~Videl~

Standing in front of the door marked 104, Videl shivered. It felt like breaking into a dead person's home. Not that she knew what that  felt like, but still. The person who had lived here was basically dead. Fried by the faulty program of a cryo-pod. She held her wristband in front of the door, and the laser scanned across it. An indicator flashed green. A beep sounded as the door unlocked and slid open, but she didn't move a muscle. It was dark inside, foreboding. Steeling herself against the ominous feeling of death, she forced herself to step inside and felt along the wall for a light switch. Feeling nothing but a bare wall, she battled against the dread and anxiety when the door slid shut behind her - and with the soft clinking sound of the lock, she was shrouded in the pitch darkness . Videl did the only thing she could think of. Apprehensively, she said, "Lights on?"

And miraculously, the lights activated at her voice command that sounded more like a request. Feeling a short-lived bolster to her confidence, she looked around at what appeared to be a living room. There was a comfortable-looking faux leather sofa that was a shiny milk-chocolate color. A folded fuzzy pink blanket draped over the back of it. There was a small coffee table in front of the sofa, and a flat screen television was on the wall, suspended against it without a stand to hold it up. A room further back that appeared to be an extension of the living area was still dark, but from the silhouettes she could see in the shadows, it appeared to be the kitchen. There was a door on the left side of the room, and two on the right, that resembled the metallic front door, but Videl wasn't ready to explore the rest of the private quarters. So, she sat down on the plush cushions of the couch and pulled the pink blanket around her. That same overwhelming sensation of déjà vu washed over her again. This was something that was undoubtedly and eerily familiar, but at the same time, foreign to her. Not to mention, the feeling was laced with an unbearable loneliness that she wasn't entirely sure belonged to her. 

She let herself slump until she was laying on her side with her head resting against the arm-rest of the couch, the blanket wrapped around her like a cocoon. She was so tired, which didn't make a lot of sense, considering she'd been "sleeping" for months on Cryo-Level 3, but she found herself thumbing her wristband anyway, projecting the hologram screen in front of her. Seeing the wallpaper image of the old Videl with Sienna brought tears to her eyes. They looked younger, like teenagers. She didn't cry, though, she didn't have the energy to do it. She wondered for a moment, if she could call Sienna now, tell her friend everything as she imagined the old Videl had done many times in a past she no longer remembered.

But Videl decided she would rather do it in person - it seemed more appropriate for such serious matters. Instead, she chose to search on the web-browser: 

cryo-sleep symptoms

She needed to know what was normal to expect after waking, and what was not. The first article that popped up began listing the basic known side effects.

                                              - Light/Sound Sensitivity

                                              - Numbness/Tingling

                                              - Vertigo/Dizziness

                                              - Lethargy

                                              - Nausea/Vomiting

                                              - Mild Dehydration

                                              - Extreme Hunger

                                              - Insomnia

Videl figured that those headaches must have been a unique symptom due to her Recall corruption and the resulting damage, so she wasn't surprised that they weren't on the list. She had experienced almost all of the symptoms in varying degrees, was still experiencing some even now, but she was relieved to read that full cryo-sleep recovery could be expected within a week, or at most, two weeks. From what Dr. Sharp had told her, she was in cryo-stasis for six months before the malfunction woke her too early, so a couple weeks of symptoms didn't seem too bad, considering that. However, her relief vanished instantly when she began to read further down on the web-page where others had shared their comments about their experiences recovering from cryo. One of the "top comments" jumped off the screen and filled her with trepidation.

                            Funny how they forgot to mention the 

                            VIVID NIGHTMARES?!  It's not fucking 

                            insomnia, we're afraid to go to sleep!

As she read the replies, more and more people were agreeing wholeheartedly with the original comment, even going on to describe their own nightmares and recounting the variety of ways they had attempted to stay awake until the effects of cryo-sleep wore off. The more she read, the more she became afraid to fall asleep herself, despite the overwhelming exhaustion and the cozy warmth of the blanket that threatened to pull her under. She shook her head, deciding not to be tired and forced herself to sit upright. Her bleary eyes landed on what looked like the remote for the TV. She thumbed her holo-menu, closing the screen to banish the web-page from her sight, and grabbed the remote. She tapped at the touch-sensitive surface until she managed to find the right spot, yet still flinched when the flat screen responded. 

