by Pond, Simone
“Thank you for your time, Officer Ballesteros. You are excused,” James instructed.
Faraday called out after her, “Stay close, we might need you again.”
“Not like I got anywhere to go.” She saluted and exited the conference room.
Grace realized the true meaning of friendship from the person she had least expected. Sometimes truth and loyalty were mutually exclusive. Blythe had gone out of her way to prove her commitment to Grace, hopefully without a price attached.
James addressed Grace. “Earlier you briefly mentioned your reason for leaving the Seattle City Center with the child; I’d like to hear more of your rationale for doing so.”
“She didn’t leave with the child,” Faraday blurted. “She escaped and kidnapped him.”
“Nobody is being held in the city center against their will. Miss Strader chose to leave. And she chose to take the child. I’d like to know why.”
Grace took a deep breath, settling her nerves and releasing the anxiety pulling on her chest. This might’ve been her only opportunity to break through to the council.
“Thank you, Mr. President, sir. I’d like to start off by saying the child’s name is Christian.” Saying his name always brought her joy. “He’s a beautiful, brilliant boy who won my heart the second he opened his eyes on Inception Day. I was assigned to care for him and we bonded instantly. Many months passed and still he hadn’t gotten adopted, so I put in the paperwork to become his legal guardian. But the West Coast Regional Council turned me down because of my age. I was informed that I had to wait until I was eighteen years old.”
“Is this true?” James addressed the council members.
A young woman with black hair slicked back into a severe bun raised her hand. “Sir, she did approach me. I followed council regulations.”
“Understandable, Councilwoman Conklin. I wanted to establish that Miss Strader had taken measures to secure legal guardianship.”
“That is what happened,” she said, verifying Grace’s story.
“How old are you, Grace?”
“I’m going to be eighteen in the spring, and I’ll be eligible to legally adopt Christian. I know it was wrong for me to leave without the proper paperwork. But in my defense, when I heard rumors about Faraday’s soldier program, I got worried.”
“Please elaborate,” James said.
Grace looked at Faraday, his face getting redder and tighter by the second, and took a deep breath. “I believed that Faraday’s desire to obtain the rights to Christian to place him into the soldier program was immoral and wrong. The whole thing sounded atrocious––and against everything the new democracy had established. It reminded me of Morray’s old system, and I had to do something. So I reported my concerns to Councilwoman Conklin, and she said she’d look into it.”
“And did you, Councilwoman Conklin?”
“Yes. I had Director Faraday complete the correct forms to begin the adoption process.”
Some of the members looked shocked. Conklin didn’t have the authority to approve that request. Grace figured Faraday had promised the young woman something in return for her assistance.
James walked over to Conklin. “This should have been brought to the council. This isn’t an ordinary adoption. The Director wants the child––Christian––for purposes outside of new democracy protocol. We stopped placing children into specialized training programs when we overthrew Morray. No child should be forced into a discipline before they are old enough to make that decision. They have unalienable rights.”
“Am I on trial, sir?” Conklin snipped.
Faraday intervened. “President Jordan, I understand this might seem unorthodox, but I have my reasons. Reasons I will gladly discuss with the council in private. But Congresswoman Conklin and I are not on trial. This trial is to determine what to do with Miss Strader, based on her heinous crimes committed against the Seattle City Center. I’d like to return to the current situation, if that’s okay with you, Mr. President.”
James patted Faraday’s shoulder. “I understand your frustration with Miss Strader, especially since you have such a vested interest in the child. But I believe from her testimony that her crimes were anything but heinous. She was merely protecting Christian’s rights. If she had demanded ransom or any sort of favor, then I’d say her crimes were to be considered punishable, but this is not the case. Would you agree, council?”
The members nodded in agreement, with the exception of the thin-lipped Congresswoman Conklin, and that garish, plastic-looking President Sullivan, who had been fluffing up Faraday for years. President Sullivan’s demeanor may have appeared kind and good-natured, but she had a reputation for being duplicitous.
“I still have one more character witness before the council goes into deliberations,” Faraday said.
“And who is that?”
“General Joseph Strader.”
“I highly doubt the General will speak against his daughter. I know you’re trying to establish a pattern of behavior. But everything you’ve presented has only proven that Grace Strader is an individual with sound integrity, who goes out of her way to protect people. Maybe some of her thinking is impulsive, but I don’t consider it reckless or dangerous.”
President Sullivan stood up.
“Would you like to say something, President Sullivan?” James asked, annoyed by the interruption.
“Yes, thank you. I’d like to state to the council that while President Jordan has a valid point, so does Director Faraday. After hearing the defendant’s testimony and the character witness accounts, I think it’s clear that Miss Strader is not a malicious person with nefarious intentions.” She paused and scanned Grace very carefully. “However, she has committed crimes––she removed the child in a stolen hovercraft. These acts should not be overlooked when we go into deliberations.”
Faraday lowered his head respectfully. “Thank you, President Sullivan.”
James stood before the council, keeping his attention honed in on Faraday and Sullivan. “I agree with Madam President, yet I’d like to recommend we remove the felony charges, and bring Miss Strader’s crimes down to misdemeanors.”
