Today's chapter is around 4,000 words long. I apologise for the length, but it's not a part of the story I could have shortened down.
This chapter is based on a Batman:TAS episode. For spoiler reasons, the name of the episode is "Perchance To Dream".
Chapter 15.
Ethan stirred, and emitted a small groan from his lips, as bright lights from the ceiling above caused his eyes to sting as he opened them wider. Indistinct beeping sounds and a woman's voice could be heard from his side, as he felt the almighty ache in his head start to rise to painful levels, and he raised his right hand to his forehead as the pains started to reach more unbearable levels. He felt a pin [censored] on his left arm, and turned to see a person in a white coat injecting something into his arm, and almost instantly, he felt the pain starting to go away. The doctor spoke, but Ethan couldn't make out what he was saying, he just stared at the beige tiled ceiling, the lights still causing his eyes to sting. Turning his head to the right, the muscles in his neck feeling weak and underused, he looked at the room he was in. It looked like a hospital ward, with three beds on his side of the room before the large framed window inset into the white painted wall. The opposite side of the hospital ward had four beds lined up in the same fashion, though they were all empty, save for the bed Ethan realised he was laying in. He looked down, and saw he was in a hospital gown, and nothing else. Reaching to his face with both hands, he felt his face, no shroud, no sunglasses, little stubble, and no cuts. His right arm was clear of any technology, and upon reaching into his hospital gown, there was no indication of any bullet wound in his side. He felt the touch of someone's hand against his left arm, and he turned to see a female hand, with perfectly manicured nails, leading up to a brown ladies coat, worn by Rose, who was looking at him with small tears in her eyes, and a quivering smile on her face. She was speaking in bursts, but the words sounded mumbled to Ethan. He adjusted himself to sit up, feeling the slight tug of unnoticed tubing in his left arm, attached to a small machine next to his bedside. The world behind Rose began to come into focus, revealing the same door frame he recognised from somewhere, but he couldn't quite place where. Doctors and nurses were hurrying from one end of the corridor outside to the other, carrying clipboards and cups of coffee, and Ethan saw Dr Griffin running from the left to the right, on his way to whichever emergency he was being called for. Suddenly, his ears began to attune to the sound being projected at him, and Rose's words began to become discernible.
--oh Ethan, I was so worried, I thought you'd never wake up! They told me you might not make it! She started to sob, and she reached over and held Ethan in her arms, crying into his shoulder. Taken by surprise, he jerkily moved his arms up, though they felt weak, and loosely placed them around Rose, as she pulled him closer to her. Through cracked lips, he croaked the question; Where...where's Elizabeth? Rose pulled back, wiping the tears from her eyes with the sleeves of her brown jacket. E..Elizabeth? Who's Elizabeth? she replied, choking slightly, as she looked at Ethan with a puzzled expression on her face. My..my wife...is she...alive? Rose started crying again, and took his left hand, placing it between both of hers, and giving a small smile. Goodness knows what's being going on in your head you silly man. I'm your wife, have been for almost two years now, and there's the ring to prove it. she said, as she raised her left hand to show the simple gold ring on her finger. Ethan tried to speak, but didn't know what to say, the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. Instead, he squeezed gently on Rose's hand and laid back, resting his head on the pillow. He tried to remember back, how he had got here, but all there was, was distant memories, blurred shadows of people, a glimpse of a gunshot, and waking up here. How...how long have I been...here? He asked again, turning to look at Rose, still holding his hand. Almost two months...do you remember anything at all darling? About what happened? Ethan shook his head slightly. Rose wiped the remaining tears from her eyes, and continued speaking; There was an accident at your laboratory, something you were working on went wrong, and there was a fire. Mr Austin...he was in there with you...he managed to get you out, but he...he didn't make it himself. Ethan tried to comprehend what was going on; But..he fell off the roof...I dropped him...I didn't mean to. Rose reached over and held him again. He inhaled too much smoke Ethan, it wasn't your fault. Ethan smiled slightly, and lay his head back down, everything was...right, it felt right, as though he belonged here, that everything that happened had been just a bad dream in a coma, but it had all been so real...so hurtful.
