Colin's posts

Hal looked at her for a moment, and then sighed.

"Look, I'm not going to tell you what is and isn't right, or what happened and what did not happen." he told her.

"But I can assure you, this is no simulation." he went on.

"If you want, I can prove it." he continued.

"Offer me your arm, or something else, and I will pinch or flick, or whatever." he suggested.

"If you feel pain, then this is no simulation."

"I... what?" Hal asked.

"That's... that doesn't sound even close to what happened." he told her.

"From what we learned, the VR set booted up, but there was something wrong with it. There was a shock that caused you to black out and collapse." he explained. "Ilias became concerned when you weren't answering your phone, and went to check on you at home." he continued.

"There he found you unconscious, and you were brought to the Unit, where you were mostly uninjured, but rendered comatose." he went on.

"...Lunet and Leonard felt IMMENSELY guilty over it, too." he then sighed.

"So much so, they... well... practically gave up inventing new technologies." he lamented.

Hal looked genuinely confused for a moment.

"A... simulation...?" he asked.

"WHY would you EVER think that this is anything like a simu-" he started to say, before pausing, trailing off a little, and thinking about it.

"...wait..." he said.

"Wait, wait, wait." he repeated. "Hold on a second." he muttered.

"Are... are you perchance referring to... when my daughter asked you to test out a prototype of a new kind of VR helmet that she was developing?" he asked, pausing again for a moment.

"Well... helmet, no. More visor." he mumbled.

"I recall early designs were a helmet, before she decided to model it after her OWN eyewear." he remembered... echoing precisely and exactly what she had known, prior to testing the device in question.

"Another dimension?" Hal asked.

"Well... I suppose it IS possible..." he admitted.

"Wonder if it had anything to do with where OUR Hazel was, then..." he then mumbled. "Though... I'm fairly certain there isn't a functioning nexus there, or any portals..." he admitted.

"Hmmm." he mumbled further.

"This IS a problem for you, indeed." he told her.

'This is not a friendly world. Hasn't been for a long time." he sighed.

Hal looked confused for a moment.

"...what world?" he asked.

"Where ARE you?" he asked further, as they reached his office. Or, rather, reached his receptionist's area... with no receptionist. When they went into his office proper, she saw that it looked... a little different. It looked more like a place where someone would track and search for various things around the world, with the various screens and maps and positioning equipment.

"You're in San Diego. On Earth." he told her.

"As for how you got here, I would wager your mana reacted to your desires, and brought you here." he went on.

"After all, you DID always consider this place a bit of a safe haven. Which was what we were always really intended to be." he chuckled.

"...and... not the world you know?" he asked her.

"Of course." Hal responded.

As they walked, he suddenly stopped at a door, opened it, and briefly stepped inside, coming out with some bottles of water.

"Here." he said, handing one to her.

"That should help." he told her, shutting the door again.

"Anyway, I'm sure you've noticed that... well... actually, let's ask a bigger question." he said as they continued on.

"What is confusing you, exactly?"

Hal was silent for a moment, before nodding slightly.

"All right." he replied.

"Come on." he told her.

"Let us retire to my office." he said, allowing her to finally hear SOMETHING close to familiar.

"Are you hungry or thirsty?" he asked.

"We can get you something on the way."

"It's all right." Hal replied.

"I understand." he told her.

He then paused for a moment, before looking around slightly.

"Now then, would you care to go someplace to talk?" he asked her. "From the sounds of things, and from what I've been told, you have a lot of questions, and don't recognise a lot of people." he went on.

"So if you like, we can go somewhere, and I can answer any questions you have." he offered.

Such a display of emotion seemed to catch him off guard for a second, but hearing the sob from her brought him back down to earth. He looked down at the woman that was clutching him, before smiling softly and wrapping an arm around her, and gently placing his other hand atop her head.

"Yes." he said.

"It's me. I promise." he told her, gently rubbing her head in a reassuring manner.

"It's all right." he then said further.

He then just let her hold onto him for as long as she needed. He could tell she was stressed and frightened, and he would let her get it out. Whatever she needed to do. He just continued to hold her, before looking to the one that had brought him there and nodding.

They nodded back, before leaving, as Hal closed his eyes and let Hazel get it all out.

No sooner had she uttered those words, she swore she heard an extremely familiar voice reply 'done'.

But before she could properly react, she heard the loud and clear, undeniably sound of fingers snapping. The sound seemed to echo around her for a bit, before she felt something inside her.

Her mental state seemed to do an immediate about-face, and she was flooded with various coping techniques, ways to look at this, minor mental exercises to do... and she felt like she COULD deal with this now.

A LOT more easily.

For all intents and purposes... practically speaking... her wish had come true.

And she knew what that meant. At least, she hoped she did.

"...I'm sorry." he apologised.

"It's... it's clear that you're stressed and freaking out, and... and I'm not helping..." he went on, sounding practically heartbroken now.

"I'll... I'll leave." he told her, slowly standing up.

"I'm sorry." he apologised again.

He then turned and started walking away, and Hazel could feel the sense of aloneness now. She hadn't recognised anyone yet, and while this place DID seem like the Unit, it wasn't what she knew.

It seemed, for all intents and purposes, that she was alone in an unfamiliar world.

"...wh... what?" Drake asked.

"Never had a second...?" he muttered.

"That's right, they never did. I'm an only child." he told her.

"You... you know that." he went on, sounding sadder and sadder.

"Hazel... I... you..." he then stammered, before sitting down in a chair that was beside him.

"Hazel, are you SURE you're all right?" he asked her.

"...what?" Drake asked.

"Hazel, it's me. Drake." he said to her.

"Seriously, how messed up IS your memory?" he asked.

"Like, really. We're... we're friends, Hazel." he told her. "Or... well... we're more than friends, yeah...?" he added.

"You've got to remember me... right?" he asked. "My mother? My father? Please?" he then almost pleaded.

She could hear the growing sadness in his tone... as though he were genuinely hurt that she seemed freaked out by him.

"....what?" Drake asked.

"Hazel, I... I know that things have changed, but you've been here to see it happen." he told her.

"...what the hell did he do to you...?" he then wondered quietly.

"Just... regardless, I assure you, this IS the place you're thinking of." he assured her.

"Just... different." he muttered.

"Out of necessity, really..."