Chapter Text
The visitor stood before the prison gate.
Having pressed the button to summon Sam, there was nothing to do but wait.
He shuffled in place, looked around, surveyed the landscape dipped in the reds and muted blues of dawn. It was a cold winter morning, and his breath misted the air when he breathed out. He rubbed his arms, but warmth was hard to preserve when you were just standing around doing nothing and also wearing just a shirt and jeans.
Sam arrived. Clad in dull enchanted netherite, he cut a menacing figure in the twilight.
"Tommy," Sam greeted him curtly, and he nodded back.
Without another word exchanged, the two of them made their way into Pandora's Vault. They stepped through the tunnel, and the outside world ceased to exist.
The prison was all-encompassing and daunting. No windows, no contact to the rest of the server. The massive complex sprawled room after room, like a dungeon almost, and just as foreboding. Walking through was an exercise in extremes, cold black stone trading for scorching hot bright lava and back again. The black walls and orange lights made it seem even more sinister, the long corridors and extensive checkpoints stretched time torturously long with suspension.
Sam followed his routine with a concentration and dutifulness he would have found admirable if it weren't for the fact that that routine was horrifying. The prison was truly a nightmare, especially for those who would dare and try to escape it.
Sam led the visitor through the chambers and to his death.
The pain of it was nothing new, but having his respawn point set to the bed in the wall was stressful, no matter how much he calmed himself, told himself that he would be out again soon.
His chest itched. He suppressed the urge to touch it, all too aware of Sam's steady, heavy gaze.
"You know, I'm surprised. Normally you're much more chatty. It's professional for a change."
He smiled in answer, somewhat forced, and concentrated on staying on the right block, so he wouldn't fall off.
The final stretch, the agonizing wait for the lava levels of Dream's cell to sink, was pure torture.
He was silent, Sam was silent, and he wished he had something to distract himself with. Something to take his mind off of how awful it must be, to sit in one small room, with nothing for company but your thoughts, day in and day out. Not seeing the sky, not feeling the breeze, delivery of food the only change of pace.
And the occasional visitor.
Walking across the moving bridge felt like stepping into a trap, knowing it was there, steel jaws about to snap shut, but having to continue anyway.
Dream, when he came into view, looked anything but alright.
He looked... diminished.
His posture was loose in the way of those that had bowed beneath their fate. His green hoodie was ragged and filthy, what was visible of his cheeks under the scuffed mask was sunken in. Compared to the picture of the man he'd been before, one could think they were dealing with only a cheap imitation.
Or an impostor.
Heh.
Dream lifted his head just slightly as the visitor stepped in, enough to look at him through matted hair, from where he was sitting slumped again the wall. The mask obscured it, but the visitor knew he was the focus of Dream's whole attention.
"What do you want, Tommy? I didn't do my fucking homework yet."
Oh, seemed like there was still some fire left, at least.
Good, that meant that he would have an easier time convincing Dream of what he wanted to do at least.
The visitor smiled, and Dream flinched, hackles raised, but not snarling yet. He tensed further when the other lifted a hand - then stared incredulously when instead of going for the book on the lectern or reaching out to hit Dream, the hand settled on the other's chest.
And then reached into it.
The clothing the visitor was phasing through rippled, tinted green and shiny, and then the hand came out again, clutching a thin rectangular device.
Dream gaped at it, then looked up, searching the visitor's face.
He didn't take too long to process, and when he called out, it was scratchy and tinted with faint disbelief:
"No way are you here. Green?"
He was answered by a mischievous grin. "In the - well, not flesh exactly," the now-named Green said. His timbre was deep, too deep to belong to the child whose face he was wearing.
Another ripple, full-body this time, and it was no longer an imitation of the teenage troublemaker standing there, but a taller, vaguely man-shaped being.
It was obvious he was not human: what was visible of his body was green and slightly transparent, reminiscent of a slime. He had a head, but his face was featureless, and his clothing was just a whole-body suit without sleeves, in green and black and white, with a simplistic smiley face drawn on the chest area.
Relaxed now that he no longer had to hold up the disguise, Green made himself comfortable. He sat on the edge of the cauldron and swung his legs. "So. You liking the prison life?" he addressed Dream, far too casual for the situation.
Opposite him, rearranging himself with legs crossed on the floor, Dream snorted.
"Obviously. Look around!" He gestured to the claustrophobically tiny cell. "What's not to enjoy?"
