104

 

104.  True Love

 

Wendy was nearly dancing as she moved into the hotel room she'd reserved for herself and Vance. A king size bed graced the center of it, along with a mini-bar and a large widescreen TV mounted on the opposite wall. The bathroom was spacious, with both a jacuzzi tub and a shower.

 

It was perfect. But it had to be. This was what she had dreamed of ever since she was a little girl. Imagining how good her life would become after she was reunited with her first love was the only thing that had kept her warm at night through all those years on the run. Her father was a researcher, and her mother was a simple woman who couldn't even hurt a fly. From a very young age, Wendy had felt a need to be strong to protect her family. She'd always been a headstrong person, but it was still hard. Especially when she was a teenager, alone with no one but her anxious mother, Wendy could feel the darkness creeping up on her day after day, threatening to swallow her whole.

 

So she punched through it, over and over again. Even now, only a few days after the death of her one and only father, Wendy exercised her nerves to the utmost limit, trying her best to exude nothing but kindness and care so that Vance would like her. He had always been the one. No matter what sort of attractive, charming men she met, none of them could hold a candle to Vance. He was special unlike any other, and this feeling had only grown stronger over the years. She could accept everything else going wrong if only this one thing would go right.

 

"Vance..." Wendy whispered, grabbing his hand gently and leading him over to the bed. "I know it might seem too early to be saying this, since we haven't seen each other in years, and all...but I want you to know, I love you. I've always loved you."

 

She watched him stare back at her, and she could tell he was nervous. But that was okay. She loved him just the way he was.

 

"I..." Vance finally began to stammer. "Wendy, I..."

 

Unable to resist, Wendy lay down on the bed, sliding through the covers and creating space for him on the other side. "We don't have to do anything if you aren't ready yet, Vance," she said gently. "I can wait for you. I just want to feel you next to me...your warmth. I'm tired of sleeping alone," she said, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes. "I'm tired of being cold."

 

She sensed a twinge of sympathy on his face, and worried that she'd let too much of her inner turmoil slip out by accident. But he obliged, slowly sliding into bed beside her. Instantly, she latched onto him, looking up at him with eyes full of hope. It was so close to what she'd always dreamed of – but his body was stiff, reserved. He still wasn't ready yet. But I can wait as long as I need to...I've already waited years. I'll make him love me more than he even knows. I'll do more for him than any other woman ever could.

 

She felt Vance's arms awkwardly slip around her, and she could tell he really was trying, despite his nervousness. That was enough. After a day of keeping her nerves on full throttle, never letting herself relax for a second, Wendy fell right to sleep

 

*************

 

was a luxury that Vance felt he could not afford that night.

 

He spent most of it motionless, watching Wendy sleep peacefully in the king size bed. She had invited him to do more, of course, that much was painfully obvious, but he'd been far too conflicted to give her any sort of answer.

 

He felt like a loser, but that was nothing new. As the dark night continued, Vance's mind burned at both ends. He thought about his mother, about Eden, and about the night he'd tried to kill himself. He thought about how right it had felt to hold Eden's hand. He also thought about how peaceful Wendy looked as she slept and how much she seemed to love him.

 

Eden and I have a special bond... I'm sure of that. But am I misunderstanding things? Wendy told me that this is the path my mother prepared for me. Should I trust her?

 

As the night deepened, Vance started to hear Wendy quietly sob. He watched her in the darkness with concerned eyes, until the wailing grew so intense that her head began to bob up and down on her pillow.

 

"Wendy, Wendy," Vance finally said, as he tried to gently rouse the woman to consciousness. "Are you okay?"

 

Wendy slowly blinked, then raised an arm and wiped a tear from her eyes. "Yeah...sorry for waking you," she said, sounding honestly apologetic through the pained expression on her face. "I...I think I was dreaming about my dad."

 

"I'm sorry." Vance bit his lip, and his hand unconsciously rubbed her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Wendy."

"It wasn't your fault..." Wendy slid up in the bed until she clung to Vance. "It's Grayson's. We have to stop him."

