The girl dreamed - or she tried to - but the machine pulled her away before she could see anything. Except black. Not the black - no stars there in that place before waking, no life to break the darkness, no fireflies, no sky. Just black, and then - [a gasp] She woke.
To more emptiness and darkness and a flickering light with a flickering smile.
[her voice drops to a stage-whisper and breathing can be heard, as though River’s held the comm right up to her mouth] Your machine is empty, you know. Ghost in the shell. Knock knock - no one’s home.
[reverts back to normal volume, quick and studious] Earth-that-was, early 21st-century. 40:40:11N, 73:56:38W, six feet above sea level; geographic indicators consistent with the old New York City. But it’s not. “Welcome to the City,” she said. “Hero.”
[a long pause, then, flat and unhappy:] You made a mistake. Simon’s not here.
[ooc;
Permissions post, if you haven't gotten to it yet. 8)
ETA: Bedtime for me, but I'll try to pick up all the tags tomorrow &hearts]