him as he gripped Nathaniel with both hands now as if trying to squeeze the shielding right off of his body.
?Yeah, kid, surrender to it. Or surrender to me and live, it?s one of two choices.?
?I?m not going to let you kill him!?
?Fine, I promise I won?t kill him but will you let me help you already? I have just as much to worry about here as you do!?
?Just think of the good times we will have together again, Nate. You and I, always connected and in control of their cool toys. You always enjoyed flying, imagine what it feels like to actually BE the plane and not some lowly passenger stuck inside of it,? Chris?s voice continued to taunt as he caused yet another crack to appear. ?It?s going to feel incredible, I promise. Just stop fighting it and you will see how it feels.?
?I reckon that we have about twenty seconds until we are BOTH screwed, Nathan. It?s now or never.?
?Swear to me, swear to me that you aren?t going to kill him.?
?I promise I will do my best to not kill him. I?m afraid though that it might be too late for that.?
?Promise you won?t kill him!?
?I said I would do my best to not kill him.. More than that you aren?t getting.?
???
The shielding went down completely and Christopher let out a chuckle. ?I knew you would eventually come around to see things my way, Nate.?
Nathaniel?s eyes stared blankly at Christopher?s for a moment. ?You were right, Chris. I just needed to surrender to the inevitable. I?m ready now.?
?Wonderful,? Chris tightened his grip harder on Nathaniel?s arms and smiled sinisterly at him. ?I promise you are just going to feel a small prick and then it?s not going to hurt at all.?
Nathaniel?s lips turned into a smirk as a light began to form around him. ?You?re wrong, Chris. This is going to hurt. And it is going to hurt a lot,? the words were just barely out of his mouth before an explosion formed between the two of them that sent both of their bodies flying back. While Nathaniel?s body seemed relatively unscathed, Christopher?s seemed to be burn to a crisp before it slowly started to flake away.
?You promised you would do your best to not kill him!?
?Relax, kid. I only did what needed to be done. You can take control now.?
As the fog started to clear in front of him as a result of the explosion, Nathaniel could see the outline of Christopher?s broken body several feet away. Gone were the sharpened features instead, this body, looked like a reflection of what was laying down on the metal slab. ?Chris??
?Nate? you came for me,? Chris?s voice was very weak now and it seemed to be fading even as he spoke those few words.
?Chris, what happened to you?? Nate asked as he rushed over and knelt by his side.
?Nate, I don?t have much time? help me up.? Chris asked as a small white dot appeared several meters away.
?Chris, I?m going to get you out of here, everything is going to be okay,? Nate added, his voice pleading for his friend to hold on as he helped him get to his feet.
?It?s too late for me Nate,? Chris replied as he pointed to the white dot that was slowly starting to expand, by now it had grown to be the size of a fist. ?I need you to shut up and listen.?
Nathaniel looked over to the white dot and nodded quickly. He had seen this before and was all too familiar with what was happening. ?Chris, you?re going to pull through this, but say what you have to say!?
Christopher explained to him about the trip he had taken on the headmasters orders to South America, the weapons manufacturing plant that was in Brazil where the machines were built. Image after image flooded into Nathaniel?s mind of the trip, a trek through the jungle, the way Chris had snuck onto the property and the access tunnel he had used to get into the actual facility. Everything right up to his capture and the process used to connect him to the machine was shown to Nathaniel.
?Nathaniel, for a short bit I was able to do things that they didn?t know about. The fight here at the school? I was able to transmit some video footage to one of the news networks. It?s the only way I could figure out to stop it from happening. The school won?t be able to repel another assault like this.? Chris?s voice was starting to go completely as the white hole had grown to almost half the size of a standard door. ?You need to make sure that this doesn?t happen again. Make sure those machines and that plant are destroyed before it is too late.?
?Chris, you?re asking the impossible. I?m just a teenager, how the hell am I going to get there?? Nathaniel asked before looking at the white door that was now as large as it needed to be for a man to walk through comfortably.
?There?s a woman who helped me, a brunette named Orianna. She works for some guy with a French name.. Du?ma-something or another. Check your email, you should get something from them soon. I told them to message you if they didn?t hear back from me in two weeks. It?s almost been that long. ?
?Chris, please? don?t go through there. I?m sure there is way you can pull through this,? Nathaniel pleaded as he saw his friend start to walk towards the white doorway.
?Nathan, you and I have both walked other people through this door before. Each time we have been afraid of what was beyond and have tried unsuccessfully to bring them back. I?m not afraid of this anymore. You need to go back now and help the others recover.. My time is up.? Christopher spoke his last words to Nathaniel before he was engulfed in the white light before the doorway suddenly closed, darkness suddenly engulfing Nathaniel.
??.
Current Day:
Brooklyn woke up from the nightmare gasped out for breath, his body drenched in sweat. Whether it was from the dream or from the micro-furnace that was curled up sleeping soundly next to him, he didn?t know. What he did know is that he had not experienced that moment in such a fashion since when it really happened.
?What?s the matter, Brooklyn? The ghosts of your past starting to haunt you?? It was a younger voice that was taunting him now. ?You see the happiness that I had with Jasmine with her and are afraid that it?s going to end for you??
?Shut up, Nathaniel? everything I?ve done has kept us alive so far. Don?t ruin it now.?
Brooklyn ignored the protest from the little voice inside of his head and buried it deep in the prison that was his own mind. He turned to look over at Violetta and a soft smile formed on his face before he leaned over and gave her a kiss on her forehead, right before he snuck out of bed to go practice his early morning meditations.