"The Dreamspeakers" by Kathryn Z. Newill

"The name’s Byte. Tera Byte." She brushed back a runaway piece of her silvery-blue hair and gave he hair beads a flick as her deep green eyes glistened in the dimming twilight. The mercury vapor lamps began to flicker on.

"You can call me Cypher," said a tall, well built boy of about 17. He had light purple hair and yellow-gold eyes. He readjusted his hair beads as he sized up Tera. She was jus as tall as he was and had one killer figure, easily a size six.

"You got a last name?" she asked sizing him up.

"Matrix. Everybody either calls me Cypher or Cy, for short." He watched her strange actions for a minute. "You got a job?"

"I’m a bounty hunter. Well. . . I was…"

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn’t getting much. Turbo Switch was stealing all my catches. I’ve still got my license, but I’ve quit Dracon Industries."

"Damn, man! Turbo Switch? I know what you mean. He steals a lot of Hunter targets. Especially from women."

"What makes it worse is I’m only 16. I got my license when I was twelve."

"Really? Wow!" Cypher was shocked. "That’s pretty young. And I was kinda expecting you to be at least 21! I’m only a year older than you."

"Dude! I was thinkin’ the same thing ‘bout you!"

"Guess what they say is true. Great minds think alike."

"Guess so." They both grinned at that.

"Say, since you’re new around town so why don’t I show you around a little?"

"Sounds cool."

"I can’t show you everything ‘cause it’s dark now. A lot of gangsters come out at night."

"I understand. Zenith is the same way."

"Come on, I’ll take you to a safer section of Furinax."

"Sounds like a good idea. Let’s go." The two started walking cautiously through the streets into sector five. Tera noticed Cypher relax a little more once they got further into the sector. The metal buildings were just plain gray with the occasional glass or transparisteel window or door. There were great message boards that ran binary at an almost unreadable pace. The transit cars were just as fast if not faster.

"Here we are," he said pointing to a much more welcoming building, "Dot’s Diner. The fastest food in Furinax."

"Food sounds good, I haven’t eaten in two days."

"You’ll like Dot’s. It’s always good," he said as they walked in and sat down at a booth. A tall woman walked up and smiled at Cypher.

"How’s it processing, Cy?"

"Pretty well. Dot, I’d like you to meet the newbee in town, Tera Byte. Tera, this is Dot Matrix. No relation."

"Nice to see a new face! You ever been to Furinax before?"

"No," Tera replied, "I haven’t. But it seems like a nice place."

"Just watch your step in sector seven. It’s pretty rough." She turned to Cypher, "What’ll it be? The usual?"

"Make it two."

"Two burgers with fries and two energy shakes coming right up."

"Thanks, Dot. What do I owe ya?"

"Three seventy-five."

"Here ya go," he said pulling the exact change from his pocket.

"Thanks, and your order will be here in a sec." She turned to go to the counter.

"So, you got a place to stay?"

"No, not yet."

"You can stay with me tonight if you need to."

"Thanks, but won’t I be taking up space?"

"Not really, my apartment’s huge and I don’t mind company even though I live alone."

"Here ya go!" Dot said returning with the order.

"Thanks!" Tera started sipping her energy shake as Cypher nibbled at his fries.

"Wow! You finished that shake pretty quick!"

"I told you, I haven’t eaten in about two days."

"If I didn’t know any better I’d say about a week!"

"Two days can seem like an eternity when you walk because you don’t have money for the trains and your swoop gets stolen."

"Geez," Cypher winced, "You’ve had it tough."

"Ever since I was five I’ve been picking locks, and never got caught by the cops." They ate in silence after that. When they finished Cypher stood and waited for Tera to follow. The streets were in simple blocks, but the way to Cypher’s apartment was long and winding. Finally they stopped in front of a plain gray building and went inside. Cypher quickly checked his mail before they went to the elevator. Cypher pushed the button marked 42 and the lift doors hissed closed. The ride was quick and quiet and the doors hissed open as they had reached their destination. Cypher walked a short distance down the hall before unlocking and opening the door to his apartment. He let Tera in before closing and locking the door behind him.

