Notes Chapter 21: Dream-escape

Jasmine's body is held to the ground as the error message blares around them in several human language fonts.

The lady’s voice talks about the error code and that jasmine needs to be contained before she infects the other candidates.

The amalgamations jump on itsuki, who fires the gun in vain. It takes another four amalgations to hold him to the scanner device and read out the details of his identification code.

The red screens turn green as the details of his entire life and physical structure are displayed on screen, the lady is very happy with the results and orders the servants to begin processing the candidate immediately.

Both humans are screaming and throwing their freq around, its painful and contridicting, it knocks Letu out of the sky and gives Xant the worst headache. He is scooped up by servants and watches as the servants bring out stasis pods for all three of them.

The lady gives orders to dispose of Letu, as the rest struggle against their captors, Jasmine gives out one more desperate plea and the walls burst open.

Rynard forced himself through the hologram screen walls, breaking limbs in the process. The rest of the army busy battling the monsters come to life in the gallery.

Its enough of a distraction that Xant is able to fire off a control pulse, to make the servants holding him to let go. He knocks them down and tries to help the others, Rynard scoops them up and runs out of the room.

As they make their way out the pirates arrive and sway the battle in the gallery, but there isnt much time left as the engineers wing will still be destroyed.

Aralukia proposes they fly off in the rajavan ship only for the ladys voice to interrupt with some insane anecdote.

There's a short back and forth about their options, Beau asks if the lady woke up can they just put her back to sleep?

The lady roars in protest, but that gives Xant an idea, they need to get back into the ‘main’ chamber, he asks Rynard and Aealukia to protect ‘us’. Xant asks Jasmine to help him connect and shut down the lady of the arc. Jas tells him he didnt need to ask.

During the fight, Xant notices where the Lady’s freq pulses are coming from. He runs to the spot near the bridge and puts his hands to the floor, he calls jasmine over, she and rynard rush over to him. Xant says he needs her sword, Jasmine hands over Letu’s sword, xant activates the plasma node on the sword and drives it straight into the floor. He cuts a piece of the floor out revealing the Lady’s Ship brain. He calls for Rynard to defend them, he offers Jasmine his hand, theyre going to the Rajavan Shipbrain.

(possible next chapter)

Darkness.

Violent and silent darkness.

Xant is the connection between two powerful pressences, he does his best to bring them into one mind. He consentraits and when the darkness lifts, he is back at the black ocean beach.

Jasmine, with her long hair and power armour is lying beside her on the powdery sand.

The lady stands on the distant shore, the horrific collection of nerves and organs that make up her ‘real self’ and her ‘beautiful puppet’ self dangling like an angler fishes light in front. The lady crazy rambles about the nature of reality and lunges after both jasmine and Xant. the lady summons imaginary minions to attack the pair and dream logic means, they die in the dream they die in real life.

Xant tells jasmine to split up and run, jasmine refuses but xant insists that she trust him, Jasmine reluctantly listens. Xant disconnects Jasmine from the joint dream and stands to defend against the lady.

Xant lures the lady far out into the ocean, and when she is nearly on top of him, he manages to ‘break’ the water below them. They both fall rapidly into the ocean below, continuously falling into the darkness of the bottomless pit. The lady is heavier, screaming in fear as she is pulled into the depths. Xant accepts his fate, closing his eyes and letting his body drift into nothingness.

But something grabs him.

Jasmine, holding his wrist, swimming to the surface. Xant is confused but allows it to happen.

When he awakes it's a messy sight.

Jasmine's face is covered in blood, the metal connection on the side of her face torn off and his fingers cut open to allow a direct connection. She is holding his hand up to her face and crying while he wakes.