Adia Costas

Winter continued its reign on Atlantis, but all around, there were signs that spring was coming.

Songbirds returned to the woods, their chirps and whistles filling the air. Crocuses began to push their way out of the ground. Humans spent time in the growing daylight hours preparing the fields and their own gardens for the coming season.

There were signs that Caspar was getting better, too. He stopped freezing Adia out, or pretending he was okay when he wasn’t. Like a thawing river, he let his thoughts and emotions out, little by little, until he could share what was on his mind with her freely. The nightmares lessened, as did his desire to project.

At least, not without including her.
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Every month, when the moon is full, Adia has the strangest dreams.

Not the vivid nightmares that she occasionally has of Caspar dying from a poisoned spear, or Atlantis falling under a malevolent attack. And not the more mundane dreams of being back in school, except for some reason she hasn’t attended classes all semester and she has a final paper due and she can’t remember her locker combination. Those are normal dreams, or at least normal for what she’s lived through.

No, her dreams during a full moon are of a different nature entirely.

She is in the wilderness: a forest, a beach, the rolling foothills of a mountain. It is always night, and the stars in the sky are so close that if she reached up, she is sure that she could touch one. The moon hangs low and bright like a lantern. Wherever she goes, it lights her way.

Sometimes there is a deer, pale and skittish in the distance. Sometimes she is the deer, running swiftly across the wild terrain.

She feels a pull from the moon above her. A gentle beckoning. Look at what I have to show you, it calls to her. Open your eyes and see.

When she tries to look, she catches the faintest glimpse of something. A tapestry made of endless silver threads, scrolling out into infinity.

But that’s all she gets before she wakes up.

~*~

Babysitting Hera was always a welcome break from Adia’s typical routine. She loved spending time with Karl and Sharon’s daughter, and though Hera had plenty of aunties and uncles to watch over her, it gave Adia a special warm feeling to know that she was one of Hera’s favorite caretakers.

It was probably because of the stories. Adia had started a tradition of telling elaborate tales about the Nexus to Hera. Keeping the Nexus a secret on Atlantis was taxing at times, so it was a relief to share what she could, albeit couched in the pretense of fiction.

She was wrapping up a tale about Princess Hera introducing a lightning-wielding king to hot chocolate, when the the little girl tugged at her sleeve, urging her to stand up. “Auntie, I want to show you something, okay?”

Adia smiled and obliged. “What is it?” she asked, expecting another hand-drawn picture.

The world around them shifted into the Nexus. Adia blinked and stared at the familiar sight of the Plaza, complete with couches, fountains, and vending machines. “Wh—“

“I’m projecting,” Hera said with a proud smile. “Like Mommy.”

Projecting. It was a skill that Cylons had of creating powerful mental images that they could share with other Cylons. But not humans. Their brains weren’t wired for it. “How… how am I seeing it, too?”

Hera’s smile grew. “You’re dreaming.”

Oh.

Wait, what?

Her wide-eyed stare returned to Hera, who suddenly didn’t seem anything like the little girl she knew. The expression on her face was far too mature, and her eyes were silver, nothing like their usual dark brown.

“But you don’t have to be,” she continued. “You can do this, too, Adia.” Her eyes shined like moonlight. “You just have to open your eyes and see.”

~*~

Adia woke with a start, her heart pounding in her chest.

What was that all about?

“Hey. You okay?” Caspar was lying next to her in the early dawn light, his expression alert. On edge. For a moment, she thought she could hear the crashing waves of the beach and smell the sharp tang of seawater. But when she blinked, the sensation disappeared.

“I’m fine.” She snuggled into the warm flannel sheets. “Just another strange dream. I was reading Hera a story and… then we were in the Nexus, I think? But… she wasn’t Hera, and then she told me something…”

Adia sighed in frustration. Why did these dreams disappear from her so quickly?

Caspar leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I’ll get the fire started,” he murmured, then left the bed to do just that. Anastasia quickly took his place, hopping up and finding a warm spot against Adia’s side. In moments, the kneazle dozed off again, purring contentedly in her sleep.

