The Torrent (The New Agenda Series Book 4) (6 page)

11

D
uring the middle
of the night, Miss Adams returned to the containment room. She stood next to the lounger with her hands on her hips and ready for action. Grace glanced down at her right wrist, making sure it still looked strapped into the lounger. This would be her best, and probably only, chance to make contact with Blythe. If Grace could pull off the surprise attack, she’d get Miss Adams in a compromising position, forcing her assistance.

“Where is it?” Miss Adams blurted.

“Where’s what?” Grace said casually. Adrenaline pumped through her limbs, blasting into every cell.

“The containment device. I know you took it.”

“I’m being monitored. You might want to be careful about making accusations that could reveal your incompetency.”

Miss Adams folded her arms across her plump chest. “Not at the moment, you aren’t. I’m blocking the monitor feed.”

Her window of opportunity just got wider. The next few critical moments had to be measured with precision. The containment bands in her pocket pressed against her leg. Somehow she would have to catch Miss Adams off guard and get her wrists into them. The woman reached down and dug her fingers into Grace’s shoulders, sending a sharp pain down her arms.

“What are you doing?” Grace yelled.

“I’m giving you a taste of what’s to come if you don’t tell me where the bands are.”

“Let go of me!”

Miss Adams leaned in harder. Grace could grab one of her hands, but she needed to get both wrists into the containment bands. The moment wasn’t quite perfect.

“Fine. Just get off of me. They’re in the toilet.” Grace lied.

Miss Adams marched to the bathroom, grunting like a warthog. Grace carefully pulled the containment device from her pocket and tucked it next to her right hip for easy access. The latches were open, but once the bands were in position around the wrists, they’d lock into place. They couldn’t be opened again without the assistance of another person. Grace would attempt the maneuver using her one free hand. The warrior in her knew it wouldn’t be a problem. Miss Adams’ weakness was obvious––she lacked foresight, coupled with a strong need to prove herself as an Outsider fitting in. She’d end up helping Grace to avoid getting caught for her negligence.

Miss Adams stormed out of the bathroom. “You little brat.” She reached down and grabbed Grace’s cheeks, pressing her stubby fingernails into the skin. “Where are they?”

In a flash of precise moves, Grace reached up with her free hand and slapped one end of the bands around Miss Adams’ wrist, yanked the woman’s other hand closer, and quickly locked the band around her other wrist. Miss Adams lost her footing and collapsed on top of Grace. Using her free hand, she shoved Miss Adams away, knocking her to the floor. The portly woman attempted to stand, but with her hands bound she didn’t have much leverage. She fell backward and stayed there for a few moments.

“What have you done?” she cried out.

“Probably wasn’t a good idea to turn off the monitors.”

“You’ll never get free,” Miss Adams said.

“I don’t want to break out of the room. But I need your help contacting someone.”

“Why would I help you? I’d lose my job, if I haven’t already.” Miss Adams pulled herself forward and crawled to the entrance.

“Wait!” Grace yelled. “I just need to talk to my friend for a minute. Then I’ll remove the bands. No one will even know what happened. Like you said, you blocked the monitors.”

“Only someone with authority can open the bands.”

“We can call my friend who works in security. She can help us.”

Miss Adams used the wall to shinny herself up to standing. She looked at Grace and snorted. “I’d rather lose my job than help you.”

That was the last thing Grace expected to hear.

“But my friend can free you from the bands and you can go back to your room. You don’t have to lose your job. I can help you.” Grace stopped. Nothing good would come from begging.

“You think I need your help? I’m not an idiot. I took precautions, foolish child.”

“I’m not a child!”

Miss Adams lifted her bound hands and placed her right index finger on the door’s access panel. The beautiful Miss Parker stood waiting on the other side of the door. She assisted Miss Adams with the removal of the bands, shaking her head at Grace.

“For the record, I turned off the monitors, but I recorded this entire incident with my internal chip.” Miss Adams rubbed her wrists.

Grace sunk into the lounger. She had forgotten about the microchip. Turns out
she
was the one lacking foresight. Now Faraday had more evidence to use against her. The odds of ever seeing Christian again quickly evaporated.

