A/N: Thanks to fangirl1234 for the review!
Ramona Winters' eyes flew open as she breathed in deeply, ignoring the dull throbbing of her temple and the ghostly feel of water dripping down the back of her neck. For a moment she stayed in place, staring up at the white plaster ceiling as the last remnants of the dream trickled to her conscious mind. It took time and practice to remember these dream events, but it was still possible to recall them.
Turning her head, the young woman viewed the rest of the room: a circle of thirteen comfortable reclining chairs, ten of which were now empty. She occupied one, as did her Broker Lily, and a smartly-dressed man in a suit. Lily and the client were still under, though a glance at the metal suitcase in the center of the circle revealed that they had about one minute left in real time, or twelve minutes in dream time.
Without waiting for them, Mona ripped out the small needle taped to her wrist, got to her feet, and left the conference room, heading for the nearest bathroom. It was typical for one in an office building - five stalls, three sinks, large mirrors. In an effort to be environmentally friendly, the building's designer had decided to include motion-sensor paper dispensers, though the sinks were equipped with old-fashioned silver faucets. Loosening one of these on the middle sink, Mona let the cold water pour into her cupped hands, then splashed it hurriedly over her face.
As the icy water chased away the last few traces of fog from her mind, the young woman strode over to one of the long counters stretching under another expanse of flawless mirror. Digging into her gray dress pants, she pulled out a silver coin. A flick, and it was spinning on the surface, only a blur. Mona's eyes never left the rotating coin as she counted under her breath.
"5...4...3..."
With a wobble and a clatter, the silver dollar fell on its side, revealing the American eagle spreading its wings. Breathing a sigh of relief, Mona closed her eyes briefly, then opened them to stare at her reflection. A twenty-two year old young woman stared back at her, light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and wispy bangs now dripping with water. Her eyes, dark brown and constricted from the bathroom lights, had the familiar slightly unfocused look of someone coming from a heavy dream.
She blinked, and the look was gone.
"Hey, there's my girl."
Mona looked up from the sitting room chair to see Lily walking through the doorway, smiling triumphantly. She was clutching a sheaf of papers, no doubt the documents for the deal, and slipping them into her purse. When Mona got to her feet and joined her in heading for the elevators, the Broker immediately began chatting away.
"We're due next Tuesday, same time, same place," the woman announced as they entered the elevator. When the doors closed and they began descending to the first floor, she continued, "This deal is big, really big. We're looking at more than three weeks, maybe four. That means almost double the pay. I know Samantha wants a bigger check for the new architecture plans she's teaching you, so this is just perfect."
For the first time, she noticed Mona's silence. "Hey, you ok? Four weeks isn't too much for you, right? I know we talked about it, but in case you changed your mind since then..."
Mona shook her head, eyes on the descending floor numbers.
"It's not that. I can handle four weeks."
Lily raised one eyebrow. The elevator door dinged, signaling the first floor, and they exited the elevator, entering a spacious lobby of smooth white floors and glass walls. Sunlight poured through, illuminating the scene.
"Then what? You did great back there."
Mona shrugged as they handed in their guest identification cards to the front desk and made their way out of the building and onto the street. On the sidewalk, Lily hailed a cab with a casual wave of her hand.
"It's the eighth," Mona said finally as they waited for the taxi to pull over. When the Broker turned her head to look at her quizzically, she clarified, "April eighth." As comprehension dawned on Lily's face, Mona continued, "I was just thinking that this wasn't what Bryan had in mind when all of this started out."
The cab slid to a stop in front of the two women and they got in the back seat, Lily shutting the door behind her.
"Thirteenth and G, northwest," the Broker ordered the driver, who glanced back at the two formally dressed women, who were about ten years apart in age. Ignoring him, Lily turned her attention back to Mona. "Kid, I don't think Bryan had a specific plan in mind when he started training you. And what's wrong with what we do? I mean, look at where we are." The woman gestured out the window at the clean, modern buildings rising into the sky. "The center of the world's most powerful country. There are worse places to be. And worse jobs than this." She looked back at her companion. "Just the fact that we live here means that we're not too bad off."
Mona shrugged.
"Yeah, I know. But you're not the one who has to do the dirty work." She glanced out the window. "I feel like a few more years of this and I'll start losing some of my morals."
Lily rolled her eyes.
