Vince returned from his run to the soft sound of clacking keys. Orwell turned from her computer screens as he entered the room. Concern flooded her dark eyes as she took in his exhaustion.
"You look like crap." She stated as he dropped heavily into a nearby chair.
Vince snorted softly in response. "Good morning to you, too."
"Have you gotten any sleep?" She asked as she returned to her screens, watching as the green lines of numbers and code whizzed by in mid-air.
"Not much." He admitted as he reached for the water bottle perched on the edge of the table. His hand paused as his vision blurred without warning.
"It's been nearly three days, Vince. You should talk to that circus friend of yours, the hypnotist…maybe he knows something that can help you sleep." Orwell continued, oblivious to his predicament. "It wouldn't do for you to fall asleep while you are dangling off a building or something."
Her voice faded into the distance as the lines of the room suddenly merged into a mass of molten color, twisting and spinning before his eyes. Vince swallowed shakily against the strong sense of nausea beginning to settle into the pit of his churning stomach. He shook his head violently in an attempt to dispel the images, and then as quickly as it had begun, the room settled into place.
"Vince? Are you okay?"
Vince blinked and ran a rough hand over his face, attempting to hide its shaking from his partner. He sighed as he reached out and closed his fingers around the bottle. "I'm fine, just tired." He said softly as he twisted the top off and raised it to his lips.
Sleep… give in and return to me.
The bottle fell from his hand as the words whispered in his mind. He barely registered the dull thud it made as it hit the concrete floor. His eyelids felt heavy, as if weighted…and he could not remember why he should not give in. He wanted to rest…he needed to rest. A voice shouted in the distance but he was unable to make out the words. His whole body felt limp and heavy. The room was beginning to darken around him.
That's it…sleep.
The image was broken as a rush of cold water smacked him full in the face, snapping him violently back into reality. He sputtered as he raised a heavy hand to swipe in vain at his dripping face.
"Vince? Vince, what's happening?" Orwell's voice was heavy with concern as her small hand grasped his shoulder and shook him. "Something isn't right . I'm going to take you to Max. Can you stand?" At his nod, she looped his arm over her thin shoulders and struggled to pull him to his feet. He sagged heavily against her as they stumbled toward the door. "Vince, you are going to have to help me. I can't carry you to the car."
Vince struggled to focus as he placed one foot in front of the other as they moved toward her car. Orwell opened the door and nearly fell into his lap as he slumped down into the seat. He dimly felt her shove his feet into the car and slam the door before rushing to the other side. The darkness was growing stronger, as if someone were pulling him back in. He was growing weaker…he wanted so badly to sleep.
"Hang on, Vince." He heard a voice dimly from somewhere far away. "Just hang on."
oOo
A pair of blue eyes opened slowly, blinking against the light streaming into the dim room through a part in the canopy near the doorway of the tent. Vince drew a slow breath and blinked as his sleep addled brain attempted to make sense of his location. His eyes shifted to the corner of the room as the shadow moved. Vince jumped at the sight of the man sitting calmly in the chair.
"Well, good morning, sleeping beauty, or should I say good afternoon." Ruvi stated, taking a sip of his coffee. "You are training today. Be ready in thirty minutes."
Vince blinked at the man dully as his brain tried to shake the intense visual of the dreams. Dark areas were prominent under his eyes. "What?" He rasped.
"You have training in thirty minutes. The others in the camp would like to get a decent night's sleep tonight without your screaming." He rose from his chair turning to exit before added softly. "And they are worried about you."
Vince wearily swung his legs off the side of his bed, resting his head in his palms. He faintly remembered Orwell and a dream...He rubbed his eyes with the palms off his hands hoping it would rub out the images of the visions which haunted his brain. It had only been a dream..he knew that...didn't he? The images had been so vivid, so real he sometimes wasn't sure it was a dream. They were beginning to grow in intensity…to the point where he had begun to fear sleep.
