Ex Officio (#3 EX TRILOGY)

Chapter 13

Dufie entered the coordinates on the panel of Scenario because she agreed not to invade Akoma's mind but rather created a virtual location where both of them could interact with each other and freely alter the framework with their own experiences, imaginations and memory inputs. Both of them quickly took their positions on the motorized platforms which withdrew into the inner chamber to establish a cerebral link for a log in. Pee and Kay sat on standby at Dufie's perch behind the monitors to ensure that they were in the framework safely.

"Don't panic," Dufie said, and Akoma heard her through a comms system installed inside the chamber to enable communication across chambers prior to log in. "Just stay calm. I don't want us getting stuck in the framework because of a childhood bogeyman you mistakenly summoned."

"I'm cool," Akoma gasped and held her breath in an attempt to steady her heartrate. "It's not my fault that I am feeling nervous or anything."

"We're going in five..."

"This is my first log in where I am actually awake, so – "

"Four..."

"But – hey – when you guys tried to test me, those deadly moments. Could they have killed me?"

"Three..."

"Hey! Don't tell me you aren't listening. You have to – "

"Two. Shut up. Let's get inside first."

"So who's going to monitor our safe log in?"

"One. Brace yourself."

Akoma raised her eyebrows as she felt the chamber suddenly feeling cold. She felt sick and gripped the edges of the platform tightly. A series of lights inside the chamber started to flash over her eyes and she felt dizzy. "Brace myself for what?" she asked, and she was shocked to hear her voice sounding distorted. She felt like she was being sucked into her own head. Everything started to shrink away from her at top speed, and in a harsh jolt, she felt herself launched from her post and plunged into a tunnel full of colourful lights rushing past her. She shut her eyes and realized she could not feel any part of her body for the next few seconds.

Finally, the lights dissolved into darkness, and she felt her feet touch the ground. She opened her eyes and found herself standing on a vast stretch of green grass, but the shocking part was that there was no sky above them, but rather this solid white colour. She looked around her and saw Dufie drawing closer. They seemed to be the only people in the whole world.

"Where are we?" Akoma asked.

"Nowhere," Dufie replied without a smile and walked past her. Akoma noticed that their voices echoed in the space they stood. "That's what we call this framework. You can revisit any scene or memory you know from here, or you can create any – "

Akoma did not notice her mind was wandering as Dufie spoke, and before Dufie could finish speaking, the ground beneath them quaked and the entire landscape morphed into a safari scene on a desert where they both stood in the way of a wildebeest stampede approaching at top speed. Akoma screamed and turned to run, but Dufie grabbed her collar to stop her.

"What? Let me –", Akoma shouted and attempted to break free.

"Shut up, silly!" Dufie shouted back at her pushed her aside. She walked boldly towards the stampede with a smile on her face as Akoma watched in awe. Instantly, the entire scene switched to slow motion, and just fifty metres closer to Dufie, she crouched, took a deep breath and leaped, launching herself about twenty feet into the air. Akoma's jaw dropped. Suddenly, the slow motion switched to normal playback and Dufie landed back on the ground with so much momentum that as soon as she stomped, it sent a huge ripple through the ground that bounced off the wildebeests into the air and out of sight. The ground reverted to its original state and the desert quickly morphed into a scene at the foot of a waterfall with very giant fantasy-style flora and clear glowing silver-looking water.