City Center, The (7 page)

The Lie

A distant chime
sounded and Ava’s sleep pod opened. She wasn’t sure if she had dreamed of meeting Joseph and reading Lillian’s story, or if everything had been a program sequence. She felt a book tucked inside her tracksuit. It was real. She still didn’t understand the point in Joseph giving her the book. Maybe there was more to the story, but talking to Joseph was not an option. No doubt Morray already had big plans for the Outsider’s termination—he wouldn’t let an opportunity like this slip by.

“Day’s agenda,” she requested.

“Good morning, Miss Rhodes. There is a change in your morning routine. According to reports, all City Center activities are on hold. Trial for the Outsider to be held at the Arena at noon. All residents are required to attend.”

Ava was relieved about training sessions being canceled, but the news of Joseph’s trial was disheartening. Morray believed all humans—even the Outsiders—were entitled to a trial. But the trial wasn’t for justice; it was to humiliate the defendant prior to their execution. Though Joseph hadn’t caused harm to the City Center or its people, his life would end. She didn’t think such a drastic course was necessary, but what she thought didn’t matter. Nobody questioned Morray’s procedures. He had them in place to maintain strict order.

Ava got up to prepare for the trial, reminding herself she wasn’t responsible for Joseph’s life. After all, it was his choice to enter the city—she just happened to be there after everyone else ran off. It wasn’t her job to rescue anyone, especially an Outsider.

“Incoming call, from Planner Dickson,” the assistant announced.

Ava’s stomach tightened. Why would Planner Dickson call on her? Did they see the footage of her speaking with Joseph? But the system was blocked. Did they know about the book? She took some deep breaths as if preparing for battle, then forced a smile. His hologram appeared.

“Hello, Planner Dickson.”

“Good morning, Miss Rhodes,” he said.

“What can I do for you?”

“You must know all morning activities are on hold due to the Outsider’s trial. It’s been a rather intense eighteen hours. As part of the protocol, we’re checking on our Successor Candidates to ensure they’re unharmed.” Ava tried not to show too much relief. “Morray can’t risk anything happening this close to Graduation Day. I’m sending over my men to bring you in.”

“Bring me in, sir?”

“Yes, Morray has requested all Successor Candidates be taken to the Administrative Building until the trial. For security measures. Be ready in five minutes.”

Planner Dickson’s hologram disappeared. Ava panicked, wondering why they’d go to the trouble of bringing in the Successors? Something was up. They must know about the book. She’d have to tell Dickson. Her responsibility was to the City Center, not the Outsider. She’d turn it over to the authorities and be done with the whole ordeal. She didn’t need to concern herself with a book from the days before. Whatever happened was history. Things were different now. Far more advanced. She’d be responsible and tell the truth. She set the book on her lounger and waited for the men to arrive.

“Stream reports,” she instructed.

The monitor streamed images of Joseph blowing up statues of Morray and holding hostages at gunpoint. The male Info-tainer spoke over the images.

“We’ve been given the final damage assessment from the brutal and violent acts committed by the Outsider yesterday. What remains is a death toll of seven, while portions of the Garden Sector have been destroyed, which will affect the food supply for the next few days. Many mainframe applications were also destroyed. Fortunately, the Outsider was captured moments before he planned to detonate bombs in the North Sector. Trial for…”

Ava stopped listening. She knew every word coming from the report was a lie. She was with Joseph up until the hovercrafts flew down to capture him. He hadn’t blown up anything, or taken hostages. He wasn’t even in the North Sector, or armed. Why were they lying? They were going to kill him anyway just for entering the City Center—they didn’t need additional reasons to justify his termination. And if he didn’t kill those seven people, who did? Like always, Ava knew something was erroneous. She didn’t trust Planner Dickson, or his reports. She picked up the book and tucked it back inside the top of her tracksuit. She wasn’t sure what would happen next, but she knew the reports were lying and she needed to know why. What were they trying to hide? Joseph would have the answers. She needed to get to him before the trial. She also needed to delete Lillian’s story from her microchip just in case Dickson did a memory scan. She plugged into the mainframe, using the trick Delilah had taught her, and went back far enough to erase everything from the time the alarm sounded until now. She’d still have the story in her own memory, but they couldn’t access the actual details, they could only wipe them out.

