Cyber Chronicles 2: Prime Voyage

Chapter 36: Crystal

She found herself panting uncontrollably, each breath a desperate attempt to restore her racing heart to a normal pace. 

Beads of sweat formed and trickled down her forehead, mingling with the remnants of moisture in her disheveled hair. 

Her surroundings, the sterile room and its distant echoes seemed irrelevant, drowned out by the thunderous drumming in her chest.

Distant calls for her name swirled around her, but it all seemed miles away. Her mind was in a whirlpool of wild instincts and rapid thoughts.

A single word reverberated in her memory. "Leave."

Was it just a coincidence? Could Gustav have uttered that word to an unexpected intruder? The possibility gnawed at her. 

Or was she the uninvited guest?

Gustav, although blind, had a gaze that felt locked onto her, not just observing Lincoln but piercing through his eyes and into her very soul. 

On normal occasions, when she relived Lincoln's memories, she existed in a sort of mental slumber until she awakened and it all came back to her. 

Yet this time was different.

It felt as if she'd been forcibly expelled from that realm, leaving her senses disoriented and adrenaline coursing through her veins.

Perhaps it was still a coincidence, she tried to tell herself as she wiped away the sweat from her forehead, her trembling hands betraying her uncertainty. But deep down she knew that this abrupt exit was more than a fluke. Her instincts told her that Gustav's "Leave" was directed at her, a command that severed the connection with a deliberate force that felt palpable.

Crystal found herself at a crossroads of profound implications. It meant that Destry's theory held truth; she wasn't merely a passive observer in Lincoln's memories. No, she delved deeper into his soul, connecting with him in a way she couldn't entirely fathom. And if Gustav could perceive her presence, it confirmed the first unsettling revelation.

The question repeated like a haunting chorus in her mind. Who was Gustav?

"Crystal?" A gentler voice now pulled her back from the ridge of her thoughts.

She snapped her head around, the world around her slowly regaining focus. Her surroundings transformed, and she realized she was back in the familiar setting of their headquarters, sprawled on the well-worn hospital bed that she found herself in way too frequently. 

Through the window, the dusty and abandoned remnants of the city sprawled out in the distance, bathed in the warm hues of a setting sun. Her stasis pod, which had transported her to Lincoln's past, remained unscathed, a reassurance amid the disarray.

Finally, she turned to meet the gaze of Ann, the gentle mindmage who had witnessed her numerous encounters with Lincoln's memories. "Is everything okay?" Ann inquired with concern. She now knew what happened, but probably thought it best to give Crystal some time.

Crystal's response hung on her lips but never materialized. Her mind felt like a vast, empty expanse, thoughts scattered like dust in the wind. The encounter with Gustav had left her shaken to her core. It wasn't merely the fact that he had seen her, but the mysterious aura that enveloped the enigmatic man. She realized that his secrets and ability were far more profound and inexplicable than anything she had encountered before.

What had Gustav done to earn the privilege of gatekeeping King Obsune's tomb, and what secrets lay buried within his connection to Lincoln and, by extension, her own existence?

Crystal got off and stepped away from the bed, a sense of unease and disquiet lingering in her every thought. She knew she needed time to make sense of the surreal encounter with Gustav and the secrets it had unraveled. Her surroundings within the headquarters felt stifling, the air heavy with unanswered questions.