by Pond, Simone
Blythe and Ava took the transporter to the containment cellblock.
“How is it that psychopaths get into positions of power?” Ava asked.
“That’s why we need people like you, ma’am. To fight back and set things straight. Grace put up a good fight. Now you gotta step in and finish it.”
Ava struggled to lift her hands to wipe away the tears. Blythe leaned down and used her sleeve to dry off the areas she had missed.
The transporter opened to a dark hallway, where Faraday and four guards stood waiting. He looked different, tidier and more polished. Presidential. Ava couldn’t wait to crush his plans.
“Mrs. Strader, welcome home,” Faraday said, extending his hand.
Ava used every ounce of strength to lift up her hand; she didn’t want Faraday to see her as weak.
“I do offer my deepest condolences,” he muttered.
“Can I see my daughter?” Her tongue was like a blade cutting through every syllable.
“Of course. This way.”
Ava and Blythe followed behind Faraday and his entourage of guards to a lone cell at the far end of the dark hallway. He stepped off to the side and the guards made room.
Grace’s body lay in a motionless heap in the corner of the cell.
“We found her like this early this morning,” Faraday said.
“I thought you terminated her.”
“We were scheduled for termination, but we didn’t proceed. She took care of it for us. Electrocuted herself.”
Ava stared at the glass cell, not comprehending how that lifeless body could be her daughter. Her fearless and feisty Grace, who would stand up to anyone for what she believed in. “And you just left her like this?”
Faraday puffed up a bit. “We’ve been in the middle of a war. I’m sorry to say, she wasn’t our number one priority.”
“You bastard,” she shouted, unable to control herself.
“Please don’t take your anger out on me.”
“You’re responsible for her death, you asshole.”
“Grace committed treason against our city; she did this to herself.”
“You don’t get to speak my daughter’s name!” Ava’s voice bounced off the cement walls.
Faraday’s eyes widened. “I know it must be difficult, two losses in one week, but please don’t lash out at me. I’m merely acting upon my duties to maintain peace within the city walls.”
Ava turned the glider around and moved closer to Faraday. “Two losses? What are you talking about?”
“Oh dear, you don’t know? Has nobody told you about General Strader?” Faraday raised his eyes in delight. “He died in the attack. The attack your daughter planned and helped execute.”
Ava went numb. A deafening roar filled her body. Joseph was gone too? Her daughter and her husband were dead? Leaving her alone in the world. What was the point in living another day if she couldn’t be with her family? They were everything. Faraday had done this. He had destroyed everything she loved. The grief shifted to rage and a tidal wave of adrenaline poured into her weak muscles. Her body trembled with enough hate to murder Faraday with her bare hands.
Blythe stood behind the glider, holding Ava’s shoulders to keep her down, but she pulled herself out of the chair and lunged on top of Faraday, bringing them both to the ground. She punched at his face and pounded his chest until the guards yanked her off.
Blythe ran over and helped Ava back into the glider. “Remember our mission. There’s still work to do,” she whispered.
The explosion inside of Ava’s brain smoldered out. Blythe was right. There was still work to do. She would expose Faraday and make him pay. The thought of seeing him contained in one of the cells awaiting his termination gave her enough strength to push away her sadness. Grieving would have to wait.
“Do you want us to put her into containment, sir?” one of the guards asked.
Faraday stood up and brushed himself off. “No, no. Mrs. Strader’s behavior is understandable. She has absolutely nothing left in this world,” he said with a slight grin. “Besides, she’ll be leaving Seattle tomorrow. Once the medics have given the okay, she’ll be flown back down to Ojai.”
“I’m not leaving without my daughter or husband,” she yelled.
“They’ll be shipped down so you can have a proper burial.” Faraday rubbed his hands together. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a war to wrap up.”
On the way back to the medical lab, numbness iced over Ava. Memories of Joseph and Grace danced around in her head too quickly to hold onto. How could she live in a world without them? Her strong facade crumbled all around her. She slumped forward and fell apart in front of Blythe.
