Blanks and broken hearts

Theseus's Storm

"Her eyes!"

What? Who is that?

"Dust, look at them."

I feel a sensation like a window being wrenched open. Then the blurry corner of light snaps shut.

Someone inhales sharply "Ohh...Sweet Eden are we in for hell now."

I stand up, rubbing my head. Where am I? It looks like a cavern, or maybe a cathedral, because I can't see the ceiling, only the raw stone walls that seem to stretch for eternity. I walk forward, expecting to meet the wall in a matter of seconds, only to find that it's still the same distance away. There is no light, yet I can see perfectly. A voice rings out from somewhere, echoing round the space.

"Don't worry, it'll all be fine. I'll just talk to the kid for a little bit, and then I'll be back out in the world before you know it."

I look up expectantly when my field of vision narrows. All I am aware of is the toes of expensive leather shoes poking into the ring of light. An attractive man steps forward. Or at least, I think he's attractive. Honestly, I'm not even sure if it's a him. His face seems to keep on shifting and won't settle into one set of features or even a particular expression. And even if it was going to settle, it's half hidden by the hat he's wearing. He runs his fingers across the brim in what I assume is a kind of salute and  one of the corners of his mouth seems to twitch upwards.

"Hey, kid. Listen, I want this to be as comfortable as possible for both of us. None of that hostile takeover bullshit the media shows you. In short, I, and some other demons, really kind of hate the way the humans run the world. And we know you do too, but don't wanna do anything about it. So we've a little proposition for you. I inhabit your body for a bit - though you'll still be here of course, and can take the reins if you so desire it - and with your help, clean up the mess those idiots have made of the planet. Once all that's done you can boot me out. You get a better world and some sweet connections in hell, and we get our planet sorted out. So, what d'ya say, kid?"

I hesitate before sticking my hand out for him to shake. "Sure. It's a deal."

The corner of his mouth twitches again, and this time it looks like a proper smile. "Cool. Control room's that way, I'll just be a minute. You can 'boot up' your body again, I suppose. Depends if you wanna freak out your friends or not."

I look in the direction he's pointing. It just seems like another vast expanse of rock. As I walk towards it, however, the rock seems to crack in the middle, spreading out like a stage curtain. I pass through the newly-created doorway, marvelling at the way it looks. So this is what the inside of a brain looks like inside a brain. Dust, that's so paradoxical I don't even want to think about it. Now the 'door' has closed behind me and the unearthly source of light has vanished, I can properly see my surroundings. It looks like a long, elegant corridor hewn from some sort of rock and lit by tiny flames. At the other end is an imposing stone archway. I suppose that's the way to go...

The control room isn't as full of technology -as science-fictiony- as I assumed it would be. It looks quite a lot like my bedroom, in fact. I guess my brain sticks to what it knows. The walls are covered in posters and pictures, my bookshelves and desk are where they usually are. The only obvious differences are what's actually on my desk and the massive picture window it's sitting in front of. I guess that's what my body is seeing...? That would explain why it's blacked out... This is too surreal. I sit down in one of the chairs by my - expanded - desk. My laptop is sat in its normal place, but around it are some controls and monitors that seem to correlate to different parts of my body. I look up when I hear footsteps approaching. The demon nods his head at me in acknowledgement and scrutinises my room. Seemingly happy, he plunks down into the seat beside me.