"Why’d you lock the door?" Tera asked.

"This is a rough part of town, That’s also why we took the long way. It’s much safer than the direct route."

"Oh. This is a nice apartment. It’s one hell of a lot nicer than some of the ones in Zenith."

"It’s actually very plain for this area. Even the halogen lamps make it look almost like a prison cell."

"You should have seen my old apartment in Zenith," Tera said sitting on the denim sofa, "Talk about prison like. Ugh!" Cypher sat down beside her after putting something in a desk drawer.

"That was my colt .45 caliber pistol. I carry it for protection mostly."

"I understand, I carry a knife in my boot, a derringer up my sleeve and I’ve got my vibro shiv besides. If you knew that I bet you wouldn’t want to piss me off."

"No, I wouldn’t. I’ve got a boot knife and a pocket knife, too." Tera looked at her watch, eight fifty. "You wanna watch TV?"

"Sure, why not." Cypher flipped through the channels until he came to some old Reboot reruns. They had apparently run across a marathon because they stayed up until midnight watching TV and talking. Finally Cypher showed her to the spare room and they both said good night. Tera removed her armor and stripped down to her undergarments. The bed was comfortable. Tera put her knife under her pillow before turning out the light. She lay down and let the quiet lull her to sleep.

Meanwhile Cypher kicked off his shoes and stripped down to his boxers. He turned on his computer to check his e-mail. He only had one message. It was from his friend, Apex. It was the usual, what’s up type of message and he sent e-mail back saying to meet him at Dot’s the next day. He wanted to get Tera aquatinted with some of his friends before he showed her the rest of the city. Cypher shut down the computer and lay down. He turned out the light but he couldn’t sleep. He had Tera on his mind and couldn’t stop thinking about her. He tossed and turned for about a half-hour before finally falling asleep at one o’clock.

Tera woke late the next morning and slowly put on her bodysuit before stretching and yawning. Putting on her armor and rearming herself she pulled her hair back into the ponytail she wore each day. Then she quickly took a glance in the mirror and made the bed. She walked into the living room to find Cypher dressed and ready to go.

"So what’s the hurry?"

"I’m going to take you to Dot’s for breakfast and we’ll meet up with some of my friends there before I show you the rest of the city and get you situated in your own place."

"So what are we waiting for?"

"Just you."

"I’m ready when you are."

"Alright, let’s go." Cypher locked the door behind them and they began a shorter walk to the diner. It was daylight so the direct route was safer and quicker. They entered and sat down at a larger booth. Cecil, the robot waiter took their order and they ate quickly while they waited for Cypher’s friends.

"Yo! Cy! Wasup?" A tall boy with brown hair and blue eyes sauntered in.

"Not much. Apex, this is Tera Byte."

"Sup?" Apex asked by way of greeting.

"Not much, how ‘bout you?"

"Same here." Just then a small, dark skinned girl with blonde hair and purple eyes skidded inside.

"Hey! It’s Shorty!" Apex started.

"Shorty, this is Tera Byte. Shorty is Apex’s little sister."

"Wasup?" Shorty said, breathless.

"Now that we’re all here, whaddya say we get goin'?"

"Fine by me," Shorty and Apex said in unison.

"Let’s go," Tera said. Cypher handed her a zip board and the four took off. They got a pretty good tour of the city done in about an hour. Then they started to look at apartments. It took the better part of the afternoon, but they found a reasonably sized apartment for low rent and was approved by the local health inspector. Realizing it was getting late Tera said goodbye to her newfound friends and agreed to meet them at Dot’s for dinner. She closed the door and began to rearrange the furniture. After about an hour she had everything to her liking and decided to do a little shopping before dinner.

