8 First Night

Actually, on Flora III, the sun had set a whole hour ago. But Cody wasn't going to tell Crystal that.

Honestly, Cody was curious about those strange noises, but he didn't meet the requirements yet. Crystal's instructions were clear; it wasn't that he couldn't check it out, but that if he wanted to brave the dark and investigate, he needed to be properly equipped first.

That made a lot of sense to Cody. Out here on Flora III, climbing the great trees without some sort of safety gear like a Motion Enhancement Frame and/or anti-gravity gear was simply a bad idea.

Coming out of his Sphere, Cody noticed lights flickering over at Mom's sphere.

"Mom's awake?" Cody perked up.

Cyril was already there, waiting on the couch. He saw Cody emerge and nodded. "I just got the alert. Mom's awake."

The main screen was flickering too. Slowly, flashes of color and motion cleared up, and they found themselves looking at a reflection of the comms room as if the screen had become a mirror. They even saw themselves in it.

There was one major difference, however. In their room reflection, there was someone else with them. Behind the two brothers watching the screen was Mom.

"Hi, Cyril. Hi, Cody." Mom greeted them with a small smile, waving at them from the screen.

"Hi, Mom." Cody waved back. He couldn't help turning around, looking over his shoulder as if expecting to see her there physically, right behind him. On the screen, it looked like he'd turned around to face her.

Cyril did not turn around like Cody did. He stared into the screen as if trying to drink in the sight of Cody turning around as if to face their mother. As if she were really there with them and that he simply could not, would not face her himself.

But in not facing her, he did. She was staring straight back at him, meeting his gaze with her own sad, wistful eyes.

Cyril took a deep breath and said only two words. "Level Three."

Mom's eyes widened. She glanced at Cody. "Is he… ready?"

"Ready for what?" Cody asked, piqued.

Cyril glanced at Cody. "Do you know where Mom is, right now?"

"There." Cody pointed to Mom's Sphere.

"Do you know why?" Cyril asked.

"Because she's sick. Because she'll die out here. That's why Dad needs to find a cure." Cody said, simply.

"Do you remember the last time you were able to really be with Mom?" Cyril asked. "To hug her? Feel her?"

"Uh… no?" Cody scratched his head.

"Well, now that you've got access to the Academy Online, you're cleared for Level 3 Immersion. That means…"

"I can meet her!" Cody jumped. "I can go into her Virtual World and meet her there as if it was real! And I'd feel everything, just like in the Academy VR!"

"It's one of the reasons Cass and I joined the Academy early on." Cyril admitted. "Even though we already had our own schools and everything. We joined it just for the Level 3 access."

"Then what are we waiting for? Mom's awake! Let's go!" Cody urged.

"Cody, the timing is bad. Your Sphere and mine has been running hot all day. We need to let them run full maintenance cycles before we use them again. That means, leave them alone for tonight." Cyril said. "Also, your Sphere needs to run checks and diagnostics to make sure your first Level 3 Immersion ran smoothly. There's usually a few kinks to work out, the first few times. Sorry, bro, but we can't do it tonight. Maybe tomorrow."

"Will you be awake that long?" Cody asked Mom. "When we wake up tomorrow?"

"I don't know." Mom confessed. "But don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. Now that you have Level 3 access, we'll be together soon. It's just a matter of timing."

Cass came back, took one look, and leapt into her own Sphere.

"Cass?!" Cyril gaped. "Don't overheat…"

"I saved an hour!" Cass barked back, turning her Sphere back on. "I always save an hour of use, every day, just in case this happens! Always!"

She didn't wait for Cyril to say anything more. The two brothers watched in envy as Casiphia popped up on screen right next to Mom.

"Mom!" Casiphia leapt at their mother and grabbed her, hugging her as if she never wanted to let go. "You're awake! You're awake!"

"Xeria?" Dad arrived then, and made his way over to the screen. He sat down on the couch next to Cyril and Cody. "Hey."

"Does Dad have Level 3 access?" Cody asked.

