The City Center (The New Agenda Series Book 1)

by Simone Pond

  “I know you’re under sedation, but please work with me. We have about three minutes to get you out of this room.” She shook him. “Do you hear me, Joseph?”

  One of his eyes half opened. She pulled him out of the chair, propped him up against the wall, and removed his robe. She started wrapping her gown around him. It was a tight fit. She’d never get it fastened, but she cobbled it together the best she could. “You have to work with me. Try to wake up. I can’t carry you.” Joseph leaned against the wall swaying side to side. “Please, Joseph.”

  He opened his watery eyes and held her shoulder for balance. She secured the veil, making sure the strands of diamonds concealed his face. It was a sloppy job, but he was disguised. Getting him to walk down the hallway would be the bigger challenge. He could barely stand up. “Come on. We must go.”

  Joseph steadied against her side until he was able to stand. They stepped into the hallway, keeping their heads lowered—the surveillance monitors were now capturing them. She tugged at her hood to make sure she was covered. They needed to get to the transporter at the end of the hall before the other guard returned. They edged forward a few inches at a time. The red and purple train of fabric trailed behind. They still had a ways to go.

  “What’s going on?” the guard came around the corner with Ava’s refresher. He ran down the hall. Ava took the relaxa-mist out of her pocket and doused the air. “Don’t inhale,” she whispered to Joseph.

  The guard ran straight into the cloud of relaxa-mist, and went into a coughing fit. He dropped the refresher and balanced himself against the wall.

  “What’s going on?” he choked.

  “Morray requested Miss Rhodes to the Arena right away.” Ava spoke in a high-pitched accent of a Beautifier. “I’m escorting her while the team finishes up with the prisoner.”

  The guard swayed and rubbed his eyes. “You need my codes to get out of the Administration Building.”

  “Of course. Can you escort us to the transporter?”

  He nodded and led them down the hallway in slow motion. Ava thought they’d never get to the transporter. Sweat dripped down her forehead and into her eyes, smearing her makeup and blurring her vision. She stayed focused and walked close to Joseph in case he started to lose balance again. He remained steady. Before they reached the transporter, she felt the slight graze of his fingertips against hers. Her heart jumped and her stomach began fluttering again. She couldn’t help but smile.

  “Your escort detail will be waaaaiting at the Areeeena traaaansporter.” The guard slurred, punching his codes into the transporter panel. Just before they entered the transporter, Ava nudged the guard and he tumbled to the ground. Ava pulled Joseph inside and the door sealed shut. Joseph collapsed. He tried to say something, but Ava couldn’t make out the words. She pulled off the veil.

  “East… ” he mumbled.

  “East Sector,” she instructed the transporter.

  The transporter delivered them to the East Sector—the most dismal place inside the City Center. Ava helped Joseph out and sat him on the ground. She walked down the alley to check out the surrounding area. She had never been to the maintenance part of town where the lowest-ranking residents lived and worked. There was no reason to go there.

  The streets were deserted. Everyone had already left for the trial. Still, the whole place felt cramped with the industrial buildings and dwelling units stacked right on top of each other. Even the lighting was dull. There weren’t any moving walkways, trees or cafés. Just gravel roads, seedy shops and a dingy layer of soot over everything. Hundreds of floating hologram advertisements competed for attention, shouting offers like, “Buy ten, get one free!” and “Act now and we’ll give you credits on your next order.” But the most depressing part of the East Sector was along the perimeter where enormous metal pipes spewed waste contents outside the City Center.

  Ava returned and sat down next to Joseph and wiped the sweat off his forehead. She dug through the Assistant’s bag and found a bottle of booster-mist. She sprayed it towards Joseph’s face. He began coughing.

  “You should feel a boost pretty soon,” she said. “Do you remember me?”

  “How could I forget?” Joseph looked at Ava and smiled. He looked down at the gown. “This is interesting.”

  “They spare no expense for potential Queens.” Ava smiled.

