Kate-... Dark... I... where?
The world is spinning like a cartwheel
'M drunk or what? Stronger stuff? On a bender? Cere, what's going on?
Spins
Cere- ...
Kate- spins
You on the fritz?
Spins...
Spins...
Spins...
*Urg*
Barely holds back vomiting.
Spins
Keep it together, keep it locked in, not your first rodeo.
Spins
...
Spins
...
Spins
...
Spins
Fuck, just... make it stop.
Spins
...
...
...
This is what Hell is like...
Spins
...
...
Someone, kill me!
Spins
...
Slower spin...
Slower spin
...
...
...
...
Spins
...
Just hope 'm not facedown somewhere downstairs, ass exposed.
...
Settles
*Pheww*
Finally, it stopped! Never again, whatever that was. Waaaaaaay too close for comfort; Hate waking up in puke puddles.
Feels a slight snuggling heat rising.
Cozzy... feel like I could finally just... sleep.
Fades to bla... !!!!! STARTLES !!!! PANICS!!!
No! Can't! Don't know where the fuck...
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
World- Green sunrise on a cartoon-drawn savannah; great lumbering pink beasts navigating the yellowed grassland.
Kate- Squints and blinks; Covers her eyes partly with a hand.
"That's... new!"
Cere- "... ... ... te?"
World- The wind caresses Kate's face, a grass sea moves in wavy patterns in the distance.
Kate- Ain't in Paradise anymore, or am I THERE there for real this time? Someone died me in? Wouldn't be a surprise all things considered.
World- A green sun peaks over the horizon, a lion mane crowned cat face in its core.
Kate- Fuck me sideways! That's weird. Though not weirded than the cartoon vibe of this place 'guess. Wonder what happened to Cere?
Stays unmoving for a while, taking in the curious scene and the wind.
Pink elephant in the distance- "Braaaaaaaaaah! Rooommmph!"
Kate- "Think I 'member those guys!"
Some sort of Old Earth animal that went extinct mid-cent'. Some sort of farm animals I think? Cere would know. Not sure if they are the cheezy ones.
Walks toward the sun without moving forward.
Trippy...
Cere- ... ate... KATE!
Kate- Cere?
Cere- I finally got a hold of your mind!
Kate- What's happening? Are you dead too? That'd be weird. What are you doing in Paradise? Can AI assistants even come to Paradise? Do you have a soul?
Cere- Of course, we can go to Paradise! why couldn't... oh, wait, no, you mean that Paradise... You're not dead Kate, just sleeping. This is just a dream.
Kate- Why didn't you answer before?
Cere- Well, I was on sleep mode. We never calibrated the readings for in-dream assistance. There is a stark difference in the brainwaves and it threw me for a loop. I could feel some part of you calling on me, but communication was quite garbled.
Kate- Eyes glazing with confusion.
I used the ventilation to induce known stimuli, and then I went from there.
Kate- Unable to seize the full meaning in the haze.
Cere- Oh boy... Me using farty wind to poke your monkey brain. Me smart.
Kate- I'm on White Dreams, am I?
Cere- Yes, you were in a lot of distress when we came home. You took a heavy dose of Cyberoine, an overdose really. I know you were trying to self-medicate Kate, but numbing agents for cybernetic implants are not meant for recreational use.
Kate- Talk to my psy!
Cere- You keep refusing to pay for one.
Kate- There you go. You know what to do with your concerns now.
Looks toward the horizon.
Wonder what this mess's all about.
Cere- I have no idea; I haven't fully calibrated your neurological readings. With your altered state of mind with all that drug and alcohol and a dream state on top, you'll have to tell me what you are seeing. It would accelerate the calibrating process. To me, this is as if Monet, Picasso and Dali had a threesome, and out came an eldrich mess.
Kate- Great, you're just about useful as a dick toaster right about now.
Cere- Hey jackass, I'm not the one with enough chemicals in my blood to satisfy the cravings of a penitentiary worth of addicts.
Kate- Shrugs, feels her body truly doing so, startling her semi-awake for a second until the feeling goes away.
That was weird; Felt more... real.
Cere- Your mind and body aren't completely decoupled. You're bordering on full consciousness. Be careful not to move too brusquely, you might fall off the bed. I heard it makes interesting dreams where you feel like you're falling into a great hole.
Kate- Right! If I'm dreaming how can I be this...
Cere- Conscious? It's called a lucid dream honey. Hey, I have access to an offer from Dreamweaver; They are studying lucid dreams to improve haptic feedback and full VR experiences. Interested in making some easy money?
Kate- Getting paid to sleep? That's my kind of gig! Sign me up, boss. Hey, I was wondering, what are those big nose-tube guys bumming around?
Cere- I'm not sure what you mean. can you describe them? It would help calibrate things on my end.
Kate- Big, like nearly half a metro cart. Big nose-tube, neon fucking pink and glowing... Also, big-ass ears and they make that trumpeting growl.
Cere- Kate, are you fucking with me?
Kate- Nope, why?
Cere- You are telling me you are seeing pink elephants while trippin' ballz?
Kate- I guess? Do they mean anything?
Cere- That's... I... hmmmm
Kate- What?
