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Ava’s eyes widened as she studied the magnificent gowns. It had been a long time since she had seen anything so divine.

“You haven’t lost your touch,” she said to the head Beautifier, who puffed up and waved her off with false modesty.

“What will be your choice, Miss Ava?” she asked, strolling casually over to her recommendation.

“Oh, without a shadow of doubt, your recommendation. It’s quite stunning.”” Ava smiled.

She figured, why not conserve her energy and make the most out of Morray’s elaborate distraction? Some pretend pampering couldn’t hurt. Besides, it’d be over soon enough, and she could take him down once and for all. He could put on the most extravagant show of all time, but she would never forget the truth. She had fought too hard for her freedom, and he could never take that away. As long as she stayed focused, he couldn’t break her down.

After the gown imprinted, the team of Beautifiers dressed Ava in the delicate fabrics. They went to work, enhancing her face with shimmer and gloss and pulling back her hair into a cascade of curls. For the finishing touches, they placed an ornate crown on her head and an elegant strand of emeralds around her neck that rested over her collarbone. True to their trade, they had transformed her into a beauty.

“Well done,” she told the team. “Now, please call for Morray.”

The uniformed men bowed and packed up the chariot, and the train of people exited the room, leaving Ava alone.

“Come on out, Morray. You got what you wanted; let’s get this over with,” she said into the empty room.

A boundless silence filled the chambers. She felt a bit suffocated under the tight layers of body wraps and elaborate fabrics. It had been a while since she had worn such ostentatious clothing. She laughed at the idea of being dressed up like Bonaparte’s lover, Joséphine. Morray was toying with her. His overzealous efforts to cause confusion indicated one important fact: he was still obsessed with her. Regardless of whatever dimension or reality they were in—she was and always would be his weakness.

That’s when she realized what was going on.

17

GRACE NOW KNEW her mother was somewhere up north—most likely inside Emerald Mountain with Morray—and she couldn’t spare losing another second of time. She paced around her room, thinking about what to do. Her father was out of reach because of the Eastern Region Council discussions. And she didn’t want to involve the academy because of their red tape. By the time they sent someone after her mother, it could be too late. She’d have to do this mission on her own. Years ago, her father had broken into the Los Angeles City Center and her mother had escaped from it, so there was a strong possibility she’d be able to figure out something. It was in her genetic makeup.

She’d have to somehow sneak off campus, take the train north, break into the Seattle City Center to rescue her mother, and get back to the academy before class started on Monday morning. The monumental task sounded inconceivable, but she had enough hubris to believe she could pull it off. The biggest challenge would be traveling from P-town, which was the final stop on the northern line, up to Seattle. She’d need another mode of transportation and someone who could navigate the landscape. She knew who could help. She chimed Marion, asking her to bring Missakian to her room. His knowledge of the Pacific Northwest would be vital.

She changed out of the cupcake dress and into a jumpsuit, then grabbed her sword from the top shelf and placed it on the bed next to her bag of supplies. After she was organized, she chimed Blythe. She would’ve preferred not involving the smart-mouthed bully, but the girl knew technology better than anyone. She might be her only hope for getting inside the city center.

Blythe arrived a few minutes later, no longer wearing her dress or makeup. She was suited up for battle in her raggedy combat gear from the village, her quiver and collapsible bow hanging over her shoulder. Not the subtlety Grace was looking for, but she was glad to see Blythe so gung-ho about helping out.

“Did anyone see you?” Grace asked.

“Do I look like an amateur, numbnuts?”

There was some comfort in Blythe’s edginess. They’d need it when they hit the road and entered the wilderness.

The door chimed, and Grace let Marion and Missakian into her room. They were still in their formal wear—though a touch disheveled. Marion shot a quick glance over to Blythe, then back to Grace.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“My mother’s in trouble. I’m putting together a rescue mission to get her back.”

“Negatory. It’s not confirmed if she’s in trouble,” Blythe said, massaging the tip of one of her arrows, eyeing Grace.

“She’d
never
leave without telling me. And what about the body bag?” Grace argued.

“What are you talking about?” Marion asked.

