The Revelers (Serial 1)

Act 1 - Chapter 7: Mezos

Ari and I arrive at The Labs after a short ride on the shuttle. Once we exit the transport, Ari stops and gazes ahead, her vision slowly gravitating upward. "Holy shit!" she mutters.

"You look mesmerized," I say, glancing up towards her gaze.

"That tree looks way bigger than how it appears on the digital map Mr. V sent through my cybernetic eye."

"Ah yes," I say, adjusting my glasses. "The Great Fae Tree of Amelia. It's the home of my people, the Reul-Sìthe fae. Though it's not the first Great Fae Tree, it's the only one on this Earth and it serves to augment the headquarters of The Savants Division."

"So people actually live inside it?" Ari asks, brows raised.

"Yes."

"It's about as big as a warehouse." Ari lets out a breath.

"Let's proceed."

As we walk through the double glass doors of The Labs, I can't help but wonder about Ari. Before the mission, I legitimately thought Ari was a boy. I guess it doesn't help that Ari has short wavy hair, parted to the side, and shaved on both sides. Then again, she plays for an all-girls WarGames team. I suppose I should have seen that coming.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I ask, "So, Ari, have the Valkyries always been an all-girls team?"

"For as long as I've been with the team," she answers. "Well, if you're only counting the eight active team members. We have some male coaches and trainers."

Just the coaches, I ponder. "Are there specials rules for female-only teams?"

"Not really," she says, scratching the back of her head. "Blades and bullets don't discriminate."

"Would the team be open to recruiting males?"

"I don't mind." Ari shrugs. "It would be refreshing, but it is up to management. Though, if one of our Valkyries didn't go through a gender transition, then I'm sure we would have had a male amongst our active ranks."

"Oh?" A trans girl amongst the Valkyries? That's news to me. I pull out my tablet from my coat's inner pocket and load up the WarGamesPedia website, looking up the current roster of the Neon City Valkyries. It turns out that statement is true. The Valkyries' technology specialist, simply known to fans as Spyder, was born Rick Willow but changed her name to Riku Willow during transition. I guess I learn something new every day.

As we continue onward through the white, bright, and clean hallways of The Labs, I take a moment to introduce Ari to the local races. She had seen her first En'ari elf android, the nurse who tended to her at the medical facility, but today, she'll meet the others.

"So those teenagers with animal features—" Ari says, "I take it they're fae?"

"Pretty much," I say, adjusting my glasses.

Ari's nose twitches. "What's that smell? Smells like beef and gravy and mushrooms. Like meatloaf, I guess."

I take a whiff. Smells like The Café of The Court are preparing their dinner buffet. I'll have to stop by there when they reopen in about an hour. "It's dinner," I say. "You're always welcome to stop by there, if The Doc lets you stay. Or you can also order takeout. The Café has dashers to deliver food to various parts of the research base."

"I'll keep that noted. Anyway, speaking of The Doc, why do you think she would want me here?"

I tap the side of my noggin, wondering and recalling a previous conversation I had with The Doc. The Doc talked to me about how Valkyr Skalds would communicate through their dreams. I heard of this and actually read about it a while ago, but never quite understood how they do it, which leads me to believe that it's something aetheric — or magical, in human terms.

I also recall reading about a government project called Project Equilibrium that references that ability to communicate while sleeping. That's from a few secret documents that the Savants gained from their hacking sessions days ago.

I say, adjusting my glasses, "You mentioned to Mr. V that you had a dream recently where someone tried to talk to you, yes?"

"I did," Ari says.

"Then I'm guessing it has something to do with Project Equilibrium," I answer.

Ari's brows furrow. "I've heard of that. Isn't that some kind of big government conspiracy theory?"

"Beats me, but if it's about that, then I guess Mr. V and The Doc intend to investigate it. Perhaps take a deeper dive into the rabbit hole."

"Interesting." Ari scratches the back of her head, her gaze drifting aside. "How long have you known The Doc?"

"About five years."

Ari pauses for a moment. "She went missing after going on a business trip to Hawaii five years ago." She snaps back and we continue forward. "I didn't think she could here, running the place. I wonder what brought her here."

"Mr. V finds her beneficial to our mission," I say.

"And what might that be?" she asks.

"To discover the truths behind CrystalCorp and their classified operations."

Ari scratches her chin. "Interesting."

We arrive on the second floor. It's quiet during the evening hours. The Labs' workers are checking out for the night, returning to their residential quarters. For us fae, that's The Great Tree at the courtyard.

There is one person still busy, however, and that's The Doc herself, Dr. May-Lynn Williams. Looks like she's preparing a report and, based on the information that the Savants gathered on a hacking mission a few days ago, it must be a lot. Samza's hacking team must have caught a whale of data!

Upon entry into The Doc's office, Ari halts. Her jaw lowers and her eyes widen, gazing at The Doc. "No freaking way!" She takes a step forward, approaching The Doc. "Mom, is that you?"