“There might be hope for Grace; she’s still inside the mainframe. But Joseph is gone forever. He saved my life and gave me the only thing I always wanted––freedom. He was my first and only love. And I loved him enough to fill our universe and beyond. What am I supposed to do with this love now? It’s suffocating me. This is not the life I imagined coming back to.”
“I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but you’re gonna be okay,” Blythe said.
“I have no reason to live,” Ava cried.
“That’s not true. For one, I’m gonna need your help nailing that prick-hole Faraday to the wall. And the natives need our help. Faraday did a stellar job wiping out a huge chunk of their population, but the ones who survived need help rebuilding. They’re gonna need someone on the Inside fighting for them to keep the city closed.”
Ava remembered what Grace said inside the mainframe: You can’t help but save the world.
“You’re right, Blythe. I can’t let their deaths be in vain. Who would’ve thought I’d be fighting to keep the walls up?” Ava reached for Blythe’s hand and stretched out her legs, easing herself out of the glider. She stood on her feet for the first time in over a year. “If Faraday’s planning on sending me home tomorrow, we better get to work.”
“Life has a strange way of revealing our destiny,” Blythe said.
Ava remembered Morray and how he tried to make her believe she was destined to be with him. But that wasn’t true. That was never true. She was destined to save others from people like him. The way Joseph had saved her.
34
Blythe and Ava took the transporter to the morgue, where they hoped to find the bodies of the men who had attacked the city center. Faraday was a strategic thinker, but he wasn’t much for the minutiae: like removing the soldiers’ bodies that more than likely contained internal chips in their fingers. Microchips were such an integral part of Insider lifestyle that most people forgot they existed. But Ava would never forget. It was her chip that helped save her people so many years ago, when Joseph had uploaded the footage of Ret-Hav and she shared the truth. Once the residents’ eyes were open––like Ava’s––they couldn’t return to the old ways. They revolted and took down Morray and his system.
Inside the cold stark room, the refrigerated storage units had display panels listing the cabin contents. Ava balanced against Blythe’s shoulder as she reviewed the information, knowing it wasn’t going to be easy when she came across her husband’s name.
“General Joseph Strader,” she whispered, tracing the panel with her fingers.
“Do you wanna open it, so you can say goodbye? I can give you a minute.”
Ava hurt from a place so deep in her soul that words couldn’t formulate. She just nodded and waited until Blythe left the room. As she opened the cabin the only words she could utter were, “Please God, help me.”
The door slowly opened and she held her breath, afraid that breathing would make it hurt more. Joseph’s body was stiff and pallid, his eyes closed in perpetual sleep. How could her truest love be dead? It seemed surreal––as though she were watching a movie. She was incapable of actually being in the moment, because if she lingered in it too long, she’d break down again. And there wasn’t time for that right now. She wanted to hold him, to wake him up, but she knew his lifeless
body in her arms would only make it worse. Instead, she ruffled his dark curls, knowing she could mourn her loss after she dealt with Faraday.
“You’ll always be with me, my darling. You saved me. Gave me the best life a woman could ever know. Gave me Grace. Our dear Grace. My only solace is knowing that you’re watching over us.” She closed her eyes, releasing a slow breath. “I don’t know if she’s gone for good, I don’t think she is. Either way, please watch over us like you always have. I’ll make this right. I’ll carry you with me for always. Until we’re together again.”
She kissed the top of Joseph’s head and quickly pressed the button, sending him back into the cabin, knowing it would be the last time she’d ever see her husband. She released one last sob over the unfairness of it all and returned her attention to their mission. The loss would inspire her to fight harder to prove Faraday’s guilt. She straightened herself and promised to stay strong––for Joseph and Grace.
Blythe returned and joined Ava, patting her shoulder. “It’s only flesh. He was so much more than that. He’ll live on through many good soldiers. And you.” She handed Ava a towel to dry off her face.
