"This room is amazing," said Dr. Blake, still in awe over what he was seeing.
The room was also white, with medical bays every 10 feet. In each bay was a person lying in the bed. Multiple electrodes were attached to each person. Some of the people were asleep, some awake. None, however, looked in distress, as a tech or nurse of some sort monitored their station.
"Who are all of these people?", asked Larry, pointing out into the room.
"Those are volunteers. They are people, just like Jay, that are struggling with the issues they have been experiencing. We are simply trying to assist them in coping, if not controlling their condition," said Pat.
"Controlling? What do you mean by that?", asked Jay.
"Take your experience for instance, Jay. You entered a world in your dream state that allowed you to bring a creature from that world into this reality. You even brought a weapon with you. That's the type of control we are trying to harness. Manipulation of not only that reality, but this one as well for the betterment of all parties involved", said Pat.
"Why don't we talk about this whole other reality thing," said Larry.
"You mean the alternate reality?", replied Dr. Blake, turning to face them all.
"Yeah, let's talk about that."
"Well, we've discussed the possibility of 'supernatural' things. This is metaphysics at its best. If what Pat is saying is absolutely true, then when Jay goes to sleep at night he's literally entering another world outside of the one he knows," said Dr. Blake.
"Precisely," said Pat, with a big smile.
"But how? Why?", asked Jay.
"We have a theory...," started Pat.
All three of them were pressing now, with this acknowledgement.
"...but I am not at liberty to discuss it at this time," said Pat.
"I thought you said no deception?", said Larry.
"There is none," replied Pat.
"Then why are you lying? If you know, you need to tell us, now," said Larry, stressing the last words determinedly at Pat.
"Easy, man," replied Jay.
"You're really buying into this crap, man?", asked Larry. "You really believe this alternate reality stuff? I mean how do you know you're not still lying on that slab in the lab sound asleep right now? What if this is like that movie a few years ago, where they go to different levels of a dream? I mean he's telling you that you're entering another world and bringing stuff out, and you just accept it?"
"Nobody is ruling anything out, man. But we can't afford to go off half-cocked here. We don't know what we're dealing with anymore than what my condition was. So just take a chill pill!", replied Jay.
"That brings up another valid point, along with the discussions of alternate realities and dreams. Your condition, Jay...," said Dr. Blake.
Jay looked at Dr. Blake.
"I think we have proven that was a farse," Dr. Blake finished.
"I wouldn't speak so quickly, doctor," replied Pat.
"What do you mean?", asked Jay.
Linda looked up at this statement from the kids playing, Dana as well.
"Jay, your alter ego that your group encountered, that is a real person. That's not a psychosis, that much we are sure of. But there's more to it," said Pat.
Jay was listening intently now.
"Does the name Britton mean anything to you?"
Jay had a bad feeling about what Pat was about to say.
"As you know, Britton died due to 'unusual circumstances' that were deemed a suicide, correct?"
Jay nodded at Pat. Linda was listening intently now.
"But I believe you think something else happened, am I wrong?"
Larry and Dr. Blake looked at Jay, who was staring down at the floor now. Linda stood up, looking straight at Jay.
The words were hard for Jay as he began to speak, but he knew he had to answer.
"I had a dream...I dreamed something very bad happened to Britton."
Jay looked up from the floor, directly at Pat.
Pat's face was more serious, no smile this time. He knew this was hard for Jay.
"In my dream, I was responsible for her death. Then a few weeks later I learned she had died. Needless to say, that started my downward spiral."
"Jay," Pat began. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but that was no dream."
Tears began to well up in Linda's eyes.
"What are you talking about? Are you saying Jay actually killed her?", asked Larry.
"Not Jay, his alter ego did," replied Pat.
"Did I do it with my hands?", asked Jay of Pat.
"We don't know for a fact, Jay. But all signs point to someone having been in that room with her that night. Somehow, you both shared the same dream and were in the same world at the same time. But your alter ego was not so kind to her as you were. He brutally raped and murdered her...," said Pat.
"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!!!", demanded Linda, stepping towards the four men.
"Don't you dare accuse my husband of something so horrible!"
"I'm not accusing, Mrs. Trent. Jay knows the facts for himself," replied Pat.
Jay turned and looked at his wife, tears welling up in his eyes now.
Linda saw the fear in his eyes, as well as the truth. She walked passed Larry who had attempted to restrain her. Jay looked back down as he began to cry, mournfully. He was crying for himself, for Britton, for everything that had happened. He was at the same time sad and relieved. Sad over the truth, but relieved he was not crazy. He was relieved that those events had happened. At least it let him know where he stood.
The two embraced as Pat excused himself to give them alone time with the rest of the group.
Jay and Linda both were crying as Jay dragged her down to the floor. He was now blubbering, unable to control his crying at all now. He was terrified of what he had become. He just couldn't believe he was a killer, but the dream had told him that he was. This was a new reality that Jay only wished he could wake up from.
***********************************************************************************
Pat entered an office where a man was looking through a television screen at the scene in the glass room, Jay and the group were occupying. Pat walked up to the man's desk, the serious expression still on his face. He was staring at the television as the man behind the desk, who was well-kept, continued to peer.
"So tell me," began Pat. "Are we now complete with phase one?"
The man turned off the television and rotated in his chair to face Pat.
"Yes, that is complete. You can initiate phase two," the well-kept man said.
"You believe we will have his full cooperation then?"
"Undoubtedly."
"And if we don't?"
There was a long pause.
Finally, the well-kept man spoke, "We must have his cooperation. There's a lot more than his sanity riding on this. We have to determine the cause and a measure to defend against. It must be successful, or else his reality could become our own."
"You know, that was only one possible scenario that unfolded?"
"I am aware of that. But there are billions of other possibilities we haven't considered. And if someone like Jay were to fall into the wrong hands, what reality we are in would be of little consequence."
"You do realize what phase two requires?"
"Yes. I am well aware it reveals the nature of this reality."
"You know what happened the last time we attempted something like this?
"Don't remind me about RC. You, I, we don't have time for it."
"I'm just saying, once they have the ability, we lose control."
"That's a risk I'm willing to take. Based on Dr. Trent's profile, he's one we can handle. You just make sure it stays that way."
"Will do."
Pat turned and exited the room. The well-kept man sat in his chair and looked at the tablet in front of him. He pulled up the file for R.C. In the file were images of a Stonehenge-like structure, freestanding in the middle of a field. The structure came to be known as The Georgia Guidestones, and the man Pat was referring to went by the assumed alias, R.C. Christian.
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