Joan Undone

Chapter 9

A message from Lexi's personal email address is waiting for me when I return to my dorm room and check my tablet.

"I'm here to ask you, not force you, for your help," Lexi says in a 3D high-resolution vid. Her face twists, like she's swallowing a worm. "And I'm willing to prove that Strand's intentions are honorable with a gesture of good faith. Name it."

The vid winks out, over, but I stare at the space where Lexi's face hovered for a full minute, the possibilities whirring through my mind. With Strand's reach and power, it's almost like finding a magic lamp and being offered a wish. It doesn't take me long to decide what to choose, and I send her a message back right away.

As it disappears into the ether, my spirits lift a little. I've made the right choice.

The lamp beside my bed winks out at the same time as my tablet. All of the lights in the halls are dark, too, and the elevator isn't running. It's probably not strange that this Throwback dorm would have a power failure, considering the age of the building. Still, I take the stairs to the exit of the building in case anything is seriously wrong.

Outside, students are congregating. It isn't only the power in my dorm that's out. There are no lights in the houses or buildings that neighbor our campus, either.

Next to me, students stare up at the sky. I look up, and for the first time, it's possible to see thousands of stars shining in the sky around a bright, full moon. It's breathtaking.

"Wow, those stars are so beautiful," Alison murmurs.

"No light pollution from the city to mute the view," Tupac agrees, taking her hand.

"It's kind of...romantic," she says, putting her head on his shoulder.

I'm queasy, like there's a snake squirming in my guts. The stars are this clear because the power is out in all of Seattle. I turn on my phone to check the news, but it's blank. The snake in my stomach writhes, trying to break out.

"Does your phone work?" I ask Alison, who shoots me a glare for interrupting her moment with Tupac.

She checks her phone, and it's blank. Tupac's is too.

"Electromagnetic pulse," Marie says, and I let out a breath, relieved that she's here. "It has to be, for the entire city to go dark. It's knocked out the power for anything that uses electricity. But it won't last long. Seattle is prepared for this kind of attack, and power will return in under an hour."

An attack.

Marie's eyes meet mine as we both guess who's responsible for the darkened city.

"Crew and his team must have done this to attack the Evolved police station." Marie squeaks. "We have to find our team!"

"They're locked in the Bunker until power returns. As for anyone outside...there's no way to contact them."

"I called in Mav's tip on those two Throwback spies inside the station a few hours ago," Marie says. "Maybe they took action and are on alert. Crew's plan might fail."

"Our information came too late. They're going to be taken down. The police need our help."

Marie's breaths come fast, like she's going to hyperventilate, as she guesses what I'm planning to do next.

I have to let Marie off the hook, or she'll follow me into danger in spite of her fear. "Um, why don't you check around campus to see who you can round up?"

"Joan, you aren't going alone," Marie says, guessing my thoughts.

There are too many images of people wounded or dead now burned in my memory for me to hesitate. "I have to go now. If I can save someone, anyone, it's worth it."