Starchild: Dark Reign

Chapter 2

Captain Rayna Hastings returned home to find a couple baskets of freshly laundered blankets and sheets waiting for her by the door—with a small note attached from it from her neighbor, Bradley.

It would have been a wonderful thing to reflect on a more personal level, but the woman was just too distracted and in a different state of mind than when she first left—all frisky and fancy free.

Her thoughts of a brief—if not wild—romantic encounter with her sexy neighbor had been mercilessly crushed into oblivion by her overriding fears and worries. Anxiety and surging doubt about herself and the truth about her recent memory trip with the Waverly device.

Something different was going on and she needed to get down to the gist of it all. And fast.

But unfortunately for her, she was an administrations officer, no longer tied to the Guard. Her authority would be extremely limited in any case. So all she could do was take the required medications of her, attend her sessions, and try to be a good little soldier until the very end.

Closing the door behind her with the second basket in hand, the woman sighed.

"Some life," she whispered dejectedly—feeling the despair tickle once again at the base of her perceptions. There had to be something around here that was trying to tell her something important. Something!

But what was it? And why couldn't she see it clearly enough? That would give her enough of a clue—evidence—to go on and make Arlene Khan the happiest woman around.

But for some reason, her sense of self and her dreams had been constantly impeded by something. Some outside force beyond recognition. And the effect was slowly driving her mad.

"Mad as a hatter. Mad as a hatter..." she quoted absently from a classic line of text.

And mad as a Hatter you shall be.

Rayna yelped in reflex as the sudden voice intruded upon her thoughts—causing her to drop what she had in her arms. The clean sheets hit the floor without a whisper of protest as the woman staggered around in sudden pain; clutching both sides of her head at the same time.

Oh, you don't like that—do you? Now imagine my pain as I have to sit here and watch you go through such mundane routines day in and day out—when you could have been so much more in another life.

Trust me, woman, you don't know what was in store for you—if you hadn't decided to show a moment's worth of weakness and retire from the service before the games could get even started.

Rayna couldn't answer right off the bat. The liquid pain ripping right through her head had effectively robbed her of her voice.

But somehow, her legendary strength and will remained intact as she stumbled towards one of the side tables and made a grab for the three pink and white bottles which had child-proof caps on them.

Yes. Go ahead. Drug herself into a stupor. Let's watch the scene of your downfall progress even more so as time goes on. Because if you think your nightmares were a problem, wait until I show you what else is in store for you.

The woman dry swallowed the fast-acting medication and within minutes, the excruciating pain in her head began to recede in torrential waves.

But in that very moment, the voice that had been tormenting her for so many untold weeks finally decided to call a day off. Maybe it was the medication, or perhaps it was something else, but Rayna couldn't "feel" its presence any longer.

That insane tickling sensation in the back of her mind. The kind which always teased, played, and caressed her mortal senses—before going straight for the kill.