Chapter 39: Doom Spiral

[Ona].

Breathe in.

The Technician is living on borrowed time. As soon as that bastard is no longer useful to us, I will flay this monster, hang it from the tallest spire, and watch as the ravens and vultures peck at whatever flesh is under that suit.

Breath out.

Primus and Carnelia are still alive. They are not okay, but they will be. The Elf King and I will see to it. And when they are, we will get them and the babies far, far away from this nightmare zone. Luxandra is cursed. We don't need this damned wasteland. We'll take our family back to the celestial kingdom and shut the gates forever.

Thalan squeezed my hand. Gazing up at his proud visage, I notice the small twitches along his jaw as he tries to keep himself calm. I'm supposed to be supporting him, keeping him from doing something regrettable. When his starlight eyes meet mine I can tell he is thinking the same thing--Our revenge is going to be long and sweet.

"When I had Queen Carnelia brought here, Primus was already showing signs he was delving into a doom spiral" the Technician explains. "I've seen this happen before with other patients. It is hard for our complex minds to escape from past thought processes--we tend to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. In his dream, when I first came across him, he was determined to let his father choose a path for him that he didn't want, one where he was forced to be a lord and wasn't able to pursue his dreams as a minstrel."

I nod, that sounds so much like Primus, willing to sacrifice his freedom and happiness to do what is expected until he can't bear it any longer and either lashes out or retreats deep into himself.

"I interfaced with him directly," The Technician points to a few nearby wires, each one latched on to various points on his head. "Entering his dream as someone he would trust, I tried my best to nudge him in a positive direction. That's usually enough to push patients out of their doom spirals. But Prince Primus seems to be more stubborn than most. I've gone in several times and each time I could push him out, he'd only fall back into his deep depressive state by some other new and inventive means. He has a talent for finding new ways to make himself miserable, which is why I needed to bring in his mate."

"But then, even with her there, he stubbornly wouldn't seek her out to find his peace. He had to be TOLD to go to her."

"So you're saying," I point down at the two of them, frozen in terror, "That this is the result of having a bad dream?"

The Technician tilts its head to the side, and even though I cannot see the monster's eyes behind its massive helm, I can feel its gaze burn through me. "That is surprisingly astute, Queen Ona."

"And yet it didn't work, did it?" King Thalan's voice is clear and calm. "Bringing in his mate did not have the desired effect. Where do you think it went wrong?"

The king releases my hand. Silently crossing his arms in front of him, waiting expectantly for the creature to explain itself.

Quiet descents on all of us like a thick blanket offering false comfort.

"If this is Primus' dream that they are experiencing, why is she in her own doom spiral?" I snap. The crispness of my words sounds especially sharp in the otherwise quiet space. "This is your...thing," I wave my hand at the containment pods. "You are supposed to understand how it works. You should have at least shown us the truth before Carnelia was tricked into entering this nightmare,"

"I needed to see if she could help. She did not. Now I need to try to find a different way," The metallic scratching voice of the Technician sounds especially cold and calculating, as if their two lives were nothing more than a set of variables to be moved and exchanged. "Unfortunately, she is now so deeply intertwined in his dream state that I am not sure that they can be separated without causing harm to one or both of them."

"And you don't know how to remove her?" I interrogate. "Is that the only reason you brought us here?"

"Well, yes." the thing answers simply. "How else can I continue trying to find the best way to reach him? If his mate cannot do it, I will need to try another tactic."

"You remind me of my brother Tritus," I snarl, making sure that it knows it was not meant as a compliment. There was nothing complimentary about my half-brother, the previous Kraken King. I can only hope his daughter, Juliana, is a better monarch than her father was, now that she is awake and away from Segundus. Reports came in that she woke up only days after he had died.

The Technician visibly flinches. "I am nothing like him," it insists. "That drake was a monster."

"Oh, but you are," I insist. "In all the ways that matter, you are practically his twin." I laugh, but it is not a kind sound. It resonates with the promise of future pain as my snarl curls into a sneer.

"You may not be as far along as he was by the time that he died, but he also valued the result more than those around him. He cared more about his projects than he did about the people involved or the pain it would cause them."

"I assure you, Tritus Majere and I have nothing in common other than a shared interest in how the world works." The technician expresses uncharacteristic irritation at my response. Usually, it shows no emotion at all, but something about my words is throwing it off.

"I have a question," Thalan raises one of his hands for attention, changing the topic of our conversation. As we both turn towards him I feel my cheeks flush in embarrassment. I had let my emotions get in the way, forgetting that I was not the one thrown in a tank to be tortured. "What were you planning to do if I refused your request? Or if I cannot save them from this doom spiral as you call it? How were you going to address this situation?"

"I would have done what needed to be done to preserve Prince Primus. He is the one with the most relevance to the crown and to the future of Luxandra." It admits casually as if the answer were obvious to everyone. "Without him, the future war will be lost before it even starts. Of course, I hold no grudge against either of them, it is not my intention to cause them harm."

"And Queen Carnelia?" Thalan leaves the question hanging in the air.

"I would do my best, but those wires are connected to their brains in several spots." The Technician pauses, making sure we both understand. "If done too quickly it will burn her mind from the inside out. She will have no memories, no words, and no way to communicate her needs. If done too slowly, she might remain trapped in the dream state. Her mind would continue to replay the events from the time she entered until the time she exited in a continuous loop," it sighs, "I've seen it happen that way a few times, where the patient is alive and awake, but can no longer tell dream from reality."

"Another possibility would be to connect Ona to her brother and sister as well," the technician suggests. "I tried to suggest that idea before, but it wasn't...popular with all those involved. If Ona were willing to guide them both home, we might be able to bring them both into safety."

Thalan's expression is completely blank as he absorbs all the information analyzing it but remains completely still and silent, his eyes on the two in the tub.

"I will be honest," The Technician looks down at their sleeping, terrified forms, and then back up at me. "I am not sure that any of this will work at all. You can trust me or not. That is something I cannot force upon you. But I want you both to know that I do want them both to be safely removed. Which is why I need help," pointing to Thalan it adds, "Your help."

The Technician did say it wanted to help. Should I give it the chance to do so? Will Thalan help?

"When Carnelia entered the Dream State," Thalan questions serenely although I can see his fists opening and closing. "Did her presence make Primus' situation better or worse?"

"At first it was better, much better," The technician reports, "but by the next day he was worse than he had ever been. I don't know why this happened. Their shared anguish only increases their pain."

"Of course it does!" I shout, my hands raised above my head, exasperated at the stupidity of a creature who otherwise seems so intelligent. "They are mates. Fated mates not found. They have a connection deeper than any I’ve ever seen. Of course, they are looping into each other's nightmares. Even without being linked together like this, they can feel each other's pain."

I want to reach across and shake it by the collar. Even though the Technician says they want to help us and our cause, they also openly admit that they experimented on Carnelia without revealing the whole truth. Worse, they used coercion to get Carnelia to do what the Technician wanted her to do.

She was manipulated. So was I.

What game is this thing playing at?

And can we ask it to play fair?

“King Thalan Andromeda of Elfhome," the technician bows, begging before the Elf King. "Will you help me?"

Looking up at the Technician, the Elf King’s eyes are hard as flint and as dark as the void. “No.”