The Island

Part one

"So if X=100 palms, then what is Y?" Asked Dr. Merrick. Destiny thinks for a minute "hmm, fifty palm trees sir, if there is five palms on those fifty trees they would equal to one hundred palms on each tree." she said flatly. He hummed "correct, well done Destiny" he said as he pulls a book out of a drawer "and this is your reward I hope you like it" he said with a smile.
Destiny shrugged "while I am happy to learn new words sir, why am I the only one who is smarter than the others? Like why is it that I am different from them?"
"Destiny" he began "you are more important to me and the others as much as living here, you are safe here and one day when I am gone you will inherit all of this facility" he says with a straight face. She thinks for a bit, until the door was opened by Lincoln 6 Echo. "Oh, hey Lincoln" she says with a smile.
"Sir, you wanted to see me?" He asked
"Ah, yes come please sit down" Merrick said.
Lincoln took a seat next to Destiny.
"So, how is Lincoln 6 Echo today?" He asked.
"Not so good I guess" Lincoln said.
"Why say that that?" Merrick asks.
"Well if I'm here that means I'm not so good." Said Lincoln.
Destiny just raises an eyebrow.
"That's a rather negative association, my only job is to see you happy things are ok with you."
"Right" Lincoln said.
Merrick then pulled a file on Lincoln.
"Your file shows that you've been interacting regularly with Jorden 2 Delta and also Destiny." Merrick said as looked at her.
Destiny just shrugged.
"There's now law against friendship." Lincoln said.
"No. No, we encourage it, but, obviously, proximity could become a concern." Merrick said.
"We know the rules of proximity, you don't need to worry about me and the monkey here." Destiny said with a smirk.
"Hm, you've been doing quite well in most other areas. Proficient at work, exercising rigorously. But screening has picked up some trace levels, changes in your metabolism." He said.
Destiny snickered, "no bacon again I assume?" Lincoln glared at her.
"And you've been having nightmares."
Are you saying there's something wrong with me?" Lincoln asks.
"Tell us about your dream." Merrick asks.
Lincoln thinks for a bit.
"Well, it's the same dream every time I'm on a boat headed to the Island."
"What kind of boat, Lincoln?" Asked Destiny.
"A nice boat." He says.
"Draw it for us would you?" Said Merrick as he got out a digital drawing pad and pen.
Lincoln starts drawing the boat.
"So, your heading towards the Island, what happens then?" Asked Merrick.
"I drown" Lincoln says bluntly.
"Really?" Says both Merrick and Destiny.
"Well that's dark" Destiny says.
"What do think that means?" Merrick asks.
"I don't know you tell me."
"Your probably afraid of winning." Destiny says pulling her knees together.
"Why would I be afraid of winning?"
"You tell us."
It got quiet.
"What's troubling you, Lincoln?" Merrick asked.
Lincoln stops drawing and thought for a moment.
"Well, it's...it's just...All right. Tuesday night is tofu night. And I'm asking myself who decided that everyone here likes tofu in the first place? And what is tofu, anyway?"

Merrick looked at Destiny who shrugged.

"And why can't I have bacon? I line up every morning, and I'm allowed any bacon for my breakfast."
"Anything else?" Destiny inquired.

"Let's talk about the white. Why is everyone wearing white all the time? It's impossible to clean. I'm walking around, and I always get the gray stripe. I never get any color while Destiny walks in black which she knows how to keep clean. And I hand it in to be cleaned, and someone cleans it, and folds it neatly back in my drawer, but who? Who is that person? I don't know. I just...I wanna know answers. And I wish there was more."
"More?" Merrick asked.
"Yeah. More than just waiting to go to the island."
"Lincoln, it's your nature to question things. But don't you realize how lucky you and Destiny are?"
Lincoln and Destiny look up.
"That you both survived the contamination. That nature has left you a Garden of Eden to repopulate. That Lincoln, is your purpose."

"Right and you and Destiny? Aren't you two going to the island too?"
"No. My responsibility is to make sure this facility continues to operate. Destiny will continue it in my stead if I'm ever gone. That why people like my me, my staff and supervisors we...*laughs* can't win the lottery."
Lincoln looks at Destiny. She frowned sadly.
"Let's see that."
Merrick takes the drawing Lincoln drew and Destiny scooted over to look.
"Cool Lincoln! You're a great artist." She exclaimed.
"Renovatio." What does that mean?"
"I don't know. It's always in my dream."

"I'd like to run some tests on you, Lincoln."
"What sort of test's?"
"Nice test's."
Destiny giggled.
"Come with me."
They both follow.

They head to a lab with a chair in the middle of the room.
"Take a seat."
"Ok. Get him comfortable."
Destiny presses the chair down.
"A little swing back."
The chair secured Lincoln down tightly.
"I thought these were nice test?"
"Relax, it's just a synaptic brain scan. Totally harmless." Destiny pokes his nose and holds his shoulders down.
"Don't worry, it's painless." Merrick said as he came over with a pen of micro-sensors that drop onto his face and started to crawl into his eye.
Merrick forces one of his eye to open.
"Ahh! Ah! Ohh! Ow, it hurts."
"Not really." He replied.
"Yeah, it does!"
"No, it doesn't."
"Yeah, it really, really does!"
He screamed and struggled until all the bots were in his eye.
"The micro-sensors will move along your optic nerve. They'll be uploading readings to us over the next 24 hours after which, you'll pass them though your urine."
"And THAT might hurt." Destiny put in.