A blond woman in lingerie was draped across a red velvet chaise just beyond what looked to be several virtual reality pods. Nick's arm was once again around my waist, but this time he was guiding me towards the door at the back of the large room. As we passed, Nick and the stunning woman exchanged a few pleasantries. Once we were into the next room, he slowed his pace.
"I need you to be prepared for what you may experience. Reliving the past in these pods can be intense. Dr. Amari might be able to send me along with you if you'd like. If not, I'll be here awaiting your return." he said.
"Wait. Return? Is it truly sending me back?" I asked, unable to hide the excitement I felt at possibly rejoining my family this night.
Sadness touched Nick's eyes as he said "Not in a physical sense, I'm afraid. Just in your memories. Your body will be here with us."
So much for hope.
"You said this doctor can send you with me. How? And would it be better that way? A second set of eyes in case I get overwhelmed." I said, thinking about how close I'd felt to going home.
"Let's talk to her, and see what our options are. If I can help, I will." he said.
A slim woman with dark hair and a lab coat was standing over a counter laden with test tubes, hot plates, and beakers. She paused in her notations to see the two of us enter.
"Mr. Valentine, this is quite a surprise. I'd have thought you'd had your fill of the memory loungers after last time." Dr. Amari said.
"That case has been closed, Doc. This lovely lady with me has pressing need of my services however. I figured the best way to help her at this point would be to take a peek at her recent past." Nick said, his voice heavy with the seriousness of my situation.
The doctor turned her attention to me, and got right down to business. A stern clinical look on her face, she began to take my vitals and a quick medical history. A baseline reading before attempting to access my memories, she explained. The three of us discussed the finer points and potential merits of having Nick's consciousness travel along with mine. It seemed there were no good answers but plenty of questionable ones.
"How far back do we need to go? Closer to our current timeline would help yield better results." Dr. Amari asked.
"Probably a bit more than six weeks ago. Not quite seven weeks though." I answered.
"Good, good. We should have minimal problems then." she replied.
My nerves were shot. I now understood the risks involved, and why we needed this information but damn. Because of the nature of the memory loungers, I could have another seizure. Potentially a bad one. And even with all the expertise of the doctor, we could still walk away with nothing to go on.
"Nick, come with me. If nothing else, you can get a glimpse of my world. Doing this alone…well, I'm not sure if I can handle that." I whispered, my fear getting the better of me.
He patted the roof of the lounger closest to the stool he sat on. Dr. Amari nodded, hooked Nick up to some wires attached to the pod, and told me to climb in when I was ready. I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and took a seat in the lounger. Watching the lid descend reminded me of the times I've had surgery. The scared feeling in the pit of my stomach as the anesthesia mask closed over my face repeated itself now.
The screen before my eyes began a countdown. There was a flash, and everything went black. I heard nothing at first, and then Nick's voice calling to me from across the void.
The pleasant smell of coffee, and the music emanating from the speakers. The feel of the steering wheel in my hands, and the crisp breeze on my face. Horns honking around me. Hartford, once again.
"Well, here we are, lovely lady. I must say that I'm impressed, and that doesn't happen often." came Nick's voice.
I looked over at the passenger seat, and there he was. There was a sense of overlap as our worlds collided. He turned his head frequently, left to right and back again, taking in the sights all around us. The familiar and well-loved to me became the disconcerting and foreign to him.
I felt the warmth of tears trickling down my cheeks. I was getting so damn tired of crying. I couldn't help it though. I was home. Finally home. My car. My state. My world.
"If I turn now, this exit, I can be home in just minutes! Please please please. I need them! Jay and my kids. Oh god, please!" I cried.
No matter how I struggled, I couldn't turn the wheel. These events were but mere memories. Every instinct I had screamed with the need to go home. Seeing all that I loved pass by drove me towards the brink.
I felt Nick's hand on my leg. Looking over at him wouldn't change the path of my car so the risk was worth it. His lantern yellow eyes were full of pity, and his tender touch was meant to bring comfort that just would not come.
"Any doubts I've had about the veracity of your claims just vanished. This world is beyond any description you've given me." he said.
"You sound disappointed in me. Why?" I asked.
"Every bit of your memory is crucial to finding the true way home for you. Suppose I'm just wishing that you'd have had more trust in my abilities…in me." he said.
The car changed lanes without my assistance. Peering out the window, I could see the vehicles around us speeding up. The crash was nearing. Nothing could be done to change that now. Anger began to well up inside me. All this for nothing.
"Look alive, synth sleuth. I'm about to die." I commanded.
Nick's pained expression changed to shock as the world around us dimmed, swirled, and jolted. For me, it was the disgustingly familiar sensation of the seizure, and the crash. I could only begin to guess what it felt like for him.
What I had been too disoriented to notice the first time stood out like a star going super nova in the darkest corners of space now. The sickening roll as the car overturned. The scream of brakes all around me. The spikes of pain as shards of the shattered windshield were forced into my face and hands. And not to be outdone by lesser concerns, there were popping sounds as various bones broke throughout my body.
As soon as it began, it ended. My car and its contents had scraped to a halt against the concrete barriers to the nearest exit. Sirens could be heard in the distance. I couldn't move, and felt utterly limp as I hung from my seatbelt with my head pressed into the roof of my car.
Nick's voice came from outside the car to my left.
"Are you alright? Of course she's not, Valentine. Shit." he muttered before raising his voice.
"I'm right here, Brenna! Just hold on to this memory as best you can. I'll sort out the details." he called.
Then my vision swam out of focus, and it was all gone.