Joan the Made (Throwbacks Series, Book 1)

Chapter 45

Rob twists the handle of the door, but it's locked. To my surprise, he pulls out a laser from his other pocket, which melts the metal handle in under five seconds. He puts the laser in the hole he created, and there's a small hum and a faint whiff of smoke.

The door opens soundlessly. The room is lit with dozens of monitors, like the Emerald City newsroom. The screens on the sides display images of the audience, but the block of screens in the center all show the Strand promotional vid. Silhouetted against the bright light coming from the screens are three men and two women.

All of the technicians are staring at the various monitors, occasionally pressing buttons on a dashboard that is so complex it looks like it belongs on a rocket ship.

Our research into the technicians was thorough, and I know what each of these people does. Four are Throwbacks, all trained in stagecraft. The fifth is an Evolved manager, and he stands, directing his minions.

Harriet, Rob, and I move in sync. Harriet uses her Taser on two of the Throwbacks in quick succession, and I take out the other two Throwbacks with a touch of a button. There's only time for one scream before the room is silent. All five of our targets are collapsed in their seats, and they'll remain unconscious for thirty minutes to an hour.

I'm breathing hard from fear, but I grin at Harriet, who smiles back. Rob is staring at the man he took down. His eyes are wide, and I worry that his target is still conscious. That's when I see something dripping down the Evolved's chair onto the floor.

"What did you do?"

Harriet and I race over, and I touch the man's head. He's bleeding. My fingers automatically go to his neck to find a pulse. There's none.

Shock, combined with the leftover effects of the headache, freeze my mind. "You killed him."

"Get moving," Rob orders me. "Get Crew connected to the video feed."

"You're crazy," Harriet says, and I see her body subtly shift into a defensive pose, in case Rob decides to attack.

"This trash deserved what he got. Sal researched him. He evicted thirty tenants from an apartment complex he owns, sending them onto the streets in the middle of winter. Kids too. One woman died from exposure."

"You're a murderer," I snarl, snatching the laser weapon he's holding before he can use it again.

Rob ignores me. "Get on with the plan!"

I press the button on my Taser again, and Rob drops to the ground with a heavy thud.

Harriet's face is still and stony. "What's the right thing to do here? Do we abort this mission or continue?"

I fight my rising nausea. There's no way to save the Evolved man, but going forward as if our plan is on track is unthinkable.

"Joan, look," Harriet says, pointing to a monitor on the far left side of the room.

The headmaster occupies a seat in the front row of the theater, with the rest of the Strand executives who are attending the screening. We knew that he somehow escaped from his office about eight hours after we confronted him, but it's still a shock to see him here, his smug smile in place. Isn't he afraid of what we've found on his tablet? Maybe he thinks we'll blackmail him personally. No one sees an attack coming here tonight.

He steeples his bony fingers, and the sight of his familiar tic makes my fists clench. "What Rob did is wrong, and he's going to face punishment for it. But justice can still be delivered tonight."

Harriet nods in agreement, and we try to make sense of the control panel in front of us. Eventually, I find the tablet that is displaying Blake's vid, and I connect to the Chrysalis from that tablet.