The door slid open and three Officers entered.

“Miss Rhodes, we’ve been instructed to search your unit,” the head Officer spoke.

She stood off to the side while the men scanned her internal system. She knew they’d find her dark-market downloads and the tablet, but those were minor offenses so she wasn’t worried. They’d never think to search for something material like the book, especially where it was pressed against her chest. Their minds couldn’t comprehend the concept.

“Scan’s complete. She’s clean. For the most part. There must have been a glitch when the mainframe went down yesterday. The microchip didn’t hold information from yesterday until this morning,” said one of the men. Ava nodded at his observation, remembering to use that same theory if it came up again.

“You know, the dark-market is against City Center protocol,” the other Officer said.

“Yes. I’m sorry. I take full responsibility for any consequences,” Ava said, giving a low curtsy.

The Officer blushed at her humbling gesture. “I’m sure Planner Dickson will let it slide this time. So close to Graduation Day,” he said with a slight smile. “By the way, I’m voting for you.”

“Is the Outsider being contained in the Administrative Building too?” she asked, trying to squeeze out some information. If Joseph was in the same building, she might find a way to reach him before his trial.

“Yes, Miss Rhodes. But we assure you the highest precautions and safety measures have been implemented. You’ll be safe. Please come with us.”

Ava followed the men toward the transporter. She kept her arms folded across her chest to keep the book in place. She couldn’t bring it with her. Her forehead dripped with sweat, but she didn’t want to move her arms.

“Are you feeling okay?” the head Officer asked, eying Ava.

“I didn’t get much sleep last night. This terrorist attack is really quite upsetting.”

The Officer held out a handkerchief. She wanted to take it, but she didn’t want to lose her grip on the book. She leaned her face in his direction, hoping he would pat her forehead. He froze for a second, not sure what to do. The others watched. One of the men finally grabbed the handkerchief and patted Ava’s face.

“I simply can’t go anywhere like this. Please allow me to take a quick shower.”

“We don’t have time.”

“I’ll make haste. This close to the big day, it’s most important I maintain my appearance. We wouldn’t want to upset Morray, would we?” She knew they couldn’t argue. Nobody wanted to upset Morray. Ava hurried to the washroom. She grabbed a robe and wrapped it around the book, and tucked it under the stack of clean ones. She rinsed off, put on a fresh tracksuit, and returned to the Officers. She didn’t know if there would be anymore dwelling searches, but for now the book was safe.

They arrived at the Administrative Building and one of the Officers escorted Ava down the corridor toward a containment room. The building was headquarters for the Planners, where Morray and Dickson’s team conducted their think-tank meetings and made decisions that would affect and shape the future. She didn’t see any other Successor Candidates in the building, which meant one thing—she was there for interrogation. She didn’t know how much they saw, or what they knew, but they weren’t going to let her off easy. She had disobeyed protocol during a high-level threat. Until she had more information, she’d keep quiet and work out a strategy to get to Joseph.

She stepped into the containment room and sat down at the glass table facing the observation mirror. They’d be watching every single facial expression and studying every word. She’d have to give the best performance of her life to persuade Morray and Dickson that she had nothing to hide.

The Window

Morray entered the
Administrative Building. “Open this section,” he ordered the guard standing next to the entrance of the highest-level security wing.

“Yes, sir.” The guard entered a series of access codes.

“Forgetting something?”

“Oh, yes, that’s right, sir.” The guard fumbled with the scanner. “Place your index finger here, and look directly straight ahead.”

Morray passed the recognition test and entered the wing. He reached the observation room, entered his access code and conducted the scan recognition. He knew access codes were breakable so he took great precaution by having multiple entry checks. He had security measures and firewalls placed throughout the City Center to ensure optimal protection. So how had the Outsider infiltrated his system?

Inside the observation room, Planner Dickson stood by the window, entering information into his hologram display.

