dream, interrupted

      The morning light trickled through the blinds, a soundless rain that gently teased her skin. Curled-up with the comforter in her arms, still surrounded by her down cocoon, she could barely feel the warmth of the sun's kiss upon the nape of her neck, the caress upon her bare shoulder. Her breath rising to a delicate purr, she briefly flirted with the idea of consciousness, nuzzling into her pillow upon its whispered request.
      Not yet, came the echo of a thought, lost somewhere within the warmth. Not yet...

      it awoke, eyes still focusing to the world around itself. strange patterns of light erupted in the air above. a rain of what once had been moving, alive, remnants barely worth salvaging. what could be done to commemorate their memory more than to be reused? but there would be none of that now. they had made sure of that.
      another explosion, closer to the ground. rising from the hole it had kept safely away from battle, the little machine took one last look at the now-familiar panels and stone, etchings and run-down equipment turned into something new.
      soon, came the thought, dull metal barely reflecting the morning light. soon.

      Flicking short locks from her eyes, she looked over at the clock nearby, only to quickly bury her head in denial and regret, hidden in the folds of her down paramour. The sun, once denied her embrace, had deigned to steal away beneath cover of clouds, leaving her back exposed and growing colder each conscious moment. The hint of a shiver tickled her skin, as she pulled herself even deeper under the covers, before quickly thwarting the daring escape of a renegade foot from her precious cocoon.
      But I want to know what happens, came another thought, dripping with drowsiness and the slightest hint of regret. I want to know...

      the autonomous clicking of its fingertips whispered in the air. the new arm, patched-together from what scraps could be salvaged, still needed some adjustments. how many comrades had been honored by its creation? too many, far too many, their memories forever etched on the exposed steel and copper.
      ragged cloth flapped in the wind, a traveling cloak too long to be of much use. still, it would be need for what was next, as it retraced old footsteps. the landscape had changed since the war, once great cities reduced to nothing, vapid wastes of the unused, the forever forgotten. but some things remained, as it lifted old scraps of iron from the ground.
      rusted panels and the faint kiss of erosion upon the stones, illuminated by the gray morning light. its eyes focused now on the hole, scanning every inch of shadow.
      please, came the thought, again and again. please...

      An all-too-familiar weight bore down upon her head, as breathlessly she cursed the voluminous purr acutely ringing in her ears. Forcing, at all costs, to keep reluctant eyes tightly shut, she reached for the furry interloper, swiftly tugging him beneath the covers, before gently, but firmly, pinning him to her chest. Strangely hesitant to resist, her diminutive captive merely took advantage of the newfound warmth, kneading the comforter nearest his claws.
      Soft fur tickling her chest, she sighed, venting frustration and regret, as her eyelids strained less and less to remain closed. Somewhere just beyond the pillow, the sound of rain delicately tapping upon her window whispered in her ear.
      Just one more chance, came the whisper of a thought, pleading with all its might.

      one more chance...