A Dreamer's Dream by Laura Pickering

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After short visits from Baines and Cameron, his supper and a VR game of pool, night-time came around all too soon for Alonzo. The pilot valiantly tried to stay awake. He drank countless cups of coffee (much to the chagrin of Nurse Lewis) and even recited chapters one and two of the Saturn class user manual from memory. These measures proved futile in the end though, by 2am, Solace was sleeping like a baby.

He entered his dream at exactly the same time as he'd left previously. The same, but with one important difference. This time around he seemed to be a spectator rather than a player.

Alonzo could see his other self standing before Julia's gravestone, dog-tags clutched in one hand.

"Julia, where are you?!!" The pilot heard his other self shout, also hearing the desperation in his own voice.

*Okay, this is where I left last time.* Alonzo thought, he was now very curious to see what would happen next.

All that did happen next, was for the cry to be repeated. "Julia! Where are you?" The second time though, the words sounded very different. A sudden chill ran through the pilot's body.

It wasn't his voice.

The person that wasn't him, turned around and faced Alonzo. It was Mitchell.

The military man, didn't see the pilot though, if anything he seemed to stare straight through. This in itself was very unsettling. Focusing on something behind the pilot, Mitchell pushed a hand through his hair, hitched up his khaki military issue pants and strode right past Alonzo.

Alonzo turned to follow the sergeant. Once again he was startled, as the landscape around him changed. In a blur of colour, remininscent of an old VR prototype, the green leavestrewn graveyard, morphed into a barren flatland.

In the background, stood a council shuttle. Four men, wearing full military fatigues were busy packing crates and equipment into the waiting craft. Glancing to his left, Alonzo spotted a pile of crates, two people were slumped against them. They were manacled together.

Mitchell had also spied the couple, with a small smile, he walked over to them.

Alonzo followed - At least he started to follow. He didn't get very far, because his field of vision changed once more. This time though the landscape remained the same, it was only his position that was different.

He was sitting on a very hard ground, eyes closed. Alonzo's eyes burst open, when something at the side of him jerked roughly.

"Come on you two, wake up." A voice ordered.

Looking up, Alonzo was once more faced by Mitchell. The Sergeant offered a cruel smile, before he bent down and gripped Alonzo's upper arm.

"Get your damn hands of me Mitchell." Alonzo growled, or at least it came from Alonzo's mouth. The voice though, didn't belong to the pilot, it belonged to his physician.

*Okay, this is getting very weird*. Alonzo thought. Why was Julia's voice coming from his mouth?!

Wait a minute... Alonzo looked to his right, his own face looked back at him. *Of course!* These memories weren't his, they were Julia's. This was Julia's dream, he was 'in' Julia's dream!

Then he was thrown out...

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"I'm telling you Yale, I was *in* Julia's dream." It was the next morning, and as Alonzo looked into the eyes of the old cyborg he suddenly felt very unsure of where he had been that night. "I mean it was strange, I was seeing things only Julia could have seen."

Yale frowned, unsure of how to respond to the obviously confused young man. "Alonzo, whilst experiencing REM, people are want to dream very strange things. Why, I remember dreaming I was the King of England once! You can be the sanest of people, and have the most twisted dreams, its completely natural."

"Yeah? But it felt so real, I thought it *was* real. We were back at the council ship, just before everything happened. You know, me being shot and Mitchell taking Julia. It felt like it was all happening again, only this time I was seeing it through Julia's eyes."

"Like I said, it was just your subconconscious. It was just a dream."

Alonzo nodded, although he was far from convinced. Yes, it may just have been a dream as Yale professed, but he doubted it. The pilot had other ideas on the matter, and he realised that there were others, more in tune with the realm of dreams, that he could seek help from.

"If you want to discuss this further I can come over and see you."

Alonzo shook his head. "No, its okay. You're probably right, it was just a dream. Thanks anyway, Yale."

"My pleasure Alonzo." The Cyborg replied. He smiled before cutting the Gear connection.

To speak to the Terrians, Alonzo realised he had to dream again. There was only one problem with this idea, he wasn't tired. *A sedi-derm* he thought. He needed a sedi-derm, they send a person to sleep straight away. Pushing back the heavy blankets that covered him, Alonzo swung his legs over the side of the bed. His head swam as he stood up, he quickily sat back down again as his vision blurred. Realising that this was the first time he had been out of bed for the better part of two weeks, he gave himself a few moments before trying again. This time his vision remained clear, although he still felt a little dizzy. Alonzo slowly made his way to the door, holding onto anything stable for added support in this seemingly marathon sized walk. By the time he made it to the doorway, the pilot was annoyed to find himself slightly out of breath. After another few moments rest he cautiously opened the door a crack and peeked outside.

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Nurse Lewis whistled as she worked, she had to do something, it was just too damn quiet. If she was honest, it was creepy working in this hospital. Medical staff were few and far between, so she often found herself working alone. She didn't mind that, Lewis was rather a private person anyway. No it wasn't that that spooked her, it was the feeling that one of those horrible cadaver looking aliens was going to break through the floor at any given moment, and scare the wits out of her.

With all these thoughts running around her head, it wasn't surprising that she let out a god awful scream, when a hand came down on her shoulder.