“Dickson,” Morray said.

“Chief.”

“I want you to retire the entry-point guard to Ret-Hav effective immediately.”

“Yes, sir.” He pulled up the guard’s file. “Done.”

Morray walked over to the window and observed Ava. She stared straight ahead, maintaining a calm demeanor. She wore a white tracksuit and her hair was pulled up. Though she hadn’t been beautified, Morray was drawn to her. “Did you use DNA replication with this one?” he asked.

“She’s mostly original coding.”

“She’s very familiar to me.” Morray stared at Ava for a few minutes, trying to refocus on the matter at hand. Was she, or was she not in contact with the Outsider? She seemed composed—no traces of guilt or defiance.

“How has she been?” Morray asked.

“Agreeable.”

“What about her non-verbal cues?”

“Clean. She believes she’s here for her protection.”

“What about her most recent activity?”

“We scrubbed her microchip. Data is missing from the time of the blackout yesterday, but we’re experiencing glitches throughout the city. We’ll keep working on it. In her dwelling unit we found some activity on her 2D tablet. Minor video conferencing.”

“Who was she video conferencing?”

“The same mid-level female she met for lunch. Delilah Seven.”

“Anything seem unusual in their conversation?”

“We could only retrieve a few segments, but what we heard was harmless. She also has some dark-market downloads. A few classic movies. But other than that, she’s clean.”

“I’m intrigued with her interest for this Delilah. Why is she spending time with a lower rank? She’s a Successor Candidate. Has she no regard for social mores?” He pulled up her chart on the display monitor. “She’s a perplexing individual. Her scores are the highest, she wins every challenge, yet she doesn’t seem to follow the rules.”

“I would assume she maintains contact with the mid-rank so she can obtain files from the dark-market. We know how women are about their movies,” Dickson said.

“No matter how much coding manipulation and reprogramming we do, we can’t seem to remove the more menial human desires. That dark-market is an interesting beast.”

“Would you like me to begin the next phase of interrogation?” Dickson asked.

Morray walked to the observation window. He studied Ava. She was a beautiful specimen. But there was something underneath her flawless design. Something behind her eyes. A deeper awareness. Would a regular interrogation do any good? He had seen her scores. She was quite strategic. He’d have to work around her training. As much as he wanted to keep her from stress, he had to be sure she was clean. That meant something more intense than interrogation.

“In your opinion, Dickson, do you think she interacted with the prisoner during the blackout?”

“It’s hard to say.”

“It’s your job to say something.”

“I don’t see how someone of her social standing would risk her entire future by engaging with a known terrorist. To what purpose would that serve? She knows better.”

“Is that a yes, or a no?”

“No.”

“Well, Dickson, I have a feeling there is something more to Miss Rhodes.” Morray continued observing Ava.

“Do you want us to keep her in containment?”

“Yes. Just a bit longer. What’s the status with the Outsider?”

“He’s in containment across the hall. Still not talking. Not even at the highest levels of interrogation.”

“Sedate him.”

“What do you plan to do, sir?”

“Put them in the same room and monitor their behavior.”

“Chief, with all due respect, the trial is less than three hours away. Miss Rhodes needs to be presentable for the people.”

“Just get the Outsider into sleep-like state and bring him into the room.”

“As you wish, sir.” Planner Dickson exited the observation room.

Morray relaxed in the lounger and focused on Ava. She readjusted her hair a couple of times in the mirror. In all his years administering the City Center, he had never seen such a powerful life force. Not in any of the previous generations. Somehow he had failed to notice the intricate details of Ava Rhodes. She had something special. Something he wanted all to himself.

The Escape

The door to
Ava’s containment room slid open and Planner Dickson entered. Ava stood up, assuming it was time to be released, but realized the game was just getting started. Two guards escorted in a very sluggish and sedated Joseph and set him down in a chair. A test, she thought. Morray wanted to see how she’d react to the Outsider. He must have scanned the South Sector feed from the day before and saw her defiant act of not retreating to her dwelling unit as ordered. She wasn’t sure if he knew about her contact with the Outsider. Joseph said he had blocked the mainframe, but she still questioned his level of technology. And even if it did work, Morray was a smart man—he could put the two of them together during that time frame. She knew he was behind the mirror studying her reactions. If she didn’t pass this test, she could be accused of treason.

