In an hour, Silver was already adding the finishing touches to his creation. He smiled as he carefully fixed a glass screen onto the machine and dusted it.
[It's ready.]
Outside, Steel and Ruby were leaning against the shack and watching the swaying grass. Upon hearing Silver's message, Steel headed inside briskly. Ruby lingered for a few moments for a last glimpse of the sun before following him in. They entered the room where Silver was in, admittedly impressed by the outcome of his efforts.
"This machine has the power to harness our mental energies to penetrate other realities," Silver explained as he rested an arm on the machine. "In other words, with our combined efforts, we can use it to communicate with Sapphire, regardless of whatever fiction she might be trapped in. I really like how it gleams in the afternoon light. Pretty, don't you think?" The technician patted the screen brightly.
"Let's see if it works," Steel remarked, pragmatic as ever. Silver clicked on the switch and instructed them, "Place a hand on the screen and concentrate as hard as you can. Think about Sapphire. Reach out to her, and in your head, call out her name."
The three operators gently touched the screen and closed their eyes. Each one thought about their mutual friend and what she meant to them.
Ruby had never been that close to Sapphire, but she had always admired her, envied her even, for her status. Sapphire's beauty, talent and personality all contributed to her popularity in equal measure. Being a later addition to their community, her powers were the newest. A few other operators possessed one or two of her individual abilities, but none had her special combination of them all. Ruby couldn't understand how an operator could be as all-rounded as Sapphire was. She never doubted her own abilities, that was for sure, she was proud of how music was her very soul and essence. But sometimes, she couldn't help wishing she had been born later and received the amount of attention Sapphire received. Being one of the older operators did have its advantages, such as being able to gain more respect from the others, but Sapphire had already broken that rule. Her beauty was another trait that made her a magnet for admirers, not to mention the two men who were in the room with Ruby at that very instant.
Silver had been together with Sapphire once before, or at least that was how it appeared. He first thought of her as very attractive, but later cared more for who she was as a person. They flirted openly, especially in front of the supposedly cold and unaffected Steel, but there was no deeper connection between them and they both knew it. Nevertheless, they always acted as if there was, and Silver continued to treat her with the same amount of charm and affection, wishing and pretending that their relationship had a destination.
Steel needn't think about how much Sapphire meant to him. It had been constantly nagging at him ever since she had left his side, so he needn't even consider it. Just one earnest mental call of Sapphire's name was enough to express all of his deepest feelings for her, and to reach out to her, wherever she might be.
The process of combining and broadcasting mental energies did not take long, for the screen flickered to life within a couple of minutes. The operators released their hands and peered at it. On the screen was a live broadcast of a young lady with coppery hair, sleeping soundly on a bed in a small and old apartment.
Steel glared at the screen. "Who is that?"
"That went a lot faster than I expected," Silver said uneasily, mostly to himself.
"Explain," Ruby ordered.
"Well, normally reaching someone in another reality would take... a longer time."
Ruby began, "Are you saying that-"
"Sapphire could be in the same reality as us?" Steel finished.
"It's not a matter of could be," Silver replied as he used the controls to zoom in on the lady. "She is in the same reality as us, taking the form of this human girl."
"How is that possible?" Steel turned to Ruby. "The entity trapped Sapphire and I in fiction."
"Not in the same fiction," Ruby corrected him. "You're forgetting, Steel."
The concept of different levels of fiction reoccurred to him. He remembered that the entity wasn't as interested in Sapphire and had sent her to another fate. To be precise, another life.
"Can you locate her?" Steel asked Silver.
"Most unfortunately I can't. This machine was built for communication, not location. But of course, we might eventually locate her if we observe her surroundings for long enough."
The trio waited for the lady to awaken. After what felt like only ten minutes or less, Steel lost his patience.
"I want to communicate with her."
The other two stared at him.
"Why not? This is a communication device, isn't it?"
Silver shifted uncomfortably. "Well, technically you can do that, Steel, but firstly, she's asleep. And secondly, she might not really be Sapphire."
"What do you mean she might not be Sapphire?" Steel said quickly.
"There might be a possibility that she has lost her memory of being Sapphire when she transferred to this human's body. She could already be living this human's life."
"Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?" Steel persisted.
"I suppose you're right, Steel, but the only way you can communicate with her now is through her dreams, and people aren't so rational when they're dreaming."
So many conditions, Steel couldn't help thinking. "There's no better time to do it than now. What's the worst that can happen? It is only a dream for her after all."
"It will also be a dream for you, Steel," Ruby piped up. "You'll be in the dream with her."
"I am doing it," Steel made his voice firm, indicating that his decision was final. He glanced at Silver, who quickly understood. There was clearly no doubt about how badly that man needed his partner.
"Alright, Steel, just place your hand on the screen, look at the girl and call out to her in your mind. Remember that since she is asleep, you will fall asleep as well. You will meet her and communicate with her in her dreams."
Steel did as instructed, ready for whatever might happen next. He was ready for anything as long as it brought him a step closer to reuniting with Sapphire. Before long, his eyelids had lowered over his eyes and he had fallen into a deep slumber.