The women approached the lounger, Miss Parker keeping the infamous stun wand aimed at Grace’s neck. Miss Adams yanked her right hand and locked it back into the chair, making sure it was extra tight.

“Enjoy your stay. It’s gonna be a long one.” She grinned with those horribly crooked teeth.

*

Morning came quick. Grace sat in the lounger, waiting for someone to enter and deliver more bad news. Her right hand throbbed from the tightness of the strap. It would take a miracle of miracles to rectify her situation. With this newest offense, she probably added years to her sentence. She might not ever see Christian again, and it’d be a long time before she’d see her father or Lucas. If her mother came out of the mainframe, Grace wouldn’t be around to welcome her home. She had reached her bad decision quota.

The door opened. She took her time glancing up, expecting to see a gloating Miss Adams. Instead, her father and Lucas stood dressed in full military attire. Was this her last miracle? Despite the crappy circumstances, she beamed at them. Especially Lucas. He looked a little older and more chiseled. Time on the Outside had hardened up the Insider. But still, nothing could take away his inherent handsomeness. He was walking perfection. All she wanted was one kiss.

Her father stood before the lounger, glaring. “Grace.”

“General Strader.” She straightened up.

“Looks like you really messed up this time,” he said.

“But I still have a trial to present my case, don’t I? This is a democracy, regardless of whatever Faraday is up to.” Her gaze drifted to Lucas. “Hello, Officer West.” She wanted to appear professional, but couldn’t hold back her smile.

Lucas stared straight ahead, his expression rock hard.

Joseph frowned at his daughter. “Whatever minuscule case you had going for you is out the door now.”

“But you’re here to help me, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that,” Joseph said.

She hoped he was joking. He had to help. After all, he was the General of the West Coast Region. His credibility held water.

“Why are you here, then?”

“Faraday subpoenaed us,” he said.

“For what?”

“Character witnesses,” Lucas chimed in.

“So he’s going to turn my family and friends against me? He can’t do that. You guys wouldn’t turn on me, would you?”

Joseph remained reserved and businesslike. “We can only report honest accounts of your past behavior. Faraday’s building a case that you’re a danger to society. He’s arguing that you make decisions based on emotional motives and that you’re incapable of following the rules.”

“Or cooperating with others,” Lucas added.

Why were they being so harsh? She needed them on her side, but they were tossing her to the wolves. Grace struggled with the wrist straps, wishing she could break free and run out of the room, leave the city center and go hide in Cari’s village. But she was trapped. She’d have to face her consequences like an adult—preferably a levelheaded one who could handle the situation with some grace.

“He’s a clever bastard, using you all against me. I’ll never get Christian back. I’m not sure why Faraday wants him so badly, anyway. It’s not like he gave a rat’s piss for the other infants. Why my baby?”

“Grace.” Lucas moved closer to the lounger and knelt down, touching her shoulder and sending shivers down her arm. “He’s not your baby.”

She tried to move away, but the metal straps cut into her wrists. “Just go away, both of you. You don’t know anything!”

Lucas stood up and adjusted his collar, trying to get some air into his uniform. “We are trying to help, Grace. We wanted to find someone to represent you, but your trial with the council doesn’t work that way. You have to represent yourself. It’s going to be up to you to convince them to drop the charges and send you back down to Ojai.”

“But if I’m in Ojai, how will I protect Christian from Faraday? What about Mom? How am I supposed to help the natives?”

Joseph stepped up, moving Lucas out of the way. “Listen, Grace, and listen carefully.” He paused, narrowing his eyes. “You’ll be lucky if you get the charges dropped. You’ll be even luckier if they allow you to leave Seattle and go back home. You’ve committed multiple crimes against the city center. You removed property without permission and disappeared for months.”

Grace’s eyes welled up. “He’s a child. Not property.”

“According to Faraday, you broke the law. If you wanted to change the law, you should’ve gone through the proper channels. Now nobody wins.” The wall between them thickened with his words.

“Except Faraday. He wins.” Annoying tears trailed down her cheeks. She jerked a hand to wipe them, but the restraints held firm.

Lucas stepped forward and used his sleeve to wipe her face. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, only making it harder for her not to cry.

