Equinox: DreamScape

Chapter 14: The Real World

 The Link faded away into the darkness and I opened my eyes to a probe being taken out of my head. Sounds started coming into focus, then voices. I heard the Teranors frantically trying to figure out what was going on. I couldn't understand what they were saying as they were speaking Teranoran. I looked at my chest to see the suit, deactivated. I tried reaching up to it to activate it but I was chained down. I pulled my arms up as hard as I could and broke free. I sat up and heard a familiar voice on the intercom. It was Kate.

Kate: "Stop! Let him up."

Still dazed from the sedative they had me on, I stood up and the Teranor doctors tried helping me to my feet. I shoved them away and started walking towards the door as fast as I could. They didn't seem to care to chase me. They were letting me go for some reason. I walked through the door and through the hallway. I saw military squads walking right past me, not seeming to notice me. I reached a door with light coming from the other side. I pushed it in and fell into Kate's arms on the other side.

Chris: "What are you doing here? Why is nobody trying to kill me?"

Kate: "I'm here to make sure you don't get hurt. I know you better than anybody else. Now as for why nobody is trying to hurt you, we are all on your side. We are all very sorry about what has happened in the past and now it's time for some answers."

She helped me up and took me to the cafeteria to recover and to eat.

Chris: "How long was I out?"

Kate: "Seven weeks."

Chris: "SEVEN WEEKS??!!! What did you use to keep me out, Cyanide?"

Kate: "Cyanide Ninadine actually."

I spit my food out.

Chris: "Are you insane?? You could have killed me! That shit is enough to kill an entire army of humans!"

Kate: "We tried everything else, the fact is you aren't adversely affected by that poison."

Chris: "How is that possible?"

Kate: "Because you aren't human, Chris."

Chris: "What do you mean I'm not human?"

Kate: "It's best that you don't know everything at once. For now, you need to meet up with Enzon. He is waiting for you in the desert where you were in the DreamScape."

Chris: "Speaking of which; it was all virtual?"

Kate: "Yes, the entire world you lived in for those seven weeks was virtual. Ever since the tower collapsed on top of you and your duplicates. It was all planned out. Siege had contacted the Teranors and asked for their help in knocking you out. Unfortunately the only thing that could was the force equivalent to a tower collapsing on top of you and a plan was enacted. You were lured to the tower and it was purposefully collapsed. At that point you were brought here where your suit was deactivated with my help and you were kept under sub-animation until now. We originally created the DreamScape machine with the "real world" only but Enzon had tapped into your mind and re-created this world as a virtual world inside the virtual world we created. The moment you took off in that helicopter was the same moment we lost contact with your mind. Enzon then later contacted us and instructed us to tell you to meet up with him in the place he left you in the virtual world. All we know is that it is somewhere in the desert."

Chris: "What about The Link? Was that fake as well?"

Kate: "What? No, I have no idea what you are talking about. Maybe Enzon will know."

Chris: "Maybe, regardless, I have to get to the desert."

Kate: "There is another problem; you are in the Teranor homeland, on the other side of the world. We can teleport you into the desert though."

We walked through the hallways into the transport room. I stepped into the aperture and Kate pointed at my chest and cleared her throat. I looked down and noticed my suit was still offline. I activated it and it formed around me. The HUD activated and I was ready for transport.