City Center, The (19 page)

The audience released a thunderous roar of fury.

“Get him!”

“Terminate him!”

“Down with Morray!”

Ava’s image reappeared in the center of the Arena. “Please sit down. Please remain calm. I know this is a lot to take in, but we need to focus.” She waited until they quieted down and returned to their seats. “Now you know the truth and we can do something about it. I’d like to propose that Morray, Royal Court, and their constituents stand trial for their crimes against the City Center and our people. I’d like you to enter your votes.”

The residents entered their votes. Everyone watched the score display tabulating the numbers. The final count was resounding: yes.

“Joseph, please bring Morray to the stand,” Ava instructed.

Joseph and his men dragged Morray—now confined in a containment jacket—down the walkway and shoved him inside the trial box. Morray looked at the audience and smirked.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself, Chief Morray?” Ava asked.

“I’ve been around longer than any of you. I’ve seen our world hit the bottom. I’ve worked diligently for decades doing my part to improve the quality of life. I perfected the human race and created the perfect society. I’ve given you life. I’ve provided for you. I gave you the best of the best—a utopian world. I’ve even allowed the Outsiders to continue existing. You don’t understand the big picture. None of you do.” Morray smiled. “Without me running things, you will fail. You’ll crumble like you did in the days before.”

The crowd booed and hissed. Morray’s grin widened. “For decades I had a mission to keep the elite class alive. I believed we were entitled to live indefinitely. But I was wrong.” He looked at Ava and smiled. “Only I am worthy to live eternally.”

Morray had somehow removed his right arm from the containment jacket. He waved to the people. Ava’s stomach caught on fire. He was going to free himself. She was too far away to stop him. Morray pressed his index finger to the back of his neck then collapsed.

“No!” she cried out.

The audience gave a standing ovation, thinking Morray had executed himself, but Ava knew better. He’d never give up that easy. She ran toward the trial box. Joseph caught her and held her back. “I didn’t see it coming, Ava. I’m so sorry.”

“How did he do it?” Ava asked.

“It must have been a wireless remote connection in his spinal cord. He just shot his existence into the network,” Joseph said.

“He has to be somewhere in the mainframe. Can we shut it down?” Ava asked.

“It won’t matter. This is beyond our knowledge of technology. We need time.”

“We’ll find him. But first, I have an obligation to my people. We need to set things straight, starting with trials for the ones who had full disclosure of the New Agenda.”

Joseph patted Ava’s shoulder. “I knew you’d come around.”

“Come around?”

“Just get back up there.”

The Judgment

Morray was gone,
but the day was far from over. Ava stepped back inside the production booth and looked over the audience. They woke up that morning anticipating a spectacular celebration and instead their entire world had been usurped. Everything they lived for—Graduation Day competitions, voting for favorites, and ushering in the new Royal Court—had been dissolved before their eyes. The shock registered on their faces. They waited for Ava to say something to ease their confusion and give them a sense of hope.

“You came here today expecting to celebrate and instead you got a harsh awakening. The shock of this situation might be too much, but we’ll move through this together. For the first time ever, all citizens are on equal footing. We have a lot of work to do, and together we can accomplish anything. Let’s consider today a graduation from our past, and if we’re to move forward we need to clean up that past. Many people must be brought to justice, so I suggest we make today a day of judgment, starting with the ten members of our Royal Court—the originators of the New Agenda. How many of you would like to see them stand trial?”

Ava awaited the votes to pour in—but nothing happened. The audience remained silent and still. She had overlooked a simple fact: the residents had spent their entire lives worshipping Royal Court. How could she expect them to betray their idols?

“These aren’t the people you’ve been made to believe they are. They might look familiar, but they’re the corrupt elites who have been robbing our people for centuries. Do you think they should just walk away without any consequences?”

A few votes trickled in.

“Please look at the Successor Candidates. Who is your favorite? Elizabeth with her striking beauty? Or James with his champion physique? Or me? Now look closely and remember that after today we were going to be erased from existence. Your favorite Successor would no longer exist. We would be sacrificed so the elites can keep on living.”

The score display lit up with a few more votes.

“And what about those of you looking forward to retirement on a beautiful island? Do you think it’s okay to be used for experiments? The members of Royal Court—the ones standing before you today—are the people who designed this system. Are you going to let them get away with these lies?”

