Summary:Nick waits for Isis to return from her fight with the Dream Queen. He doesn't expect what comes next Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Nick typically knows when Isis dreamwalks. It's when she disappears and her scent ends right next to someone's bed. It's really actually kind of disconcerting when she does that. Scents don't just end like that. They don't just vanish as if the person were carried off into the ether. Except hers does, sometimes.
He knows the best way to make sure she gets back is to be sleeping so he's been 'cat napping' off and on in more than one sense of the word. Napping yes - on the couch in his office - but also waiting for the cat. His phone is by him in case she calls. Which happens sometimes.
Once she was all the way up in Niagara…
The fight with the Dream Queen had taken it out of Isis. Mostly because it had been two days in a row.
Still curled in a ball, sleeping on the roof near the disaster zone, she hadn't thought to report to Agent Turner. She just wanted to get home, to her puppy and the food he normally gives her. It takes a little to step into the Dream Dimension. It takes longer to find a mind that she recognises.
There it is. One she knows rather well.
Five hours and 43 minutes later, she appears beside the cat napping Nick.
Nick snorts in his sleep and wakes up, though it has been a few minutes since Isis appears. He blinks and looks up at her. His eyes blink away the sleep and fatigue and he stares a little bit.
And then they narrow.
"You… have been moonlighting haven't you?" Taking on fights on her own. Which is something that she can and does do but Nick worries that it's dangerous.
Because, well, it is.
With Nick not waking immediately, Isis watches carefully and picks up the scarf that was left on the couch. Using the tassled end she tickles his nose when he snorts and keeps doing it till he wakes probably.
When he can focus, he can see the cuts and grazes she's gathered. The Dream Queen had managed to inflict them in the dream so they'd carry through.
When the eyes narrow and the inevitable question comes, Isis nudges Nick and slides onto the couch beside him. It's … cozy.
"Someone from SHIELD rang for me. They needed a dream walker." That's correct, the message is on the answer phone after all. Nick knows though that Isis hasn't been in to get that message. "But I guess you could say technically, yes."
"That message came after you were gone." Nick says suspiciously, though he does scoot over to let her sit in. Quite close. He reaches up to gingerly touch the injuries.
"Whatever you fought, it fought back. Did you catch it? Or is it going to come looking for you later?" Isis has occasionally brought trouble home with her. Not usually on the very day. Often the night after. Nick has learned to be rather careful when he learns that Isis has been out dreamwalking for more than just food or curiosity.
The feline-like mutant hisses when the canine touches her wounds. They're nothing particularly special, some are a little deeper than others but nothing that won't heal. "Did it? I don't recall…" She looks down at Nick, grey/blue slitted pupils taking him in, before leaning down and rubbing her ears against his shoulder.
She wants petting. Or feeding.
"For now, I think so. I think there were spell casters in the waking world fighting her while I fought in the dreamscape." She looks … worried though. Or as worried as Isis gets.
Nick reaches up and scratches those ears. He watches her quietly for a moment. She is concerned he can tell. It doesn't present in her the same way that it does in others but those who know her can recognize the signs.
"But you're worried that something might come of it anyway?" Nick asks. She might be worried about something else. The spell casters for example. Those are far from common and they tend to have agendas. If there wasn't a SHIELD message on her phone he'd worry that she'd gotten caught up in something far bigger than she.
Which she may have anyway to be perfectly honest.
Isis purrs a bit when Nick scratches her ears. She pushes against him a little to lay down beside him. It's the spike in her emotions that he gets a quick hit of when he asks that question that tells him he's onto something.
Problem is getting Isis to talk and not toy with his paw like she's trying to.
"She was strong and I met her the night before last as well. Before SHIELD called. That's why you had to pick me up. I needed to get out of the dream quickly and couldn't wait to find somewhere closer to step through."
Is it bigger? Possibly. She hadn't remembered to talk to the Agent who called. That probably doesn't surprise Nick at all.
"She could shape dreams as well, if not better than me." That's said quietly. It's not something that Isis is pleased to admit.
"Oh?" Nick knows very little of the dream world or magic but it doesn't surprise him that Isis isn't the most powerful dream shaper around. There's not a whole lot that would make him believe that the little feline mutant is the most potent dreamer in the universe.
Still he has a hard time imagining what would be stronger and that's kind of scary.
"That's how you got hurt then." In the dreamscape. "What happened?" He knows dream fights can be surreal and a skilled dream shaper can make a nightmare a potent weapon. Fears. Wants. They all become tools.
Maybe Isis isn't the most potent dreamwalker around but she's damn good at it and well trained. That's what they had created her for, after all.
