Warning: This story mentions suicide and sexual assault. Please don't read if it makes you uncomfortable.
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The air smelt of salt. Nauseating at first but later I got used to it. Seagulls circled the sky high above warning us of the impending storm. You could see it in the distance; dark and foreboding, carrying a lot of rain. With it came winds that whipped my hair until it was a tangled mess, the salt making it stick together in clumps.
No one in their right mind would come here but here she was, standing at the edge. The wind called to her, telling her to come closer and she listened. She stepped forward sending small rocks down the cliff. Thunderous waves crashed against the rocks, sending salt water into the air. During summer, the water is calm and bright blue. Now that it's winter, it is void of color, almost gray. She loves the water, always has. It's inviting but deadly. She jumped before I could stop her.
I woke up with a start, my eyes seeing nothing but black. My breathing was labored and my heart was pounding but once I realized I was in the safety of my own bed, I told myself to calm down saying it was just a dream. I ran my hand through my hair relieved that it wasn't tangled from the wind and coarse from the salt. The sound of seagulls and crashing waves were gone. All that remained was the guilt.
It was almost 4 AM. I have work in a few hours but I know I won't be able to sleep again. My mind was too busy trying to process the dream. My hand blindly searched for the switch on the lamp and once I found it, warm light bathed the room. It was quiet but I preferred it that way.
I pulled the drawer open in search of my dream journal. Once I found it, I flipped to an empty page and wrote the date at the top of the page. My mind recalled the details faster than my hand could write but I kept at it until all of it was on paper. Next, I grabbed colored pencils and closed my eyes, trying to picture the scene. I drew heavy lines and used dark colors for the choppy waters and added her figure on the edge of the cliff. Once I was satisfied with the sketch, I put the journal away and leant my head back against the headboard, closing my eyes once again.
An obnoxious sound filled the room and I slowly opened my eyes to find that I fell asleep sitting up. The lamp was still on from earlier so I turned the alarm and lamp off. I pulled the duvet off my body and swung my legs over the side of the bed. My neck hurt from the odd sleeping position so I rolled my neck to get the knots out.
I found my cigarettes on the table and took one out, placing it between my lips and grabbing a lighter. The sun lit up the room as I pushed the curtains aside to open the door to the balcony. I cupped my hands around the end of my cigarette and lit it, taking a drag and blowing smoke out. Once I was done smoking, I went to the bathroom to get ready.
My eyes went to the clock to gauge how much time I had left. Luckily I had time for a quick breakfast so I placed two slabs of Weetabix into a bowl, added some sugar, and poured milk on top. While I waited for it to soften, I poured milk and sugar into my tea, mixing it and taking a sip. In my rush, I managed to spill some tea on my shirt.
"Fuck," I muttered, dabbing at my shirt with a wet towel.
Luckily I was wearing a blue shirt so you couldn't see the stain even if there was one. I quickly ate the Weetabix and downed my tea, placing the dishes in the sink for when I get back. I put on a light jacket and bent down to get my boots.
The usual people were at the bus stop so I wished them a good morning and placed my ear buds in, looking for some music to put on. The bus arrived and I climbed on, scanning the bus for an empty seat. It only takes half an hour to get to work. Fifteen minutes if you drive but I refuse to pay for parking.
Bondy caught me on the way to work. He was stood outside having a smoke so I decided to keep him company as I wasn't in a rush. The both of us work in research studying dreams. Our goal is to visualize them in order to understand them. Bondy offered me a cigarette but I declined, saying I had one earlier.
"Suit yourself," he said, putting it away. "How was your weekend?"
"It was good," I lied.
It didn't go how I wanted. My plan to visit Portland fell through as my friend said he wasn't feeling well so I went to the pub instead. I had one too many drinks and went home with a lass. We had sex and I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. I don't remember giving her my number but she's been trying to reach me ever since. It got so bad that I had to block her.
"What'd you do?"
"Nowt," I replied quickly, blushing slightly. It was like he knew. "I was supposed to go to Portland but it fell through. I'm gonna head in and get started."
