Jupiter [Marvel Phase I]

two.

It was raining that morning, just like the day before. Not in the least shocking; bad weather was just another fact of life in London. Jenn knew by now not to hold out hope for the possibility that it would clear up by the time she had finished her classes.

Buildings and people blurred past as Jenn watched them through the rain-slicked passenger window. She was a particular type of quiet this morning. Even under normal circumstances, her recent wake up time and lack of caffeine didn't make her the chattiest person. Today, it was something else.

Dreams didn't stick with her like this. If she did dream, the images would fade by breakfast. But this one - it felt like she wouldn't be able to forget if she tried. Flashes of the dream replaced the view outside her window. An endless maze of corridors, red flashing lights, the blaring sound of an emergency siren...

"Are you feeling alright there, Jenn?" Harry's voice broke into her thoughts. Images of smoke-filled hallways faded to rain-soaked pavement. When Jenn turned, she found Harry staring at her.

Jenn heaved a sigh, unable to meet that concerned look. He could always read her, whether she'd said something or not. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," she said. "Didn't really sleep well last night."

"Was it the nightmare?" Harry's response was immediate. "The one about the crash?"

Harry's questions came with a whole new set of images, and Jenn had to blink to clear them. "No. Not exactly- I mean, it was definitely a nightmare, but-" she began.

"You're supposed to tell me if you have that dream," Harry cut her off. He was speaking so quickly, it was like he hadn't heard her at all. "You know you're supposed to-"

With Jenn's cry of "Harry, enough!" the car fell silent. That seemed to do the trick. Harry could get so caught up in his own head. Now that he seemed finally ready to listen, Jenn went on. "God, Harry, I know I'm supposed to tell you. And you know I always do. But this one wasn't about the crash, so I didn't, alright?"

Silence filled the car again. Jenn's gaze was fixed on the view outside the window, but she swore she could hear Harry thinking next to her. "Well, I might not be Doctor Ingram, but would you be willing to talk to me about it?" He asked after a moment's pause.

"Sure," Jenn gave a resigned shrug, sinking back into her seat. She wrapped her arms around herself. "It's not- I dunno. Maybe it wasn't a nightmare. It wasn't anything that should've been scary, but..."

"Whatever it was, you certainly jumped awake this morning," Harry said. After receiving a glare from Jenn, he quickly backpedaled. "I'm not doubting you. Anything can provoke a fear response in an unconscious state. And since nightmares generally occur between late-stage REM and deep non-REM sleep, they can be particularly vivid. Not to mention activity is heightened in the amygdala during these stages, elevating-"

"Elevating said fear response - yes, I know," Jenn finished for him. This was a lecture she'd gotten many times before. There were times when Harry's way of rationalizing things with science was a comfort. Right now, it just felt patronizing.

Harry let out a great sigh. "I'm sorry, Jenn. You know I'm rubbish at...this," he said eventually. "But whatever it was, my promise still holds."

As Jenn debated the relative merits of telling him everything, her hand began to wander to her left wrist. On it was a thin, silver band that looked almost like a smart watch. The metal was tight against her skin, but left her enough room to fiddle with it.

"There was- I was running down this long hallway and there were these flashing lights. Alarms too. I think there was an explosion," Jenn stammered. "I dunno, but it looked like a lab or something. I was running a lot, but it didn't feel like I was being chased. More like I was trying to find a way out? And there was smoke everywhere. I swear I could even smell it." She broke off with a sharp breath, which she changed to a chuckle in an attempt to play it off. Taking a chance, Jenn looked over at Harry. "You were there."