Dreamscapes

They met in this secret place as often as possible. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep these meetings secret. The risk of being discovered was great. If they were found...she shuddered. Capture was unthinkable. Its not just torture or death that she feared, it was the thought of being turned into a weapon that terrified her the most. They all shared this fear. It had happened many times before. They would become a part of the great enemy. As long as they could stay anonymous and hidden they could keep working towards freedom. Each was willing to die, each would refuse capture. They needed these secret meetings, they needed each other to stay strong and continue to fight. She knew they would all be lost if they could not support each other. What they had too endure, it was crushing.

The Overlords had come out of nowhere one day. Their victory was swift and absolute. Many died that day. Many more since and many others, utterly broken. No one knew for sure where they were from or even what they actually looked like. They wore impenetrable suits, even the greatest minds hadn't been able to figure out how to kill one of them. Many speculated they were actually small and weak inside those suits, if only a way to break through could be found. Until then, they fought to keep their minds free.

The ones they all hated the most; Taters. Silly name she thought. The name had evolved from traitors, lazy language in her mind. A Tater is what they would be turned into if they were ever caught. Never, she insisted. The Overlords did not have direct contact with their subjects; they maintained control through the Taters. Taters were weaponized humans and very potent. The Overlords hid themselves away in great palaces. Ships were continuously coming and going, no one really knew who or what was on those ships. Were they bringing more of themselves? Were they removing resources from the planet? Both? Most believed humans that had been captured were being taken to other planets as slaves. Getting anywhere near a shipyard had been impossible so far.

The meeting began. They gathered in a circle and held hands. She entered the deep meditation. She felt the energy coursing through her, it moved through each of them moving through the circle building up in each of them, strengthening their hearts and minds. Their collective power would fuel them until they could meet again. When the meeting was over she carefully made her way back to the street and then to her dingy room. She remembered when she was young, her parents, her house and yard. She used to play outside with her little sister for hours. They were gone now. She was grateful they had died in the first attack and not had to live like this. She sighed deeply, she couldn't cry anymore, she missed them so much, but years had passed and many tears. Now, she had to be strong and fight.

She pulled the tasteless mash from the cupboard and warmed it on her small burner. How she longed for mom's meatloaf and a fresh crisp apple. Remember the tree at the back of the yard, sigh. She washed her dish and cleaned up. It was time to prepare for sleep and tonight's battle. The battle was always most intense after the meetings. They couldn't find us, but they always knew when we recharged, she sighed.

She closed her eyes and drifted off. A moment later she was in a dark labyrinth. Many nights she walked through this awful place. She would continue to search, eventually she would find the answer. She wouldn't have long until the Taters found her.

When the Overlords came they used mind devices to break the survivors and turn many others into their enforcers. The Overlords did not anticipate what happened to some. Some did not break, instead an opening occurred. This opening gave access to a power. Some could enter a space in sleep where they could freely move about, a place where the Overlords had no dominion. It was the only remaining place of freedom. When she first discovered it she just enjoyed the peace and joy, most did.

Eventually the Overlords figured out people were able to do this. They captured many who had been able to remain free. These they tortured until they were compliant and then they gave them the insight and tools to seek and destroy the rest. Humans came after humans now, they became the elite squad of the Taters. All of them had once been like her. Now, the ones that could hunt through that ethereal space, they destroyed the space as much as possible and came after each individually inside their own minds. Many had been broken, even killed in this way. Few remained that could defend against them. She wasn't even sure if there were any others; she only knew of herself and the small group of friends she met with. She retained hope that in other parts other small groups still existed. She had to operate as if there were no others.

Taters! Leave! Now!

She entered a house, or maybe an inn, it was hard to tell. It was empty, it looked ransacked. She wandered upstairs, it was dark and dingy. There's a light in that room, she pushed the door back to see one of her friends. She was one from the meeting earlier. They knew each other well now. They had been from entirely different places prior to the invasion and hadn't known each other. But now, they relied on each other and were close. The group had managed to create spaces of hiding, sometimes they could meet each other there. A man walked into the room, another friend from the meeting. They knew they had to go back out, the Taters would come on strong because of the recharge, but it was also the best time to accomplish anything.

Following the invasion, each of them had been alone, wandering around the ethereal spaces they had discovered. Eventually they discovered each other and began to learn how to create spaces and sometimes meet up. After awhile they learned they could find each other in physical form as well. Soon they discovered how important it was to meet with each other. Once they had access to this ethereal space they found when they physically came together they could connect together, access the energy and recharge each other. As they grew stronger and learned more about what they were capable of, they began to plan.

After a long time of practice and exploration they found the labyrinth. They had discussed it and all agreed if they could find the way through the labyrinth it would lead them to the Taters and maybe even the Overlords themselves. Each night they would go to the labyrinth and search for the way through. There were many dangers and traps. The Taters maintained monitoring and could swoop in instantly to stop whoever dared enter. The heavy guard only made it more certain to them all that important secrets lie beyond it.

The three of them walked over to the wall across from the door. Scratched onto the wall was the map they had been making. Each of the group added to the map as they discovered new parts. It was a long process and they were not sure how big it actually was. They could be close to having it all mapped or perhaps they only had a small fraction figured out. There was no way to know. It was the only lead they had, they must keep at it. They were never able to find each other inside the labyrinth. Many attempts had been made to go to the same place and find each other. They thought working together would be helpful. They were always alone and had to face the Taters alone. Each of them took a deep breathe and left the house for the labyrinth.

