There are no birth records of a child fitting the description of Ariel Davis. Law enforcement apprehends her in Hell’s Kitchen after stealing from a corner market. While being transported to a juvenile facility, officers report an explosion blowing off the door of their vehicle, allowing the young girl to escape. Their report is intercepted by the military and is declared a mentalist threat. A kill squad is sent to find and terminate her. They find her in an abandoned warehouse. She kills six Marines before escaping.
Mark Davis, as the acting director of a Mentalist Research Facility, is recruited for his expertise. While the military attempts to stronghold their way into the mission, Mark approaches her and with offers her food and a chance to help people. She agrees to go with him. From here on, Mark Davis acts as her ward and introduces her to his wife and eventually his son. Numerous reports are filed against his familial approach to this “subject.” President Cecilia Joyce backs his approach, demanding he uncover the source of mentalists’ supernatural abilities.
Records from the research facility state that Ariel cooperated with scientists. Personal journals describe her as being rambunctious and extremely outgoing with Facility personnel. Later, Ivan Volkov joins as lead researcher and her demeanor changes. Their relationship is described as combative, similar to reports between Volkov and Davis. However, she cooperates, but there is no evidence to suggest they unlocked the secrets behind her abilities. Needing more data, two more mentalists, Penelope, an empath and Arturo, a pyrokinetic, are brought to the facility. Ariel quickly befriends the Arturo and they become inseparable.
Threatened with scrapping the program and terminating “assets”, Davis reluctantly agrees Second Prospect, a militarization of mentalists. Jonah is assigned as the handler to train Ariel in combat. During this time, her telekinetic abilities grow, allowing her to move objects three to four times her body weight. Technicians note her abilities are heavily reliant on line of sight and that she has a limited sphere of influence. This does not diminish their destructive capabilities. It is also noted that her attitude toward the military is less than hospitable. With Davis’s guidance, she reluctantly agrees to remain in the program. Ariel’s respect for the chain of command is shaky and ultimately she defies orders when she refuses to slaughter rogue Outlanders.
The research personnel at the Facility are massacred. They shut security cameras off, but forensic experts detail evidence of intense heat and burns killing more than a dozen people. More perplexing are the victims with crushed internal organs and no external wounds. The military labels it as an empath lashing out, creating a hostile environment. It is unclear if Arturo and Ariel are affected or if they act as conspirators. Arturo is found dead, but there are no signs of Ariel.
The mentalist evades military surveillance for years. There is a case file kept open with unusual happenings. After the Nostradamus Effect, and the growing number of Children, it’s impossible to attribute supernatural events to her. Decades later, she makes herself known in the rural town of Troy. Drones detect fifty residents in the town just inside the Outlands. They launch a military initiative to eradicate all Children, but most importantly to eliminate Ariel Davis. While the townspeople are assassinated, Ariel flees.
Declaring herself a freedom fighter, Ariel is a notable member of the Battle for Chicago. Military reports state that she assisted the General in overthrowing Jacob Griffin. However, during the battle itself, it is unclear if she joined the fight on the streets. In an interview with war hero, and acting President Twenty-Seven, she explains that Ariel Davis served a crucial role in uniting rogue Children of Nostradamus with the military. She confirms Ariel does not survive the battle. Twenty-Seven signers her first law, the “Ariel Act,” which protects the rights of mentalists and Children of Nostradamus.