We exploded, slowly. First I was bludgeoned by the shock wave and then blanketed in heat. Even at a snails pace there was no pain. There was just enough time to regret stepping in. It had been a trap. Jet had told me several times and of course I knew. What else was I supposed to do but spring it...or at least try.
I had expected to find cities upon cities, populated with Ren's victims who would be living out painfully hopeless existences as drones in rancid hives. But that's not what it turned out to be. When Ren sucked someone in they were discarded save the circuitry of his or her brain. He pillaged minds for experience and sensation, for raw data and storage. The information that had been fed to Luna and Jet was mostly fabrication. Ren's domain didn't work like my mind. It didn't allow the presence of more the one consciousness, at least not for that long.
And there I was disintergrating.
"You're not welcome here. You did your best to keep this from happening but you've failed. You will be purged."
"You can't!"
I felt myself reduced down to one molecule. The brightness was gone. There was darkness and silence...for about a minute.
"He's like a black hole sucking everything in."
"Zaley?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"I piggy backed."
"What?"
"I never got out of your head."
"Jet's gone."
"I know, but you're not alone."