A ripple of recognition passes through the group. Several exchange glances, while others nod in understanding.

  "Ah, the dreamspace," Lopez says, unusually serious for once. "Yeah, that's common. Started for me about three weeks after my abilities emerged. Not just normal dreams—something more structured, more significant."

  "We've documented similar experiences in most resistants," Dr. Chen confirms. "The content varies, but the phenomenological characteristics are consistent—unusual clarity, coherent narrative elements, emotional significance, and recall that doesn't fade like typical dreams."

  "Border Command classifies them as 'psionic unconscious processing,'" Commander Wells adds. "A side effect of the neural restructuring caused by Nexari exposure, according to their official position."

  "But you don't entirely believe that," I guess, noting the qualification in her phrasing.

  She smiles slightly. "Let's just say there are alternative theories among those of us who experience them firsthand."

  "Like genetic memory," I suggest, using Elara's term.

  A moment of silence follows, several of them looking at me with renewed interest.

  "Specialist Voss has been quite forthcoming with her theories, it seems," Commander Wells observes neutrally.

  "Is that a problem?" I ask.

  "Not necessarily," she responds carefully. "Elara's perspectives are valuable, particularly given her extensive research in Nexari consciousness patterns. But her conclusions sometimes extend beyond what current evidence can support."

  "That's a diplomatic way of saying she makes intuitive leaps that the rest of us aren't comfortable following without more data," Lopez translates bluntly.

  "The genetic memory theory is compelling," Dr. Chen acknowledges. "And it would explain certain commonalities in resistant dreamspace experiences. But it presupposes deliberate engineering of the genetic modifications Dr. Khoury identified in your profile—and by extension, in all of us."

  "Which raises uncomfortable questions about who did the engineering, when, and for what purpose," Dr. Okafor completes the thought.

  "Questions Border Command prefers to address through controlled research rather than speculation," Commander Wells adds. "Hence the occasional tension between official positions and Elara's more... exploratory approach."

  They're being careful, I realize. Not dismissing Elara's theories outright, but not fully endorsing them either. Maintaining a middle position that acknowledges the mysteries of their condition while working within Border Command's institutional framework.

  "What about the resonance between Elara and me?" I ask, curious how they view this aspect. "Is that common among resistants?"

  Another exchange of glances around the table.

  "Compatibility between resistant minds exists on a spectrum," Dr. Chen explains. "Some of us can work together telepathically with relative ease, others with more difficulty. But the level of resonance you and Specialist Voss demonstrated is unprecedented in our recorded cases."

  "It's generating significant interest among the research division," Commander Wells adds. "The potential applications for enhanced telepathic range alone are substantial."

  "Not to mention the theoretical implications for understanding how consciousness transfers between minds," Dr. Okafor notes. "Your connection might help us finally decode the fundamental mechanisms of Nexari hive mind integration."

  I consider their responses, the scientific caution underlying their interest. They're viewing the resonance primarily as a phenomenon to be studied, understood within existing theoretical frameworks. None mentions the possibility that it might be a designed feature related to the "bridges" referenced in my dreams and the signal we detected.

  Should I share that experience? The fact that Elara and I detected a signal from Nexari space that seemed specifically directed at minds like ours? The dream imagery of humans and Nexari in some kind of cooperative state?

  Before I can decide, Lopez speaks up again. "Look, all this theoretical stuff is interesting, but let's get to the practical concerns. Andrew needs to know how to navigate the political currents around here without getting caught in someone else's agenda."

  "Carlos," Commander Wells warns, but he continues undeterred.

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  "No, he deserves to know. There's been tension between Lieutenant Voss and Specialist Voss for years over how to approach Nexari research. The Admiral plays them off each other while pursuing his own objectives. And now Andrew's caught in the middle because his abilities and this resonance thing make him valuable to all sides."

  His bluntness is refreshing after the careful diplomatic language others have been using. And he's not wrong—I am caught between competing perspectives and agendas, trying to find my own path.

  "It's not quite that adversarial," Commander Wells objects. "We're all working toward the same ultimate goal—understanding resistant abilities and the Nexari consciousness to prevent conflict and protect humanity."

  "With different definitions of 'protecting humanity,'" Lopez counters. "Some think that means military containment of the Nexari, others think it means finding ways to coexist, and some wonder if the distinction between human and Nexari consciousness might be more fluid than we've assumed."

