The City Center (The New Agenda Series Book 1)

by Simone Pond

  Joseph jumped down and landed on the dirt a few feet below. He held out his arms to help Ava. She closed her eyes and dropped into his arms. He held her, adjusting the cloth around her face. “See, you’re okay. Just keep your face wrapped. Even if you want to take it off to see everything better, keep it on.”

  Ava leaned against Joseph, letting the sunlight warm her chilled body. It felt nice after the dampness of the tunnel. She inhaled the salty sea air and coughed. Holding onto Joseph’s arm for balance, she blinked her eyes open. Flashes of white light flickered in and out; she swayed and gripped Joseph tighter.

  “Slow breaths, Ava. Just breathe in and out. Stay calm.”

  “Stay calm,” she whispered.

  After a few deep breaths, her muscles loosened up and she felt stable enough to step away from Joseph. She turned in slow circles taking all of it in—the field of tall yellow grass surrounded by brown mountains and the trees reaching toward the blue sky. In the distance the sun radiated above the ocean’s surface. Everything shimmered and vibrated.

  “The sun,” Ava sang out.

  “Don’t look right at it.” Joseph turned her around to face him.

  “The virtual programs have it completely wrong, Joseph. Oh, they could never replicate this beauty.”

  “See, it’s not dangerous on the Outside the way the reports say. There is danger—from Morray’s men patrolling the roads. And there are wild animals.”

  “Wild animals?”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll be safe.” Joseph took Ava’s hand. “Let’s go, mummy.”

  They walked down a dirt path through the trees. Ava thought about Lillian escaping through the woods. Was this the same path? Her feet throbbed, but the soft ground felt better than the hard cement in the tunnel. Moving slower than Joseph, she took her time maneuvering over the fallen branches. She had walked along trees in the greenhouse many times, but being outside in nature was different. Snaps and cracks came from hidden places in the bushes. Scents, some sweet and others foul, swept through the air. These trees reached higher than her field of vision could grasp. She started to feel overwhelmed again.

  “Slow breaths, Ava,” Joseph reminded her.

  “I can’t believe how everything is so… I don’t know what to say, alive?”

  By the time they reached the first checkpoint—a small cabin nestled up against a mountain, hidden by trees and overgrown bushes—the blue sky had shifted to a silvery gray. They stood at the front door. Ava shivered from the cold and the shooting pain in her feet. She couldn’t wait to sit down. Joseph knocked on the wooden door. A small hatch opened and a man’s face appeared. His eyes widened when he recognized Joseph, he flung open the door and pulled him inside. Ava limped behind and stood close to Joseph. Other men in the cabin came over to greet Joseph. They noticed Ava.

  “I’m sure this looks strange. Me standing next to an Insider, but if it weren’t for her bravery I wouldn’t be alive. She helped me escape. Gentlemen, this is Ava Rhodes,” Joseph explained to the four rugged men outfitted in camouflage. They remained still. Maybe they’d never seen someone from the Inside, Ava thought. She didn’t know their customs so she stepped forward and curtsied. Pain shot through her legs and she fumbled forward. A man with pale blue eyes and messy blond hair reached out and helped her.

  “I know I’m not alone when I say we’re incredibly grateful for your help, Miss Rhodes. Joseph is my second in charge. It would’ve been a great loss. I’m David.” He smiled and held Ava’s hand, shaking it up and down. She didn’t understand why he was moving her hand up and down, but she went along with it, not wanting to appear impolite. The other men gathered around Joseph and patted his back. Ava checked out the room. Archaic technology covered the desks—circuit boards and wires, radios and phones—like in some of the old war movies.

  “Welcome back, Major.”

  “Good to have you back, sir.”

  “Thought we lost you for good.”

  “I don’t like you going behind my back. You’re lucky to be alive.” David looked at Ava. “And while I do appreciate what Miss Rhodes has done for you, don’t you think it’s risky bringing an Insider to our checkpoint? Isn’t she being tracked?”

