Joan Undone

Chapter 12

"What about Throwback women? Can they have their own children, too?" Harriet asks.

Professor Wilde frowns. "Isaac needs female test subjects, but secrecy is of the essence. In fact, he asked me to ply you fine ladies to see if you'd..."

"Please stop talking and let me think!" I interrupt, before my brain explodes all over the room.

"Bossy, but in a rather endearing way, isn't she?" Professor Wilde asks my friends, who do their best not to grin.

"Why are you telling us all this? Why are you here? How did you even KNOW about us?"

"Historical Throwback social circles are rather small. Word gets around. Isaac and I want to support a world where our children can celebrate their Throwback and Evolved heritage. Right now, your team is the only group we believe will ever make inroads to real change, without buckets of blood spilled along the way."

"What kind of help are you offering?" Sun asks.

"Money," he says, his grin so big it reveals his teeth. "Gobs and gobs of money, so you can lobby Congress, organize rallies, implement a full-fledged media campaign... I have a million ideas."

"I see. You'd be the mastermind, and we could be your minions," Harriet says, with a familiar skeptical tilt of her head.

"Of course, Isaac and I would like input into how our fortune is used. But all gifts come with strings, as you know, Harriet."

Wills is now tugging on his dad's arm, and Professor Wilde shoots us an apologetic grin.

"When do you need an answer?" I ask.

"On whether you'd do us the favor of taking millions of dollars off of our hands? Soon, young rebels. Or we'll fund another campaign. Come, Wills. Let's see what Daddy Isaac has cooked up for dinner in his beaker tonight."

Professor Wilde scoops up his son and leaves Harriet, Marie, Sun, and me all staring after him. My body hums with nervous energy, like I've drunk too many cups of coffee.

"There is definitely a leak in the Bunker if even Professor Wilde knows what we're up to," Sun says with a frown. "Elizabeth and I thought that perhaps the Bunker's intranet was hacked by an outside source, but to have this level of insight, there must be someone sharing information where they shouldn't be."

Part of me wants to hound Sun on how soon he'll make progress into discovering who this spy is, but I have to trust that his brilliant mind will figure it out as soon as possible.

"I wonder if Professor Wilde's offer will stand when he discovers that we're teaming up with Strand," Marie muses.

"We've got quite the line of powerful people who want to give us orders," Harriet says. "Maybe we should abandon them all and forge our own path."

"Achieving true change swiftly will require resources and allies," Sun says.

"Also, Strand would probably hunt us down and execute us if we back out of our promise," Marie says.

"This isn't a burden. It's an opportunity," I decide. "Yesterday, we were a bunch of college kids with ideals. Today, we have the ability to change public opinion, to rally our people. Let's take all the help we can get."

~ ~ ~

Harriet and I are still debating the merits of accepting more help as we take the van to check out some potential hot spots for activity by Crew's team.

The van automatically skids to a stop when a group of five teenage boys scuttles into the street. One of them winds his arm back and then hurls a rock at the windshield, which cracks. The boys howl with laughter.