The Psychonet: Apocalyptica

Death Wish

The last day and a half were spent preparing or procrastinating for the Psychonet. We found the room of the access point, but I wasn't ready. Neither was Pandora. We sat at the entrance of the room, scanning over Riyon's notes. The last time I plugged in, I got this return ability. A symbol of my obsession with the past. Somehow, I had to figure out what train of thought leads us to the Outside.

I asked Pandora, "What happened the first time I plugged into the Psychonet? In your timeline I mean."

She was looking at Riyon's notes, unresponsive to what I said.

"Pan Pan?" I pressured.

Still looking at the book, she said, "I don't want to talk about that. Please."

Still, further mystery surrounded her.

Arezo and Lily were conversing on the other side of the hall. Pax and Kaos were debating whether Vaeda was evil.

Arezo looked sad. Usually, she covered her pain as a way to serve others. That told me that she's really not ok.

I quietly told Pandora, "I'm going to see what's up with Arezo. I feel like I haven't talked much with her for a while now."

Pandora nodded, "Mm. I'll try to see if I can figure out Riyon's notes."

I got up. Then, the strangest thing happened. Arezo and Lily's position altered. I suspected chronostasis. Somehow, Arezo was even sadder. Lily simply looked serious.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked Arezo.

She looked up at me, "Guhya... yeah."

"Can we walk for a minute?"

"Oh. Yeah, sure!" Arezo smiled, fakely.

I helped her off the floor.

She prepared to blow her kiss.

I stopped her, "Wait. Let's just walk this time. Ever since that time we got stuck in there, I get anxious thinking about that place."

She laughed nervously, "Yeah... sorry about that."

I shook my hands, "It's not your fault."

We walked outside the hall into a larger room.

She asked, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

After a moment of thought, I decided to be straightforward, "To be honest, I kind of miss you. I miss the conversations we used to have."

She smiled, more genuinely this time.

I asked, "Hey, you don't have to tell me if you don't want, but... are you doing alright? I noticed you seemed sad back there."

Unexpectedly, she hugged me. Softly, she said, "It's just... we are at the end now. Mitesh, the temple, it's all gone. And... Archie too..."

I gently rubbed her back. "I might not express it much, but you are really important to me, Arezo. You are the main reason I continued down this path. Early on, Pandora and Gadi really freaked me out. I don't know how long I would have lasted. Then you came along, and I was honestly drawn in."

She blushed.

I continued, "You were so mysterious, yet you laid out the truth honestly at the very beginning. You had these amazing powers, and you were helping people with them."

She replied, "When I first left the temple, it worried me a bit. But a lot of my life involved those kinds of choices. Pursuing some grand adventure, some escape, chasing a new future and leaving behind something close to my heart. It was exciting to see more of the world with you. A lot of fun. Yet, scary as well."