Joan Undone

Chapter 6

"Your blood, if not hers!"

I stand on the railing and punch my bare arm into the air so my lavaliere is clearly visible. "I am one of you! A Throwback beaten by the Evolved, fighting for justice for our people. Will you tear me apart like the rapists and murderers you killed without a trial last week?"

Joseph shoves Harriet aside and straightens his jacket. "You cannot stage a revolution wearing silk gloves. Someone must be willing to get his hands dirty!"

"You're quoting a man who murdered millions of his own people!" I shout at Joseph, whose eyebrows lift in surprise that I caught him stealing lines from the original Joseph Stalin.

Harriet's voice rises above the muttering of the crowd. "We are more than our genetics, better than our DNA. Let us show our mercy alongside our strength."

The wildness in the eyes of the Throwbacks nearest me winks out at Harriet's words. Before she can say anything more, sirens scream, announcing the arrival of the Evolved police.

After that, everything moves fast. Dozens of officers pour into the street, lashing out at random with laser whips. Screams fill the air, and the mob turns feral as everyone flees the scene.

A hand closes around my arm, and I look up into eyes that haunt my nightmares. Officer Boer spits in my face and then snaps his whip across my arm. My skin splits open, and a burning pain cuts me to the bone.

"NO!" There's something final, certain about Harriet's voice as she raises her own Taser to incapacitate Officer Boer.

If she attacks an Evolved police officer, she will be hunted, and retired without a trial. I sweep my leg against Officer Boer's, and he comes crashing to the ground.

My eyes connect with Harriet's. "Not for me. Please."

Officer Boer raises his arm to hit me again with his whip, but a delicate hand closes over his fist, and he stops.

The curly-haired woman I saved from Joseph stands squarely in front of me. "Officer, I demand that you spare this woman, as she spared me."

Officer Boer barely keeps a snarl out of his voice. "Madam Governor, it is my duty to enforce the laws of this city."

Even with her smudged makeup and ratty hair, I should have recognized Governor Ethel Woods.

"Then see that you do," she says. "This woman is not one of the terrorists slaughtering innocents. Spend your time on the criminals who deserve it."

Officer Boer is silent, but he gives a nod.

"I will have your word that this woman will not be harmed," she continues.

"You have it."

I make eye contact with Harriet, urging her to escape during the distraction. She nods, satisfied that I'm safe for now, and disappears around a corner.

"State your name, young woman," the governor says. "I will see to it that you remain on the list of Throwbacks who are not jailed or dead, or this officer will answer for it."

"Joan Fasces. Thank you."

With a weary sigh, the woman squeezes my shoulder and turns back to her townhouse.

The violence on the streets is subdued. Officers drag away the Throwbacks they managed to handcuff. The rest, including Joseph, have melted into the bustle of the city.

When the governor is out of sight, the blank look on Officer Boer's face changes. He reddens, and his snarl is ugly.

I don't wait to see if he'll follow the governor's orders. Instead, I take off, rounding the corner where Harriet disappeared. She's waiting for me, and together, we race back to our van. There's a ticket on the windshield for parking in a fire zone, but no one stops us as we merge into the traffic grid.