City Center, The (15 page)

The Chase

Ava navigated through
the forest, shielding her face from tree branches, hoping her vision would adjust to the darkness. She needed to pick up the pace—David would be trailing her soon enough. She felt like she was in the tunnel again, but now she had metal cuffs cutting into her wrists and weighing down her arms, and the ground was covered with sharp rocks and sticks that mangled her bare feet.

“Why am I always running off without shoes?”

She stopped and rested against a tree to catch her breath. Taking off into a dark forest without a plan wasn’t smart—but what was she supposed to do? David was going to turn her over to Morray. She needed to get to Joseph. He’d know what to do. But first she’d have to survive the woods. The forest was alive with strange noises and wild animals—her heart jumped at every movement or sound coming from the trees. She picked up a branch for protection, laughing at the gesture.

As she moved deeper into the forest, the temperature dropped. The thin cotton dress was useless at keeping her warm. She’d have to find shelter soon, but had no idea which way to go. In the village, the wind came in from the west, but out here it blew from every direction. The mountain range was north, and since she had just run from the mountains, she figured she was probably heading south. If she went to her right, that should be west—toward the ocean and opposite of the City Center. She moved with caution, trying to stay on a direct course. The fallen branches and rocks slowed her down, and the air grew colder and colder. Freezing, exhausted and in pain, she stopped and sank to the ground. She wouldn’t make it through the night. Either an animal would get her, or she’d freeze to death.

“I don’t know what to do. I’m lost.”

The wind stopped and the trees became still. Through the thicket the moonlight poured down onto a hilltop ahead. If she could get to the hill, she’d be able to see her surroundings—maybe she wasn’t that far from the village. This gave her just enough hope to trudge forward. She reached the top of the hill, but saw only trees surrounding her—no sign of the village. Rather than go deeper into the woods, she decided to stop and rest until morning. She found an enclosed cove on the other side of the hill, which would be her shelter. She could make a small fire—the men in the village had used a spinning device to create friction to start their fire. She’d do the same.

She gathered up a pile of branches and dry leaves. Using the sharp edge of a cuff, she carved a groove into a chunk of bark. She placed some dry grass and twigs onto the bark and twisted a stick into the groove, but it cut into her palms and she lost her grip. She tore off a piece of her dress and wrapped the fabric around her hands, then twisted the stick back and forth. The only heat being generated was in her palms. If she didn’t start a fire, she wouldn’t make it through the night. She picked up the stick and twisted faster and faster. Finally a tiny puff of smoke rose up from the bark. She blew in the direction of the smoke just like the men did to get their fire going. The grass curled into orange strings. It was working. She kept blowing until a tiny flame ignited, then she added a few twigs. The fire crackled to life. She fell back against the rock and watched the flames grow, adding bigger branches until the heat warmed her entire body, then she curled up next to the fire and fell asleep.

*

Ava woke up shivering. The fire had smoldered out and the morning dew dampened her skin and dress. She sat up to inspect her wounds. Her wrists were torn and raw from the metal rubbing against her skin. The cuts around her ankles were caked with dry blood and dirt, and the previous injuries to her feet seemed like a joke compared to this new batch. Her muscles felt too short for her limbs and standing up took a few minutes. She did some stretches to warm up her body. She still had to figure out how to get back to the village. The safest bet would be backtracking through the forest toward the bunker—David wouldn’t expect her to return to the scene. From there she’d be able to get back to the village, or maybe another bunker in the foothills where Rebecca would be hiding the women and children. If she could reach one of them, she could get to Joseph.

First she needed to find some fresh water. She remembered hearing a stream the night before. She listened for the sound of trickling water and followed it until she came to a narrow creek. Kneeling down, she cupped handfuls of water and gulped them down. The coldness burned her throat, but she kept drinking until her stomach was full. She removed the fabric from her hands and soaked the pieces, then scrubbed the dried blood from her face and hands. Though every cell in her body fought against the idea, she dipped her feet into the freezing water. She tore off more fabric from her dress and wrapped them around her feet like Joseph had done in the tunnel and limped over to a patch of sun to dry off.

A sudden blast reverberated through the forest. Ava jumped up and crouched behind some bushes, peeking through the leaves to see if anyone was tracking her. She remained still and waited, but no one approached. The battle was starting and it was her fault because she didn’t turn herself over to Morray. Tears filled her eyes thinking about the innocent people dying because of her selfishness. She waited another minute and crawled out. She wanted to hurry and get back to the village and somehow fix this mess. If she couldn’t reach Joseph, maybe she could signal an Officer and turn herself over to Morray, but only if he promised to cease fire and spare the Outsiders.

