Page 106 of Tapeworld Induction

The degree of showmanship surprised Dylan. Astrid was really enjoying herself. A little bit too much.

The gathered guests were ready to answer for him, wet with enough liquor and spirits.

“Yes!”

“Sleep! Sleep! Sleep!”

Astrid’s brows raised and she let the chant go on for a bit. As she looked over the crowd, she spotted Dylan and let her face drop subtly.

All of Dylan’s awareness rose in alarm, heart rising in her throat.

Astrid continued. “A sleep where all of your dreams might come true?”

Nicholas was quiet, an awkward smile on his face.

“He’s not feeling it, is he?” Talia said.

“I don’t blame him. Who the fuck gets excited about sleep?” Maybe these rich folk, to help them forget all the harm they do… “Are we just gonna let it happen? We know what that thing can do...”

Talia pulled her polyester cape tighter to her, arms tightly folded. She didn’t look away from Nicholas’s plight.

But Dylan only took a step forward before her friend grabbed her arm, rainbow-coloured polyfill nails like sharp blades in her skin.

“Don’t.” Talia stared her down, lips curled. “There are too many people.”

Dylan acquiesced, but she was fed up. It didn’t feel right.

Astrid lowered the headset onto Nicholas’s nervous face, wrapping it around his eyes and clicking it into place. “Shhh, dear Nick… Beddy-byes now!”

Visibly struggling with the constraints of the Sleeper hardware on his head, the man soon quieted as the LEDs on the device turned green. The Sleeper was active.

Loud gasps from the rich fucks in the crowd gave way to a slow build-up of approving noises and claps. The crowd was enraptured. Astrid was focused on Nicholas.

Now was the time to sneak upstairs.

“Keep an eye on the spectacle.”

Talia realised what she intended to do and didn’t fight her this time. “Good luck.”

37

Muscles

Dylan

She went against the flow of the crowd, down the corridor to the foyer. No more than two or three guests were still wandering around there, perhaps looking for the toilets to consume soft drugs or, even worse, tobacco. Dylan kept her eyes down, arms crossed, one hand thumbing her phone as she walked – trying not to look suspicious.

Around the bend, a staircase led her upstairs. The marble and then concrete slabs of the floor below were now replaced with varnished wood, the smell strong. There had been no bouncer securing the stairs, but that only made her feel more uneasy.

Talia’s texts to the group chat came at an even pace.

@talia: Dude’s hands and feet are shaking.

Dylan walked quicker, eyes flicking between the shut doors of various rooms, looking for a hint. All of them had electronic pads beside the handles, presumably for access cards. That didn’t bode well.

She could still hear the noises of the crowd downstairs and Astrid’s booming voice.

“Now, those convulsions are normal. It’s still in beta, folks!” Astrid said. “All part of the process…”