Avery stepped back as the door opened. Out came a woman in her mid-forties, dressed in a slim black suit and navy tie. Her blonde hair was in a clean high bun, and her black eyes and droopy eye bags made her look depressed.

  “I am sorry. We do not open to the public until 10 am.”

  “N—No. I work here.”

  She sighed. “I’m going to need some identification.”

  “2A,” Avery said, holding his arm parallel to the ground with his watch face-up.

  2A popped a blue holographic image of Avery’s identification containing the basic information.

  “You are claiming to be the son of Kajo. I need to verify if this information is correct.” She pulled out a watch–like device from her pocket. It looked similar to 2A, but this was completely different. It was a fingerprint scanner.

  Everyone in the City of Ionia is placed under the database at birth. To verify identification, some places, especially government-affiliated ones, use a fingerprint scanner that connects to a database to prove someone’s identity. It’s not used often. Only in situations when working with the government.

  Avery placed his finger on the scanner and waited patiently for the result. The scanner turned green, meaning that his information is collected and is waiting to be displayonnto the device’s screen.

  A holographic image of Avery’s identification spat out from the scanner. He has been verified.

  “Oh my God, you are the son of Kajo. I am so sorry. I should’ve let you in sooner rather than us doing this by the door. Forgive me for my ignorance,” she said with a deep bow.

  “No, it’s ok. If anything, I’m thankful that you are doing your job.”

  She gave Avery a warm smile. “Please, come in. You must change into new clothes and dry yourself off. You do not want to catch a cold. Oh, I should introduce myself. My name is Leana. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “My name is Avery. Pleasure to meet you too.”

  Avery stepped into the building. The interior of the building was expansive and high–ceilinged with imposing columns and marble floors. There were multiple metal detectors upon entering. The lady told him that he didn’t have to go through one. Avery didn’t argue and walked around. The place was spacious with abstract sculptures and medium-sized plants which gave the area life. Advanced interactive holographics gave real-time data and information to visitors. Down the hall to the right was the central command center, which oversees the building’s security with a network of monitors and advanced surveillance systems. When Avery was younger, he would go to that room and watch what other people were doing. He enjoyed spying on people and occasionally pointed and laughed when someone tripped and fell.

  “I will escort you to the showers,” she said.

  Avery nodded and followed Leana. She was around the same height as him, maybe an inch taller.

  She led him to a back door and went down one story. From there, they walked through an empty hall with no one in sight.

  “Do you normally work the overnight shift?” Avery asked.

  “Not usually. I don’t mind it, though. It’s quieter and I can work at my own pace.”

  “What are you in charge of?”

  “I’m a dispatcher for emergency calls. Normally, I am stationed at SCAR’s headquarters, but Archon transferred us here.”

  Avery stopped. His throat tightened.

  “Archon is there right now,” he asked with a raspy voice.

  “I would assume so. He said he was working on something and wanted the place all to himself for maximum concentration.”

  Avery knew what he had to do. He would rehearse his argument in the shower and rip everything at Archon. The questions, his argument, a counter-argument, insults, and even more. He needed to come up with every dialogue option possible. He needed to use this time wisely and take his sweet time in the shower.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  While Avery pondered to himself, a loud laughing noise was heard from down the hall. It sounded like a maniac laughing. It was the type of laugh someone would have because something stupid occurred. At least that’s what Avery thought. It grew with each passing second.

  But then it hit him. He knew exactly who it was.

  He jumped in front of Leana and ran down the hall.

  “Avery!” She shouted.

  He didn’t care. He ran and ran until that person was visible.

  And there he was.

  Standing a little shorter than six feet, his red tee–shirt and navy pants were as iconic as ever, since that’s all he wore. His blonde hair was buzzed to miniature spikes, and a narrow scar ran up the side of his neck to his earlobe.

  The man turned his head, his eyes sparkled as he smiled with pure surprise.

  “Avery?” He said unconvinced

  “Yep, it's me!”

