Reality
Chris and a few Agents break down a door and storm inside, detaining the family residing there aggressively as they tear the apartment apart as the other apartments in the hall are being stormed through the same way as we see others buildings being raided in the same manner.
DreamWorld-Inferno Bar
Valencia opens her eyes as she appears in the bar, everyone looking at her as Tobias quickly gets up and rushes to her, hugging her as she smiles and hugs him back, rubbing the back of his neck comfortingly as he breaks the hug and looks just relieved to see her as she touches his face.
Valencia: I'm so happy to see you.
Tobias: Fucking scared me when I couldn't find you…
Valencia: I'm okay. I promise.
Lucifer: Michael?
Valencia: Gone. But told me to send his regards.
Lucifer: Ah. Then I take it you found your Paragon.
Kami perks up and comes over to her along with Vade and Esmeray.
Esmeray: Val.
Valencia: Ray.
The two hug as Kami told her arms.
Kami: The Paragon?
Valencia: You're looking at her.
Kami: What?
Valencia: She wouldn't come. Said she wasn't needed...not yet anyways. But she said I was the acting Paragon...and that this…
Valencia raises her hand and the group look away as Valencia's hand begins to glow with a large bright golden hue.
Valencia: Was bestowed upon me to guide us through the darkness.
Kami looks at Lucifer.
Lucifer: That's the Ethereal Light. She is the Paragon, in theory.
Kami: She'll do then. Join us. We have things to discuss.
Valencia follows with Tobias as everyone but Lucifer takes a seat at the table again as Kami raises a Holographic image's of the O.I Tower.
Kami: Winston's beacon of Orion's place. The O.I Tower. Here is where Xander will attack and try his hand at obtaining the final source code. It is also here that Orion Industrial will make their stand, and the stand will be massive.
Kelsey: A full on attack by us and us alone would be suicide. We'd be killed and knocked out of the dream share for who knows how long.
Esmeray: So what's our play?
Kami: Risky, but we'll have to let Xander attack and weaken the Orion and D.R.C forces.
Vade: That's playing it awfully close.
Kelsey: Maybe. But our Xander has been a rather busy boy.
Blayde: What do you know.
Kelsey: One of his four zealots…
Esmeray: Four? I thought he only two plus his Echo?
Kelsey: Yes, which would make three. Plus the other he's kept hidden in the wings.
Kami: Intel?
Kelsey: Cosette Malkin. Dreamer with an Awakened power. She's basically raising the fallen Agents in their skirmishes with Xander's group and making an army of zombie agents to fight for them.
Esmeray: That's possible?
Kelsey: She can use her own code to digitally rewrite them. It essentially locks out the neural link user and suspends them into the dream. They're basically forced to watch themselves do the bidding or another.
Hazel: How horrible.
Alex: Wouldn't that cause neural decay?
Kelsey: Speeds it up for sure. Especially if they've been in the dream share for a number of hours. Its effective because it not only renders the dream share Agents as her own puppets, but it also keeps the real users from being able to leave. Without the best Untherers they'll be trapped in the real world. My estimates say she's got about a 3rd of the dream share Agents under her control.
Vade: That's a lot of people.
Alex: We've got to do something!?
Kami: In time. Right now we need to figure out what's the best…
Alex perks up as he can hear a series of beeps as he quickly stands.
Alex: Shit they found us…
Hazel brings up a feed from her wrist as she can see through a camera from the real world that D.R.C were swarming the building.
Hazel: Oh my God…
Alex: Tobias you have to wake up and get me unlinked, now!
Tobias nods as everyone looks concerned as Tobias closes his eyes and takes his breaths as time stands still for him.
Reality
Tobias awakens in the middle of the group and quickly goes and safely adds a code to the neural link on Alex, Alex not mixing for a few moments before he blinks and looks about groggily as he quickly gets up and puts the neural link down as he checks the camera feeds as he can see Chris walking inside as the Agents point out the panel with the keypad.
Alex: Shit! Shit!
Tobias: What do we do?!
