City Center, The by Simone Pond Page A

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