Chapter 14: Visions

                                    

                                          
Drift knew that it wasn't a dream, but a memory, because the vision was far too detailed. But he was still in the land of sleep, so it couldn't be real life. So why was Lynx there? In a boat, in the middle of a lake. Loot Lake. Not any new lake on Artemis but the Loot Lake.
"Are you going to finish that cupcake or can I have it?" Lynx asked.
"Sure, here you go." Drift passed a cupcake he didn't even know he was holding to Lynx.
She ate it and the pair looked out across the water. Drift wasn't in control of his body, but from the little that his eyes let him see of the boat, it appeared that they didn't have any oars. How were they going to get back to the shore? Were they going to get back to the shore?
"Right, are you ready to go back?" Lynx asked.
"Yup." Drift replied.
He found himself shuffling to the back of the boat. What was going to happen? Was there an engine down there? But, no. Drift could've screamed when he saw it, but he wasn't in control of his body, so he didn't. He was shooting vibrant, magenta lightning. Out of his hands! 
The wind blew by and Drift continued to scream internally. But the sensation didn't last that long, and they docked at the shore within seconds of the blast's beginning. Drift and Lynx hopped out of the boat as if nothing had happened and Lynx walked over to Drift's side.
"Thanks for today, it was really fun." she smiled.
"No problem. Let's do it again soon, ok?" Drift replied.
"Yeah, yeah! Real soon." Lynx added, "Oh! Can I have a selfie for my blog?"
"Of course, babe."
Babe?
Lynx got a phone out of her pocket, an actual phone, not the gadget that the Scientist had gotten him. And when Drift saw his face on the phone, he was wearing a mask. A white fox mask, resembling a kitsue from Japanese folklore. Then, the camera flashed, and the vision was gone. 
*** 
Drift shot up and threw himself out of bed. His feet took him to his door quickly. He had to find Aura! He knew that he had to see the Scientist, and that he wanted Aura to meet him anyway, so it would be killing two birds with one stone.
And then he dragged himself back to his room. He didn't even know where Aura stayed... how did he not think that? Well, he wasn't thinking straight anyway, but still? His life was exhausting. But wasn't everyone's on this island? 
Maybe Drift's little hostage could help him out?
"Hey, Fennix?" Drift shouted, before remembering that Fennix was gagged.
After his gag had been removed, Fennix took a deep breath. His eyes were wide and he was pressed against the back wall. Drift knew that if Fennix had been able to find a gun, he may have just straight up given it to him, he was so afraid. But behind the fear, there was the cold spark of anger in his eye.
"Whaddya want?" Fennix whimpered.
"Where's Aura's room?" Drift asked.
"Umm... three to the right of this one, if I remember rightly." Fennix replied.
"Great." Drift nodded.
Fennix growled as Drift replaced the gag. The glint in his eye had gone on from anger, so Drift decided that it'd be a good idea to leave him be. Drift decided he'd let him go to the toilet now, as a way of making peace. And so he did. When Fennix sat back down, he looked slightly less frustrated. That'd be fine for now. There were bigger things to worry about.
The door slammed shut loudly behind Drift as he started to speed-walk down the corridor. He knocked three times on Aura's door, and a few seconds later, she was in front of him. She looked like she was just about to go somewhere else, but Drift had other plans. And the look on her face made Drift feel that she understood that.
"Hey, would you like to meet a certain friend of mine? Now?" Drift asked urgently.
"...Is something up?" Aura responded, following Drift.
"I had a vision, a memory, from my previous loop, before you killed me." Drift said.
"Well, that'd be quite unlikely."
"That's what I thought, and that's why we're going to the Seven." Drift kept his voice down to decrease the risk of being overheard.
"Wait, we're doing that today?" Aura gasped.
"Yup."
Drift and Aura got into the elevator. He looked over to her and there was a glint in her eye (there had been lots of glints in eyes recently, Drift realised) that seemed excited, seemed ready to go and do something towards taking down IO, even if that might not be what they were doing, really.
Aura told Drift that the elevator took them up towards the surface as well as other floors. So they did; the elevator took them up to the surface, just outside of Coney Crossroads, where Drift had entered the facility originally.
Drift hadn't been on the surface in a while. Unlike the last time, when it had been freezing cold, the sun now broke through the clouds and a light warmth flooded through him. Spring was beginning to show, it seemed, even though it was only January.
"You know, IO controls the weather too." Aura said, "One day, it can be freezing cold, the next boiling hot."
Well, that made a bit more sense.
"That's interesting." Drift responded, "We need to head East, right?"
"I think so."
The pair began their journey, away from the slowly melting snow. Soon, the jungle sprung up, with its scarcely placed tall grass and palm trees. The sunshine didn't match Drift's thundery attitude. The fearful scowl on his face was hidden by the mask, but it was still there.
The Sanctuary's domed rooftops looked more like home than any tent or hideout him and Brite or Lynx or anyone had found. He knew that inside of that building was the Scientist, who was everyone's friend. He would listen to Drift. He would. 
*** 
"You literally commed me the word undies. Do you need to talk?" the Visitor laughed.
The Scientist had the Visitor up on a video com. The holographic image of the blue-clad masked man was sat on the edge of his sofa. In the background of the image was Haven; she was making a sandwich. The Scientist stared at the Visitor, remembering their past.
The Scientist and the Visitor had been pretty close since they'd first met when the Seven had formed. They had told each other all of the goings on around them, and also secrets that they'd never told anybody else. Other than Shanta, the Visitor was the only person who knew that the Scientist's real name was Sean, and the Scientist knew that the Visitor was called Victor.
"There was a reason, Victor." the Scientist grumbled.
"I hope so." the Visitor replied.
"So I gave that Drift kid that disguise so he could do some snooping around IO." the Scientist stated, "Remember that?"
"Yeah. You said that you even got him some undies, so- OH! Is that what this is about?" the Visitor gasped theatrically.
"Yes, Vic." the Scientist sighed.
"I was being dramatic, but you seem annoyed, sorry."
"It's fine." the Scientist shrugged, "Anyway, let's get to business. I hid a microphone in the waistband of those undies."
"That's really weird, Sean." the Visitor said, shifting in his seat a little.
"I know, I know. I just thought that nobody would check there." the Scientist mumbled.
The Visitor shook his head, "Well, that can't be all you wanted to say."
"It isn't." the Scientist confirmed.
"Go on, spill." the Visitor prompted.
"I heard him mumbling to himself, at night, and he was having a dream." the Scientist said.
"And? I have dreams too." the Visitor shrugged. The Scientist knew that beneath that mask, the Visitor would have the puzzled expression that he had when someone said something confusing.
"He knows."
"What do you mean?" the Visitor laughed.
If it had been anyone else had been laughing at him, the Scientist would've been angry. But he knew better than to think that of the Visitor. Anybody who knew him knew that he was not that sort of person. The Scientist knew that better than anyone on the entire island.
"He knows about his past." 
"Seriously?" the Visitor gasped.
"Seriously, dude." the Scientist nodded, "It's time to initiate phase 2."
"On it. Haven-"
And then the com cut off. The Scientist liked talking to the Visitor, but they'd have to talk later. Right now, he needed to talk to Drift and his new friend that he'd overheard speaking on the mic. He had to make sure that he knew that what was going on was the truth.
To be continued...