Dedicated to Palenomian101
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Chapter 18 - Sleeper
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At the sound of the scream, Shift’s head snapped around.
The casual tone the conversation had fallen into tensed as passengers from the back end of the monorail ran past them. They fell over each other in an attempt to get further away from whatever had caused the scream, which only made the passengers in this carriage freak out and follow them, adding to the chaotic stampede.
Raph stood up just in time to catch a middle aged woman as she was shoved. Shift thought for a second that she was about to lash out as he steadied her, but recognition sparked in her eyes.
“Oh, oh my god! It’s Indigo!” The words were accompanied by a glaze of tears which she rapidly blinked back. “There’s a monster, two carriages back! It’s... it’s just eating everyone!”
Raph glanced up at Shift and jerked his head. Shift took the signal to climb out of their seats and go investigate. Zoe and Athira followed close behind as Raph tried to get a straight answer out of the hysterical woman.
“Ma’am, it’s okay. What do you mean by eating everyone?”
“I don’t know! It’s just eating people!” She gripped Raph’s arms, glancing back over her shoulder repeatedly like she expected the monster to be right behind her. “It just walks over them and then when it spits them back out they’re not moving and, and, and oh my god! It’s just eating people!”
“Are they alive when they come out?”
“I--I don’t know I just, I was so scared! I just ran!”
Shift reached the doors connecting the carriages together just as a man stumbled through. He crashed on to his knees as the door panels slid shut behind him. Shift went to help the man up, but the terrified citizen turned around and slammed an open palm, alight with orange colour, straight on to the metal panels below the glass.
Shift got that sinking feeling. “What’d you do?” he asked as the man scrambled to his feet.
The man barely looked at Shift as he ran. “I ain’t letting that thing through, man! No way!”
And like that, he was gone.
Shift let him go and turned back to the door.
Through the glass, he could see a few people had reached the door only to find it wasn’t opening. The worry on their faces turned to frenzied terror. Two started pounding on the door, wailing and pleading to be let out while the other started trying to pull up a chair.
Shift grabbed the handle and pulled it, hoping it’d be that easy. The action only made the little auto lock icon flash in front of his face, taunting him as the panels refused to budge with a second or third tug.
He stepped back, trying to ignore the muffled shouts from the other side.
“Don’t leave us!”
“Please! Just let us out! I don’t want to die!”
The glass was too strong to break, but it didn’t matter. Shift had something better than a key.
He glanced over his shoulder. “Athira?”
Black colour engulfed the door and pulled it open. The previously trapped people barged past with flailing arms, almost taking Shift and Zoe with them without a coherent word in their direction.
“You’re welcome,” muttered Athira.
Shift waved the girls forward, running for the next set of doors which seemed to be jammed open. A sense of dread was crawling over him, one that only increased as he reached the carriage and his eyes received their first glance of the situation.
“The hell is that?” said Zoe.
Shift didn’t have an answer for her, and Athira remained silent, her face unreadable.
The carriage was alight with an eerie purple glow that would have been soothing if not for its source. A large thing that Shift could only describe as an upright, violet blob with limbs was in the back corner of the carriage, attention directed at a dark shape in the corner.
“What kind of colour could have summoned that thing?” said Shift quietly.
“None,” said Athira, folding her arms. “That’s a sleeper.”
Shift and Zoe both looked at her.
“You mean the sleeper?” asked Zoe, confused. “Or just its--“
She paused. The dark shape the blob was looking at stirred on the floor.
A second later, it screamed.
The sound was choked off when the sleeper thrust a limb straight on to what Shift now realised was a person. The purple glow intensified. The blob straightened with its limb outstretched; covering the thrashing person’s head as they dangled above the ground.
Shift had seen many things since his time of being a Colour, but he wasn’t sure anything could have set him up for this.
He started forward on instinct rather than thought, but Zoe stopped him.
She raised and slammed her hands together, the crystals on her suit flaring as a brilliant beam of light fired straight into the centre of the blob. The bright yellow flash banished the purple glow from the carriage’s interior. The beam cleaved the blob in two and the person dropped to the floor, lying unnaturally still.