Walking through the forest, the temperature grew hotter as the sun moved over the mountain. She wondered how many days had passed since she had escaped the City Center with Joseph. Three? Five? Time was distorted. She thought about the other Successor Candidates preparing for Graduation Day ceremonies—the endless primping, beautifying and rehearsals. What were the Info-tainers saying about her disappearance? Were they talking about it? She wondered if James would be disqualified from the competitions because he no longer had a partner match. His entire life he complained that she wasn’t fit to be his partner and now she wasn’t. All those years she believed she was defective, but Joseph helped her realize her differences were natural parts of being human—parts she had been hiding since she was a young girl.

“See, Ava. You can’t even do a simple routine,” James teased.

“You messed me up,” Ava said.

“That’s the thing, Ava, you have to be able to perform under any condition.”

“But we’re partners. You’re supposed to help me.”

“I am helping you.”

“You have a strange way of helping,” she said.

“Just do it again and if you don’t do it right this time, I’ll tell your Watcher you’ve been sneaking around with that entertainer girl.”

Ava hadn’t thought about her Watcher in years. She cringed, remembering the strict lady who cared for her during the early post-inception developmental years. Everyone had Watchers then, assigned to instruct on proper hygiene, social conduct and basic living skills. On her thirteenth year she celebrated her Watcher’s retirement by going to Delilah’s sector and eating two pieces of chocolate cake. It was worth the stomach cramps.

“Did you hear me, Ava? I’ll tell her all about your lower companion.”

“Why are you always so hurtful? Don’t you care how your words affect me?”

“I don’t understand.” James stared expressionless.

It struck Ava he didn’t understand what she meant. Nobody at high-ranking levels understood—they were void of emotion—their DNA coding had been designed that way. But Ava was different. She had experienced emotions ever since she could remember. And it was proving to be an issue. She knew that if she didn’t hide her feelings, the others would rip her apart, or report her to the Planners. She stepped away from James and executed her routine with perfection. James stood back, his mouth hanging open. From that day forward, she pushed herself to train harder than the other Successor Candidates. She knew her only chance for survival would be to outperform them.

All those years of work seemed pointless now. Once she surrendered to Morray, he’d move forward with Graduation Day and hand over all ten Successors to Royal Court. As much as she detested James, she didn’t want him to be erased from existence. And what about the current generation of retirees who thought they were going off to a beautiful island? Or the younger generation, like Delilah, who’d serve her position eighteen years, only to meet the same fate. She couldn’t live knowing that one day Delilah would be shipped off to a laboratory to be experimented on. The whole thing was abominable. Morray had to be stopped. No one should have that much power and control. Joseph kept saying Ava could be their one chance to stop Morray, and he was right. She’d find a way to save her people. Morray wouldn’t live to see another Graduation Day. But first she needed to get to the village.

Ava heard the familiar click of a gun being cocked. Her stomach dropped and she stood still, assessing the situation. It couldn’t have been an Officer because their weapons were silent. If it were an Outsider, she still had a chance to get to Joseph and make things right.

“Stay where you are,” the man’s voice ordered.

“I don’t have a weapon,” she called back.

“Turn around.”

Ava turned around. “Oh, good. One of Joseph’s men,” she sighed with relief.

“How do you know Joseph? And what in God’s name are you doin’ out here?”

“I’m Ava. I’m the one who helped him escape the City Center.”

“The girl from the Inside? Why are you wanderin’ around out here when there’s a battle goin’ on?” He aimed the gun in her direction.

“I was captured by… ” She couldn’t mention David, not without knowing what he had communicated on the wire. She needed more information.

“By who?”

“I don’t know what happened. I was knocked out and now I need your help. I’m cold and hungry, and badly injured. I need to get to the village.”

“You’re right in the middle of a hot zone.”

“Would you please take me to the village?”

“I can take you to the closest checkpoint.”

“Checkpoint one?”

“No, you’re at checkpoint three. Carpenteria. North of Joe’s village.” He lowered his gun and handed Ava a canteen of water. The cool water was like a flood pouring over a cracked desert floor. She chugged it back until it dripped down her chin.

“How many checkpoints are there?” she asked.

“Lots, but we gotta go now. You don’t look so good, I’ll carry you on my back.”

“What’s your name?” Ava climbed onto his back and noticed his black hair was tied back at the nape of his neck. She had never seen a man with such long hair.

“They call me Bear.”

“Thank you, Bear. I’ll be sure Joseph knows what you did for me.”

Ava slipped in and out of consciousness on the hike to checkpoint three. Bear entered the small cabin and put her down on a cot. Across the room was a giant desk with several electronic devices and transmitters scattered about. A wiry, anxious man wearing headphones sat at the desk. He jumped up at the sight of Ava. “Who’s that?”

“She’s the gal from the Inside who helped Joe,” Bear told him.

“What’s she doing here? Doesn’t she know this is a hot zone? And what the hell happened to her?”

