Dreams

"Back home I grew up with four brothers. They were really mean and teased me a lot. We were always getting into fights and wrestling each other. I thought we had a bad relationship, but when I was accepted for this mission, they threw a big party for me and were so kind and caring. I realized that, to them, our brawls were just how we showed affection to each other."

"So, I'm like a brother to you?"

"You know what I mean!" That coquettish look disappeared in an instant and she was fired up again. "I'll give you a good beating, just wait."

After their meal, they walked back to their quarters together. Matt thought about his abilities and whether or not to wait on picking up Whisper and Dream Casting. While he needed to increase his point gain, unlocking those two would be fairly cheap. After some deliberation, he decided to only pick up Dream Casting for now. He would use it on Alexis tonight and see what the results are. They didn't talk while walking back since the both of them were in deep thought about something.

When they arrived, Alexis went to her office to sort something out while Matt went to the bathroom right away. The effort he put in moving left him very sweaty and he wanted to let the rhythmic sound of the shower sooth his mind. It was really the best place to think about various things. Earlier today, for the first time since awakening in the future, he had thought about his family and friends. He wondered about the dream he had. Perhaps he had been feeling trapped in his circumstances.

Matt didn't choose to come to the future. He didn't choose to be an alien parasite. These circumstances were thrust upon him and he had to survive. If he wasn't constantly being pressured with fear of discovery and death, he may have lost his mind. Everyone he ever knew was dead and the people he knows here are all fake. All of these people are friends with Matt O'Connely. However, his enemies are against him, the parasite.

Alexis's image appeared in his mind and he wondered if she could be considered his friend. If she knew that her child's father is dead and replaced with an imposter, she would definitely be his enemy. Even the person closest to him would turn on him if his identity was discovered. Once he shut the water off, his mood turned back to normal. Although these things were true, they didn't have to be true. He had the strength and ability to change his fate.

After Alexis finished showering, she joined Matt on the bed. He had been sitting up waiting for her. As she walked over, he looked over and smiled at her. Matt hadn't turned on perfect mimicry in a while. It was mostly due to the danger of using it in his current state, but there was a small part of him that wanted to be in control. Although their relationship was now built on lies, he wanted to hold onto some human connection or he feared he would really turn into a monster.

"What are you thinking about?"

"How I'm happy to have you."

"You're really brave. Your beating is going to be glorious. Do you want to cash it in now?" She said while holding up her fist.

"Ah, save your strength for tomorrow."

"I feel a lot closer to you recently. You really do seem like a different person sometimes…" Alexis yawned and started nodding off. She eventually fell asleep and her mumbling became incoherent.

"Sweet dreams…"

[Dream Casting Lv. 0->1: Utilizing your mental energy, you are able to cast thoughts and ideas into others' dreams. They will vaguely remember the dream you influenced.

>Ability: Nightmare

>Ability: Dream

>Level Cost: 3 EP]

[Nightmare: Send concentrated negative emotions into a person's mind. Their subconscious will manifest a dream based on these emotions and prevent them from waking for the duration.

Activation: Mental Link

Duration: 1 hour]

[Dream: Send concentrated positive emotions into a person's mind. Their subconscious will manifest a dream based on these emotions and prevent them from waking for the duration.

Activation: Mental Link

Duration: 1 hour]

Although the descriptions weren't completely clear, he understood what it meant instinctually. The concentrated emotions that the abilities referenced weren't as complicated as they sounded. He simply needed to focus his mind on positive or negative ideas and send them to someone utilizing his mental energy. He hadn't practiced changing the shape of his energy, but if he imagined a string, he could send his energy a lot further than simply spreading it out.

In his mind, he imagined various tendrils filled with different types of positive ideas like victory, happiness, success, hope and love. Then these various tendrils of energy wrapped around Alexis's head and entered into her mind. Matt knew it was working because he felt his mental energy slowly draining as the tendrils slowly flowed into her dreams carrying his will. Once he felt the process finish, he pulled back his power and went to sleep. At some point, she would have an hour-long dream full of positivity.

Matt wondered if he could continuously do it. However, when he attempted to link to her again, his tendrils couldn't penetrate. He attempted to use dream on himself, but it didn't work. He sighed and got comfortable. However, he couldn't seem to fall asleep. The last thing Alexis said before falling asleep kept bothering him. She sensed the difference in him and even thought he was like a different person. Naturally, he was in fact a different person. He spent that night staring at the ceiling.

The next morning, Matt woke up to Alexis pinning him down with one leg and one arm hooked around his body. Her other arm was under his pillow and her other leg was weaved in between his legs. This was the first time in his memories that Alexis has ever slept like this. Even though he woke up, she was still fast asleep. Matt hypothesized that this behavior was related to the dream he gave her. He really wondered what the dream could possibly be about for her to twine herself around him.

The alarm that Alexis had set began to go off and she groaned. This was not like her at all. Matt began to be worried that he made her dumb with his mental energy. Perhaps he made a mistake with the ability. However, his worries were unnecessary since she slowly opened her mouth and yawned. Her eyes opened one at a time and gave him a satisfied smile. She didn't even mind the position she was in and only adjusted herself slightly.

"I had the best dream last night. I hadn't had a dream like that since I was back home with my brothers. I guess opening up to you yesterday really took a weight off my shoulders… Alright quit lying around, we need to get going!"

"You'll have to untangle yourself first."

Instead of arguing, she excitedly removed herself from him and rolled out of bed. With a splendid vigor, she changed into a dark black suit with flexible scales like that of a snake. This was a special military outfit that was specially designed for mobility and protection. In Matt's memories, the advertisements were saying that this suit could withstand a direct hit with a plasma round. He didn't understand the science behind it since it was a highly guarded secret, but it definitely looked powerful.

"If you're going to stare, you may as well help me wear it. This thing is so annoying to put on. This is the first time I've put it on in front of you right?"

"That's right. It really suits you. I feel regretful now that I won't be getting into the Strike squad. These suits look really powerful."

"These are just the innerwear. We can't wear the Combat Suits without having these on first. The only time I'm allowed to wear this is in joint training or skirmishes with the First Strike squad. However, once I get promoted, you'll see me in this a lot more often."

Matt came over and caressed the cool material. He helped her get into the one-piece suit and zipped it up in the back. He touched the material on the inside and it was soft and squishy. It almost felt organic. With that thought, Matt finished zipping her up. She started putting on her boots when a message appeared in Matt's mind that caused him to be quite confused. At first, he thought the message was referring to Alexis, but then realized it was not possible.

[Genetic Material Detected. 100% compatibility. Grade 3. Unable to be consumed due to inefficient skill.]

[Hypnosis Activated.]

"What are these suits made of?"

"I don't really understand it, but the scientist said it was made from space metal."

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Blah, it's really hard to focus on writing haha. I'll try to do one or two more for tonight but I get distracted easily. Since it looks like we're definitely going to win the WFP i'll just round out the bonus chapters to 10 and once I get to a section of the story that I can write quickly just dump the chaps in a mass release.

2/2 official chapters

0/10 bonus chapters