During the next few hours, Ethan and Rose talked, filling in all the gaps that Ethan had in his memory, though Ethan found himself beginning to remember events in his life that had never occurred to him in his comatose state, such as his wedding to Rose, days working at AusTech, buying his first house, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not remember the accident that had put him in hospital. He had met Rose at work, she was the receptionist at AusTech, but had always been good friends with Ethan beforehand, and as they got closer, they eventually had decided to get together, and tie the knot. Mr Austin had been an understanding boss, allowing Ethan to leave work at five, not allowing him to work late, so that he had a personal life outside of the workplace. He lived in a luxury apartment in Founder's Falls, his area patrolled by private security, the buses were always on time to and from work, and he earned a comfortable amount to live off of. Ethan felt himself accustoming quickly to his forgotten life, and over the next few days, he waited eagerly for visiting times, to see Rose and find out more about himself, and about what had happened in the world outside whilst he had been in the coma. During one of their talks, Dr Griffin walked in, to Ethan's bedside. Excuse me Mrs Mortimer, Mr Mortimer, I have some good news. It appears Mr Mortimer is recovering much quicker than expected, in a few days, he should be fit to go home. Ethan grinned and replied; Thank you Doctor, that's great news. The next few days suddenly seemed like a blur to Ethan, as he began making preparations to finally go home, before on the last day, dressing into black pressed trousers, and an aqua blue shirt, and waiting for Rose to finally arrive. He began to make his way down to reception, wandering down the antiseptic corridors, and from round the corner, came a crash cart carrying a woman pushed by two doctors, one male, one female, another pulling along an IV drip and small piece of machinery on wheels. Ethan looked at the woman on the crash cart as she was wheeled speedily past, and uttered out a name; ...Elizabeth... The female doctor looked back, and asked: Do you know this woman sir? as she slowed the crash cart to a halt. No...no. But...the illness, don't feed it. She needs to kept in stasis. The female doctor looked at him blankly, then turned back to the crash cart and motioned for it to be pushed forwards again, going down the corridor, further and further away down the corridor, as he stood there staring. He felt an arm encircling his, and Rose's voice perked up behind him; Hey there handsome, something wrong? Ethan turned to look at her, and kissed her gently on the lips. No. Nothing wrong at all.
As Rose began to drive him home, Ethan sat back on the passenger seat, and closed his eyes, still feeling tired after his stay in the hospital. There was a woman on a crash cart back there, before you found me. I could have sworn I knew her...knew what was wrong with her, but I'm sure I'd never seen her before, not in real-life anyway. Rose turned the car left towards a tunnel entrance, and responded; Is this the Elizabeth woman you were going on about when you woke up? Ethan tried to focus his memory back, but found simply a blurred shadow of his dreams in the coma. Yes...maybe. I'm not sure. I...I think I might need to see someone, you know, just to help sort out a few things in my head. Rose smiled; Well, you should ask Diane, she is a counsellor after all. Ethan looked at her quizzically. Rose sighed mockingly; She's a friend of yours, from back in college. She came to visit a few times when you were still unconscious. She's been out of town recently though, should be back today actually, she said. Ethan nodded. I'll phone her up later then, I'm sure she'll want to see me anyway. He looked out of the window as they exited the tunnel, to see Atlas Park, and the city hall standing proud in the distance. Bit quiet today isn't it? Can't see many capes around. Rose gave him a funny look as she drove. You know, capes, superheroes. People running around hitting bad guys. Rose tried to stifle her laughter as she drove onwards. Oh Ethan, it sounds fantastic inside your head when you're asleep. You'll have to let me in with your super powers some day. She giggled and carried on driving. Superheroes, honestly. Ethan continued to look out of the window, still expecting to see a brightly clothed person flying over the skyline, and slowly realising such a thing was implausible, but still the feeling of disappointment filled his heart.
After around half an hour's drive, they arrived at Ethan's apartment block, which looked more like a contemporary rendition of an Eastern European building, and most certainly looked expensive. Rose parked the car in the private underground car park beneath the building, and after she had turned off the engine, Ethan undid his seatbelt and got out of the car. He looked at Rose as she left the car, and at an open elevator carriage nearby. Race you to the flat. He said, a cheeky smile spreading across his face. Rose looked up, and smirked, before suddenly running towards the lift. Ethan began chasing after her , and easily overtook her, heading straight into the open lift. He turned to the elevator panel, and stared at the buttons, realising he couldn't remember which one to push, the numbers looking all jumbled up in his head. Rose ran into the lift, and pressed a button on the panel. Floor seven honey. She said, pushing him against the wall and kissing him as the doors slid shut. The elevator whirred, and ascended to the seventh floor, stopping suddenly as it reached its destination, and the doors opened. Rose led the way down the hallway, and into their apartment, closing the door behind them, and locking it shut. The apartment was large and open plan, taking up one half of the floor, with presumably a similar apartment taking the other half. The flooring was made of fine panelled wood, with carpeting around the living area of the apartment in the corner, where a number of leather seats sat around a large television, and bookcases lined the walls, filled with books. On the opposite corner was the kitchen area, near the windows looking outside. Ethan and Rose headed through a doorway in the wall adjacent to the kitchen, and into the bedroom.
