"There's no way we're giving Lexi those files back," Marie says, her mouth in an uncompromising line.
I drum my fingers against the table where I sit with Marie, Nic, Sun, and Harriet.
"They only need to think we're giving them back," Nic muses.
"Before all else, be armed," Sun says in his quote voice.
"That one from The Art of War?" Harriet asks, naming the famous book written by the original of Sun's clone type.
Nic rolls his eyes. "No, that quote is from Machiavelli. Don't go too deeply down that rabbit hole, my friend. It leads nowhere good."
"There must be a way to copy the files without tagging them as compromised," I argue.
"If it's possible, it's beyond even me. Or Dennis," Marie says.
"If the answer isn't technical, then it's personal," Harriet muses. "What's the name of that Einstein clone who's your contact at Strand?"
"Al," Marie says, wincing. "Cloned from Albert Einstein, and he prefers to go by his clone name, instead of his real one. That's how brainwashed he is."
"But he's single, right?" Harriet prods.
Marie narrows her eyes. "Yes."
"And he likes you," I add.
"Yes."
"So..."
"He's ancient! Like, forty years old!" Marie says, indignant.
Leo makes a noise from the back of the room, where he taps on a tablet.
"Sorry, Leo."
"You don't have to fuck him," Nic says. "Flirt with him. Distract him."
"She needs him to lie for her. They need to have an emotional connection," Harriet says.
"He needs an incentive," I interject, an idea blooming in my mind. "He's got a heart, and whether he likes Marie because she's brilliant and beautiful or because he considers her a protégé, he cares for her. So if her safety was in jeopardy, he might cover for her."
"Where's Justus?" Harriet asks. "He's good with these kinds of people-puzzles."
Nic shifts in his chair, uncomfortable. "He's taking a break, spinning records somewhere in the Lab, I think."
"We all need a break," I say. "Let's eat and revisit this. Marie, send a message to Lady Cleo. If we send you in to work on Al, she should suit you up in the right outfit and makeup."
Marie's answering scowl is ferocious.
I skip out of the Bunker before she throws something at me. Harriet is right about getting Justus to weigh in on how to convince Al to lie for Marie, and I have a good idea of where he is.
My feet fly as I race down the cool tunnels toward the biggest room in the Lab, where Throwback parties pop up every now and then. It will be good to see him, alone.
I'm nearly there when a steady beat rumbles the ground under my feet, making me smile. The first time I saw him spinning, he looked so good with his tight shirt and those warm, assessing eyes. When we danced, the world shrank to just the two of us. I need that feeling again.
I round the corner, and my whole body goes cold. Justus is not alone. Kat stands next to him, monitoring the music on his scratched tablet. Their heads bob in sync. The warmth in my gut steals away as Justus reaches across her to tweak one of the settings on the tablet.
Does he bring all the girls he likes here for a music lesson?
Fury and jealously churn in my chest, no matter how loudly my mind shouts that I have no right to be so upset.
Kat sees me first, and my world narrows to two choices. I can scream at Justus for bringing another girl to our place, or I can gather up my heart from the floor, shove it back in my chest, and use every lesson I've learned at Seattle Secondary to act like I'm more than a sniveling little teenager with a broken heart.
"Hey, party people!" I say.
Too loud, too merry.
Justus sees me now, too, and he takes a step toward me, like he wants to explain. But instead, he lets his hands drop to his sides and takes a step back, closer to Kat.
"What do you need?" he asks.
"Sorry to drag you back to business, but we need your people skills on a new problem."
"Of course," Kat says. "We shouldn't have been gone for so long."
"You both deserved a break," I say, turning away to hide my face.
"Joan, we're not—" Kat begins, but she abruptly stops.
I turn and see that Justus is giving her a stern look. She bows her head, chastised, though I'm not sure why. They have their own unspoken language now.
"Let's go," Justus says, brushing past me into the tunnels.
Justus is ready for us to be friends, and I accepted a date with Nic. This is how things should be. But none of those words fill up the hollow space in my chest.
~ ~ ~
The surprises of the day keep coming when I discover a holo message from Governor Woods on my school tablet, inviting me to meet with her the following week.
Elizabeth peers over my shoulder. "You should go see her as soon as possible."
I shake my head as I watch a growing crowd gathering in the Bunker for dinner. "I'm going to decline. We need to get Marie fully prepped to deal with Al."
"Leave Marie to Justus," Elizabeth says. "We need to make political inroads, and Governor Woods could be a powerful ally or a formidable enemy. You have to focus on the overall war Throwbacks are fighting for equal rights, not get engulfed in the current battles with Lexi and Crew."
"But these battles are important. And dangerous," I argue. "It feels wrong to ask others to bear risks that I'm not taking myself."
"That's not your choice to make. Even I cannot deny that everyone here looks to you for vision. Give it to them," Elizabeth says.
Her words remind me of what Justus told me about not getting mired in the daily fire drills that are a part of life in Seattle. How irritating that she's right, yet again.
"Fine, I'll meet Governor Woods," I say, and Elizabeth gives me a superior nod of approval.
"Take Sun with you. He's better with people than you are and will make sure that you don't make an enemy instead of an ally."
The rest of the week unfolds more quietly than usual. Crew's mobs are scattered, unorganized, and the National Guard has no trouble stomping them out before lives are lost. But the lack of action makes me uneasy. It feels like we're in the eye of a hurricane, and soon, the winds are going to hit us harder than ever before. We have to be ready.
