Future's Promise*STARTING*(FF, Adult) SPOT OPEN

[isabelle]

*Max*

I'm a bit surprised when Michael doesn't answer. I wanted to stay here and keep an eye on everything, but then, maybe that's what Michael has in mind.

"I'll go," I say, turning to my sister. I offer her a reassuring smile. It's my son she's going to dreamwalk, afterall. Maybe I should be there. Of course, my son is also here in this room and he needs me too, -- or so it seems. But I've made my decision. I'm going with Isabel.

"Wha --" Lex starts, half getting up from the student desk he's sitting at as if he's going to ask me to stop. He seems to change his mind, sitting down again besides Zan, putting his hand over my son's. "I'll be here," he promises softly.

"Keep an eye on things here, Michael," I say, uneccessarily. I already know that he will. As I step to the door, I see Vega also getting to her feet, not to stop me, but to stay.

[nickimlow]

Isabel

I have to admit that Michael's silence is exceedingly uncharacteristic. Knowing him, I would've expected him to be firing interrogations at them by now. I suppose he's just stunned, trying to work it out, as we all are. I wonder what he's thinking, if he's accepted that they're telling the truth.

Well, whatever the case may be, it's pretty hard to doubt them now. I notice that Zan does seem a whole lot more relaxed now than he did before. Knowing that I'm about to dreamwalk him - and yet, not quite him - is making me feel uneasy for some reason that I can't quite place.

I can't help but feel relieved that Max is coming with me. I know how much he wants to stay in here and continue sorting things out with the others, but I can't deny that I'm grateful that he's going to be around when I dreamwalk Zan. I just can't seem to suppress this nagging feeling - it's not as if I've never done this before, but I've certainly never done it under quite these circumstances.

As soon as we're both in the other room and certainly well out of earshot, I take a seat on the edge of the bed and look my brother in the eye. "Max, first of all, I'm definitely going through with this, so you don't have to worry about that," I tell him, fiddling with the photograph in my hand. "But I'm going to be really honest with you - I have a bad feeling about this."

[isabelle]

*Max*

Isabel's words send a new current of worry through me. I sit down on the cot next to her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders to comfort her. I never want to do anything to hurt her or put her in danger. At the same time, it's very important to know as much as possible about whether Zan is in danger yet. How much time do we have? I can't weigh one need against the other without more information. She said she wasn't going to be backing out, but I don't want her to be hurt.

"What kind of bad feeling?" I ask gently. "Like, you're going to see something bad or that the dreamwalk is going to be harmful in some other way?"

[nickimlow]

Isabel

When Max asks what kind of feeling it is, I find that I can't answer him; I just can't seem to pinpoint what it is. It's the kind of feeling you get when something seems... well, off.

"I- I don't know," I confess with a helpless shrug. "It's a bit of both, really."

I realise that that's not the least bit helpful, but it's the honest truth. I just really hope I'm wrong.

I know that Max is feeling kind of caught in the middle. Looking at him now, it almost seems as if he's aged in the past couple of hours. His burden has just multiplied a hundredfold. The little time he'd had with baby Zan had been a special time for him; it hadn't been easy for him to let him go. Max has always been our leader, our protector. Seeing Zan the way he is now - and the rest of our children, for that matter - must be having a heavy impact on him.

Forcing myself to smile, I put a hand over my brother's. He doesn't need an added worry because of a gut feeling that may just have come from a sense of paranoia. "Maybe it's just because of all the confusion that's been going on today," I tell him. "It's probably nothing."

I sure hope it's nothing. "But- just promise you'll pull me out the moment you think something's not right," I add, even though I know I didn't have to. After all, that's what he's here for, to make sure everything goes okay. Still, I guess I'd just like the reassurance.

[isabelle]

*Max*

"Yeah. Maybe nothing," I agree, trying to re-assure Isabel although I'm not really believing it. Liz may be the one who can see flashes of the future most clearly, but if Isabel has a bad feeling, it most likely means something. If that something is about baby Zan or the dreamwalk, either way, it's a worry.

I offer a small smile and lay my hand over hers when she asks me to be sure to pull her out if things look sour. "You got it," I say. Afterall, that's why I wanted to be sure she wasn't alone, anyway.