Seized by sympathy, Vance allowed Wendy to crumple into his lap as he held her, doing all he could to put her at ease.

 

"We will," he said, then took a deep breath. "We will, Wendy."

 

The two sat there as the night continued to churn. Vance found himself surprised at how quickly Wendy fell back asleep in his lap. Frozen in his position, Vance stared at the dark walls of the hotel, letting his mind swim through it. Soon, he let his head droop down and dozed off. The next thing he knew, light was peeking in through the curtains, and Wendy was picking herself up from his lap.

 

"Good morning, Vance," she whispered softly.

 

"Morning," he replied shakily.

 

"I'm going to go get ready," Wendy said, lifting herself out of the bed and adjusting her clothes. "We should get some breakfast and then pick up your friends, right?"

"Yeah..." Vance said with a yawn. "Honestly, I don't really want to go pick up Bruce, but I don't like the idea of leaving him here on Earth either..."

 

Wendy entered the bathroom, leaving Vance alone in the bed. Seeking and escape from his relentless thoughts, he decided to turn on the wide-screen television mounted on the wall facing the bed. After flipping through a few channels, he saw something that made his blood run cold.

 

In the middle of the screen, wearing a brand-new suit was Vance's father. He stood at a podium above a throng of reporters and microphones.

 

"Any comments on the sudden change in management within the Zexaron corporation, Mr. Darcouver?" a female reporter asked. "How does it feel to be president now?"

 

"Well, for starters, it means I have a lot more work to do," Edward replied, with a tense, but confident smile on his well-groomed face. "This company is very near and dear to me, as it was my late wife who originally built it up years ago. It's only natural that I keep her dreams burning bright. Zexaron has always been like one big family to me, and I've always been involved in every facet of its work. Up until now, I've preferred working hands-on, out in the field, but things have changed. Zexaron is preparing to enter uncharted territory, so it needs a strong captain to keep it on course. I'll do my best."

 

"Vice-President Lee was unavailable for comment," another reporter began. "Can you tell us anything about his involvement in the company's new venture?"

 

"Grayson is an integral member of our team, and his ideas were instrumental in helping bring the Greymatter to the public." Edward grinned. "I don't know where I'd be without him."

 

Vance was frozen on the hotel bed as he watched another reporter question his dad. "It seems a very strange move for a company that deals primarily in oil to suddenly be jumping into virtual reality. Why did you decide to make such a leap?"

 

"At Zexaron, we don't really see this as a big leap," Edward answered. "You see, Zexaron has always sought out cutting-edge technology to provide new possibilities for the world. This is just another version of the same work we've always been doing. The Greymatter is, to put it simply, next-generation technology. It will present users with a completely new world and enhance their lives in ways they've never even thought about."

 

"One source claims that the device attaches directly to your brain!" another shouted. "Is this true?!"

 

"Now, I can't say much about the device itself yet," Edward explained, "but I think I can answer your question. The Greymatter runs off brainpower, so the more you think and use your brain, the more enriching the experience will be. The devices are also networked, giving everyone a chance to connect with people all over the world in ways they've never experienced."

 

"Why so cheap?!" was the next question. "How do you expect to make a profit?!"

 

Edward continued to shoot out answers without breaking a sweat, as if he was being asked simple math problems. "Like I said, with the Greymatter, the more people, the better. We want everyone to try it. We want to make history here. All the money allocated to start production came from investments and donations, and the upkeep costs for network maintenance will be fulfilled by the service subscription fees. Of course, the first month is completely free, so there's no reason not to give it a go!"

 

"He's a liar!" A sudden shout came from the back of the room. "You're a liar, Edward Darcouver!"

 

The camera shakily panned to the back of the hall to reveal a distraught-looking woman. Wrinkles of anxiety quivered on her face as she gripped the hand of her young daughter. "What did you do with my husband?!" she screamed. "What did you do with Frank?! Give him back to me!"

 

Security guards moved up to restrain the woman, but she resisted them and continued to scream. As things got out of control, the screen went black and the audio was replaced with what sounded like a recorded voice.

