Insomnia

26

"So you two have never met?" Esme asked. "In real life, that is."

The husband and wife pair shook their heads, almost in unison. They were each dressed in tanned leather armor with grey gears sewn into the fabric at the joints. Clouds stretched out beneath them, occasionally swelling into the shape of rock formations, mountains, and even the occasional castle.

Esme had invited the couple to explore a fantasy that she'd never released to the public, a role-playing game that took the user into a breathtaking world atop the skies. They were some of the few Omens at the induction ceremony who had refused to partake in the provided entertainment. Their behavior had surprised Esme. She needed to learn more about them.

"No," said Abbas. Dark skin and a sharp nose set beneath grey eyes. He smiled at his wife before continuing. "We met in Somnus. Fell in love in Somnus. And then got married here."

"It was very romantic," Serena replied. She swept a creamy hand along her husband's cheek. Her skin flushed with affection. "We played in the same Deathball league for weeks before we even spoke. And that was only after I shot him!"

"Needless to say, I was smitten on the spot," her husband said. "Struck, dumb."

"We dated for about a year after that. Then got married."

Esme nodded thoughtfully. She dug her foot idly into the white fluff. For a moment she thought about Oz. Then she flushed, recalling the previous night's pretend torture, preparing to deceive the Omens when she presented him in three days time.

"You can do that? Get married in Somnus?"

"Of course!" Serena declared happily. "I mean, it's not like you can kiss the bride wearing a gas mask on Earth."

"On Earth? You're based on the moon then?"

"I'm a techie at Fantasian."

"What about you Abbas?"

"Business development in Somnus."

"And don't ask what that means," said Serena. "He makes my job look downright straightforward."

"I'd say the same about your programming gibberish ," the man jibed playfully, gently stroking his wife's shoulder. It was one of those light, gentle touches unique to a couple in love. Honest. Tender. She'd seen them in memories before.

They walked in soft conversation for some minutes longer. Esme pointed out a golden beaked skybird soaring in the distance, and they stopped to observe.

"It's huge," Abbas murmured. "But it's moving so fluidly."

Esme didn't hide the pleased grin on her face. This was one of her creations that she'd conjured purely from imagination and effort. She'd watched hours of wildlife documentary footage just to get the movements right for her imaginary beast. Its silvery feathers shuddered seamlessly in the rippling winds as it cast a shadow nearly as large as the clouds upon which they stood.

"I'm blown away, Esme," Serena said. "Really. It's incredible what you've done here." Her husband had moved out of earshot, trying to get a picture of the giant bird.

"Thank you. It's... well, it's my passion." She sighed. There was something relaxing about this dream world. Something that had always drawn her back to it. "I love it. The process. Studying all the little details, iterating and iterating until I finally get it right."

"I'm happy to hear that. It makes my work - with Fantasian - feel worthwhile. Supporting Psions like you who keep the entire ecosystem thriving."

Her words drew Esme back to her original purpose. Information gathering.

"Why did you join the Omens, Serena?"

The other woman nodded thoughtfully, as if expecting the question. "Well. Like I said. I want to keep our Somnus community thriving. Growing. And the Triumvirate is just holding us all back."

"Hm?" Esme said, surprised by her answer. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you see it, right? We've got tons of people, and trained Psions. In a few years, we'll have the votes, and the influence to really run this place. Isn't that why you're here? With the Omens."

Esme shrugged. "I'm not really into politics."

A sigh. "Right now, the Triumvirate has a hold on everything we do here. Their sheer charisma's got them tons of followers, which means a huge voting bloc. They basically run it all. Sure, you've got politicians with some authority, but at the end of the day, they're taking their marching orders from Somnus's top influencers. The Triumvirate pass their 'informal' referendums, and nine times out of ten, they end up as new regulations. It's, well, it's insane. They've got a monopoly on the culture, and that's preventing us from growing as a society. The only way to fight back is to build a group of our own to counterbalance it. That's what the Omens are."

"I... never really thought about it that way."

"You have to look past the symbols and the hyperbole," Abbas chimed in, stepping closer. He nearly tripped over a loose flurry of cloud vapor, chuckling as he clumsily righted himself. "Sure, on the face of it, we look like a bunch of geeks who dress up in robes and party. But the ceremonies are just a way of tying us together as a community. That's why I joined."

Serena took her husband's hand. "Abbas lives in a Dead Zone. Toxin concentrations so off the charts, that he can't even go outside for very long wearing a mask. The Omens took him in. Gave him a community."

"I was in the outer edges of the group at first," he said. "Just me and my friends. Then I met Serena, and she convinced me to try and advance further with her."

"Why?" Esme asked. "Wasn't it enough? Just, you and your friends?"

"Sure," the man shrugged. "But is it really the most fun to just be hanging around at the edges? I assumed that's why you joined, Esme. A talented Developer, always kind of aloof from the rest of Somnus. Didn't you want to spend more time with Psions who really, well, got it?"

"Y-yeah," she replied awkwardly. There was a trace of puzzlement on their faces at her response, but Esme brushed past it quickly."But what about the other stuff? Forcing people into nightmares, and all that."

Abbas scrunched his face and shrugged again. "It's definitely not my thing. It's juvenile. Real immature, and honestly, it makes us look bad."

"So you're not going to do it then?"

"No. Like I said. Not my thing."

"But," Esme continued, "if everyone else in the group does it, that's okay?"

Serena sighed. "Look, it's petty as hell. But it's not, evil, or anything. Throw someone into a nightmare, they've forgotten most of it by morning. Maybe they're a little sleep deprived, but they're pretty much okay."

"No one's taking it too far," her husband added. "Sure, make the situation too intense, push a little too hard, and you can do real damage. We've all read about attacks in the public world. But, the Omens aren't about that."

"And the Knightmare?" Esme asked. "There are a lot of stories circulating about him." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Hurting people. Even killing them."

The couple looked towards each other and laughed. Esme chuckled nervously alongside them, feigning a shared disbelief.

"Isn't he just a myth?" Serena said. "I'm sure that the incidents described are, well, partially real. But I kind of figured someone took real crimes and made a fake villain out of them."

"Besides," her husband continued, "he's supposed to be able to invade a local dream. That's impossible. Breaking into a private world is hard enough. Of course he's fake."

"It's a distraction," Serena said. "For us, from the movement. That's not who we are. I'm half convinced the Triumvirate is spreading these rumors, just to distract from what we're accomplishing here."

There was a brief silence, and some of the pieces began to click in Esme's mind. "Serena. Tell me more about these policies you're worried about."