Adia smiled wistfully at the sight. If only it were that easy.

The entrance to the pokémon cave hasn’t changed much since I was here with Caspar and Professor Madrone. It looks like the Professor fixed the part of the wooden fence that had been chewed through, but otherwise, it’s the same. A cool, quiet entrance in the middle of the bustling forest that abuts the back of the Professor’s lab.

I take a deep breath of the heady summer air before stepping inside.

There’s no Magnemite to light the way this way this time, so I have to settle for a flashlight. I keep the beam low to not startle the roosting Zubats or the Woobats who hold fast to the wall with their heart-shaped noses. I’m sure both Caspar and the Professor would have wanted to accompany me on this second trip, or at least send me off with a Pokémon companion, but this is something I need to do alone.

Besides, it’s not dangerous. Or, at least, not dangerous for me. I don’t know where Caspar got the idea that I like to rush headlong into danger. Danger finds me, no matter how hard I try to protect myself against it. At least for this situation, I know what to expect.

Hi! Hello! Hi, Adia! Adia! Hi hi!

A chorus of telepathic voices greet me when I step into the next cavern. I smile at the gathering of Solosis and pat their round, green bodies as they roll up to my feet, but I tell them that I can’t stay long, there’s something I need to do in the next room. They whine disappointedly and I try not to giggle because it reminds me too much of Anastasia when she wants attention. I promise that I’ll come back soon, hopefully to watch them compete in another stacking contest with Wobbuffet. They chatter their goodbyes, then roll over to the shallow pool in the middle of the cavern for another soak. It must be how they maintain their sticky, gelatinous coating. Although they’re able to control their stickiness, so maybe —

Ah, my mind’s wandering. It’s far too easy to get caught up in questions about pokémon physiology. I make a note to ask Professor Madrone about it, then continue on.

The last time I was in this cavern, I was lucky enough to witness an evolution ceremony. But now, the cavern is empty — no dancing Clefairy, no Magnemite and Magneton hovering in the eaves. I shine my light on the two large stones in the center of the space — one glimmers like dark metal, the other glows a cool greenish-gray — but otherwise, there is nothing but silence and shadows.

I sit down on a low, smooth ledge and pull out a box of Poké Puffs from my messenger bag. The cashier at the bakery assured me that pokémon find them nearly impossible to resist, and I can see why. They’re like little cupcakes, frosted in a variety of bright colors, and smell delicious. I fold back the lid, and put them beside me.

And then, I wait.
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Once Khan is defeated and the anti-violence field snaps back into place, Adia hurries to Steve’s apartment to check on the three pokemon who live there. They would have had an excellent view of the destruction, even though the neighborhood is thankfully undamaged. Adia can only imagine how anxious they are, cooped up all day with no way to check on Steve.

She wishes that she had better news to bring them.

The superintendent is in his office — a small blessing. He gives Adia a spare key, and she uses it to unlock Steve’s door. She barely has it open before Sarah comes barreling through, knocking her over and barking excitedly in greeting.

“H-hey!” Adia laughs despite herself and half-pets, half-pushes at the growlithe who is now whining and licking her face. “Easy, Sarah. It’s good to see you, too.”

Ethel plods into view and lets out a sharp, metallic bark of annoyance at Sarah, nudging the dog-like creature off so that Adia can get back on her feet. Undeterred, Sarah trots down the hallway, looking for Steve and whining when she doesn’t see him.

Adia thanks Ethel quietly and dusts herself off. “Sarah, come back into the apartment with us, okay? I have something to tell you.” She steps inside and looks around; someone has knocked the pillows off the couch and there is a chewed-up drawing pad on the floor, but no fires or holes in the wall. That’s good. She spots Bucky perched at his usual spot on top of the bookshelves and gives him a whistle, but he makes no move to fly to her, his gaze wary.

Sarah bustles pasts her and sits down next to Ethel. Adia shuts the door and takes a moment to breathe slowly before facing three sets of attentive, worried eyes.
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