Dawn of the Dreamer (Dreamer Trilogy Book 1)

by L. J. Higgins

  ‘Umm, of course, Nurse Cameron. I’d be happy to show them what we do up here.’

  ‘Ahhh, here we are, ladies and gents.’ He stopped abruptly at a door so flush with the external wall, you could only distinguish it by a faint outline.

  Scanning his wrist over something I was unable to see, the door made a click sound and slid silently into the wall. Tech then took the lead, and we stepped into the brightly lit room. Computers lined both the left and right sides on desks that stretched the entire length. At the far end was a set of large white double doors with black words painted on them, ‘Restricted Access.’

  Four men and two women at individual computers swivelled around in their office chairs as we entered the room.

  ‘Hi, everyone. This lot are from the university and wanted to take a look at what we do up here. Nurse Cameron thought they would enjoy seeing what we’re working on.’

  He sounded more confident surrounded by his work companions, and they appeared happy to see him. Cameron had said we could trust his friend, but the way he fitted in so well with these people who were happily creating ways to manipulate the population had me wary of his motives.

  The IT staff introduced themselves and then turned back to their work. That was, except for one, a lady whose black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and wore glasses similar to Dr. Muller’s.

  ‘What are you studying exactly?’ She looked at me, searching my face in the same way Dr. Muller did in her office.

  ‘I ummm.-’

  ‘They are all studying psychology, hence their interest in your research.’ Cameron saved me with his answer.

  I knew what I was supposed to say. I’d rehearsed it, but her unnerving resemblance to Dr. Muller had shaken me. I’d underestimated the effect being back inside the facility would have on me, and I wondered if Rose was feeling the same.

  ‘Yes, psychology. But I’ve always had a keen interest in IT.’

  I prayed she wouldn’t ask me any more questions, and satisfied with Cameron’s answer, she didn’t and turned back to whatever she was working on. Cameron looked at me in a ‘come on you can do this’ kind of way, and a deep breath settled my nerves.

  ‘Bruce, would you mind showing them some of your project? I think they would find it a lot more interesting than mine, and I have something I need to get done as soon as possible for Dr. Muller.’ The mention of her name made my body shudder.

  Tech handed us over to Bruce, an older guy with greying flecks through his dark hair who was excited to show us what he was doing.

  As Rose, Joe, Cameron, and I leant in closer, blocking the vision of Bruce, who had the clearest view of the door, I looked around, willing to distract anyone who might catch Tech. He snuck silently through the doors of the Restricted Access room. His stealth surprised me as he didn’t have a particularly small frame, but once he was inside, I relaxed just a little.

  Bruce spoke excitedly about a program he was developing, but I wasn’t listening to him. I smiled as though paying attention, watching his excited expressions as he pointed at various things on his screen. My eyes were constantly looking around the room for any sign of Tech returning and what the others in the office were doing.

  After what felt like a lifetime, Bruce wrapped up his excitement. ‘Sorry, guys, I didn’t realise how long I’d been talking for. Lots of work to do as you can probably understand. I hope you enjoyed seeing what I’ve been working on.’

  ‘Thanks, Bruce. We really appreciate your time.’ Cameron looked at me nervously, knowing we needed to stay in that room until Tech was done.

  Catching my attention, the doors of the Restricted Access room cracked a little, and Tech’s face peered through his hand gesturing for me to go to him. I touched Cameron’s arm, making him look at me. His cool blue eyes, staring directly into mine, made me feel braver. I looked towards the lady who looked like Dr. Muller, and instantly, he knew what I was getting at.

  ‘Tracey.’ She turned around surprised and smiled at Cameron.

  ‘Nurse Cameron ... Can I help you?’

  ‘Don’t suppose you’d like to show us what you’ve been working on?’ He walked towards her smiling flirtatiously.

  Jealousy crawled inside me, but Joe looked at me, forcing me to push it away with a hard swallow so it was just a lump in my throat.

