A/N: This chapter was done by the Red Fedora. *exits stage left*
A vial struck the rusty metal panel with a soft tinkle of broken glass as it shattered into a million tiny slivers against the stained concrete floor. A loud roar of anger shook the still night, nearly inhuman in its nature. Vitari slammed his fists down against the makeshift table top, rattling the remaining bottles and vials which littered its surface. The pale fists slowly unclenched and flattened against the rough wood as the man forced himself to calm. A mind driven by emotion was a mind without control. He would need control if he wished to defeat his victim. Anger surged through his thin frame as he recalled his recent failure. The Cape had been nearing his end. He had been closing in for the kill when something…or someone…had disturbed his vision and freed the Cape from his web.
The table rattled as a pale fist slammed heavily against its surface. It was impossible. No one had ever been able to escape him before…no one had ever been able to break through the walls once he had set them into place. There must be someone helping him…someone trained in the arts of mind manipulation…though he sensed that person was not as powerful as he. The thought calmed him. He closed his eyes and allowed his mind to drift into deep meditation to clear it from the damage caused by the interruption and his anger. A dark smile drifted across his lips as he lowered his body slowly onto the mat on the floor. He would wait for a few hours and then strike again when he least expected it. In a few hours the Cape would be dead.
oOo
Ruvi watched his friend's face carefully as he slept for signs of the dream walker's return. So far it had been quiet…nearly too quiet. His eyes drifted upward once more to study the ring which spun gently above Vince's sleeping form. Whatever magic the dream walker possessed was stronger than the catcher's ability to prevent his entry…however the talisman had been strong enough to allow him to break through the weaver's control and lead Vince out of his trap. This thought gave Ruvi hope and a plan. Perhaps if they could not keep the dream walker out, then he could go in. His presence would provide Vince with a stabling factor, a way to connect with reality while he fought within the dream. The walker would be unable to see him, though he might sense his presence…and so he would have to be very careful of how he approached. Once slip could result in Vince's life and his own mind.
He shifted his gaze back to Vince's face as his blue eyes opened slowly. The eyes shifted to meet Ruvi's before closing again with a weary sigh.
"What happened?" Vince murmured as he shifted slowly into a seated position against the pillows.
Ruvi leaned back against his chair, sensing his friend needed space. "The man is stronger than I originally believed." He stated dryly. He felt remorse as he watched Vince's shoulders slump dejectedly. "What happened in the last dream?" He asked.
Vince rubbed his face roughly with both hands before threading his fingers into his brown curls as he propped his elbows against his knees. His eyes closed tightly as he continued.
"It was similar to the last, except this time something attacked me. My suit and mask were damaged." He paused. "I could hear my wife screaming but I couldn't find her. Everywhere I turned led to a dead end. Chess stood hidden in every shadow, taunting me." Weary blue eyes met brown as Vince turned toward his friend with a hopelessness he could not help but feel. "He wanted to trade…my identity for the life of my family."
The men sat in silence for a long moment before Ruvi finally spoke, "You know that if you gave it to him he would still kill them." He said as a statement, not a question.
Vince nodded as he returned his face to his hands. "I know." He muttered. "I know."
Ruvi nodded to himself as he considered the facts. "Perhaps it is Chess that hired the dream walker. He has tired such things before."
Vince slumped back against the cot, letting his arms fall to his sides as he gazed despairingly up into the canopy overhead. "The thought had crossed my mind." He said without humor. "What's to stop him from taking the information out of my head, Ruvi? I feel weaker each time he pulls me in. If you hadn't broken through earlier, he might have succeeded."
Ruvi leaned forward, bracing his forearms against his thighs as he laced his fingers together. "I have a plan. It is risky, but we might just have a chance."
Blue eyes shifted to meet his slowly, and Ruvi was heartened to see a bit of hope lingering in their depths. "A chance is good. Tell me what I need to do."
oOo
Fog swirled through night as black as ink, caressing the corners of the darkened buildings with ghostly fingers as it moved through the maze of narrow alleyways. A dark shadow shifted away from the rest, as the eyes behind the mask studied the scene with an equal mix of anticipation and fear. The dark cape rippled gentle around the figure as he began to move forward toward the mouth of the alleyway. Eyes narrowed in concentration and a faint grin tipped up the corners of his lips as a warm pool of light broke through the thick clouds before him. A soft snort escaped his lips as he felt a ripple of approval in the air surrounding him. The shadows rippled faintly as a second hooded figure emerged moved towards the light, joining the Cape.
"You learn quickly." Ruvi approved as he studied the street lamp that had appeared before them.
A faint smile tweaked at the edges of the Cape's lips as the blue eyes scanned the dreamscape surrounding them. He had constructed it from what he could remember of the previous dreams with one notable difference…he now knew the layout of each alleyway, how it shifted and where it lead. He had complete control of the dreamscape…it was his home turf now. Ruvi had shown him how to create and manipulate the world around him, much like the dream walker. He could not be trapped as long as he kept his wits about him.
The world around him seemed to shimmer and twist with a new energy as he felt something new, and yet familiar pressing against its edges. His eyes shifted to his friend to find Ruvi watching the sky with equal interest and anticipation. His mind was calm and his thoughts steady as his friend smirked from beneath the dark hood of his own cloak. Ruvi nodded once before shimmering out of the dreamscape leaving the Cape alone beneath the street lamp. Vince looked up at the warm glow above him, taking comfort in its gentle warmth for a brief moment before extinguishing its existence and plunging the world around him back into shadows. He cleared his mind as his eyes shifted to the twisting clouds overhead….then he dropped the shield surrounding his mind and let the dream walker in…this time on his terms…
oOo
Vitari paused on the edge of the Cape's mind, surprised to find the man essentially in the world where he had left him earlier. Eyes as dark and as deadly as the surrounding night scanned for hidden threats and for the presence that had injected itself into the dream previously…but he felt nothing. In fact he felt nothing at all. It was as if the scape had been muted…much like the heavy fog muted the sound of his footsteps as he moved forward along the familiar passages toward the center. He forced his mind to clear as he began to weave threads into the world around him. He was not certain what the Cape had seen in the previous dreams…his powers were limited in that he could manipulate the emotions of his victims, encouraging them to visualize their deepest fears and making them to believe it as reality, however he could not see what they saw. In order to gain the Cape's identity, he had to get the man to voice his fears…to give in to his demands.
A dark smile crossed his thin face as he felt the energy began to shift around him, pulsing into a familiar pattern. His victim's mind was engaged and active. Vitari shifted his own as he began to increase his connection to the dream world, herding the man into his web. This time there would be no one to save him…this time the Cape would be his.
oOo
Vince moved silently along the alleyways, allowing his pattern to remain erratic and shifting in order to appear as if he were still under the walker's spell. It was essential that the intruder believe this in order for Ruvi's plan to work. The weight of the cape was comforting as it flowed around him as he moved. He knew that it did not exist, but it gave him a tangible piece to hold on to…as did the talisman he had chosen which hung on a chain around his neck. The small circle of white gold felt unnaturally warm where it rested against his skin beneath his armor as if the ring had a life and pulse of its own. It was his link to his family…a symbol of his promise to love, to protect, to fight for what was his. He held onto warmth, allowing it to penetrate his chest as the world around him grew perceptively colder and harsher.
In the distance he heard a familiar scream. His pulse quickened but this time the fear did not overwhelm him. His mouth set in a firm determined line as he quickened his pace through the winding alleyways toward its source.