The city was laid out before me, it's glow much gentler than the black clouds above. With a gloved hand, I tugged my hat forward a shade. My eyes traced the barren streets and alleyways, and I didn't see a sign of anyone.
"It's the mystery," said a slightly metallic voice from behind me.
I turned to see her glowing form step from the shadows. She was literally glowing, strips of light embedded into her white outfit. It was as tight as a second skin, and even her face was powdered white.
Her heels clicked like a metronome as she stepped up beside me.
"You like to earn your answers." she said, staring at me with sky blue eyes. Her face stood out like a ghost with her black hair fading into the darkness.
"I was never one for a siren's song." I replied, remembering where I had seen her. I'm a bit of a Bogie fan, and playing with femme fatales never ends well. I walked away and doffed my hat, clipping it to the belt of my coat before slipping on my helmet. As I mounted my bike, she had another pearl of wisdom to share.
"You won't find your answer out there."
With one last look at her, I flicked down my visor and rode off.

There was a burst of dirt and gravel a few feet in front of me. I had ducked down to shield my face, then sprinted on through. The setting was different. It was during the day, the sky overcast, and this neighborhood had obviously seen better days. And I had a large silvery knife in each hand. And I heard running with scissors was bad.
I stopped before a corner and peeked around, seeing something large, metal, and bipedal. I didn't bother to look any higher than it's legs, those were scary enough. But the access panel on the hip looked promising. As it stepped closer, I ran out and grabbed ahold of it's thigh, rising up with it's next step. As it came down, I lifted myself up and used a knife to pry open the panel, revealing a few circuit boards inside, as well as few thin rubber hoses.
I slashed the tubes open and was rewarded with a spray of fluid. The machine crashed down with it's next step, and I jabbed my knife through the circuit boards reflexively hoping to brace myself. With a jolt, I realized how bad an idea that was and managed to let go as the live current gave me a shock. As I crumpled into the ground, I looked up to see the machine rear back and roar, it's shape reminiscent of Metal Gear Rex.

I closed my eyes and felt myself sinking. There was a nothingness, a void, but I felt the grit against my skin. Not like a sand or gravel, but more like a fine granule of sugar. I sunk lower into the mass, as slow as molasses, but it was relaxing. Soothing. I sank deeper and felt myself start to fade. Thoughts and feelings passed through me like smoke in the wind, and in the end there was a warm darkness.

It was early. The sun was out, but I could hear my brother heading off for school, and the neighbors stirring in their yard next door. I coughed, letting out some of my congestion into a tissue. I'm still fighting a cold, but at least I'm winning. Weird dreams aside, it seems I finally got some regular hours in as far as sleep goes.

The Rider

The customized black Honda CBR roared beneath me, and the tires squealed as I skidded to a hard stop. Sparks flew around me, explosive quills shot out from a creature that was in pursuit. It's massive jaws were lined with jagged teeth, with claws spreading across it's forearms.
It spoke Japanese. Yea, I think I know where my subconscious dug this one up. I dismounted and tossed my helmet. Making a fist, I threw it out to the side, feeling the bracer materialize on my arm. My left hand drew a card from the holder on my belt, flipping it between my fingers as it came up to my face.
"Henshin!"
One smooth movement slipped it into the slot, and it locked in place, the armor materializing around me. I tried working out the physics once. A pocket of compressed space formed by an artificial gravity well. Of course, it's not technologically feasible now, but it's theoretically possible.
The creature charged, swiping it's tail at me and I leaped back, mounting my bike. I revved it up and rode over the offending appendage, and stopped hard on the front wheel, swinging the rear around. It collided with the monster, sending it flying into a support pillar of the overpass. Time to end this.
I drew another card from my belt, swiping it through a reader mounted on the gas tank. Turbines whirred within the machine, and it crackled with lightning. I took aim, and charged, ramming the beast head on, and it exploded in a gout of flame.

When I opened my eyes, I saw my brother unplug his playstation portable and rush out the door. He was late for school. And as I rolled over to go back to sleep, I made a mental note to ask him what episode of Kamen Rider he was watching.

The Ride

"You're going to be late," She told me.
"A few minutes would be worth it," I replied, holding her closer. The bed felt too warm to leave. So did she.
After a moment or two, she turned in my arms and pressed her lips warmly to mine, tracing a cool finger along the side of my face.
"Time to go."
A blink later had me stepping out of the shadows of a parking garage. I was in a classic motorcycle jacket, black with matching gloves and boots, in jeans. She was waiting for me right in front of the elevator. Her trim figure was sleek and smooth, and while she had a over a decade on me in terms of age, her form was absolute perfection. You could tell she had some work done on her, and it was well worth the money.
A black full-face helmet was hanging from the handlebars of the vintage cafe racer. I slipped it on and took my place, feeling her come to life beneath me. She pulled out smoothly, and we hit the road.
She took me to the feeway, and traffic was thick today. Nothing we couldn't handle, weaving in between the cars almost effortlessly. I came around from behind a white semi truck when I saw them, a swarm of red-orange vespas taking up two lanes. They were so densly packed I couldn't find a way through, and I was forced to slow so as not to crash into them.
We edged close up to the semi once more, and when I saw an opening form we surged through. Like a school of fish, the vespas almost swarmed around us, but they didn't have the speed or power to match a triumph. I pumped my fist in celebration as we rode on, the road clearing up greatly as it lead into a series of curves.
It was late by the time we made it to the school. I pulled up inside the long shadow of a building and dismounted, leaving my helmet behind with my ride. I walked up to the door and she stepped out, cradling two books in her arms. The thin framed glasses were new, but suited her nicely, as did the light pink sweater vest she wore over a white blouse.
She came up to me with a playful smile on her lips and I reached out, tracing her face like she had done to me in bed earlier. From this angle, the setting sun sparkled in her eyes, and I wrapped my arms around her, enjoying the warmth I had left all too soon before. I nuzzled her neck, and she sighed contentedly in my ear.
Letting go, she took my hand, and we walked along the sidewalk, her fingers entwined with mine.
When I woke up to the shadows of my bedroom, I had a strange craving for a milkshake and a cheeseburger.