City Center, The (13 page)

Joseph grinned. “He was talking to God, and since I’m sure you don’t know what that means, why don’t you eat your food before it gets cold.”

“But I want to understand.”

“That would take a lifetime to explain, and like most of us you still wouldn’t fully get it. For now, let’s keep it simple. He was talking to our Creator.”

“You mean like Morray?”

“Two entirely different things. Our Creator gives life. Morray takes it away.”

“You’re right. Let’s save this discussion for another day.” Ava bit into a buttery roll.

“You’re going to get sick eating that much butter.”

“It’s worth it.”

After dinner everyone left the cantina and many gathered around a fire pit to share thoughts about the upcoming battle. The plan was to send the women and children to the bunkers alongside the mountains while the men fought. By this point Ava’s guilt was overwhelming. She hoped watching the fire would ease her heavy heart. The flames flickered and danced. The villagers began to play instruments—she had never seen music performed. They strummed and sang melodies. War loomed, yet they played on. She leaned against Joseph’s shoulder and listened late into the evening.

On the way back to the medical hall, Joseph held Ava’s hand. He interlaced his fingers with hers. “I’m leaving the village tonight,” he said.

“I thought you and your men were going to protect it.”

“We are, but around the perimeters. We’re setting up multiple defensive lines.”

“That makes sense,” Ava said.

“Since you’re doing better, I’m hoping you can help with the women and children tomorrow. Will you?”

“Me? I don’t know, Joseph.”

“You’re fully capable.”

“I’ve never been in a real battle. Remember how I reacted with the Officers at the beach? I hid under the Jeep.”

“You’re still alive, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but how can I help others?”

“I need you to be strong. Like when you helped me escape.”

“But that was familiar territory. This isn’t.”

“You’re a warrior, Ava. And a warrior can fight under any condition.”

“You might not see the real me.”

“I see all of you. I wish you could.”

Ava looked up at Joseph—the lantern’s light reflected in his brown eyes. Her heartbeat thumped in her ears. Her breathing quickened. She wanted him to kiss her again. To wrap her into his arms and carry her away. To a safe place far away from harm.

“Let’s get you to bed. Tomorrow’s a big day.” He pulled her in close and hugged her.

“When will I see you again?” She closed her eyes, memorizing the moment.

“After we take down Morray’s men.”

“What if…” Ava began.

“I’ll be fine, Ava. I promise.”

“You make a lot of promises.” Ava looked down.

“And I’ve come through on all of them.”

“You still haven’t told me the rest of the story. And now there’s going to be a battle. This whole thing is my fault. I should’ve stayed behind.”

“Like I told you, it would’ve happened eventually. Maybe not like this, but Morray’s been gunning for a battle. I’ve been gathering information and while David doesn’t agree with me, I know I did the right thing. You’re the catalyst for change. And I will tell you the rest of the story.”

“But what if you don’t make it back?”

“Have a little faith.” He lifted her chin, leaned down, and kissed her. The world stopped moving—everything around them dissolved. For an instant only Ava and Joseph existed. Together. Until he stepped back, breaking up the moment. “I’ll see you soon,” he said.

She watched Joseph walk away. He held up his head in confidence and glanced over his shoulder to smile one last time. After that kiss, she wasn’t getting any sleep.

The Truth

Ava took her
time walking to the medical hall—she wanted to hold onto that moment with Joseph for as long as possible. An endless spattering of stars filled the night sky. She might not have another night on the Outside, and she wouldn’t forget this one.

She reached the medical hall and opened the door.

“Hey,” a voice came from behind. She turned, expecting to see Joseph, but it was David. Did he follow her? Had he been waiting for her at the hall?

“Oh, hi,” she said. “You startled me.”

“Expecting Joseph?” He walked toward her.

Ava avoided the question and stood in the entrance. “I do apologize, but I need to get some sleep. We have a lot of work to do in the morning.”

