Track 018: Brother

Firewall

Seeing the Carter and Mix together felt so good. It felt like a real win. The way Carter looked over Mix’ shoulder to mouth the words thank you. Seeing the tears in both their eyes and being reunited. He cried. They cried. I cried. I think even Kohl cried.

The rest of us go to the rec area, where we hang out and wait for them to while they catch up. The space has a few round tables and with a carpeted area with a few arcade cabinets and pool table and even some recliners with a projector. There’s door a jar in the back of the room where the pantry must because I’ve seen people going in and coming out with snacks. It oddly feels like every bad breakroom in any of the retail jobs I had in school.

A member of The Resistance brings out even more coffee. I would say I wonder what this place’s deal with coffee is, but I think I have an idea. I try not to sigh as I take a sip. It’s heavenly.

I pick up my cup and look around. Fifteen. Fifteen people hanging out in the rec center. Two are playing pool, talking about some random gossip going on in the bunkhouse. Five are sitting at the tables like us, working on some kind of homework. One is working on some kind of contraption that even I can’t make heads or tails of. Four are playing spades at one of the other table. And another three are eating snacks and shooting the shit while watching an old action movie. They talk through it like they’ve seen it a thousand times.

I walk to the pantry, knowing what awaits me. Each step feels like heavy and the only thing I can hear is my heart beat in my ears. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kohl watching me, nodding at me.

You’ve got this. I believe in you.

I push the door a little more open and I come to a full kitchen and Margarita is standing there. She and a man are talking back and forth about what’s on the menu tonight. She’s wearing a purple sundress, and I thought I forgot what it was to look at her, but seeing her there it all comes back. There was always some attraction between her. A slight flirt. Being in her aura feels like the sun. She makes everyone feel special.

“Rita,” It’s only two syllables and when I’ve said it before, all of her attention would turn to me. It did this time but, the result was different. When she turned to me, all the light in her was doused. “Can we talk?”

“Andreas, can you give us a minute?”

The chef, because it was obvious now, I wasn’t just focusing on Margarita. He’s a short white man with a with a handsome face with dark eyes and hair. He looks a bit put out until he sees the looks between Rita and I. His eyes go wide in realization and leaves so fast.

“We should talk, Rita.”

“I know what you’re going to say.” She lets out a heavy sigh, words rolling off her tongue. “I don’t need to hear it. We don’t need to talk about my brother’s last moments.” She picks up a carafe walking towards me. “I don’t really even want to know.”

“That’s fair.” I look at her as she approaches. “Do you hate me?”

“No.” There was so much pain in voice as it cracks. “I just kept hoping he’d walk through the door with that dumbass smile on his face and we could go back to some semblance of a life. But that’s not like that’s happening anytime soon.”

She pours the cream into my coffee. Just the right amount because she remembers my order still. What I didn’t expect was the pink notification window to pop into my psylink goggles.

Congrats, Firewall!

You have received a Potion of Wakefulness!

Keeps anyone consuming it awake for 6 hours, even on the brink of exhaustion.

“Holy shit!” I look into her eyes. “Are you awakened?”

“What are you talking about?” She looks at me like I’m crazy.

“Loca, mira me!” I put my hand on her arm and look into her face. “Do you have powers now?”

“Powers like a superhero? What are you talking about?”

“Where’s your psylink?” I can’t believe I didn’t recognize that she didn’t have it on. The locket. It had the picture of her Abuelita and her brother.

“I-I took it off. I spent so long looking at it and it just made me sad-”

“Go, get it!”

She stumbles back in five minutes later, holding it in her hands and I place it on her neck, my fingers brushing her neck and I try really hard not to enjoy it. I make sure the tight blue line sensor bar at the back sits flat, so it connects with where her brainstem would be located on her.

“Dios Mio! I just got a notification.” She fiddles with her locket, moving it between her fingers. “Congratulations, DreamRunner! You have awakened yourself through the trials and tribulations of your life you have broke the morays of your life to fight for your world. Because of your skills as a barista and your knowledge of your craft, we grant you the Alchemist ability. You also gain the Infuse ability that will allow you to infuse your Dream into completely mundane brews and concoctions. The better the quality of ingredients, the more powerful the potions you can make.”