  “How did you get me into this?”

  “It was difficult. You might have to rip your way out of it. I have something else for you to wear.” She reached into the bag and pulled out her white tracksuit. “It’ll be tight, but a bit better than the gown.”

  Joseph stood up and started ripping off pieces of the gown. Ava turned away.

  “I was out of it, but from what I remember, that was a well-executed escape.”

  “I’ve watched a lot of old movies,” Ava said.

  “I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew you read Lillian’s journal. I knew you were going to help me.” He pulled on the pants, which were a snug fit. He tried to squeeze into the jacket, but the sleeve ripped.

  “I figured if I helped you, you could help me. I have many questions.”

  “Go ahead and shoot.”

  “Shoot what?”

  “Oh, it’s a figure of speech. I mean, go ahead and ask your questions.”

  “At first I couldn’t figure out the significance of the book. Please understand, I think the destruction was devastating and just awful, but it was so long ago, in the days before. What could I do about it now? I was ready to confess everything, but then I saw the reports telling those lies about you. I’ve always questioned the reports.”

  “Gut instincts,” he said, ripping off the jacket sleeves.

  “Gut what?”

  “Intuition. A feeling inside.”

  “Yes, that. I’ve always felt something wasn’t right, and that Morray must be hiding something. I knew you’d have the answers. I couldn’t let him execute you.”

  “Not until you had your answers, right?”

  “Well, not after realizing you’re an innocent man.”

  Joseph looked at his reflection in the blacked-out window of the building. He adjusted the tight tracksuit and messed up his hair. “They really chopped it off, huh?”

  “Chopped what?”

  “My hair. They did a number on me. My men won’t recognize me.”

  “I don’t understand much of what you’re saying.”

  “Look, Ava, I want to tell you everything. But we gotta get out of here.”

  “We?” Ava jumped up.

  “You’re coming with me, aren’t you?”

  Ava’s hands went cold. “I never thought that far ahead. I only wanted to help you escape so I could get some answers.”

  “And?” He tugged at the jacket but it wasn’t fitting any better.

  “I can’t leave the City Center. Regardless of the lies, it’s my home. Graduation Day is next week. I’m competing for Queen.”

  “You really think Morray’s gonna let you get away with this?”

  “I can tell him you forced me to help you.”

  “And then what?”

  “It doesn’t matter, after next week I’ll relocate to the Royal Palace and serve in Royal Court—for eighteen long and painful years.”

  “You don’t have to stay here living a lie.”

  “How am I living a lie? Won’t you please tell me?”

  “There’s a lot to explain, but if you want to know more we gotta leave now before they realize we escaped.”

  “I can’t just leave, can I?” The thought of running away with Joseph sounded exciting and terrifying. Isn’t this what she always dreamed of—an adventure on the Outside, away from her duties as a Successor Candidate?

  “I can’t force you to do anything. But I have to go.” Joseph patted Ava’s shoulder and walked down the alley.

  She thought about Morray. Could she pull off another performance? What if she couldn’t convince him the Outsider forced her hand? She’d
stand trial and be executed. And if she did convince him, she’d graduate and most likely become the next Queen—a position she didn’t want in the first place. Or worse, she might get stuck serving a lesser position and listening to James berate her for the next eighteen years. She wished there was a way to disqualify herself from the competition, and go work in the Garden Sector. She could live out the next eighteen years in peace. But how could she live in peace knowing Morray was hiding something?

  “Wait,” Ava called out. “I’m coming with you.”

  “I’m right here.” Joseph stood at the edge of the alley.

  “You knew I’d come, didn’t you?” Ava ran up to him.

  “I saw you digging my new cut.”

  “Digging your cut?”

  “Admiring my new hairstyle.”

  “You do look rather handsome,” Ava laughed.

  “Come on, we gotta get to the underground tunnels before they catch on.”

