I had a wonderful dream.
Simultaneously pleasant, but at same time scary.
Pleasant because I felt rested, and lay in bed in Atlantis cabin. Light breeze through open window caressed face and tousled hair. Turning head, instead of usual grim darkness through window, could see sky, clouds... And sunlight. Though in framework beyond Solar system it should somehow else be called.
But I don't care.
And dream pleasant also because I wasn't alone in bed.
And that was the strange part of my dream.
Turning head, could see dark-haired stranger lying on side back to me. Her slightly tanned back lacked flaws, and chestnut hair whimsically descended to middle, falling on snow-white sheets.
I touched her wanting to understand who she was, but stranger didn't react. She continued sleeping, sweetly smiling in sleep. Strange, but somehow couldn't make out her face features.
But she seemed familiar somehow. And I felt no threat from her.
That's enough.
Leaning back on pillow, looked at ceiling peering into dim light. Funny. If daytime outside, who needed to turn on overhead lighting? Me, probably. This my room... Or not?!
Here's where it got alarming.
Casting glances around, came to conclusion room completely not mine. Yes, interior familiar, similar, but hardly standard for every Atlantis compartment. With same success could be one of hundreds cabins in that residential complex-tower we used.
Peering at details, understood that despite external similarity this far from my cabin. And that's already obvious. Things not in places, several additional devices on bedside table, drinking column not by wall but near entrance...
My things I found nearby. They lay lump in armchair, like weapon, scanner and some other things I carried.
This alarms. Because I don't do that. Armchair back invented exactly to hang jacket and pants on it!
All this makes me worry.
Even more than stranger's disappearance from my bed.
Even more than daytime light's vanishing.
With jerk I sat up in bed, looking around.
Dim overhead light cast shadows on surroundings, but I felt uneasy anyway. Especially when heard water splash behind one decorative bulkhead.
Now no doubts—this not my room. My shower is near drinking column. And from my shower usually no melodic sounds in strange language come!
As soon as thought it'd be good to bolt from here, well or at least use weapon, voice and water sound ceased. And me... I got confused.
Next moment door panel slid into wall, opening view on standard shower. Very like mine, but shelves under and around mirror stuffed with something very like handheld ammo and...
Only now hit me that shower doors don't open themselves. No miracle happened this time either.
Behind door opening stood humanoid wrapped head to toe in some gray rags. On head something like turban... Quite familiar, like something from past life...
But the face.
Pale, even visually cold skin with bluish-green tint, dark deeply set eyes, quite characteristic cheek folds...
Inside everything tightened into tight knot from helplessness feeling when the creature turned attention to me and raised right hand to shoulder level.
"Well, hello..."
Intruder's voice hit ear at exact moment I slipped from under blanket and rushed to my weapon. Simultaneously with that, shouting warning for whoever might hear it:
"Wraith in the city!"
*
"Well, you know!" the Wraith squealed. "All sorts happened, but this...!"
"Hands up!" I shouted, aiming life-sucker from my pulse weapon. "Slowly, your mother!"
"Em..." the creature clearly didn't expect such agility from me and hesitated. Worse for it! "Listen, I..."
"On knees!" I ordered, slightly nodding weapon down. "Hands behind head. And start explaining how you got into the city!"
"You even in your...?"
"Shut up! Do what I ordered quick before I blow your head off!"
"Fine, fine!" the Wraith raised hands, put them behind head on nape. And slowly, not taking eyes off me, sank to knees. "You need to calm down...!"
"I'm calm as boa! And you start talking already! How did you get into the city?! How many of you? What planned?!"
"Scary even to think what'll be with the rest," the Wraith muttered. Why does she have such familiar voice?!
Stop! Her?!
Peering at intruder figure, understood that actually all primary sexual characteristics of female on place.
"Queen?" I was taken aback. "How did you, bitch, reach the city through shield?! And what the hell is happening here?!"
Only queen who could reach Atlantis is sleeping in her ship on Lantean ocean bottom Queen of Death. But she couldn't penetrate shields!
Something happening here... Something completely incomprehensible.
"Misha, enough!" the queen shouted. "If you think after all you can act like this, you're wrong! I apologized for the generator! Just overinsured just in case! But that doesn't give you right to..."
Generator?! What generator? On my memory only two-three generators were and...
Oh, your mother!
All generators I could recall now were linked to one person.
"Chaya?!" overwhelmed by happening, even strength left arms and weapon went down. "It's you?!"
"And who else can be in this room?!" the Proculian replied sharply, removing hands from behind head. "Hope I can stand already?!"
"Yes, of course..." I embarrassed. "Sorry, don't know what came over me, but... Why do you look like a Wraith?!"
The girl tilted head as if examining me from new angle.
"Put the weapon down, come closer and repeat that," she requested, stepping toward me.
"Somehow don't want to," I admitted, estimating if she lunges around bed, better for me to cut through bed... Bed! Exactly! That's fastest escape way from here! "What's happening here at all?! Why do you have on face... this?!"
"'This'?" Chaya repeated surprised, touching herself. "Oh, that's just skin particle and makeup removal mask... Stop! You thought I'm Wraith because of it?"
Truly—beauty without makeup is scary.
I even shuddered imagining what could happen if not cleared up in time.
"What's happening?" I muttered. "And why am I in this room? And overall, what cabin is this?!"
"This my cabin," Chaya replied uncompromisingly. "You burst in to me five hours ago."
"For what?"
"And how should I know?!" the girl spread hands. "You were in incoherent state, muttered something about time for me to answer for sins, all these secrets got to you, and overall jokes aren't my thing but you'll teach me couple tricks..."