Videl pulled her knees to her chest and fiddled with the remote until she figured out how to sift through the channels. She flicked through them drowsily, mindlessly, as if she'd done this very thing many times before. Her attention was grabbed by the title "Sleeping Beauty." Without taking the time to remember why the title sounded familiar, assuming it was another moment of déjà vu of the many she would have to experience, she clicked it. She settled in to watch, sighing at the feeling of loneliness that cloyed her heart once more, wondering if she should have asked Sienna to come over to keep her company. Surely, it was something a friend of hers would gladly do, though it lent to the possibility of revealing what had happened to her when Sienna had enough time to inevitably notice how strange Videl was acting, compared to the girl she'd known for years. But she just wanted to watch the movie and try to forget about the cryo-pod malfunction, Kane's iciness, the comments she'd read, the fact that she was a stranger in her own body, if only for a small amount of time. I'm a grown-up, right?  I can watch a movie by myself.

She soon learned that it was an ancient animated film from a time before Starships - like the one she was on - existed. It featured a princess named Aurora who was cursed by a vengeful witch to eventually prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel when she turned 16. The witch intended for her to die, but one of the good fairies amended the spell so that she would only sleep until she would awaken from the kiss of her one true love. Her father, the king, had ordered all the spinning wheels in the kingdom to be destroyed, but despite her father's efforts - and those of the good fairies who tried to hide her and protect her - the witch conjured one in the castle. Videl thought the scene where Aurora was led to touch the spindle - by the way of an eerie trance - was a little scary, but overall, Videl was swept away by the beautiful, moving artwork, the sound of the princess singing in the woods to little birds, taken by the dashing prince who soon sang with her in a romantic ballad called "Once Upon A Dream." The film was like a dream in itself, profoundly magical and outside the realm of reality, and Videl wished she could join the world that the characters lived in, and escape the scary one she found herself in. A world with helpful fairies, lilting vocals, and long-forgotten forests where animals dwell.

Unfortunately for Videl, halfway through the movie, she suddenly remembered why the title had sounded familiar. It wasn't because of some memory lost to cryo, it was that creepy guy Lars who had called her "Sleeping Beauty" in the Cafeteria, referring to her cryo-sleep as a curse that had been broken. Recalling his biting, sarcastic tone and the way he looked down his crooked nose at her like she was actually the evil witch Maleficent, rather than Aurora the Sleeping Beauty, sent a shiver down her spine. She pushed away the thought as quickly as she could, and managed to focus again on the whimsical music and the colorful pictures on the screen. Videl was impressed by the prince who managed to escape the dungeon, with the help of the good fairies, and slay the evil witch who had transformed into a fire-breathing dragon. When the movie was near its end and she was watching the prince and princess dance together, while her dress changed from pink to blue because of the fairies, Videl finally relaxed into the comfort of the couch, humming the tune of the "Once Upon a Dream" song until she was lulled to sleep. 

Falling. Falling. Falling into a deep, dark chasm. Videl landed hard on a floor beneath her that hadn't seemed to exist seconds before. She tried to scream, but a hand clamped tightly over her mouth. She struggled against it as another hand groped at her body. "Oh, please," a nasty, grating voice growled at her. "You know you want this." Videl boiled with rage, her screech of fury was tragically muffled by the fingers that responded to her attempt by squeezing tight enough to make her cringe. The rough hand that wasn't covering her mouth began to jerk her pants down, and her rage blended with blood-curdling fear. She wrenched herself back and forth wildly, but the body on top of her was too heavy to budge, threatening to crush her under its weight. With every ounce of strength she had inside of her, she managed to smash her head into her assailant's hard enough to make her see stars. The disgusting hands peeled off of her immediately to grasp a bloodied nose. "You broke my nose, you bitch!" The nasty voice wailed. Videl took her chance and tried to crawl away, clawing at the dark, desperate for escape. But a hand snatched her by the ankle and dragged her across the floor. She twisted onto her back with a throbbing sensation from her ankle protesting the movement. She didn't care - she glared up at the man and spit in his face. Cold, black eyes glared back at her. "I'll make you regret that." A sudden, sharp, bone-rattling pain flattened her to the ground, the blunt force of it nearly stealing the light from her eyes, and the last thing she could hear was a malicious cackle echoing in the darkness. 