“I’m confused, Planner Dickson. Is this not the terrorist?” She stumbled backwards.

“Just a few minutes, Miss Rhodes.”

“Please tell me what’s happening.” Ava tried to appear panicked. “How is this for my protection?”

Planner Dickson left the room. She looked at Joseph. His head drooped forward from the heavy doses of sedation. She didn’t feel an ounce of fear, but she needed to convey that she did. She pressed her back against the observation mirror, concealing her facial responses from Morray and whoever else was in the observation room scrutinizing her nonverbal cues. She went through the logical stages of threat she had learned in combat training. First she should appear startled. After recognizing the threat, she’d need to assess the situation. She stepped away from the mirror and studied Joseph. Finally, she’d need to command presence. She assumed a warrior stance.

“Why are you leaving me alone with the Outsider?” she called out toward the observation mirror, keeping her focus on Joseph.

She had to convince Morray there was no previous contact, and that she perceived the situation to pose imminent danger. If she couldn’t manipulate Morray into believing she had never encountered Joseph, she’d end up attending her own trial. Morray had zero tolerance for traitors. She held her defensive stance—sweat dripped down her back.

“Guards! Dickson! Someone, I demand you get back in here and remove this terrorist!”

After a few minutes, the door slid open and Morray entered the room. “Remove the Outsider.”

Ava stood at attention and lowered her head, avoiding eye contact. “Are you, umm, are you the Creator? Chief Morray?” Her voice trembled.

“Just Morray, please.”

She glanced up. She had never seen Morray in person—he was far more handsome than the statues and Arena holograms. He stood over six feet with an athletic build and broad shoulders. His dark hair didn’t have a strand out of place. Nothing was out of place. He looked perfect, except for his murky and inert pale gray eyes. She moved in closer and watched as his pupils began to pulse like he was waking from an extended sleep state. He remained steady, but a small curl appeared on his lips. The most powerful man was flustered in the presence of a Successor Candidate—she almost called checkmate. To be safe, she took it to the next level and collapsed against Morray’s stiff chest.

“Why did your men bring the Outsider into my room? I was told I was here for my protection, and then…” Ava looked into Morray’s eyes.

“A pre-graduation test, my dear. And you passed.” He smiled and looked away.

“I apologize for my behavior, Chief Morray. I’m usually far more composed. But the stress of Graduation Day, and now this… I’ve been training my entire life, but I’ve never encountered an actual terrorist threat.” Ava hoped her tears were convincing.

“You handled yourself quite well. And please, don’t worry, Miss Rhodes, the Outsider was under heavy sedation. I’d never put our most favored Successor Candidate in harm’s way.”

“I appreciate that, sir. Still, the whole situation was quite unsettling.”

Ava pressed her face against his chest. He held a firm stance—showing any signs of affection would be against protocol. She detected a slight increase in his heart rate. He wasn’t able to quell his physical responses. He appeared to be glitching out. Ava felt his body loosen up, and he did the unthinkable—he reached around and patted her head. She watched him in the observation mirror.

“Miss Rhodes, you have proven yourself to be the one to beat. You stand above the others,” he said, stepping back. His lifeless gray eyes had shifted to watery blue. Something had sparked inside of him. Her acting abilities had worked.

“Coming from you, Chief Morray, I am most pleased.”

“You’ll be just fine, Miss Rhodes.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry if I ruined your suit.” Ava grinned and pointed to the small wet spot on his black suit.

“I have plenty of suits. Now, can I get you anything? Whatever you need, it’s yours.”

Ava thought for a few seconds. She needed to get to Joseph so he could answer her questions, but that request was impossible. She needed more time to figure out a strategy to get to him.

“As you know, I must be beautified for the trial, but I fear this examination has delayed me. I simply can’t be seen by the people like this, not so close to the final voting.”

