The Dharma Revelation

Chapter 19

When Petra arrived in the Metatron wing, she carefully made her way to the reception hall. It was easy to find, and like everything else at Osiris, it was not what she expected. Despite its outward appearance, it was anything but a standard reception hall. The vaulted ceilings, the plant life, and the natural light—which was pervasive throughout the facility—filled her soul.

She was pleased to see that the others were all here, and she wasn't the only one who dressed for the occasion. Kushan had an impressive gray-tabbed shirt with a black jacket. Vincent was in a traditional suit and tie. Nasir had pressed slacks and a business shirt. Aaron Breuer wore a cardigan sweater with khaki pants. And, of course, John Lassiter had a red-earth Hawaiian-style polo shirt—untucked.

As she joined her new friends, they grinned at her appreciatively.

"Miss Delaere, you look absolutely stunning," Vincent said immediately. The other men nodded their agreement. Despite Nasir and Kushan's reserved nature, their expression conveyed their approval.

"Thank you," she smiled modestly.

Not wanting to tell them how long she spent in front of a mirror this afternoon, she downplayed her appearance. She had gone through several outfits before deciding on a silk, black, sleeveless dress that was tighter in the middle, accentuating her figure. She felt foolish at first, but it had been a long time since she had an occasion to dress up, and she felt particularly excited to meet tonight's guest.

John Lassiter approached her and sputtered incoherently. The only word she managed to get was "beautiful." Petra smiled her thanks at him, but he insisted on fawning over her in his usual dramatic fashion.

Soon, Caleb Drake entered with Carl Peterson at his side. Carl seemed very serious, as if his heart were heavy. Caleb had a broad smile, joyous and genuine. He had on a slick Italian suit and was looking every bit the role of a leader.

He smiled at Petra and the rest of the group, and then got right to business.

"I want to thank you all for coming tonight," he said. "Please find a seat—I have some announcements."

He allowed everyone to get settled.

"The food will be here shortly," Drake continued. "I promise, the cooks are outdoing themselves tonight. There will be more guests arriving later to share our joy, our celebration. The Ambriel wing in particular—they don't get out much." Everyone chuckled at that. Petra was becoming more familiar with her surroundings, and the staff here at Osiris all had enormous respect for Caleb. The friendly banter was more akin to a family than to a corporation.

Caleb continued, "But these next few hours are for us. Some of us have come a long way to get to this point. Blood sweat and tears, you could even say. So the least we can do is to have some good food, fine drinks, share some laughs and appreciate what we've accomplished together."

Drake slowly and casually walked toward them, his face becoming more serious, "As you know, we are all here tonight to celebrate the culmination of a dream of mine. Many years ago, I believed there was more, more to life, more to understanding our purpose. I've been fortunate enough to see my dream answered, as evidenced by the five of you here. I believe we are only at the beginning, my friends. There is so much more yet to come. Tonight, the sixth will join us, completing our circle and ending our search. We will be complete. Combined with the knowledge from our very dear friend Dharma, I believe we are on the verge of philosophical and theological breakthroughs not seen in centuries.

"Now, I know you are wondering, Bridget phoned me 10 minutes ago and said they were about 10 minutes away, so I expect our guest will be here any moment. I just want to reiterate how important it is that we do our best to make Daniel Sheppard feel welcome. As you already know, he has gone through a lot lately; he is in both physical and emotional pain. He's very lucky to be alive, considering the extent of his injuries. In addition to the attempt on his life and that of his sister, he also lost his job. Coupled with his sister's house being destroyed, he is literally homeless."