Joan Undone

Chapter 28

My teeth chatter when I curl under the blanket on my bed in the Bunker. I didn't dare try to meet Elizabeth and Sacajawea after encountering Crew, so there is no way to know if our little performance succeeded in winning Elizabeth Crew's trust.

But that's a problem for another day. Today, we break Al and Jo out of the Seattle Psychiatric Clinic. After a few pointless hours of tossing and turning, I return to the main room of the Bunker.

Alison is already there, being dressed by Lady Cleo.

"I know nothing about psychiatry. That makes it difficult to get into character as a medical student interning at this clinic," she says.

Lady Cleo pulls a bobby pin out of her mouth and deftly sweeps Alison's hair into a loose bun. "The same rules apply for you when you are perceived as a doctor as they do when you are perceived as an actress. Your beauty is your weapon. Use it to disarm those who question you. Remember, you are an authority. Invent any diagnosis you like, and infuse your statements with confidence. No one will question you. They will fall at your feet."

I suppress a smirk. Lady Cleo is a hell of a teacher, but I question her belief in the limitless power of a pretty face.

"You're there to scout," I tell Alison. "You will be in and out in less than an hour. If you're questioned, which is unlikely, you're an intern. Lexi's niece, sent to learn the ropes of the family business."

Alison nods and squares her shoulders as she assumes her role. Then she makes her way out of the Bunker to infiltrate the clinic with the fake ID that Dennis created for her. Watching her in action, my worry for her safety recedes. She's got this.

Marie is working in a corner of the room at a table covered in wires. Her hair is wild, and her fingers tremble.

"Should you be working with weapons when you haven't slept?" I ask as I search through one of her drawers for a laser pen to replace the one I left in the tunnel last night.

Her big eyes meet mine, and she gives me a smile. "This isn't the dark ages, Joan. The detonator for this device is voice-activated by my phone. These wires are all for show, so the Evolved panic. It has to look like what they see in the vids."

"Did Nic manage to get the gas?" I ask, and Marie nods.

"When the bomb goes off, it'll knock out anyone who breathes inside the building for forty-five minutes, including any police who come stomping in. It will be quite the distraction."

"Good work, Marie. We're going to save them, I swear."

Marie gives me an impulsive hug, which I return.

"Joan, get over here," Nic calls from the other side of the room, where he's in Marie's usual seat, monitoring activity in the city on an oversized tablet.

"More threats from Lexi?" I ask.

"Crew is up to something," Nic says, turning the tablet to show me a camera displaying a live feed of three trucks. "Rob and a few others were loading boxes into those vans."

"I had an encounter with Crew last night. I think he's losing it," I say, and my team crowds around me as I give them the details.

Nic's eyes narrow at the mention of the DNA of Crew and Jo's child that he deleted. In his eyes, I see no regret for the loss. Only cool calculation, like he's considering how to use that information to our advantage. It's that kind of thinking that will help our team win against Crew, but it also chills me.

"Another child from cloned parents," Marie marvels. "This could mean a new dawn for Throwbacks all over the world."

"Sounds like Crew wants you to succeed today, so he can have another chance with Jo. Maybe even try to engineer another child," Nic says.