I made my way to the fourth floor and entered the code to unlock the door. It was dark so I turned on the lights. I put my stuff away and went to the kitchen to make another brew. Bondy walked in just as I finished, shrugging his jacket off and hanging it. He made his way over to the computer to start it. We were getting close and he was eager to get started. Bondy typed in the login password and opened the program. Controls filled the screen and Bondy began entering details.
"Where's Larry?" I questioned, drinking my tea. I went to my desk and grabbed my notebook and pen, bringing it near Bondy so I could take notes.
"He's running late. Did you see the group chat?"
"No, I didn't," I said, taking my phone out.
I looked at the screen and didn't see a banner. Reckon I must've messed up my notifications blocking the lass. Speaking of the devil, she texted me again from a different number.
Are you ignoring me?
I scrolled past her message and opened the group chat where Larry said he slept in and was running late. Bondy sent a gif of someone running late in response. Larry wasn't amused, telling him to fuck off. I chuckled and Bondy caught me reading the messages.
"It's a good one, innit?" he asked.
"Yeah," I agreed. "Hey Bondy, do you know how to fix my notifications so that I get notified when I get a text? Must've messed with somethin' when trying to block a lass."
"Oh boy, what'd you get yourself into?" Bondy held his hand out and I passed him my phone.
"I slept with her and the next morning, she told me she was trying to get back at her ex. I'm not getting involved in that shit."
"Fair enough. It should be fixed now."
"Thanks."
He handed me my phone and I proceeded to block her once again. My day wasn't off to a great start. First the nightmare and now this. Bondy turned his attention back to the code. We stayed until 8 PM last Friday looking through every line trying to find where we went wrong. We suspected it was the algorithm used to decode neural activity in the brain. Perhaps it wasn't specific enough. Now he was double checking our work before testing it once again. Bondy put his face in his hands and groaned.
"God, I hope this works." He took his cap off and pushed his hair back.
For years, we've been working hard to bring this technology to life. If it works, there's no telling what it means for the future. Being able to see into someone's dream is a powerful tool. They say dreams are how your subconscious communicates with your conscious mind. Your deepest needs, fears, and desires are kept in your subconscious. People believe our dreams mean something.
We were nervous. There were many times we ran out of funds and didn't know if we'd even have a job. Even though our job is unstable, it's the most thrilling and meaningful work I've ever done—much better than a 9 to 5 job I didn't care about. The door opened and we both turned to see Larry walk in, disheveled. His hair was a right mess and his shoe was untied.
"I'm here," he groaned, putting his bag away and taking his coat off. He bent over to tie his shoe.
"Since you're having a rough start to your day, I'll let you choose if you want to sleep or monitor us," Bondy spoke. Larry considered his options before answering.
"I'll monitor," Larry replied. "I still have to eat breakfast."
Larry walked over to the kitchen to put two slices of bread in the toaster. While he waited for it to toast, he saw that the water was still hot and made himself a cup of tea. We've spent countless nights and weekends here that the place is always stocked with food and drinks. I remember one night we got drunk off cheap beers for Bondy's birthday. We were too drunk to go home so we slept on the floor.
Larry went to work putting jam on his toast and then he brought his breakfast to the computer. His eyes scanned Bondy's settings, making sure it was accurate. In the meantime, Bondy connected the dream kit to the computer, handing me my set of probes. I put them on my chair and brought out the nitrous oxide made by a friend of ours who is a chemist. Once everything was set and connected, Bondy and I leant back into our chairs putting the probes onto our finger, wrist, and temple. We secured the mask over our face and gave Larry the thumbs up which meant he could administer the anesthesia and start the program. I closed my eyes, keeping my breathing shallow, and waited for the anesthesia to kick in.
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Hello, thanks for reading! This story is inspired by the movie Inception and you will recognize some undertones from the stories Mission and Intermission. I've been wanting to write a dream fic for ages so I'm excited to share with you what I've been working on the past month. Please vote and comment. Let me know what you think! I will update this story on Tuesdays and Fridays unless otherwise noted.
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Created: 11 December 2021
Posted: 1 February 2022