He leaned in close. He reeked of something soured and unpleasant. “I just need a few minutes to apologize for my behavior earlier today,” he said, edging her into the cabin. It was dark, except for the glow coming off the lantern next to her bed.

“I appreciate your gesture, but no need to explain. You’re under a lot of pressure.”

“Morray’s been looking for an excuse to go into battle. It was inevitable. I’m sorry I jumped on you.” He smiled and swayed back a few inches. “You’re a vision.”

“A vision?”

“You look real nice.” He lost his balance and leaned against the wall. Ava reached out to help him. He grabbed her waist; his hand lingered a few seconds too long. She escorted him to a nearby bed and set him down. What was wrong with him? Why he was off kilter?

“Are you feeling okay? Can I get you something?” she asked.

“That’s not necessary. I’m leaving. Just wanted to extend my apologies.” He gripped Ava’s hand. She tried to pull back, but he squeezed her fingers and yanked her down to the bed. He pressed his lips onto hers. She elbowed him in the ribs and jumped off the bed, standing up to catch her breath. She turned to leave, but froze—Joseph was standing in the doorway.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“David came here to apologize.” She walked over to Joseph.

“Apologize for what?”

David stumbled toward them, adjusting his shirt. “Earlier today I told her this war was her fault. I came to apologize. I guess I got carried away.”

“That’s the truth. I promise.” Ava held Joseph’s arm.

“Got carried away?” Joseph asked.

“Seems like all of us have gotten a little carried away.” David took out his flask, took a sip and offered it to Joseph.

Joseph declined the flask. “Ava, can you give us a minute?”

“Of course, but please know I didn’t want that to happen.” She wanted to pummel David, but now wasn’t time to start a personal battle.

“Go along now, Ava.” David grinned and patted her shoulder. She batted his hand away and walked toward her bed. She stood next to the window and listened to them arguing outside in low whispers.

“Your little fantasy of saving the City Center ends tonight. We’re surrendering her to Morray in the morning. We’ll be lucky if he doesn’t wipe us out even after we turn her over. He won’t let us get away with taking one of his prized possessions. Hell, he’ll probably keep her all to himself.”

“She doesn’t belong to him,” Joseph said.

David laughed. “You wanna bet?”

Ava’s throat burned. How could David be so callous?

“I’m not giving her to Morray,” Joseph said.

“You don’t have a choice.”

“What’s that mean?”

“That means your loyalty is to your village. And you will obey my orders.”

“All due respect, sir. If we give her to Morray, we’ll be responsible for her death.”

“I’ll take ownership if it means saving our village and the coastal villages from annihilation.” As much as Ava disliked David, she knew he was right. Joseph couldn’t sacrifice thousands of lives just for one. “All is fair in love and war.”

Joseph shook his head and glanced up at the full moon.

“I suggest you kiss her goodbye and get to your location.” David walked off. Joseph returned to Ava.

“I’m sorry I’ve put you in such a difficult position,” she said.

“I wish it didn’t have to be like this.” Joseph held Ava.

“Why did he say Morray will probably keep me all to himself?”

“It’s not a pretty story.”

“I figured, since you keep avoiding it.”

They sat down on Ava’s bed.

“There’s no easy way to tell you, so I’ll give it to you straight.”

“I’m ready.” Ava nodded.

“You already read part of Lillian’s journal so you know about the elites killing off 90% of the population.”

“Yes.”

“And you know they commissioned a team of scientists to create a new and improved human race that would be housed in the City Center.”

“Yes, my people.”

“Well, there’s a second reason for these perfect humans. The elites made a deal with Morray to develop a plan to ensure longevity.”

“Longevity?”

“Longer life spans. Morray figured out a way to digitally code human consciousness and memories into computers and then upload them into other human bodies. First he perfected the shell, then he mastered the upload process. So he and the elites could live indefinitely.”

“Upload? Like a software program?”

“Exactly.”

“What happens to the mind of the original body?”

“Wiped clean. To make room.”

“So what you’re saying is that Morray has been uploading himself into new bodies over and over?”

