-----A Realm of Stars: Prelude-----

---Sigmund Corp. 6:25 PM---

"Nilsey, did you steal my stapler again?"

"Nope."

It was an uneventful day for Dr. Hannah Rutherford and Dr. Nilsey MacKay. All throughout the day they had just been sitting around the office just waiting for a call. They worked for Sigmund Corp, a company that allows people to essentially, relive their lives with no regrets. But because of the severe surgery that has to be done, as well as the fact that if you walked around with new memories in your head when they're actually fake, you would go insane, it's done on the patient's last hours. Making remembering the new life...the last thing they will ever do.

"I wish we had been sent out today. It's been a while since we've had any action." Hannah said to her partner Nilsey.

"Well, the men's room was low on soap. So that's something." Nilsey joked. What he received was a hit on the arm from Hannah. "Sorry." He muttered under his breath.

As they headed to the front door of the company, they heard the telephone ring behind them. Hannah looked at Nilsey, and Nilsey looked back at her. The two of them walked up to the phone, and picked up the receiver.

---Mountain Side 6:50 PM---

"NILSEY! WATCH THE ROAD!"

CRASH!

The two doctors went out of the wrecked car to find the front end of the car completely smashed and a squirrel dead on the road.

"Nilsey, where in the world were you looking?!" Hannah scolded to her partner.

"Well sorry Hannah, I tried to avoid running into the squirrel!" Nilsey replied.

"Nilsey...you ran it over anyways. AND you hit a tree, causing the car to be totally wrecked." Hannah commented.

"...Oh."

"If the boss asks everything, then you're the one filing the report."

"I'll just tell him I was uh...saving a dog. He likes those! ...Right?" Nilsey asked.

"Nilsey, you know nothing about Mr. Lane. He likes kittens and bunnies." Hannah replied.

"Why does life have to be so confusing?!" Nilsey shouted as he opened the trunk and got a giant, silver case. This was the exact case that held the machine used to relive lives. As they walked up the mountainside, the clouds were brushed away to reveal the bright, star filled sky with the full moon shining down on them. In the distance was a giant of a lighthouse looking down upon the two doctors.

---Client's House, 6:55 PM---

The giant house on the cliff loomed over the two scientists trekked up the hill. Both gasping for air, trying to get their breath.

"Jeez, why did the ole' geezer put his house on a cliff?" Nilsey said as he put down the silver case to rest.

"Well, it is quite gorgeous out here. I mean, look at the sight of the stars!" Hannah exclaimed as she pointed upward. Indeed, the sky was littered with stars that twinkled like fireflies.

"I guess. Come on, let's go inside." Nilsey said as he got the case of equipment and knocked on the door, and shortly after Hannah joined him. From outside, they could hear a soft tune of the piano playing.

"Uncle Duncan, they're here!"

"Goodness me Sparkles, you don't have to shout!"

"It's not my fault Uncle Duncan! It was Parv's idea!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Oh nephews."

The door opened and light from the house quickly flooded to the outside world. Standing in the doorway was a blonde man with a white shirt on and white pants. On both sides of him stood his two nephews, one had ginger hair, while the other had black hair. Both seemed to be the same age.

"Dr. Rutherford and Dr. MacKay I assume? Name's Duncan." Duncan said as he moved out of the doorway. "Come on in."

The two scientists went in to reveal a giant grand piano and a very tall ceiling. On their left was a dining table and several other rooms, including a path down to a basement. While the other way had a set of stairs leading up and another door.

"Are you the patient's son?" Hannah asked to Duncan.

"Oh no, I'm just the son of one of his close friends. And these two are my nephews. Ginger haired one is Sparkles, while the black haired one is Parv. Both love music very much." Duncan explained. "Martyn let's us stay here."

"So this "Martyn" is our client?" Hannah asked.

"Yep. We should get going, follow me." Duncan said as he went up the stairs.

"Alright, let's get going before I get tired holding this thing and drop it." Nilsey said as he got the case.

"Why do I have a feeling this is going to end in tears?" Hannah said to Nilsey as they walked up the stairs together.

"Psst, hey Parv, they're gone!"

"Let's go! First one there gets to play the melody!"

The two of them ran from the study and to the piano. And ultimately, Parv got there first.

"Fine. You get the repetitive two keys anyways." Sparkles said as he stuck out his tongue.

The two of them played, with Parv doing the melody and Sparkles adding onto the harmony. All in all, making a beautiful song together.

"You know, if they work hard enough, they might become musicians someday." Hannah said to Lewis when they reached the top.