"Perfect," she said, looking at herself in the mirror. She had on purple stretch pants and a blue tunic that had a drape of cloth in front and back. She gathered her usual belongings that she carried and headed for Dot’s.

"Woah!" Cypher exclaimed, "You’ve gone shopping."

"Yeah," Tera said modestly, "I decided that the same outfit every day was kinda boring."

"I can’t believe you went shopping without me!" Shorty shouted.

"Look, Shorty," Apex interrupted, "If you must shout, shout quietly."

"Oops, heh heh, sorry."

"That’s okay," Tera said, "It was an impulse kind of thing."

"Well," Cypher said, "You certainly have good taste."

"I’ll say," Shorty said plopping down in the booth, "Are we gonna eat or what? I’m starving!" Tera sat next to Cypher and Apex sat next to his little sister. They ate and talked about the things that usually go on in town. It was still only seven o’clock when they left, but Shorty had some homework and Apex was going to help her.

"Hey, Tera," Cypher said, "You wanna come over to my place and watch a movie or somethin’?"

"Sure! I’d love to!" Cypher led the way to his building and unlocked the door to let Tera and himself in. Tera sat down on the couch while Cypher put in a movie. He sat down right next to her as the movie started. It was one They’d both seen already so they mostly talked through it. The movie ended and Tera suddenly didn’t feel well.

"Oof," she said, "I’ll be right back."

"Okay, I’ll be here." Tera went to the bathroom and Cypher rewound the movie and put it away. Tera came out but she didn’t feel much better. Cypher walked over to her.

"You okay?" he said, concerned, "You look a little pale . . ."

"I don’t . . ." Tera suddenly felt dizzy as hell. Everything was spinning around her. Cypher caught her as she fell and blacked out for a moment.

"Mmm . . ." Tera groaned as she came to. She realized what had happened as she felt Cypher’s arms around her.

"You alright?"

"I think so, yeah."

"That was a close one."

"I’ll say."

"I think I’ll take you home."

"Would you stay with me?"

"Sure," he said, concerned and calm, "You don’t feel well, you shouldn’t be alone."

"Thanks." Tera stood up a little straighter but Cypher still held her. Her gaze met his and for what seemed like an eternity they stayed that way. Then Cypher lost all control as he leaned in and kissed her. Tera was surprised but she welcomed it and practically melted in his arms. They pulled back away from each other and tried to regain their lost composure. It was a vain attempt.

"We- we better . . ."

"Get going . . ." Her voice trailed off as Cypher led her down to the parking garage. He stopped by a red hovercycle and got on. Tera got on behind him and held on as they sped to her apartment building.

Tera unlocked the door and went quickly to her room to change as Cypher locked and bolted the door. She came out to show Cypher the spare room.

"I like what you’ve done with the place."

"Thanks, the spare room is right here and the bathroom is across the hall."

"Cool. Now let’s get you in bed so you can rest."

"It’s kinda funny, I don’t feel sick anymore."

"You don’t look as pale either." Just then they heard sirens across the street. Tera rushed to the window and Cypher followed her.

"Shit," Cypher said.

"What?"

"That’s where Apex and Shorty live."

"You wanna cal them and see what’s going on?"

"Yeah, you keep watch." Cypher rushed to the phone and dialed the number. "Hello, Shorty? It’s Cypher. Tera and I just saw an ambulance stop in front of your building. What happened? . . . Yeah . . . Really? . . . Oh, God, . . . No. . . . Alright, we’ll be there as soon as we can. We’ll meet you there."

"Well?"

"Turbo apparently started a gang. They showed up at Apex and Shorty’s apartment."

"And?"

"They were looking for you and Apex wouldn’t tell them where you were and they shot him."

"Oh, my God! That was why I was so dizzy! I can feel when my friends are in danger and I can feel their pain!"

"I told Shorty we’d meet her at the hospital."