“Nice shooting, Zoe,” said Shift. “Think you might have--“
“Nope,” she said, raising her hands for round two.
The glow was back. The two halves Zoe’s beam had split were pulling themselves back together as if nothing had happened.
Raph came up behind them. “That’s not good.”
“What was your first clue?” asked Shift.
Raph ignored him. “Zoe, see if you can keep it down. Athira, we need this monorail to stop at the next station to get people off. Get to the front, tell them to stop.”
Athira kicked herself off the floor in the light of Zoe’s lasers and disappeared towards the head of the monorail. It left Shift slightly surprised. He was sure that she’d wanted to have stayed and fought rather than errand duty.
Raph held out a hand to Shift. “We get anyone out then see if we can take down this thing.”
Shift took Raph’s hand, calling his colour to shift into Raph’s red. Raph waited the five seconds it usually took for the process to happen before breaking the contact and morphing a whip to his hand. As he advanced on the sleeper, Shift knew something wasn’t right.
He glanced at his hand, trying to get the red colour to pool like it usually did so easily. Instead, he was left with a few green flecks that were barely there.
This is also not good.
Zoe fired off another laser, once more reducing the sleeper to a regenerating puddle on the floor. When there should have been another one, Zoe instead swayed on her feet and fell back against the nearby row of seating.
Shift reached out, taking her arm as he tried to steady her. The armlet the Elites had given her pulsed with unprecedented speed. Shift’s worry only grew as Zoe, with all her regenerative power, couldn’t remain upright without assistance.
“Zoe, you okay?”
“I don’t know,” she said. Zoe squeezed her eyes shut for a second before opening them wide and blinking rapidly. Once more, she almost fell over. “Something isn’t right.”
“Too many lasers?” asked Shift.
Zoe shook her head. “No. It’s not that.” She raised her hands again, trying to form another beam but only managing a thin stream of light that hit the ceiling and bounced around the carriage erratically. Her yellow aura she got when she used her colour was barely there.
Shift lowered her wrists. She seemed slightly steadier, but there was a glaze over her eyes that made him suspect it wouldn’t last.
“Go look after the passengers and stop them from panicking too much,” he said.
Zoe hesitated, one hand rising to the armlet. “But you need--“
“Raph and I have got this jelly monster,” said Shift. “You’ve already weakened it for us. It can’t last long now, surely.”
Her fingers played with the armlet’s edge before she nodded and turned back through the doors.
“Be careful,” she said.
Shift watched her go before moving to join Raph.
Indigo’s leader had the full attention of the almost reformed violet blob of doom. He lashed out at it with his whip but it had nowhere near the effect of Zoe’s lasers. The attacks seemed no more dangerous than a fly would be to a spider.
“What happened?” asked Raph.
Shift mirrored Raph’s position, still trying to make something out of Raph’s borrowed colour.
“She almost collapsed. Could barely stand,” replied Shift.
Raph swore and swapped his whip to a sword. “We need her. Nothing I’m doing is affecting this thing.”
“So now is probably not the best time to tell you my colour isn’t doing so hot either, right?”
“Not really, no.”
“Best pretend you didn’t hear that then.”
The violet blob had completely recovered from its laser treatment and no longer seemed interested in the dark figure in the corner. Instead, it was heading straight for Shift with a slow, rocking motion that was somehow more terrifying than if it were charging him.
“That person is still breathing,” said Raph slowly. “If you can lure it away, I can get them out.”
“You’re the one with the colour, how about you lure it away?” asked Shift, already backing up and preparing to climb over a set of chairs.
“Because apparently it likes you better. Shut up and bait it.”
Shift pulled himself up, each foot balanced on a different row of seating. He didn’t dare take his eyes off the blob, for fear it’d suddenly teleport straight on top of him if he looked away.
“Uh, nice blob,” said Shift, retreating a few more rows. “We can talk about this.” His position probably couldn’t get more precarious if he tried. “I like to eat people too sometimes, you know? We’re just misunderstood.”
