Somnium Rising

Chapter Two

I wake from my slumber soaked in sweat, as if dipped in a tub of water and thrown on the line to dry on a wet Monday morning. I feel my heart pounding against my chest as I fight to catch my breath.

'Good morning, Five!' says a lively female voice.

I raise my head startled as my shoulders remain pinned to the bed. A hologram of an AI projects beneath my feet.

'It's another beautiful day in paradise.'

Her name is Eleos. She is the AI assigned to my block. She does pretty much everything around the house.

'Wh-', my throat feels dry and rugged, 'what time is it?

'9:22 AM,' she responds.

I let out a sigh. Late again, I think to myself. I stand and raise the blinds as sunlight pierces its way in. I open the door to the balcony and rest my palms on the railings. I look down at the street below like a bird perched on a street light, overlooking the miniature world below. Everything seems normal, I think to myself. Almost as if disappointed.

'What's the schedule for today?'

'Well, you missed your 8 AM review with the inspector. You have a 9:45 AM appointment at the dreamcatcher clinic, followed by a 13:30 PM check-in with Mr. Borges in Bay 2. Would you like to make a new entry?'

'No. That's fine.'

Twenty-twenty five minutes to get to the clinic. Totally doable.

'Prep the shower, and get me some new clothes.'

Eleos smiles and nods to confirm my request before she disappears.

I arrive at the Dreamcatcher clinic. My watch reads 10:20 AM. Fashionably late as always. This is my seventeenth cycle at the clinic and each visit brings me no closer to resolving my condition. I'm probably the only patient to attend seventeen sessions since day zero on the Soteria. I suppose there is a psychological component which sets my mind on a tangent of momentary ease.

A young woman approaches from behind the counter with a tablet in hand. She waves a gesture at the glowing white circles on the floor; prompting me to stand in one of them. A glass cylindrical tube descends from above as the capsule is filled with a beam of vibrant colours - scanning from top to bottom, and then right to left. The tube flashes green as it raises to release me from its confines.

The woman approaches closer with her tablet. Her badge reads Yumiko Tanaka. She must be new on the job, judging by her beaming smile.

'Good morning, Sir,' she greets with a welcoming embrace, 'may I know your membership number?'