“You ready to start slicing open some skin?” Blythe grinned, holding up two combat knives.
“I think I’ll just use a laser scalpel.” Ava took the device and went to work on the first body. She found nothing inside the tip of the man’s finger. Blythe worked on the second body, cutting into the rigid finger, but came up empty.
“What’s that about the third one being a charm?” Blythe cut into the man’s finger, but found nothing. “Bullshit,” she said.
Ava moved to the fourth man, who had tattoos covering his entire body, including the private parts.
“That’s commitment,” Blythe said.
Ava took the laser scalpel and sliced a vertical slit along the tip of his finger, careful not to get too close to cause any damage. She pulled back at the first sight of the tiny silver capsule.
“Get me something to pull it out,” she instructed Blythe.
With careful precision Ava used tweezers to remove the chip, then placed it on the piece of cloth Blythe held out.
“Fourth time’s a charm, apparently.” Blythe folded up the cloth and put it into her pocket.
“We need to get to a lab to extract his memory files.”
“Already got a room reserved, Mrs. Strader.”
*
Ava stood behind Blythe, watching her initiate the memory file extraction process. They waited in silence as a hologram materialized and displayed multiple files stored by time code. While Blythe scrolled through the data, Ava turned her back to avoid some of the more disturbing visuals. The tattooed man spent a lot of time over-indulging in booze and seedy women.
“This dude was a sick ink lovin’ shit-bag!” Blythe laughed.
Ava’s eyes glazed over, trying to blur the images. A few files in, they came across the tattooed man sitting at a table inside a cafe.
Blythe slowed down the footage. “He’s actually wearing pants here, so this is probably what we’re looking for.”
“Where is that?” Ava asked.
“Looks like P-town, south of here.”
In the hologram, the door jingled and the man looked up. Faraday walked into the cafe and motioned for him to come over.
“You gonna pay for this coffee?” the man grunted.
“It’s done. Now come with me.”
“Nah, man. I ain’t goin’ nowhere with you.”
“If you want to discuss the assignment, you will. Otherwise, I’ll go elsewhere. You think I don’t have a bevy of washed up soldiers who’d be interested in work?”
“All right, dude. Take it easy.”
The man followed Faraday out of the cafe to the crowded street and down an alley.
“Where we goin’, man?”
Faraday ignored him and stepped into a building, where they took a rickety elevator to the top floor. They entered a dark stairwell and went up to the roof, then headed over to a parked hovercraft. Faraday climbed inside and the man followed. He plunked down across from President Sullivan and Faraday.
“Good to see you again, Pres.” The burly man slapped Sullivan’s bare knee.
She batted her long eyelashes and smiled sweetly, reaching out to touch his hand.
Faraday cleared his throat and pulled up a hologram of the Seattle City Center. “Your assignment is to break into the center from this point of entry.” He pointed to the top of the center, then opened the image into a new layer, showing the inside of the center. “You’ll need to get to the roof of the Administrative Building, shoot to kill anyone who impedes you getting inside. Only use archaic weaponry. No guns. This is all knives, bows, and spears.”
“Sounding good, so far,” the man said.
Faraday touched the hologram again and zoomed into the top floor of the Administrative Building. “Take the stairs to the main conference room on the top floor. You’ll enter here and start attacking the following people.”
Faraday pulled up images of President Jordan, Councilwoman Conklin, and Councilman Hartman. “Those are your primary targets. If any Officers or guards fight back, feel free to take them out. I don’t have to tell you to stay clear of me and Sullivan.”
“Yeah, I kinda figured that one out, genius.”
“You pick your men, don’t care who they are. They just need to be expendable.”
“Hmm, what about me? I ain’t takin’ a gig that ends in death.”
“We’ll protect you afterward. Just make sure you stay alive. I’ll tell everyone you were killed in the attack and get you to a safe location.”
“How am I supposed to get in?” He pointed to the city center.