  ‘Well, of course. Come over here, and I’ll show you.’ They proceeded towards the computer, and I watched Bruce turn back towards his. The rest of the room remained concentrating on their own business. Slowly I crept towards the Restricted Room doors and slid inside.

  ‘Thank god, I thought you weren’t ever coming.’ Tech was sweating profusely and turned towards three computers that lined the right side of the room.

  The rest of the room was filled with large cabinets and servers that stood in four rows, all numbered and lettered with large black stickers. They must’ve held the dream simulations we were to destroy.

  ‘I got the information we need, but I’m having trouble destroying their system. I’m afraid if I do it, I’ll alert security and we’ll get caught.’ His fear given away by his sweaty forehead and wide eyes.

  For a moment, I stood still, deep in thought. We couldn’t fail now. We’d invested so much of our lives into taking down the MMC that we couldn’t just half-finish the job. I paced around the room, knowing my time was limited. It had to be shut down. I had to shut it down. Yes, I did!

  ‘How do I do it?’ I turned to face him. He used his forearm to wipe sweat from his face.

  He was confused and panicking. ‘You?’

  ‘Yes, me! How do I crash their system? I will finish this while you make sure all my friends escape.’ I looked deep into his eyes, my conviction convincing him to agree.

  ‘Here, I’ll show you.’ He pressed keys and opened screens until he came to a screen that read, “Commence simulation shutdown. Warning! Shutting down simulation will erase all stored data.” ‘I’ve already put in the passwords. All you have to do is press Control and Delete simultaneously. When that happens, this room will go into lockdown, and you’ll be trapped in here. You don’t have to do this, you know, the video might work on its own.’

  ‘That’s not good enough, and you know it. Please make sure you get them to safety. And tell them I love them.’ My eyes welled with tears, so I changed my train of thought. ‘Here, give me your watch. I’ll give you five minutes, and then I’ll do it.’

  He took off his watch and handed it to me. ‘You’re amazing, Amelia, just like Cam said.’

  With that, he turned and slid through the double doors, and I was alone.

  The watch face read 9 a.m., and I took a deep breath. I could do this. I was the strong, courageous girl that Cameron thought I was. This wasn’t only going to prove it to him, but it would prove it to myself. People deserved to know the truth, and I would be the one to give it to them. If I didn’t, I could never live with the consequences of being the one person who brought my friends into this horrible situation and condemned them to a life in hiding.

  Two minutes had passed.

  Why was it that time passed so slowly at times like these? Had I given them enough time to escape? Would they leave knowing I was still inside this room? Yes, they would trust me. They would trust that I knew what I was doing. Wouldn’t they?

  Four minutes.

  In my whole life, I had done all I could to make the people I cared about happy. Moving in with Sarah and living the life she had designed for us. Never making my own decisions only following what others thought would be best for me, even if I didn’t feel it was the right decision. If this situation, and the MMC, had taught me anything, it was that even if it might upset people, the only way to be truly happy with myself was to be completely honest about how I felt. For the first time, I had made a decision. Even if it turned out to be one of the last ones I ever made, it was without anyone else’s influence. No matter what happened, from that point on, I would know that Amelia Bailey was not only independent, but confident
enough to do whatever she wanted to do with her life.

  Five minutes!

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Staring at the monitor, I read the screen once more, ‘Commence simulation shutdown. Warning! Shutting down simulation will erase all stored data.’ Taking in a deep breath, I put my index fingers on the Control and Delete keys and then closed my eyes as I pressed them down together. Silence. Warily, I opened my eyes waiting for some type of alarm to sound, but there was nothing. The computer screen was still processing what I had done. Then ‘Shutdown Complete’ was displayed across the screen.

  Immediately, the lights went out, bathing the room in pitch black. I attempted to feel my way towards the door when I heard it ‘Click’ loudly, locking me inside. A sickening red light filled the room, and although I blinked, it was impossible to see anything through it properly. I was trapped. A prisoner of the MultiMind Corporation once again, and all I could do was hope that my friends had escaped and that their video would wake everyone up to the manipulation. What would they do when they discovered me sitting there on the cold floor, knees bent up to my chest, leaning up against the desk? Would they put me back into the Psychiatric Ward or jail? It was breaking and entering, plus I’m sure there were a thousand other crimes they could have charged me with.

