Insomnia

36

After explaining everything that had happened, the first step Oz took was to erase her travel logs from the Net.

"They'll be able to track your account," he said. "Figure out that you got a car to take you here. Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. I'll try and salvage what I can from Minerva's dream. See if we can use that as evidence to prove you were right."

"I'll get it," offered Esme. "Security is easier to break through from the Somnus side than hacking in directly."

"I don't know about that. See, they'll be expecting you now. I'd bet that the WBI has every agent they've got trawling Somnus to hunt you down. Hacking will be slow, but it's relatively undetectable. Honestly, you're safer hiding out in the real world. Their manpower there is limited."

Ultimately, Esme had to agree with that assessment. There were five agents in the city including Atticus, and maybe one hundred local police officers.There were thousands more in Somnus, and even more willing informants.

When Oz directed her to the guest bedroom on the ground floor, Esme eagerly collapsed atop the plush mattress.

"It has been one hell of a night," she mumbled, face half buried beneath a pillow.

"Yeah. I bet."

A silence.

"Hey, Esme?"

"Mhmm?"

"...Never mind. Get some sleep. Call sometime tomorrow and we'll figure out a plan."

"Yeah. Sounds good."

Neither of them hung up just yet. She breathed in the silence.

"Sure you're alright?" asked Oz.

"As good as can be expected."

"Right. Which is...?"

"Fine. It's fine."

A sigh from across the line.

"You always do this."

"Do what?"

"Pretend you're okay when you're not. Esme, you can talk to me."

"That's what we just did. We talked."

"Talk? No, that wasn't a talk, that was a report." He cleared his throat before continuing in robotic monotone. "'And at 2300 hours I discovered that Agent Lucia Castellano's local dream is a dog park...'. I mean, you dropped that bombshell without even a comment. That's not like you."

"Not much of a bombshell," Esme said. She relaxed, stretching out onto the bed. Some of the nervous tension had followed her out of the dream begun to dissipate."Who doesn't like dogs?"

"I mean, if anyone didn't..."

"Oh come on, that's not fair."

"I would have guessed an armory before a dog park. Or maybe some kind of kinky sex dungeon."

Esme started laughing. Her head felt woozy. The pain pills had started to kick in.

"You'd be surprised how many of those I see in people's dreams."

"Not sure anything would surprise me anymore. A dog park! Who'd have thought?"

The sheer absurdity of the night - going from hunting a serial killer to discussing Lucia's sex life - made her laugh even harder. It bubbled from her stomach, tumbling onto the soft blankets as her body shook. Oz chuckled too before the sound drew on for an awkward span of time. She sensed worry from across the line.

"Have you ever seen a dog in real life?" she asked, forestalling the inevitable question about her wellbeing. Esme suppressed the nervous peals of glee threatening to tear through her body again. Pain boiled from her hand. She held back the low whimper threatening to rise from her throat.

"No," Oz said. "Can't say I have."

"It's... weird," murmured Esme. "We've only ever seen them in Somnus. So I haven't ever seen a dog, I've only seen humanity's dreams of them. Their memories of what they meant to us. Before..."

"We lost them. And now all we have are memories."

"But I feel like I know them!" she exclaimed. Pain and numbness were making her feel manic. "That they're excitable and trusting, and so incredibly loyal. Sometimes they smell bad, and make messes and break things like little kids but we love them all the same. I just... know that."

"Just because it's a dream doesn't mean it doesn't matter."

"Using my lines against me, huh?"

A quick snort of air. The sound ruffled her ears as the line distorted it.

"Whatever works. I'd blare lunar rap if I knew it would get you out of this funk."

"I'm not... mmm."

"I won't press you on it if you don't want to talk. But I'll say it as many times as it takes, Esme, I'm here for you. Now get some sleep. You've been through a lot today."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Anytime."

She hung up and promptly passed out. She stood in her Homespace for a moment before sighing and banishing the world into darkness. Somnus sleep was not as restful as the dreamless kind, and if there was one thing Esme needed, it was rest.