“I was on the roof with Lucas, and we saw Sam get into a hovercraft with a very large bag. One that could potentially hold a body.”

“Wait, did you just say a hovercraft?”

“Yeah, the whole thing is bizarre. First of all, a hovercraft, and second of all, I don’t trust Sam. Never have. I looked everywhere for my mom, and she’s gone. Blythe was able to track her chip tech, and for some reason her signal is showing up in Seattle.” Grace looked at Missakian. “I think Sam took her to Emerald Mountain.”

“What the hell is Emerald Mountain?” Marion asked, laughing.

“It’s the Seattle City Center,” Missakian said.

“The Seattle what?” Marion was fully confused. “I thought all the centers were open cities.”

“Apparently not,” Grace said. “My gut’s telling me that Morray’s behind this. Somehow, he got Sam to kidnap my mother and bring her north for God knows what.”

Marion held up her hands. “Whoa, slow down. Did you just say Morray? He’s been out of the scene for a while.”

“Something happened during tryouts that I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone. But since this whole thing has gone to shit, you might as well know. When I was inside the mainframe, I tracked down what might have been Morray’s digital footprints. My mom knew he was back. She was searching for him on the academy’s new equipment, but it looks like he got to her first.”

“This is pretty serious, Grace. Don’t you think you should get your father involved?” Marion said.

“He’s tied up on the East Coast, and I can’t reach him. And don’t even think about involving the academy—they’ll take forever. We don’t have time to waste.”

Marion sat down on the bed. “What are we supposed to do? Go up there and knock on the city walls to see if they’ll let us in? How do we even get up there?”

“We take the train to P-town, and I’m hoping Missakian can barter some sort of transportation to Seattle. The city center runs on the mainframe network, so we just have to hack into the system and find a way inside. That’s what Blythe is for.”

“That’s your plan, genius?” Blythe laughed. “Marion’s right; we can’t just show up and hope for the best. I’m good, but what if I can’t crack their servers?”

“I’m willing to bet my entire graduation you can. If a low-tech Outsider like my father could pull it off sixteen years ago, the four of us should be able to figure out something.” Grace paused, realizing this rescue mission could jeopardize all of their futures. “We might not make it back in time for class on Monday morning. Hell, we might not make it back, period. I understand if you don’t wanna go, but I can’t abandon my mother. She’s protected me from Morray my whole life. It’s my turn to help her.”

Blythe stood proud and fearless. “You know I’m in. You’re definitely gonna need my help.”

Grace looked at Missakian. “If you don’t come, I’m hoping you can at least point me in the right direction from P-town to Seattle.”

Missakian slammed his hand on Grace’s back, knocking her off balance. “Oh, I’m in—you think I’d miss out on a real mission?” He took off his jacket, threw it to the floor, and saluted her. Grace laughed at his dramatic gesture, but was relieved he was in.

She turned toward Marion. “Well, Marion?”

“You think I’d leave my best friend under the care of these two lunatics?”

“Easy there, Red. We have to spend the next seventy-plus hours together. A lot could happen out in the woods,” Blythe said, holding out her arrow and lightly pressing the tip against Marion’s chest. Marion batted it away.

Grace looked at the team of mavericks and felt oddly confident. “Pack a bag. Don’t bring your tablets; we’ll use mine, so if we get tracked I’ll take the fall. The last train leaves at midnight, so we have twenty minutes. Go separately, not a word to anyone, and stay clear of the monitors.”

The team split up, and after a few minutes Grace picked up her bag and sword and headed toward the transporter. She stayed close to the wall and kept her head down. She bumped right into Lucas as he was stepping off the transporter. Grace’s stomach somersaulted and dropped. Not a very stealthy first minute into the rescue mission.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“It’s complicated, and I don’t wanna involve you.”

“It’s too late; I’m already involved.”

“You could get in trouble, maybe removed from the program.”

“Can you tell me what’s going on? Maybe I can help.”

“It’s too risky.”

“You don’t trust me?”

Grace heard her mother’s voice:
Trust must be earned
.