  Outside, I could hear raised voices, and I felt sick as the realisation of my situation weighed down on me. It was no good guessing at what might happen to me. All it did was make me feel nauseous, so I tried my best to be brave. Something banged loudly against the door, and I got up and stood with my back against the wall, as far away from it as possible.

  Why hadn’t they come in? Were they even able to get to me?

  Slowly, I edged my way between two of the cabinets hiding from the people who were trying to get in.

  Maybe I could still get away. If I could stay hidden, which would be helped by the frustrating red light, and sneak towards the door, maybe, just maybe, I could escape.

  I slid along the cold metal until I heard the door click loudly once more, and they entered the room. At the end of the row of cabinets, I squeezed myself through a gap between the last one and the wall, only just fitting my head in sideways and sucking in to make myself as skinny as possible. I pushed through to the other side, letting my breath out heavily and stretched my neck from side to side.

  ‘Amelia?’ A male’s voice broke the silence with a loud whisper. Again I pushed myself against the wall between it and another cabinet and slid through to the other side.

  ‘Amelia?’ Louder this time, and more familiar, but fear pushed me to sneak along the next row of cabinets towards the doorway.

  ‘Where the hell is she?’ That voice I knew.

  ‘Joe?’ Joe and Cameron stood in the centre of the room, their eyes squinting, searching through the red light.

  I ran towards them and wrapped my arms around them both. ‘You’re supposed to be escaping!’

  ‘We couldn’t just leave you in here. Now we have to get out. Security will be on their way. I’m surprised they aren’t-.’ Cameron was cut off by the sound of heavy footsteps outside the door. We all were moving towards the end of the first row of cabinets, each of us pressing ourselves up against the wall and hoping the sickening red light would help hide us.

  Bursting through the doors came four men with long black barrels held against their bullet proof vests; they held guns out from their chests. I was sure more would be on their way. As we’d hoped, they walked past us, two leading the front, two bringing up the rear of their small pack. They swept the ends of their barrels back and forth as they approached the back of the room. They hadn’t spotted us, and quietly, we snuck towards the doorway. When Joe opened the door, light from outside flooded in, and they turned quickly in our direction.

  Sprinting through the IT room, the Dr. Muller lookalike lay slumped on the floor next to a man I hadn’t met. I paused a moment taken back by the vision.

  Had Joe or Cameron hurt them, or the guards that were after us?

  But the loud ‘bang’ of gunfire that rang in my ears awoke me from my daze. Joe grabbed my hand and we ran through the doorway, followed by security. We ran faster than I thought was humanly possible. My legs ached; my chest heaved. We ran down the stark white corridors that were now empty, evacuated after I’d pressed those keys. Cameron led us down hallway after hallway. He opened one of the nearly invisible doors, and we scrambled inside, and it slid closed behind us. Desks and computers ran along the walls and to the right was another door. Once it was open, we ran inside.

  ‘We’ll wait till they’re in the room next door. Then we need to backtrack to the emergency exit we came in through,’ Cameron whispered. Panic was evident in his voice despite his best effort to remain composed.

  Hearing their heavy footsteps and the click of the door in the room we had just left, we slipped quietly back out into the hall. We ran quickly back down the corridor until we arrived, chests burning, hearts thumping, at the emergency exit and stepped into the dull stairwell.

  Going downstairs was easier on my lungs, but my knees ached as I landed heavily on every concrete step, jumping over the last four or five stairs on every floor. The sound of loud footsteps filled the stairwells above us. Security had worked out where we were. We climbed down the last flight of stairs with security hot on our tails. I could make out two figures at the bottom: Sarah and Rose!

  There was no time for excited hugs as Cameron wrenched the exit door open heavily, and we all filed through. ‘Bang!’ Rose fell out of the doorway, collapsing hard onto the concrete slab outside.