Green chuckled wryly. "Well. I certainly would hate it, and I can see you do too. But! Luckily for you, I have a solution."
He held up the device he'd pulled out of his chest. It had been anything but comfortable, having the thing stuck in there, but it had been the only way to get it not only past Sam, but past the normal respawn mechanics as well.
Dream followed the tiny device with his eyes, brows furrowed.
"This is a special communicator," Green explained smugly. "Set to transmit my exact dimensional coordinates." He gave Dream a proud look. "Everything Vio needs to teleport in, and all of us out of here. I just have to say the word and you'll be free in no time."
It wasn't the most complicated rescue plan - then again, complicated plans tended to fail more.
"No."
Green blinked.
Oh really. Did Dream want to pull this now?
He leaned forward. "No? Are you sure about this? I know you can't be comfortable in here. The isolation... the monotony... Tommy the only one to visit you." He tilted his head, almost mockingly. He wanted to drive the point home. "Eventually, it will get to you. You know it will. You will deteriorate, your mental walls will crumble, and who knows what you will tell anyone who asks eventually, so desperate for the company you will be. Perhaps now you are still ok, but with time..."
Green didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to, they both knew what extended treatment like that would do to people like them.
To a person like them.
"...My answer stays the same." But Dream stayed stubborn.
Green stood up. He barely resisted the urge to stomp his feet.
How fucking childish!
He felt anger bubble hot through him, and were he a normal slime, he surely would be boiling.
"You... fucking idiot! I don't care how much self-imposed punishment you think you deserve, you can't stay here long-term!" He paced the length of the cell. It was so frustratingly tiny, he already felt claustrophobic, which only hardened his resolve. "It would destroy you! Reduce you to a pathetic version of yourself! And what about us, huh?" He spread his arms, trembling slightly. "What would we do, without you? You're the only one we trust to always help us, no reservations! Who will break up Lucky and Ex when you're gone?! Nobody else could get in between those two when they are having a spat. The gang, the troublemakers. And me? You would seriously leave us alone, just because you convinced yourself that you deserve everything they dish out, that you need to pay-" he choked, suddenly too emotional. He was not- he wasn't supposed to break during this, damnit! He felt a sob catch in his chest.
Dream, for his part, looked a bit shell-shocked. He reached out a hand to Green, instinctively, but then didn't go further, unclear on what to do.
Green sniffled. Then giggled weakly. Typical Admin, never afraid to go between and against forces of nature even, but utterly lost when it came to emotional issues.
"I can't leave here," Dream murmured.
He tried again. "Admin. Dream. You have people that care about you. Rotting away in this prison won't help you or anyone. And if you truly want redemption, you're not going to get it by wasting your life away in here, pitying yourself."
Dream stared at him. Stubborn. Too stubborn. "I won't leave," he said once more, resolve leaving his voice cold, and Green suddenly knew he wouldn't be convinced. Not soon, anyway.
Not without incentive.
Green steeled himself. "Fine. Then you leave me no choice."
He lunged. Dream was already scrambling, but there's nowhere to run in here, and Dream was weak from these past weeks of prison life. It was pathetically easy for Green to wrestle him to the ground and keep him there. Though the body squirmed underneath him, Dream didn't manage to buck him off, and the fight was lost as soon as Green managed to catch both wrists and pin them to the prisoner's chest.
Green looked Dream into where his eyes would be behind the mask, adjusted his grip, and with the hand not busy restraining him, clicked the communicator.
A moment or two passed, punctuated only by their rapid breaths, before, with a soft vroop, another figure appeared in the cell.
This one looked eerily like Dream himself, as he was in his prime: Immaculate green cloak and bandages around his arms and legs, a smiley face mask sitting proper and clean on his face. The only difference laid in how tall he was: In the low-ceiling cell he had to crouch to fit his whole body.
Thus awkwardly perched in the only free space left between Dream, Green, and the sparse furniture, the newcomer took a second to assess the situation.
"Hello Green, hello Admin. Looks like negotiations went well," he drawled after a second, masked gaze settling on the duo on the floor.
"Shut up, Vio." Green said, "I can't deal with another wisecracker after I already had to argue with this idiot here." He didn't look down, but he could feel Dream glaring at him for the insult. Served the stubborn bastard right.
Vio tilted his head, in a way that let Green know he was smirking beneath his mask. "But you look so very comfortable down there!" he chirped.
"He's very tough to handle," Green defended himself.
"I'm sure. Do you say that when you lose manhunts as well?"