Lucas held her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Eventually you’re going to have to set aside your fears and trust your instincts about me. Mine are telling me I’d be stupid to let you walk away right now.”

Grace trusted Lucas, but regardless, she couldn’t involve him. “Like I said, I don’t wanna get you in trouble. I’m sorry, but I have to go. I’ll find you after I fix this mess.”

Lucas stepped out of the way. “I know you’re going to do whatever your mind’s set on, but I don’t feel good about this.”

“I’ll be fine. You’ve trained me well.”

“You promise you’ll contact me?”

She placed her hand over her heart as a sign of a solemn promise. And she meant it.

*

At the station, the four cadets stood in various locations on the Greenline platform, keeping their distance from one another and their noses down. When the train arrived, they found a section with the most passengers and interspersed among them; Grace thought a group of teenagers traveling north at that hour might look suspicious. She sat back in her chair and fastened in. The high-speed train could get up to almost 300-mph, which would get them to P-town before dawn. As the train raced through the dark night, Grace watched the tall shadows blurring by. She decided sleep would be smart—it might be her last chance. She closed her eyes and envisioned the Seattle City Center, based on images she had seen in the virtual. She had no idea how they’d get inside, but she also had no doubt that they would. Years ago, her father had used underground tunnels to break into the Los Angeles City Center, and that’s where he met Ava. From there, the rest was history. But Grace had a feeling they wouldn’t have the same luck. They’d have to find another way in.

It was still dark when they arrived in P-town. Hundreds of luminous floating orbs drifted along the Willamette River as the train slowed down and entered the station. The four cadets got out—still keeping their distance from one another—and waited for Missakian to lead the way. He was hard to miss with his bright orange headband that he claimed had saved him from many potential hunting mishaps in the woods up this way. Grace had no clue why he had so many headbands, although she appreciated his commitment to variety.

Missakian moved through the station, keeping his focus straight ahead and his shoulders back, just like a soldier on a mission. Grace looked behind to make sure Marion and Blythe were still in tow. The two kept trying to outpace each other, until finally Marion won out. Blythe slogged behind with her usual snarl curling on her lips. Up ahead, Missakian made a quick U-turn and went down a staircase leading to an underground tunnel that smelled of rotting food and sewage. A few minutes deeper into the tunnel, Missakian stopped and waved the others over.

“I think we’re safe,” he said.

“You think? Only thing down here are rats and death,” Blythe said.

“How much longer?” Grace asked, holding her nose, still not immune to the stench.

“We got two choices. One: we trek through the tunnel another fifteen miles to a village where I have contacts—it’s a safe bet. Two: we go another few hundred yards to the bad part of town and try to barter for a vehicle.”

“Both of those options suck,” Blythe said.

“How bad is the bad part of town?” Marion asked, keeping her shirt pulled up over her face to block the smell.

“It’s not like a war zone or anything, but it’s sketchy. Drugs. Gangs. Street urchins. That kinda stuff.” He adjusted his headband to push back his damp hair. His dark eyes stared intensely at Grace, waiting for an answer. The others looked at her, too. This was her mission, and as team leader she’d have to make the final call. This wouldn’t be the only tough decision.

“More time in this gut-rot tunnel versus potential death by a drug lord?” she said, thinking out loud. She looked at Missakian. “We’re losing time. We need a vehicle,” she said.

“This way,” Missakian said, leading them down another tunnel that smelled much worse.

At the end of the tunnel they all gathered near the opening, gasping the semi-fresh air into their lungs.

Grace addressed her team. “Missakian and Blythe will do the negotiations. Missakian knows the landscape and, well, nobody’s gonna screw with Blythe. Marion and I will wait here.” She expected some backlash from Blythe, but they both nodded.

“Gonna need somethin’ to barter,” Missakian said.

Grace stared at her bag sitting on the ground. Wrapped along the side was her sword. The sword she had trained with since she was a kid. The one her father had given her. The one she had used to get into the academy. As much as she loved her sword, it was all they had to make a deal. She knew letting it go was the only way.

“My sword,” she said.

“No way.” Marion tried stopping her from handing it over.