“With this hovercraft. We’re leaving it with you. But don’t get any ideas. It’s programmed for one course and that’s directly to the center. You’ll use these access codes to get inside.” Faraday showed him the display screen.
“So I just go in, kill these three people, and fly the hell out of there?”
“No, I need to have you arrested for appearances’ sake. When that happens, your job is to say the following script: ‘It was the girl. The one from Inside … Grace … She said it was the only way to keep Shiny Green Mountain closed. To keep peace across our sacred lands …’ If you don’t say these exact words, I cannot help you. You got it?”
“What the hell is Shiny Green Mountain?”
“It’s what the natives call the city center,” Faraday said.
“Okay, I got it. You wanna screw the natives up the ass.”
President Sullivan rubbed the man’s thigh. “Yes, exactly.”
Faraday shut off the hologram. “Are we clear?”
“Clear as the blue in your eyes.” He looked at Sullivan again. “How are you gettin’ back up north?”
“We have arranged transportation,” Faraday said.
“I was talkin’ to the lady.”
Sullivan licked her lips and stood up to leave the hovercraft. “I have a few hours before we depart.”
The man slapped Sullivan’s ass as she stepped onto the roof, giggling.
“Shut it off. I don’t need to see the rest,” Ava said.
“We got them!” Blythe shouted joyfully.
“We sure do. Can you save just this segment onto your digi-pad?”
“Already done.”
“I’ll get a meeting with the council, ASAP. Please invite Lucas. I want him to have some closure.”
*
Getting the council together for a last minute meeting took some finagling on Ava’s part, but she used her return from the mainframe, coupled with the death of her husband and daughter, to her advantage.
She stepped into the conference room standing tall, her body having returned to its full capacity. Blythe and Lucas followed behind, which got some quizzical looks from the members. But they stood up and clapped as Ava took a seat at the table. All except Faraday and Sullivan, who remained seated.
Pres
ident Sullivan took the floor. “I speak for the entire council when I say how grateful we are to have you back, Mrs. Strader. Although, we wish it could have been under better circumstances. We applaud you for your bravery and commitment to protecting the people.”
“Thank you, I’m pleased you were able to meet with me at such short notice. I understand you’re in the midst of pulling back troops and ending the strikes.”
“It’s been a devastating loss for both parties,” President Sullivan said.
“I’m sure.” Ava tasted bile in her mouth, wanting to spit in the woman’s face. Such unnecessary loss.
“Now, what can we do for you before your departure in the morning?” Sullivan asked.
Ava smiled. “Oh, I’m not leaving.”
President Sullivan glanced at Faraday, who spoke up. “We’ve already made the arrangements. Additionally, we’ve deposited a fair amount of credits into your account on behalf of the West Coast Regions, to cover your loss and suffering.”
“No payout amount will smooth things over, Director.”
“Of course not, but we’ve gone through a lot of trouble to make sure you’ll be comfortable,” he said.
“I’ll do just fine on my own. Anyway, that’s not why I’m here.”
Sullivan shoved Faraday back into his chair. “Well, you must make haste. Our members have important duties they need to attend to.”
One of the younger female members raised a hand. “Actually, I’m in no rush. I’d like to hear what Mrs. Strader has to say. She’s been gone quite a while.”
“Yes, I agree. We owe her that,” another one chimed in.
An older man from one of the coastal regions, who had worked with Ava years ago, stood up. “I’d also like to hear out Mrs. Strader. Please take your time, you have the floor.”
Ava bowed to the group, setting Blythe’s digi-pad on the table. “I have something I’d like to share with the council. If I may?”
The members nodded, giving Ava the approval to proceed. Before she pulled up the footage, Blythe and Lucas stationed themselves by the door, just in case Faraday and Sullivan tried to sneak out early. She pulled up the hologram conversation between Faraday, Sullivan, and the tattooed man. Instead of watching the footage, she watched the reactions of the council members.