"I’ll change." Tera changed into her armor and grabbed her helmet. She and Cypher sped to the hospital.

"Apex Circuit? Let me see. . . Here, room 212." The nurse at the desk was kind and helpful.

"Thanks," Cypher said starting to turn. He and Tera gathered up Shorty and headed up to see Apex. He looked okay when they came into the room.

"How are you feeling?" Tera asked.

"I’m okay," Apex said a little weak, "The doctors want to keep me overnight and I’ll probably be able to go home in the morning."

"That’s good."

"Apex," Cypher said, "Do you want one of us to look after Shorty for you?"

"Yeah," Apex said, "Tera?"

"Yes?"

"Would you take care of her for me until I can go home?"

"Sure thing."

"Shorty?"

"Yeah, bro?"

"You’re gonna stay with Tera for a while."

"Why?"

"I don’t think it’s safe for you at home."

"I’ll get my stuff together."

"I’ll walk you to school, Shorty," Tera said, "Tomorrow I’ll get a new swoop and a helmet for you so you can ride with me."

"Luckily tomorrow’s Saturday," Shorty said, "So I can go with you."

"Good idea," Apex said, "It’ll be safer for her if she isn’t left alone. Say where are you going to get your swoop?"

"Bike Nashbar," Tera said, "Why?"

"Shorty’s hover board should be in by now so you can pick that up too."

"No problem."

"It’s getting late," Cypher said, "You take Shorty home on the bus. I’ll stay with Apex a little longer."

"Okay. Shorty, let’s get going."

"Okay," Shorty said, "Just lemme say good bye." Tera helped her up and she gave her brother a quick hug. The bus ride was quick and Shorty led the way to where she and her brother lived.

"So what happened to your parents?"

"Mom died when I was very little, and dad was abusive so one day Apex told me to pack up some things and we left home and came here."

"So you live alone here?"

"Apex is 21 and I’m twelve, so he’s my legal guardian."

"How did you find this place?"

"Cypher’s lived here all his life, He and Apex were friends online so they sent pictures of themselves to one another and Cypher sent us a map telling us where Dot’s was so he could meet us there." Shorty had finished packing and grabbed her stuff for school before she locked the door behind her. They quickly walked across the street and went up to Tera’s apartment. Tera showed her the spare room and got her ready for bed. Then they sat at the table and Tera helped Shorty with her homework. They finished and Shorty went to bed.

Tera heard the buzzer for her room and went to the door. She looked and saw Cypher.

"How’s Shorty?" he asked as he came in.

"She’s asleep now. I helped her with her homework so we could just grab some breakfast and go in the morning."

"That’s good. I stopped back at my apartment and it had been ransacked."

"You’d better stay here then. I may want some help if they come here."

"Apex and I decided we need to form our own gang. You, Shorty, Apex, and me."

"Sounds like a good idea."

"We don’t have a name yet, any ideas?"

"The Dreamspeakers."

"I like that, it sounds cool." Tera and Cypher stayed up a while talking and finally Tera went to bed. She slept lightly in alertness. Cypher did the same. No disturbances yet.

Tera woke early the next morning. She quickly showered and dressed. Shorty got up just after her. Tera woke Cypher and made breakfast for the three of them. Cypher headed off to the hospital to check on Apex while Tera and Shorty headed to Bike Nashbar.

"Woah!" Shorty said, "That’s a swoop?"

"Yep," Tera said, "That’s a swoop, they’re just as fast if not faster than a hovercycle."

"Apex says they’re very dangerous."

"That’s why you have to have a special license to operate one." Tera looked at several models and settled on one manufactured by Dracon Industries. They knew quality work better than anyone did.

"That’ll be 75 credits," the clerk said, handing over the starter tab for the swoop as well as Shorty’s new helmet and hoverboard. Tera got on the swoop and Shorty secured her hoverboard on the cargo rack as she got on behind Tera. Tera maneuvered the swoop with ease through the streets to meet Cypher and Apex at Dot’s.