“I didn’t mean to screw up. I wanted to do the right thing.”

Lucas held her head for a few minutes and let her cry into his shoulder until Joseph pried them apart.

“I need you to understand that wanting to do the right thing is good. But going about it all wrong is why you’re here. Do you understand that? I know you’re just as stubborn as your mother, but I also know you’re a highly strategic thinker. Are you willing to take responsibility for your actions?”

Grace breathed in deeply, steadying herself. She didn’t want to be an embarrassment to her father. Not after all of the years he had spent training her to be a smart and fearless warrior. Somewhere along the way she had wandered off into the wilderness and lost herself. It was time to make the return. But she wasn’t going down without a fight. Her warrior mentality clicked into gear and she nodded at her father.

“I am,” she said. “I know what I did was wrong. I acted impulsively, out of fear. Christian wasn’t mine to take.”

Joseph nodded and patted his daughter’s head. “You’ll need to keep this attitude if you want to make a strong impression and sway the council in your favor. Humility will go a long way with them. Faraday has a strong case against you, and he’ll go out of his way to get what he wants. But you need to prove to the council that you thought you were protecting the child, and his precious DNA. But they’ll know what’s best for Christian. They’re reasonable people and will see the truth, if it’s communicated properly. Do you hear me? I mean,
really
hear me?” His eyes cut to the blinking red light on the wall.

Because they were being monitored, her father couldn’t speak openly. His subtle hints had finally penetrated into her hard head …

Joseph knew Faraday was in the wrong, but the director had probably made deals with some of the more shady council members. Grace was in the weaker position and needed to find someone on the council he hadn’t poisoned.

Obviously, Faraday’s main concern wasn’t just punishing Grace; he wanted to permanently keep her away from Christian. He had an agenda. Her father had mentioned Christian’s “precious DNA” and that got Grace thinking. Maybe Faraday was adamant about placing the child in the solider program because he wanted to study his DNA coding? The coding that Dickson had designed. Faraday would mostly likely use that information to garner even more power. The other babies had been adopted and only Christian remained. Getting rights to the child would be difficult with Grace in the way. He was using her crime as a distraction. He’d convince the council she was a loose cannon, and they’d lock her away. Then he could proceed with his plans––without any static from Grace. She wouldn’t be able to do anything if she were stuck in a containment cell.

Her father
was
on her side.

“Promise me, daughter, that you’ll at least try to
appear
agreeable,” Joseph whispered in her ear.

She gave a slight nod, letting him know they were on the same page. The tough part would be convincing the council that she was sorry for her behavior. The worst part would be giving up Christian to the care of the Seattle City Center. But it wouldn’t be forever, not if she could help it.

12

U
nder ordinary circumstances,
Ava wouldn’t have agreed to hold Morray’s hand. But these weren’t ordinary circumstances. They were about to walk through a portal into an unknown section of the mainframe. It was either a trap, sending them deeper into the network, or a breadcrumb trail, leading them closer to the surface. Either way, she couldn’t leave Morray behind unattended. Somehow it had become her responsibility to make sure he didn’t find a way out of the mainframe.

Ava was grateful to be leaving the holding pattern––anything to get out of limbo. Maybe it would be easier for someone on the outside to track their digital footprints? She wondered who was conducting the mainframe searches, and hoped Grace wasn’t involved. Her daughter had already risked her life once before looking for Ava.

“You ready?” Morray asked.

He reached for Ava’s hand with a veneer of confidence, but a childlike fear flickered in his eyes. She took his hand, praying she would be protected from Morray and whatever they were walking into.

“On three,” she said.

“On three,” he agreed.

“One, two …” She paused. “Are you sure about this?”

“Not entirely. But I trust your instincts. If you think this is the right thing to do, I’m following your lead. I don’t like to admit it, but you do make the right choices.” He seemed sincere, but what did it matter? Morray wasn’t to be trusted ever again.