“No, Miss Rhodes, we can’t disappoint your fans,” he said, nodding. “How about I send for a special team of beautifiers? They’ve performed miracles on our current Queen.”

“Oh, that would be most pleasing. Thank you, Chief Morray, sir.”

“Please, just Morray,” he said. “Guards, I’m leaving Miss Rhodes in your care. Get her anything she requires.”

“Thank you, Chief Morray.” She smiled and bowed her head. “I mean, Morray.” He reached out and touched her hand—a forbidden display of affection inside the City Center.

Morray exited the room and Ava sat down, relieved. The cameras on the walls reminded her she had to stay on guard. Joseph’s trial was only two hours away. She still needed to find a way to get to him to find out why the reports were full of lies, not just about his break-in, but about the Outsiders in general. The only reason to lie would be to cover up something, and she needed to know what they were hiding. Joseph was the answer.

One of the guards entered the room. “Your team has arrived, Miss Rhodes,” he announced, staring straight ahead. She needed him to make eye contact so she could distract him. Ava stepped closer toward the guard. He continued staring forward, but she detected a minor adjustment in his posture. Using her charm, she might be able to manipulate the guard and get to Joseph. That would be her ace in the hole, as they said in the old movies.

“Do you think we can cover the observation wall and surveillance cameras? I don’t want to risk my transformation being captured. It could leak to the Info-tainers. Imagine the reports.”

“That will not be possible,” he said.

“But you heard Morray. He said to get me anything I needed. I need some privacy.” Ava moved in closer. “Everything will be fine. You’ll be in the room, will you not?”

“Well, I guess if I’m in the room, we can accommodate your request.”

After a few minutes the team of Beautifiers scrambled into the room. All three women had platinum blonde hair slicked back into tight buns to show off their superb design—high cheek bones and thin noses. Beautifiers were designed to be captivating, but only to be admired like fine jewelry. They dashed around in their fluttering white robes spreading out their equipment. In minutes, they had transformed the containment room into one of their elegant shops in the North Sector. Heavy perfumes and fragrances saturated the air, irritating the guard. He coughed and moved to the other side of the room and out of the way of the bustling ladies.

“Oh, dear. This lighting is simply awful. It’s giving me a migraine and doing very little for your complexion.” The head Beautifier tossed an orb into the air to enhance the lighting. “We have a lot of work to do in a very short amount of time,” she said, cupping Ava’s face for closer examination. The other two poked and prodded various parts of Ava’s body.

“We need to scope out your measurements and scrub you down. I’ll need to do a color chart. Assistants, quickly, to work.”

“Guard, can we conceal the room now?” Ava asked.

“Oh, yes, yes, hurry please, we cannot risk the Queen’s transformation being captured!”

“I’m not the Queen,” Ava said.

“Yet!” all three chimed together.

While the Assistants concealed the observation wall and cameras, the head Beautifier removed Ava’s clothes and wrapped her in thermal casing to detoxify the pores. The guard stared straight ahead, trying not to peek. After the wrap, the Assistants gently derma-brased, rinsed and polished Ava’s skin. She had never been pampered in such a manner. Before she got too caught up in the treatments, she turned her thoughts to Joseph. She felt a strange fluttering in her stomach—she remembered the kindness in his eyes. The Beautifiers dashed around Ava. What was the purpose of this charade? To look pretty while Morray executed Joseph? Could she let an innocent man die? No, she couldn’t allow it to happen. She’d help him, and maybe he could help her understand things better. The only way she’d be able to help him escape execution would be getting him out of the Administrative Building and back to wherever he entered the City Center.

Ava kept a close watch on the guard—like Morray, he seemed rattled by her presence. If she could manipulate Morray, the guard would be easy. She might not be able to get into Joseph’s room, but maybe she could get Joseph into her room. Morray said she could have anything she requested. She would request Joseph.

“I’m seeing you in dark shades of purple. Or perhaps red. Or both! Yes, yes. Those hues will match your skin tone. I’m not at all sure what to do about that hair. I only have sixty minutes, not enough time. Not enough time.”

