The Revelers (Serial 1)

Act 1 - Chapter 2: Cithara

What in the world is going on? This cannot be right! This seems so random — so outrageous!

I gaze into the holographic video feed of Ari's final game of the WarGames season and witness a smoggy pile of debris right in the middle of the arena. Who would have done this? I hope everyone is alright. I hope Ari is okay!

"Ari!" I say to myself, fearing that something must have happened to her. While I don't doubt Ari's gutsy prowess in handling herself on the battlefield, this isn't some simulated war zone. No! The collapse at the stadium — that's real and terrifying!

I tune in on the other news stations, all of them covering the madness going on at T. F. Roth Stadium. A news reporter airs shaky amateur footage, taken from a phone camera, of the situation. Everyone in the video is screaming in a frenzied panic. Fans and spectators rush out of the stadium. Meanwhile, The Eyes' officials rush towards the arena to deal with the situation.

Upon inspecting the footage, I see Ari and Rayne standing near the rubble. Silhouettes of two shorter people accompany them, but it's difficult to make out. I think they're children. One has long bunny-like ears poking upward. One has coiled horns on their head. Rebels? I wonder. It wouldn't be the first time rebels have attacked, though this method of disruption is much more blatant compared to their previous, often discreet, tactics.

I continue to watch the news. A reporter interviews a witness, appearing startled but not scared. "It was crazy, dude! A robot bird-woman crashed into the center and destroyed the place. Then a bunny-girl summoned a tree monster. Then a goat-boy went into full Ronin-mode with a samurai sword. You gotta believe me, man! I was in the front row!" The voice sounds nervous and strangely high. Considering this person's front-row seat, it would not surprise me if one of the Sirens' mind-gas grenades caused the spectator's voice to sound so baked. Still, if it's recorded on camera, then it must be real.

I dig into the pocket of my lab coat, pull out my phone, and with swift urgency, call Ari. Ring, ring, ring...

"Damn it! Pick up the phone, Ari," I say with a heavy gasp. Alas, no answer. No, no, no! It can't end like this! Not like this!

I swipe through my contacts and call Cleo, Ari's cocaptain. She must be around. After two rings, a voice.

"Yo Cithara, what's up?" Cleo says, her voice sounding stern. However, there's no video feed.

"Cleo, what happened to Ari? Is she okay?"

"I'm not sure," Cleo says. "We haven't seen Ari since the stadium's ceiling collapsed. It's been crazy here! The Eyes folks say that fae rebels crashed the party."

"Fae rebels? As in faeries?" I ask, wondering if Cleo's mind is under the influence of a mind-gas grenade.

"Those are The Eyes' words, not mine. Whoever or whatever arrived, they obviously wanted to make a scene."

"How about you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. The rest of us are at the tour bus, watching the news, hoping something comes up. Even social media is blowing up. #WarGamesCrash or something like that."

I take a quick browse on the hashtag and I'm bombarded by footage taken by spectators of the event, displaying the calamity in greater detail. They even have pictures of the perpetrators, a white-haired girl with rabbit ears and a black-haired boy with coiled ram's horns. Both of them with pale skin, slanted eyes, and small mouths. I'm not sure if I'd call them fae, but if that's what The Eyes calls them, then it is what it is.

"Are you watching the news? It looks like something's up!"

I shift my gaze back at the holographic news feed. A news reporter gets in touch with Rayne, the Sirens' captain, who strangely ended up at the CrystalCorp campus. She recants her experience with the reporter:

"It's weird, mate," Rayne begins, sounding calm and tired while combing her fingers through her dirty raven-black hair. "These two weirdos showed up, killed a bunch of Eyes folks with their magic, and abducted Ari."

"Do you know where they took Ari?" the reporter asks.

"I have no clue. They talked about meeting with some Doc. Beats me know who that is."

Doc? I wonder. I work with a lot of scientists. However, Ari always referred to one specific individual as the Doc. Ever since the two of us were little, when Ari says Doc, she always means Dr. May-Lynn Williams, while other scientists are just Mr. or Ms. So-in-so. Yet, Dr. Williams is dead. She disappeared during a business trip to Hawaii. This doesn't add up. Unless another Doc is involved.

Rayne rambles on, talking about their magic. "They can summon weird things from their books. The boy pulled out powerful weapons and trinkets from the pages while the girl summoned a tree monster that rip and tore everything in sight! I can't believe it, mate."

Sounds like conjurers, I wonder. Somehow, I think the fae story might make sense to me. I recall a time when Ari and I were little and Dr. Williams would tell us bedtime stories about fae folk. People with animal-like features who live in trees. At least, that's how she described them. Wild and curious individuals, but that was so long ago. Yet, if they're real and all it takes is two of them to cause chaos — that's a bit much.

A distinct chime jingles from the holo-tablet on my desk. It's an incoming video-call from Mr. Milani Sorsha, the Project Supervisor at the Aether Dome.

I unlock the tablet and answer. A holographic projection of Mr. Sorsha's head appears in front of me. A man with light brown skin, a chiseled jaw, brown eyes, and a black clean haircut.

"Good afternoon, Cithara," Mr. Sorsha greets. "I hope you're doing well."

"I am," I say.

"Sorry to hear about Ari, but we're hoping she's okay."

"Thank you. I did not realize you cared about her that much."

"Ari is a valuable asset to CrystalCorp. It would be a shame if we learned of the worst from this situation. Are you keeping up with the news?"

"I have, Mr. Sorsha."

"I received word from CrystalCorp HQ in Korea that CEO Mun intends to enlist a team to investigate this intrusion. A press release will come within the next 24 hours. The Aether Dome projects are still on schedule. You'll hear more from me as soon."

"Understood."

"Do you have questions?" He asks.

"Would I need to perform any maintenance on Ruby's armor?"

"No," Mr. Sorsha says. "She is fine."

"I believe we are done, for now."

"Understood. I'll talk to you again soon. Have a nice day." The video call ends and Mr. Sorsha's holographic head disappears from above the tablet.

I guess that's a thing — projects from The Aether Dome. My parts involve experimenting with Ruby's armored body, but concerning the bigger picture, I don't know. I've always thought this aether is some sort of alternative energy, like electricity and hydro-power.

I sigh, wondering what's going on with Ari right now. Now that I'm thinking of it, I'm sure I can jack into her cybernetic eye using a remote connection. After all, I'm the one who invented it. I know how to break into it.

I snatch the tablet from my desk and activate an app for diagnosing Ari's cybernetic eye. After tapping some buttons, the app begins to locate Ari by pinging her cybernetic augments and providing me with GPS coordinates.

After thirty seconds, the connection times out and my tablet cannot establish a connection. "Damn it!" I try again, but still no connection. Ari must not be near a communications tower. That's not good. That's not good at all! I keep trying, but nothing is coming up.

Shit! No, this can't be! Ari, I can't lose you now! Not today!

Another chime from my tablet. Unfortunately, it's not the notification I'm waiting for. Instead, it's an email from CEO Mun Seul-Ki sent to all CrystalCorp employees. It's simply a reminder that Project Equilibrium is still on track and that the situation at T.F. Roth Stadium is only a minor setback.

Well, I guess that's good news — for the corporation. Still, I hope Ari is okay.