  The men stared at Ava. She looked at her index finger, feeling ashamed. She got the same feeling around James—like she couldn’t do anything right. She wanted to bolt out the door and run to the forest, but her feet were too sore.

  “I’ll take care of it in a minute.” Joseph pulled Ava closer to him.

  “You need to take care of it immediately,” David said.

  “I know you’re pissed, David. But I had to make one last attempt before Graduation Day. I apologize for my insubordination, but look, my plan worked. I got through to someone. And she’s not just an ordinary resident. She’s a Successor. With her help, we might actually get through to the others. This could be our last chance to save them.”

  “Or Morray’s chance to wipe us out. You don’t honestly think Morray will let us get away with taking one of his Successors? Especially not when…”

  “Sir, she doesn’t know. I haven’t told her yet.”

  Ava looked at Joseph. She wondered when he would tell her the truth. Why was he holding back? What was it about Graduation Day? David kept his focus on Ava as if searching for something. But she didn’t know anything. They knew more than she did. She began to feel nauseous. Her throat tightened and tears blurred her vision. Too exhausted to hold back, tears rolled down her cheeks. David handed her a handkerchief.

  “Anything on the wires?” Joseph asked one of the men.

  “Not a peep. You’d think your stunt would’ve caused a war. But Morray and his men have been offline. Radio silence.”

  “He’s up to something. I want you to deactivate her chip immediately,” David said. “Take her to the bunkers. She’s not looking so good.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Ava said.

  “Don’t worry, Miss Rhodes. We’ll take good care of you. It’s not every day we have royalty out here.” He smiled and touched her shoulder. A chill coiled up her spine. She didn’t have a good feeling about David. What did Joseph call it, a gut instinct? A young man led Ava and Joseph to a large metal door at the far end of the room. She glanced back to see David and the others looking at a large paper map.

  “Take the first shelter on the right,” the man told Joseph.

  They stepped into a passageway where four individual shelters were burrowed into the side of the mountain. Joseph entered a code into the worn-out keypad. The door unlocked and he turned on a small lantern. The room was packed tight with four small beds and shelves stacked with food supplies, water containers, clothes, boots, blankets, and weapons. The weapons didn’t look anything like the ones the Officers and guards carried. These were black and clunky and took up a lot of space. Joseph wrapped a blanket around Ava’s shoulders. “Sit down, I gotta remove that chip before David has a heart attack.”

  “His heart is that weak?”

  “No,” Joseph laughed. He handed her a cup of water. “It’s a figure of speech.”

  “Why are you removing the chip? I thought David said to deactivate it.”

  “That was a nice way of saying get it out and destroy it.”

  “Who is David?”

  “He has the highest rank across all military units. So, he commands all the men who protect the villages. In official terms, he’d be General. He oversees all of the southern California coastal units. A lot of men under him.”

  “He said you’re his second. So that makes you important?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And from what I gathered, you disobeyed orders?”

  “David doesn’t want to risk causing turmoil between us and Morray. Going into battle could be devastating.”

  “Why do it then, knowing your actions would start a war?”

  “It was gonna happen either way. Morray is getting worse. He’s been encroaching on the villages, taking people for his programs and experiments. What
he’s doing is wrong. It’s unnatural. And he has to be stopped.”

  “Are you ever going to tell me the rest of the story?”

  “I want you to drink your water and sit down on the cot so I can remove your chip. I gotta do something about your feet.”

  Ava gulped back the cold water, not realizing how parched she was. “It’s so fresh,” she said.

  “No chemicals.”

  “Chemicals?”

  “Your water is full of them.” Joseph sat next to her and held up her index finger.

  “Is this going to hurt?”

  “Yeah, it’s gonna hurt, but it’ll be quick. Our medical technology is a far cry from yours.” Joseph poured another cup of water. She drank it fast and shifted around trying to find a comfortable position against the pillows. Joseph wiped off her index finger with an astringent he called witch-hazel and pressed the scalpel against her skin. “Close your eyes. Sometimes that helps.”

  “No, I want to watch.”

  “Cutting in.” He sliced open the tip of her index finger down about an inch. Blood oozed out. He wrapped her hand with a white cloth. “Hold this tight around the base of your finger,” he said.

