The dream was back.
Roxanne looked into the endless darkness surrounding her in her dream again. The current of dread was still around her, but it didn't seem to be as intense.
"You're nothing."
The light creature appeared out of nowhere, slowly whispering it's message in her ear. Roxanne tried backhanding the creature that managed to sneak up on her, only for her hand to phase past it.
"You're nothing." The creature repeated, fading out of Roxanne's dream and leaving her alone once again. The tendrils all erupted from the ground, swarming to meet her after pointing towards her for a few seconds. It took longer, but they eventually coiled around Roxanne, dragging her to the ground.
She shot out of Dakarai's bed with her arms flailing.
"Something happen?" Dakarai asked, moving Roxanne's hand from his face to hers.
"No, no. Just a bad dream." Roxanne mumbled back, clutching her head with her returned hand.
"Ah, okay." Dakarai nodded, turning around to go back to sleep. Roxanne looked at his back. It was a good back, the very attractive kind. A little muscular, but not too much. But enough sexiness, she had to go back to sleep. She got herself in multiple positions as she lay in Dakarai's bed trying to get back to sleep. But it was clear she wasn't getting back to sleep anytime soon.
She walked to the living room, and looked at the couch Samuel was lying on, and the chair Adebayo was eating a bowl of granola in.
"Hello there." He mumbled with his mouth half full.
"Oh, hey." Roxanne whispered.
"Can't sleep?" Adebayo asked.
"Not really." Roxanne sighed. "Had a…really weird dream, you know how it is."
"Hmm." Adebayo nodded as he took another spoonful of granola. "You hungry?"
"Not really." Roxanne said while taking out her phone. Maybe one of the other miracles were awake. She shot a quick text to both of them asking if they were up.
"So what was your dream about?" Adebayo asked.
"Oh, just…being swallowed by darkness. Happens a lot."
"Yeah, I've been there." He nodded calmly.
"You have?" Roxanne asked.
"Yeah. Had a bunch of dreams when I was younger, and all of them seemed to be connected. There was me with five other people, and we used to go around messing things up."
"What, like crimes?"
"Way more than crimes. Sometimes we'd be destroying entire cities while laughing about it, and sometimes I'd kill people while watching the hope drain from their eyes, then I'd laugh about it while the others with me watched."
"Sounds messed up." Roxanne winced.
"Tell me about it."
"So how'd you stop it?"
"It really only stopped when I went into hero work. Got fired from my old job and did odd jobs with Samuel and Dakarai. We moved to crime stopping after a while, but then Dakarai left. Got a top ranking with Samuel, and once I got super into it, the dreams stopped."
"So what you're saying is I need to become a hero?"
"Nah, maybe it's more about…finding yourself? Once I finally felt content, my nightmares stopped. So whatever it is you want to do, do that? Maybe?"
"Well, I want to fall in love." Roxanne replied. "So that's all I have to do, then?"
"I mean, if that's what you want to do." Adebayo nodded, getting up to put his bowl in the dishwasher. "Hope that works out for you."
Roxanne's phone buzzed on the wooden table. She picked it up, and Cassandra had answered.
'cant sleep either wana hang?'
Roxanne responded with a quick 'yes please' and headed for the door.
"Where you going?" Adebayo asked.
"Out to my ship."
"Alone?" He asked, getting up and walking towards her.
"Is something up?" Roxanne asked.
"I don't think it's a good idea to let you just walk alone with Legionites about."
"Oh. Oh, that makes sense." Roxanne nodded as they walked out into the streets.
As the two walked through the Inariu streets, Roxanne looked up to see the sunrise peering out over the white clouds below them. The streets were slowly being illuminated and the morning warmth was starting to set in. The metal platforms below them slowly began heating up.
"This is nice." Adebayo nodded, trying to break the silence that came between them.
"It is, yeah." Roxanne nodded back. Must be nostalgic for you, or something."