He hit the front-most row of seating in that carriage and crossed the aisle, ready to lure the blob back up the way they’d come. Raph had the unconscious person under the arms and was slowly dragging them away from the blob and into the next carriage back.
Shift jumped on to the backs of the next chairs. His confidence was building as he said whatever came to mind, blurting out all manner of sentences. The blob was terrifying, sure. It might glow and eat people, but it was slow and Shift was fairly certain that as long as he didn’t fall over, as long as he was careful with his feet that he could evade this thing’s grasp.
Naturally, halfway through his explanation of his favourite ice cream shop’s location on his third circulation of the room, the monorail lurched forward and Shift lost his balance.
His back foot slipped off the edge of the seat, sending his body crashing down to the floor between the rows of seating. His head cracked against something hard, blurring his vision and bringing tears to his eyes.
Unable to see clearly, Shift writhed around, desperately trying to free himself from the prison of monorail chairs he found himself in as the violet glow of the blob grew brighter.
*+*+*+*
Once Athira got past the point where a Colour guard was holding back a flock of panicked people by flying over his head, she reached the head of the monorail with relative ease.
She was partially shamed to realise her relief that Raph had sent her to yell at people until they stopped the monorail rather than fight a replica of the things she’d seen in Will’s mindscape. It unnerved her more than she cared to admit, the way those things called to her own colour, pulling it from her body against her will.
Sleepers, mused Talon in her thoughts. I’ll dig around in here and see if I can find anything on Rathe’s mindscape about them.
Thanks, Tal.
Athira landed in front of the monorail’s driver compartment, or more accurately, in front of the two Colours that were guarding it.
She took one look at them. They aren’t going to make this easy.
Play nice, said Talon. You’re part of a Colour team now. You can’t just go around scaring everyone into things.
People react to fear of the unknown much more efficiently than logical arguments.
Talon chuckled. A sad fact of life.
Apparently she was standing there for too long because the guard in red coughed.
“You lost?” he asked her bluntly, folding his arms.
Athira stared at him, trying to figure out what to say. Raph hadn’t covered how to assert her authority in a legal manner, so she took the most direct route.
“You need to stop the monorail.”
Red glanced at his other guard friend, Green, who smirked.
“Oh, and I guess we should just go ahead and do that then, shall we? Because you asked so nicely?”
Athira took a deep breath. “There’s a monster of some description running around in the back end of the monorail eating people, so you need to stop it.” They stared at her. “Preferably now.”
Green looked concerned and brought his communication device to his mouth while Red simply raised an eyebrow at her.
“We’d have heard something from the rear end guards or the middle ones if that were the case,” he said. His tone irked her more than anything, like he was explaining to a two year old why they couldn’t stick their fingers in the power outlets. “And yet, nothing!”
Athira narrowed her eyes. “Then I suggest you revise your communication methods because this one isn’t working.”
Green shrugged. “Nothing but static from the rear. Mid says he’s busy dealing with passengers at the moment.”
“Ah, just like us then, eh?” said Red. “Lucky us. Who did you say you were again, miss?”
Athira rose off the ground, meeting Red’s eye level with a glare. Screw legal. “I’m Indigo’s new purple colour, and if you delay me any longer I’m going to go in there and turn it off myself whether you want me to or not.”
“Look, Miss,” said Red, stepping back. “That lie won’t work around here. We’re friends with Indigo you see, Raph, Shift, Zoe, all the rest of them. And if they were getting a new purple colour, we’d have known about it. At least have seen you before.”
Athira balls her hands into a fist.
Don’t blast their heads off, Athira, said Talon. Not a good start.
“Not even a probationary rune,” said Green, glancing at her wrists. “Or an attempt at one.”
Black colour was pooling at her fingers, ready to cocoon Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum to the ceiling and knock the door down when a girl just taller than Athira herself appeared beside her, clutching a screen to her chest.