“That’s amazing!” I couldn’t hold my voice back a second. She’s awakened, and she’s got alchemy. The potions she makes are actually coffee? That’s fucking perfect.

“What does all of this mean?”

It means you can help save lives. Kohl walks into the pantry. Don’t worry, I won’t get on the counters. I’m not an animal.

I snort. I have to admit, when Kohl wants to be funny, he’s hilarious. “I’m sorry, Margerita, this is Kohl, our DreamCrafter.”

“He’s a cat,” Margarita said. “And he’s talking inside of my head.”

Not technically, but yes to last part.

“He was human before this started.”

“Will that happen to me?”

No. You are having a spontaneous awakening which can lead to amazing powers, but if unregulated, your power might cascade out of control and we don’t want that. Kohl swipes his head and licks his paws. The contract between DreamRunner, you, and DreamCrafter, which I am, allows you to have a greater control of your power. And for the DreamCrafter, it increases their ability to communicate and our ability to interact with the Dreamsphere. I would like your help, Margarita, to save the world. And if at any moment you find someone who works out better for you, you can choose them, but I’d love to work with you. I’ve only heard great things.

“And do I have to leave The Resistance?”

“No, of course not. These people are your people.”

“O-Okay.”

Awaken my runner, my nectar, your time has come

The Composer

“Carter, what do you mean you don’t want to be awakened?” I stare at him in confusion. Not truly understanding what he’s saying. “You could really help people! You’re a doctor! No one is saying you have to be on the front lines… Even with our powers, you could save so many people… We can be the people we always wanted to be.”

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“So you’ve just bought right into this? Some alien picks you out of the bunch and now you’re what… a superhero?!” He pushes away from his desk and looks at me, advancing. “You didn’t have to go through what Mom did after you were gone. You were literally gone, and no one had any idea what to do with you or your stuff? It might not have been very long, but it was exhausting having to clean up after you. I always have to clean up after you.”

“That’s not fair. I got kidnapped!”

“Do you know what’s really not fair?” We weren’t being quiet anymore and I’m sure the whole place could hear us. “Having everyone’s hopes and dreams ride on you because you’re the only one who can succeed.”

“I don’t want your version of success. I want my own, and guess what, brother?” I hold up two fingers in front of his face. “I’ve done it twice! I found my fame as a DJ and guess what? I made a multi-million dollar contract with Sunspot Records. I got my team out of the Sea Witch’s lair. And then I got them through the dungeon. I made our way to here to make sure you’re alive and safe.”

“That’s not all you. You had help.” Carter fires back.

“Of course. Everyone has help.” I’m exasperated now, sinking into the chair opposite his desk. “I know more than anyone I had the best group possible for doing what I did. Without Kohl, I wouldn’t have had the ability to fight back. Without Neon, I would have died facing off against the nightmare. Don’t ask honestly, you don’t want to know. And without Gabrielle, I would have died on that mad scientist’s lab table.”

“Mom and Dad went dark a month ago.” Carter says, and it’s like a hammer strike to my chest.

“W-what?” I stammer.

“I don’t know if they’ve gone into hiding or if something happened, but I’m scared.”

“Me too.” I put my head in my hands, all the energy having left me. “I don’t want to fight with you. There’s so much more wrong now with the world I went to sleep in, and now we’ve got a chance of fixing it.”

“Why am I part of this plan?” Carter looks away from me and picking up an action figure off the desk. It has multiple arms and a black and white outfit. The character’s grizzly smile was always his style, and it was a little too wild to for me. He tests the articulation.

“We gotta pick three of your people. They’ll just want it to be bought-in jar heads. You have actual vision. We want to change the world. Make it better. They just want to bring back the status quo. The one that got us here. Plus,” He looks up at me questioning. “You made me promise when we were kids. If I get superpowers, you’d get them too.”

“You’re an asshole.” He chuckles.

Awaken my runner, my hands, your time has come

“That’s all it is? That’s awakening?”

We’re still in the infirmary, and I just found out about Margarita being awakened. Apparently, for a long time before everyone noticed. Now my brother is ready for our fight against The Dominance.

“I’ve never seen it from the outside, but that’s crazy.” I say.

