He watched the audience on his monitors, anticipating their response to Ava’s idea to beautify the Outsider. He predicted it would elicit a thunderous response from the crowd. He was impressed with her ingenuity and looked forward to getting to know her. He checked the time—they were already two minutes behind schedule. Everyone knew this type of conduct was inexcusable. Something was wrong. He checked the time again, wondering if the Outsider had caused any problems. Panic started to pull at his chest. He took some deep breaths to calm himself. The longer 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.”