“Excuse me, but I couldn’t help overhearing,” she said, looking between the guards and Athira. “You say that you’re Indigo’s new purple colour, right? And you guys don’t believe her because you’ve never seen her with them?”
The guards nodded in unison, and the girl revealed the screen.
On it were several photographs of Shift, Raph, Zoe and Athira in various groupings that appeared to have been taken between the gaps in the seats of the monorail without their knowledge. Various article links were scattered beneath them, with titles such as ‘Mystery Girl - Indigo’s newest member?’ and ‘The Black-haired Beauty, back for more!’
Uncomfortable didn’t even begin to describe Athira’s feelings at that moment.
The woman didn’t seem to notice. “There’s been speculation as to who the mystery girl is that’s been hanging around with Indigo in the last week or so,” continued the girl. She gave Athira a winning smile that only made the sensation akin to what she imagined a lab rat would feel like increase.
“So you’re saying this girl is probably with Indigo then,” said Green.
The woman nodded her head curtly. “If she says she is, I’m willing to believe it.”
Red protested against the development, but Green seemed to accept it. While they argued, Athira pulled the door back with her colour and walked through to where the pair of drivers sat.
They glanced at her as she entered.
“There’s a slight issue with an unwanted passenger,” she said. “So if you don’t mind stopping at the next station until Indigo has dealt with it, that would be appreciated.”
The driver on the right shrugged and tapped a few buttons on the console. The one on the left raised an eyebrow at her.
“Indigo’s on here?” he asked. “What is it this time, the unruly couple that always rides at this hour? Little early for them, isn’t it?”
Athira shrugged. “Possibly, but the violet goo monster probably ate them already,” she said calmly. “The real problem is that the goo monster is riding without a ticket.”
The drivers looked alarmed. “What?”
Athira glanced out the door. “I know. Unbelievable, isn’t it?”
The monorail’s brakes came on abruptly, and Athira heard the satisfying ‘thud’ outside the compartment as Red and Green slammed into the walls.
“If you can just stay at the station until Indigo kicks this thing off, it would be appreciated.”
“Uh, of course! Just let us know...?”
“Athira,” she said as she slid the door shut behind her.
She moved past Red and Green, stopping just past them as a strange sensation fell over her. Red was still shooting her accusing glares, trying to pull off the ‘I’m watching you’ vibe behind her back but Athira barely noticed.
She flexed her hand, frowning.
Her colour was agitated within her, but it wasn’t the searing pain that came with its use, nor the writhing and ripping that happened when she was losing control. Instead it seemed nervous almost, coursing through her body with a new type of passion, trying to push her somewhere unknown.
Tal, what’s going on in there?
His reply was quick. Uh, the tree in here is starting to glow, if that’s relevant.
That doesn’t help.
She quickly crossed off the other possibilities. It wasn’t the nausea that accompanied the disturbances or the sleepers. This was something else, something different. Something that a kept dragging a single word back to her thoughts.
Shift.
Athira went to kick off the ground just as the woman grabbed her arm.
Athira shot her an annoyed glance. “What?”
The woman tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. “Well since I helped you out, I’m a journalist you see and well--“
“What?” Athira asked again, sharper this time.
“Well I was wondering, would you be willing to talk, a photo perhaps? This would be a great scoop for me--“
Athira shook off her grip and commanded her colour to surround her.
“I have to go save a turtle who thinks he’s a person.”
“I wou--what?”
Athira pushed off the floor and pressed herself through the thin roof of the monorail, slipping through the physical mass as if it were air. She tucked her feet under her to speed the process as the monorail continued forward underneath her.
She watched the carriages slow beneath her, staring at the silver metal hull.
Where are you, Shift?
When the nausea grew stronger, Athira knew exactly how she was going to find him. She half ran, half flew towards the back of the monorail, stopping four carriages from the end when the nausea swelled.
Athira dropped herself through the roof, but instead of a monster, she found herself surrounded by a flock of people crowding around a yellow suited figure.
Zoe’s soft voice floated over the uproar. “The rest of Indigo has it under control, I assure you this thing will be dealt with.” More incoherent yelling. “Yes, I understand, but for your safety I need you to remain here.”
