Alarms rang throughout the central facilities as she followed Neo's tail to the lift into the communications towers. Guards pointed them through the security checkpoint and onto the lift, where Neo slipped in his access card before inputting the codes. Nova swayed on her knees, slipping on unseen blood from a false nightmare when it closed with the slightest flash of dark and agony. Thuni's last scream. Ulin's disappearance. No escape from the black hole. Her fingers shook, but she tightened them into fists and tried to ignore the depressurization in the cubicle.

"Nova?"

Him. Her last mistake as he sat in his own blood with his heart torn apart, all alone. On her knees, she longed for a different reality, and the chance remained. He's still alive. He's still alive. Stardsdamnit, as long as he's still alive... as long he still lives... it doesn't have to be real. It doesn't have to be real. It won't be real. I won't let it be real. Just avoid the nightmare.

Neo knelt down beside her with a curious, concerned frown and a gentle hand on her elbow. "Nova."

I won't let it.

"I'm okay," she whispered and straightened herself out.

"Nova, you fainted from emotional shock," Neo said, incredulous, and she wanted to laugh at his matter-of-fact words when he squished her cheeks with steadying insistence. "You're not okay. Look." He placed both hands on her shoulders. "You can talk to me. I know there's a lot going on." Released, Nova chewed on her tongue as he leaned on the lift railing. "I'm just going up to find out if and how they're tracking the anomaly."

It's going to be in the north sector by now, by the bridge... Nova choked on the shattered realisation, but it was a nightmare, she didn't know. "Neo, I have to tell you something."

He took out his datapad into his hands with a small hum of affirmation, writing something down.

But how do I start? How do I begin to say, 'hey, I had a false awakening that is scene for scene playing out right now?' On top of... telling him he... Calculations made flimsy explanations, and she shifted on her feet when the lights flickered, though Neo kept his attention trained on her. "Your thesis," she managed out. "Chaos Theory. You know the general idea of what the D.S Butterfly's original directive was?"

"Temporal oscillations within the space-time continuity," he said with a slow nod. "It was Mx. Orili's which saw the invention of stasis chambers for deep penetration of space and medical fields. That is what the D.S Butterfly focused on within its facilities, though very few knew the details and cusp of their research, which would've been hidden in their black box."

A false awakening.

"And how much can change from one little action?" she asked and tried not to show her tears.

"Everything and nothing."

Everything — and nothing all at once. It made sense though the words were alien on her lips, she eyed him, but he frowned and shook.

"I should reiterate," he stammered. "There are actions which make ripples in the theoretical sea of space and time, where the entire life of the universe spreads out. This, I am certain, was the original mission statement of the D.S Butterfly. They wanted data on it. And there are actions that are barely a pebble in the ocean, but down the line, those same ripples become waves, does that make sense?" He clasped his datascroll close to his chest. "All that research done, the I.A.R doesn't want to lose it. So... what do you want to tell me?"

Would my words make a difference? If it's only a nightmare, what does it matter? I'd sound like I've lost my mind. Nova hung on her knees and refused the urge to collapse again. "I... I wanted to tell you that..." It dragged on heavy, rolling stones down the slope of her tongue. "I don't like where this is going. I think this was a bad idea from the start. Something doesn't make sense and it's—Something strange is happening and... I just..."

"Communication Tower Alpha reached," the A.I of the lift piped up.

"You just...?" Neo urged.

"I just want to go home," she settled. "I want us to go home and... do you think we can... go to a party? Or, better yet, go see a movie or something?" Her hand found his sleeve. "Or watch that stupid ghost show I know you hate but you still watch it for me? Can we go do that?"

An eternal truth.

Neo studied her, and questioned with a quirk to his lips, where she had no need for his words when it sprayed all over his face in dotted blood. "That sounds nice," he said with a searching blink, but it fell into concern. "Sure, we can go do those things, though it must be serious if your first suggestion was to go to a party."

Nova forced a smile on her face. "Even if it's to watch the new season of Ghosts?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes."

Then... then maybe I can...

The lift opened with a beep.

Guards directed them to the main array of the tower, where Miss Zynaia loomed over a red-splattered map of the space station. "Ah, Teimea," she said when they entered, and Nova dug her fingers into the back of his labcoat. "We got your distress call from transit, but can you describe what happened over there? Anything you noticed?" Her gaze swept over the spreading infection. "It's moving fast, and we don't have a lot to go off of to start a containment procedure. We need something to get this under control as fast as possible."

Neo swayed on his heel. "I noticed there were airborne traces," he said. "I didn't get the chance to examine the bay further... but I have reason to believe it is using the ventilation systems to move, which would..." He followed the red trails shutting down the systems inch by inch. "It would explain its ability to avoid isolation and lockdown procedures, but that also puts Habitation at the most risk of contamination." He placed his datascroll on the table, and his findings projected over the map. "I still think our best bet is to have Izerva read the scripture on the anomaly."

Another scientist turned with a grumpy scowl at Neo. "We can't do that with that thing trying its stars damnedest to get at said anomaly. It's too dangerous, Miss Zynaia. We need to figure out options, and until then, no one should approach the anomaly until we know more."

"I'm not saying..." Neo began, but went silent when Miss Zynaia turned back to him.