  “It’s so warm.” Ava watched the blood drip down her finger, fascinated. She was grateful to divert her attention away from her feet. Joseph pressed a pair of tweezers into the gash and dug out the microchip. A blaze of heat shot through her body. “That hurt. That definitely hurt.” Ava squeezed the cloth around her finger.

  Joseph dropped the microchip into a metal bowl on the table next to the bed. “You doing okay?” he asked. He held her finger and stitched it up with black thread. Ava couldn’t watch that part.

  “It’s so small.” She looked at the microchip. “How could something so tiny have such power?”

  “Morray has teams of people perfecting his technology.”

  “What will you do with it now?”

  “I’ll deactivate it.”

  “How do you know how to do that?”

  “We’ve been practicing.” Joseph secured some bandages around Ava’s finger.

  “Where have you been getting microchips?”

  “Ava, there’s so much to tell you. Tomorrow, I promise.”

  “How long are we staying here?”

  “Just one night. I’ll take you to my village in the morning. You need some medical attention.”

  “I don’t know if I’ll be able to move ever again.”

  “Lay back and let me see those feet.” Joseph unwrapped the bloody strands of cloth from her feet and wiped the bottoms clean with the astringent. It burned into the cuts.

  “That stings!” Ava cried out.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t want you to get any infections. We’ll take better care of this tomorrow. Right now, get some rest.”

  “Aren’t you going to rest?”

  “Defense strategy first. Rest later.”

  “I don’t want to be alone.”

  “You’re safe here.”

  “I’m starting to wonder if any place is safe.”

  “I’m right outside the door. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “What do you think Morray is up to?” Ava sank back onto the pillow. Exhaustion had set in and she had trouble keeping her eyes open.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. He’ll obviously want to get you back so he won’t start attacks until you’re safe. We might have primitive technology, but we have many brave men. And we have weapons. Morray knows we’re not afraid of him.” Joseph pulled the blanket over Ava. He stared at her a few seconds too long. Her cheeks heated up. He leaned down and kissed her. She sat up, touching her lips.

  “We don’t do that in the City Center.”

  “I’m sorry.” He stood back.

  “No, I’m sorry. I was just surprised. I’ve only seen kissing in movies.”

  “Get some rest, Ava. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Ava was alone for the first time since sitting in Morray’s containment room earlier that day. Was that only twelve hours ago? Seemed like another lifetime. She replayed Joseph’s kiss. She touched her lips with her bandaged finger, wishing she hadn’t ruined the moment. Everything she had experienced on the Outside—the ocean, the trees vibrating with life, the millions of stars in the black sky—nothing compared to how she felt about Joseph. She had her suspicions during those few minutes, standing next to Morray’s statue in the South Sector, but now she knew without an inkling of doubt that she loved him.

  The Beach

  Ava sat up and looked around the shadowy room. Had she fallen asleep playing a virtual game, or was she still asleep? What would Helena say if she showed up late for morning training again? She tried to get up, but every muscle in her body seized and she fell backwards onto the bed.

  “Ava, it’s okay. I’m right here,” Joseph stood over her holding a glass of water.

  She sat back up and looked at Joseph. He was real. She really had left the City Center.

  “I thought it was a dream, leaving the City Center.”

  “Definitely not a dream.” He smiled. “There’s some oatmeal on the table. And I have some clothes for you. Probably going to be big, but better than that robe.” Ava looked at the stack of clothes. They were similar to what he had on—heavy and sturdy material. “After you eat and get dressed, we’ll head out.”

  “Have you slept at all?”

  “A few hours.”

  “Did you kiss me, or was that a dream?”

  “No, that was real. And I’m sorry. I was out of line.”

  “Please don’t be sorry. You caught me off guard.” Ava looked down and pretended to focus on her bandaged finger. Her cheeks warmed up. She felt embarrassed and excited at the same time.

  “I’ll be in the front cabin when you’re ready to go.”