The afternoon slowly turned into evening, and Ethan picked up the telephone by the bed, dialling the number he had in a phone book for Diane. He placed the receiver to his ear, and waited as the ringing sound was replaced by a quick crackle, and the sound of a woman's voice. Hello, this is the Budwick residence. Ethan replied; Hi Diane, it's Ethan. There was a gasp from the other end, and the shout of Diane's voice telling someone who was on the phone. Ethan! Oh my goodness, this is fantastic! Are you at home? Ethan responded: Yes I am, do you-- I'm coming round now, put the kettle on. The other end of the line clicked, leaving Ethan's end in silence. He placed the receiver on the hook, put the phone on a nearby dresser, and walked out to the main area of the flat, towards the kitchen, where he promptly switched the kettle on, and prepared three cups of tea. Memories started to flash back to him, of times in college, times spent with Diane as friends, and also briefly, as lovers. He remembered how Diane liked her tea exactly the same as Ethan did, white with two sugars, whereas Rose's was one sugar, with no milk. As the kettle boiled, there was a knock at the door, and Ethan saw Rose out of the corner of his eye walking towards the front door, and letting Diane in, who was wearing a red coat, and a white blouse and black trousers underneath. Ethan turned to face her, and Diane ran over and hugged him tightly. It's good to see you up and about Ethan, it really is. She said. Ethan hugged her back, before going to pour the water for the cups of tea. He handed Diane and Rose theirs, before speaking; It's good to see you again Diane. I was just wondering, could we talk this evening? You know...professionally? Diane nodded and smiled, replying; We could do that now, get it out of the way. Rose kissed Ethan on the cheek. I'll go and read in the bedroom for a bit, so you don't feel embarrassed. Ethan and Diane sat on the leather chairs by the television, and he recounted to her what he could of what he had seen during his coma. It all seemed so real, like I'd lived out everything for those years and years of my life. He said, as his story drew to a close. Hmm, well Ethan, it's a tough one. Diane replied. It seems to me, you're possibly secretly feeling intense guilt about how well your life has gone up to this point, and so, when asleep for all that time, your subconscious made you a whole new life, one in which things were all going horribly wrong, in order to try and atone for your guilt. Ethan nodded. Ethan, fetch me a book I think you have, its the one with the purple spine just there. Ethan nodded, and got up from the chair, headed up to the bookcase, and got the book. The cover had a picture of a human brain on it, but the title was jumbled up, and Ethan couldn't discern the letters on it. He flipped open the book, and found the pages filled with incoherent nonsense, letters scattered all over the pages in various fonts and sizes, none of it making any sense. No. he said to himself under his breath. He reached for another book from the shelf and opened it, the same incoherent writing was inside. He threw the books on the floor, and reached for another, and another, all of them featuring incomprehensible words. No, no no! It's all a lie, it's not real! He shouted, throwing the books on the floor. Diane came over to him; Ethan, what it is it? What's wrong? Ethan turned to her, tears forming in his face. The books, they can't be read! Dreams use the left side of the brain, reading uses the right side of the brain, you can't read things in dreams, because the left side of your brain can't make sense of the words!
Ethan ran past Diane, and picked up a set of keys from the counter in the kitchen area. He stormed to the front door, opened it, and slammed it shut behind him, as Rose came out of the bedroom to see what the shouting was about. Ethan went to the open lift at the end of the corridor, and pressed the bottom button on the lift panel. The doors slid shut, and the elevator carriage descended to the underground car park. He exited the lift once it stopped, and ran over to his car. He unlocked it, got in, and drove out of the car park, heading for Steel Canyon. The light of dusk was disappearing as Ethan drove to his destination, and the roads were emptying as rush hour drew to a close. He stepped on the accelerator, and sped down the roads, swerving round cars in his way, and hearing the tooting of horns behind him as he kept going. He reached Steel Canyon in little under quarter of an hour, and headed towards the AusTech building, before screeching the car to a halt outside the front entrance. He walked to the glass walled entrance, and went through his keys, until he found the right one for the lock, opening the door, and entering the building. The reception was as he had always remembered it, starting to become encompassed by the glow of moonlight behind him. He walked to his left, towards where the stairwell to his work shop should have been, and found nothing but a wall in front of him. He looked at the wall. It was very flat, the wall. Flat and smooth. Flat and smooth like all walls should be. But it was too smooth, like it had only recently been put there. He looked around, and saw a small metal post with a map on it. He picked it up, walked to the wall, and swung it at where the stairwell should be. The wall shattered, and collapsed like glass, the fragments disappearing as they hit the floor, leaving a rectangular archway in the wall, leading to the stone stairwell downwards. Ethan went through the archway, and walked down the stairs towards the work shop. The metal security door was absent from the door way, and he entered inside.
