The Trial of Dreams and Memories (TMM 2)

Vow of Silence

"How is she?" Sheridan asked. 

"She hasn't said a word to anyone. She's not fighting, but if looks could kill, we'd all be dead," Pollie answered. "I'm about to go in and sit for a while. I figured she could use the company, whether she wants it or not."

The guard opened the door to the dim room where Morai lay still, holding the same blank expression she had kept for the past day since she had awoken in her prison bed, only looking away to glare daggers at people. She kept replaying that night in her head, so much so that it became the subject of her dreams and melded the line between them and reality. She thought that if she just keep running, she might actually make it one lucky time. 

"I know you like music, so you can listen to what I've been working on," Pollie said, snapping her out of her daydreaming. She sat down in a chair beside the bed and took her banjo in hand. She figured that playing something high-energy while Morai laid confined to a bed would be like hitting her upside the head with the instrument, so she played slow, wordless tunes that were akin to lullabies. She played for nearly an hour until she stopped rather abruptly. 

"I feel bad, you know," she said. "I keep thinking about what would've happened if we were too late, or if I somehow convinced Sheridan to let you go. If that would've happened...you would've died, no question. Sometimes I ask myself if that would've been better than this. I didn't want to see you like this, laying here all sad and pitiful looking. But I did want you to live. I wanted to talk to you again...and I hoped you'd want to talk to me. I can't tell you what's going to happen because I don't know. But I know that your vow of silence won't do anything about it, so you might as well say something."

Pollie paused, looking up and waiting for an answer. When none came, she sighed and continued her playing. 

"I don't blame you," she said after abruptly stopping again. "I think it was stupid, but I can't say I wouldn't run if I found myself cornered, facing what you are. If anything, you've bought yourself more time. But the day is still coming. Are you just going to walk silently into it?"

Morai still didn't answer, only moving her eyes to look at the guard. She had probably recovered enough energy to hypnotize her, but she didn't, and Pollie recognized it. 

"Have you given up?"

 As expected, Morai still said nothing. Pollie knew it would be the case, but threw the question out for her to ponder anyway. She continued to play until Morai fell asleep, and Morai found herself lying next to her dream counterpart. 

"Hey," Past Morai greeted. Morai didn't answer. 

"Me too?" 

Morai only stretched out her now free limbs and jaw, but she could almost still feel the restraints on her skin. The line between dreams and reality was seemingly thin for reasons she didn't know, nor did she care to think about it too much. 

"Have you given up?" her counterpart asked, echoing Pollie's question and turning to her with a frown that showed a rare hing of anger. "After all of the work I've done to keep those nightmares at bay? After I've spent day after day looking after a world created by our own psyche, holding onto the memories of the people you sent away because you forgot them among all of your drug-fueled violent sprees? I know I'm the reason I'm here, and there's only so much I can do to help you, but...damn it, Morai! You won't help yourself! You nearly killed yourself trying to escape a place that is supposedly inescapable, and that's it? You're going to bow your head in acquiescence and let them do whatever they want to you because you couldn't prove the title they gave you wrong? You're going to let us—Morai, the name we share, die like that, fading into nothing while you're called something like 001 for the rest of your life? Is that truly a fighter's end?...Or do you even care what end you face anymore?"