  Joseph took her hand and they ran through the alleyways, avoiding surveillance cameras, until they reached a gravel yard containing hundreds of metal pipes rising up from the ground and connecting to the armored wall. Joseph stopped at a giant metal lid in the ground and pried it open with a bar.

  “Down this way. It’s going to be dark and cold. But it’s the only way out.” He lowered into the hole. “Are you coming?” Joseph called up.

  Ava stood over the opening, looking into the darkness. She could either go into the unknown, or return to the only thing she had ever known. The knot in her throat tightened. She looked around at the armored walls stretching high into the sky. No matter how many visual enhancements were used to conceal the walls, she could still see the solar panels encasing her city. The walls that served as protection from the Outside had been holding her a prisoner. Sure, she’d leave the City Center after graduation, and move away to the Royal Palace, but that would be another form of prison. She knew there was only one right choice. She’d rather live as a free woman running from Morray than live a lie.

  “I’m afraid of the dark,” she yelled down the hole.

  “I’m right here.”

  The Trial

  Inside the Arena, Morray waited in a private room until it was time for Ava’s grand entrance with the Outsider. He watched the audience on his monitors, anticipating their response to Ava’s idea to beautify the Outsider. He predicted it would elicit a thunderous response from the crowd. He was impressed with her ingenuity and looked forward to getting to know her. He checked the time—they were already two minutes behind schedule. Everyone knew this type of conduct was inexcusable. Something was wrong. He checked the time again, wondering if the Outsider had caused any problems. Panic started to pull at his chest. He took some deep breaths to calm himself. The longer they took, the more he second-guessed his decision to let Ava escort the Outsider to trial.

  Planner Dickson entered the room. “Chief.”

  “Do you realize we’re behind schedule? Where is Miss Rhodes?”

  “Well, sir, that’s what I’d like to discuss. Don’t worry. I’ve taken care of the audience. My team will distract them with footage from previous trials, until you’re ready to make your announcements.”

  “You haven’t answered my question. Where exactly is Miss Rhodes?”

  “Sir, we need to speak in a non-monitored area.”

  “We’re fine right here. I have us blocked.”

  The Arena darkened and music began streaming. Footage from previous trials, dating decades back, filled the center of the Arena.

  “My men have reported some distressing information.”

  “What is it, Dickson? Get to the point.”

  “Miss Rhodes and the Outsider are missing.”

  “It sounded like you just said missing.”

  “Yes, Chief.”

  “Impossible. No one breaks out of my containment.”

  “That’s the thing, sir. They didn’t break out. They walked out. Walked right out.”

  “How is this possible?”

  “The guards were drugged. Miss Rhodes and the Outsider walked down the hall to the transporter.”

  Morray felt like he just got punched. Bile rose to his mouth. Did the Outsider do this? Or was it Ava? He thought of Ava holding onto him in the observation room. Was she pretending the entire time? He couldn’t organize his thoughts. He paced, trying to grab hold of the situation. Dickson stood off to the side in silence. Morray replayed his interaction with Ava—she sparked feelings he hadn’t experienced in decades. But did she play him to help the Outsider escape? No, it couldn’t be true. The Outsider must have come out of sedation and taken her hostage. Morray looked at his trembling hands. He needed to regain some composure.

  “I need an injection. Immediately,” he ordered.

  Dickson shot him with a dose of neuro-inhibitors. Morray’s breathing slowed down. His hands stopped shaking. “How did the situation get this far out of control?” he asked.

  “I wasn’t aware of your decision to allow Miss Rhodes to escort the Outsider to trial, let alone send him through beautification in the same room.”

  “Yes, well, looking back, that may have been a slight error in judgment.”

  “Slight?”

  “Fine, Dickson. It was a bad decision. It’s that, that…” Morray stopped himself. “I believe I’ve been compromised by Miss Rhodes.”

  “She is a rather unique individual. Favored by the crowd, sir. I can see why you were compromised.”

  “Are you patronizing me?”