“And his team of elites. There are only ten remaining, many were lost in the beginning trials, or died off before he perfected the process.”

“Only ten remain,” Ava repeated. She had trouble getting a full breath into her lungs. Her heart felt like it was about to shoot out of her chest.

“You know them as the ten members of Royal Court.” Joseph continued. “Every eighteen years those ten members of Royal Court select their next body.” He paused and looked at Ava. “From the Successor Candidates.”

The sole purpose of her existence was to serve in Royal Court—as nothing more than a shell. Ava walked over to the window to get air—her stomach churned with bile. The village was dark and silent; a cool breeze blew across her face and chilled her insides. She could run. Climb out the window and head for the forest. But if she ran, Morray would destroy the village for sure. She thought about the children playing in the field, and Rebecca, and the old man talking to some Creator she didn’t understand. She couldn’t put their lives in danger. She’d have to surrender to Morray.

Joseph walked over and held her. “I’m sorry.”

“You know what I find most amusing? My entire life, I never wanted to serve in Royal Court, and unbeknownst to me, I
actually
wasn’t going to. Just this body.”

“That’s why I wanted to get on the Inside before Graduation Day. Before the transfer happened.”

“But it doesn’t matter now, because it’s still going to happen, or Morray will destroy your villages. After all this, he wins. And he’ll continue living forever.”

“He’s a vampire.”

“What’s a vampire?”

“Never mind. That’s ancient folklore I won’t waste your time with.”

“And the others?” Ava asked. “They go to Ret-Hav. Right?”

“They retire to an island, but it’s not what you think.”

“What happens to them?”

“They’re used for experiments and research.”

Ava had to sit down again.

“Morray feeds you lies. Not just about your city, but about the Outsiders. He made us the enemy to perpetuate your fear so you stay inside the city. Fear us. Trust him. And the cycle continues—generation after generation.”

“This is wrong. All of this is wrong,” she yelled.

“That’s why we’re going to put an end to Morray.”

“How? David’s going to surrender me in the morning.”

“I have my own plan. Rebecca will hide you before we go into battle. Morray doesn’t know the extent of our technology, so they won’t be expecting some of our tactics. The goal is to take down his ground forces before they take us down. As far as Morray, I will personally go to the palace to take him out, at any cost.”

“I’m not sure you can out-strategize Morray.”

“Have some faith, Ava.” Joseph’s courage was enough to spark some hope. Maybe they could defeat Morray and put an end to his reign.

“My people have no idea what’s coming. We must save them.”

“We will.”

The Potter

Back in his
office, Morray stood surrounded by multiple holograms streaming digital captures of Ava’s life. Some displayed her early years and others focused on more recent. He observed her as an infant inside an incubator. He watched a young Ava playing chess with her partner, James, and winning every round. She exhibited expertise in ballet, combat and endurance training. From all appearances, she proved to be an exceptional and intelligent individual with incredible physical and strategic prowess. Morray saw a glitch in her design—she exhibited an acute sense of awareness and high levels of emotional response. Somehow she had mastered the ability to suppress these anomalies to fool her Handler and the others, but this error in her coding was now obvious to him.

He continued watching the feeds, becoming more and more fascinated by Ava’s apt ability to connect to her surroundings and express a wide variety of emotion—something he had spent decades working to eradicate. She had caught him off guard, making her even more alluring. He had always longed to create magnificence; with Ava Rhodes he believed he had. He reexamined the most recent footage of her and the Outsider, and replayed the hallway scene a few times. The escape was impressive—sneaking out disguised as Ava—but the guard was an idiot for mistaking the clumsy and burly male for her. Dickson would have to adjust the DNA coding and train the men better. He sipped some cognac to settle his nerves while he re-watched Ava and the Outsider walk down the hall toward the transporter. Ava’s hood concealed her facial expressions so he couldn’t decipher if she was being held against her will or not. The Outsider must have had a weapon aimed at her…

Then he saw it.

One subtle movement.

