A lab, dark, mechanical instruments. Men poring over data, information. Behind them, dark shapes can be seen floating inside poorly lit tubes, with cables and wires leading to them. In one of them, a small hand can be seen opening and closing. It fades.
A hall, made of ancient wood. Long, lit with fire and torches. Cheering men and women, clad in furs and leather, eating animal meats and drinking from animal horns to their heart’s content at long tables. One lifts his horn and makes a toast she can’t understand. It fades.
The lab, again. A mess hall lit with bright fluorescent lights. Children cluster around tables, hurriedly eating the unidentifiable gruel in front of them. The doors are guarded by large men with face-covering helmets, each of them with a long baton. It fades.
An elderly man, strong and silent, an eyepatch over one eye and a raven on each shoulder. His eye stares past her as if ignoring her. The raven on his left shoulder stares into her soul, as if absorbing everything there is to know and learn about her. It fades.
A dark cockpit, a young child sits at the controls, their features obscured behind a helmet and a suit. They fail, the screen flashing as they are 'destroyed'; they seize and jerk as electricity arcs through them. It fades.
A woman, with white hair and a long dress, seated under a tree. There are two long-haired cats with her, one in her lap, and the other seated by her side. She gazes into the blue sky, where Jupiter hangs, surrounded by its many moons.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Rain sits up, from where she lay in front of the woman. She frowns. Something feels wrong, but she cannot tell what. She takes in her surroundings. The grass beneath her is soft, and the light shining on her face is warm. She looks up, and takes in the sight of Jupiter, alone in the sky, before turning to look behind her.
The strange woman smiles. She is wearing a dress, something that might be seen in ancient cultures back when humans still lived on Earth. It is white, with reds and golds accenting its folds. Her long white hair is gathered into a complicated series of braids, which trail down past her shoulders. A long furred cat is seated in her lap, with dappled grey fur that shimmers blue in the Jupiter-light.
A second cat, dappled grey that shimmers red in the Jupiter-light, sniffs at Rain's hand. She opens it, and the cat nuzzles into it. She pets it.
The woman opens her mouth to speak, but Rain cannot understand her. The tongue she speaks sounds much like the man Rain heard while asleep.
She smiles, sadly, and reaches out. Rain reaches out with the hand that isn't petting the cat and takes her hand. Their eyes meet, and the woman speaks again.
“You cannot understand me, not yet. But you soon will, my dear.”
She speaks English this time. Rain asks, “What do you mean? Who are you?”
The woman simply smiles. It is a radiant thing and fills her with warmth.
“You will find your way here again, in time. Until then, I believe you have a task before you.”
She wakes up.