Asleep

69 Masked

Charlie~~

I take Tye's and Avery's hands as Ricky takes my sister's. My heart thundering, I nod to Raymond and Nora who I will be returning for and rift the four of us into a supply closet in the dream's headquarters. They let go of my hands, and I notice Tye's are shaking while he double checks that his mask is tight around his nose and mouth.

Before I leave them, I sweep for the auras of any cameras, destroying them for as far as my mind will reach. That's only a few halls over.

They each have their weapons ready, and I take a brief moment to commit the three of them to memory. I'm not close with any of them—I know Tye far better than my sister—but in the few days that I've been working with them, they've all become friends to me. They're the people I'm trusting with my freedom. "Raise hell," I say and rift back to the Den.

Nora's pacing across the room, wringing her hands, Raymond no longer around. Seeing me, she stops. "Ready?"

In answer I hold out my hand, and she adjusts her mask before placing her palm in mine. My fingers tightening around her hand, I pull her close. "Let's see the world, Nora."

I rift us into the hallway where the control room is located. We're about twenty feet away from the room. The fabricated reality wouldn't let me get any closer. As Nora disables any cameras that aren't in the bounds of the fabricated reality, I head for the door and punch in the code needed to gain access.

From another part of the building, I hear shouting and gunfire.

It's just a dream, I tell myself. They can't be killed.

The door slides open, and Nora heads for the wall to the left where the holoscreen that houses the programs we need is located while I close the door. The holoscreen is as tall as her, and there are smaller holoscreens lining the walls throughout the room.

She sets to work, and I feel utterly useless with my racing heart and shaking hands and arms. Until she unweaves the fabricated reality, I can't destroy the cameras and mics in here. The only protection we have are our masks, which won't stump Dad or his employees long. The only weapons I have until I can manipulate the dream are my hands and legs. Maybe my head if I'm feeling particularly masochistic.

Outside, the shouting grows louder as if it's getting closer, and there is the sound of boots thudding against the floor.

Nora's hands fly over the screen, she doesn't falter, she doesn't hesitate. She practiced again and again with Raymond and me for this exact moment. Even a lost fraction of a second could cost us everything. Our memories, our lives, our bodies.

The door starts to slide open, and I jam my fingers onto the keyboard, trying to halt it. The door pauses, only open a few inches, but through it is the face of a guard, his gun aimed inside the room.

"Now!" Nora shouts.

I imagine the ground opening up and swallowing him. He drops into it as he fires, the bullet missing me and ricocheting off a metal desk across the room.

Closing the door, I step to the side as Nora, gun in hand, runs over, ready to cover for me. There are crackles and zaps in the air as she destroys the cameras and mics observing us. I reach deep into my mind, pulling at the threads of the details for the loop that will wake the master dreamer. I've already created the loop in my mind. I just need to breathe life into it.

In my head, I can see the form take shape, tall, slender, but faceless. The clothes are simple, jeans, a t-shirt. I don't have time to put anymore thought into them than that.

Nora breathes in sharply, and my eyes fly open, thinking she's hurt, but my eyes land on the woman before me, and I realize the reason for the sound she made.