[Text to All Accessible Network Devices]

[apidae]

Hi everyone, it's your friendly neighborhood beekeeper :) If you're not all too busy having a nice breakfast together, I was just wondering, this is a bit of an odd question but here goes: has anyone met a boy named Jay in their dreams lately? Like within the past week.

Comments

[andhiswife]

[Give her a moment, she almost dropped her phone twice in excitement.]

Yes! A week ago exactly.

[privately]

[apidae]

Oh! Wonderful! Did he tell you anything? Is he okay?

My name's Bee by the way!

[andhiswife]

He said he'd died, and that he was stuck. Have others spoken to him since then?

Sorry, I'm Greta.

[apidae]

Okay. That's what I thought. Thank you so so much. I'm with a close friend of his who was with him when it happened and thought he was gone for good, but he must still be out there if he's in our dreams, right?

[andhiswife]

That's what I'm hoping. How is his poor friend holding up? Is there anything else I can do?

[apidae]

Not too well, I have to say :\ he's not used to asking for help. But I'm doing my best. I'll let you know, thank you <3

[andhiswife]

It's no trouble. Let me know if you hear anything new.

THE NEXT DAY probably sometime around/after the time Jay finds Greta

[apidae]

Greta!! My friend the Balladeer says Jay is back and he's a ghost! He might be lost. If anything weird or creepy is happening around you it's probably him. Well hopefully.

[andhiswife]

He's with me now, but he can't speak. Where does he need to go?

[apidae]

Oh! That's good! The Balladeer said he'd tell him to come to his building, which is the old Rebel one, but that was a while ago, so maybe he's not sure where to go? Where are you staying?

[andhiswife]

I'm in the other one. Where's the old Rebel one? Is it far from here, do you know?

[apidae]

Not too far! We're just across the park. It's a little out of the way because the lake is right in between us, but if you follow 86th St across you'll get to the west side where we are. The building is at Columbus and 92nd. I'll be here all day.

Tell Jay Tim knows he's here and he'll be here too, if you could. :)

[andhiswife]

I will. Hold on.

[andhiswife]

I'm going to walk him over. We should be there soon.

[apidae]

Okay! I'll buzz you in! Thanks so much! :D

[singthesong]

[Oh.

Ohhhhhhhhhhh. Crap.]

I'd forgotten about it until just now, but yes.

[privately]

[apidae]

Oh gosh. When? Could you sense anything weird about him? I'm with a friend of his now, and I'm really worried.

[privately]

[singthesong]

It was during that dream with all the superheroes. Were you there?

I'm sorry, but he's dead. [There's no comforting way to put that, but he's accustomed enough to death that he has no real trouble coming right out with it.]

[apidae]

Yes I was, that's where I saw him. I wasn't really myself at the time but I had my power, and I remember. I saw he was dead. But he must still be there. People are dreaming about him, and it IS him. Otherwise I wouldn't have seen his patterns.

[singthesong]

Did you notice anything off about them? Besides being dead. [That probably qualifies as unusual for her.]

[apidae]

His friend is much worse off. I just completely fell apart on him when he asked me what I knew, it was awful. They've both been infected by some kind of creature, I think?? It's hard to tell. But his friend is a good person. He doesn't want to do any harm. I think the same must be true of Jay.

[singthesong]

It sounded sharp and fuzzy to me, like static. Whatever it was. He sounded normal underneath, I think, but I didn't want to listen too closely to it.

It isn't the same thing Johnny has though. It sounded smaller. Not to mean less dangerous - it echoed less.

[apidae]

Yes that sounds about right. It's terrifying, whatever it is, I don't like it at all, but it's not who they are. His friend just wants to protect everyone from himself. I don't think whatever it is followed them here the way you're describing Johnny's thing, at least not entirely. Do you have any idea where Jay is now or how we can reach him? Long shot I know.

[singthesong]

Sorry, no. Normally I'd hear him coming from a good ways away with that, but I don't think that's going to help unless we're in the same dream again.

Do you know Daniel Jackson? He might be able to help.

[apidae]

I met him a while back! He's a sweetheart. I haven't heard from him in a while. How could he help?

[singthesong]

[Oh. Um.]

He sort of ascended to a higher plane of reality a while back.

It's different from being dead! He's not dead. Just not traditionally alive.

[apidae]

[Oh god. It takes her several attempts to reply, and even when she succeeds it's just...]

Oh.

[How could she have not known? What kind of terrible friend is she that she never found out about that? She kept promising Peter she'd stop by to hang out, and so rarely did, and now he's moved out, and what if something like this happens to him, or anyone else she cares about, since it seems to be a possible epidemic? What if it happens and she just doesn't know?]

So you think something like that happened to Jay? Can you reach Daniel?

[singthesong]

It isn't the same thing, but it might be similar? Daniel probably knows more about being between alive and dead than anyone else anyway.

[He himself has known plenty of dead people who stuck around long after they shouldn't - maybe he used to live in one of those between places himself. But obviously he never knew how to get out of it.]

He said he'd done this before. I can't reach him, but he just shows up out of nowhere sometimes. He's getting better at controlling it - maybe he'll visit again soon.

[apidae]

Huh! Okay then! :p

Thanks for all your help. I'll let you know if anything new comes up.

[singthesong]

Alright, no problem!

THE NEXT DAY

[singthesong]

Hey, you there?

I have good news and bad news

[apidae]

Hi! What's up?

[singthesong]

Jay isn't trapped in dreams anymore!

But he's a ghost now. I think.

[apidae]

Oh!!

Oh.

Well that is certainly different.

[apidae]

How do you know? Can you see him or did you just hear his song??

[singthesong]

I can't see him or hear him. But I can hear his song. And I'm pretty sure I can feel when he touches me, it's all cold.

[singthesong]

I don't like it. It's terrible.

[apidae]

Oh no :( Well I don't know if he actually knows who I am but if you could just tell him to come to my building? He lives here too. And tell him I know Tim. Is that okay?

[singthesong]

Sure thing!

[apidae]

Thank you!

[singthesong]

No worries! He's on his way.

[i_jones]

I haven't. Shall I keep an eye out? Is this a recent development?

[apidae]

It is recent, and it's not my business to share I'm afraid. I'm asking for a friend. Really, though. I'd really appreciate you keeping an eye out if you could!

[i_jones]

No problem. I'm excessively familiar with the dream landscape. I'll let you know if I make contact.

[apidae]

Thanks so much!! :)

THE NEXT DAY

[apidae]

Update! He's back in the waking world, sort of. Apparently he's a ghost now. Just fyi.