The score display flooded with votes. Ava had gotten through to them. She turned to her fellow Successor Candidates. Did she have a favorite? They had been competing for so long she had only considered them opponents. Today they were no longer competition.

“I’d like your permission to invite my fellow Successor Candidates to join me today in creating a temporary assembly. Would you please submit your votes?”

The score display lit up—not a single vote in opposition. Ava waved her colleagues over. James stood behind the others, his head low. All the years of his harassment and torture evaporated—Ava didn’t want to carry past resentments into the future. “James, I don’t know another person who deserves to lead more than you. Now is your chance to use the skills you’ve worked so hard to get. You should handle the trials.”

“After all I’ve done?” he asked.

“You were doing what you were programmed to do. Now you have a choice to make things right. We all do.” Ava hugged him. “But first, can you fix your hair? And take off that ridiculous jacket?”

James laughed for the first time in eighteen years. He ruffled his hair and stepped into the production booth. He lifted his chest and stood tall. “We call the King and Queen to the stand.” The audience cheered as Joseph’s men escorted the King and Queen to the trial box.

“The evidence we’ve seen here today is atrocious. You’ve been commandeering our people for centuries, participating in Morray’s mission to extend your life by taking the lives of innocent City Center residents. Your most recent offense occurred eighteen years ago when you took over the current bodies you reside in. You were fully aware the minds of those bodies would be erased. Therefore you were co-conspirators in the termination of their lives. Do you have anything to say?”

The King stepped forward. He had removed his royal satins and ruffle collar; his jacket was unbuttoned, exposing his round belly. The Queen stood a few feet behind him, whimpering, tears streaking her alabaster complexion.

“I don’t need to defend myself to you people, but I want you to know the severity of the conditions the previous civilization had created. You’ve only seen a small glimpse into the days before. You have no idea, and you’ll never fully understand. How could you? These are concepts you know nothing about. Originally, we introduced consumerism to boost the country’s morale and give people a reason to work hard—unlike you who have been programmed to do so. The market boomed and prosperity reigned. Technology quickly advanced and soon people had access to anything they desired with the click of a button.”

“But like all trivial-minded people, society became insatiable and the plan began to backfire. The internet surpassed our original intent of social conditioning and niche marketing, and became an information battlefield, which we could no longer control no matter how much we monitored. Men began to abuse the power we had given them and they spread corruption through war mongering and whoring themselves to corporations. Others branched out into more gruesome enterprises involving the exploitation of children. I’m quite sure your addled minds cannot comprehend the extent of what I’m saying.”

“The amount of filth, corruption and murder was unfathomable. To think, after all we had given to the world it was turning against us, disrupting our system of power and beginning to threaten us. We had to do something to restore order—to get the rats back into their cages. We tried total information awareness and mass-spectrum surveillance, stricter indoctrination through better programming, but it was too late. The morons had over-populated earth and it was beyond repair. We decided if humans were to exist in the future they’d have to be reconfigured—to better suit our system. We implemented the New Agenda for the greater good. If it weren’t for us there’d be nothing left except a world replete with garbage and degenerates. We did you a favor. And this is how you repay us?”

James stared at the King, at a loss for words. Ava approached and whispered to him, “You were born to lead these people. Do it.”

“Since we weren’t present during the days before, we have to take your word on the downfall of society,” James said. “However, you’re standing trial for your crimes against the City Center. And the lives you’ve taken since you inaugurated the city centuries ago. Judging from my calculations, today would’ve been your sixteenth Graduation Day ceremony.”

“Actually, today would’ve been our fifteenth,” the King said, smiling.

“Which means on fourteen separate occasions you’ve stood in this Arena and hand-picked a body replacement,” James said.

“We simply developed a system to prolong our lives. I know it’s difficult for those at your level to comprehend, but as the elite class, it’s our responsibility to oversee the system and maintain order. It’s our birthright to uphold the highest standards. You need us to survive. You’re too weak to manage it on your own. Without us, the system fails.”

“And none of you thought taking the lives of innocent people mattered, as long as the system stayed intact?” James asked.

“Innocent people? You are products.”

