Lanie held her hand up to the door of the rundown two story building that was Yesterday's base of operations. Part of her wanted to just turn and run back home and just pretend the world didn't exist for a few hours. But as soon as that thought crossed her mind, she was reminded that Juno was with her when he put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"You made it to the finish line, might as well cross it." He said in a supportive tone as he gently nudged her closer to the door.
Letting out a sound that sounded like a high pitch whine. Lanie knocked on the door gently, which didn't make much of a noise as she looked back at Juno. Who had a less than impressed look on his face.
Sighing, and accepting defeat. Lanie held her head low as she knocked hard enough for it to not be mistaken as an errant noise coming from the building.
The pair stood there for a couple of minutes. Lanie twirled a stray strand of her hair as she looked at Juno who took the situation in stride.
"Maybe she's not home?" Lanie questioned with a small amount of hopefulness in her voice.
"Give it another knock." Juno said, turning his attention to a nearby window watching whatever figure was there shrink away.
Sighing knowing that arguing wouldn't get her anywhere. Lanie went to knock once more, and just before her hand touched the door did it open.
"Heya kiddies! How's the sex life!" The energetic brunette with intelligent yellow eyes staring right into Lanies.
"Good morning Yesterday. Are you open for business?" Juno questioned holding Lanie back as she went for Yesterday with minor intent to cause harm.
"Of course I am. Who am I seeing?" Yesterday said as she stepped aside so that Juno could lead Lanie into the building.
The inside was a mess of scattered paperwork with several bottles of opened medicine bottles and beakers littering the multitude of wheeled tables that were strewn around in various places. There was a smell of mildew that originated from somewhere in the building, nowhere they could see it. Even after they had torn down walls searching for the source. It just seemed to haunt the building. There was a small wheeled stool that rested not far from a gurney which was set up for one person to somewhat comfortably lay.
"So what brings you two to my office this morning? Y'all having trouble getting it up?" Yesterday asked jotting down something on her clipboard as Lanie lay down on the gurney.
"No. I don't have trouble getting it up Yesterday." Juno said as patiently as he could muster. "But. Lanie has been having some issues with her sleep."
"What kind of issues?" Yesterday said with a suddenly much more stern stare as she turned her attention to Lanie.
"I-I have been having nightmares that have negatively been affecting my health and my mental state." Lanie said meekly.
"Nightmares you say? What kind of nightmares?" Yesterday questioned further as she took a seat on the stool.
Lanie hesitated for a moment as the memory of the black void surged forward. Reminding her of the deep cold sensation, of the fact that it was almost like she kept dreaming of her being created by some greater power, and she had been chosen to suffer the hell of reliving it.
Quietly she looked over at Juno who simply nodded. Silently nudging her.
"Regularly occurring nightmares." Lanie said.
"What happens during them?" Yesterday questioned writing something on the clipboard.
"First, it is just an empty black void, that gives off a harsh cold sensation. Colder than the coldest winter we've ever experienced. Then, there is a voice of a man that is almost commanding existence to manifest, and existence answers to the words that are spoken.
I watch as a body slowly takes form, one that looks no different than someone you'd pass out in the city. But then the voice speaks again, saying the same two words. Urging more details to form on the body, and it to be filled with everything it needed to live. To function.
It speaks the words a third time as the details finish falling into place. With hair and physical marks that took the shape of me. I watched myself come into being. And then the voice speaks for a fourth and final time. Where I then wake up." Lanie said sorting through all the details, ensuring that she did her best to describe them.
She looked back to Juno whose eyes seemed to be somewhat guarded. A look he only donned whenever he was having a moment of intense thought, like he was doing intense calculations in his mind. It was the look he got when he knew that he would have to make a heavy decision sometime down the road.
But something about that look suggested otherwise. Maybe it was because she was looking for it, but for once. It seemed like he knew something that she didn't.
"Wow, your brain is very active when you sleep. And I can tell without doing certain tests that you have a strong imagination. And just so you know, that isn't me downplaying how it is effecting you." Yesterday said taking a sip from a cup, before handing it over to Lanie. "Do you know what resources your brain uses to create dreams?"
Lanie took a drink from the cup making a face at the taste of it. Running through her mind trying to find anything that could answer her question.
