Skye is the Limit by Phenomenal Pen (detective books to read TXT) 📗

Now Mr. Chase picked up the briefcase he had left in the corner. From the center of the floor, to the unbridled awe of the Imagineers except Zacharie and Jayla, a phalanx of blocks smoothly and quietly detached itself to then form an instant table.

“Thanks, Athena.”

<You are welcome, Alex.>

Opening the briefcase, Mr. Chase revealed the five necklaces packed in custom foam. Reading tags and then plucking them off, he walked around and handed the Pinch lockets to their respective owners. 

“We’ve taken the liberty of inputting your DNA code from the samples that our doctors collected during your physical exams.”

<Great,> Zacharie muttered.

Instead of just handing Jayla’s locket, Mr. Chase took great care to place the necklace around her pencil-thin neck. As the rest of the Imagineers watched, they each felt guilty thinking how apt her playground name “Fra-Jayla” had been.

Jayla smiled – weakly, shyly and without showing her teeth – at Mr. Chase, who was beaming down at her. Her smile was the first ever reaction the other members saw on her typically inscrutable face.

“To wrap up, if you line up all six of our rules,” Mr. Chase said, as Athena complemented his words visually. “You get T – E – A – C – F – P. You can use ‘teacup’ as a mnemonic to remember these rules.”

<You seriously need a blank tile,> Zacharie said. <That’s not even ‘teacup.’>

<Well, maybe it’s a broken teacup,> Rip retorted without thinking.

Ellie burst out giggling.   

“Wait up. What do we need a mnemonic for?” Lu asked. 

“Well, that’s because in a full-length SKYE episode, you’ll suffer some degree of memory loss.”

“Memory loss?” Ellie echoed.

“Only inside the dream. Humans don’t use focused, conscious thought while dreaming. Neither do we process our dreams into our long-term memory. Basically, dreams are non-essential stuff that we all habitually, efficiently get rid off. Hence the need for Reconsolidation Points and long-term deposit via the Benben Stones.”

“But you’re gonna remind us, right?” Ellie asked anxiously. “Who we are and what we came to do?”

“We will try our best to refresh your memory, yes,” Mr. Chase answered. “Actually, Athena will because she’ll be with you every step of the way inside SKYE. Think of her as an ever available Tech Support. Still, due to the nature of dreaming, the longer you stay in SKYE the more you’ll be subject to bad long-term memory. You’ll keep forgetting even if we remind you.”

Mr. Chase paused in case anyone had anything to say.    

“Well, I guess that about covers everything. Let me just reiterate that you’ve got nothing to worry about. I’m sure it’ll be a walk in the park, you guys.”

The Imagineers became quiet.

“Well,” Lu was the one to break the silence, “we did sign all those waivers. We know why we’re here. I mean, we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t know the risks.”

“True that,” Mr. Chase said. “Now, if there are no other questions about the rules, let’s tick that off and proceed to the second item in our agenda: your schedule.

“I originally planned today to be a warm-up field test but, as per the advice of our President, we’ve decided to postpone the fully televised SKYE Beta run to tomorrow. Fred is anxious that you guys have jet lag and I agree with him. For today, you’ll have the rest of the day off. An intern and naturally Athena will give you a tour around Omni Systems HQ, including the Link Station and the gym, and then she will leave you at your in-house quarters for a good, long rest. If there’s…”

“I’m not tired,” Lu said. “How about you guys?”

Ellie shrugged while Rip and Zacharie remained quiet.

“Tell you what,” Lu said. “I’d prefer to try SKYE at least once before the big day tomorrow. As long as there’s no media coverage today.”

“Um, I don’t know about that,” Mr. Chase said. “Mr. Patel and I have already…”

“Let’s do it.”

Every single person in the room turned their head to the source of the high-pitched voice. It was Jayla.

****

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