by Pond, Simone
*
“Wake up.” A male’s voice echoed.
“Where am I?” Grace mumbled, blinking her eyes open.
A spotlight bore into her eyes. She squinted under the blinding light, trying to grasp her surroundings. They had moved her from the containment room into a glass cell with thick unbreakable panels. Slowly, she stood up and peered to the silhouette standing in front of the containment cell.
“Faraday,” she said.
“We’ve moved you to a more secure location.”
“Why? I thought the council was finishing deliberations today. It sounded like they were preparing to release me.”
“That was before the attack.”
Grace’s insides stiffened. “What attack?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, child. We know you concocted the incursion. It’s clear your goal was to get the entire West Coast Regional Council to the Seattle City Center. Once everyone was gathered in one location, your terrorist natives from the Outside could attack. You told the natives that getting rid of the council would keep the city walls intact.”
Grace shook her head, vehemently opposing the lies he spun. She’d never turn against her people. And the natives weren’t capable of doing something so outrageous. They wanted to protect their land, but they’d never go up against the city––it’d be a catastrophic error. The natives would rather migrate to a new location than start a war they’d lose. Faraday’s accusation was ludicrous.
“No way. First of all, how would they even get into the center? They don’t have the technology. Second of all, they’d never do something so stupid.”
“They got in with your help. The entire time you were on the Outside, you were plotting to take down the council. You knew you couldn’t convince the council to keep the city closed. So you did what you do best––broke the law and worked with Outside rebels,” Faraday insisted. “You procured a solar-copter and taught them how to operate it. And you gave them the access codes to enter the city. Then you exposed the child to a virus, thus giving you a reason to return to the city, knowing we’d detain you. You knew there’d be a trial with all twenty members of council. Your plan almost worked.”
“This is bullshit and you know it. I’d never attack my own people. Neither would the natives. Not in a million years.”
“Listen to you. Sticking up for them. You, Miss Strader, are a traitor to this city, and to your people.”
“You’re a desperate liar who’d do anything to distract the council from the truth. You’re making this up to keep me locked away so you can get to Christian. I want to speak to someone on the council. I demand that you get President Jordan. You can’t keep me locked in here without the council’s consent!”
Faraday stepped closer, standing inches from Grace. Only the glass panel stood between them. “Your appalling acts have caused unforgivable damage. Terrorists don’t have rights. You don’t get to make demands.”
“I had nothing to do with this alleged attack. I’ve been in containment for days.”
“Like I said, you’ve been planning this for months. Getting caught was part of your strategy. While you were standing trial, the natives executed your plan. And because of you, lives were lost.” Faraday scowled.
“You’re a pathetic old man and you won’t get away with this.”
He chuckled. “If anyone isn’t getting away with something, it’s you. You’re a disgrace.” He laughed some more. “Get it, disgrace.”
Maybe it was a mind control tactic Faraday used on his victims. He couldn’t be satisfied with sending her back to Ojai; he had to make sure she’d be out of the picture for good. With her out of the way, Faraday could say or do whatever he wanted. She wondered if anyone else knew she was locked inside a containment cell. The air grew stuffy and she struggled to breathe.
“Nobody will believe these ridiculous allegations. I don’t even believe there was an attack.”
“You’ve already proven that you’re reckless and impulsive. There are ten people in the intensive care unit and four dead. You won’t be in this cell very long. As soon as the remaining council members have recovered, they’ll vote for your termination. Our government doesn’t tolerate terrorist murderers.”
“I’m not a murderer!”
“The attack you plotted took the lives of President Jordan, Councilwoman Conklin, Councilman Sheridan.” He fiddled with a button on his suit jacket. “And your father, General Joseph Strader.”
A chill settled in Grace’s bones. “How can you say such horrible lies? I don’t believe a single word. If you don’t get my father in here now, I promise to make you pay the rest of your life.”
Faraday took out his digi-pad and keyed in some instructions. The glass cell illuminated with visual images.
“Call me a liar, but this attack happened. Take a look at the footage.” Faraday stood back, while Grace watched.
High above the Administrative Building, one of the panels of the city center opened and a rope ladder dropped down. A group of people––appearing to be natives, based on their clothing and weapons––descended. As they maneuvered down the ladder to the roof of the Administrative Building, they shot arrows at the guards. They used a knife to jam open the door and barreled into the building. Grace wanted to look away, but she kept watching with an increasing sense of powerlessness.
The footage cut to the conference room, where the council members were in the middle of deliberations. The natives broke into the room and started a full-blown attack, shooting arrows and lodging spears. Grace didn’t recognize any of the men. She couldn’t believe what she was watching. A burly man with tattoos lunged a spear into James’ chest, killing him on the spot. Then he dove on top of Councilwoman Conklin and sliced her neck. She never liked Conklin, but the woman didn’t deserve to die like that. Nobody did. Why was this happening? How was this happening? Her heart stopped when she saw her father and Lucas bolt into the room. They took down three of the men, but the tattooed man was too fast. He aimed an arrow at Lucas, but her father––her brave and courageous father––dove in front of Lucas and took the arrow. She cried out as her father dropped to the ground. Then the man swooped down and landed on top of Lucas. He fought back, but the man stabbed Lucas in the eye and slashed his neck. Her father fired off shots into the man’s back, saving Lucas from any further damage. All the air evaporated from Grace’s lungs. She stood paralyzed and unable to breathe. Every cell in her body wanted to leap out. The footage had to be fabricated. Her father and Lucas couldn’t be dead.