"Mmmhmm. She attacked me there. That's something I can't do yet. Hurt someone and have the injury flow through." She shiver a bit, shifting against Nick, taking solace in his warmth.
She's been spooked.
She's quiet when he asks what happened and sighs. "I can … show you, if you like …" It's slow and unsure. "You know I can share memories, in dreams, right?"
"Yes but wouldn't that require me to be asleep?" Nick says with a smile? He just woke up so… he could try going back to sleep. They might be here for a minute though. "Unless you plan to put me to sleep by reading financial figures or something."
Nick's good with the money but he doesn't like having to handle it. The money is important. But it's also not really that interesting. Just one of those things.
Either way Nick hooks his arm around Isis and lets her try to hide away from what scared her. It's a very feline thing to do.
"It does, yes." Isis agrees, rubbing her ears under his chin as he tucks her closer to him. "I've got something better than reading that boring old document." She purrs again as she starts to feel comfortable.
It's not clear what happens but one minute Nicks wide awake and a few minutes he's sound asleep. He's a dream of his on making for the moment and he's all alone. What his sleeping mind makes of that will be interesting.
Then Isis is there, looking around. "Are you with me?"
Nick blinks. His mind pulls up the last thing he was doing. Walking through the disaster zone. So the sky is dark. There's rubble everywhere. It's dusty and at the same time a bit damp. He looks about. He HAD been in his office.
And then he jumps. "Yah! How the hell did you do that?" That's not something she's ever done to him before.
Wait? Is it? Has she done it before and he just didn't know?
If Nick doesn't know if Isis has done this before, he may never know. "I sent you to sleep so I could join you. If I wanted to, I could have pulled you into one my dreams. But I thought this might be easier to cope with first." She's pacing as she looks around. "It was near here it happened."
She doesn't wait for Nick to ask any questions. He will be able to of course, but the scene changes and Isis standing in the sun,a tall fit man and another with red cloak standing near. He can see the people kneeling and the green haired woman at the front. "That's her, that's Titania…" Isis says. "These two fought in the waking world."
The two mens features are indistinct. Stranges cloak must have caught her attention and Koa's … build because they're clearer. Titania though, she stands out in technicolour. Isis isn't forgetting her soon.
And then they shift to the checkerboard area, where the dreamselves of the people they just saw and Titania, kneel and stand. "It is here where I fought."
"She looks… odd." Nick says. Pale skin. Green hair. Horns. He frowns. She almost looks like she could be a mutant but he's never seen or heard of one like that even when he was with the morlocks.
"This looks like a throne room. Out of something like Alice in Wonderland." Nick notes. "She must have a really high opinion of herself if she was calling herself a queen." Titania. The throne room. It's all royal imagry.
"I know the man in the red cloak. He's… an Avenger or something like that. She fought in this world and the other one at once?" Powerful. Frightening. Good thing she's locked up. "And you did this all on your own?"
Isis thinks for a moment as Nick mentions the red cloak. "Strange. The man is Strange." she Isis. Sometimes she says things in an interesting manner. "What's Alice in Wonderland?" beat "She says she rules a place called Liveworld." Royal imagery indeed.
"I fought her here, yes. I'm quick and I'm smart. She wasn't expecting that and the men, they distracted her." Which is technically correct actually. "Let me show you…"
The dream spins and whirls, showing Nick the fight. How Isis got hurt and how the two … women … fought. "See, Nick. I told you I'm clever." Isis is saying when Nick gets a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye.
Is there someone watching?
Nick turns away from the action. Isis is quick and clever but what is this? It's blurred. It's not part of the action as Isis remembers it. She only barely picked up on it when she was fighting and didn't register it consciously. Thus it's hard to tell just by looking. But it certainly SEEMS that there's someone else in here.
"Who's this?" He finally asks. "Was there another dreamer helping you? Or held captive perhaps?"
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It's not even that Isis saw it. That figure, when Nick looks isn't part of the memory. There's a way they look that tells him that, even if he can't put his finger quite on it.
"There were the others here, that had eaten the seed." Isis says as she glances at Nick and follows his gaze to the interloper. "Not … him… he wasn't here." He can hear the feline growl that comes from her throat.
"There you are, Nomad. We've been looking for you …" It's a low cajoling voice that filters through the dream scene.
Nick can feel Isis tremble at that name.
Nick puts a hand on Isis and then growls. There's someone else here. In the dream. In HIS dream. Someone other than Isis is in his dream. And that's a big problem.
"Go away." The big werewolf growls. "You aren't welcome here. Leave me alone. And leave her alone."
We. He has a pretty good idea who 'we' are in this context.
In Nicks dream. This is most certainly a problem. Bad enough if it had just been Isis' but in Nicks? That means they know how to find her from another vector.