The room was bare, the concrete walls and floor devoid of the computer terminals that normally characterised them. All that was present in the room, was the gravitational stasis pod in the middle of the room, suspended in mid air, the door to the pod open. Ethan breathed in deeply, and walked over to the pod. Inside, a man lay, dressed in black leather trousers and boots, a black flak jacket, and an aqua blue shroud and cape. Ethan studied the man's face, recognising it, until he realised it was himself lying in the pod. The alternate version of himself opened his eyes, and looked at Ethan, before speaking: About time you got here friend. Now friend, make a choice. You can leave friend, and live the happy life friend. The best life friend, never worrying about things again friend. Or you can wake up friend, to the misery and pain you have friend. Ethan looked down at the floor, and left the room, heading up the stone stairwell, walking upwards, past the gap to reception, and up stairs that had previously not been present. He walked up the seemingly never-ending steps, tears forming in his eyes, and reached the top, where a wooden door opened, and led to the rooftop of the AusTech building. He walked slowly towards the edge of the building, the same spot he had held Austin over the edge. Ethan, stop! A voice cried from behind him. He turned to see Rose standing at the doorway. She ran over to him, and held his hand, trying to drag him away from the edge. Please, Ethan, come back! It's not what you think it is! she cried at him, as tears streamed down her face. Ethan looked out over the edge, and felt something he had never felt before. A sense of vertigo. He looked at Rose, and kissed her on the lips, before removing his hand from hers. It's been great Rose, but it's not real. He said, as he stepped backwards, over the edge of the rooftop. He felt the sensation of falling, the wind rushing in his hair and clothes, and the sight of Rose reaching out over the edge, getting rapidly further and further away. Then there was darkness.
The sense of floating was the first thing that entered Ethan's mind, as he opened his eyes, and found himself in a tank full of a blue liquid. He instinctively swam upwards, the top of the stasis tank uncovered, and grabbed the edge with his right arm, before removing the oxygen mask from his face, and various wires attached to his skin. He clambered over the side of the stasis tank, spilling some of the blue liquid onto the marble floor of the laboratory, more of it dripping from his soaking body. He was wearing his leather trousers, but nothing else. Walking over to the main computer terminal in the room, he wiped the liquid from his eyes, and saw the strange looking gun lying there. He picked it up, and walked towards the office area, still dripping wet, and readied the gun in his right hand. He turned the handle on the metal door, to reveal a surprised looking man in a white coat and yellow shirt looking directly at him, as he entered the room. What the..!? How did you get out? How did you wake up!? Ethan aimed the strange gun at the man, who raised his hands in the air. Wait..wait...don't shoot! Maybe we could work together you know? Or, or you could go to sleep again. You should have had the perfect world, that's what the gun does, it makes things perfect, targets the right area of the brain, and induces a permanent dreaming state. Ethan replied; Point one. Nobody messes with my head. Point two. Teach your damn gun to read. Ethan fired the gun, and a small projectile hit the man in the chest, who promptly slumped in his chair, unconscious. Ethan fired again, and again. We'll see how much of a good time you like. He fired the gun again, as the man's body started to spasm uncontrollably, and finally slump onto the floor by the desk. Ethan placed the gun on the desk, and felt for the man's pulse. There was nothing. Ethan waited for the feelings of guilt and shock to start flooding in...but nothing happened. He stood there staring at the corpse, feeling nothing at all, except a sense of satisfaction. He picked up the man's body by his legs, and dragged him through the metal door, into the main laboratory, and through to the generator room. He hoisted the body onto the railings, and flung it over the edge, watching it descend into the darkness, and disappear completely without a sound. Ethan left the generator room, and stared at the functioning laboratory. Well. he said to himself, crossing his arms. Time to get some work done. He wandered back over to the office, and into the en-suite bathroom. He promptly showered and dried himself down with a towel inside, before heading back out, and rooting through some drawers by the bed, until he found his clothes in the bottom drawer. He put the clothes back on, and wandered over to the desk the man had been sitting at. A newspaper lay on the desk, with the main page article circled in red pen. City Hall unveils new time-travel technology. Ethan said out loud. He grinned wildly, and laughed out loud as a plan began to enter his head.
!!!!