“What about a veil?” Ava suggested.

“Yes, yes. Excellent idea! A veil it is. I’m thinking layers upon layers of long shimmering fabrics.”

The head Beautifier worked on the design, making fastidious adjustments, stepping back and forth and circling the hologram until she was pleased with the majestic gown of rich reds and purples. The collar of the dress was an intricate lattice of encrusted jewels, and the matching veil had multiple strands of sparkling diamonds that would hang in front of Ava’s face. It was beyond over the top, but Ava faked a smile.

“It’s exceptional,” Ava said with a curtsy.

“A ceremonial garment fit for a Queen!”

“The Info-tainers will be talking for days.”

“We’ll be the talk of the city!”

Ava didn’t care about the Info-tainers. She didn’t care about her scores. The entire idea of Graduation Day made her sick. She had never wanted to be a part of the facade, but now that her suspicions about the City Center had been confirmed, she was appalled. While they waited for the gown to imprint, the assistants coated Ava with glimmering oils until she shimmered. Then the head Beautifier wrapped Ava in the gown and placed the veil on her head.

“Perfection!” they clamored, clapping and hugging each other.

Ava looked at the mirror and hardly recognized the person glittering in the reflection. She looked like a more intense version of herself—Ava 2.0, or something like that. She felt like a fraud cloaked in the pomp of imperial life. She wanted to rip off the dress and run from the room.

“I have an idea,” Ava said, removing the veil and setting it down on the table.

Everyone stopped and listened. Ava walked over to the guard. His eyes widened as he struggled to contain himself. “Mi-mi-miss Rhodes?” he said.

“How splendid would it be to send out a message to the Outsiders? They seem to detest all of this attention to our vanity fair… what if we beautified the Outsider for his trial? Just think of the indignity.”

“I’m, uh, I’m not sure, Miss Rhodes,” said the guard, trying to refocus his attention across the room.

“I think we have a most excellent opportunity to make a strong impression. To show them who has the upper hand,” Ava said, smiling and moving in closer.

“By dressing up the Outsider?” he asked, pressing against the wall.

“I know it sounds small, but doing something they consider so distasteful makes a strong point. We represent beauty. Something they’ll never have. We must take a stand.”

“Oh, yes, yes. I think I see what Miss Rhodes is saying,” the head Beautifier stepped forward, nodding in agreement. The Assistants followed suit and soon the guard was surrounded.

“Why don’t we contact Morray and see what he thinks?” Ava asked.

“Chief Morray is busy preparing for trial.”

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind hearing from me. After all, he said to get me anything I requested… I wouldn’t want to miss out on this most excellent opportunity, would you?” Ava leaned closer, smothering the guard with her intoxicating fragrances.

“I don’t know, Miss Rhodes,” he said, coughing.

“You don’t think it’s a good idea?” Ava pretended to be hurt.

“No, not at all, I think it’s an interesting idea, but…”

“But you don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“No, no, it is. Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

“Oh, how wonderful!” Ava said, lowering into a curtsy.

The guard stumbled backwards a few steps, pulled up a display monitor and entered codes. Ava waited for Morray’s hologram to appear. She made sure to stand under the best lighting. Morray’s image appeared. He opened his eyes wide. “Miss Rhodes, I must say,” he paused to gather himself. “Your transformation is magnificent.”

“Thank you, Chief Morray.” Ava smiled. “I mean, Morray.”

“What can I do for you, Miss Rhodes?” he asked.

“I’d like to propose something that may sound a bit outlandish, but I think it will send out a very powerful message. And possibly help my scores.”

“What is it, Miss Rhodes?”

“I’d like to escort the Outsider to the trial box.”

“Interesting,” Morray said.

“Also, I thought it would be a much stronger statement if we beautified him, sir, as an act of humiliation.”

Morray looked straight ahead, calculating Ava’s suggestion. She began to perspire under the layers of fabric. She wasn’t sure if she had done enough to convince him, or if she had gone overboard. Her heart thumped against the tight gown. She forced herself to remain composed.