Faraday turned off the hologram.
“That was fake,” she whispered.
“Oh, I assure you, it was very real. You and your native friends slaughtered four very important people and butchered many others. Fortunately, we were able to contain the situation before they killed everyone in the room. So you see, Miss Strader, you’re in quite a predicament.”
“Even if this did happen, which I still don’t believe it did, why would I ever plan an attack on my own people, let alone my father and my boyfriend?” Tears filled her eyes and she tried to blink them away. She couldn’t show Faraday any signs of weakness.
“Simple. You didn’t think they’d be in the room. Not during deliberations, anyway. They came to assist and ended up being collateral damage. A sad misfortune.”
“You have zero proof that I had anything to do with this. Nobody in their right mind would ever believe I was behind it.”
“But I do have proof. A confession from one of the terrorists just before he died.”
“I don’t believe you!” she yelled.
Faraday typed into his digi-pad again, pulling up more footage.
One of the natives––the burly man with tattoo sleeves––lay on the conference room floor in a pool of blood. Faraday and one of the council members shouted at him to explain the reason for the attack.
“It was the girl. The one from Inside … Grace … She said it was the only way to keep Shiny Green Mountain closed. To keep pe
ace across our sacred lands …”
“I don’t even know him!” Grace screamed, pounding the glass.
The images started glitching out and a blazing shock lobbed through her arms, propelling her backwards. She smacked against the back of the cell and collapsed to the ground. Unable to move or speak, she lay motionless, staring at Faraday.
“You’ll be like that for the next hour or so. I suggest not touching the glass anymore. It’s over, Miss Strader. For your entire family.” He walked off into the dark corridor, leaving Grace on the floor of the cell, her only movement a soft whimper.
22
Ava hadn’t expected the city center to be fully operational. “Whoa,” she said, spinning around to take it all in.
“It’s majestic, isn’t it?”
Majestic wasn’t the first word that came to mind. Artificial was more fitting.
They stood in an alley next to one of the shops, scoping out the scene and staying out of view of the monitors and residents. Ava’s heart jumped when a team of Beautifiers flitted by, chatting in their typical singsong cadence. They looked a little different than she remembered. Instead of wearing white chiffon robes, they wore black jumpsuits. That was strange. Looking around, she noticed some other differences. The cylindrical dwelling towers in the sector weren’t illuminating in colorful hues like they usually did. No floating orbs drifting about, or classical music streaming from the trees. Things moved at a slower pace, and overall everything appeared less glitzy than her days on the Inside.
“It’s different,” Ava said.
“I’m trying to figure out the year. It’s one of the earlier generations, way before your time.”
“It does seem lower tech. And less people.” Everyone headed in the same direction––toward the Arena. “There must be a big event,” she said.
“Looks that way.” Morray stared off, contemplating.
Ava marveled as she observed the people. Not all of the residents used the moving sidewalks, some walked down the main street. “I know they’re not real, but they look so real. Like we’ve traveled back in time. Or entered a parallel universe.”
“Most definitely,” Morray muttered.
Time was ticking and they needed to make a move before the monitors, or the guards, picked them up. She wanted to ditch Morray and make a run for the Administrative Building, but that didn’t seem strategic.
“Are we just going to stand here?” she prodded.
“What do you suggest? We can’t just meander into the city. We’ll stand out. I might be Chief Morray, but these people don’t know this iteration of me. I’m sure it will clash with whatever version is out there.” He leaned against the building, staring at Ava, waiting for her to come up with a solution.
She didn’t want to waste another minute. “I’m going to the Admin Building while everyone is at the Arena, locate the servers and get to work.”
“Get to work?”
“Yes. I’m getting out of here. Out of this program. Out of the mainframe.”
He chuckled. “My dear, sweet, beautiful Ava. We’re not leaving the program. I’m going to find whichever version of me is running the place, get rid of him, and take back my reign––with you by my side. You didn’t think you’d actually get away, did you?”
She knew damn well Morray intended to bring her deeper into the mainframe and add another layer of entrapment. The whole thing was becoming more and more meta. Now Morray had her inside the city center, within Dickson’s program, somewhere in the mainframe. They were three layers deep. Which meant nobody on the outside would ever be able to track her down. But that didn’t matter, because she wasn’t relying on anyone else to do the job. She had access to the city’s powerful servers, and she was ready to go to battle.
“When will you learn, Morray? I’m the one who always gets away.”
He yanked her arm, wrapping her in a stronghold. “Not this time.”
