Orion City, the Hub of the New World Order rests in what was known as Baltimore more than nine years ago. D.R.C. agents canvass the large living room as an A.N.N. is humming in the middle of the room as D.R.C. Agent Alex Crowe looks amongst the Eight Men and Three Women who are dream sharing together as an agent finishes running the diagnosis on the A.N.N. box.
Alex: What's the diagnosis?
Agent: Diagnostics are running dangerously high, they've been in the dream share for nearly twelve hours. Another hour or two and their minds are gonna be fried.
Alex: Can't have this going out. Which one is the senator?
Agent: The one there, second to the left.
Alex nods and heads over to the senator as Alex takes his phone and dials a number, waiting a few rings before he speaks.
Alex: It's me. Found the senator...about an hour before critical. Can't risk the untether. Gonna have to call him in... It's either that or we lose the senator. Thought you'd understand. Sending a unit there now.
Alex hangs up and calls another number.
Alex: Pick him up.
Alex hangs up and looks amongst the room as he sighs and rubs his brow.
The door to an apartment is easily broken down as D.R.C. agents rush inside and clear the area before finding a young man passed out in a messy bedroom. An agent comes over and kicks at the bed which stirs the man awake.
Agent: Tobias Matheson?
Tobias: mmmhmm…
Agent: Dreamer 2217?
Tobias: Tobias is fine…
Agent: You're needed. Time is of an essence.
Tobias: I could tell by breaking my door down.
Agent: You will be reimbursed and compensated. You have two minutes to dress else we take you as is.
Tobias flips the agent off as he yawns and sleepily throws some clothes on as he was still disheveled when they quickly rushed him out of his apartment and into a waiting hover cruiser that quickly takes off.
Elsewhere
Esmeray Dixon, a beautiful young woman wise beyond her years, rolls her eyes as she listens to a few guys try to sell her on some repurposed A.N.N tech.
Hustler: We're telling you, Ray, it's clean.
Esmeray: Maybe if it were the 2043 model. The 2050s and up aren't crackable without major neural damage. Can't buy it.
Hustler 2: Ray, we're telling you it can't be traced.
Esmeray: You sure about that? Okay then. Tell me. Did you change the inhibitor code?
Hustler: Can't change it. We removed it though.
Esmeray: Then you've removed the neural blocking sensors, which accounts for 42% of the cool down, and helps stabilize the brain. You guys can't be this fucking amateur.
Hustler: Ray, we're telling you this can work we know you can flip this tech and work it.
Esmeray: Just because I can't doesn't mean I should. I don't need the D.R.C breathing down my neck and I surely don't want anything to come back to you guys if they can trace the line code. However you got these. Your best chance is to turn it in as lost tech, get a few dollars and be on your way.
Hustler 3: This is some bullshit.
Esmeray: Not my problem.
Hustler: What if we make it your problem?
The first guy flashes his gun as Esmeray chuckles and shakes her head.
Esmeray: Vade.
The three watch as a spectacle wearing young man spins around in his chair as he sighs.
Vade: What?
Esmeray: Were you not paying attention at all? Really?
Vade: I have code to debug and you're being rather cross. Just tell me what you want.
Esmeray nods at the men as the three look between the two as Vade sighs and stands as he cracks his knuckles and moves his neck from side to side as he comes over and stands before the Hustler with the gun. Esmeray crosses her legs as she leans back and folds her arms with a smirk.
Vade: Gentlemen. We do not want your shoddy modded tech. Please leave or I'll have to remove you myself.
Hustler: Are you serious right now? you? you ain't going to do shit…
Vade quickly disarms the Hustler and tJes the gun from him, firing a round point blank into the Hustler's leg. The Hustler screams as the other two back away horrified as Vade strips the gun down.
Vade: I purposely missed his femoral artery, but he could still bleed to death. You can get him to a hospital, no question asked and save his life, or (drawing his own personalized gun) I can do the same to you. So, gentlemen. What's it going to be?
The Hustler's quickly take their friend and drag him out of the room as Vade looks at Esmeray with a sneer.
Esmeray: Thank you, boo.
Vade: Mhm. The company you keep.
Esmeray: They're just trying to survive. Same as us.
Vade: You seeing this spike on Hollis Lane? Major overload concern.
Esmeray: I'm sure the D.R.C is on it v
Vade: At these levels, no way they go in.
Esmeray: You saying they're going to use a dreamer?
Vade: Seems like.
Esmeray: Monitor it and let me know.
Vade: You got it.
Esmeray: Thanks for handling that.
Vade: Anytime.
The two go back to their respective computers as Vade pushes his glasses up and smirks to himself.
Elsewhere
Tobias rubs his neck as he yawns and steps inside of the nice home as Alex comes over as the Agents salute him and step off to the side.
Alex: Tobias.
Tobias: Crowe daddy. What's up, man.
Alex: I hate when you call me that.
Tobias: Oh, I know. Your goons busted my door up.
Alex: You'll be reimbursed.
Tobias: Not the point. What's going on, man?
Alex: We're reaching a point of no return levels here, 32 minutes until crit overload. We're taking complete neurological damage v
Tobias: I thought this stuff was fixed, bugged out. The hells been going on lately?
Alex: We're not sure. But this is the third top official in the last month.
Tobias: Who are we…
Alex leads him into the living room as Tobias looks around.
Tobias: That Senator Danvers?
Alex: Hence your discretion.
Tobias: Sure it doesn't have to deal with the neural network being too hard to access without fear of having your own brain scrambled?
Alex: We don't have a lot of time.
Tobias: What do you need me to do?
Alex: Untether the links. But above else, the senator takes priority. You have to get him out before the damage takes hold.
Tobias: Alright. Guess I'm going in.
Alex: Grid blockers are up, you shouldn't get any major outside interference within a six miles range.
Tobias: That's still a hell of a lot of dreams that are crossed in but I can manage.
Tobias gets to the table and sits beside the A.N.N box as he begins to flick his thumb against his palm as he yawns and closes his eyes. An Agent comes over to Alex with a quizzical look as Alex crosses his arms.
Agent: What's happening sir?
Alex: You're about to witness a Dreamer infiltrate the shared dream.
Agent: How is that possible?
Alex: He can do Lucid dream, a state of semi consciousness that allows him to slip in and out at will.
The Agent looks as Tobias eyes close and flutters for a moment before Alex nods.
Alex: He's in.
Agent: How do you know?
Alex: I know the signs with Tobias, see his hand.
The Agent looks to see Tobias had stopped rubbing his thumb against his palm.
Alex: Means he's asleep. (Checking time) and he's got 26 minutes to uncluster this fuck.
Tobias takes shallow breaths as his eyes continue to flutter as…
DreamWorld
Tobias opens his eyes as he gets up from off of the table and looks around the empty room before he checks his pulse and nods.
Tobias: Out like a light. alright. Let's go find this asshole.
Tobias heads off and out of the building as he lights a cigarette and takes a drag as he walks into the street and looks about as he sees an amazing sight.A Horse drawn carriage rides down a road as suddenly a hover bike race zooms by over top from then as in the distance we see a Glimmering Castle surrounded by demons and orcs who are fighting men and women in all kinds of various costumes, from knights and swords, to mech suits and people with magic powers as a Dragon Rider swoops by as Tobias flicks the butt of his cigarette with a sigh.
Tobias: Fuck me.
Tobias whistles and watches a motorcycle materialize in front of him as he starts it up and takes off down the road towards the sprawling castle as he can see a sign for the Senator promoting his Castle Siege Dream Share.
End of chapter