He paused the feed and studied the scene up close. His trained eye had missed it the first few times around—one minor detail that provided his answer. Underneath the sleeve of Ava’s robe, her slender fingers brushed against the Outsider’s hand. It was just a slight touch of her fingertips against his. The moment flashed by in a millisecond, but revealed the most important fact: she had helped the Outsider escape. She wasn’t taken against her will as he had hoped. He smelled blood. He looked at his hand—shards of bloody glass from his snifter fell to the floor.

“Assistant,” he called out.

“Yes, Chief Morray?” the assimilated assistant asked.

“Get me Planner Dickson.” He walked to his desk and wiped the blood off his hand. He took in deep breaths. “Composure. Lock it in. Composure. Lock it in,” he repeated.

Morray was already inside his glass cocoon lounger when Dickson entered the office. He didn’t want to waste another second with thoughts of Ava milling around in his head—he couldn’t afford to be fixated on the Successor Candidate like some sort of high school crush. He had a war to wage. No time for emotions.

“Dickson, I need to you to implement the highest degree of neuro-inhibitors.”

“That could be dangerous, sir. We haven’t completed beta testing. Research is still compiling results.”

“Don’t argue with me. I can handle it. I designed it.”

“We’ve made upgrades, sir.”

“What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Besides coma? You could lose deductive reasoning abilities. Motor skill impairment.”

“But the emotive state will be blocked, correct? I won’t feel any emotion?”

“In 80 percent of the trials, there’s loss of emotion.”

“That’s all the information I need. Proceed.”

“In some cases we’ve detected an increase in sociopathic tendencies. Utter lack of emotion can result in psychotic behavior. Action without accountability.”

“Dickson, let’s focus on
my
particular case. How long will it last?”

“In some instances twelve hours, others longer.”

“Longer?”

“Other cases seem permanent.”

“If that happens to me, you can turn it around.”

“Sir, we haven’t had much success.”

“Well, Dickson, I suggest you figure it out. After you’re finished with my upload.”

“As you wish, sir.”

Planner Dickson attached the electrodes to Morray’s temples and synced the connector device. He entered the sequence code and waited for the software program to upload. Morray’s body began to convulse—his eyes widened, almost bursting out of their sockets. A gas filled up the cocoon and Morray relaxed. Planner Dickson set the timer for five minutes and left the office.

*

Morray stepped out of the cocoon, revived and alert. He felt fully aware of every molecule in the atmosphere. He returned to the monitors and watched Ava’s footage again to test his emotions. Her face. Her ballet routines. Showering. He felt nothing. She was just a well-maintained vessel designed to contain the consciousness of one of his elites. His mission: capture Miss Rhodes and make her participate in Graduation Day. Erase her mind and hand off her body to whichever elite wanted to reside in it for the next eighteen years.

“I am the potter,” Morray laughed. “Assistant.”

“Yes, Chief Morray?” the assimilated assistant asked.

“Cancel all appointments.”

Morray continued to observe every passing detail of Miss Rhodes’ life looking for the differences. The smallest things that made her stand out from the others. It was in the small things that the biggest truths were revealed. He surmised what he needed to forge ahead with his plan.

Delilah.

He didn’t care for entertainers and couldn’t understand why the residents perpetuated this frivolous human tradition of live entertainment. Why couldn’t they be satisfied with the virtuals or simulators? He watched Miss Rhodes and Delilah walking barefoot in the greenhouse, laughing together. Miss Rhodes shared an intimate relationship with the mid-level entertainer. Intimacy was something he had been fighting long and hard to eliminate, but there were still kinks in the DNA re-patterning. Delilah must have been the one who trained Ava how to act and control her expressions. Ava used that knowledge to manipulate him, and everyone else.

He no longer wanted to hand Ava over to one of his elites. That would be too easy. She needed to be punished for her deception and infraction, but in a way that wouldn’t reveal to the residents her disloyalty. He couldn’t have them thinking someone at her high rank would want to escape their utopian home. Rather than wipe her mind, he’d keep her conscious. Maybe he’d ship her off to Ret-Hav to spend her life as a lab rat with the others who no longer served a purpose in the City Center. But would that be enough? First he needed to get her back, then he could decide her fate.