 

"Stay tuned for more updates on the Zexaron Corporation and the Greymatter: a completely new kind of reality which goes on sale this Friday!"

 

A commercial began to play on the screen, while Vance's mind began to churn.

 

What the hell?

 

But the answer was already there, lurking in the back of his mind, like a corpse in a broom closet.

 

Grayson...

 

"Everything alright?" Wendy mumured as she emerged from the bathroom. "I'm ready now."

 

Vance turned his to face his childhood friend, who was now clad in a sleeveless black dress with bat-shaped lace cutouts that wrapped up into a choker around her neck.

 

"Yeah..." he murmured. "I'm fine."

 

*

 

After a continental breakfast in the lounge, Vance and Wendy located Winslow in his own room, then set out to find Bruce. Thanks to Wendy's keen senses, they quickly found the man sleeping in his underwear in a motel off Route 22.

 

"Bruce, wake up!" Vance nudged the Tiger's back. "We need to get going. Come on!"

 

"Shuddap!" Bruce roared. "I have a headache... oh shit, that's not all..." he muttered, then quickly rolled out of bed and crawled into the bathroom. A putrid sound followed.

 

"At least he didn't get arrested or anything." Vance shrugged. "Bruce, where's the jeep? I didn't see it in the parking lot."

 

"I lost it..." Bruce moaned in between heaves. "Guess we'll need to get a new one."

 

"Actually, now that I think about it, a car isn't going to cut it." Vance shook his head. "According to the commercial, that Greymatter thing goes on sale Friday, which is only in a few days. We need something faster if we're going to reach California."

 

"Like a plane?" Winslow raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see. You can ride a motorcycle, so now you think you can pilot anything!"

 

Vance ignored him and decided to go with a hunch that had just descended upon him. "Hey, Wendy...do you have any faster vehicles than those bikes?"

 

Wendy beamed and nodded proudly. "I think I have exactly what you're looking for, sweetie. We can fly with it, and it'll go much faster than any of the things in this dimension."

 

Vance smiled in relief. "I figured you'd have something up your sleeve."

 

"You can count on me for anything," Wendy said, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. "We're partners now, babe."

 

Winslow rolled his eyes and began tapping his foot. Eventually, Bruce emerged from the bathroom, clothed at last. "What the hell are you people talking about?"

 

"If you hadn't been such a hungover mess, you would have heard us," Vance spat. "Are you coming with us or not?"

"I'll go wherever I damn well want to!" Bruce growled. "There'll never come a day when I have to report in to you, you little runt."

 

Vance stood firm. "Come on, Bruce. Aren't you worried about Rose or anything?"

 

Bruce cocked his head slowly. "Fuck you."

 

Wendy cleared her throat. "Well, I own the vehicle. And no one's allowed to ride on it unless they're respectful towards Vance and I."

 

Vance looked over at Winslow, who was still tapping his foot impatiently and averting his gaze from Bruce. "You're with us, right?"

 

Winslow's eyes turned defensive, and it looked like he was about to say something, but then he drooped back down. "Well, where else am I going to go? It's not like I have a choice!"

 

"What do you want to do?" Vance asked. "You're welcome to come with us, Winslow."

 

"Just leave him," Bruce muttered. "He'll only get in the way. He's a wuss!"

 

"No I'm not!" Winslow shouted. "At least I can hold my alcohol!"

 

"You're a weakling," Bruce retorted. "Only reason you got into the Zodiacs is because we needed a quick replacement for the last Rooster."

 

"I wish you'd never let me in..." Winslow turned his eyes to the ground. "I was so desperate for recognition, I feel like I lost my mind...I don't even know why I'm alive right now."

 

Vance watched Winslow wilt. "What do you want to do, Winslow? Just tell me the first thing that comes to your mind."

 

"I think I want to go home..." Winslow turned his eyes up at last. "Just like you. I think I need to go home for a bit and get my head in order."

 

Vance gave him a warm smile. "Come with us, then. We'll get you home."