“Products?”

“You’d never understand.”

“You’re right about that. I don’t think any of us can rationalize or justify what you’ve done. Let’s not forget about Ret-Hav.”

“Royal Court didn’t have much say in Ret-Hav. That was Morray and his Planners. We won’t take responsibility for that. We thought the age of thirty-six was a bit too young to retire people.”

“But who are you to determine when anyone dies?”

“I have nothing more to say. I’ve explained myself. If you want to question the other members, be my guest. I’m finished here.” The King stepped down from the stand and returned to his place next to the Queen.

James called the other members of Royal Court to the stand. Many parroted the King’s sentiment. Each felt entitled to prolonged life—at any cost—and they believed the sacrifices they made were necessary to fulfill their responsibility as leaders and protectors of civilization. After the Successor Candidates deliberated, James addressed the Arena.

“Members of Royal Court, please rise.” The ten members stood and walked forward. “It has been decided that the ten of you will surrender your bodies. Your internal microchips will be removed, deactivated and stored. Our hope is to track down the original minds of those bodies and restore them.”

Ava stepped in. “Joseph, please have your men escort all ten members of Royal Court to the Administrative Building for containment while they await their procedures.”

Trials continued throughout the afternoon with the remaining constituents. Dickson had suffered fatal injuries to his spine from gunshot wounds. Ava had a strong suspicion he had wirelessly transferred himself into the mainframe just as Morray had done. After all, he designed the technology. But she’d focus on him and Morray later. The rest of Dickson’s Planners were charged with murder and sentenced to lifetime imprisonment. The remaining Officers and guards who worked under Morray were sentenced to ten years imprisonment—as part of their punishment they’d be sent to Ret-Hav to dismantle the operation and demolish the facilities, after which they’d live out the remainder of their sentences on the island. It was decided that the Royal Palace would be torn down. The second-tier nobles who lived at the palace weren’t found guilty of any charges, but they’d be forced to vacate the premises and give up their lives of luxury.

At the end of the long day, Ava addressed the people. “In the days to come, we must work together to appoint a new government and write up a new declaration. Soon we’ll tear down the armored walls that have imprisoned our people for centuries, giving everyone a choice to stay in the city or relocate to wherever they desire. We’ll continue voting on smaller committees for restructuring our city. We’ll also request help from the surrounding villages during this time of transition. Today is only the beginning.”

Ava stepped out of the production booth and went to find Joseph. She couldn’t wait to get out of her gown, scrub off the layers of makeup and get some sleep.

The Beginning

For the first
time natural sunlight filled the Administrative Building. Ava sat among the fifty or sixty faces of the new government—men and women representatives of the greater Los Angeles area. The group included residents of the City Center and surrounding villages.

“Demolition of the armored walls is nearing completion,” James announced.

“As discussed in our last meeting, we took a vote and the downtown district agreed to donate the excess solar panels to the villages and new farms,” said a woman sitting to the left of James. She was a former studio facilitator and one of the people elected to supervise the repurposing of the City Center to rebuild a new downtown Los Angeles—one without walls.

“Do we have an update on the transition phase for residents moving out of the city?” James asked a man to his right. Ava recognized him from the South Sector café.

“After the initial shock, we’ve been able to maintain peaceful cooperation between the societal ranks. Currently, about seventy-five percent of the residents have decided to remain downtown, the others have moved out. Some have migrated to nearby villages, while others have moved beyond the Los Angeles area.”

“What’s the status with the former research facilities?” James asked.

“We’ve been able to save about ten percent of Morray’s victims, and they’ve been transferred to our rehabilitation facility downtown. The others, unfortunately, are gone. The residents want to build a memorial in the heart of downtown.”

“Where are we with the Royal Palace?” James asked another representative.

“The palace has been leveled. Many of the second-tier nobles relocated to downtown, taking up residency in the empty dwelling units. They’ve come around to the notion of working. They quickly realized if they don’t contribute, they don’t eat.”

“Economic development status?”

“We’re continuing to construct the merchant trade system. We’ve expanded opportunities for residents to transfer their skills to new industries. However, the Info-tainment division has completely dried up. Currently nobody can come up with a useful application for Info-tainers. Many have been forced to take on manual labor positions in the maintenance division.”