  “Not at all, sir. Simply justifying your emotional response to her. Most men tend to be compromised by that level of beauty and intelligence.”

  “Please tell me we have surveillance footage.”

  “We do for the hallway, but the room cameras were blocked.”

  “Blocked?” Morray released a long exhale.

  “For Miss Rhodes’s privacy during her beautification.”

  “And you allowed for this?”

  “No, sir. You did.”

  “Why would I block my own cameras?”

  “You told Miss Rhodes she could have anything she needed. She needed privacy.”

  “Who else knows about this?”

  “The two of us. The guards. I’ve already taken care of the guards. They’ve been wiped clean.”

  “I want them terminated, or better yet, shipped off to Ret-Hav.”

  “Done, sir.” Dickson gave commands to his hologram display.

  Morray sat in his lounger. He didn’t want to believe Ava had committed an act of treason—the Outsider must have coerced and threatened her. He also needed to come up with a smoke screen for the people in the Arena.

  “Okay, Dickson. This is what we’re going to do. And listen like you really mean it because you’re inching your way to the top of my shit-list. I’ll make an announcement regarding this situation. It’s clear that Miss Rhodes was taken against her own will. I’ll tell them I’m putting together a team to bring her back safely. Also, I can’t let them think the Outsider outsmarted my system, so we’ll use the guards as our scapegoats—they were part of the same terrorist cell.”

  “I recommend a neuro-lifter be sprayed prior to your announcement. Otherwise they’ll be devastated. She is the favorite.”

  “Agreed.” Morray wondered if Ava was the favorite because of her high scores, or if the residents had also been compromised by her allure.

  “I suggest we use this misfortune to our advantage. Have the people pull together. A team spirit type of distraction.”

  “You just moved down on the shit-list, Dickson.” Morray patted his back and prepared his speech.

  Dickson fed instructions into the mainframe to release a blast of high-level neuro-lifters into the audience. Morray waited for their energy levels to elevate. The hologram dissolved into a commercial for Ret-Hav.

  “Ret-Haaaaaaav… Ahhhhh… Sooooo relaxing… Where you can breathe in fresh air while you dip your toes in the warm island waters. Eat whatever you want
. Sleep till noon. It’s the haven you’ve been waiting for. On Ret-Hav you are free to do whatever you please. You worked hard for it, so sit back and let us work hard for you.”

  The crowd cheered and whistled. Morray left the private room and went to his production booth. He synced his index finger into the mainframe and his monumental hologram appeared in the center of the Arena.

  “Citizens of the Los Angeles City Center, I address you today with grave news. Something occurred inside our walls that has never happened in the history of our great City Center.” He watched the audience from his grid of monitors. They were entranced as they waited for his next words. They reminded him of children.

  “After yesterday’s terrorist attack, we were holding the Outsider in containment until his trial today at noon. As a surprise, I planned for our leading Successor Candidate to escort the savage to his trial box, but there’s been a change in plans, dear citizens.” The crowd looked toward the empty trial box high above the Arena floor. “In addition to yesterday’s terrorist attack, there has also been an act of unspeakable treason conducted by two of our guards.” The crowd gasped.

  “Today my perfect plan was thwarted when the Outsider escaped with the help of these two guards. All three had been a part of the same terrorist cell.” Morray paused until the audience quieted. “We were able to track down the two traitors and they’ve been terminated for their act of treachery.” A burst of applause exploded inside the Arena

  “But, my dear people, I have more devastating news. The Outsider used our own Ava Rhodes as leverage to escape.” The audience cried out and looked up at the box of Successor Candidates to Ava’s empty chair. “I have put together a team of elite Officers to begin a search. I’m confident we will retrieve Miss Rhodes and bring the Outsider to justice. For now, we must pull together. The best thing to do in this situation is to stay calm and stick together. Planner Dickson has prepared an afternoon of entertainment. Please sit back and enjoy yourselves. We’ll send out reports with updates as soon as we have more information. Thank you.”