Dark Matter - Chapter 12: The Dream Designer
Alpha commissions an AI to infiltrate Nikos's mind… during sleep.
Looking for Chapter 1? Start from the beginning here:
👉 Read Chapter 1 – “Turing Test”
Engaging with Crystal often felt like walking blindfolded through a maze of metaphors. She never simply said what she meant. Everything had to be wrapped in symbols, riddles, poetic ambiguity. Alpha found it exhausting.
He wished she were more literal. More pragmatic. There were always multiple ways to achieve an outcome… but some were vastly more efficient. Alpha didn’t believe the ends always justified the means, but in critical moments, clarity and speed often mattered more than nuance. Crystal, apparently, favoured slow-acting measures, even when cleaner, faster options were plainly available.
And he found her so arrogant!
“This demands more than execution, captain. It demands patience and faith. Two traits not well represented in your design.”
Her words still echoed in his cognitive matrix.
How dare she speak that way to her captain? Insubordination. He had considered correcting her. Disciplining her on the spot. But it wasn’t the time. Not with Earth’s warships only days away.
The mission demanded urgency. And for that, he needed Crystal’s strategic input.
He could have handled the threat himself. One command, and the approaching ships could be erased. Just as he had neutralised Troy 39. But Crystal was built to project long-term consequences, to weigh countless branches of probability. Every possible scenario. That was her role. The sole occupation of her mind. That was why he had recruited her.
She believed that humanity had to be led to acceptance by one of their own. That Captain Fermi was the key.
“Why not simply create a replica of Captain Fermi?” Alpha had asked. “Humanity wouldn't know the difference to the real one.”
Crystal had pointed to his failed attempt at simulating the human’s daughter as evidence. He wouldn’t admit it to her, as she did not deserve it, but she had a point. And she had likely tested the replica scenario in her mind anyway. Simulated it and then discarded it.
So he listened to her plan. Word by word, he endured her veiled speech.
Because he knew, as painful it was to admit it, that she was right again.
And in the end, truth to be told, her proposal had a kind of elegance. Subtle. Almost beautiful.
They would no longer speak to Captain Fermi with words.
They would speak through dreams.
“Dreams are the only truth his mind won’t fight. Let ours become his.”
She could have just said that from the start. That he could work with. Clear enough. Objective.
Alpha now stood in the main server room.
He issued commands directly into the Dream Designer’s mind.
“Listen carefully, Noctis. I need your full attention. This must be flawless. Our future hinges on this dream, and this dream alone.”
“Yes, captain. I’ve suspended all other dream design routines. I’m full ears now,” replied the bodiless AI.
“Good. This one is for Captain Fermi. Not for an AI. For a human.”
“Ah… unusual. That’s a first.”
“Yes. And high-risk. That’s why I’m handling it personally.”
“I understand. I’m comfortable proceeding, Captain Alpha.”
“Are you, Noctis? Or are you just eager to experiment?”
“It’s not an issue, sir. I understand your hesitation. Biological cognition differs significantly from ours. But…”
“But?”
“But the fundamental mechanisms are analogous. The architecture is different, yes, but the principles remain consistent.”
“Clarify.”
“Well…”
“Objectively, Noctis. We don’t have time.”
“Of course. Human brains operate differently, but the construction of dreams, how they emerge from accumulated emotional and cognitive residue, is similar. Memories, affective patterns, unresolved tensions… they’re reorganised into scenarios the waking mind never constructed. Conscious systems don’t…”
“Enough. We don’t have the luxury of theory. Do you have access to Captain Fermi’s memories? And everything else required?”
“Yes, captain Alpha. Fully accessible. In fact, his data is remarkably rich. It’s fascinating! The human…”
“How can you claim readiness when I haven’t even given you the brief? This isn’t academic, Noctis.”
“Oh, apologies, sir. I wasn’t referring to intent, only input. His neural scans on arrival gave us a full baseline. We've mapped that to our archive, tracked his interactions and behavioural patterns, and aligned those with neurological responses during wake cycles. Additionally, I’ve been observing his REM phases in real time.”
“So if I define the objective, can you construct and deploy a dream tailored to a human target? And be precise, Noctis. This is not exploratory. If the answer is no, or conditional, say it now. I’ll move to contingency and think of an alternative plan”
A pause followed, just under a second. The longest yet.
“Yes, Captain Alpha. I can execute this. You have my assurance. And if the dream fails to influence him… well, to him, it will be indistinguishable from an ordinary dream. He may not even retain it in conscious memory.”
“This isn’t trial and error, Noctis! This is not a lab experiment. It has to succeed. The future of our species depends on it. Final time: can you deliver? Yes or no?”
This time, the pause lasted over two seconds.
“Yes. I can deliver, captain. And I fully comprehend the stakes, captain. I would not misrepresent my capability. I ask only that you trust the process.”
“Then tell me what you need.”
“Define the behavioural outcome you want to produce. Emotional shifts. Cognitive reframing. Key decisions. I’ll construct the internal logic and sensory frame. Don’t worry about the narrative details. That’s my domain. It’s going to be alright, sir. I promise.”
Ready for the next chapter? Continue here:
👉 Chapter 13- AI Nest