Chapter 96: Visions And Plans

"Daaaaaadeeee." Tenchi seemed to hear from a great distance. "You gonna wake up?"

The darkness shrouding his senses seemed to be lifting gradually, though the room about him remained fuzzy.

"Key?" The child's voice came again. "Why don't he open he eyes?"

Tenchi tried to concentrate, certain that he recognized the voices. Not an easy feat, feeling like he was swimming in Jell-O.

"Give him a moment sugar bear," He seemed to hear distinctly. "You're daddy's been through a lot."

That was putting it mildly! Disorientated as he was Tenchi could only agree. Even as the realm, which lay beyond the veil of consciousness, begrudgingly relinquished its hold upon him, images continued to assail his senses. Flickering recollections, a collage of sights and impressions beginning with the four of them standing in the green house. In a twinkling, Tenchi found himself on a guided tour of every place he could remember ever having been!

Then expanding out even further at one point finding him self standing upon what he instantly recognized from pictures as the torch deck atop the statue of liberty in New York harbor! Scenes continued to fly about his perceptions!

Like most young men, Tenchi always wanted to someday see the world. Now in the blink of a eye he had gotten his wish! None of these perceptions seemed remotely false. Nor were they mere visual images, each location having smells, textures and nuances binding all to his memory with the subtlety of a branding iron!

He had never been to Australia, yet recalled clearly watching embers float upwards from a bond fire in the outback. Only having read about Africa in books, yet he found him self for a few seconds looking into the eyes of Nubian mines men deep beneath the diamond rich earth.

More disturbing still was those images, which seemed towards the last of his recollections. For a few scant instances, Tenchi recalled being on the bridge of every Jurian Tree-ship in orbit about the earth! Watching their crews fall into blind panic as one by one each system went silent.

Further and further outward his senses had seemed to spiral from there, Ending at last, standing upon a rock-strewn vista of red sand, looking up at a mammoth shield mountain that made eternal Fuji appeared an anthill by comparison, dominating the horizon line beneath a tired rusty sky!

After which, it all had mercifully faded but not before he was left with one final terrifying perception of Sasami somewhere screaming his name!

"He cry'n Key!" The voice he at last recognized as Mayuka called. "DADDY WAKE UP!"

Tenchi's eyes snapped open as he sat bolt upright, one cry upon his lips,

"SASAMI!" Frightening the dickens out of everyone in the room in the process.

"Easy cowboy!" Kiyone soothed, taking his shoulders in her hands applying just enough grip to keep him from thrashing. "Your safe!"

"Key!" Tenchi cried, only now starting to understand that he was indeed among friends.

"Right here Masaki." Kiyone told him sliding her hands down onto his arms, looking deep into his eyes. Tenchi continued to stare at her slightly bleary eyed his chest heaving.

"Just take it slowly!" Kiyone gave him her best smile. "You've been through some rough stuff!"

Now at last taking in details of the room, Tenchi seemed to find some equilibrium.

He was just about to inquire about what had happen when he noticed Mayuka, siting on his legs, tear filled eyes wide as saucers.

"Oh Mayuka!" Tenchi cried, extending arms to his daughter.

No further urging was needed to throw her chubby arms about his neck. Answering the embrace stroking her hair, Tenchi looked about, trying desperately to take some stock.

This was obviously his room on the second floor. From the light coming through the moon shaped window he gauged the time of day to be roughly mid to late afternoon...

"Again?" He wondered wryly. "How long have I been out?" Tenchi asked Kiyone.

"Little over eighteen hours plow-boy." Key told him bluntly. "We were starting to get worried."

His response was to slowly nod, not really knowing what else to say on the mater.

"You were out like a light!" Mihoshi added from her place standing slightly behind Kiyone, drawing his attention to the fact that she was there.

Upon noting that, Tenchi's eyes made another slow circuit of the room.

"Where's Ayeka?" He finally asked.

"I guess she wasn't hit hard as you." Kiyone told him sternly. "Seemed to be on her feet a lot faster than most of the other Jurians." Tenchi blinked several times, reflexively squeezing Mayuka, trying to fit it all in with what he could remember having seen. Admittedly without much success.

"What are you talking about key?" He asked, watching her chew her lip.

"Whatever it was that turned you and the plants in the greenhouse a into light bulb, seemed to knock out every piece of Jurian personal and hardware in the vicinity!" Kiyone then shrugged a little disappointedly. "At least temporarily."

"What?" Tenchi echoed.

"With the exception of that goddamn shield!" She added sourly. "Ayeka and I both, got the frizzed hair to prove it!"

Tenchi blinked again, it all seemed to be coming a bit fast.

"What about Washu's lab?" He asked after a moment, his thoughts turning briefly the direction of his father not to mention their resident mad scientist.

"Blocked from this side apparently." Mihoshi stepped in. "I opened the door and all I could access was the storage space under the stairs!" She paused thoughtfully.

"Nobody's seems to have seen little miss crab-head either!"

"And Grandpa?" Tenchi almost wondered aloud. Considering what he had seen on the way to Ryoko's cave the day before, it seemed a valid question. Especially since it appeared Washu was missing as well.

"I, I didn't think to check the shrine!" Kiyone admitted after a moment, blushing slightly.