"Yeah." Cyril said shortly, grimacing.

"Then why doesn't he join them inside?" Cody queried. "Did he overuse his Sphere?"

That didn't seem likely. Dad didn't usually spend that much time in the comms room.

"No, but if he went in, where does that leave us?" Cyril asked.

"Then…" Cody got up. "I'm going to sleep."

"Cody?!" Dad blinked. "Wouldn't you rather talk with Mom on screen?"

"Mom's busy with Cass, and you should join them too." Cody said. "We always see Mom on screen, every time she's awake, we see her on screen. I want to GO there! I want to BE there! And the sooner I go to sleep, the sooner I wake up and then I can go there too!"

"Cody, that's not how it works. Your Sphere needs a full down-time cycle after using up your hours…"

"The Sphere and I both need to sleep. And maybe Mom will still be awake when we're done." Cody suggested. "Or not. If that's so, then I'll start saving an hour, like Cass, so the next time I can join her and Mom over there. Either way, I won't have to wait, and sit here staring at a screen wishing I was on the other side with Mom."

"Then it's just going to be me out here, then." Cyril grimaced.

"You could join us, too, you know." Dad said quietly.

"How? Overheat my Sphere?" Cyril asked, then waved it away. "Forget it. I'll just go to sleep too."

"Cyril…"

"No. You don't get it. I don't want to go in there to meet her. I want her out here, with us. I want her well, and healthy!" Cyril barked. "And the sooner we save up enough… the harder we work... the sooner we can get Mom back! So, goodnight, everyone. I'm out!"

Cyril stomped off, in a huff. Dad, Mom, and Cass watched him go, wordlessly.

"Me too." Cody said. "Good night, Dad. Good night, Cass. Good night, Mom. Let's hope you're still awake by the time I get up tomorrow!"

"Good night, Cody." Mom said waving.

Cody left.

***

As Cody slept, he dreamed.

He floated in an expanse of space and stars. Slowly, drifting, he turned around, and looked for the brightest star he could find.

There. Facing it, he willed himself forward, zipping through the emptiness towards the starlight.

Darkness loomed. A huge, towering figure covered half the skies above. Cody felt cold fear creep down his spine.

The Dark One. He's here! He's after me!

The figure blotted out all light. There was a loud roaring gasp, like a howling wind where there could be no wind. A huge hand stretched out across untold space covering everything behind its grasp…

Cody fled. Fear and near-panic shot him forward through the unknown cosmos.

The star! The one brightest star! He had to get to it, before… before…

The star he sought glimmered, then burst out in light. Starlight reached out to him. Cody reached right back, grasping it, and suddenly, he wasn't in the darkness any more. He wasn't chased by the Dark One anymore. He was Here, on the Star, on the Other Side of the Dark One.

Except this wasn't a Star. This was a beach, surrounded by deep blue seas, and gentle dolphins greeting him from the water. Above him was a coconut tree, and under him was a beach chair.

And next to him…

Next to him was a vague, small form. Pale, and small, it was that of a little girl, smaller than himself, but the image was blur and he couldn't see her face. He only saw her eyes, deep blue, like the sea, always looking at him warmly.

"Hello, Ghost Girl." He greeted her the way he always did, whenever he met her in his dreams.

"Hello, Ghost Boy." She greeted him right back. "How have you been?"

"I saw Mom today. She woke up just now." Cody said. "Cyril says I can join her and actually feel and touch her in the Virtual World now that I can use Level 3 Immersion. Oh, that's right. I started school today. That's why I have access to Level 3."

"Level 3…?" she asked, but coherence was starting to fade in the dream. The beach was suddenly a forest, and then this was the Forest World, no longer a seaside, and the dolphins were wolfcats…

"Level 3 means we can touch things. Smell things. Taste things." Cody explained.

The forest and the beach merged. The two of them ended up on a forest island, with dolphins in the sea and wolfcats in the trees, swimming in the air as if it was water, climbing in the water as if they were in the trees, and the dreams went on nonsensically, and Cody slept through the night with a smile on his face.