Stay awake. The words nagged at the back of my mind, but I brushed them aside because we had more pressing matters at hand. Who did Alex kill? What was that creature? Why was it trying to hurt her?

We went to my place at my suggestion, thinking that we could put all the latest technology my father owns to good use. He has highly sophisticated programs that allow users to find specific information, filtering it automatically depending on the authenticity and relevancy.

"This is sick!" Cameron said while manipulating the grids that overlay our computer room. "I've never seen this setup before, even in those high tech virtual reality cyber cafes."

"Cyberealities." Hady corrected mindlessly, her attention was on a screen at the back of the room.

"You don't even need rigs! How does the computer even know what I'm doing?" Cameron continued.

"We have sensors installed in the walls." I answered.

"Is this even legal?" She asked. I was about to say it was perfectly fine to have sensors until I realized she was studying information that displayed in an interconnected web beside a video screen. "Real name, address, blood type, relationships... It's all here!"

"What?" Alex and Cameron said simultaneously, walking towards Hady to see for themselves.

"Well, no. It isn't legal for the public, which is why it isn't on the market," I explained, feeling something like a criminal. "But my father wrote the program."

"What?! I always saw your dad as sort of a benefactor." Cameron said.

"Where do you think the money comes from?" I asked rhetorically.

"Old money, maybe?" Alex supplied, "Your house certainly looks as though it's been handed down generations. I feel like I'm in some historical drama. Except, I don't think there were many Asians in Victorian times."

"Our family has always been invested in... Staying ahead. We were quite philanthropic back then, selling ideas and patents to the poor by requesting a sum of their royalties. So we have always been able to live comfortably without being in the public's eye. That's what my father's told me. Although, in recent years, he decided to go public with a corporation, which is why I understand why you thought that." I directed the last line at Cameron.

"That's pretty awesome if you ask me." Alex said.

"But still..." Hady trailed off, still captivated by the web of details. "I feel like some kind of digital pervert. I know how many cats she's had, what their names are. What her father does for a living, Christ! I now know more about her than I do myself!"

"Look, it's not something we power up every day. My father likes to keep a piece of his technology here and I thought it would be useful to aid us in our search. However, if you're uncomfortable using it, we can use another system."

This was met with protests from the other two. Alex claiming it was too valuable to waste, saying something about Hady's morals, which I refuse to repeat.

"I'll gladly take over for you, dear little sister, so you won't have to get your hands dirty." Cameron provoked.

"You wouldn't even know what to look for!" Hady hissed in response, turning back to the computer and we went back to the tasks she has set out for us: "Alex with me on videos and the two boys on forums."

"Guys," Hady sounded hollow even as she broke the heavy silence, "Guys... Look at this about Milana." We scrambled towards her at the urgency in her voice.

"Milana?" I asked, followed by Cameron's, "Who is Milana?"

"The first eversleep case ever recorded." Hady replied.

Upon reading the glowing words that seemed to float in midair, Alex let out a little gasp.

"No..."

But there was no escaping what lay before our eyes.

CAUSE OF DEATH: EVERSLEEP (19)

"No!" Alex raged, "If the authorities are aware of this, why isn't anything being done?"

"Maybe they want to keep it quiet, so they can prevent, say, public panic?" Cameron answered.

"Maybe you were right, Alex. Maybe it is some kind of... Conspiracy." Hady said.

I stayed silent. A wave of fear washed over me, and I nudged Hady out of the way, typing in the words Dana Everleigh.

I didn't care about the eyes behind my shoulders. All her information was laid bare. My eyes skimmed across every excruciating detail until I found it.

MEDICAL RECORDS
BROKEN ANKLE (9)
TONSILLECTOMY (10)
PNEUMONIA (12)
CAUSE OF DEATH: EVERSLEEP (17)

"They've already written her off as dead." The words fell from my lips.

"But she's not dead." Alex said firmly, "So whoever put that information there doesn't know everything."

"She's right, Dan. Don't let this bring you down. She's not dead, we've seen her." Hady said with a fierceness. But I couldn't bring myself to reply, my brain whirring with this new information. Then, I typed in: Eversleep

I set the parameters to penetrate past the common web, to dig into what past generations have called the dark web. A rumor based on the truth. Activating the Shadow System and LOOP Sequence, I bypassed authorization and tried my best to hack into Eridunian. The proper name for what has been called Mariana.

Suddenly, the screen went black. All the glowing grids vanished. Leaving us standing in the dark.

"What did you do?" Hady whispered.

Right then, a mint-colored font flashed on the screen.

ACCESS DENIED

Followed shortly with:

FRIEND OR FOE?

The three words disappeared into blackness, glowing to life more menacingly than the last.

"Oh for the love of all that is-" Alex said with exasperation, stepping in front of me, "Not this bullshit again." She typed FRIEND into the system and entered. All at once, everything returned to normal as though nothing had happened.

"Wow. That was disappointing." She said.

"That just proves that there's something more." Cameron said.

"Whatever it is, it's powerful." I agreed.

