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Lacie was being used as a live experiment for a special potent formula of nightmare energy. She turned into what they call a "Night Terror". This isn't a project I worked on.

Instead of a being like a nightwalker where it's difficult to tell who is the unfortunate individual to be used as a base, a Night Terror more resembles their physical self. First noctaere, then nightwalkers, and now this-- this could imply they're refining their formula to produce a kind of being that looks exactly like a person's normal self, but in reality is a nightmare monster underneath. [ Quite a good idea, if they want more undetectable monsters. But speculation aside-- ] Anyway, they're extremely powerful and more destructive. The downside is that these Night Terrors appear to be more prototype than anything else, and their control is unstable.

[ She looks down at her hands. ] As for me, I... have been promoted [ said dryly. ] to experimenting on Noctaere as well as the unfortunate individuals who are being used as their base.

[he's silent for a moment, taking it all in. in some ways it did make sense, and he remembers how those Nightwalkers were like some kind of freak experiment.]

How involved have you been in those...experiments?

[he understands if she had to actually do something. he's had his hands dirty on things he didn't necessarily agree to. but he has to know how deep she is in this now.]

[ .... ]

Very involved.

[a long exhale as he leans back. yep, time for a deep swallow of wine.]

So you know how those things are made?

[ Here, here. ] Basically, a lot of nightmare energy. Sometimes I question if those of us who are doing this research are protected. Nightmare energy isn't fully understood. It could be how radiation research was in its early days: we'll all be seeing effects upon ourselves depending on the dosages exposed.

Given what's in store for us, I think that will be the least of your worries. But I hope not. You already have a lot going on in that body of yours. We don't need it to start mutating into something I'll have to shoot later.

[he had been staring out ahead while he had been speaking, and he still doesn't look at her, instead going down to his glass.]

Did you learn anything about the virus or a cure? Or anything that could help Jude?

Sadly, no. [ Silence for a moment. ] But it's beginning to look more as if nightmare energy would be the go-to substance as it lasts longer than dream energy. However, I suspect it would be used as a treatment, not a cure.

The only other possible option I can pursue is their mixed dream energy injections. If there is some sort of university miracle cure in another world and that dream energy was collected and condensed, perhaps something could be made of that.

[again he's silent, letting those words sink in.]

So is it an actual virus or is it dream—or nightmare—energy based?

Dream energy based. The injections contained part pure dream energy of Hypnosia, and part dream energy that mimics the signature wavelength of dream energy of another world. For the one that Jude received, that signature must have mimicked the dream energy from my world in particular.

...Although, I'm not sure if that makes this all well and good. I've seen now through others than most of the effects of that injection have not lasted over a week. However, I doubt the damage done by these effects vanishes after that week is up. If someone were given fire powers after receiving an injection and burned a house down, after a week that ability would no longer be there but the house would still be ashes.

Hmm... Well if that's the case, rather than looking at it like the actual virus, why not something that would affect the dream energy? Kind of like how they used purified dream energy for medicine back in those research books we found a while ago.

[back when the whole Nightwalker incident began.]

I'll see what I can find.

[ Though she falls silent after that. This is all weighing on her mind. She knows she has to find that cure or something, but now that it's been confirmed they'd killed them, even if it's just potentially, this increases her risk. Not that she didn't assume her life was threatened while already working for them, but she likes to work with confirmation more than speculation. ]

[he looks at her for a moment.]

The longer you stay in there, the more dangerous it is.

[and then he looks out again.]

Personally I'd rather you quit now while I have you out here.

[and then he finishes his glass and rather than refilling it he's getting a beer. he'll top hers off though if she wants.]

[ Yep, her glass was nearly empty. But no complaints here. ] I doubt you would be saying that a week ago.

[ With how upset he was about Jude. And Jude is still sick, technically dying. ]

Nah, I still would have. In fact I didn't like the idea of sending you on this little "espionage" mission, but greater good trumps personal opinion I guess.

[ Really? All she's done so far is greater evil. She doesn't seem comforted by his words. ] I'll be fine so long as I'm careful.

[ But she's thinking to get some information she might have to be a bit more reckless. ]

Have you ever done something like this before, though?

[serious question here with legit concerns.]

No. When I worked for the FBI, it was never as an undercover agent. This isn't something I have training in.

That's what I thought. [small sigh.] This isn't something that anyone can just wing it, not this deep in.

Where are they even located? I can't even be sure I can help you if things really do take a turn for the worse.

They're... located somewhere in this desert, actually. I do not know the specifics yet, but I'd wager that it's whoever a high concentration of nightmare energy is, or perhaps where a significant amount of unique dream energy is. They use a portable dream-gate like device to portal to and from that location.

[slight arch of the brow.]

A portable dream gate like device?

It's a bit like a remote control. They press a button and it basically teleports them to the base. I'm not sure if it's just a device that allows them to move to and from certain areas at any given time, or if it's something that allows them to appear and disappear at will wherever and whenever.

How convenient. [a little dryly.]

And I'm guessing they have someone with you rather than you having the device itself.

That's correct.

[ ... ] I do wonder if I'll be able to obtain one.

It would be good, but how closely guarded do they keep those?

I believe it's a check-out system. Not everyone has one for themselves save perhaps for those with more authority. Someone would need clearance to obtain one, and then return them to the area at which they're stored, which is under guard.

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IS TH