Starlight surrounded him in a circle on the ground and constellations that exist far from earth were reflected. Each one telling a story of long dead titans leaped from the ground and put their stain their mark upon his soul. As each one touches him, he’s opened to a bit more Dream. It was honestly fascinating.

The thing about it though it’s a moment of true insight into yourself. It’s not about flashiness for you, it’s about waking up from the life you had before. No wonder it seems underwhelming on the inside, because if it was that miraculous on the inside it would just be a distraction from the main show, you.

“Wait for the notification.” Neon says.

Carter’s eyes get a little unfocused and for a few minutes he stares out into space. He mouths a few words, but there’s no reaction coming from him. Until a long jester’s grin fills his face.

“Oh, he’s got it.” Neon says.

“Got what?” Margarita asks.

“The bug,” Gabrielle says, and our eyes meet. I can’t help but smile.

“Where you see all you can be and you just want more.” I say. “He’s gonna want to level up as fast as possible.”

“Think he can beat three levels in three days?” Gabrielle says.

“No, he’d have to be crazy.” Neon says.

“Or brilliant.” I say.

“I didn’t agree to this! He’s a doctor, not a frontline fighter.” Lt. Sess says as we reconvene in what looks like the officer’s quarters. Where they got the shiny oak table and the comfortable leather chairs in beyond me. There we a few guards in the room standing over their shoulders and at the doors.

“You made an agreement for three people and you got an extra, Margarita,” I counter. I fold my arms across my chest.

“Not a combatant.” He simmers. I could tell a great anger bubbles up him.

“But I could become one.” Margarita rises to her full height and looks deep into Carl Sess’ eyes. The determination on her face made it clear she wasn’t going to let this discussion happen without her. “That’s the beauty of this. We could become anything we need. We could be powerful, Carl. And they have shown they aren’t invincible. We could defeat them.”

“That’s not the point!” His hand crashes down to the table.

“Interesting.” Vintage says, speaking for the first time. An imperious brow arching. “That’s the first time I’m hearing that.”

“No-” Sess gets loud and the veneer or respectability slips.

“I think I heard you loud and clear, lieutenant.” Vintage says in her cool tones. She’s ice to all his rage. “What I do want to hear is why you think we can win this war with firepower alone? We tried that. These young ones have the chance to make things work and we have the chance to make The Resistance a name again. To take the fight to them. You have forgotten the mission, Carl.”

“You can’t be serious.” His face is stuck in a rictus of disbelief. The man looks almost pleading and I don’t know exactly what it is that’s going on between the two of them. The only thing I can say for sure is it’s not going the lieutenant’s way.

I told you this was coming, Vintage. Kohl walks toward the center of the table. Not that you probably couldn’t have foreseen it yourself. I realize he’s broadcasting his thoughts to me, as well as the people he’s talking to.

Kohl turns to Carl. Carl, you see yourself as a hero. And you are for fighting the good fight, but now the fight has changed. We have new weapons. You are a necessary part of this and you have the ground floor or a powerful organization to help save the world. We need you, Lieutenant Carl Sess.

“Oh,” Carl says, contemplating things and pulling back up to his full height.

Kohl is scary. He’s already understood the opposing powers at work here in The Resistance. Vintage is the true power here and is well respected, but doesn’t have the military rank. She can’t inspire the duty that drives a majority of the soldiers here. Meanwhile, Carl Sess has the military rank, but he’s brash and egotistical. He doesn’t have the trust of the noncombatants here and can’t inspire the masses, though he desperately wants to. They have been playing a game of chicken that has spun this group into a rut.

“We are here to reinvigorate your people.” I say. “We are here to get you back in the fight. This time on a war you can win.” It isn’t an impassioned plea, but one designed to make him think that this would be a simple affair once they could start building power. I might be optimistic, but I knew this was going to be a long haul.

“Okay… I think because of this turn of events, I’d like you to help my chosen people work their way to through that dungeon.” He says, stroking his beard. It might have had a more gravitas if it wasn’t so overgrown.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” I say. “We’ve done it before and I think it would be a good idea for us to help you grind out your first level or so.”

“We want more than that.” Carl says, I can see the idea coming together in his head and the wheels turning. “You will take one other member of The Resistance with you.” The look in his eyes showing malignant glee. “You have shown people can awaken themselves, and I want to see if we can try the same. And I will gladly risk myself to do the same.”