He was a logical, methodical person. He was not superstitious. He had even dealt with having nightmares after he left the military…but this was like nothing he had ever experienced. The lack of sleep was beginning to take its toll on him, his body ached and his mind felt dull. Vince rubbed his face roughly with his hands. He would not be able to protect his family if he had absolutely no energy…and he would have no energy until he could sleep. Sighing, he stood up. He knew not to keep Ruvi waiting.
Vince pushed back the curtain to Ruvi's tent and found the man sitting at the round table that took up a majority of the room with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep. Vince knew better than to assume anything with the man. He cleared his throat to note his arrival.
"I know you are there." Ruvi remarked, his eyes remaining closed. "Sit."
Vince obliged taking the seat across the table. Dark eyes opened and regarded him intently. "Tell me about these dreams you are having."
Vince took a deep breath and let it out slowly as the horrific images again flashed through his mind. He recounted the dreams to his friend as best he could remember them. "It feels like more than just a dream. It is too real, too vivid. I have had nightmare before, but I have never experienced anything like this."
"Hmmm" Ruvi nodded slightly studying Vince. "And you say the nature of each dream revolves around your family?"
Vince nodded seriously. "In each dream they are hurt..in danger and I can't reach them..no matter how hard I try."
"Hmmm" Ruvi said again. He reached forward and lit the incense burner which hung above the center of the table. "How do you appear in the dream?"
Vince relaxed unconsciously as the sweet smell of cinnamon and cloves wafted through the air. "I'm dressed as The Cape." His brow furrowed as he frowned. "In my dreams, something or someone continues to encourage me to remove the mask, but something feels very wrong about doing so."
"Hmmm." was the only response he received from the other man.
His frown deepened. "Will you stop saying that?"
"Do you want my help or not?" Ruvi questioned sharply. His voice softened as he continued. "Let me do this my way. I have to have information so that I know how to proceed." He closed his eyes and sat in silence for a long moment. Finally he spoke. "If you told anyone else this they would just say that you are under a lot of stress and this was your mind's way of dealing with stress."
"But you don't think that?" Vince asked.
Dark eyes slid open slowly and regarded him. "Well, it is possible. A person's brain and their subconscious is a marvelous machine which sometimes will do the most unexpected things when subjected to an enormous stress. However, there are other explanations as well."
"Such as?"
Ruvi shrugged. "There are cultures who have a less scientific view of a person's mind. A few have legends which involve the existence of beings known as dreamwalkers…those who able to enter another's dream and manipulate it."
"You mean like a physic or a mind reader?" Vince asked skeptically.
Ruvi shrugged. "A rough comparison, I suppose. Dream walkers can only enter the mind of someone who is asleep or very near sleep."
"And you think that I am being attacked in my dreams by one of the dream walkers?"
"Well, you said that you felt the need to remove your mask. It very well could be a dream walker who has been hired to try and find out your true identity."
"Then why the nightmares? Why not just tell me to take off the mask?" Vince asked.
"Must I explain everything to you?" Ruvi sighed. "The nightmares are to wear down your defenses. Some people are hard headed and have strong minds that are difficult to manipulate. In this case one would have to make the person vulnerable to get past the mind's natural defenses."
Vince considered his friend's explanation for a moment. As strange as it sounded, it did make sense on some level. His eyes shifted back to his friend as a thought entered his mind. "How close would this dream walker have to be to be able to affect me?"
Ruvi raised an eyebrow. "So, you believe me now?"
Vince grimaced. "Let's just say I'm not taking any chances."
The man smirked. "Good enough. It would depend on the skill of the dream walker and if he was using anything to enhance his ability."
"How would he enhance his ability?" Vince asked.
"There are certain incense that are known to have certain physiological affects on the body. You immediately relaxed when I lit the cinnamon and cloves earlier. The same can be done on the opposite side of the spectrum along with certain natural mind altering chemicals."
"So, how do I keep this person out of my head?"
A slow smirk slid across Ruvi's face. "I will teach you."