“Pull up Delilah Seven’s records,” he instructed.

A hologram appeared displaying Delilah—she had beautiful skin, radiant eyes and a slender shape drafted to wear any costume, or no costume at all. Like all entertainers she was a chameleon designed to entice audiences across all strata—inside the city and at the Royal Palace.

“Hologram Planner Dickson.” Morray instructed the assimilated assistant.

Dickson’s hologram appeared. “How are you, um, I guess feeling isn’t the right word. How are you operating, sir?”

“I want Delilah Seven.”

“Sir?”

“Bring her to the palace.”

“I want to confirm the upload hasn’t affected your judgment.”

“I haven’t been this high-functioning since last century.”

“That’s excellent news. Are you going to tell me why you need Delilah?”

“Also, bring me your top five Officers. I have strategy. It’s time, Dickson.”

“As you wish, sir.”

*

Planner Dickson entered the office with a heavily sedated Delilah. She wore a containment jumpsuit that helped her remain upright. Morray studied her perfect features and flawless skin—she needed zero enhancements. In her natural state she radiated. Just like all entertainers.

“You can elevate her levels. I need her full attention. And remove the jumpsuit.”

Dickson injected her with neuro-lifters, unfastened the suit, and handed her to Morray. “I’ll be outside in the lobby.”

Morray stood behind Delilah waiting for her to emerge from the tranquilized state. She gasped for air and coughed. Realizing she was naked she tried to conceal herself with her arms.

“Here you go, Miss Delilah,” Morray wrapped a sheer robe around her shoulders. The diaphanous material did very little to conceal her nudity. “You’ve been well designed.”

“Where am I?”

“You’re at the Royal Palace.”

“But, you are him, the Creator. What do you want with me, sir?”

“Yes, I am he, my dear. Come, have a seat. Would you like a refresher?”

“I don’t understand.”

Morray escorted Delilah to a couch near the window overlooking the Los Angeles basin. Delilah froze and stared ahead, astonished. “Is this a new virtual? I’ve never seen anything so vibrant.”

“That, my dear, is Los Angeles. And that glimmering beauty in the distance is the Pacific Ocean. The real thing.”

“What am I doing here?”

Morray handed her a glass. “You are about to taste the finest refresher available. This is the Queen’s favorite.”

She took the glass of fizzing liquid and sipped. A smile settled over her face and her shoulders relaxed. She glanced toward Morray. “I’ve never tasted anything like this. It’s so delicious. Every cell in my body feels alive.”

“Enjoy it.” He assisted her to the couch and they both sat down. He stroked her knee. “Such an attractive creature you are.” He inched his fingers along her supple thigh as she sipped the drink. Relaxed and uninhibited, she rested her head against the soft cushions. Morray moved his hand further along her thigh until her legs drifted apart. She closed her eyes and allowed the tingling sensation to overtake her. Morray continued the caressing until she cried out in delight. When he was finished, he stood up and snatched her glass, smashing it to the floor. Delilah jolted upright.

“I can see that you’ll be a perfect fit for Royal Court,” he said.

“I don’t understand. Was this a test? What’s happening?”

Morray stood over her. “You’re here because you’re going to help me retrieve your friend, Miss Rhodes.”

“She’s been taken hostage, sir. How can I help?”

“Don’t you worry about the details, my dear. What we just shared is a good start.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You’re not supposed to.” Morray walked to the door. “Dickson, get in here.”

“Chief,” Dickson entered the office along with five Officers.

“Have one of your men take Delilah Seven to the guest chambers, and let the King know she’s ripe for the picking.” Morray nudged her toward an Officer. “Men, gather around. Graduation Day is quickly approaching and I need to get things back in order. Your task is to retrieve Miss Rhodes—in one piece. If this plan fails, consider your future a dismal one.”