Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Bits o' Legionnaire Business "I Saw In a Dream..." a continuing story

In honor of Dreamer's induction into the Legion, this story is set in *a* preboot Legion's reality...

PART ONE

She stretched out on her sister's bed, her silver/white/pale gold hair streaming across the pillows. She forced herself to stillness, relaxing each muscle and every nerve in the time-honored way her ancestors had perfected. All tension, all stress eased out of her body. Finally, she unfocused her mind's eye, allowing it to roam where it would.

She lay... waiting.

Waiting as she had for several nights... waiting for sleep and for her dream....

...she floated in a world of dancing half-light. Warm water surrounded her face, but her bare toes tingled with cold. She kicked and rose towards the surace, a shimmering ceiling above her, alive with the patterns of sun and cloud and sky. She looked back into the depths of the water, hesitant to enter the world of air where she knew she would have to face fear and pain, hesitant to leave the gentle motion of the water and the peace she felt alone in the sea of her dreams.

But she was Dream Girl and she had broken into the horizon that was the future many times and she would now, once more. Kicking harder, she propelled herself, gliding through the water effortlessly. She broke through the surface into sunlight and wind. Gazing out into the distance, she peered at the slender line that barely separated sea from sky. She turned and saw a nearer island, its clean beaches beckoning to her.

She swam easily and felt no surprise as the island grew nearer with her every stroke. Soon, she touched the sand at the bottom of a small cove in the coastline of what she knew was an immense continent. She walked through water, then wet sand. Finally she crossed the beach and entered the jungle that obscured her view. She quickly found a narrow pathway and followed it as it curved gently into the jungle.

She'd walked only a few yards when the jungle dwindled into forest and the forest into meadow. She crossed the green expanse and found herself facing a huge, leafy wall of bramble that stretched to her left and to her right as far as she could see.

The set expression of determination intensified on her face as she willed herself into the air, rising above the thorny obstacle. She cleared the brush and descended, her feet brushing wiry grass. Ahead, a towering building rose to hide the sun. The building was as familiar to Nura as home, but was also somehow alien to her. She strode across the field of marble and entered through a shining door underneath a gigantic golden "L".

Once inside, the feeling of alienness resurged. She was surrounded by trees and cultivated plantlife. The gurgle of a brook almost drowned out the songs of the birds wheeling about above her. Behind and above, she could see the high white ceiling and walls of glass that dispelled the illusion of a pleasant outdoor scene. This was not what she had expected. She shook her head with quick, sudden motion. Memory was a hindrance in the world of dream. A dreamer must be totally open and objective once she emerged from the sea of dreams. That was one of the first lessons taught to the seers of Naltor.

"But the building... my home... the home of the Legion," she thought, shutting her eyes.

"Enough!" She commanded herself. "I banish memory. I am Nura and I... will... SEE!"

She opened her eyes and stepped forward, orienting her progress through the indoor forest to the sound of the brook. She strode quickly over emerald moss that was soft beneath her feet, glad that the branches and even the roots of the trees moved out of her way. She had walked only a short way when she found herself beside the gurgling stream. Looking about, she saw no signs to indicate her next step. She gazed into the water of the brook, watching its swift currents pass.

A human-sized flash of white startled her, but she was unable to attract its attention before it had been swept away by the stream. She shrugged and followed the only course available to her. She jumped into the water, surrendering herself to the current.

Dimly, she recognized the banks as they whisked by. In no time, she found herself abruptly sliding into open air. Instinctively, she 'caught' herself, willing her fall to slow. She bumped harshly onto the ground and stumbled, but did not fall. She looked around her and found herself in a large, well-lit cavern. More surprising than the rocky walls, however was the ring of faces that surrounded her. Faces that she knew... faces of her frie...

"Memory, begone!" she screamed voicelessly.

Nura stood before accusing faces that she now saw as if for the first time. She memorized each feature and then noticed portraits hung from the cavern's ceiling. Her view of the fluttering paintings was abruptly cut off. She could almost sense the deep darkness that surrounded her. Strong arms grabbed and held her, preventing any movement.

Clouds of shadow broke into wisps, allowing light to bring back her sight. Soon, tendrils of darkness hovered in front of her, obscuring all the faces but one. Nura looked into the delicate blue-skinned features of her captor, whose grip had grown noticeably weaker.

The blue-skinned woman wore a stern but gentle expression, softening her action as she shoved Nura against the wall. "Who are you, woman?" she asked with a husky, urgent voice. "And how did you find us?"

"I am a dreamer seeking tomorrow," answered Nura. She had been taught that honesty was expedient in the dream world.

The answer seemed to satisfy her captor. Her suspicious expression cleared, as the darkness receded.

"Welcome then, dreamer and look upon tomorrow. But ask us no questions of it beacause we cannot answer," responded the blue woman as she brushed a lock of curly blue-black hair from her brow.

Nura had expected this answer. The dreamer bore the responsibility of determining the solutions to the riddles of her dream. She could not simply ask those in her dream of the future and awake to prophesy. But she could ask of the present of these people, for their present had some relationship to the future of her waking reality.

"Tell me your name that I might remember you," she said. The ritual statements and questions were usually effective enough, Nura thought.

"I am Shadow," answered the blue-skinned woman. "And these are my friends..." The woman gestured to include those looking curiously and worriedly at Nura. Nura noted the tattered clothes they wore. She also saw unhealed scars and arms hanging in homemade slings.

Shadow followed Nura's gaze, and said sorrowfully, "We are in hiding."

