Tomi's heart pounded as the nightmare gripped him.
The sky above him was a churning mass of dark clouds, swirling ominously as if the heavens were alive with evil intent.
Towering before him, a colossal figure reached into the stormy sky, its form shrouded in shadows so thick that they seemed to absorb the faintest hint of light.
The figure's presence alone sent waves of dread crashing through Tomi's body, freezing him in place.
"Who are you?" Tomi's voice trembled, barely escaping his throat, cracked and frail from the sheer terror tightening around his chest.
His eyes were wide, locked onto the glowing blue orbs that pierced through the darkness—eyes belonging to a mecha of unimaginable size.
The machine's head lowered slowly, its gaze fixed on him, and with every inch it descended, Tomi felt his body grow heavier, as though the weight of the world was pressing down on him.
His limbs were paralyzed, and though his instincts screamed at him to run, to flee from the horror before him, he could not move.
The fear was so overwhelming, that it felt as if his very soul was trapped, caged within his own immobile body.
"I'm Tristan," the mecha's voice boomed, resonating through the air like a thunderclap.
The sound echoed endlessly, each repetition of the name drilling into Tomi's mind, louder and louder, until it became a cacophony that drowned out all other thoughts.
The deafening echoes reverberated through his skull, the sheer volume causing his ears to throb in pain.
Tomi clamped his hands over his ears, desperately trying to block out the noise, but it was useless—the sound was inside him, vibrating through his bones, and no amount of pressure could stop it.
"Your—" The voice of Tristan began again, the words laced with a terrifying finality.
But before the sentence could be completed, the nightmare shattered.
"Tomi, wake up! It's just a nightmare,"
came a new voice, slicing through the darkness like a lifeline. Gina's voice.
With a gasp, Tomi's eyes shot open, his body jerking awake.
He was drenched in sweat, his breath coming in rapid, shallow bursts. The terror of the nightmare still clung to him, the vividness of it making reality seem distant and blurred.
His heart continued to race, the pounding in his chest so fierce it hurt.
The oppressive darkness of the dream slowly gave way to the dim light of the room, but the image of Tristan's glowing blue eyes remained burned into his mind.
He blinked rapidly, his gaze darting around the room, trying to anchor himself in the present.
It was just a dream, he reminded himself. Just a nightmare.
But as he sat there, trembling and drenched in cold sweat, the line between the nightmare and his reality seemed disturbingly thin.
Gina observed Tomi closely, noting the pallor of his skin and the deep, dark circles that hung under his eyes, signs of relentless nightmares, and the weight of untold stress.
The sight of him, so worn and fragile, filled her with a quiet concern. She couldn't help but wonder what horrors plagued his dreams so persistently.
"Hey, kiddo," Gina began gently, trying to keep her tone soothing despite the clinical nature of their interaction.
"Your medical condition is quite serious. I need to check your vitals, so I'll have to use the steel scanner." She reached out, her hand hovering just above his arm.
But Tomi flinched, recoiling from her touch as if it burned.
"Don't touch me!" he snapped, his voice edged with fear and mistrust, his body instinctively shrinking back.
The memory of his past—being kidnapped, and treated like a mere test subject—still held a tight grip on him, making any physical contact unbearable.
Gina sighed softly, understanding the depth of his trauma.
She adjusted her glasses and sank into the chair beside him, her expression calm but tinged with empathy.
With a flick of her fingers, she activated the holographic device that floated above Tomi, casting a soft blue light over him as it scanned his entire body.
"I know you've been through hell, kiddo, and you're not the only one who escaped those Eclipse organization untraumatized."
she said, her voice steady but warm.
The holographic scan was completed, and the device returned to her, projecting a detailed image of Tomi's physical condition onto the hologram in front of her.
She glanced at the data, her eyes skimming over the various metrics that painted a troubling picture of his health.
"But trust me, you're not a test subject here," she continued, her tone firm as she locked eyes with him.
"You're not in the hands of those organizations anymore. You're safe from the traumatic events they put you through."
The mention of the Eclipse organization made Tomi's jaw clench, resentment bubbling to the surface.
He couldn't suppress the surge of anger that welled up inside him, a raw, festering wound that refused to heal.
"Cool story," he muttered, his voice thick with bitterness, "but what they put me through is a different kind of hell. Comparing my trauma to someone else's is a mistake."
Gina remained calm, her demeanor unshaken by his outburst. She understood the pain behind his words, the fury that masked his vulnerability.
"I'm not here to compare traumas or debate with you, kiddo," she said, her voice softening as she leaned back in her chair, still focused on the holographic display.
"I'm here to offer you something that might help."
She looked up at him then, a small, sincere smile playing on her lips, her eyes holding a glimmer of hope that he might trust her, even just a little.
Tomi's eyes narrowed, his brow furrowing deeply in response to Gina's words. Anger simmered just beneath the surface, his distrust evident.
"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice tense and guarded.
Gina met his gaze evenly, her expression softening as she chose her words carefully.
"You see, we're a military organization dedicated to helping humanity—and that includes victims like you, who've been subjected to those inhumane experiments." Her voice was steady, though she shifted her attention momentarily to the holographic screen floating nearby, where she meticulously analyzed his anatomical data.
She was looking for any hidden injuries, internal or external, that might have been missed in previous scans.
Her fingers danced over the holographic controls, the blue light reflecting off her glasses as she continued,
"We're not just here to fight the dark mecha forces invading our world, Tomi. We're also hunting down the organization responsible for turning humans into test subjects—people like you, who've suffered at their hands."
She finished her inspection and turned back to Tomi, her eyes searching his face for a reaction.
"So what will it be, kiddo?" she asked, her tone taking on a slightly lighter, almost teasing edge as she offered him a small smile, though her eyes remained serious.
"Will you join our forces, or... well, the alternative isn't something I'd recommend."
She kept her tone light, hiding the gravity of what she was truly thinking.
"Which is death, kiddo,"
she thought, careful not to let the words slip out. The last thing she wanted was to spook Tomi further, making an already tense situation even more complicated.
As she watched him, Gina kept her expression neutral, though her mind raced with the potential consequences if he refused.
She knew she had to tread carefully—one wrong move could push him over the edge, and the fragile trust she was trying to build could shatter.
Gina's gaze softened, her smile wavering just enough to reveal a hint of the seriousness she was hiding.
She leaned in slightly, as if sharing a secret, her voice gentle yet firm.
"Kiddo, I'm not here to pressure you. But understand, this isn't just about you—it's about survival, for all of us. You've been through hell, I get that. But out there, it's a different kind of hell. One we need to face together."
She paused, giving him a moment to absorb her words.
The soft glow of the holographic screen illuminated their faces, casting a faint blue hue over the room as the tension hung thick in the air. "I'm offering you a chance to fight back, to take control of your fate. But you need to decide, and soon."
The room fell silent again, the weight of her unspoken thought—because the alternative is death—looming in the air.
Gina watched Tomi closely, hoping that her words, and the choice she presented, would be enough to reach him without pushing him away.