Adrenaline pumped through Ava’s body and she kicked Morray’s shins a few times, but he grabbed her neck and squeezed. She swung at his face and chest. One punch made direct contact with his throat. He coughed and lost his grip. She kicked him in the groin, causing him to double over, then she came down on him with a powerful roundhouse kick to his upper back. He toppled to the ground.
She stood over his body and kicked him in the ribs over and over. “You think I didn’t know what you were up to? It’s never going to happen. I’m getting the hell out of here, and making sure you stay trapped Inside. And when I’m out, I’ll demolish the entire mainframe. You’ll finally be gone.”
Ava darted out of the alley onto the main street. The residents stopped to stare as she sprinted and weaved between them, heading toward the Administrative Building in the center of the city. Morray wouldn’t be down for long. She needed to get to the servers before him. But she hadn’t contemplated the next phase of her plan. How would she convince the guards to grant her access to the servers? What did she plan on telling them? I’m not really here, neither are any of you, but if you just let me get to your servers, I can fix everything … They’d lock her up.
But what if she faked out the guards the same way she had when she escaped years ago? If they thought she belonged in the Administrative Building, they wouldn’t give her any trouble. Then she could find a way to the main server room. She couldn’t just waltz into the lobby in slacks and a T-shirt. She needed to blend in with the others.
Before attracting too much attention, she turned down a side street and ducked into an alcove of a high-end boutique. A team of Beautifiers headed down the narrow road toward the main street. She crouched low and honed in on the smallest lady, trailing behind the others. Just as the group passed, Ava slipped out from the alcove and grabbed the Beautifier, covering the woman’s mouth and pulling her into the shadows. The young woman’s eyes widened, but she remained calm and didn’t attempt to scream. Insiders weren’t familiar with violence, except for the lies they heard about the Outsiders.
“Not a word. Understand?” Ava whispered.
She nodded.
“I need you to remove your jumpsuit and switch clothes with me. And I’ll need your beauty kit. Are you going to cooperate?”
“Mm hmm,” she mumbled, nodding.
Ava slowly removed her hand and stepped back, giving the Beautifier some room to remove the black jumpsuit. She then took off her slacks and T-shirt and switched clothes with the woman.
“Are you from the Outside? Are you a terrorist?” the Beautifier asked.
“I’m here to save the city. There’s a man claiming he’s the real Chief Morray and he’s going to cause great harm. He tried to stop me from telling everyone, but I got away.”
She handed Ava the jumpsuit. “Why do you need my clothes?”
“I need to be disguised so he can’t track me.” It was a weak lie, but it wouldn’t take much effort to outsmart the Beautifier.
She gawked at Ava in admiration. “Ooooh, how exciting! But you must let me enhance you so you look like a real Beautifier.”
Ava grinned. “Even better. What’s your name?”
“Katherine. But my friends call me Kat.”
Kat opened her kit and went to work. First, she brushed Ava’s long auburn hair and whipped it up into a high bun. Then she smeared radiant colors and glittery creams all over Ava’s face and neck. She sprayed perfumes, filling the small space with the scent of gardenias. For the finishing touches, she painted a quick-drying coat of polish on Ava’s fingernails.
“Perfect!” Kat sang out.
Ava patted the woman’s shoulder and picked up the kit. “Well done, Katherine. For your protection, you must stay here and wait, then go back to your dwelling unit and stay there. I’ll be sure to tell the real Morray of your heroism. Thank you.”
“No, no! Thank you!”
Ava crept out of the alcove and headed toward the main street. She waited until a group of female teens passed by and stealthily joined them, blending in.
“I heard
a rumor that Chief Morray might make an appearance tonight. Some big announcement or something,” a slender girl said.
Another girl clapped her hands. “I think he’s announcing Graduation Day festivities. I’m so excited!”
Ava cringed at Graduation Day. If only the girls knew the real meaning behind the ceremony. The graduating generation would move into their pre-selected positions for the next eighteen years, sending the older generation off to retirement, which meant they’d being shipped to Ret-Hav for Morray’s experiments. It was only a program, but she still felt sorry for the Insiders.
“Which Graduation ceremony is this one, again?” Ava asked. She needed more information before she got to the Administrative Building.
The group of girls glanced back, surprised to hear her voice.
One of the girls giggled. “What do you mean?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be beautifying someone?” Another girl teased.
Ava batted her eyelashes and cocked her head, trying to appear flighty and airy, like all Beautifiers. “I mean … Like how many ceremonies have we had to date? I can’t remember.”
“Silly, this is the first one.”
Dickson had set the program way back to the beginning.
Ava sang out, “Oh, that’s right! I got it mixed up with Inception Day.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Um, I, um … Oh, this is where I leave you. I must get to the Admin Building. I have some beautifying to do!” She curtsied and dashed off.
Ava approached the lobby of the Administrative Building, conjuring up her acting abilities. She found it funny that she was trying to get back into the building she had escaped so long ago. Security probably wasn’t as advanced, but the guards might be more alert. Taking a breath, she flounced into the lobby with a sparkling smile.
“Helllllo!” she announced to the two guards standing by the elevator door.
The shorter guard stepped forward, holding out his hand. “Whoa, slow down there, miss. What are you doing here?”