But Ava trusted her instincts and something told her that walking through that door would eventually lead her to freedom. “Okay, ready? One, two, three––”

Into the silver door they walked, one step at a time. The tip of Morray’s black shoe immersed with the silver door, creating vibrations and waves like a rippling lake. She stepped forward, her boot merged, sending harsh electrical pulses through her body, causing her to freeze as if being electrocuted. Morray forged ahead into the painful electricity, pulling Ava along. After they passed through the door, they funneled into a twisting spiral of light. Bright colors filled the tunnel and streamed like glowing ribbons of fire. Morray clung tightly to Ava’s arm as they whipped through the continuum.

“Take us home!” she yelled, trying to control the mainframe by using voice command. But she wasn’t sure where that would take them. Morray didn’t have a home in which to return.

They continued speeding through the tunnel.

“Destination: HOME!” She tried again.

The light began to shift into images of trees. Enormous green pines surrounded by bodies of water. Woods … Dirt … Mud … Rain … Sheets of it falling from the sky … A fire pit with flames growing up toward the clouds … These images quickly morphed into rows and rows of incubators in an inception lab. Ava couldn’t make sense of anything. Flashes of light danced through the tunnel, and then everything slowed down, as if the ride had reached its end. The tunnel shifted to black and they were suspended in darkness. A far worse fate. Fear and panic crept in.

“What the hell is this, Dickson?” Morray shouted.

“We just want to go home. Have mercy. Destination: HOME!” she yelled one last time.

Speckles of light began to spread across the blackness like millions of stars. From each one came a ray of light. The stars began to attach to one another like a spider’s web. The connecting webs of light transformed into a room, a room that Ava knew very well.

“Oh, this is perfect.” Ava sighed.

Morray released his death grip from Ava’s hand and walked around the room, laughing to himself.

“Well done, Dickson. Well done,” he said.

Ava didn’t see what was so funny. She cringed at the sight of the king-size bed piled high with feather comforters and the chiffon canopy hanging overhead. Of all places to end up, why back in the Queen’s chambers? A beam of light sparkled from one of the massive crystal chandeliers, almost as if John Dickson were winking.

“Not what I meant when I said
home.
” She plunked down on the lounger next to the windows, feeling defeated, but at the same time relieved. The view of the ocean in the distance was better than staring at a canvas of white.

“I couldn’t be more pleased.” Morray stared out across the Los Angeles basin.

“Why do I keep ending up in this retched Royal Palace?”

Morray turned toward Ava. “Because it’s where you belong.”

“It was a rhetorical question.” She closed her eyes and rubbed her throbbing temples.

“Though, I am curious why he sent us back to this location. Is he trying to send a message? Has he relocated us back into the original program? You know the one.”

“You mean the one where you had me going back into your archive files to dig up your son, Phoenix, and somehow convince him to come with me? The horrible one that failed and got us into this mess?”

Morray chuckled as he meandered around the room, opening up drawers and cabinets. “It would’ve gone off swimmingly if your pesky daughter hadn’t gotten involved. It was a simple mission: You go in, retrieve Phoenix, and Dickson uploads his identity matrix into his new biological body. Done. The biometric shell was extraordinary. The resemblance to Phoenix was uncanny.”

“I’m sure it was. But what I’ve never understood is why the two of you didn’t put your abilities to better use. Such a waste of brains and technology. It’s ironic, don’t you think? Now there’s a body without a conscious and a conscious without a body.”

Morray ignored her comment and continued searching around the room. She heard a loud pop and looked over her shoulder to find Morray holding a bottle of champagne.

“This just keeps getting better,” she grumbled.

Morray poured two tall glasses of champagne and presented one to Ava. She shook her head.

“Oh, why not? We’re celebrating. Besides, none of this real, enjoy yourself for once.” He pressed the glass into her unwilling hand.

“You keep saying that, but all of this feels very real.” The tiny bubbles floated to the top, trapping at the rim, then she dumped the champagne onto the floor.

“Not very ladylike.” Morray drank down the champagne and poured himself another.

Looking around the room, Ava wondered if there were other provisions. It’d be nice to change out of the grungy clothes she had been wearing. She meandered about the chambers, poking her head into the cabinets and drawers. Morray remained by the window, daydreaming, or plotting. Ava wasn’t sure. She came to a door that opened to a walk-in closet with rows of shimmering gowns and shelves of fancy shoes.

