I regained consciousness to the smell of acetone. My eyelids fought to open against the beaming light above me after hearing a familiar voice.
“You’re awake.”
Rising off the hard floor, I looked around at the malachite walls of the cold room before my focus shifted to someone standing nearby. After a few blinks, I realized it was Alvin Steinberg. He observed my apprehension with his hands hidden in his black lab coat.
“Where am I?” I asked, backing against a wall while struggling to keep my balance. “What did you do to me? Why do I feel so weak?”
He cleared his throat and took two steps toward me. “It’s a pleasure to be in your presence again, Miss Dawn. A proper injection was in order in case you became hostile after your revival. Do not panic. The effects should wear off by the time we’re done.”
Two suited men with colossal physiques walked into the room, making me more unnerved.
“Stay away from me.”
My words had no power. The two muscular men grabbed my arms and held me steady as Alvin rubbed his chin hairs and inspected me like a weirdo.
“You’ll find this place much more interesting if you relax,” he suggested with his hands now folded behind his back. “Now, allow my men to aid you through this fascinating journey.”
He exited the room with the suited men pulling me along to follow him. As we walked the emerald corridor, I looked on in horror at the disembodied corpses inside the rooms we passed by. Multiple men and women dressed in lab attire appeared to be experimenting on their lifeless bodies.
“Where are you taking me? Let me go.”
“I said don’t panic, didn’t I? The specimens you’re seeing were already dead before arrival. Their bodies were brought here simply for research purposes.”
My tour came to a standstill after we headed up a stairway and entered a large emerald room with multiple doors and huge computers. Alvin stopped in his tracks to observe the conscious individuals inside each of the towering glass tubes in the middle of the room. I could do nothing but stare in trepidation as the people inside them banged on the unbreakable glass that silenced their screams.
“This can’t be real.”
“What you see here is not only a prison for the next evolution of mankind, but a potential method to saving humanity. This is Operation Dreamcatcher.”
My body trembled from terrifying thoughts of what could happen to me. Would I end up like these people? Confined forever for one man’s sick science project?
“Let us all go,” I shouted. “Now, Alvin. I knew something wasn’t right with you.”
“I see. Would you be willing to let me explain?”
“No. I don’t know what you’re trying to do here, but this can’t be the way to save humanity. You can’t expect me to believe this.”
“I’m not one for charades, Miss Dawn. I prefer factual information only.”
“You’re grinning and wearing a lab coat while testing on people in giant tubes. I’ve seen enough movies to know you’re not the good guy. Let. Us. Go.”
Our back-and-both led to his laughter. “Ah, youthful banter. I can assure you that I mean no harm. Believe me when I say that if I saw you as a threat, you’d already be eliminated. Besides, don’t you wish to know where you are, Aliyah Dawn? Or better yet, what you are?”
He gestured his hand toward the suited men to release me, but I knew freedom was far from obtainable. My only option was to get as much information from him as possible until my body regained its strength.
“Fine. What do you know about me?”
“Not enough, I must say. What I do know is that your documented attempts at being a vigilante of late have not been successful. What intrigues me the most is your multiple involvements with the infected.”
“The infected? Are you talking about the people who’re being manipulated by demons?”
He laughed louder than before. “Demons, you say? Why, that’s ludicrous. I’m speaking about those who can manifest their dreams into reality. Their very desires can alter the world around them if need be. Dreamers is what I call them.”
I had hoped he would know more about the demons, but calling people with abilities Dreamers? That was interesting.
“Tell me,” he began, “what is it that you desire the most?”
“Peace?” I shrugged, eyes wandering. “I don’t know, a world without so much sin? I know nothing is perfect, but more peace and happiness would be my answer. I want freedom without the evil and corruption that too much of it can bring. No more violence. No more wars and hatred. I want it all to end, and it might seem like an impossible and cliché dream to you, but I believe I can do some good with this power I have.”
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He responded with repeated nods. “Very interesting. Care to take another walk with me?”
I followed him through one of the many doors connected to the large room. In this smaller, darker area was a screen displaying a CT scan of the human brain.
“The government has identified the cause of the strange phenomenon plaguing the city,” he revealed. “I am tasked as the lead researcher in this laboratory to put an end to it. I believe you can help me achieve that goal, which is why I’m entrusting you with this knowledge. Never share it with anyone, understand?” He adjusted his glasses with a push of his index finger and stared at the demonstration on the screen. “Watch closely, young lady. You’re about to see what happens to someone with powerful aspirations.”
The disturbing visual of an odd-shaped worm implanting itself into a human brain made me want to turn away. Had it not been for my morbid curiosity and the weakness of my legs, I would’ve sprinted toward one of the doors in hopes of escaping.