“But …” Faraday started to argue, but President Sullivan held up her hand and he immediately backed down. Sullivan was obviously the alpha dog in their relationship.
“Miss Strader, do you have any closing words before we begin our deliberations?” James asked.
Grace knew her final remarks needed to count. “I want to reiterate how incredibly sorry I am for my behavior. For overriding the proper channels and taking matters into my own hands. I was wrong. If you drop my charges and release me, I promise to leave the city center and return to Ojai, where I won’t cause any further trouble.”
Faraday fixed his pale eyes on Grace, a permanent containment cell practically etched in his glossy pupils.
17
Grace was escorted out of the conference room, and the council members began deliberations. Faraday sulked in his chair, a sour taste in his mouth and a scowl on his face. President Jordan had knocked his case into a tailspin, and Faraday’s plan to destroy Grace Strader’s reputation failed. Clearly he needed to initiate Plan B—a conversation solely for the ears of President Sullivan. His muscles clenched at the thought, but he needed to see her in private.
Councilwoman Conklin took the floor. “I must speak for Miss Strader. She really did try the proper channels. She didn’t outright disregard our laws. If anyone was less than helpful, it was me.”
Faraday shot Conklin a look. Obviously, she was backing out of their agreement. He had told her if she helped secure the rights to the child, she’d be an important player on his team when he became President of the Pacific Northwest Region. What had changed? Certainly it wasn’t her heart, because the woman didn’t have one. Cold as the wind coming off a glacier, Conklin didn’t care about human rights. She was purebred Insider with an innate instinct to succeed, kicking down anything that got in the way. People like President James Jordan had
been working diligently to smooth out these Insider traits, but Conklin hadn’t gone soft. The change of “heart” had to be based on pure logic and reason. She knew the majority of the council would turn on Faraday for his blatant disregard of the child’s welfare. The members––half Outsider and half Insider––believed Morray’s societal ranking system was corrupt, and fought against the slightest resemblance of going back to the old ways. He regretted not considering this more seriously when he went to Conklin in the first place. Now his ultimate endgame was under threat.
Desperation inched its way into his chest. Faraday hated the fact that he would need President Sullivan’s assistance. Going to her wasn’t anything out of the ordinary in their long-term relationship––it was the foundation. Years ago, when the walls came down throughout the West Coast, he went to her, pleading to get a spot on the council, but her hands were tied. She did secure the position for Director of the Silicon Valley Academy, but it came with many strings. Strings that always ended up wrapped around Faraday’s neck like a noose strangling away his dignity. How he detested spending time in her company. The endless hours of copulation had been a high price to pay for the position. Now the cost was even higher. If he were to secure the role of President of the Pacific Northwest, he’d have to sell what was left of his soul. He glanced at the floor, to President Sullivan’s sparkling shoes rubbing against his ankle. He scooted his chair back, disgusted.
“Director. A word in private, please.” Sullivan smiled sweetly.
“Excuse me?” President Jordan spoke up.
“This is regarding an urgent matter at the academy, and I’m afraid it can’t wait,” Sullivan said.
The council member on the end stood. “Actually, some of us would like to take a bathroom break, sir. We’ve been in this room all morning.”
“And it’s lunchtime,” another member added.
President Jordan nodded to the council members. “Yes, of course. My apologies. Let’s break for two hours and resume deliberations. Are you okay with that, President Sullivan?”
“Yes, thank you,” she said, showing off her gleaming white teeth. She pinched Faraday. “You and I. Now.”
The group dismantled, leaving Faraday and Sullivan the last two in the room. She grabbed the sleeve of his suit.
“Not here,” he muttered. “Monitors.”
“Let’s go to your place,” she said.
Faraday thought about his penthouse in the Northern Sector of the city center. The unit overlooked the dark blue waters of Puget Sound. He was the only person taking up residency in the luxurious building, and the idea of inviting President Sullivan into his immaculate living quarters made him feel dirty inside. Filthier than he already felt in her presence.
He tugged at his collar. “You’re accommodations are much more suitable. Why don’t we go to your suite?”
“I don’t care where we go; I just want to get there and quickly. I’ve been enjoying your new makeover all morning.” She grabbed his ass, digging in her long nails.
Faraday fought back the vile burning in his esophagus and forced a smile.
They took a transporter to the top floor of the Administrative Building to her presidential suite. For the first time ever, Faraday hoped they’d actually run into President Jordan. Anything to stop the transaction from moving forward. But they made it to President Sullivan’s suite without a hitch.
“Take off your jacket, Director.” She poured two tall glasses of champagne.
From inside his pocket, he removed a tiny blue pill and slipped it into his mouth while she was pouring the champagne. He couldn’t perform his obligations to President Sullivan without it. He unbuttoned his jacket and placed it on the back of the plush sofa.
She slithered like a tigress moving in for a kill. The sight of bubbles sparkling gave him an instant headache. Each one of his private encounters with Sullivan entailed the same ritual––starting with a glass of champagne, followed by another, then an intense shaming session that led to the bedroom.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to imbibe so early in the day, especially since we have to return for the deliberations in two hours.”