She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the three-paneled mirror. Her auburn hair was a matted mess and her usually sparkling eyes looked tired and weary.

“Thinking about changing?” Morray’s voice came from behind.

Ava jumped, looking at his reflection standing behind her. “Damn you, Morray! You scared me.”

He held up an elegant black gown. In his black suit, Morray looked like “Death” coming toward her. His eyes dripped with bad intentions. This was a game and the final goal would always be to win Ava.

She scowled into the mirror. “I’m not wearing any of these dresses. And for the record, no matter how long we’re stuck here––wherever this place is––I’ll never be with you.”

Morray continued walking to Ava, unaffected by her words. “You’ve always belonged to me. Since before your inception. I created you in my heart centuries before you came to be. I made you, Ava. And by that logic, you
do
belong to me.”

He reached around from behind, holding the dress up against her chest. The gown was made of ornate black jewels that glimmered under the lights, like reflections of stars twinkling on the ocean’s oily surface.

“This one brings out your eyes. Your eyes have always been my albatross. They haunt me when I’m asleep and awake.” He moved in closer and she could feel the heat of his breath on her neck.

“What are you doing? I’m not playing house with you, Morray.”

“Nobody’s asking you to. I’m simply suggesting we try to make the best out of this situation.”

“Let it go, Morray. Okay?” She pushed the dress out of the way, causing him to drop it. He grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to remain in front of the mirror.

“Look at us. We make a fine pair. Don’t we? You know I’d do anything for you, Ava.”

“That’s not true.”

“Ask me anything and it’s yours,” he said.

“I’ve asked you repeatedly to please leave me be. Why can’t you just give up this obsession and let me go?”

He yanked her around to face him. Tears brimmed in his eyes, his cheeks quivered. “I’ll never let you go, Ava. I’ll fight for you until my death.”

Ava didn’t feel sorry for Morray, she knew better. “You’ll probably see that before you see me by your side.” She picked up the dress and hung it back up with the others. Morray backed off, staring at the ground in defeat.

She rummaged through the racks of dresses and shawls. “I just want to clean up and find something else to wear. This sweater has seen better days. Maybe something a little less extravagant than a gown of jewels.”

“Bottom drawer,” Morray mumbled.

“Huh?”

“There’s a bunch of leisure clothes in the bottom drawer of the dresser.”

“Leisure clothes?”

Morray walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pile of slacks and stylish cotton tees. Ava was grateful for the gesture.

“What about you? Is there anything in here you can wear?” she asked.

“I’m fine in my suit.”

“You seem a little stiff.” Ava smiled.

“Don’t worry about me.”

She picked out a pair of black slacks and a heather gray T-shirt, and headed to the master bathroom. On the way out, she turned back to Morray as he watched her reflection in the mirror.

“Thanks, William.” She hadn’t meant to use his first name. But it was too late to take back.

“I haven’t been called that in a long time. It sounds nice coming from you. Thank you, Ava.”

She waved it off casually, but her heart was pounding and her ears burned. She couldn’t let him back in. The line between them needed to remain intact. Turning, she hustled into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Her first moment of real privacy in a very long time. Instead of a shower, she turned on the jets for the whirlpool. Steam lifted up from the bubbles and she removed her ratty clothes, throwing them into the trash bin. Dimming the lights, she turned on some classical music and poured rose oil into the tub. She slowly inched into the hot water until it reached her chin. The water massaged her body and tickled her ears. The soothing sounds of the jets eased her into a meditative state. Being at the Royal Palace did have its perks, although she suspected they would come with a high price attached.

Memories of her real life lingered in the corners of her mind. She wanted to keep them fresh, but with every passing day, they faded into the background. What was reality versus her memories? If she didn’t make it back to the real world, could she endure Morray, living out her days a virtual non-existence?

Closing her eyes, the soft music carried her back to her most important memories. It always started with Joseph, standing behind the statue of Morray. The day she woke up. She remembered the first time she saw actual sunlight, the way the mountains and trees vibrated against the clear blue sky. And the glorious sparkling ocean that stretched on forever. Ava would never give up the hope of getting back to her real home.