Dark Matter

13

Seven opened her eyes and when she did she found herself standing in a barn. It only took a few moments for something to happen. Five walked into the barn, though she could tell that Five was someone else. The Android had told her that Five would be reliving the memories as the person who's memory it was, so Five isn't Five, but one of the crew members. Seven watched as Five walked into the barn talking to someone.

"I'm back!" Five almost immediately saw Seven, but paid her no attention. She just kept on talking.

"Hey, hi," said the woman Five was talking to. "You're just in time, I was just about to go make some soup."

"That sounds great. Jonesy's still a little lame in her left foreleg."

"Ok well, your father will be home tomorrow and he can take a look at it. And it's his birthday coming up, so should we make him something special?"

"Elderberry pie?"

"I thought elderberry pie was your favorite, not his."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Ok, elderberry pie it is. Mwah. I'll see you in the kitchen when you're done, ok?"

"OK."

Seven watched as Five played out a scene with one of the crew's mother when they were a child. She couldn't help but feel saddened by the memory, for Seven couldn't help but think that she didn't have a lot of memories like that. Though as Seven thought about this, her head began to ache, thoughts, memories, things she's never seen or listened to started popping up in her head, but she pushed that down, for as soon as the mother left Five had turned to Seven. 

"What are you doing here?" Five asks her.

Seven doesn't think before talking, "You can see me?" Though she realizes that since Five is an outsider reliving the memories, than she would most likely be able to see another outsider in the memories.

"Of course I can see you... and I know that you're not supposed to be here."

"Whose memory is this?" 

Five and Seven get closer to each other. Seven has to admit she is happy to finally see Five, after what she has seen she needs a familiar face. 

"Well they call me Titch for what that's worth, but I'm pretty sure it's One's. I see a boy's face in the mirror every morning. It doesn't look all that much like him but the only other possibility is Three, and I kinda doubt he grew up in a place like this."

Seven looks around, "It's nice."

"It's better than nice," Five replies happily. "He's got two parents who live him, they've got a farm, animals, food on the table, it's perfect."

Seven thinks for a moment, "How long have you been in this memory?"

"I've lost track. It was summer when I came, it's winter now. Everyday I go skating on the pond."

"It's been two hours."

"Well, I guess time works a little different here."

"Nothing here is real, you must know that right? Everyone is worried, the others think that we've lost you, Six thinks you've forgotten that these are only memories," Seven tells her worried.

"Sometimes I do forget."

"You have to come back, you're organs are shutting down..."

Five interrupts, "Just put me in stasis, I'll be fine."

"Why? These memories aren't real, they already happened, it's not your memory, you'd be living as someone you're not."

"I saw some of my own memories, no thanks."

"I understand," Seven says grabbing onto Five's hands.

"Then let me stay."

"In the real world we have problems, but here you have no control over what happens. You are just a passenger, going along for the ride."

"That's exactly what I like about it. I don't have to think. I don't have to worry."

"It won't last. Something bad is coming, whoever grew up here ended up on that ship because something bad happened to them. Maybe the father comes home and murders the mother, maybe a bomb is set off, maybe something worse. It happened to me, it happened to you, it will happened to him. It might end badly in the real world, but it might not. Out there you have control, in here you don't."

Five and Seven fall into a silence. Five allows Seven to draw her into a hug, but as Seven's face was hidden from Five's view, she didn't see the girl's face turn into one of pain. 

Seven's head began to pound so hard, memories from inside Five's head began to bleed into her's all at once. The noise, the images were too much, and they began to cause her pain. She could hear screams, music, yelling, talking, she could see flashes of people, explosions, guns, and it hurt. The memories of her crew members flowed into her mind as Seven stayed inside her friend's head, but thankfully the two girls both started to wake up. 

... 

Seven's eyes flew open, the pain, the memories, it caused her to freak out. She yelled out as she sat up, her breathing rapidly increased, she cried out in pain, and her hands flew to her head as she fell onto the floor. She sat against the table, and began to cry as she clutched her head mumbling about the memories. 

Two ran over to the girl, worried about her and Five.

"Seven, where is she? Did you find her?"

She got no reply from Seven, but she didn't need one, for only moments after did Five wake up on the other table. Everyone ran over to Five as the girl sat up.

"We thought we'd lost you there."

"How're you feeling," One asks.

"Ok, I guess, why?"

One and Two shared a look, but it was Two that answered this time. "From the way that Seven woke up, we thought that there might be some side affect or something."

"What? How did she wake up?"

Three answered as he motioned to the crying girl on the floor, "See for yourself."

Five hopped off the table, and the crew moved towards Seven. It was now time to worry about Seven. Two and Five knelt down next to the girl. Two laid her hand on Seven's shoulder, causing the girl's head to turn to her. 

"Seven what's wrong? What happened?"

Sobbing, the girl replied, "It's not mine. The memories, they aren't mine. I shouldn't have to carry it, they aren't mine. Please don't make me sleep again."

The crew all shared looks with each other as Seven continued to cry and shake her head. They have no idea what to think about the girl, but soon they will. As soon as Seven gets that flash drive form the Android, she'll be able to learn more about herself, and why she is the way she is.