To Be A Champion

Chapter 32: Ego

Why am I here?

I had a feeling I'd have a dream with Catherine when I went to bed after cleaning myself up. With everything we'd learned, Janine thought me writing everything up in a single report would be too much work, so she gave Nicole the duty of writing out everything we learned about the murals, Far Hebidian Variant of V-Type, and how everyone on Dearg is infected with red fungus in their blood stream.

I was tasked with writing a report on Project Feive, everything I knew about it, and everything I knew about me.

I didn't exactly want to, but I didn't have much choice. It was a command that I had to follow through, and I knew if I didn't tell Janine what I knew, Sam would. He is becoming less angry at me as time goes on, which is fortunate. But he believes that since so much has already been put out in the open, we might as well come clean.

So I gruelingly searched my mind for every detail I could remember after getting cleaned up. Of course, I knew there was no way Janine could look at any reports made today after everything she experienced, so I hid the report under my pillow. I don't trust Nicole enough not to snatch it so she can make a copy of it for her own reports to send back to America, so it won't leave my pillow until I can put it into Janine's hands.

My eyes were burning from strain and the desire to rest once I was finished, although I figured sleeping tonight wouldn't be restful, given how I didn't rescue Catherine like she wanted me to. I expected to wake up in Dearg, and I have. That's not what confuses me.

It's the fact that I'm on Dearg Island, but not in Catherine's prison cell. I'm outside the compound, actually. I'm not near the main building of the campus, but I'm still on the campus.

Why?

A soft voice reaches my ears, light and airy. Someone's singing, a French song from the sound of it.

"Miroir
Qu'as dont-tu fais de ma tête?
Cette transformation malhonnête
Ce n'est pas ce que je demandais
Allez, allez, allez."

I follow the sound, my hear pounding in my chest. I know this voice, but this can't be right. Why would we be here? Why would she be here outside?

"Le buzz n'était que factice
Je ne suis plus dans la matrice
Y'a plus personne pour en parler
Allez, allez, allez."

The song slowly gets louder as I move, my footfalls soft on the grass. I look at the laser turrets. This is just in our heads, so it would make sense that they wouldn't activate. My chest still tightens in fear that they might just, even if it would only result in me waking up.

"Je ferai tout pour récupérer
Ce que je suis en train de gâcher
Enfin sorti de ma bulle
Allez, allez, allez."

I reach the sound of the voice, my breath stuttering when I see a still dirty-looking Catherine lounging in the darkest corner. The lights that shine and chase away the darkness around the campus sidewalks don't reach this far, but I can still make out her silhouette in the dark corner. And when she notices my presence, her gold eyes flicker to me. They seem to glow in the moonlight.

"Ah, you're finally asleep," She says in English, standing and wiping herself off. "I was starting to get impatient and was thinking about invading your mind while you were still awake."

I stare at her and blink. "I... why are we out here? Why aren't you-"

"In my cell?" She grins. "It's because I'm not in my cell, in the real world, I mean."

My eyes go comically wide. "But I didn't-"

"Oh, I know. With you begin so close, I was able to see through your eyes without you really noticing. I've done it before, remember? It's just much easier when you're closer to me." She hums thoughtfully. "I wonder if that's because of the broken hive mind or if it was meant to be like that. Oh, well. I knew you were too busy with all of your other business to come get me, but seeing how you've been a colossal failure for as long as I've known of your existence, it doesn't surprise me that you didn't come through for me.