Videl bolted upright, sweat slicking her hair to her forehead. She started to sob, her breaths coming out in short gasps, but she didn't feel like she was getting any air into her lungs at all. The nightmare felt so real, but by the time she stood up - tossing the fuzzy blanket onto the couch, it was already fading into the recesses of her mind, leaving behind only the remnants of the emotions she'd felt within the horrifying dream. Still shaking, she grabbed the remote and shut off the TV - the perky insurance provider's voice disappearing as the commercial disappeared into the black of the powerless screen. Her own reflection stared back at her, disgusted by her disheveled appearance. Videl took a deep breath and after a long, calming exhale, she went to look for the bathroom so she could take her first hot shower in six months.

~Kane~

Kane laid awake all night, tossing and turning. Why should he mourn the loss of a pain in the ass as monumental as Videl? He couldn't help it, though. It felt like a death, and regardless of their animosity, she was someone significant - someone he'd known for years. Her golden eyes - that for so long blazed with unjustifiable fury and hatred - had been suddenly replaced with ones that only reflected pain, confusion, and sorrow. They had shaken him in a way that they never had before. That look ignited something in him that wanted to protect, and he resented that he had any sort of feeling like that for Videl. Or anyone, for that matter, but especially her. He'd been burned in the past for being over-protective of the females in his life, and Videl was someone who formerly needed no such protection. It was too ridiculous to even spare his thoughts on the subject. 

With an ill-natured grunt, he got up from his bed and changed into his gym clothes, then snatched his cordless earphones from their charger case, stuffed them in his pocket and grabbed his gym bag. He needed to get his mind off the unsettling events of yesterday. And there was no better way to clear his head than hitting the weights. After a couple hours of strength-training, he collapsed onto the bench in the locker room, panting. 

"Yo! King Kong!"

Dare's voice was a welcome break from his psyche that had been about to sink back into distress. He was a gym-buddy of Kane's, and he would often ask Kane to spot him on the bench press. 

"Gojiraaa!" Kane howled, pushing himself back up into a more respectable position. "What's up, man?"

"You wanna grab some breakfast?" Dare was out of breath and drenched in sweat, just like him. 

Kane's stomach growled loudly in response.

"You heard the beast," Kane hauled himself to his feet, grabbing his gym bag out of the locker while they both laughed. 

"Let's get it," Dare said, slapping him five as they went to leave for the Cafeteria. 

Every muscle in his body ached, and he was so preoccupied with thoughts of Videl that Dare was honestly a gift from the Stars that morning. Dare's easygoing nature was a perfect balance to Kane's generally foul mood. Once they got to the Cafeteria, they both opted for the vending machine breakfast burritos, rather than standing in the queues for pancakes. 

"Dude," Dare almost choked on his breakfast burrito, trying to talk halfway through ravenously scarfing his food. "No one makes pancakes like my mom."

They had almost finished their burritos by the time they got up the stairs, but they sat down at a dining table anyway. 

"Why are we getting breakfast from a vending machine then?" Kane chuckled, implying that Dare's mom should have made them breakfast instead. He crumpled the wrapper in his hands and threw it toward the trash can. It bounced off the rim, landing on the floor and Kane sighed, getting back up to throw it away properly - ignoring the protest from his sore muscles. 

"Mom's recovering from bunion surgery," Dare whined. "Dad just makes biscuits and gravy."

Kane laughed as he stretched his arms above his head. "Hey, at least he cooks." He returned to his seat across from Dare and reminisced, "I was lucky if my dad threw a carton of instant oatmeal at me." He chose not to mention his mother's cooking (or lack thereof in the later years.) That was a subject he refused to think about, let alone reminisce about out loud. 

As Dare responded, Kane's eyes drifted toward a table in the corner. He stiffened slightly - Sienna and Videl were sitting at that table huddled together, whispering. He hadn't noticed them there until that moment. Videl looked at him for a split-second after Sienna's hand clapped down on the table hard enough to rattle the glass syrup container resting on it as her whispering turned into a vehement hiss. His eyes narrowed at them and Dare seemed to notice Kane's attention had been diverted. 

"Woah. That your girl?" Dare asked, glancing toward Videl, noticing Kane's focus on one of the girls in particular.

Kane tensed for a moment before forcing a relaxed demeanor. "No way. Just browsing."

Dare grinned. "Sure. . .for wifey."

Kane feigned a glare before they both burst out laughing. Really though, Dare was funny and all, but Videl and Sienna might as well be wrapped in caution tape and covered in red flags.