Isolated (Red vs Blue)

17: Strange Dreams

17: Strange Dreams

Not So Many Years Ago: Outpost Alpha/Blue Base (Blood Gulch)

After rescuing Tex, Church found himself drifting through a void. Everything was black and silent for what felt like an eternity. Every time he left the guys, something like this happened. It was almost like his soul didn't know where to go when he left the mortal plain. Drifting through the endless nothingness had to be one of the strangest feelings ever. Though confusion wasn't the only thing Church felt when he entered the void.

He felt tired. Exhausted. Manifesting himself seemed to take all his energy.

Being in the void helped him recover, but it felt like it took forever. Church hated being away from the guys for so long. While Tucker and Caboose had to be two of the most annoying people on the face of the planet, they were still his teammates. The two of them provided Church with just enough human interaction that he could more easily tolerate being stationed in the middle of nowhere. And with Tex also being in Blood Gulch, he had even more of a reason to get back faster. It'd been so long since Church had seen her; losing out on any time with the woman was the last thing he wanted.

However, the void felt different this time. Church spotted a light; it was small, leading him to believe it was far away. But the soldier felt drawn to it. The light seemed welcoming to him. Comforting and familiar. Yet there was also something off about it. Nothing like that had ever appeared for him in the blackness before. So why had it shown up now?

Deciding that questioning things was a waste of time, Church started heading for the light. He was running at first, but eventually had to slow to a walk. The closer he got to the light, the more tired he felt. But it didn't matter — he needed to see what was on the other side.

The soldier reached the light and almost fell to his knees. He felt weak and exhausted, but none of that mattered. Church was more determined to solve the mystery of the calming light. With one final push, he stepped through. . . .

There was a bright flash, then Church suddenly found himself in a small room. Everything was a soft, bluish white color; except for the floor and ceiling, which had a hint of black to them. He felt completely exhausted — more so than he'd ever felt in recent times. The soldier's brain felt clouded, like a thick fog had entered his brain and took over. It was getting hard to remember things. Where had he come from? Why was he here? What was the importance of this?

The sound of someone else entering the room caught his attention slightly. No one else had ever joined Church in the void before. At least, he didn't think anyone had — it was so hard to remember. He was almost certain he was always alone in the darkness.

A woman in black armor came into view. She stopped just in front of him, not saying a word. The two just stood, staring and not talking, for what seemed like an eternity. Why was she here? Who was she? The black clad woman seemed familiar, but the other soldier wasn't sure.

"Uh, hello," Church finally said. He sounded as tired as he felt. "Who . . . Who are you? Can I help you?"

"You mean you don't recognize me in here?" the woman asked. She paused for a moment, then laughed quietly to herself. "Of course you don't. I should've known you wouldn't."

"I'm sorry, have we met before? You seem really familiar — I just can't remember your name. And if I haven't actually met you before, my name's Church."