More Than Imagined

Chapter 23

"This place looks like a dump to me. You sure they would keep the real dreamcatcher here?" Narco asked, licking his fingers after a much-needed meal.

"If you think this place is a dump, I wonder what you must think of back home," Somni said, rolling her eyes.

"I think it's a dump too, just a lovable dump. You know, since it's ours"

"Your logic gets worse every day," Somni said, nudging Narco with an elbow and waiting giddily as their leader approached them. "Look alive, idiot."

When the leader arrived on the scene, her attention lingered on the unique structure of the place. It was a combination of high walls and even higher ceilings, all painted the same bland, pure color.

What would these Techromancers know about purity?

She spotted some lower-level Mares lifting panels with the strength of their minds and placing them in the optimal position for the building's defense mechanisms to work. There was a mess of pods and cylinders of liquid waiting in a corner to be installed and she hummed to herself, satisfied that they would be effective in deterring anyone who might think to ambush this place.

Narco straightened up next to her and addresses their leader when she got in earshot. "Heard we've got some precious cargo on the way, boss. What do you want us to do with them when they arrive?"

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?" their leader said. "Just take them to a secluded room in the house. No windows. One door. Got it?"

"Gotcha," Somni said, side-eyeing Narco for being too friendly.

The Mare leader walked over to one of the few windows in the entire building and looked out over the sector that was the most familiar to her. She had only had the chance to see it clearly twice, the few other times she was inside The Apex she had been blindfolded.

She stared out into the city as the metallic buildings shimmered beneath the artificial light of the moon and a knot formed in her gut. It was so peaceful here, now that she finally had the freedom to experience it without the dread of being held against her will. She did not expect to find herself back in this place so soon, or ever, if she was being honest. But her rise in the Mare ranks had made it an inevitable destination. The place brought back memories—fears—she had not expected to resurface.

She had always thought of herself as tough, as someone with the will and foresight to overcome the terrible things that had happened to her in her past life and the new life that quickly followed. But seeing The Apex—seeing Site 5—so up close and personal again made the images of her past trauma burst like fireworks set off right in her face.

Memories of violation boom vividly as she closed her shaky eyelids and abandonment followed in a pulse-quickening haze. A vision of helplessness staggered her breathing, and she covered her ears to the noise of her thoughts that made no real sound outside of her head. She crouched to her knees, shaken and desperate to block the images from her mind.

She thought these attacks would fade away with time, but they stuck with her as a mark—a punishment—for crimes committed against her. But she recognized the attack for what it was and waded through the onslaught of her thoughts into the emptiest part of her mind.

Breathe in. 1. 2. 3. 4. Hold... Breathe out.

She repeated this mantra for a few minutes, still crouched on her knees with hands cupping her ears until the feeling came back to her arms and her body could decipher how uncomfortable the position was.

She opened her eyes to the world again and found all of her subordinates working idly at the tasks she had assigned them to prepare for their visitor—for their success. It was not a feeling that she experienced often, but she was glad to find them following her orders. Orders not to look on her as weak—as helpless. Orders not to dote and intervene. Orders to let her sort through her issues alone because, at the very least, she still had the power to do that.

As she stood to her feet, she saw a man, a woman, and a child being wheeled in on the same electrically charged cage that the Techromancers used to transport newly captured Mares, and she mentally commended Zee for the delicious dose of irony when she approached.

"While we were securing the dreamcatcher, we had a minor issue of intrusion," Zee informed.

"Were there any casualties?"

"Yes, two in our ranks were terminated by two females Imaginaries, but they were only guards."

"Ah, then not much was lost at all. Have all the security measures in the base been activated?"

"Yes ma'am, the base should be impervious to entry."

"Good work, Zee. Be sure to keep the captives as comfortable as possible for now, we need them in excellent condition for our goal."

Zee bowed in understanding and took her leave by falling invisible right before her leader's eyes.