“It’s actually been quite peaceful without the incessant droning of reports,” one of the representatives laughed.

Ava thought about the days of the detestable news feeds. She was relieved the dark days of the City Center were a faint memory. There wasn’t time to look back, only forward. After the trials, she stayed inside the City Center to assist with the reformation, but as soon as conditions stabilized, she returned to the village to live with Joseph. They shared their wedding vows on a lagoon in Malibu, Delilah by her side and Peter next to Joseph. She made sure the ceremony took place during sunset.

“Ava? You still with us?” James smiled.

“Oh, sorry,” she laughed. “In Ojai we’ve finalized the initial expansion phase. The villagers have been assisting with transitioning former downtown residents. We’ve taken in nearly four hundred people. We’ve been educating them in farming and nursing. Some have started migrating to the other coastal villages. Some groups are scouting territories in the Seattle and Denver regions.”

The representatives continued giving updates. Ava was pleased with how well everyone cooperated. Joseph called it a democracy. She remembered those first few unstable weeks after the trials when the Successor Candidates led the charge in dismantling Morray’s City Center. Many residents struggled to accept the concept of freedom, and when the Western walls opened for the first time, many rebelled. Among the most raucous were the lowest-ranking residents. When they realized they had been designed with the sole intention to do backbreaking work and reside in the most dismal living conditions, they began rioting in upper-ranking sectors. They stormed the Northern Sector, trashing the shops and threatening the upper-ranking residents. James assembled a team to work with Joseph’s men to maintain balance during the initial shock. Medical assistance came in from nearby villages to help wean the residents off chemicals and neuro-inhibitors. People began to experience emotions for the first time, which caused more confusion and unrest. Educators came in to help the residents assimilate. The next step was removing the microchips. People no longer needed to be synced to the mainframe. Then the surveillance monitors came down.

After the turbulence had settled in all four sectors, they held elections and voted for representatives to oversee the redevelopment plans. The city would remain, but the walls would be torn down. They decided to keep parts of the mainframe, but only for the maintenance and operations of the city systems. New jobs opened up and for the first time residents could work wherever they desired. Most people stayed in their current positions because of their background training, but that would change over time. Joseph brought in farmers from surrounding villages to help repurpose the greenhouse. They removed the genetically modified crops and planted new seeds. Daisy was selected to manage the development. Former body technicians worked with engineers to redesign the inception labs and make them into maternity facilities. For the first time in centuries, residents of Los Angeles would have natural birthing rights.

James took the floor. “We now have a team of engineers working on the final phase—developing the monorail system that will go from downtown Los Angeles to the coastal villages.” The representatives joined together in applause. “It’s time to break out into our sub-groups. Our next meeting is one week from today. Excellent work, everyone.”

Ava waited in the back of the room while Joseph wrapped up a conversation with one of the representatives. James walked over and shook her hand, keeping their relationship professional.

“Things are going well, I take it?” He looked at Ava’s round belly.

“Almost six months,” she said.

“How does it feel being the first City Center resident to give birth?”

“Terrifying,” Ava laughed.

“Has Joseph found out anything?” James asked in a more serious tone.

“Nothing.”

“Do you think he’s still out there?”

“I have no doubt. But the only thing we can do is keep working on the reconstruction. That’s all we have power over. We can’t live in fear.”

“But we also can’t risk him breaking into our communications.”

“I know. Joseph’s team is working on it.”

“I want you to stay involved. We need someone who knows Morray like you.”

“Of course. But soon I’ll be a bit preoccupied.” Ava rubbed her stomach.

“I guess we just keep trying. I have to meet with my team. We’ll talk soon.” James gave her a quick hug and rejoined the group.

“My beautiful wife.” Joseph walked over and kissed her cheek. “Let’s get you back to the village.”

“We’ve accomplished a lot in these last months.”

“Yes, we have.”

“I’m tired.” She rested her head on his shoulder.

“I bet. Let’s get you home.”

Joseph held Ava’s hand and they walked down the corridor, the same corridor they had walked down so many months before when they escaped the City Center. Though the surveillance monitors had been dismantled, Ava couldn’t help but feel she was being watched. She’d never feel completely at peace until she knew where Morray was.