“I’ve decided you won’t be participating in the deliberations. You brought the case to the council, and since it didn’t go as planned, you will stand by as a silent observer while I fix your mistakes.” She never let him forget his lower ranking position.
He wanted to take the bottle of champagne and bash it over her blonde helmet of hair.
She shoved the glass into his hand and clinked them together. “I’m not too worried about the council. As you know, there’s always the secondary plan.”
Faraday perked up, sipping the detestable champagne. “Yes, and I would like to discuss that. My original plan has been derailed by that prick of a president, James Jordan. Him and his human rights agenda.”
“Well, Director, you did open the door. How could you possibly think that the council would allow you to remove a child to place him in a soldier program? You should’ve consulted me first. Had you, we wouldn’t be in this situation. The child would be at the academy under your care.”
He hated it when she was right.
“I didn’t think anyone was paying attention to me. I figured everyone would be focused on Grace.” He swallowed another mouthful, the bubbles burning the whole way down.
“I’m starting to question my decision to back your campaign for presidency. I don’t want someone in office who makes irrational decisions. I can’t have that sort of behavior attached to my good name.” President Sullivan sat on the couch and patted the cushions, inviting Faraday over.
This was how it always started. She would rub in the fact that Faraday was a buffoon, stripping away his confidence until he reached the point of complete desperation, and then he would plead for her help. He couldn’t just ask like a civilized adult. She insisted that he implore her to save him. From there, he’d beg her to go to the bedroom, though it was the last thing he desired. He had to convince her that he couldn’t live another second without caressing her. It was a despicable charade. But in the end, he got what he wanted. President Sullivan had the power to make things happen.
He sat next to her on the couch, resting his head in his palms and conjuring up a series of whimpers. She reached around and patted his back, gently moving his head in her lap, where she stroked his hair and whispered soothing words.
“There, there, dear child. Now tell Mama everything, my darling.”
“I was a very bad boy …” He paused to find the strength to squeeze out the next word. “Mama.”
“What did my little sweet boy do?”
“I made bad choices. Very bad choices.”
“Yes, and?”
“I should’ve have come to you first …”
“And what happens when you go off on your own and do bad boy things?”
“I get hurt, Mama. And now everyone’s against me and I’m all alone. I’m scared.” Faraday actually began crying real tears, shame-filled drops.
President Sullivan lifted his head, cupping his face. “Mama’s gonna make everything okay. I won’t let anything bad happen to you. I promise I’ll fix this messy mess you made. But what do you need to do first?”
The next part usually sickened Faraday to the point of cognitive dissociation. He’d go through the motions, but his mind would be in a faraway place, plotting and planning the day he would be back in charge. The day he could squash Sullivan. When he had the upper hand, he’d keep her alive and use her for experiments, the same way Morray had used the retirees on the island of Ret-Hav. Only worse. Much, much worse. He’d be sure to pay back every one of their “private” moments by the thousandfold. The cost of his humiliation would be steep, making sure she suffered dearly for every ounce of pain he endured.
“Having second thoughts, my darling?” she said in a low voice.
“No ma’am.”
“Well, then …”
He got up and unbuttoned his
shirt, removed his pants, and stood before her naked. Sullivan grinned wickedly, licking her glossy lips.
“Are you sorry for what you did?” she asked.
He nodded.
She raised her empty glass. “Pour Mama another.”
Faraday walked over to the bar in the nude and poured some more champagne. She eyed his glass and raised her eyebrows. He chugged back the remaining champagne as quickly as he could, then poured more. He handed her the flute, and she clinked their glasses together.
“Good boy.” She sipped slowly, peering over the rim. “And do you have anything else to say?”
He waited until she finished her champagne before he positioned himself over her lap, with his bare ass facing up.
“You may punish me now,” he mumbled into the cushions.
The whipping commenced. Faraday pictured Sullivan hanging upside down by her toes, while he prodded her with an electric wand.
After a few minutes, she slinked toward the bedroom. He crawled down the hallway after her to finish out the final segment of their ritual.
“No, wait. Please don’t leave me alone. I need you,” he called after her.
She stood in the doorway with her arms folded across her overly enhanced chest, her cleavage like a giant crack in the moon. “Okay, I’ll let you into my room under one condition.”
“Anything. Anything you ask.” The taste of vomit filled his mouth.
“You must promise to always put me first. And you must always bow down to me.”
“I promise.”
“Get up. You may come in.”
Faraday followed President Sullivan into the room, staring out to the city as she removed her black jacket and pencil skirt. She’d keep on her bra and panties, allowing Faraday the “pleasure” of removing them. The city center was so still and quiet, but before long the place would be teeming with residents and business people. Once the center walls came down and the city became an open venture, there would be no stopping the migration of people. He would be at the helm, ruling as their powerful leader. The people would bow down to him. And he’d bring back Morray, who would grant him everlasting life. His power would endure over the centuries. Long after Sullivan’s chemically pumped body had rotted away. Moments like this would never happen again and he’d be a free man.