  That last point catches my attention. It aligns with the imagery in my dream—humans and Nexari in some cooperative state that was neither assimilation nor separation.

  "What do you mean by 'fluid distinction'?" I ask.

  Lopez glances at the others, seeming to realize he may have said more than intended. Dr. Chen steps in to elaborate.

  "There's a theoretical framework—still highly speculative—that resistant abilities represent not just defense against Nexari assimilation, but the emergence of a third consciousness type altogether. Neither purely individual like standard human consciousness nor purely collective like the Nexari hive mind, but something that incorporates elements of both."

  "A hybrid consciousness," I suggest, thinking of the presence in my dream that seemed neither fully human nor fully Nexari.

  "In essence, yes," Dr. Chen confirms. "The ability to maintain individual identity while participating in collective consciousness structures—to move between both states rather than being limited to one or the other."

  "That's the theoretical bleeding edge," Commander Wells cautions. "Well beyond Border Command's official position or current research focus."

  "But not beyond what some of us have experienced," says a quiet voice from the end of the table. It's Technician Santos, who has remained silent until now. "In the deepest dreamspace states, or during certain meditation practices. A consciousness that feels... expanded. Connected without being subsumed."

  Several others nod in recognition, suggesting this experience isn't unique to her.

  "Have any of you reported these experiences officially?" I ask.

  "Some aspects," Commander Wells acknowledges. "But there's a difference between clinical reports of phenomenon and personal interpretation of meaning. Border Command is interested in the former, less receptive to the latter."

  "Especially when those interpretations might suggest the Nexari aren't the straightforward threat they're portrayed as in official policy," Lopez adds.

  "Or that resistant abilities might be leading toward something beyond Border Command's institutional control," Dr. Okafor notes quietly.

  The implications of what they're sharing—albeit cautiously—align surprisingly well with aspects of Elara's perspective. Perhaps her views aren't as isolated or extreme as Lieutenant Voss suggested. The difference seems to be more in how directly she pursues them versus how carefully the others navigate the institutional expectations around them.

  "Thank you," I say sincerely. "For creating this space and sharing these perspectives. It helps to know I'm not alone in trying to make sense of all this."

  "That's precisely why we maintain these unofficial gatherings," Commander Wells says with a smile. "No one should have to navigate this transformation in isolation. Whatever path you choose, whatever you come to believe about your abilities and their purpose, know that you have peers who understand the journey."

  The conversation shifts to more practical matters after that—advice about managing ability fluctuations, suggestions for recreational activities that help with mental balance, warnings about which researchers to be cautious around. It's valuable information, the kind that comes only from lived experience rather than official orientation.

  As the meeting concludes and people begin to disperse to their regular duties, Commander Wells draws me aside briefly.

  "I noticed you hesitated when discussing your dreams," she observes quietly. "If there's something specific you experienced that you'd like to discuss privately, my door is always open."

  I consider telling her about the signal Elara and I detected, about the specific imagery and messages in my dreams. But something holds me back—not distrust exactly, but a sense that I need to understand more before sharing these experiences broadly.

  "Thank you," I respond. "I might take you up on that once I've had more time to process everything."

  She nods, accepting this. "A wise approach. Just remember—in this environment of competing theories and institutional pressures, your own direct experience is your most reliable guide. Trust it, even when others try to interpret it for you."

  It's remarkably similar to what Elara told me at the end of our session yesterday. Perhaps there's more common ground among the resistants than their apparent differences would suggest—a shared understanding of the importance of personal truth in navigating these uncharted waters.

  As I head to my scheduled training session with Lieutenant Voss, I reflect on the layers of complexity I'm discovering at Helios. The official Border Command perspective. Elara's more radical theories. The careful middle ground occupied by Commander Wells and the other resistants. Admiral Thorn's apparently nuanced position that somehow encompasses elements of all these viewpoints while pursuing objectives he keeps largely to himself.

  And beneath it all, the signal from Nexari space, the dreams of bridge consciousness, and the undeniable fact of my rapidly developing abilities.

  The bridges awaken.

  Whatever it means, whatever purpose I was designed for—by evolution, genetic engineering, or something else entirely—I'm increasingly convinced that finding my own path through these competing narratives is the only way to discover the truth.