Joan Undone

Chapter 6

Scrubbing puke out of the carpet makes me furious. Whenever I'm forced to swallow my pride, I always choke on it.

Blake doesn't speak as he leads me out of the studios once the carpet is spotless.

Harriet is waiting in the van a few blocks away, and I get in. "Drive to the dorms. Let's not go anywhere near the Lab, because I'm sure Lexi's got eyes on us."

"Change of plans," Harriet says, changing the settings of the van from autonomous to manual as she peels out of the parking lot. "Marie pinged me with news of trouble forming two miles from here. Since you look alive and well, hold your news and let's go save some lives."

My head is still pounding from the pulses of pain Lexi sent to the chip embedded in my skull, but the headache recedes in a burst of adrenaline. With luck, we won't be too late to save the victims this time.

Harriet maneuvers the van with a grace that I didn't even possess on my slim motorcycle. Revving the engine, she passes several autonomous cars and turns sharply into an alley. I grin, enjoying the speed and the confident concentration on Harriet's face.

On the other side of the alley, a throng of people converges in Pioneer Square in downtown Seattle. Many of them wear matching glowing red armbands, like the one that Crew wears in his vlogs. Scanning the faces, it's clear that this mob of Throwbacks includes more than the usual share of Dean clone types, along with the usual crowd of Mollys, Macs, Sofias, and Rams. Crew's team must be targeting Deans in order to harness their skill set with security and combat.

"There are over a hundred people here," Harriet estimates. "If they're out for blood, it's going to be tough to turn the tide of their anger."

Harriet parks in a fire zone, and we get out of the van, pushing our way through the crowd. As we head deeper into the square, a voice rises above the hum of the crowd.

"Governor Woods cares nothing for any of you. She has pardoned six Evolved men who were guilty of committing acts of violence against Throwbacks. Meanwhile, the jails in this city are ready to burst with Throwbacks who have committed crimes as minor as shoplifting!"

I crane my neck, cursing my height, until Joseph's face is visible. He's standing on stairs that lead up to an expensive townhouse. He holds a middle-aged woman by her long, curly brown hair.

"I ask you, what is the solution to the problem of Throwbacks whose lives are disposable to the Evolved? Should we send this woman to jail? Beat her for her crimes?"

"Yes!"

"Kill her!"

"Blood for blood!"

Harriet and I start shoving our way through the crowd toward Joseph.

The woman in Joseph's grip is crying, and snot runs down her face. "Please, let me explain!"

Joseph's voice rises above the rest. "Death! Death is the solution to our problem. Only when these Evolved monsters cease to exist will the problem be eradicated!"

The crowd begins to surge forward, and I take advantage of my small size to slip through gaps between limbs. Joseph doesn't see me coming when I tackle him. In shock, he releases the woman's hair, and she rushes inside her townhouse. Joseph's skull cracks against the stone stairs, but he remains conscious.

He elbows me in the head so hard my ears ring. But Harriet has made it to our fight, and she grabs Joseph from behind before he can slam his fist into my nose.

The crowd is screaming, furious that their prey has escaped.

"Listen!" I shout.

"Traitor!"