"This is evidence it's real." Hady said at last. "We could-"

"There would be way too much incriminating evidence." A voice came from the door. "Such as why we would have this kind of technology in our possession, and we would be prosecuted first before any investigation is launched about eversleep."

"Now, Daniel. I would ask you who the ladies and gentleman are and what you kids are doing here, but, I already know." He tapped the side of his head.

To the others, it would have looked as though he was implying knowledge, but they didn't know about the little chip implanted behind his ear.

"What I would like you to understand is that knowledge should be used responsibly."

His voice seemed to drown everything out.

"Father! You're home early, I had thought-"

"That you could sneak behind my back? You ought to have known better, my boy. Would your guests care to join us in the dining hall? I'll have Gerard send some refreshments."

I looked at my company, and they all looked stricken with awe. Alex was the only one bold enough to answer him.

"Sure, sir."

We went upstairs and entered the dining area. Gerard hovered around my father, his mechanical arms held delicate china and a streaming pot of tea. The in-built trays were filled with an assortment of biscuits and sandwiches, which, he was setting out carefully on the huge dining table. 

It never made sense to me why we would need an exceedingly long table for the four of us. We would only sit at one end, leaving the rest of it incredibly empty. Dana always said it looked lonely, and I can't help but agree, now that she's gone.

"I'm sure your friends have questions. I'm sure you do as well. While I'm disappointed you did not come to me, I want to hear what you have found." My father said, straight to the point and articulate as always. He tried instilling that in Dana, but she had none of it. I, on the other hand...

"My apologies, father. I know what you have said regarding the act of assumption, but I hadn't realised you no longer had any qualms about the existence of eversleep and therefore, sought my own means to help Dana. I have dreamt of her, along with my friends. This might sound preposterous, but I think she is in another world."

I could hear Alex choking back her laughter and the pressure of my father's severity hung around my neck. There was nothing I could do to rein her in. I watched as my father's eyes widened, and I braced myself.

"Alex," He called, "is there something you find amusing?"

"Oh, thank god!" She burst out, "I thought I was gonna die listening to the both of you. I don't mean any disrespect, sir, but this formality thing is ridiculous."

The corner of my father's mouth twitched and he relaxed minutely, "I suppose you are right. However, I do find the use of proper words useful in discouraging misunderstanding."

"There's nothing to misunderstand, sir. When we go to sleep, we can interact with each other in our dreams. It's a whole new world of impossibilities. I passed Hady a note in that world and she woke up with it in this one. And we're not alone; there are these... Natives or something that live there. Hostiles. One of them-"

"Mr. Everleigh," Hady interrupted. I could almost see steam rising from the top of my father's head. If there is one thing he hates, it's interruption. It doesn't matter if he's the one being interrupted, or a child. He finds it the most insulting crime. But I understood why she did it. To save Alex from blurting out what she did, ever so carelessly.

"If you don't mind me asking. What do you know about eversleep?"

"I know that it has not been investigated or researched by governments, which suggests of their knowledge pertaining to it. I do not want to claim I understand why they have chosen to keep it a secret, but I believe it's to do with their involvement."

"You're saying that not only do they know about this, they might be the ones who created it?" Cameron asked.

"Precisely."

"But why?" Hady wondered out loud.

"Look at the trends in our society." My father said, activating the implant with a natural flick of the finger. A grid appeared in front of his face. It began transforming into a simple graph as he pulsed instructions to the system through his brainwaves.

"Crime rates have gone down drastically." He said simply. The implications he left in the silence were deafening.

"No, Dana is nothing but good. She would never have contributed to committing a crime!" I cried in outrage.

"Not every system is perfect, Daniel." He answered carefully, "Yet the truth is in these statistics."

He threw out his arms and the grid lay flat on the length of the table, showing us data from the past few years.

"No more suicides. We are at an era of low psychological disorders. Even the homosexuals have been eradicated."

"What's wrong with homosexuals?!" Alex asked indignantly.

"Nothing but the laws that have governed people for centuries," My father replied gently, "and those laws have become so ingrained, it is unfortunate as a developed civilization, we are unable to rise above mistakes of the past."

"This is... This is just too much." Hady said, " Why does it only affect those around our age? How does it work? How can we exist in two places at once?"

"Now, that's where it gets tricky. I am unable to provide those answers due to the lack of data accessible to me. In other words, I would like you to help me understand eversleep in a way only those who have experienced it can."

At around a quarter to five, we were all mentally drained by my father's insistence over the smallest details. He finally decided it was too late, and he didn't want to keep anyone from their "duties as a child", ordering everyone home.

After everyone left, he turned to me and said, "I am proud of you, son."

"Your mother would be proud too, had Dana not taken up all of her time and energy." I detected bitterness and regret in his voice. 

He trained his eyes on me. I saw conflict in them. And I understood. 

He could not tell me to continue on, and yet he could not bring himself to tell me to stop. On one hand, mother would not be able to bear the loss of another child. On the other, their salvation. Dana and mother's. 

I nodded.

"Yes, father. I understand." 

He gripped my shoulder firmly and I felt the assurances he tried to convey, along with a desperate plea. Bring her home, bring them both home.