To sleep, perchance to dream...
I'm not doing this dream any justice, but I had to get the main points out of my head before I go to sleep. The whole vibe feels sort of end-of-the-world meets "I Am Legend". Bizarre.
Something is happening, and mankind is pushing indoors. We abandon the buildings, the cities, and lock ourselves in the dark embrace of steel-buttressed space ships. Narrow hallways connect larger holds, where people rebuild their cities. We become creatures of the metal hive.
The move has been quick, and we are unable to touch the outside world again. Something has happened - something in the air, in the soil, in the fabric of our existence. But we ran into our sanctuary too quickly - we have no extra food, no clothing, and no way to gather or create either. The long tubes of pellet-like emergency food is running low.
A tall, technology-oriented scientist (similar to Steve of my waking life) has discovered a new way to bring matter inside the ship. First, one must go to the special orb, a large clouded concave feature that is considered a window despite the lack of a view of the outside world. Then the person pictures the necessary object and where it is located. Somehow, the person must mentally suck out the air from around the object, leaving a void, and recreate the air pocket as a mold within the ship.
At first only certain qualified people can manifest the objects. As the skill and methodology becomes more refined, people teach each other the art of manifestation. A constant queue line forms for the clouded window. Experimentation, especially with younger practitioners, leads to the ability to manifest objects from not only the real world outside, but from the created worlds within movies. DVDs stock the shelves near the window, and the collection grows daily. Soon, people can also put an apparition of themselves into these worlds.
The scientist is worried about all the people using the manifesting powers, as the training has become watered-down as it passes by word of mouth from person to person. Those of us who originally created and perfected the method have sensed dark presences when we travel to the alternate worlds. In the most recent trips, we have noted dark shadows following us around.
As we study, at the window stands an older gentleman who is traveling. The world he has sent his apparition into appears to be tinted blue, and mists swirl about, blurring outlines of objects and horizons. This is considered normal during manifesting, whether picturing the object or traveling. He has traveled in order to find a cat, suck the air and smoke from around it, and manifesting it in the ship. But as he begins to suck out the smoke, tall dark figures lumber into view. At first there are 2. Then there are 5, and then more and more gather. They are walking faster and faster as they approach the man. Scared, he lets the cat fill back in, and starts focusing on traveling back. The shadows jog, then break into a run. The man is traveling fast now, forgetting the protocols and just dropping back. People in the other worlds normally don't even notice the apparitions, never mind pursue them. Also, our minds have provided a screen: If you feel uncomfortable, drop back, open your eyes and the other world is gone.
But this time, the shadows do not disappear.
The man is jolted back, and the shadows hit. The force cracks the window and the sound screams through the metal skeleton of the ship.
~*~
The problem is not just with the shadows. We have discovered how to travel to worlds we create - then to worlds we remember. The window is an optional fixture. But now people start traveling to alternate times and messing with the time stream. The consequences haven't caught up to us yet, but we're starting to meet each other in time loops. It's like we're overpopulating the past.
Something is happening, and mankind is pushing indoors. We abandon the buildings, the cities, and lock ourselves in the dark embrace of steel-buttressed space ships. Narrow hallways connect larger holds, where people rebuild their cities. We become creatures of the metal hive.
The move has been quick, and we are unable to touch the outside world again. Something has happened - something in the air, in the soil, in the fabric of our existence. But we ran into our sanctuary too quickly - we have no extra food, no clothing, and no way to gather or create either. The long tubes of pellet-like emergency food is running low.
A tall, technology-oriented scientist (similar to Steve of my waking life) has discovered a new way to bring matter inside the ship. First, one must go to the special orb, a large clouded concave feature that is considered a window despite the lack of a view of the outside world. Then the person pictures the necessary object and where it is located. Somehow, the person must mentally suck out the air from around the object, leaving a void, and recreate the air pocket as a mold within the ship.
At first only certain qualified people can manifest the objects. As the skill and methodology becomes more refined, people teach each other the art of manifestation. A constant queue line forms for the clouded window. Experimentation, especially with younger practitioners, leads to the ability to manifest objects from not only the real world outside, but from the created worlds within movies. DVDs stock the shelves near the window, and the collection grows daily. Soon, people can also put an apparition of themselves into these worlds.
The scientist is worried about all the people using the manifesting powers, as the training has become watered-down as it passes by word of mouth from person to person. Those of us who originally created and perfected the method have sensed dark presences when we travel to the alternate worlds. In the most recent trips, we have noted dark shadows following us around.
As we study, at the window stands an older gentleman who is traveling. The world he has sent his apparition into appears to be tinted blue, and mists swirl about, blurring outlines of objects and horizons. This is considered normal during manifesting, whether picturing the object or traveling. He has traveled in order to find a cat, suck the air and smoke from around it, and manifesting it in the ship. But as he begins to suck out the smoke, tall dark figures lumber into view. At first there are 2. Then there are 5, and then more and more gather. They are walking faster and faster as they approach the man. Scared, he lets the cat fill back in, and starts focusing on traveling back. The shadows jog, then break into a run. The man is traveling fast now, forgetting the protocols and just dropping back. People in the other worlds normally don't even notice the apparitions, never mind pursue them. Also, our minds have provided a screen: If you feel uncomfortable, drop back, open your eyes and the other world is gone.
But this time, the shadows do not disappear.
The man is jolted back, and the shadows hit. The force cracks the window and the sound screams through the metal skeleton of the ship.
~*~
The problem is not just with the shadows. We have discovered how to travel to worlds we create - then to worlds we remember. The window is an optional fixture. But now people start traveling to alternate times and messing with the time stream. The consequences haven't caught up to us yet, but we're starting to meet each other in time loops. It's like we're overpopulating the past.