 

Winslow's face tightened up, as if he was going to make a sharp retort, and then he relaxed again and let out a sigh. "Alright...thanks."

 

Vance returned his eyes to Bruce. "We'll get to Grayson quicker than you ever could on foot. If that's really where you want to go, then chill out and come with us."

 

Bruce silently walked up to Vance and looked straight down his nose at the young man. "I hate your people. And the minute I see your uncle, I'm gonna kill him. You telling me that doesn't bother you?"

 

Vance stood his ground. "If Rose can see the truth, so can you. And trust me...you can't beat Averyl. Not in a million years."

 

Seething, Bruce reluctantly trailed behind the trio as they left the motel and took a short walk to a forest just off the highway.

 

"Everyone step back," Wendy commanded. "This'll take a little bit of effort."

 

As her pale psynergy flowed out, an axolotl appeared. This time, its whole body expanded until it was the size of a small bus. Sweat poured down Wendy's brow as she concentrated, and soon enough, a massive lantern emerged from the beast's mouth.

 

The bottom was a chamber wide enough for four people to sit in, with sides that rose up to a triangular point. No wings or motors were visible along the thick brown metal and dusty glass windows that made up the craft.

 

Vance moved up to inspect the alien device. "What is it?"

 

"It's called a Sky Lantern," Wendy said. "It's a lot of fun to steer! Watch, I can show you."

 

Wendy moved over and opened a tightly-sealed hatch on the side. There was a pod-like seat in every corner of the machine, and the inside walls were amber and dark, lit by dim yellow lights. In the center of the vehicle was a glowing pillar of light supported by two metal fixtures on the floor and ceiling.

 

"Let me guess," Vance ventured. "This thing doesn't run on fuel?"

"Psynergy," Wendy said. "We’ll have to take turns powering it if we want to make it all the way to California."

 

"Okay then..." Vance cracked his knuckles and moved up. "Guess I'll go first."

 

Whether it was because he wanted to try and impress her, or simply because being around her filled him with a strange sort of confidence, for the first time in a long time, Vance felt absolutely no fear. He ignored the psychic pain of the psynergy vacuum as best he could, and began pouring his power into the glowing pillar. Slowly, the device rose into the sky.

 

With a satisfied smile, Wendy sat down and watched Vance continue his work. Without anything left to do, Bruce and Winslow sat down and stabilized their bodies as the craft began to soar through the sky.

 

"You're doing great, babe!" Wendy shouted, voice full of glee. "I have a GPS on me, so I'll tell you which way to go, okay?"

 

Vance let out a relieved sigh. "You really thought of everything. Thanks, Wendy."

 

She winked back, grinning ear to ear. "Anything for you, Vance."

 

Through the glass windows, each passenger could stare out to the landscapes that unfolded below them. After the clearing the forest, they began to soar over a vast mountain range.

 

A loud clang sounded, and the Sky Lantern shook for a brief moment. Everyone quickly looked out the windows and realized that they had been frozen in mid-air.

 

"What's going on?!" Vance shouted.

 

"I don't know!" Wendy glanced out the window. "Something must have...caught us?"

 

"In mid-air?!" Vance panicked. "How?!"

 

The chamber shook again, and then the passengers began to feel a sinking feeling, like they were riding in an elevator.

 

"It's dropping!" Winslow shouted. "Fix it! We're gonna crash!"

 

"No, wait," Wendy said calming. "We're moving slowly. I think it's safe to assume that whatever caught us doesn't want to kill us...yet."

 

Within moments, the Sky Lantern touched softly on the ground. With a serious look on her face, Wendy motioned for the three men to stay still as she crept toward the door and opened it. Instantly, she smiled and motioned for them to move outside.

 

Violet psynergy flickered, and then they saw him. Grinning atop a mass of octopus tentacles protruding from the rocky terrain was a tall, pale man with long black hair.

 

"Averyl." the four all whispered in unison, with equal parts joy, surprise, hatred, and fear.

 

"Who did you expect..." The phantom's mouth curved up into a ghastly smile. "The boogeyman?"

Next: The Oneiric Awakening