"J...an! Jo…han! Johan!!"
Johan jolted when he heard his name, and out of reflex, reached his hand out for the person closest to him, choking him.
"W-What the hell are you are you doing? Get off me!"
Martin yelled and slapped Johan's hand from his throat.
Johan's eyes finally became clear,
"What are you guys doing scaring me like that? What happened?"
"We should be asking you,"
Lenny replied.
"You've been restless for a while. We ignored it initially, but then you started to shake… that's when we woke you up."
"Oh, sorry about that."
Johan apologized.
"Nope, I'm not accepting that,"
Martin chimed.
"It's clear your nightmares are back, and I would have been cool with it if you hadn't attacked me. Tomorrow, you're going to see Dr. Curtis and tell him about your nightmares, or I will."
Usually, Johan would have argued, but he agreed this time around.
"I'll go see him in the morning."
Martin and Lenny didn't escalate the matter and returned to their beds, while Johan returned to sleep. He didn't move the rest of the night.
The next day, Johan went to see Dr. Curtis. His team was in charge of monitoring the progress of the New Generation.
"Alright,"
Dr. Curtis finally spoke audible after a series of mumbled words.
"Am I okay?"
Johan asked.
"Yes, physically you're okay. But it wasn't a physical problem, to begin with, so I'll be asking you some questions. How long have you had these nightmares?"
"Uh… for as long as I can remember… for years."
Johan replied.
"When you said reoccurring, you mean consecutively, or was there a break in reoccurrence at some point?"
"The first time it happened wasn't a big deal, but after happening consecutively for a week, I had to get meds to help me sleep better. I stopped having them for a while, but it came back after my first mission. Then I noticed that I'm mostly triggered after a mission, and I've been managing it ever since."
Dr. Curtis quietly listened while Johan explained, noting some things down on a notepad. He then asked again,
"These nightmares… what are they about? The nightmares could be a result of a trauma you suffered, is there anything you can remember about them?"
Johan shook his head,
"The nightmares…I can't remember what they're about."
"Try to remember,"
"I can't remember anything after I wake up… it has always been like that."
Dr. Curtis was visibly intrigued.
"That's odd,"
He said, before reaching into his desk and bringing out a small sleek device. Its LED light pulsed softly.
"This is a Neuro-Responder," he explained.
"It will help you relax and focus."
Johan nodded, curious.
"Make yourself comfortable on the couch… relax."
Dr. Curtis placed the device around Johan's wrist, securing it with a strap.
"Can you feel the vibration?"
Johan nodded, his eyes slowly closing.
"Take a deep breath in,"
Dr. Curtis guided.
"As you exhale, focus on the device's pulse. Let it synchronize your heart rate."
The device began to emit a soothing melody, its light pulsating in rhythm."
"Imagine yourself descending a staircase. With each step, your mind quietens, your body relaxes."
Johan's face softened, his jaw relaxing tension.
The device's vibration intensified, its melody shifting to a calming hum.
"Ten… nine… eight…" Dr. Curtis counted down.
Johan's breathing slowed, his body sinking into the couch.
"Seven… six… five…"
The device's light dimmed, its vibration slowing.
"Four… three… two… one."
Johan's body relaxed completely; his mind opened to Dr. Curtis's suggestions.
"Now, Johan, try to recall the nightmare you've been having. Think deeply from the moment you close your eyes to sleep to the moment you wake. Anything is useful."
Johan remained relaxed for some time, then suddenly, his face contorted.
"I… I see people… running for their lives. Guns… firing, but the bullets are blocked by a boulder…."
Johan spoke up to here and kept quiet.
Dr. Curtis meticulously wrote down on his notepad.
The Neuro-Responder's data stream appeared on Dr. Curtis's tablet, tracking Johan's brain activity. In his calm state, his brain wave frequency was 4Hz and his heart rate was 50 bpm.
"Please continue. Try to remember every detail." He spoke.
Johan's face contorted more as he spoke up again, dazed.
"Boulders… flying around, revolving around someone. People shooting… menacing headache… shooting… headache…"
Johan became restless as he repeated this. Beads of sweat started forming on his forehead, as he repeated the last two words over and over again.
The Neuro-Responder's data stream now had different results after Johan became agitated. His brain wave frequency shot up to 22 Hz and his heart rate increased by twice the initial reading.
Noting Johan's agitated state and his incoherent speech pattern, Dr. Curtis had no choice but to pull the plug on the treatment.
"Johan, wake up!"
He shouted.
Johan's eyes immediately shot open as he sat up. His face was covered in perspiration, as well as some parts of his clothes. He winced his eyes as a throbbing pain assaulted his head, forcing him to hold it with both hands.
"Don't worry, you're okay. My apologies, I may have pushed too hard."
Curtis helped Johan with some medications for the pain.
"It's alright. Was it helpful?"
"I'll have to run more tests before concluding. I'd normally advise you to stay off sleeping pills, but I think you should get yourself some rest in the meantime till we figure out what is going on with you."
"Alright, thank you, Dr. C."
Johan politely thanked Curtis before exiting his office. After leaving, a conflicted expression appeared on the doctor's face as he reached for the telephone on his desk,
"We need to talk, it's important."