“That’s Tom. He’ll fix you up.”

“What do I look like, a nurse? I can’t miss a single transmission—Morray’s grounders started moving in. Hover birds are gonna start swooping in soon. And it’s Thomas.”

“Can one of you please take these things off?” Ava held up her bloody wrists.

“Where are the picks?” Bear asked.

“Top drawer,” Thomas grumbled and put the headphones back on.

Bear found the pick set and fiddled with the cuffs until they snapped open. Ava cried out, shaking her wrists.

“I gotta get back to scouting. Fix ‘er up, Tom. Don’t be a dick.”

“I can call for a medic is what I can do.” Thomas scribbled down notes and spewed some codes into his microphone.

Ava sat up. “No, no, you don’t have to do that. Just let me rest for a while. I promise not to get in your way.”

“Fine, but I need silence. This takes concentration.”

“I appreciate your help,” Ava said.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Good luck, Ava.” Bear nodded and left the cabin.

Ava collapsed back onto the cot. She needed to get to Joseph, but something beyond exhaustion took over and she passed out, listening to the crackling and beeping of wire transmissions.

The Capture

A thunderous blast
shook the cabin and jolted Ava awake—the battle was in full force. She sat up and looked around. Thomas remained seated at the desk with his headphones on, scribbling notes and speaking strange codes into his microphone. He noticed Ava was awake and motioned toward the end of the desk where he had set out a bowl of nuts and fruits, and a cup of water. When she stood up, a flash of pain shot through her body, and she fell back onto the cot.

“Here, this’ll help,” Thomas tossed over a black bag.

She dumped the contents onto the cot. “What is it?”

“Use the liquid first to wipe down your feet. Then apply the stuff in the jars. It’ll sting, but it’ll numb you up a little.”

Ava followed his instructions. At first it stung like hot flames, but after a few minutes her feet tingled and the pain eased up. She patted down the gash on her forehead, and waited for the cooling sensation to set in. She saved her wrists for last; they were in the worst shape. She cried out when the liquid scorched her chewed up, raw skin.

“That’s probably gonna leave scars,” Thomas said. “You should take a swig.”

“A what?”

“A drink. From the brown bottle. It’ll help.”

Ava was willing to try anything to ease the agonizing pain. She chugged back some of the liquid and coughed as it blazed a trail to her stomach and lit up her veins. After a few minutes her every muscle and nerve ending softened. She sank back onto the cot and stared at the wooden ceiling beams.

“Good stuff, huh?” Thomas said.

“Yeaaaah,” Ava replied in a daze.

“I’d bring you this food, but I can’t get up.”

“I don’t have much of an appetite.”

“You were mumbling in delirium. Calling out for Joseph.”

“I was?”

“I figured you really needed him, so I sent out a transmission with your location.”

Ava sat up. “You did what?”

“I sent out a transmission.”

“Did you use my name?”

“Of course not. Everything is coded. What do you think I am? An amateur? We know Morray’s got our frequencies pegged.”

“But who else hears the transmissions?”

“All of us.”

“David too?”

“Well, yeah, he’s our commander.”

“Did anyone reply?”

“Not yet. But I’m sure Joseph will either come here, or send someone for you.”

Ava attempted to stand up again, but her feet were useless. She sat on the edge of the cot looking around the room for a weapon just in case David arrived before Joseph. Five minutes passed. Ten. Fifteen. Ava watched the door. Thomas continued listening, writing and disseminating. She looked at her feet, thinking maybe if she wrapped them up she could walk. She tried securing the blanket around her left foot but it was too bulky.

“You doin’ okay over there?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Hey, you’re in luck, Joseph’s here.”

The front door opened and Joseph walked into the office. Ava was relieved he got there before David. She’d tell him everything and they could figure out how to end the battle and stop Graduation Day. She reached out for him, but he glared at her—David had gotten to him first. Before she could say anything, David entered the cabin. Ava’s throat tightened. She couldn’t breathe.

“Thomas, leave us,” David ordered.

“But, sir, the battle. I gotta stay on the wire.”

“Leave us!” David shouted.

“Yes, sir.” Thomas removed his headphones and left the cabin.

David stood in front of Ava, blocking Joseph from view. “Not looking so good, Ava. What’s Morray going to say when he sees you?” His eyes were bloodshot and his clothes soiled and torn. He must have been in the woods all night looking for her. She waited to see where things were going before speaking. “Not sure if you know this, but one of the goals of being a spy is not getting caught. Twice.”

“David just told me. You sure had me fooled, Ava,” Joseph said.

“But, I…” She couldn’t argue. She wanted to scream out the truth—that David was the one working with Morray—but David would kill Joseph on the spot.

“How could you know, Joseph? No other Insider has ever pulled off something so radical. Imagine going through such hell to gather intel and start a war.”