The man steps forward, becoming clearer as he looks at Nick, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Two for one. I like this. They'll like this." Oh yes, Nick knows who 'they' are. "You're bigger than we thought. Or is it just in your dreams?" He's baiting the werewolf. "Now, are we going to do this hard way or the easy way?"
"Go Nick, wake up. I'll take care of him." Isis is still growling despite Nicks hand on her. She doesn't push Nick out, though she possibly could.
Nick tries to just wake up, but he can't. He isn't normally a lucid dreamer which makes this doubly dangerous for him. With Isis here he is aware. He knows he's talking to her and in a dream and can exert some influence on the area. But if this guy were to come back? Nick might not ever realize he was there. Or at least not ever realize it was more than just a dream.
"Not leaving you." Nick says instead which is better than just 'I can't.' "You can't take her either. So go on back to where you came from or this might be a really, really bad night for you."
Nick's already growling. Hunched over. Prowling forward.
Isis growls again as Nick can't wake up. She's felt the pressure exerted on the dream. "I'll get you out." she murmurs low to the Werewolf as he starts to prowl forward.
The man laughs. Surprisingly, he's not dressed in yellow. But then again, neither had Isis been when they'd taken her. "Ooooh, we're doing this the hard way. Just the way I like it." The dream around Nick, shifts a little and he's no longer just the Were-wolf he was.
His feet no longer fit in shoes, they're large, hairy and clawed. His features more lupine than not. And his mind. Can he ever remember feeling human at all?
Nick snarls. The dream is… well Isis can see it too. That's not a hallucination. His body has changed, or at least it has here. His claws are longer. His fur is shaggier. He walks on what would be his toes if his legs hadn't elongated to give him that lupine gait. It's harder to think. A LOT harder to think.
Which doesn't make him any less mad. He's terrified of this. Terrified that this is going to make him a monster. But the person responsible is right in front of him.
So he lunges.
"Ooooh. That's a good one, I hadn't quite expected that" As Nick lunges the man sidesteps. Not quite quick enough, Nicks a lot faster like this, and he's knocked off balance by the big brown wolf-man.
"This won't do … " It's all so calm as the dream shifts again. Nick finds himself landing in a body of water. Dirty, stinking, fetid water that covers his head.
Where's Isis?
This is much more effective. Nick had been about to turn and follow up his initial success but now he has to swim. He remembers this. Trapped in a maintenance area while an outflow pipe backed up. The water started rising. The weight made it hard to open doors. There wasn't any room. He was sure he was going to drown.
That panic that he felt in that moment comes back. And with his mind already compromised that makes him even less effective, more wild and flaily. He'd make a sound but he can't. There's too much water. But he screams anyway. It feels like trying to push through syrup. All thick and viscous. His movements seem unnaturally slow and heavy. He isn't going to make it…
There's a very feline yowl as Isis leaps from behind onto the mans back. Claws extending from her fingernails and raking his face. She doesn't stay there though, using the man as leverage, she's leaping again and turning to face him.
The dream shifts, the water recedes and Nick is back on dry land. Isis can't move it move more than that at the moment. When he can focus, Nick will see the man - blood running down his face, just as he feels Isis mind brush his. Reassuring, firm. Knowing he needs to be brave and strong, the feline-like mutant is trying to stir those emotions.
The man screams …
Nick drops to his knees as the ground beneath him changes and the water shifts away. He's panting. Gasping for air. His panic is still a palpable thing. He hears Isis yowl. Hears the man she is fighting scream. He fights his way back to his own senses and looks around.
Dry land. He's on dry land. He can move. And his enemy is RIGHT OVER THERE.
So he leaps. Right at the man. And comes down claws first.
Nick is back in his usual form. Dripping wet but himself. Isis managed that much.
His claws rake the mans face, drawing down his torso, as the dream assailant falls backwards flailing. This time, the dream shifts and the assailant becomes as large as Nick, claws and teeth snapping and snarling at the big brown werewolf.
Another yowl as Isis bounds past, scratching and biting as well.
"Keep him distracted… I can … get us out."
"GRRRRRRR!" That means yes. Or possibly no. Or maybe 'I'm going to pound your face flat, rip it off and use it for a tea cozy.' Whatever it means Nick starts to claw and punch and bite. He's gone wild. Feral. He's still stuck in - oh wait no. He's back in his normal form with his usual mind and… that's awkward.
It causes him to hesitate for a moment before his assailant becomes as big as he is.
Which makes Nick fight back in a panic. The two roll on the ground clawing kicking and scratching.
"Hurry up!" Nick calls to Isis. He doesn't want to stay here with this thing.
