Nightmares and New Leads

Jess sat upright in bed, her breath shallow, her skin clammy with sweat. The remnants of another nightmare clung to her mind like cobwebs—flashes of white rooms, the hum of machinery, the feeling of cold hands pressing against her skin. She rubbed her temples, trying to force the images away.

Sleep had become a battleground. No matter how exhausted she was, the nightmares came. Each one more vivid than the last. Each one leaving her with the creeping suspicion that they weren’t just dreams. They were memories.

*****************************************

The next morning, Olivia sat hunched over her laptop at the small dining table, her brow furrowed in concentration. The others milled about the bungalow, packing up, sipping coffee, trying to figure out their next move.

"I found something," Olivia finally said, turning the laptop so they could see.

Leanna, Jess, and Ryan gathered around as Olivia pointed to an aerial satellite image of a remote facility. "This is a Vanguard Biotechnics research lab. It’s not on their website, and it’s not listed in any of their corporate reports. If you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for, you won’t find it."

"How’d you find it?" Kevin asked, setting his coffee down.

"I cross-referenced some old land purchase records with subsidiaries owned by Vanguard," Olivia explained. "They’ve been quietly buying land in this area for years, but this facility is the only one that has a security perimeter and is connected to underground utilities."

Jess stared at the screen. "Where is it?"

"Small town in the Midwest," Olivia said. "And get this—it’s near where your mom said she was living."

A heavy silence settled over the group.

"That’s not a coincidence," Ryan muttered.

Leanna frowned. "If she’s really hiding, why would she be living so close to them?"

Jess exhaled sharply. "Either she’s keeping an eye on them... or she’s still working for them."

No one responded. No one wanted to voice the worst possibility out loud.

******************************************

Later that afternoon, as Leanna sifted through Monroe’s files, a loose page slipped from the folder, sending the entire stack spilling onto the floor. She swore under her breath and knelt to pick them up. As she gathered the scattered pages, something caught her eye—a small white rectangle tucked between two sheets of research notes.

It was a business card. Leanna picked it up and read the embossed letters:

Special Agent Samuel Richter
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Washington, D.C.

Her pulse quickened. "Guys..."

She held up the card, and the others gathered around.

"Why would Monroe have a contact in the FBI?" Kevin asked.

"Maybe he was trying to blow the whistle," Olivia suggested. "Maybe he had someone on the inside who knew what was happening."

"Or maybe the FBI has known about Project Prometheus this whole time," Ryan muttered.

Leanna stared at the card. "Either way, we need to find out."

******************************************

That night, the group made their final preparations. They would leave in the morning, heading first to the Midwest town near the Vanguard facility to find Jess’s mother. After that, depending on what they learned, they’d decide whether to reach out to the FBI agent.

As the others slowly drifted off to their rooms, Jess lingered by the lake, watching the moon reflect on the still water. The weight of everything pressed on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Ryan.

"Couldn’t sleep?" he asked.

Jess gave a humorless chuckle. "Haven’t slept in days."

Ryan leaned against the wooden railing beside her. "We’re leaving tomorrow. This is your last chance to back out."

She sighed, hugging herself against the night chill. "Ryan... you didn’t sign up for this. None of you did."

"Neither did you."

Jess hesitated, then looked up at him. "I mean it. If you want out, I won’t hold it against you. You have a life, a future. You don’t have to throw that away for me."

Ryan studied her for a long moment. Then, without a word, he reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out his phone, and deleted something from the screen before holding it up to show her..

Jess’s breathing stumbled for a second. He had deleted his train ticket home.

"I’m not going anywhere," he said simply.

For the first time in days, Jess felt something warm push through the numbness in her chest. She nodded, blinking quickly. "You’re an idiot."

Ryan smirked. "So are you."

Jess laughed softly, then turned back to the lake. They stood there together in silence for a while before Jess finally whispered, "Thank you."

****************************************

Despite her exhaustion, sleep didn’t come easily. Her mind was a storm of unanswered questions, half-formed memories, and a lingering fear that none of this was going to end well. She rolled over in bed, staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours before finally giving up. Slipping quietly out of the room, she made her way to Leanna’s door and knocked lightly.

A moment later, Leanna answered, rubbing her eyes. "Jess? What’s wrong?"

Jess hesitated, then swallowed hard. "I can’t sleep."

Leanna sighed, stepping aside to let her in. "Nightmares again?"

Jess nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "They’re getting worse. I keep seeing things—machines, hospital rooms, people I don’t recognize but feel like I should. And every time, there’s this voice... this little kid’s voice... saying, I don’t want to disappear."

Leanna sat beside her, listening carefully.

"I don’t know if these are just nightmares or if they’re real memories," Jess continued, running a hand through her hair. "But it’s messing with my head. Just when I thought I knew who I was, the rug gets pulled out from under me."

Leanna placed a hand on Jess’s arm. "We’re going to find the truth. Whatever it is. You won’t have to go through this alone."

Jess let out a shaky breath, nodding. "I just... I don’t know if I’m ready for the answers."

Leanna gave her a small, reassuring squeeze. "Then we’ll take it one step at a time."

Jess nodded, leaning her head against Leanna’s shoulder. For a while, they just sat there in silence, the weight of the world pressing down on them. But for the first time in a long while, Jess felt like she wasn’t carrying it alone. Tomorrow, they would leave. Tomorrow, they would face whatever came next. But for now, at least for a little while, she wasn’t alone.