“Is that how you got me out of the City Center so easily? Because you were working for him?” Joseph asked.

“I got you out because—” Ava started to speak.

“Silence!” David yelled and slapped her face.

The sting of humiliation burned worse than her wounds. She looked at Joseph and silently pleaded with him, but he turned away.

“Morray is on his way to take you back to where you belong.” David sat down next to her on the cot. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pressed his gun against her rib cage. He leaned over and whispered into her ear, “It’s over.”

Joseph raised his eyebrows, realizing something. “Does this mean he’ll cease fire?”

“We’ll have to negotiate terms,” David said.

Joseph approached the cot. “You never told me when you discovered Ava was providing Morray with intel.”

“Last night I caught her in my private bunker on the wire,” David lied.

“And you kept that information to yourself all night long?”

“I needed to figure out how much information she had given to Morray.”

“Okay, that makes sense, but you just said Morray is on his way to pick her up. How does Morray know her location? Thomas used unbreakable codes.”

David dug the gun deeper into Ava’s side. “His men must have deciphered it.”

Ava remained steady, letting Joseph lay out the pieces like a game of chess. She had faith he’d see through David’s deception.

“Okay, okay. I’ll buy that. His men are smart. But what I’m having trouble with is how do
you
know Morray is on his way to get Ava?”

“I deciphered a transmission.”

“When? I’ve been with you since Thomas sent out the notification.”

“Obviously you weren’t paying attention.” David stood up.

“I’m supposed to believe all that communication was gathered and translated that fast—without noticing?” Joseph walked over David.

“Joseph, don’t,” Ava attempted to stand, but fell to the floor.

Before anyone said another word, a blast shook the cabin and shattered the windows. Everyone crouched low on the floor. Buzzing sounds whizzed overhead. Ava looked out the window and saw two hovercrafts circling above the cabin. One lowered and landed.

“Come out, weapon-free.” The Officer’s voice echoed through an amplifier. “You’re being tracked from above, so if you pull anything, shots will be fired.”

David stood up first and opened the door. He looked back to Ava and Joseph. “You heard him. Get up,” he yelled.

“I can’t stand. My feet are in bad shape.” Ava told Joseph. He lifted her up and she rested against his shoulder. “You seem to do this a lot.”

“That’s because you keep walking around without shoes.”

“I never lied to you.”

“I know,” he said, kissing her forehead.

Two of Morray’s Officers aimed their weapons.

“Put her down,” one yelled out.

“She’s injured,” Joseph yelled.

The other hovercraft lowered and Morray stepped out and straightened his suit. He nodded to the Officers, then approached Joseph and Ava.

“What a sad state of affairs this turned out to be. Looks like you’ve had quite a time roughing it on the Outside, Miss Rhodes. Are you ready to return home?”

“That prison is not my home.” Ava glared at Morray.

“My orders were to keep her in top condition.” He looked at David, who had backed away toward the cabin.

Joseph looked at David. “How could you, man?”

“It wasn’t the perks of living out here, that’s for sure,” David said.

“Look at you, my dear.” Morray walked closer to Ava. “Sunburned and mangled. This will require some heavy-duty detailing.”

“For what? So you can hand me off to one of your elites.” Ava no longer feared Morray. If she had the strength to stand up she’d dropkick him.

“I see you’ve been informed of your destiny. We’ll have to fix that, too.” Morray reached out to touch her cheek, but Joseph pulled her away.

“I’ll just run again,” she said.

“Of course you would.” Morray initiated his personal hologram. The rendering illuminated, showing Morray and Delilah sitting on a couch. Delilah’s eyes glazed over while Morray’s hands moved up her thigh. Ava turned away.

“You’re disgusting,” she said.

“Your friend is currently being housed at the Royal Palace where she’ll stay until you complete Graduation. If you don’t participate in the ceremonies, she’ll be handed over to the elites to be used however they see fit. Usually that means some sort of outlandish and obscure sexual ceremony. Unspeakable, abominable acts. And when they’re done with her, they’ll use her for one of their disturbing blood sacrifice rituals. I’ll never understand those people.”

Ava pressed her face into Joseph’s shoulder. He held her tighter.

“Come now, Miss Rhodes. Time to get you back.” Morray instructed one of the Officers to pry Ava from Joseph’s arms and strap her into his hovercraft.

“Joseph!” she cried out, kicking and throwing punches, but she was too weak to fight.

“I’ll come for you,” Joseph yelled. “I promise.”

“Officer,” Morray said to the other man standing by. “You know what to do with him. And the other one.” He stepped into the craft. “No use fighting,” he whispered, grabbing Ava’s arm and injecting a sedative. Her vision grew blurry.

“You won’t win,” she mumbled.

“I always win, my dear. I am eternal.”