  “Oh shit! Dude! You’re back!”

  He jogged towards Avery and embraced Ridley tightly with a hard pat on the back.

  Ridley was like an older brother to Avery. He had always been there whenever Avery needed him. Besides his father, Ridley was the one person Avery could go to for anything.

  “Damn, you're all wet. You heading to the showers or something?” Ridley said as their hug broke apart.

  “Yep. I feel icky and need to freshen up.”

  “Ya, I bet. I would feel disgusted just by steppin’ in the outside world. Tell you what, go take a shower, and afterward, we’ll get some breakfast. I’ll make some blueberry pancakes and some hash browns. And I can’t forget about some coffee with double espresso.”

  “I don’t do espresso.”

  Ridley ignored him and continued. “Oh, did you come with someone? Did someone let you in?”

  “I did,” Leana said from behind. Her hands were interlocked in front of her waist, and her posture was straight in a professional manner.

  “Sorry, you’re gonna have to remind me of your name,” Ridley said while rubbing his forehead.

  “My name is Leana.”

  “Leana. Tell me your line of work.”

  “I am an emergency dispatcher usually stationed at SCAR’s headquarters, but Archon transferred all of us here for today.”

  Ridley smiled wholesomely. “I salute you for your duties. When are you off shift?”

  She stuttered. “Uh—Um—in about an hour.”

  “Tell ya what. For taking care of little Avery here, you are free to leave early. Also, I’ll tell my assistant to find you a cover for your next shift. Consider it as a thank you.”

  “O—Oh. Ok. Yes, thank you.” She nodded her head a few times and headed for the stairs back up.

  There was one thing about Ridley that everyone loved. He’s a bright, and genuine man. He always looked out for others and forced others to strive for greatness. Ridley wanted the people around him to succeed and be their best selves. To his employees, co-workers, friends, and family, he was an amazing guy.

  That was one side of him.

  To prisoners and sinners, he was another man.

  A tainted side of a clean coin.

  “Alright kid, go shower. I’ll wait by the kitchen. You remember where it is, right?”

  Avery rolled his eyes. “I’ve only been gone for a week.”

  “Heh, just teasing you, man.” He said, giving Avery an elbow to the arm.

  Ridley swiped his key card into the machine and opened the door for Avery. The showers were meant for employees only, hence why a keycard is needed to enter. Avery gave a quick gesture of apparition and grabbed a free pair of clothes—a blue shirt and light gray cargo pants.

  He entered the shower, where not a single spec of dust could be found. It was cleaned so well and sparkled like diamonds on a ring. The whiteness reminded him of toothpaste, something the outside world didn’t have, and the shower nozzle pointed down at an angle.

  He turned the knob and hot water steamed down his bare body. Avery had not taken a shower like this in a week. He sighed heavily and let his mind drift into thoughts.

  Avery recalled Jill’s desire to create a world where outsiders and Ionians could coexist.

  If only she knew people in Ionia wanted that as well.

  It was an ideal worth arguing about, but not worth fighting for. To achieve such a feat, it would have to be through SCAR. They wouldn’t dare let that happen.

  The reason was still up in the air. SCAR claims that outsiders are “savages and inhuman beasts.” Obviously, that was a lie, but what do the people of Ionia know?

  Avery knew the truth. People from the outside world were one of the kindest people he ever met.

  Avery had been to the outside world twice. Once when he was nine, that mission lasted two years, and the other just now.

  The one that lasted two years changed his perspective on how he looked at outsiders. He was taught that they were wild animals who murdered and looted for fun. That wasn’t the case for him.

  He instantly thought of Tim. Avery knew that Tim saw him as a friend. Little does Tim know that their relationship was more than that. Avery always wanted to tell him, but for the sake of Tim’s sanity, he didn’t.

  The water continued to splash onto his chest, He rubbed his body with soap one last time before turning the shower off with the silver knob.

  He took another sigh.

  “I must talk to Archon,” he mumbled to himself.