"Nah, I was a pretty late sleeper." Adebayo replied. "This do it for you?"
"Not really, I don't know if I'm even from here." Roxanne sighed.
"Lost baby?"
"Yeah."
"That sucks. But hey, I'll check the area if you want, see if anyone knows anything."
"Oh, you don't need to do that."
"Eh, my grandma's the type of person who knows everyone. She'll just check around for a little, that's all.
"I mean, if that's all you want to do, then…"
A figure stepped out between the two of them as they got to the dock. He was donning a red robe with a hood on it, looking at them as if he was ready to kill.
"Roxanne, wait on the last floor, please." Adebayo said calmly, casually beginning to place his left palm flat in front of him and rubbing his right palm against it.
Roxanne did as he asked, only to be met with another robed figure walking up the steps. She walked back up trying not to break eye contact or trip on the metal stairs. When she got to the dock's main platform, she saw Adebayo next to the knocked-out body of their attacker.
"Roxanne, is something…" Stopping his sentence when he saw the next figure approach them. He started once again rubbing his hands together. When the man flashed a dagger, ready to strike, Adebayo put one hand on both sides of him. They stood still for a second, before they started seizing up. They shot upright before falling down straight after.
"Roxanne, check on your friends." Was all Adebayo said.
Roxanne ran as fast as her healing leg would allow her until she got to the ship. Once in front and looking to see the living room, she saw a hooded figure standing in the living room with a gas surrounding them. When she breathed in a bit from outside, she felt drowsy and tried desperately to stop the cough building up inside her.
She was being poisoned.
She put her sweater over her nose and mouth and tucked her necklace inside her clothes. The man was facing away from her, so she quickly tried to kick him with her robotic leg when she had the chance. She prepped the kick and pushed her leg into him with all the force she could manage to summon.
The figure lurched forward, trying to lay a hand on Roxanne. Roxanne tried bending back to avoid it, but only ended up falling on her back. She quickly shot her metal leg out as she was on the ground, causing her attacker to fall, screaming in pain when they hit their back against the end of their wooden table. Roxanne tried finding something to regain balance on but was stuck crawling outside the ship before gaining her footing on the rails and stepping back. While the figure was just about to get back up, she ran up to them and gave a running kick to the ribs with her good leg as they got up, stomping on their head in an attempt to knock them out. It seemed to work, as the feeling of the gas on her clothes started to dissipate. With that out of the way, she began rapidly kicking and punching Julian and Cassandra's room.
"What's happening?" Cassandra asked from behind the door, sounding tired. Not 'we got poisoned' tired. Just 'we just got woken up' tired. Her eyes jolted open slightly when Roxanne wrapped her arms around her and started bawling incomprehensibly into her green tank top, leaving Roxanne to access what happened to the airship.
"Can I get an explanation on what happened?" Julian asked, looking around and seeing the unconscious guy on their table.
"Weregettinginvadedandtheytriedtopoisonyouandtaketheweaponandistoppedthembuttheyreprobablygonnatrytokillyounext!" Roxanne sobbed.
"Is that…" Julian tasted the air. "Anaesthesia? Was that that guys power?"
"Look, Julian." Cassandra said calmly, prying Roxanne off her. "It's early. If this attack breaks out any longer than it has to, people could die. I'll need you to get to your bear while I get to the weapons testing facility. You able to do that?"
"Adebayo can help him." Roxanne nodded, regaining her composure between heavy breaths.
"Great, great." Cassandra nodded. "Roxanne, you do whatever it is you need to."
"I'll go with you." Roxanne replied. "The weapon is a greave, right? I can just fit it on my boot and fight back."
"And you're sure that won't kill you?" Cassandra asked.
"Hundred percent."
Cassandra hesitated for a second, thinking about the state Roxanne's leg could end up in. But the current numbers of Legionites were unknown, and the chance of Roxanne not fighting could be next to impossible
"Okay. Plan's made. Let's do this."