I look at her and the photo in her hand, wondering just what we're about to find out, what is going to happen next. I lean in and kiss her on the temple. "I'm here for you, Izzy." I promise again. "Ready when you are."

[nickimlow]

OOC: I'm not really sure about this so just let me know if it's off

Lana

Once Uncle Max and Aunt Isabel both leave the room, the rest of us fall into an awkward silence for awhile. I suppose quite a lot depends on this dreamwalk. At the very least, it should offer us an indication as to how Zan - well, the younger Zan - is doing right now.

I sit on the edge of a desk, palms pressed against the surface. "So... I know we're waiting to find out about the dreamwalk, but maybe we should get a head start at pooling ideas? Or at least sorting through what we know and don't know?"

Well, it all really depends on where Zan is at the moment and also on what his grandfather has to say, but we still need to work out some sort of strategy. I doubt a group of twelve would be able to act together without some coordination plan. I'm really just trying to break the silence, but after all, come to think of it, I'm sure the six of them may know some important things that the six of us don't - and vice versa.


Isabel

I return my brother's smile. Both his words and his presence are reassuring. I'm not sure what I'm expecting to see, or what I'm expecting to happen, but I know he wouldn't let anything get out of hand if it's within his power.

"Okay then, here goes nothing," I whisper before laying back and looking at the photograph.

I've done this countless times before, but looking at the picture of baby Zan now, I realise that it's difficult to not at the same time think about the older boy in the next room. I force myself to focus only on the child in the photograph, the infant that Tess brought back.

The intense concentration directed at the face in the picture begins to morph, dissolving my surroundings until I find myself somewhere else. I look around and for a moment, I can hardly remember what I'm supposed to be doing. It's as if I've stepped into another world. Just for an instant, I think I see Tess' face, and Max's, and I swear I can hear a lullaby, but it's not quite like anything I've ever seen before. It's not as, well, physical as I expected. Adults put thoughts and experiences into their dreams, but in here, everything just seems so peaceful, so serene...

So this is the mind of a child.

I'd been worrying for nothing. Zan must be safe right now or I'd be able to feel it in here. Max will be relieved, I'm sure.

But just when I'm about to gently draw myself out, something begins to go wrong. It's almost as if a storm is coming through, like an earthquake rocking the ground. Sounds and images, everything around me is starting to get muddled up. I feel myself begin to panic because I can't tell anymore if it's his mind or mine.

[isabelle]

OOC: Sorry for the delay. I was hoping to hear something from Athenea before proceeding. Guess I’ll just push on…


*Max*

I watch and worry as Isabel goes into the dreamwalk. I hold her hand and try to project nothing but re-assurance and calm. Still, I can’t help but worry about what might happen. What she might see. What if it’s too late? And what of her other feeling about this, that something could go wrong? I rub her hand and wait and wonder.

Suddenly, Isabel’s breathing gets short and deep, almost gasping. Her eyes are closed but I can see them moving rapidly behind her eyelids. This isn’t right. “Isabel! Isabel!” I call to her, In a firm, urgent voice, but not shouting. I’m not trying to alert anyone next door. Not yet. Nothing changes so I grab both her shoulders shaking gently and then more insistently. “Isabel! Wake up!”


*Vega*

Lana speaks up, asking about plans. She’s right. We can do more than just wait here. Seems to me that Michael or Mom should be giving us some clues here, and maybe they will, but so far I guess they’re busy thinking about Dad and Aunt Isabel.

“Well,” I start slowly. “We know we have to destroy that facility – after we rescue the baby, of course. It should take them quite some time to rebuild it.” I don’t even know if the baby’s in there or not but I know we have to find him first. I hope there aren’t more than one facility like that around. We’ll need to destroy them all so they’ll have nowhere to take us. Of course, that might mean they’ll try to kill us, too, but they had reasons for wanting us alive before. Reasons that I don’t think will change.


*Lex*

I nod, half listening to the girls start the discussion and planning. My attention is on Zan, rubbing the back of his hand, Not looking at him constantly but still being hyper-alert to his body language. I wonder what it will be like, to see a baby Zan and my grown-up one in the same room. How will Zan react to that?

Suddenly, I feel a change in Zan and it’s not good. “Zan? Zan are you all right?” I ask him.

[nickimlow]

OOC: Great posts But yeah, we really do need a Zan post here...