"The course of the matter is if your assessment is correct, Teimea, if Habitation goes down we stand no chance of containing this anomaly," she said with a firm voice. "Except we've lost contact throughout the sectors, and maintenance is down on top of that."

Maintenance, and... I know that thing headed for the north control first... Nova left Neo's shadow. "Miss Zynaia? If I may? Thuni and Ulin were attempting to salvage the core processor of their droid before..." It stuck the words in her throat, but she pushed on, to focus on what she could do. "Whatever this thing is I don't think you're going to contain it the way you want to. Not with the station in the state it is."

"Admiral Mythrai has a plan to wrest control of the entire facility." Zynaia eyed a communications officer at the desk. "I am loath to do this but we must prep for an emergency warp to get out of this cloud." Her lips thinned. "We need people to get the sector comms running on auxiliary power while the admiral and his men draw the attention of the anomaly."

Nova examined the map of her false nightmare. "Do you know where it's gunning for?"

Zynaia opened the map to move it to another sector, then pointed at a spreading crimson field. "It is in the north sector — which means we have to assume the bridge is compromised. We need eyes on the dark parts of the facility before we override on our end. We're losing power, fast, and we need to open up a line back to the IAR."

Neo frowned in her side vision and he pinched his chin. "I wonder if the heart is draining the station of power..."

Miss Zynaia turned to another researcher. "Prep to override the security and access the warp file. We need to get out of this deadzone."

Nova dug her fingers into her palm and longed to change the direction of her bloody nightmare. "Miss Zynaia, I think I can get into the dead zones along the facility and reroute the power," she spoke up, causing Neo's arms to drop in disbelief. "If you can give me higher access to maintenance I can see what I can do, and maybe find other engineers while I'm at it; like Ulin." One foot forward, she insisted before an argument could block her from making a change, "I can do this if the admiral intends to draw the thing away. But I need you to tell me something. If I leave, will you fully barricade central command behind me?" One more breath for lost luck in time.

"Nova, you can't!" Neo insisted. "Ma'am, this has something to do with that anomaly in the lab. You can't send others into the dark when the answer might be right here!"

"I can handle myself, Neo, and this is what I'm here for." Her confidence wavered but she refused to fall into the darkness. That creature saw me... but didn't attack, I don't know why... but maybe... "You stay here and help. If this has something to do with the anomaly you can do something about it."

"I can't send you alone," Miss Zynaia said. "I will send Izerva to act as protection. Teimea, we'll handle the anomaly. I want you to guide Spacyn through the western facility to block the ventilation while appraising them of Admiral Mythrai's movements."

"You have to close central command when I leave," Nova pushed for his safety.

"I will. Good luck, Engineer Spacyn. Izerva should be in the western terminal awaiting orders. Start there and work your way around while Admiral Mythrai keeps the north locked down." Zynaia gave the map one last examination.

Nova left the comms behind. Quick footsteps trailed behind her as she drew herself into the lift, and stumbled when Neo scrambled into them the moment she hit the buttons to return to the lower level.

"Nova, wait."

"I'll talk to you when I'm back," she said the moment the lift carried them to the ground level, and she rushed out into the lab corridors, past them to the transit station on the west side. Inside the tram station, Izerva leaned in a corner, where their ears flicked at their approach.

"Just—Listen to me." He tugged at her elbow, and she faced him.

Agitated energy swept through his shoulders and bounced him in place. Her own calcified confidence went into a downward spiral. "What is it?" she whispered.

"I..." Neo sighed. "I want you to be careful. You saw what it did to Thuni, and we don't know what happened to Ulin. If-If we can sort this out..." He peered in every direction but her and dragged his fingers through his scalp.

Nova grasped his hands. "There's something else, isn't there?"

His lips parted. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I..." He fiddled with his necklace and labcoat tie. "Just don't focus on anything but getting those communication stations up and running so we can avoid static on our ends."

"Okay." Neo tapped his shoulder, but held on for her last hope. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

"And if you take too long they might start the warp," he said with a little spring of fear when she crawled onto the transit with Izerva, who examined Neo through thin pupils. "Nova, I—"

"As long as Admiral Mythrai can get to the bridge he can input legit coordinates." Nova checked her own blaster. "Stay safe yourself. You know the procedure." Blood-soaked and empty-eyed, he looked like he was sleeping, but though he was warm in the palm of her hand, he never breathed again. "You have a tendency to get yourself into trouble." Neo lowered his gaze to his feet, and a cobweb choked her throat and tied her to him. Nova nodded at Izerva to slip their access card into the manual override. Back to him when the doors closed, she sank to the floor without his support. "Fuck..."

Izerva clicked their tongue.

"Yes?" Nova asked.

"Can you apprise me of the situation you found in south branch?"

"Thuni's and the entire team of droid engineers are dead..." Nova tugged at clumps of her hair. "And I think it's my fault..."

Izerva's muzzle scrunched. "Why do you say that, Engineer Nova?" Their tail flicked. "The breach just happened."

False awakening. Events repeating. No, it's false. It has to be. One coincidence on top of another. Words lost on her tongue when Neo pressed her for information, but she wanted to go home, and not have him die. Just a false awakening. "I just feel like if our droids hadn't reeled in that anomaly... this wouldn't be happening."

One part truth.

Yet here I am, and somehow... I know what I'm going to find. One more coincidence, why not?