The Revelers (Serial 1)

Act 1 - Chapter 8: Ari

I would expect that day - the day that I would fight alongside the elite soldiers of the United States military. Maybe even be part of a special forces unit, like the legendary SEALS. However, joining a corporate-owned military seems odd to me. Perhaps it has something to do with those weird dreams. I ask, "What do you mean by that?"

"Your dreams are the most obvious ones. If the military finds out about your unique traits, I'm sure they would want to take full advantage of it. In addition, your body, unarmored, is much more resilient than the average human's. I don't know if Mr. V told you about the Valkyr berserkers of Esthial. Still, in case he didn't, the Valkyr possess enhanced resilience. They would withstand a significant beating before they go down. Part of this is because of their iron skeletons."

I raise a brow. "Iron skeletons?"

"The Valkyr uses the word iron loosely in their ancient texts. However, research by the Reul-Sìthe scholars proved their skeletons are much tougher than iron. In truth, more like a titanium alloy. Modern cybernetics can replicate their metal skeletons using bone-augments. However, your power to communicate in the dream would be of great use. If they shipped you to the military, I'm afraid that you would spend more time in a lab than out on the battlefield."

And that's for my dreams, I think to myself. I have always wondered why they seem significant compared to the visions of the other girls at the lab. I ask The Doc, "Why are my dreams different?"

Dr. Williams waves and swipes through different virtual documents and miscellaneous objects over her holographic monitor. "I knew you would one day ask this question, yet I wasn't sure how you would react to the answer I would give to you. You know by now that we do not share a biological relationship. You're adopted."

"Yeah," I say with a sigh, feeling frustrated. "Dr. Kari made that fact blunt to me a week after you left CrystalCorp's labs about five years ago. I guess I should have known, considering how genetics works." I crack a smile and let out a weak laugh. "You're an intelligent black woman with a Doctorate degree and can speak English, Japanese, and Korean fluently. Me? I'm an Asian-American whom fate decided that I shouldn't be a doctor or a lawyer. I don't exactly have your smart genes, mom."

Dr. Williams jerks her head to the side and smiles. "I wouldn't beat yourself up like that, Ari. Besides, you're not dumb. In fact, you are a brilliant individual. You possess unique qualities and use a logical form of reasoning when time allows. For instance, Mr. V emailed me saying that you did not sign the contract to join The Remnants. I'm certain you want to know more about the organization before signing."

"Well, first things first. Where's my holo-phone?" I say, eyes open wide. "I need to call Cithara."

"Unfortunately, we had to dispose of your phone. It's a security risk. Don't worry. Your photos, videos, and music are on the cloud. You can always download them when we supply you a new device."

I grit my teeth. I mean, I remembered to disable Location Services on my holo-phone, right? Last thing I need is some creepy, over-zealous fan tracking me down while I'm out in the public. I heard too many stories about celebrities and athletes attracting stalkers while doing their everyday errands. Oh, well. I guess I'll have to deal with it.

I ask The Doc, "How did you get here? Everyone thought you were dead."

The Doc cracks a grin. "Then it looks like my plan on faking my death worked."

"You faked your death?" I ask, scratching the back of my head.

"It's a long story, but I wasn't alone in the gig. With Mr. V's ingenuity, along with Charles's craftiness, I escaped my contract with CrystalCorp. They brought me here to this island, where I help The Remnants using my insider knowledge of the company. Back to the original question: I arrived here once I learned about the purpose of Operation Barbelo. Before adopting you as my child, a colleague worked at Area 51 as the Director of Project Equilibrium."