"Yeah maybe. They could be...hmm...Area 11. Yeah, I like that name." Nilsey replied. They lingered a little longer to hear the two boys playing, then went into Martyn's room.

When they got in the room, they saw a bed with an elderly man laid there. On the side of the bed was a blonde-haired doctor with a blonde mustache. On his white doctor's coat was a name tag that read, "Dr. Henry Buze".

"Dr. Buze, can you give me a status report on our patient?" Hannah asked to Henry.

"From the looks of it, he's still hanging on. But he has about I say...one or two days left." Henry replied.

"Plenty of time! Nilsey, have you finished setting it up?" Hannah asked to Nilsey.

"Almost! ...Just give me a minute." Nilsey replied.

"So...tell me about our patient." Hannah said to Duncan.

"Well, I don't know much about him honestly. He had a wife named Kaeyi and-"

"Wait. Kaeyi? Surely that must be a nickname or something." Hannah commented.

"Oh yeah...that's just the name she liked to be called. I don't really know why, he never told me." Duncan explained.

"I would've known more if I was his repairman for heavens sake!" Nilsey exclaimed.

"Anyways, so, what's his wish?" Hannah asked.

"The stars...and space."

"Huh?"

"It's a weird wish, but he wants to go to space to see the stars better."

"The wishes just get crazier and crazier huh? Remember the geezer last month? He wanted to go to the moon for no apparent reason! I heard from Neil it was very impacting." Nilsey remarked. "I think we're going to have a similar thing here Hannah, just saying."

"Hush you. Just do your thing." Hannah said to Nilsey. Nilsey, straightening his glasses, slid back to work with a sad look on his face.

"If you look around the house, you may find some more information. My nephews can show you around. They're most likely downstairs playing the piano." Duncan said to Hannah.

"Alrighty then, let's get searching."

Hannah walked down the stairs, listening to the two boys playing their music on the piano. As Hannah approached the two boys, Parv stopped playing and looked behind him.

"What'cha need?" Parv asked.

"Your uncle wanted me to show you around the house." Hannah explained.

"Alright, alright. We'll show you 'round." Sparkles said as he got up from the piano bench. Parv got up shortly after.

"We should show her the weird room in the basement." Parv said to Sparkles.

"Excuse me, weird room?"

"Yah, you'll see when we get there! But first, we need the key. Martyn hides it in the study." The three of them went into the study, and there a mahogany desk and an entire shelf of books were there.

"He keeps it in the thickest book on the top shelf."

"Right. Let's get this key." Hannah said as she walked towards the shelf. There, she stood wonderstruck at the amount of books that were on the shelf. Medical books, technology books, books on origami, heck, there was even an autobiography here and there. Till at last, she found the thickest book on top.

"50 Shades of Brown. I wonder what's insid- oh dear goodness me. Right. No wonder why Martyn keeps it in THAT book. Let's just get the key and go." Hannah said in shock before quickly putting the book away. "Come on, let's go open that door."

They exited the study and went down the dark stairs down to the basement. In the dark, Hannah could slightly see the outlines of shelves. The lights flickered on, and to the right was a wooden door.

"That's it! That's the funny room!"

"It can't be that bad. ...Can it?" Hannah said as she put the key in the keyhole. She unlocked the door, and opened it slowly to show a room of darkness. Hannah felt around for a lightswitch, and when switching it on, found out why the room was so weird.

"It's...why...there are so many." In the room, all over the floor, on shelfs, and on an old bed in the corner, were dozens of glass jars filled with something yellow or white. When Hannah looked at a jar at her feet, she realized they were actually origami stars. On a cardboard box was a stuffed panda, slightly old and worn.

"A panda huh? Interesting creatures to say the least." Hannah said as she took the toy. Then, she turned off the lights, and closed the door behind her. Suddenly, her phone was ringing, and it was playing an eerie ringtone.

"Why do you have that ringtone? It's creeping me out." Sparkles said nervously.

"Its to scare monsters away." Hannah replied. She took the call, and over the phone was Nilsey's voice.

"HANNAH! Where are you?! We've finished setting up!" Nilsey exclaimed.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Jeez." Hannah replied. "Come on you two, let's go." Hannah said as she ushered the two boys up the stairs. She then went upstairs to Martyn's bedroom.

"Here's your helmet." Nilsey said as he tossed Hannah a helmet.

"Nilsey, you shouldn't treat thousand dollar equipment like that." Hannah said to Nilsey.

"Well, it's fine as long as you catch it." Nilsey replied.

"Touché Nilsey. Touché."

"Activating Sigmund Software in 3...2...1!"

--End of Prelude--