Rift

Chapter 17: Go Through the Motions

Warning: This chapter contains themes of depression and suicide.

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Sleep has been a touch and go process for Naomi ever since the destruction of Aramora. Something about that everlasting feeling of hopelessness. Of realizing everything they had worked for only quickened the end. Of realizing yet another friend had been lost.

But one of the most frustrating parts of all of this is these visions. What triggers them? What deems one future or past event necessary for her to see? She saw the destruction of Aramora before it happened. She saw Lavern's death.

So why didn't she see Cree's?

She may not have known him as well as the rest of their group had, but it still hurts. It hurts seeing everyone in shambles. If she had seen it coming, maybe she could have done something to prevent it.

But she saw nothing.

And instead, now that it's already too late, her mind pulls her into a different vision. An echo of the past.

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Standing in a dark room. Blinking blue lights line the walls, flickering as they dim. The second brightest light is on the floor, a faint blue glow in the shape of a tree made of circuits.

Then the brightest light casts from a pair of glowing green eyes across the dark room. The eyes of a man she recognizes as Colin.

No. He wasn't always Colin.

This is Alain.

The SRL is standing over a white table, intricately working on something. As Naomi approaches, she sees what has his attention.

It takes her a moment at first to understand what she's looking at, but the features are clear enough to know that this is the first model of Edith, before she became a Bio SRL.

A terminal beside the table emits a quiet beep.

Alain and Naomi both look to the device and see displayed on the screen is "Finalize M.S.C.U. data transfer? This process will result in permanent loss of the specified data."

Alain nods to the device. "Yes."

The terminal blinks and a small chip springs out the side. Alain pulls it out and turns to Edith on the table, carefully lifting her head in one hand while holding the chip in the other.

He delicately sticks the chip into the back of her skull as if inserting a token into a slot machine. There's a faint hum, when Alain gasps and holds the side of his head. His eyes flash brighter green for a moment when he shuts them and takes a deep breath.

When he opens them again, Naomi feels as though he is staring directly at her but she knows he can't. This is a memory.

Something in his eyes, however, seems different. Like something was just lost in whatever he did.

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Naomi shambles downstairs and to the kitchen, where Nisha and Malachi sit around in heavy silence but they both turn and look at her as she enters. Waking up from those vision dream hell holes is never fun, but experiencing them is even worse. Like a weird magical science hangover.

"You alright, kid?" Malachi asks as the girl flops down into the seat next to Nisha and she hits her forehead on the table with a low groan.

"I know removing 'Augmentations' or whatever is deadly or makes people insane or some bullshit, but I'm starting to consider those options preferable," she mumbles.