"But I have to sell the dirty work and call it a deal," she replied. Smiling, she shook her head. "As for the morals thing, don't worry about it. At least we're doing the protecting, not the stealing. The dirty work just naturally comes with it."
The cab slowed to a stop, and the Broker handed the driver a handful of bills, then got out of the car. As Mona followed suit and shut the door, the two women looked at each other. "At least you're an expert in your field, which by the way, is the field of the future."
Mona snorted in derision.
"Right. The illegal field of the future, you mean."
Lily merely laughed.
"Hey, a job's a job. At least you can say that you're kickass at it. Literally."
"Ramona?"
I continued staring out the glass window at the café across the street. There were spindly metal tables and chairs grouped under various umbrellas, under one of which a young man was sitting, drinking from a mug. Coffee, maybe.
"Ramona? Are you listening?" I felt tempted to ignore Samantha's voice, but I knew she'd get annoyed if I did.
"Yeah," I said, still watching the young man. He was observing the people going by, his gaze moving from person to person. He was decent looking, with a barely-contained mop of curly black hair, a strong nose, and steady eyes. I stared at those hazel eyes, feeling unease stirring in me. They were all too familiar.
I heard Samantha walking towards me, her heels clicking on the ground.
"I finished the tour, and all of it looks good," the Architect told me, satisfied. "I like the cubicle maze touch, though I think you'll need more than one stairwell, just in case."
"Mhm," I replied, distantly processing her words. The young man was now thoughtfully watching a couple talking animatedly nearby, his gaze glued onto them as if he was listening. As I continued staring, his eyes flicked in my direction. I managed to hold his gaze for a few seconds, then looked away. I knew those eyes. They were the exact same color, but with less intensity - more focused, maybe, but less intense.
"Ramona, what in the world are you looking at?" I turned to face Samantha, an aging but sprightly woman and one of the best teachers of architecture that I knew. Her white hair was drawn back tightly into a bun, emphasizing her narrow face and gray eyes.
"I thought I saw someone familiar," I told her, shrugging. When I looked back outside at the café, the young man was gone. Behind me, I knew Samantha was tapping her foot with impatience.
"It wouldn't be the first time," she sighed, but I shook my head.
"Not this kind of person," I said. "This person isn't supposed to be here. Not in the dreamstate, and definitely not in reality." When Samantha began tapping her foot again - she was never a fan of ambiguity or indirectness - I turned to face her. "He's dead," I stated flatly. "So, he shouldn't be here."
Samantha was less than sympathetic.
"It's not unheard of," she replied dismissively. "If you're cooping up something in your subconscious that has to do with whoever this person is, I'd suggest you deal with it before it becomes a problem."
I just nodded, though I knew that it would be pretty low on my priority list. Before dealing with whatever was manifesting itself in the form of a projection, I had to figure out what that thing was. And that included me diving into my subconscious and facing the deepest parts of my mind, which was something I wasn't too fond of doing. No one was, really. There were some truths that were hard to face, and some lies that needed to be left alone.
I changed the subject.
"Samantha, you've been doing this for years, right?"
She looked at me slightly suspiciously.
"Yes, when the concept was first being invented. Why?"
I looked outside once again, this time watching a bridge build itself across the busy road. Pedestrian projections immediately began crossing it.
"Do Guardians ever die in this field?" I asked quietly. "Does anyone ever decide that destroying the idea is better than stealing it?"
Samantha was uncharacteristically silent for a long moment.
"I'm sure there have been cases," she replied finally, her voice just as quiet. "But in my experience, most people find that it is more valuable to steal an idea and make their own profit off of it. Few are willing to put in the money for Extractors for nothing." I could imagine her squinting suspiciously at my back. "Why? Do you feel unsafe?"
I shrugged.
"Not really," I said. "It was just a theory." I knew Samantha wanted to pursue the subject and ask more questions, probably fearing for my state of mind, but I changed the subject again. "So where should I build the other stairwells?"
A/N: As you probably noticed, I switch between first and third person, depending on whether the characters are in the dreamstate or in reality (though I have to admit that writing in first person is more fun). Strangely enough, I usually write in third person, since I usually prefer reading in it. Also, I'm thinking of shortening the story instead of drawing it out for too long like I had orignially planned. Thoughts? Thanks for reading!