Oh that was a low blow! Green made to argue - then sighed. It wasn't worth the energy right now. "Just... come and help me. I want to get out of this place as soon as possible."
Vio pouted- "Aww. How cold. And here I thought I was more to you than just means of transportation," he said dramatically, but gripped Green by the arm and Dream by the collar anyway.
"Shush," Green said, yet he was smiling. He braced himself.
Another vroop, and the cell vanished, almost at once replaced by the soft sand and lapping water of the shore outside Pandora's Vault. The abrupt change in scenery gave him whiplash and only his previous experience with this type of teleportation prevented him from losing his lunch. Dream, for his part, was especially lax in Vio's grip, looking rather green around the gills. Green found himself guiltily glad that Dream probably hadn't eaten much beforehand. He had no desire to spend the rest of this escape covered in vomit.
"What now?" Vio asked. He was looking around warily, searching for anyone who could have seen.
"We get out of here, as planned," Green replied, and hosted the unresisting Dream into his arms. Green was strong, but Dream was worryingly light, it was far too easy to lift him. They'd have to get him some regeneration potions at the nearest opportunity.
"We only have to get to the portal, and we're golden."
"Should I teleport us there?"
"We've been over this, Vio, you need to conserve yourself in case of emergencies."
"Alright, alright."
They cautiously made their way west, towards the prime path, but were careful to never actually step foot on it. It was unfortunate that the world portal was in the middle of it all, and it was a miracle no one had spotted either of them yet. Now that they had Dream with them, they had to be doubly cautious, because they couldn't use any of their usual hiding strategies anymore, with him there.
The atmosphere between them was hushed and tense, no words exchanged. No matter how Green longed to lighten it up with a few jokes, now was not the time.
They were just past Punz's place, sneaking behind the black walls, when they spotted someone using a riptide trident.
The unrestrained shouts and cheers made it obvious as to who it was.
They looked at each other. "Shit."
It was not an unreasonable time that has passed since Green went into the Vault disguised as Tommy. They could still be talking. But if the real Tommy showed up, rung the bell, then Sam would know immediately that something was up. And then they would have the whole of the server after them.
"Hurry!" Green didn't need to be told twice.
They started sprinting, as best as they could while still staying somewhat hidden, also weighted down by Dream. They chose routes over hole-riddles part of the landscape, took cover behind trees where they could.
They prayed for at least a little more time.
Their luck seemed to have abandoned them fully, however, since shouts raised to their ears just as they reached the edge of the lake that housed the community hub.
"Now what?!" Vio asked. They were in a precarious position: Kind of in the open, but they needed to cross the lake if they wanted to get to the world portal at the center.
No choice. Green passed Dream to Vio, and pulled a crafting bench out of his inventory, arranging wooden planks as fast as he could.
Luckily that meant he had a boat ready in seconds, and he put it into the water so forcefully it rocked wildly and almost sank.
"Get in!" he shout-whispered as he jumped into it, gathering up the paddles. Vio looked at the flimsy wooden thing and whimpered, but clambered in, shifting Dream so his limbs didn't dip over the rim. Green began rowing immediately.
The journey across the water was tense, even more so than before. They were sitting ducks if anyone walked by with a bow or crossbow.
Thankfully it didn't come to that, despite the shouts becoming louder; no one appeared to be close enough to their current location. They scrambled out of the boat, not even bothering to collect it, and sprinted through the half-destroyed entrance.
There, they were greeted by the deep calming glow of the world portal. Bedrock frame, blue swirling pane in-between, nothing had ever seemed so inviting. Just a few steps and they would have made it. They lunged forward-
The glow vanished.
The three of them landed on the other side in a tangled heap, tumbling over the crafting-bench floor.
Still in the Dream SMP.
"...What the hell?" Green panted as he stemmed himself up.
"The portal..." Vio gasped.
The bedrock frame was empty, completely see-through. Their way out had just up and disappeared, with the worst timing possible.
"...That shouldn't be possible."
World portals shouldn't be shut off, Green knew.
At all. Period. They were emergency exits out of any world, leading back to the Hub, and as such stayed lit twenty-four-seven. Usually, only Admins could close or open them - and considering the Admin of this world was currently with them, unconscious, it was unlikely he was the cause.
"What do we do!" This wasn't in the plan, this wasn't the plan!
q
"Get out of here!" Green shouted. Vio reached for him -
And that's when a crowd of people stormed into the community house.