  Not much of an appetite, she only took a few bites of the oatmeal. Standing up was too painful so she sat on the bed to get dressed. The shirt was stiff and itchy and the pants were about a foot too long. She glanced at the big black boots—how was she supposed to walk around in those clunky things?

  “I don’t think so,” she said.

  She put on some socks for a layer of protection and edged off the bed. It took her a few minutes to stand upright—every cell in her body clenched. The door seemed a mile away and she recoiled at the thought of walking across the room. She inched her way to the front office wincing with every step. From the doorway she watched David and Joseph. They were in a corner talking in hushed voices. Ava struggled to make out the words, but she guessed from David’s quick hand gestures he was still frustrated with Joseph. She tried to move in closer and bumped into one of the desks, knocking a piece of equipment to the ground. Everyone looked over. She waved, embarrassed.

  “Are you okay?” Joseph walked over.

  “My legs are a little wobbly. And my feet are beyond words. But I’m happy to be alive. I think.”

  “Here, lean on me. Or do you want me to carry you?”

  Ava wanted Joseph to sweep her off her feet and carry her away like in the movies, but she didn’t want the other men to think she was weak. She balanced on his shoulder and tried taking a few steps, but the pain was too deep.

  “You’ll have to carry me,” she whispered.

  “Is there anything I can get you?” David approached.

  “No, thank you. I’m fine.”

  “Take care of her, Joseph. She’s the one thing Morray wants. And we need leverage.”

  Joseph glared at David, then walked toward the door. “I’ll notify you when we arrive at the village.”

  “Thank you, again, Miss Rhodes, for helping Joseph. He’s important out here. It would’ve been a great loss.” David walked alongside them, resting his hand on her shoulder. Another chill ran through her body.

  “I don’t know what to say.” Ava looked away.

  “Just get back on your feet. We’re going to need your help.”

  “My help?”

  “Joseph can explain.”
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  The morning light was too bright for Ava. She shielded her eyes with her hand as Joseph carried her toward a parked vehicle tucked in the bushes. She glanced up at the clear blue sky—bluer than any shade she had ever seen. “Look!” She pointed to a pair of birds flying overhead. “They’re real.”

  “It’s all real, Ava.” He lifted her up and put her into the Jeep. “It’s not gonna be a comfortable ride. Lots of bumping around. Here, put these on.” Joseph handed her a cap and a pair of sunglasses.

  “I’ve never been in one.”

  He jumped into the driver’s seat. “Runs on solar energy. Same technology as the armored walls.”

  Ava didn’t want to talk about the City Center. “Where’s your village?”

  “Northeast. Ojai Valley. But I want to give you a quick glimpse of the beach first.”

  “The beach? Isn’t that dangerous with Morray’s men coming?”

  “Yeah, but I want you to see the Pacific Ocean. To see what Morray stole from you.”

  They drove down a narrow path; tree branches scraped along the sides of the Jeep. Ava scooted closer toward Joseph to avoid getting scratched. The sunlight filtered through the leaves, getting brighter as they moved through the tunnel of trees. The cap and sunglasses helped, but the light strained Ava’s eyes—she blinked from the glare, hoping they’d hurry up and adjust. She wanted to see everything.

  “There it is.” Joseph stopped the Jeep.

  The Pacific Ocean looked like a plate of sparkling glass. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s so… I don’t have words.”

  “People used to fill the beaches. And over that way,” he pointed south, “that was the Santa Monica Pier. Families from all over the country—the world—would visit the pier, until the elites destroyed everything.”

  “Can we drive down? Just for a minute?” Ava asked. “I know it’s risky, and not smart, but I don’t care. I want to get a closer look. I might not have another opportunity.”

  Joseph stared ahead, thinking. She looked at the layer of dark stubble on his chin, and without thinking, she touched his face. He looked at her and nodded, “For a minute.”

  He drove onto the sand and pulled up close to the water where the waves broke onto the shore. The wind brushed against Ava’s cheeks and blew through her hair. She felt light and free, like she could drift away. On the Outside everything moved and flowed. They sat in silence listening to the waves crashing down, one after the other in endless motion.