The morning of my brunch with the governor, Sun and I get ready in the Bunker.
"Do you think she'll try anything underhanded?" I ask him, pacing the room as he finishes his breakfast.
"You saved her life. She's not going to throw us in jail or have us lashed for insubordination. Still..."
"She must want something from me," I finish for him.
Sun nods. "That's okay, though. We want things from her too. This isn't the same as meeting with Lexi. Governor Woods is a political moderate. She did vote against desegregating public housing, which is probably why Crew targeted her, but she also voted against legalizing a death penalty for Throwbacks over the age of seventy-five."
"What a hero," I mutter.
"Maybe she can be taught, educated. If she loves this city, she'll want to see it healed, not torn apart by Crew's violence or Strand's ulterior motives."
A light green autonomous minivan pulls up. It has the city's seal imprinted on the side, and Sun and I get in. When we pull up to the governor's townhouse, flashbacks of Rob leading the mob on these steps make me shudder.
Security outside the townhouse is intense, probably as a result on the attempt on the governor's life. When the door to our van opens, we have to make our way through a thicket of Deans to get to the front door.
A Sofia clone type greets us with a brief nod and gets right to business. "You have thirty minutes with the governor. Do not use her bathroom. Do not address her until she speaks first. Do not—"
"Zip it," I interrupt. "If she has a problem with a Throwback peeing in her bathroom, we're out of here."
Shock morphs her features, but before she can respond, the governor opens the door to a large room with cushy couches and a long, low coffee table covered with food. It's been a while since I've tasted anything other than pizza or crappy food from the dispensers at Seattle Secondary, but I remain a lady and refrain from pouncing on the goodies. I'll have to pocket a few treats for Mav and the kids at the Lab when the governor's not looking.
"I hope that Officer Boer hasn't given you any further trouble, Ms. Fasces," Governor Woods begins.
"No, Governor," I lie. Sun and I agreed that there are only so many favors I can ask for, so we won't waste one on the Officer Boer problem.
"Call me E," she says. "All my friends do."
It's hard to tell if she's genuinely being friendly or it's an act. Either way, I summon up my Sweet Lil' Joanie persona. An Evolved who voted against desegregating public housing should appreciate a little reverence from a Throwback.
"It's a real honor to be here, ma'am," I say, eyes wide.
Sun nudges my foot to warn me not to go overboard.
"I'm Sun. I was not here the night you were attacked, but I have joined Joan in her mission to create a future where such acts of terrorism do not occur, to Throwbacks or Evolved."
E nods. "I try not to think about that night, not only because I thought I would be murdered, but because of the ammunition I knew it would provide for the Evolved extremists to brand all Throwbacks as terrorists."
"We're so grateful that your experience didn't tarnish all Throwbacks in your eyes," I offer, sweetly.
E cocks her head, examining me. "This isn't you. I remember your speech on the night you saved me, and I've watched every vid I can find of you online. You're not one to bow your head and murmur platitudes."
I sit back, surprised. No Evolved has called me out on my act before.
"We can work together if we are genuine with our intentions," E continues. "But it's a waste of time if we play stereotypical Throwback and Evolved roles that we both know are false."
I rise and let myself pace. "If we're being real, then why are you inviting me here, now?"
"Because we need to get the National Guard out of our city," E says.
Sun and I share a glance.
"Why?"
"They're rounding up innocent Throwbacks and retiring them. They're eating up our city's resources. They're making Throwbacks more resentful of Evolved, and Evolved more convinced that Throwbacks can be controlled by force."
"You speak like a supporter of Throwback rights, but your voting track record says otherwise," I counter.
E folds her arms. "I've voted against a number of bills that would appear to benefit Throwbacks on the surface. But embedded in the fine print is language that would disenfranchise cloned citizens. The politics on this topic are subtle. Working with me will involve trusting me."
"We'll have our legal team review the bills in question for that language," Sun says smoothly, implying that our team is much larger and more powerful than it is. "If your motives are true, how can we help?"
"The terrorists who are responsible for Circe Night and the Throwback mobs have to be found and retired as soon as possible. You must have an idea where they are based."
"We do," I admit. "But convincing what's left of the Evolved police force to take action is hard. They prefer Evolved to be terrorized for a while so that they'll vote to keep the status quo."
"The Evolved police force in our city is rife with corruption and needs to be rebuilt. I'm working on finding a new chief of police, one who doesn't want to terrorize Throwback citizens and convince Evolved that they will not be persecuted for their crimes against Throwbacks. When that person is in place, and we can rely on our police to protect our city, will you help them?"
Sun and I both pause. E is offering us exactly what we want, and it's hard to accept that our motives could align so simply. Sun gives me a subtle nod, and I take a breath.
"We'll help you when you say that the police can be trusted. Under one condition. You let me choose the new chief of police."
E's voice is low when she replies. "I accept, but your decision is contingent on my background check and approval of your candidate."
We shake hands, and the mood of our meeting changes. E lets us stuff our faces with her food, and I dig in as much as we can before our meeting time is up.
Back in the car with Sun, I open the pocket of my jacket and show him the treats I've secreted inside.
"For the kids," I say with a smile.
Sun returns my grin and opens his briefcase, which is stuffed with an assortment of pastries. "Great minds think alike."
I'm surprised by this warm side of Sun, collaborating with lawmakers and stealing treats for kids in a single meeting.
And he's right. Great minds do think alike, and I'm lucky that there are no shortage of great minds in my life.