Athira glanced around, looking for Shift in the crowd, wondering if he was being crushed somewhere among them. Though the nausea was somewhere there, she quickly realised that Shift wasn’t.
She escaped through the roof again, once more floating over the top of the monorail searching for Shift. She was above the second to last carriage when the sleeper’s energy hit her like a wall, several times stronger than whatever had pulled her to Zoe’s location.
Athira dove in.
She passed through the metal sheeting with ease, the anxiety of her colour building it to a breaking point. As soon as her protective layer of colour left her, the all too familiar sensation of her colour being dragged from her will hit her, but this time she was ready.
She opened her eyes, determined to not let a repeat of Will’s mindscape happen here. Not when every instinct was telling her she couldn’t afford to fail now. Her runes flared. Talon shielded what he could from her mindscape.
Her eyes fell on the sleeper that looked like it’d be at home in a jelly cup, immediately sliding to its target - a certain green colour who was strung out across the back of the monorail seating, too tangled on himself to escape the glacial speed of the sleeper.
Raph was there, colour weapons in hand as he switched rapidly between several things trying to beat the monster away from Shift as it engulfed the lower half of his body. Despite his efforts, the monster seemed unperturbed.
Not if I can help it.
Athira exhaled and extended a hand. Despite the hidden turmoil at the sleeper’s presence, the black colour obeyed.
Even the luminous glow of the monster couldn’t withstand her colour’s power. Its violet mass disappeared under the black tide, leaving only a white outline of existence as she gripped its entire being in her colour and tore it to pieces.
Her left hand scraped the remaining slime away from Shift’s location. Her right continued to pound the tiny pieces of sleeper into submission until they no longer squirmed. Even then, she glared at them, watching them like a hawk and daring them to move.
When Athira was satisfied the sleeper was as dead as it could get, she landed beside Shift. His eyes flickered, barely open as he slumped against a chair. Athira picked him up with her colour and levitated him to the aisle.
Raph was breathing heavily. “Thank god you turned up,” he said as she laid Shift down. “Nothing I did harmed it. I couldn’t get too close without wanting to collapse.”
“It has the same energy as the disturbances,” said Athira absentmindedly. She placed a palm over Shift’s chest, sending a jolt of colour into his body that snapped him out of the daze. “There were more of these in Will’s mindscape, keeping him asleep. That they’re able to come into the physical world like this is not good.”
Raph looked hopeful. “There’s more, in the carriages further back,” he said. “Bodies, everywhere. All alive and unharmed, but none awake.”
“If you’re asking me to do what I just did to Shift, then no, I can’t,” said Athira. “He was still conscious, although barely.”
“But before, at Indigo base when he was unconscious--“
Athira shook her head. “He was in my mindscape, I knew where to find him. If someone falls back into their mindscape, like this sleeper thing is doing to people, I can’t find them.”
She didn’t voice the second part of that thought, of how she’d been able to find Will’s just by touching him. That, she still didn’t understand and after last time’s result, it wasn’t something she was willing to repeat until she did.
Raph clucked his tongue in thought.
Athira helped Shift sit up and tried removed the last few flecks of violet goo from him with her colour. Where it should have simply picked them up and flung them away, her colour refused to release the remnants of sleeper. It clung to the goo until it had completely dissolved.
It’s not just these, she realised, looking around the surprisingly clean carriage. It did it to the rest of the sleeper, too.
Shift rubbed his head. He glanced at Raph before resting his eyes on Athira.
“I’m guessing you got me out of that one,” he said.
Athira gave him the barest hint of a smile.
“Turtle wasn’t on the menu.”
*+*+*
A/N - Check out the picture on the side for the amazing thing drawn by Palenomian101. I give you >> SHIFT, THE TURTLE! << [Now with additional butterknife!]
It is now a thing. (I'll put the link in a comment too for those of you who don't know what the link is. But it's on the side picture thingy. You have no excuses not to look at it.)