"I'm sorry. I don't believe I know." Lanie finally muttered.
"Your brain uses what you have actually lived and experienced in the real world, and kinda shuffles them to create scenery that you wouldn't recognize completely. But it should still feel familiar, whereas more complex dreams also draw on your ability to imagine things. Or as it was called in the years of old. Being Creative." Yesterday explained turning on a handful of machines as a few screens lit with a dim green hue.
"What does being able to imagine have anything to do with it?" Lanie asked as Yesterday slid something over her arm, and on the end of her pointer finger.
"As you know, Agents are administered a serum that greatly alters your biology, genealogy, and even other aspects such as your neurology. But with the big drawbacks to it completely changes an Agent's personality, emotions, memory, and even imagination. Imagination, like certain emotions, are removed as an unintended side effect of the serum." Yesterday said stating the very common side effects of the Serum. "Lance for example lost his ability to love, Septum. His ability to fear. Juno over here lost his ability to be sad, while you lost your ability to feel anger."
"You can't feel sad?" Lanie questioned making the mistake of looking away from Yesterday and at Juno. Whose face had a mix of respect and fear written all over his face.
"You really scare me with what you can find out when you put your mind to it Yesterday." Juno said watching Yesterday stick Lanie with a needle.
"Ouch!" Lanie jolted as Yesterday quickly turned around pretending to be doing something. "What did you jab me with?"
"Oh nothing, just a drug to help with your feelings of unease." Yesterday said as the monitors started to show Lanies Vitals.
"That better have been all it was…" Lanie muttered rubbing her arm where she was jabbed. Watching as Yesterday prepared a head shaped device with several white circular sensors about every inch along the device. "What's that?"
"Oh this? I finally managed to get this beauty from HQ. This allows me to check out your brain activity, to see if there's anything out of the ordinary with your brain, and no it isn't going to hurt. I tested it on myself first." Yesterday said as she approached Lanie.
Lanie on the other hand didn't look too thrilled by that fact as she looked at Juno who simply shrugged. His eyes holding a good amount of uncertainty about them.
"What exactly are you looking for while she's conscious?" Juno asked while watching Yesterday affix the device to Lanie's head. It was then he noticed Lanie was struggling to sit up.
"Oh, I'm not looking for anything from her conscious brain. I am looking for stuff from her unconscious brain." Yesterday hummed as she finished strapping it to Lanie's head.
"W-what do you m-mean my unconscious brain?" Lanie stammered as an overwhelming sensation of exhaustion washed through her. Just what exactly did Yesterday jab her with?
"Oh, right. What I meant by helping with your sense of unease was just putting you to sleep." Yesterday said , giving a small shrug. "Slipped my mind. Sorry."
"Y-you b-bitch." Lanie said as she weakly attempted to pull the device off of her head. Finding that Yesterday had done every strap in a way to ensure it stayed on her head. "Get t-this off of m-me."
"No can do Lanie. You need this test if we're to find out what's going on with think meat." Yesterday said gently pushed Lanie till her back fully touched the back of the table. She really hated herself for the fact that she had to do what she did in a scummy way. Especially when she saw the fear that was more than evident in her eyes.
Yesterday continued to hold Lanie down, at the risk of her own arms being broken by Lanie's rather impressive grip strength. Until Lanie had finally slipped into unconsciousness with enough time to spare to keep her arms from being snapped like twigs.
Slowly. Yesterday got off of Lanie as she looked over at Juno. "She has impressive grip strength. It is a miracle she hasn't sent you to the trauma center."
"You have no clue. But was it really a good idea to drug her? You do know she isn't going to be too happy with you doing that." Juno said as he followed Yesterday into a backroom where a single computer was set up.
"I know. But if I hadn't done that and told her it was a sleep test instead. Given she is obviously struggling in that regard. I made the best choice I could, even if it goes against my teachings in just about every way possible."
"You have a point there…" Juno said with a sigh. "Let me know what the test shows, I have some things I need to take care of over the next couple of hours."
"I will. I have a question for you if you don't mind."
"What is it?" Juno asked
"Should I enter this into my computer, or pen and paper?" Yesterday asked after a moment of hesitation. Knowing that depending on the answer, it could effect Lanie and her future as an agent.
Project Machina