As she turned around to face her doom, Lewis' heart skipped a beat, although this time it was for a completely different reason.

"Um...Mr...Er...Solace..."

"Is it? I thought for a moment there my head was missing or something." Alonzo smiled.

*Oh no, your head is still very much intact*. Lewis thought, as she took in every fine feature. "I'm sorry for screaming. You, er, made me jump." The nurse replied, blushing.

"I'm not surprised, is it always so quiet around here?" Alonzo asked in an attempt to make small talk. He was desperately eager to carry on with his plans, but didn't want to risk anything by drawing attention to himself.

"Pretty much. Are you all right Mr Solace, did you need something."

"Call me Alonzo, Mr Solace sounds so 'old'."

Lewis laughed a little too much at this joke and she knew it. *For god's sake, get a grip Susan.* "Okay, Alonzo. What can I do for you?" She asked the pilot evenly.

Alonzo didn't even notice the nurse's obvious infatuation. Which just went to show how much he had changed in two short years. Back on the stations, he would have had the pretty young nurse onto her third drink by now. "Um, I was wondering if I could have a sleep aid or something? I'm having a little trouble getting to sleep."

"Oh right." Lewis was a little disappointed by his request, it didn't exactly match up to what she'd hoped he'd ask for, but then again she hadn't held out much hope for that. She felt a little guilty for drooling over the pilot anyway, she was well aware that his girlfriend was lying in a coma a few doors away. "Sure. Are you having dreams again, because I could give you something that would probably stop them."

"No!" Realising that was a little too forceful, Alonzo tried again. "No, no I'm not having dreams now or anything. It just can't seem to fall asleep."

"Okay, well I can give you a sedi-derm and a couple of capsules. They should last you a day or two."

"Yeah, that'll be great." Alonzo waited patiently while the nurse searched for the aforementioned medication. He offered a smile of thanks as she passed them to him, and then quickly retreated back to his room.

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Even though the pilot had entered the dreamplane countless times before, he found the experience disconcerting. It was probably because this time it was imperative that he comes out with some answers to his questions.

Like all the times before, he found himself standing in an empty featureless cave. "Okay, I've not got time for mysterious entrances this time. Just come out and talk to me." Alonzo stated to the walls.

He waited for a further few minutes, the only thoughts occupying his mind being 'How long does a Sedi-derm last??' Finally, a lone terrian errupted from the earth, inches from where Alonzo stood.

"You are healed Dream-walker?"

Impatiently Alonzo answered. "Yeah. Yes I'm fine. I need your help."

The terrian offered no consent, he simply waited for the pilot to continue.

"I need to know, is it possible for me to enter another's dreams."

"You dream with us."

"No, I mean can I dream with another of my own kind. Can I enter a human's dream?"

"If the bond between one and another is strong, then they may dream together."

This was exactly what Alonzo had hoped his guide would say, now all he needed to know was how. "Can you tell me how?"

"It is important to you?"

Alonzo held back a sigh of frustration. "Yes, very. Please you have to tell me how."

"Only you will know how, in your heart."

"No, you have to tell me how. I don't know." The pilot impugned, his calm demeanor rapidly deserting him.

The terrian repeated his cryptic response, before disappearing back beneath the ground.

"You will know." The words echoed in Alonzo's mind, what kind of answer was that?!

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The sedi-derm didn't last long. It seemed as soon as the terrian had left the dream, Alonzo woke up. Checking his chronometer though, the pilot realised he'd actually been out for four hours, he was obviously a lot more tired than he'd thought.

Unfortunately, he'd wasted a lot of time, and one of the sedi-derms on his unsuccessful visit with the Terrians. He had two capsules left, and he was determined to put these ones to good use.

Carefully he loaded the sedi-gun with one capsule and pocketed the other.

The corridor outside his room was deserted, luckily it seemed Nurse Lewis was otherwise engaged elsewhere. Out of habit rather than need, the pilot plucked his leather flight jacket off the peg on the door, and shrugged it on. The smell of the leather always had a strangely comforting effect on Alonzo. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door wider and ventured outside his room.

The next step, was to find Julia without being noticed. This was to prove difficult, because he had no actual idea on where she was being kept. The room next to his, turned out to be a broom closet, and the next three doors down were all empty. Getting the distinct impression that lady luck was against him today, the pilot pressed on.

However, as soon as he had found his lover, Alonzo wished he hadn't. The mere sight of her made his heart ache. At first he'd thought she was dead and nobody had had the nerve to tell him. She was so pale, her skin almost translucent.

He crossed over to her, pulling a chair alongside the narrow cot. "Oh Julia, what did they do to you?!" He whispered, his voice cracking slightly.

He reached out a hand to those fragile features, but then drew back. Almost afraid to touch. Bowing his head slightly, Alonzo then did something he hadn't done since he was a small child. He crossed himself. "Please let this work."

The pilot pulled the sedi-derm out of his jacket pocket and held it against his neck. He winced as the first measure of sedative entered his system. Aware that he was going to blank out at any second, Alonzo quickly reloaded the gun. With his free hand he reached across the cot, and took Julia's right hand in his. "I'm coming for you baby."

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