Page 35 of Dreaming

He was blindfolded when they took off until they were above the cloud line. He was blindfolded again when they started their descent. This time, it remained in place as he was escorted from the plane and into the back of a vehicle.

The drive felt like an hour, some of the trip over bumpy road, until he was carefully helped to the ground.

“Not too much longer, Mr. Hancock. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

“She’s close? Nia is close?”

“A few more minutes.”

It was cold where they were. Dennis was grateful when they went inside.

The blindfold was removed and he found himself in an elevator with half a dozen people. The doors opened and he was led down a long, bright hallway.

Hollow said, “I’ll check back later. I’m trusting you, Dennis.” With that, he walked away with his people.

A woman in a lab coat waited with a warm smile. “Hello, Mr. Hancock. My name is Krystle Kasper. I manage the Think Tank and see to the safety and comfort of our people.”

Gesturing to the door beside her, she added, “This is Nia’s suite. It also has her lab and workstation. It’s critical that you say nothing to her that could be considered a puzzle for her to solve. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“She’s still fragile and she cannot work. I’m going to assume you’ve never seen this side of her because we work carefully to decompress her before she returns to her normal life. You mustn’t be alarmed.”

Krystle cleared her throat. “If you become alarmed or feel you cannot handle this, it’s imperative that you remove yourself from her presence at once.”

He nodded.

“Be calm and steady, Mr. Hancock. She’s the same Nia you fell in love with...she’s just in a vulnerable place right now.”

“I understand.”

The woman pushed the door open silently and Dennis crossed the threshold.

Across the room, Nia laid on her side facing the wall, her back to the room. She was whispering to herself.

“Network, number, obstruction, operator, order, percolation…”

Looking down at the woman beside him, he asked the question silently.

“They’re mathematical theories, Mr. Hancock. She recites them to calm herself.”

Approaching the bed, Nia’s voice was hoarse. “Perturbation, probability, proof, quantum, queue, recursion…”

Touching her arm lightly, he murmured, “Nia. My Nia.”

“Semigroup, set, singularity, spectral, string, surgery…”

“It’s Dennis. Come back to me, Nia. Come back to me.” He shrugged off his jacket, toed off his shoes, and left them where they fell. He could tell she’d lost weight. “Nia…”

Her voice stumbled. “…Th-theory of equations, Topos, transcendental number…”

Carefully pulling back the blanket, he stretched out behind her and wrapped her in his arms. “It’s Dennis. I missed you, Nia. I missed you so much.”

“Tw-twistor…”

“I missed you, baby.”

“Ty…” She swallowed hard enough for him to hear it. “Type.” Quiet for a long moment, her entire body started to shake. “D-Dennis?”

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