END PART ONE

Wow. Great visuals. I never would have thought of Nura's powers working like that. I'm looking forward to the rest of the story.

So much talent around this place. Terrific beginning Mystery Lad!

Very good Mystery Lad, some very clever touches -Nura clearing her mind, memory being a hinderance to precognition etc.

As the lovely Vee said above, there's SO much talent around this place.

VERY NICE

Wonderful descriptions! I could see Nura floating along, and felt like I was floating along with her.

I don't think we've had any reference to Nura's training before, so that's welcome. Your descriptions of the landscape through which whe was moving were very detailed - and real life, not wierd as normal dreams often are. I never thought of her having a detailed dreams, just a pre-cog flash, a scene which showed a picture of something that was to happen. THis suggests that her dreams might also involve some interpretation on her part.

Always good to leave a cliffhanger!

PART TWO:

Nura looked deeply into Shadow's dark blue eyes. She felt herself sinking into them, felt the dream-reality around her shifting, changing.

She was in a whirlpool of blue light, streaked with black shadows that curled and uncurled, twisted and dove. Gradually the shadows entwined and coalesced.

For a brief moment, the shadows formed into figures... silhouettes; shadow puppets pantomining on a stage or dream... shadow puppets that looked familiar to the dreamer.

The blue surrounding Nura disappeared instantaneously, as if a light had been turned on or off. Shining sheets of metal reflected light from several panels hovering without apparent support, radiating brightness.

In the center of the huge room, tables and more instruments of science all but covered the floor.

Nura walked towards the green-skinned man seated at a large console connected by several thick cables to a strange, dark structure-- a room within a room.

As she neared, Nura noticed that Shadow was lying across a table between the chamber and the console. Nura stood behind the seated green man, waiting for him to acknowledge her.

But he ignored her. Nura found that somehow familiar.

Once, he looked at the place where she was standing and gazed right through her.

*That* was an unfamiliar reaction for Nura, until she remembered that she was dream, here. She was observer and not participant in this memory-dream within her dream.

So, she watched the green man's hands adjusting controls.

"Ready, Shady", he said.

"Are you sure this will work?" asked his 'subject', worry in her voice.

"The chance of optimal success is 89.0079%... the chance that absolutly no reaction will occur is 2.99..."

"Numbers aren't the answer we need!" Shadow interrupted sharply.

"Night Girl seemed to think you were well able to withstand the stresses of her father's... invention."

"I notice she then took off with her boyfriend for a vacation 1000 years away..." Shadow snapped, her fists clenched.

"Proving her confidence in me... and in her father."

"You don't have to sell it to me, I'm ready."

"First, I'm going to expose you to anti-rad rays which will screen any harmful effects from the Kathooni mechanisms. When I raise my hand, count to ten slowly. Then enter the chamber. When I signal, I'll be initiating decontamination. Then , the procedure will be concluded."

"'Procedure'..." sighed Shadow. "Proceed", she said with a tilted grin/grimace.

"Stretch out on the table", the green-skinned man turned briskly to his console. He touched a keypad, signalling a force-field wall to form around Shadow's table. A laser-like beamtouched her face and then travelled down her body. Nura counted to ten with Shadow, two pairs of lips barely moving.

At ten, Shadow jumped off the table and walked to the room-within-the-room. Once she was inside, a glow surrounded the chamber.

After a full minute, the glow faded. A paler glow shone on the chamber. It, too, soon faded. Shadow stepped out and stood, sweat pouring down her body. She bit her lips, and her fists clenched and unclenched.

"Shadow?" the green man asked, his gaze travelling rapidly back and forth from his instruments to his 'subject'.

"I... feel no different. Should I? The pain has passed at any rate..." she answered weakly.

"No unexpected rad levels... vital signs are returning to normal... perhaps we should test the results."

Shadow nodded and gestured slightly. A cloud of deep shadow formed around her. As it completely enfolded her, she gasped.

"I feel it now, Brainy!" So strong... powerful!" Shadow fairly sang. She stepped to the metallic chamber and lifted it effortlessly. She tossed it into the air without hesitation, then raised her fists to shatter it as it fell to the ground.

"That was inerton... a million credits worth..." the scientist said drily.

"Counting grains of sand now, old friend?" Shadow was exultant. "It worked! It worked! I feel as strong as Supergirl! Wait till I show Mon'el!" Shadow laughed a long, low, deep laugh arising from more than humor.

"Exploring the possibilities, I see..." Brainiac 5 grinned sardonically. "I could've used the spare parts..." he added wistfully as he surveyed the wreckage.

"Just remember the reason we attempted this, Tasmia."

That wiped the wide smile off of Shadow's face.

"I remember", she said sadly. "Ohhhhh..." she moaned, as she suddenly fell onto the floor.

Nura moved to catch the falling woman, but a blue whirlpool danced around her.

The gleaming walls and bright lights merged with the tempest. All disappeared and then re-emerged as dimly lit, rocky walls.

"I see." Nura breathed, realizing that only she had seen the previous scene.... minutes which had passed in milliseconds.

Shadow stepped back, a puzzled expression on her face. Another stepped to Nura's side, placing a gloved hand on the dreamer's shoulder. The cloth of the bearded man's tunic was a starfield... black with white stars that winked and moved.

A tide of memory surged in the dreamer's mind, stronger than the one she'd felt before. Nura willed the destraction away. "Touch me not... touch me not," she thought words of ritual forcefully.

The tall man spoke quietly. "Stranger... I am Starman."