  The sun was so bright that I had to squint to see through it, scrambling to pick up a screaming Rose from the ground. Cameron beat me to her and easily scooped her up into his arms, just as he had done for me the night of the fire. He carried her to the van. Joe reversed out and pulled away speeding. Sarah and I clutched each other tightly. Cameron looked after Rose, who lay along the backseat of the van, blood seeping into the sleeve of her blouse, her face as pale as snow.

  ‘Oh my god, what have I done?’ The words fell out along with tears that ran over my cheeks.

  ‘This wasn’t your fault, Amelia!’ Cameron announced while taking off Rose’s blouse. ‘This was my fault!’

  ‘There’s no way this is your fault! I’m the one who dragged everyone into this mess, so don’t you dare blame yourself. If it wasn’t for me, none of you would be here!’ I was angry, not at Cameron but at myself for getting us in this situation.

  ‘Come on, guys, don’t fight. Let’s just go home.’ Sarah tried to keep the peace, but Joe began yelling from the driver’s seat.

  ‘If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine! I’m the one who told Amelia about the MMC in the first place. That’s why the rest of you joined our rebellion.’

  ‘Stop.’ Her voice wasn’t very loud, but we fell silent to hear her. ‘It’s no one’s fault ...’

  ‘Don’t talk, Rose. We won’t fight anymore, will we, guys? We’ll get you to Amelia’s parents’ house and get you fixed up okay?’ Cameron’s voice was soft and concerned.

  We all nodded sheepishly in agreement.

  Rose wouldn’t have blamed any of us. My beautiful Rose, who saw the good in everything and everyone, who was now bleeding from a gunshot wound because she helped her friends bring down the MultiMind Corporation. She was the brave and courageous one. I was just plain crazy and selfish.

  ‘What happened to Tech?’ My heart beat softer than before and I realised he wasn’t with us.

  ‘He made his own escape, but assured me he would make the video for us. Was probably best he made sure he got out anyway.’ Cameron smiled a little at our victory. We had gotten the information for the video.

  ‘Is Rose going to be okay?’ I searched his expression for a clue as he sat holding her hand.

  ‘I won’t know until we get back to your parents’ place.’ His expression concerned me.

  ***

  Pulling up to the front
veranda of Mum and Dad’s Queenslander, Mum came running out the open doors as we all piled out, Cameron cradling Rose like a child.

  ‘Mrs Bailey, can we use a bed? And I need that emergency kit I gave you, please.’ Cameron always planned ahead, and I was grateful for it.

  ‘Go to Amelia’s room. I’ll get that kit for you.’ She raced back inside, her hand over her mouth.

  Entering my old room, he laid her on the bed. ‘You guys should leave. I will let you know when I’m finished here.’

  Rose looked up to meet my worried eyes. Her pain shone through them, but so did her ability to make me feel better. I smiled at her before my mum burst through our lingering group with a first aid kit for Cameron. I turned and made my way outside onto the veranda to get fresh air and let him work his magic.

  Sitting together on the wooden slat bench facing the new shed, Sarah, Joe, and I were silent as we processed what had just happened. We’d done it. We had completed our mission. I wanted to throw my hands in the air and yell. I wanted to cry till my tears ran out. But how could we celebrate our triumph or process it with Rose bleeding inside? After a long while, Cameron stepped through the doors towards us.

  ‘She was very lucky. The bullet went straight through her arm with little damage as far as I can tell. She’s lost a lot of blood, though, so I’ll go and get her some now. But if you want to go in and see her, please do it one at a time.’ The relief was spread across his face, and I felt so lucky to have him looking after my friends.

  ‘You go first,’ I told Joe. I knew she would be happy to see him, and I wanted to talk to Cameron before he left.

  Joe walked inside followed by Sarah who, from years of being best friends, could tell I wanted to be left alone with Cameron.

  ‘Are you okay?’ I stepped towards him, wanting to hold him but scared to, unsure that I should.

  ‘She scared me, but she will be fine. You scared me too, Amelia.’ He took a step towards me so we were nose to nose, his forehead pressed against mine.