“What you see here is a virus that has quietly infected thousands of people in the city. This is only a simulation of how it begins.” He ended the presentation before continuing. “The virus alters the mind and creates abnormal brainwaves in the limbic system. It then causes a mutation within your DNA that allows you to manifest your deepest aspiration. The greater your wish is, the stronger your desire must be for it to become reality. The government has managed to keep this a secret since it began not too long ago, but the virus has continued to spread rapidly over time. More Dreamers are being discovered every single day. More people who I believe are just like you.”
His explanation was mind-blowing, but I couldn’t help but feel there were some elements to all this that not even he knew about. Like the demons for example, and where they came from. One thing he did know about was my ability even before I revealed it to him, and I was curious to know how.
“Alvin, I’m positive you had knowledge of my powers before what happened in the hospital with Valeria. Tell me how’d you find out. I made sure to only use my power in secrecy.”
“Well, let me inform you of this while you’re young: you can never hide anything from the government. You see, this lab is funded by an organization known as Obsidian. It is their sole responsibility to follow and investigate anyone associated or involved in any activity with a known or suspected Dreamer.”
I glared at him with my arms crossed. “Wow, so you’ve been following me. Is that how the police knew what was going on in Ravenvale High the day James and my friends died?”
“Yes. Though there were times when more important matters took priority over surveillance of you, we have indeed been tracking your daily activity. Our investigation into you began a few days before Valeria Vasquez attempted suicide. After your fall, you were brought into an Obsidian operated hospital that specializes in nursing Dreamers back to health. Usually—once we’re done caring for them—we bring them here because most are deemed too dangerous to interact with society. But you, Aliyah Dawn, are different. I believe something pulls you toward other Dreamers, and that something was revealed in the words you said to me moments ago.”
Only one thing could’ve triggered that belief. “Was it my desire?”
“Correct,” he answered with a wide grin. “I’m positive that your pursuit of happiness has given you the ability to find people who need help and aid them from being taken over by their sinful ambitions. When the virus completely takes over the mind, it controls the host and forces him or her to use their power irrationally. Unfortunately, those people are then eliminated to prevent chaos or a shift in the balance of the world.”
He may have thought his intentions were pure, but his actions were anything but righteous. He was murdering people who didn’t deserve to die. End of story.
“That’s why Cassandra was killed, am I right? The same for James and those dead people I saw in the other rooms. Alvin, what you’re doing here is wrong. Killing people who need help isn’t going to solve the problem. I’m guilty of attacking Cassandra ‘cause she invaded my personal life, but I never would’ve killed her.”
With his face screwed in frustration, he let out a loud groan. “Can’t you see that I’m asking for your assistance in finding a cure? The virus is only airborne in four boroughs of New York City for now, but it will expand to different parts of the world if we do not do anything to stop it. It’s growing stronger by the minute, taking over more of the human mind as days go by. Eventually, even the most juvenile desires will manifest into reality, ultimately causing mankind to change forever. Humans are not meant to wield such power. It would bring war and destruction. Nothing would ever be the same.”
I shook my head in disgust. “There must be another way other than being your lap dog and sniffing people out for you to experiment on. I’m done with this conversation, and I wanna go home now.”
“No. If you can indeed sense the vile instincts of those around you, why not use your righteous desire to prevent humanity’s extinction?”
Feeling the strength in my muscles returning, I remained silent and glanced at the door a few feet away from me. All I had to do was wait for the perfect opportunity to get the hell out of there.
“I will run various tests with the goal of finding a cure for the virus,” he claimed in an exasperated tone. “What may appear to be a hostage environment would actually be a home for those who could do harm to the city. I believe I am more than qualified to oversee Operation Dreamcatcher: a plan that will allow the world to still function as it does daily.”
“Careful,” I said with a smirk. “You keep patting yourself on the back like that and your arm’s gonna fall off. It’s funny how the villain always thinks their the hero. I’m not being a part of this, Alvin, and that’s my final decision.”
“Then I’m afraid I have no other choice.”
Taking that as an immediate threat, I bolted out of the door before he could move or utter another word. My attempt to flee came to a quick and painful end, however, after bumping into a suited man with a similar build to those who restrained me earlier.
“Let go of me,” I hollered, fighting to break away from the man’s bear hug. He lifted me off my feet with ease and carried me over to Alvin.
“Miss Dawn, you will do as I ask, understand? That is, if you care for your family as much as you care for making the world a better place.”
The suited gorilla began to squeeze the life out of me. I gasped from the crushing of my ribs, screaming as my welling eyes were ready to leak at a moment’s notice.
“Put her down,” Alvin commanded. My body was thrown to the ground with force. “Please, I do not wish for you to see me as the bad guy,” he said, kneeling to my level.
“You are the bad guy, but I’ll do what you want. Just leave my family out of this.”
“As you wish, Aliyah Dawn.” He offered his hand to take. “Welcome aboard.”