Clocked In

CH. 2

I began breathing heavily, strange sensations overwhelming my body. 

I couldn't make sense of what was going on. One moment, it felt like my body was stretching- the next, it was being compacted into a space that was far too small. I couldn't see anything at all, my eyes were stuck close despite my efforts to open them. The pain of it all was excruciating. 

It felt like an eternity, though in reality, it was only a moment. 

Well... in our reality.

When I was finally able to open my eyes, I gripped my chest, gasping desperately for breath. Everything was blurry, and I could feel myself beginning to cry. The sounds around me were strange, unfamiliar. 

Suddenly a pair of hand gripped my shoulder, the other bringing a cloth to my eyes. " Hey, Bri, calm down... its ok. The painful part is over, ok? "

I stopped crying and frowned, confused. Didn't that voice belong to...

" Jackson? " 

The person didn't reply, but pulled the cloth away. I blinked a few times before looking up at the person- and I was instantly stunned. He gave me a small, lopsided smile. 

" Well... sort of. "

-=-=-=-=-=-

The past hour had been the most... let's say, crazy, of my life. 

" Ok, so let me get this straight, one more time. " I began, looking at Jackson and Dan... sort of.

" So you guys are telling us that we are now our OC's? And we are somehow in the GC right now... ". They both nod, and I can't help but find it a bit freakish. Because really, it wasn't Dan and Jackson I was looking at. No, not at all. The faces belonged to Clockwork and Que.

Beside me sat Mo, who had taken on the appearance of Jackie. On the other side was Caleb, playing as an OC I didn't recognize. Everyone else was also there, sitting around the console before us. One look at any of our faces, and you could read the fear. 

Dan and Jackson had been trying to calm all of us down, convince us that this was a good thing- but we were too shocked at what was going on to even consider that this might be an enjoyable experience.

Dan- pardon, Que- simply nodded, sipping his tea. " Correct. I'm aware it sounds crazy and impossible... but as you can clearly see, it is very possible. As to how, I'm not sure. "

Thanks for that clarification. 

I was about to speak again when I heard a sniffle beside me, then a sob. Turning, I realized that Mo... Jackie... was crying. " Hey, hey, calm down. It's really not that bad! " I began, reaching out a hand and rubbing her back. She calmed almost instantly, to my surprise- Jackson chuckled.

" Ah, yes. There's also one more small detail to all this... we get to use our powers. "

At first, I didn't realize what he was telling me- then it made sense. Because when I looked down at my hand, it was glowing green...

Just like M.E energy.

-=-=-=-=-=-

During the meeting, we learned several things.

First: Just because we aren't playing a character, doesn't mean they don't exist. We need to always be watching our backs for possible antagonists. 

Second: We are not invincible. Anything that happens to us here... it is possible that when we go back, our bodies will sustain the damage.

Third: This is the greatest experience anyone, ever, has had. Don't blow it.