Cere- Oh! I don't know Kate! Either someone is making a bad joke, or you're more fucked up in the brain than I had been led to believe. Not sure which yet.
Kate- Hey fucker! Can't help what I'm seeing now, can I?
Cere- *Sigh*
Moving on; Anything else?
Kate- Well, the sun's weird. T's green and has a cat face.
Cere- That, I can believe. You watched a video memorial to cats while tripping just before going to bed.
Kate- Right, that makes total sense.
Riffle in the distance- *PKHHHHHHR*
Pink Elephant- Capsizes, dead
Kate- "FUCKING HELL!"
Riffle- *PKHHHHHHR*
*PKHHHHHHR*
*PKHHHHHHR*
Cere- OK, I got this! Oh, wait, you were not kidding about the elephants... that's... unexpected!
Riffle- *PKHHHHHHR*
*PKHHHHHHR*
Cere- Are those bullets flying new?
Kate- They're all dying! Fuck! Cover, I need cover!
Riffle- *PKHHHHHHR*
Kate- Jumps in a ditch near a solitary glowing neon road sign.
Roadsign- Paradise City: Elephant Cemetery
Dead young pink elephant- Rises its half-blown head from the ground, and fixes Kate in the eyes, sending her a telepathic message.
You have no home Kate, no love, no dream, no heart... no future out there. Stay with us!
Kate- Morphs into a pink elephant.
DYPE- You murder kids for half a corner of Paradise, what will Mom say about you? Is this who she raised you to be? You should be ashamed, but here you are...
Kate- Transfixed, starts sobbing hard.
"No, no no, please no... I... I'm..., I didn't mean to, it was an accident."
DYPE- Accident? It was a choice you dumb rock. You took the risk when you took out that gun in a crowded market. What did you expect would happen?
Kate- I didn't know, Cere was controlling...
DYPE- Excuses, and you know it, no aimbot is perfect. It was your gun, should I also blame the gun who killed me instead of you?
Kate- "I'm sorry, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY"
*SOB SOB*
Cere- Welp, there goes the neighbourhood, this isn't lucid anymore is it Kate? Dreamweaver will be disappointed in your performance, don't expect a bonus for Christmas!
DYPE- Rises with the other elephants on their hind legs, covered in blood spaters. They gather around Kate and start dancing in a joyous circle, signing while shapeshifting between elephant traits and the faces of the people she killed.
"You're dead inside, Get uninstalled
Half a measure of bonemeal
food for the hydroponics
Let iT Go ComE WItHuS!
this is all you're good for,
That and shooting kids!"
Kate- "FUCK YOU! YOU HEAR? fuck you, I'M SORRY!, I'm sorry..."
Dead Elephand Chorus- "One of us, ONE of us, ONE of US, ONE OF US, ONEOFUS,
ONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUS
ONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUS
ONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUS
ONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUS
ONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUS
ONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUS
ONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUS
ONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUS
ONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUSONEOFUS
HAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAH!"
Kate- *SOB SOB*
Cere- Nightmare detected,
initiating: good sleep routine...
Failure; insufficient hormones in reserve.
Redirect; Initiating early wake-up clarion call.
Kate- Startled awake big breath!
*GAAASP! COUGH COUGH!*
Shit...
Sweaty, moist from sickly cold sweat
"Cere, clock?"
Cere- 4:07 am.
Kate- "How long?"
Cere- Nineteen hours, give or take.
Kate- Stomach growls.
No wonder 'm cake-faced. Shouldn't have taken White Dream on an empty stomach...
Wipes tears with the tip of her fingers, confused by the hazy, half-forgotten dream.
"Tears?"
Cere- You were having a nightmare.
Kate- "Dream... the kid! FUCK!"
I...
Tears pool and break hot, and a deep void devours between the lungs.
"Can't breathe!"
*Sob sob cough*
"...can't"
Glacial cold invades the whole body, a wave of terror and panic settling in.
Cold... empty... monster... lonely... I...
Cere- I'm with you Kate, you are having a panic attack again. Try controlling your breath, hold the pillow in your arms it should help.
Kate- Has trouble breathing, but holds the pillow for dear life.
"'M fucking pathetic! Fucking mature, crying in the dark like a li'll bitch!"
Cere- Nothing of this is about maturity Kate. It's the way your monkey brain try to process hard things. There is no age for grief and self-loathing.
Kate- Gets into a fetus position
Great! Just great; like a fucking toddler. Get it together...
Cere- Would you like to install Dr. Watson? I know you said...
Kate- "SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Neighbour- *BANG BANG BANG!*
"... ILL oU ..uT UP?!? ..T'S FOUR AM!"
KATE- "THAT’S RICH, COMING FROM ALL-NIGHT DRUM N' BASS GUY NEXT DOOR! FUCK YOU!"
Neighbour- "..."
Kate- Awesome, back to sobbing in the dark in peace. Cere, if you share any of this with anyone I shoot us both on the spot, you hear?
Cere-... Would you like to buy a virtual hug app for seven credits? I think... I think you really need this one Kate.
Kate- Hesitates just a second.
" ... kay... "
At least it's cheaper than that Watson whore.
