Joan the Made (Throwbacks Series, Book 1)

Chapter 19

There's only one more acting class with Crew before I report to Strand's set for the first rehearsal. Crew surprises me by telling the class about where Nic and I are going, and the "intel" that we are supposed to gather.

"Now is the time to think strategically. What can Joan and Nic do to obtain names and locations of the corporate leadership at Strand, without casting suspicion on themselves?" Crew asks the room.

"It seems likely that it will be Joan who messes up. Let's focus on training her on how to behave so that she doesn't blow her cover," Elizabeth says, her eyes skimming over me with open disdain.

"Aw, you're jealous!" I reply, grinning as I think of how to get under her skin. "But some people are meant to make plans in the shadows, like you, and leave the real work to those capable of doing it, like me."

"The headmaster is making an example of you, and you're lucky to be in the right place at the right time," Elizabeth shouts back.

It's rewarding to watch the queen lose control. Crew bangs on the stage with his fist.

"Keep your teenage hormones in check," he says, his voice low and angry. "You are here to serve the rebellion. I want your minds, not your tempers, at work now."

"They could act like they're trying to get long-term internships at Strand," offers a girl with slightly frizzy brown hair and dark, serious eyes. I'm pretty sure her name is Marie, after the original of her clone type, Marie Curie.

"It's unlikely they would take that bait," Crew replies.

"They could kidnap one of the lower level employees at Strand who's on set and torture him for the information," Rob offers.

Everyone stares at him silently.

"It's for the greater good," Rob says, his tone defensive.

"If we let this person live, they'll report Joan and Nic to Strand or the police," Harriet jumps in. "And we're not torturing anyone. That makes us worse than Strand."

"It would make Strand take us seriously," Sal says.

I examine Rob and Sal more closely than I ever have before. There's a twisted logic in their reasoning, and it scares me to think that they might influence weak minds. Luckily, there are only strong minds in this room.

"There is a simpler, safer solution," Sun says before I can pipe up. "On set, Joan and Nic will be inside Strand's firewall. Their internal website will have the information we need, and it's probably easy to find. All Strand employees sign confidentiality clauses to access the intraweb. It will be simple to navigate their system and find such basic information."

"I vote for stealing a computer, not a person," Sacagawea agrees.

"Once we have that information, we must strike fast and hard," Sun continues. "We kidnap these executives and hold them hostage, releasing them in exchange for meeting specific demands."

"That would definitely make them take us seriously," I say carefully, trying to build some consensus. "Or, once we have their identities, we could spy on them and see what blackmail we could get."

"If we get concrete proof of illegal behavior by the Strand executives, we could have them publicly tried for their crimes," Harriet says, building on my idea and making it better.

"More publicity for us, and we'll have public opinion on our side. That will be key for long-term change," I add.

Everyone now turns to Crew, who flashes his toothy smile from the stage. "It encourages me that this class has so quickly arrived at the same conclusion that the rebel leadership, including myself, have come to. We must uncover the sins of the Strand executives before they can be punished for their crimes."