For a time, there is little to interact with. The mind just continues, on the ethereal path that slowly starts to resemble more solid and concrete. Walls flicker in and out of view, the occasional lamp dangling overhead.

Instead of a scene playing out before him, Nick will pick up white noise in the once agonizing silence. At some point, he would make out the harsh words: "Gutter born BITCH!"

Static. There is sound of a struggle. Two women fighting, lashing out at one another. The other's voice is distorted, but the first...

"No!" yells the same woman who cursed before. "Fight BACK, damn you!"

More static. Somewhere in the noise, Rey can definitely be heard, but remains nowhere to be seen: "Why? So you can feel better about" --static-- "lling me?"

"You do" --static-- "to me!"

The sound of a blade sinking into flesh is more audible than one would ever deem comfortable.

"See?" comes Rey's ragged voice. "That wasn't so hard."

Drops of blood dribble across the floor at Nick Valentine's feet. It shouldn't, but logic and reason barely bares sense in a mindscape this conceptual.

Safronov speaks again, almost as if she's making sure Nick knows that she's still there, not losing him into the darkest place of the synthetic mind.

"Ah. Good. I can work with this," Safronov says. A few seconds later, she adds: "Careful going ahead. Getting some warnings. Something about 'mnemonic synthesis'--"

She cuts out abruptly.