Alex: We have a minutes before they break the code and get in…
Alex goes and grabs a machine gun from a locker, handing it to Tobias along with a clips as Alex loads another and grabs a table, flipping it over and placing it near wear the doors will open as Alex turns and grabs Tobias pulling him forward as Alex hits a button and Tobias watches as Blast Doors quickly shut behind him, leaving him and Alex on one side and the others still under on the other side.
Alex: I've got the only remote to open those blast doors. Hazel has the other set. Even if they get us, they won't be able to get through and that will buy them time.
Tobias nods as he raises the Machine Gun as Alex checks his phone and watched the feed as an Agent hooks and device to the keypad and it begins to decode the combination as Chris waits impatiently as Agents are geared up and prepared to storm as Alex pulls the tab in the machine gun and aims it as Tobias looked apprehensive.
DreamWorld-Inferno Bar
Kami paces about as Blayde tries to calm her down.
Blayde: They'll be okay…
Kami: This is bad...this is bad.
Hazel: Alex turned on the blast doors. We'll be safe but I can't see them now.
Esmeray: Is there any way to wake us up?
Vade: Without Tobias or Alex pulling us out of the neural link we're stuck.
Charles: Afraid he's right.
Kelsey: I'm too far away to be of any help even if I could get there in time.
Kami: Fuck!
Blayde: Kami!
Kami looks at him as he grabs her hands.
Blayde: Deep breaths...we can still do this.
Kami nods as she pulls away and grabs a bottle from Lucifer as she pours herself a shot and takes it.
Kami: He's right. We don't have much choice…
Ian: You actually do have…
Everyone turns quick, weapons drawn as Ian stands with Courtney, Wes and Mario.
Ian: We come in peace.
Kami: Ian…
Ian: Kami. Kelsey. Vade. Charles. It's great to see you all.
Kami: What are you doing here…?
Ian: We have word that the D.R.C have found some of you and are attempting to break in. Right now there orders are to kill anyone who resists and detain the rest. Seeing how you've found yourself in a a bit of a bind. We have come to offer our help.
Blayde: You've known we've been here the entire time.
Ian: There's only so many places a group such as yourselves could hide from us. We offer you a deal. A chance to find common ground. Meet with us, in reality. Orion Industrial headquarters. Do that and we promise to spare your friends.
Esmeray: No fucking way!
Vade: Ray...stop.
Esmeray looks at Vade as Vade steps forward
Vade: Stop the attack right now. And we'll do it.
Ian: You have my word.
Vade: Prove it.
Hazel watched as the stairs began to lower as the codebreaker tech had done its job. Vade watching it as Ian raises his phone and simple says
Ian: Make them stand down.
Vade and the others watched as the Agents began to move down the stairs but all stopped as they all checked their coms, all of them looking about before retreating back up as Chris was screaming at them but eventually looks at his phone and stops his antics as he throws his phone in anger.
Ian: There.
Vade: Then you have our wod we'll meet you there. But that's all we've agreed too.
Ian: Fair enough. See you soon.
The four head out as Esmeray shakes with rage as Blayde come and places a calming hand in her shoulder as Kami sighs.
Kami: Kelsey…
Kelsey: I know. I'll meet you there.
Kelsey taps her heels together a few times before she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as she began to dissipate.
Kami: I'll meet you there. Blayde…
Blayde: I'll be here.
Valencia goes to Esmeray as Esmeray looks upset.
Valencia: Keep an eye on Tobias for me.
Esmeray nods as Charles starts to disappear as Hazel watched ad the blast door had opened and Tobias was safely removing everyone's links as Chris and Alex stare one another down as Agents kept a close watch on everyone before Hazel feels herself beginning to dematerialize as Lucifer watched Vade and Esmeray then go as Kami kisses Blayde before she did her little quirks to wake up. Lucifer making Blayde and Valencia a drink as it was just the three of them now.
Reality
Esmeray gasps as she awakens and looks about as Tobias calms her as she sees the D.R.C agents standing about as Alex and Charles are talking.
Tobias: What the hell is going on, Ray?
Esmeray: We're going to Orion Industrial…
Esmeray hops out of the chair and angrily storms off as Tobias looks around as he was confused and concerned about this newfound information.
End of chapter.