Insomnia

41

"How the hell are we supposed to get to the moon?" Devoe asked.

"You're WBI," replied Esme, "don't you have an official shuttle or something?"

They'd returned to the kitchen, carting off as many boxes of documents as they could carry in three trips.

Devoe laughed.

"Yeah, but that's for the higher-ups to use. Even then, only after wading through at least ten layers of bureaucracy."

"We still need to go to this research facility, Devoe. It will have the answers we need."

"I agree it's our best shot, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a million miles away."

"Two hundred and thirty-eight thousand actually."

"It might as well be a million, for how accessible it is to us."

Esme sighed. The cyborg was right. Lunar travel was expensive even before the Disaster. That was why the moon was home to so many wealthy families.

A shot of inspiration. Followed immediately by reluctance.

"I have an idea," suggested Esme. She got up from her chair and walked towards the bedroom. "I'll need to reach out to someone in Somnus though."

Devoe's eyes widened as she followed close behind.

"Are you serious?" she exclaimed. "Pretty much every cop in the world is looking for you right now. In Somnus and out. I'm amazed that you actually got to your house and back without being discovered."

"Got any better ideas?"

Esme hopped onto the bed and laid her head back on the pillow. Devoe looked as if she was about to argue further, but satisfied herself with a begrudging nod.

"Okay," she said. "We'll try it. I'm coming with you."

"No way," protested Esme. "Look, if we were trying to break in somewhere and choke people half to death, I'd bring you along for sure. But this is Somnus we're talking about. You saw what I'm capable of there last night. To be honest, you'd be a liability."

Devoe sighed.

"I guess you're right."

"I'll get started," said Esme, squirming on the mattress to find a more comfortable position. "Wake me if the cops show up."

"That's not funny."

"It wasn't a joke."

Silence fell over the room as Esme focused her mind once again. She blew past Halfsleep and straight into Somnus. Atticus was always impressed with how easily she could fall asleep.

She avoided entering the public server. Better to approach directly. Esme focused on Max's dream Tempo and descended beneath her Homespace. She sought out the man's dream. It was calmer than usual. No longer a war hymn - but something more solemn. Esme attuned herself to the new rhythm and entered.

The moon, once again. No demons or signs of war. A normal day beneath the glass dome that surrounded the human settlement. It would be evening there now. Max went to bed early during weekdays - she remembered having to coordinate hangouts with him in the old days. Before he'd changed.

She shifted closer to him. A park. Artificial plants. He sat on the grass, a woman in his lap. Esme rolled her eyes. Like her, he had mastered the art of lucid dreaming. It was difficult to be a successful Psion without that degree of control.

Esme cleared her throat. He seemed startled, and the woman vanished. Max turned to face her. He smiled at her.

"Geez," Max muttered, "I thought I was over you. Then you just have to pop into my dreams. Subconscious wants what the subconscious wants, I guess."