Insomnia

1

White searing light warmed her eyes before resolving into a soothing blue sky. Esme descended from on high, one foot outstretched towards the ground.

"Good night, Ms. Trahan," echoed the system AI. "And welcome."

She made no response. Esme never liked talking to the bots any more than she had to.

She stepped out onto an endless field of bluebonnets. With practiced ease, Esme let her consciousness expand past her body to fill the air around her with a thought probe. Water bubbled at her feet, flower petals melting into puddles. 

Another thought, and her dark brown skin became covered in sea shell armor, jagged mollusk crowns interlinked with sand smooth clams to form an impenetrable shield. Her raven hair was tied back neatly  by an elegant whalebone comb, flecked with amber shards.

The extra bulk did nothing to alter her stride. Over the years, Nautilus had practically become a second skin for her.

She extended her focus a few feet ahead and a small text box appeared.

"Nexus. One hour," wrote Esme. "The usual drill. Information."

A flurry of 'read' notifications popped into her view before she set the chat to mute again. Hopefully they would have something useful for her today. Another lead, another victim - something, anything, would be better than another day without progress. 

Needing an outlet for her frustrations, Esme turned her attention to the dream around her. A royal smile flashed on her lips as the water deepened, as if bowing low in submission. She strode forward, her boots squelching against the wet puckering soil and splashing against the rising tide. Soon she was completely submerged. 

She breathed easy, watching the shifting sea shadows shake atop the lowest dunes of settled sand. She did not wave her arms in some paltry attempt at a breaststroke, or splash about with her legs, instead mentally directing a current to push her as she pleased.

Deepwater cliffs rose from the seabed, the earth rumbling as they stretched towards the sky. In between them stretched a wide valley. She landed in that empty space. The sand around her feet plumed at her landing, surrounding her in a silky haze.

All of this world was her creation. Those cliffs stood tall with consequence, the sands shimmered intent, every drop of water in this rushing, swirling abyss moved by her design.

With a violent gesture she commanded the elements to freeze. The water grounded to a halt beneath the force of her will. It rumbled discontentedly against her mind, eager to flow and drift as water was meant to. She held onto these squirming seas, resisting the urge to let her thoughts wander and in so doing undermine her control.

Then with an exultant sigh, Esme allowed her world to unravel piece by piece, falling away like shattered glass until even her own mind came untethered, floating in pure undiluted darkness. Heavy silence reigned for a few seconds before an alien tendril of thought poked its way through the inky black, nudging against her temple. Esme took it in her hands and turned it over, brushing the little thing with a cold distant caress.

She felt its nature whispering at the edges of her mind. It was the smooth backbeat of a half-finished song; uncomplicated and repetitive but in a way that was so calming and light that one almost did not notice those flaws.

Certain it carried no hostile intent, Esme allowed it to enter her brain where it provided a series of images, focal points of a new universe. Impressions of buildings, snatches of streets, and a cold, cloudy sky. She pressed her will against them. They flattened out onto the darkness like kneaded clay, expanding from the pressure.