She walked through the labyrinth. This was where she had ended her last mapping. She turned a corner down a lane she hadn't been to yet. Right turn, she noted. She walked to the end, no side turns, another dead end. She turned around and returned from her starting point. She took the left turn. She moved as quickly as she dared, making turns, noting each one in her mind carefully. Two lefts, one right, another left...what in the world!? A small creature stood in front of her, it saw her and squealed, quickly turned and ran away. What was that!? Nothing in this awful maze ever ran away, she pursued. Turn after turn, she moved so fast to keep up with it, she had no idea how many turns she had made. She had to keep up with this thing. She came around a corner and stopped dead. It was a large opening, like a courtyard or something. No sign of the creature but the space was filled with Taters! They all faced her, they were closing in on her! They would get her! The red glow of their hands was getting brighter, she had half a second. She raised up her hands and shot golden beams from her hands; thank god for the recharge! She shot a few of the closest ones and jumped.

She bolted up in bed. Her heart was racing, cold sweat dripped off her, she was panting like she just ran miles. She jumped up and paced. What the hell was that thing!? What had just happened!?

The clock next to her small bed told her it was nearly time to get up. She would have to continue the next night. She made her way out of her tiny room, up the street where she could catch the tram to the factory. The days were grueling. She was still young enough to work the hard physical jobs. Eventually she would get moved to one of the other jobs, but not until her body was more broken. If her body broke too much she would be hauled away, she knew not where. Just last week several of the older and broken people had been loaded up and taken away. It was always heart breaking, the fear in their eyes. No one believed they were being taken away to be killed. The Taters never had a problem killing people where they stood. What did they do with the people they took away. She shuddered and tried not to think about it. All the more reason to get through the labyrinth. What was that thing in there? She wished she could talk to one of her friends about it. It had to mean she was close to something important. She felt the smack on the back of her head, she flinched, she was yelled at for drifting off and not working.

The day was finally over, exhausted, she pulled the tasteless mash from the cupboard and warmed it on her small burner. She hoped she hadn't spent too much of her energy last night. She had to try and retrace the steps the little creature had taken. They would watch that area, it would be dangerous.

Many nights passed, she mapped as much as she could. Trying to remember the turns the thing had taken. The Taters interrupted her many times making it more difficult. She had to jump away over and over. She dared not engage them directly and use up her energy. Not until she had to.

She had etched the courtyard onto the wall in the safe house with a dotted line. The others needed to know what she had found. They would concentrate their efforts to that area. She went to the map to add a couple of new turns, she saw that someone else had etched those very turns. Excellent. Confirmation that the others were working in that area now. She felt deep within herself that they were close to something big. She returned to the labyrinth.

Progress was slow for them all, the map slowly grew. They kept at it, night after night. One of them would find the courtyard again.

Another long day, she was bone weary. She stepped off the tram and turned left instead of right. She quickly made her way to the end of the lane and turned. She made many turns, sneaking through the shadows and moving quickly. She reached the alley, full of old garbage, broken parts, even broken old cars. She crawled into the old Buick and pushed the back seat aside and crawled in, careful to put the seat back where it had been. The old Buick sat in front of a hole in the wall, she crawled through and made her way to the ladder. She descended in the dark, she had done this many times now. At the bottom of the ladder there would be hallways, she knew the way.

When she reached the room her friends were already there. A heaviness filled the air. One was missing. Another had a room near his, he had perished in the night a couple of nights ago. The Taters had gotten him, presumably in the labyrinth. All were glad he perished; none wanted to be taken and turned, may he rest in peace. They were only 7 now. They briefly spoke on the courtyard and its implications. She could finally tell them of the small creature that had led her to it. Could it somehow have been an Overlord? Maybe it was true that they were small and weak. Why would one have been in that labyrinth?

They spoke excitedly for only a short time. They had to recharge and they could not afford to be out to late or they risked being taken away. They stood in a circle, held hands and moved the energy through the circle and recharged. They went forth from their secret space with renewed vigor. They lost a good friend, may his sacrifice not be in vain; they all felt closer than ever to answers and maybe solutions.

She pulled the tasteless mash from the cupboard and warmed it on her small burner. She briefly closed her eyes. She stood in front of the old apple tree at the back of her yard, she reached up and picked one. Her little sister ran up beside her and asked for one too. She handed it to her and picked another. They laughed, she took a bite. She could barely remember the flavor now. She opened her eyes and ate the tasteless mash.

Tonight would be big, they had made plans at the meeting, they would risk meeting sooner. They needed to hold a stronger charge if they were onto something big. Each felt close to the courtyard, they would find it soon. She settled into her small bed and prepared herself.

She stood in the labyrinth, she had eliminated many turns now, she had to be close. She began to walk; left, right, right, left...the courtyard! Taters! Strange, their backs were to her. Her heart raced, she quietly stepped forward, what were they looking at? Then she saw it, a golden glow. She could not tell what it was, she moved to the side attempting to get a better look. Then, one by one, each of her friends stepped into the courtyard. They were all there! They stared at each other in disbelief for a moment; this had never happened. Suddenly a Tater noticed them all and shouted. As the Taters moved to engage she saw what the golden glow was. It was their perished friend! He lay on the ground surrounded by a golden glow! She gasped. The others saw too. They had only a second though before they would be hit. The red glow of the Taters grew, they would strike. Her and her friends quickly moved and attacked. Red and golden beams were shooting everywhere, a great battle ensued. Taters kept filing in from the far side. Suddenly, the golden glow that had surrounded their perished friend exploded, filling the courtyard with a great golden light. She felt a rush of power and love pour over her. When the light faded, the Taters were gone. Only they remained. Surprised, confused and overjoyed they rushed over to their fallen friend. He smiled briefly up at them and then faded away.

They went through where the Taters had come from. There were just a few Taters rushing up to them from a strange building across an open field. Their combined effort easily destroyed them. They moved towards the building, certain they would find the secrets to destroy the Overlords and finally free their world.