"That’s a new one," Tera said.

"What?"

"Dot’s is down." Tera set down the swoop quickly and surveyed the damage. Most of the windows were broken, and the sign had been knocked over. Tera and Shorty found Cypher and Apex inside helping to stand up tables and seats.

"What happened?" Shorty asked.

"Turbo was here," Apex said, "His gang, the Soleblades, trashed the place."

"You bet we did!" A new voice exclaimed, "Tera, it’s nice to see you again." Tera whirled at the familiar sound of Turbo’s voice.

"Turbo Switch, I thought I recognized your foul stench when I walked in."

"Women should wear makeup, not men’s hair beads."

"Listen you son of a beach nut, I don’t care what you think."

"I think the word you’re looking for . . ."

"I can’t say because there are virgin ears present."

"Ooh! Dissed!" Apex shouted.

"You GO girl!" Shorty exclaimed. Turbo’s face flamed red.

"Turbo," Tera said, "I don’t believe I’ve seen you that shade of red before."

"We’ll see who rules around here," he said drawing his vibro axe.

"Bring it on!" Tera shouted, drawing her vibro shiv. Turbo lunged forward swinging. Tera dodged and threw him out an open window. Then she jumped out to continue the fight. Turbo swung again and missed, but Tera delivered a strong blow to his right arm that made him scream. He swung once more to no avail as Tera dodged and landed a stinger on his left leg sending him screaming to the ground.

"We’re outta here!" he shouted jumping on his hovercycle. The rest of his gang followed and they disappeared as quickly as they had come. Tera and her friends helped to clean up the mess at Dot’s before heading back to Tera’s apartment for dinner. After a long discussion about Turbo, Apex took Shorty home. Cypher stayed behind to talk with Tera.

"We need to talk," he said, "Ever since we first met I haven’t been able to get you out of my head."

"Same here."

"I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m in love with you."

"I know," Tera said, smiling, "I could tell. I feel the same way about you."

"So, you wanna . . ."

"Would you stay tonight?"

"Sure." Cypher followed Tera into her room that night. She was a little surprised, but she didn’t mind. He took her in his arms and kissed her. Tera leaned back and they fell into the bed, still kissing as Cypher reached over and turned out the light.

Apex was panicked and short of breath when he arrived at Dot’s the next morning.

"Turbo!" he cried, "He kidnapped Shorty!"

"Where did he take her?" Tera asked.

"Probably to Silicon Toar, that’s where he operates the most."

"Let’s go," Cypher said. Tera started her swoop as Cypher and Apex started their hovercycles. Cypher led the way to Silicon Toar at an almost blinding speed. Quietly they sneaked inside the Toar.

"A tear!" Tera said, "He want’s me to stabilize the tear into a portal!"

"To where?" Cypher asked.

"The Supercomputer."

"Well?" Turbo roared in Tera’s direction. Tera thought quickly.

"You guys get ready to go back to Dot’s, I’ll rescue Shorty and meet you there."

"Good luck," Apex said leaving. Cypher said nothing, but kissed her on the cheek.

"Here I come!" Tera sent out a line and swung toward the tear. She grabbed Shorty and used her key tool to stabilize the tear and she and Shorty swung inside. All of a sudden the portal collapsed and all that stood in its place was Tera and Shorty.

"NO!" Turbo screamed as Tera and Shorty disappeared and left him to stew in his own juices.

"End file commands," Tera said, "You gotta love ‘em."

"So, Shorty," Apex said, "What’s the Supercomputer like?"

"It’s huge," Shorty said, "Trust me." Apex took Shorty home and Cypher stayed with Tera a little longer.

"I know I’m not a hero," he said, "But can I still kiss the girl?"

"Any time you want," Tera said as she smiled. Cypher leaned in close and kissed her. He pulled back and the two watched the sunset before going back inside Cypher’s apartment.