Darkness Falls(19)

“Yeah, and the Army’s got some freaky History of War going, but I’ll steer you clear of that shit.” Fawkes shrugged melodramatically. “I don’t like violence. I resort to it sometimes, but I don’t like it.”
Rook put a hand to Fawkes’s massive pectorals and pushed him away from her. “Anything else?”
Fawkes swiveled his eyeballs in their sockets to address Rook. “Just the usual. There’s a boardwalk full of retirees—” He flashed those bright whites again at Jordan. “—but she’d probably enjoy something a little more exciting. Hmmm…. Jungle?”
Jordan merely blinked.
“Alien adventure?”
Rook wanted to laugh when a little line of alarm appeared between her eyebrows.
“Or do you go in for symbolic, existentialist bullshit? We could preview the Rêve co-curated by the Museum of Modern Art and NYU. Been babysitting them all week.”
“The existentialist bullshit sounds very intriguing,” Jordan said with a friendly wink, “but whatever Michael has got planned is good for me, thanks.”
Rook didn’t hide his smile this time. His girl saw through all kinds of illusions. Maybe that’s how her talent would manifest.
Fawkes’s thumb jacked Rook’s way. “This guy? Now don’t get me wrong, he’s a good agent and all.”
“Gee, thanks,” Rook mumbled.
“But you don’t want to go where he goes, darlin’.” The marshal was talking now, not Fawkes, the ladies’ man. “It’ll mess with your head. You have to be a little psychotic to track psychotics. Have to have spilled blood to cross into the dreams of someone who does it for fun.”
Rook didn’t contradict him because the good marshal had barely touched the surface of the things Rook had seen and done, both in Rêve and in the waking world. On behalf of Chimera, he’d become the killers they wanted to catch. He’d gone so deep that the nightmares stalked him now.
A warning was warranted, and since Rook intended to be as greedy as possible where Jordan was concerned—he was no hero, never had been, had no aspirations to be—this was all the caution she was going to get.
Innocent Jordan lifted her face, that sharp sparkle in her eyes, and repeated, “I’m good with Michael, thanks.”
***
“What a character,” Jordan said as Michael led her away from the marshal and toward another massive pillar, where he was going to show her how Rêves were built and maintained.
The columns of the Agora were common knowledge. A sketch of one was the logo on the official Agora website. And regardless of what company was hosting the Rêve, all had the column somewhere at the bottom of their advertising. But staring up at the massive things, how they vanished into darkness beyond sight, was a wow kind of crick in the neck.
“Rêve’s full of characters,” Michael said, “but you get in trouble in the Agora, you call for a marshal or you get to one of the columns and a marshal will find you. The columns are like home base. You’re safe there.”
The massive things couldn’t be in every Rêve, though. It would mess up the theme of the dream. To that effect, she chuckled. “Are columns in the alien adventure he mentioned?” Spaceships whizzing around them in a laser fight. Right.
But Michael was serious. “Yes, if you look for them. If you want to see them. No columns, you’re not in the Agora. Means you’re lost in the dreamwaters. Means no one knows where you are. No one can help you.”
“Couldn’t you just wake up?”
Michael looked at her. “Try to wake up. Right now.”
She didn’t want this to end, wanted to stay with him longer, share the dream, but she was suddenly worried. “How?”
“Exactly. You don’t know yet. And there are people who can hold you under if you’re not strong enough. What would you do?”
She had no idea whatsoever. The thought that she couldn’t wake up when she wanted to was the most frightening thing she’d learned yet. “Point taken. I’ll stay in the Agora or in my own dreams. For now.”
He didn’t seem to like her answer. He hesitated, looking at her, then grabbed her shoulders and kissed her hard on the mouth. As soon as she tilted up into it—yes, more—he pulled away. “For now? God, Jordan. Don’t try anything without backup. Don’t cross anywhere.”
“But you do.” The marshal had said Michael followed psychotics and killers. “You cross dreams. You crossed into mine. Are you going to teach me how?”
“If I can, yeah. But you’re nowhere near ready. There are very bad people Darkside.”