"I'm trying …" That's pure Isis, the way she says that. Nick can feel the dream shift and sway as the man and Isis battle, and Nick and he battle.
Nick takes some good hits. Claws raking down his side, bites to his neck and shoulders. Over and over they roll and tumble. This dreamwalker is good it seems.
All of sudden, it's no more. Nick finds himself back on his couch with Isis standing over him. "Wake up, wake up. You've got wake up." He's only ever heard this panicked a couple of times.
Nick blinks. His muscle memory makes him twitch. He'd been laying on the couch and that nearly bounces him off of it. Nearly, but not quite. His heart is racing. He's a bit damp. Clearly he's been sweating. He swallows as his mind races.
He's awake. In PI. Alive.
"Isis?" He has to scramble to look. Oh wait. She's standing over him. It was her voice that brought him back.
The big werewolf deflates. "The hell was that?"
"Nick… you're back…." She's trembling as she drops to the floor, putting her head on him, clumsily wrapping arms about the wolf as he lays there. "I couldn't send you back. I'm sorry I'm sorry."
Isis never says she sorry. And she rarely shows her fear. But is now, doing both in spades.
"It was them, they found me." she whispers. If he could see her eyes, they would be wild. She gasps. "They found you … You're not safe …"
Could they invade his dreams again? Would they dare? What could be done to stop it, if anything?
"I'm here. You got me. I'm here." Nick hugs back and slumps. Not relaxing so much as letting all the tension out.
"I know I'm not safe. But this is how it is. We're never safe. It's going to be okay."
He lets out a sigh and tugs on her a bit to settle her. "What do we need to do? What do you need to do? And don't say 'leave'." Because Nick isn't going to let her. All that does is make her more vulnerable and doesn't protect him.
Isis lets Nick tug her up to the couch and stretches out beside him, pressing close to feel the warmth of him. He smells a bit but she doesn't mind - right now, she's remembering that he was one of her rescuers. He took away from that place and slowly helped her heal.
She's trembling still, ears twitching, tickling under his chin as she tucks herself there.
"Even if I left, you'd still be in danger. They know your dreams, they'll find you again. I won't leave. I can be in your dreams to protect you."
That is totally not an option - she'll be exhausted. Perhaps there's someone at the Institute but that just means Nick has to convince to accept help
Nick lets Isis settle under his chin and just lays still. His heart is sort of calming down and he can't hear it pouding in his ears quite so much anymore. His mind is still racing though. Racing over what they've just seen and what it means.
"Do you think they know where you are… physically? Will they come for us here?" There are precautions that can be taken if that's true. Not many but Nick is no stranger to a fight. This dream stuff, though, it makes him feel almost helpless. Naked. He's got no way to combat that beyond his own will. And… to be honest he isn't sure his will is enough.
It's unusual for Isis to be this cuddly but then she's just taken a big scare and Nick, Nick is safe. He can feel that as her mind starts to settle. She seems to automatically try to soothe him even as she soothes herself.
"They might but it would be unusual." She says slowly. "Places in dreams aren't like places here. If they're a Traveller it's a problem but as far as I know I was only one of two or three. They can step through like I do and you know how unpredictable that is…"
But they might take some physical precautions. Nick is right though, he should feel naked, this is dangerous.
"I … can teach you some things to help you protect your dreams. I think." Can she? She can barely sit still normally.
"Oh?" If she can this is the first Nick is hearing of it. But then there's never really been a need for it before so he maybe gets it. He lets Isis sort of cuddle in a bit further. He's still on edge and she can feel it but that's slowly receding.
"So we might have more nightmares but not attacks." That's… well he's not sure if that's better but it's SOMTEHING anyway.
"How are you? Did he hurt you any?" He'd hit Nick really hard. He didn't see if the guy got Isis. "Did you recognize him at all?"
"mmmhmm." Isis murmurs, nuzzling Nick and breathing in his scent. Yeah, he smells - he's been sweating but she doesn't mind. "Eventually, you might learn to Lucid Dream and take control of the Nightmares if they happen." But that's a long shot for sure.
They should also probably see the Institute, one of the telepaths, get some blocks installed. That's something for Nick to address later.
"We shouldn't sleep now. Can we watch a movie or something?" She's comfortable and it doesn't look like the feline-like mutant is going to let him move.
"Is it even possible to learn that?" Nick wonders quietly. Maybe it is. They should definitely talk to a telepath. There's a few he knows. He just has to make the call. It MIGHT involve going down to the school but… they're both able to go there.
"Yeah. Let me… " He reaches out to the table, having to feel around for the remote. There it is. A couple of clicks later Netflicks is on with something relatively brainless but entertaining. Something that'll keep 'em awake.
"You need to go on a diet." He teases.