Masterminds

Malik is surprised by Amber’s reaction after she learns the whole story about Serenity. Her rage impresses him, though he’s unnerved by her thirst for revenge. Amber’s personality has always been the opposite of Malik’s slacker persona. Now, she seems even more aggressive than he is. The group starts to consider its next hurdle to escape. Eli assumes that all of the Osiris subjects have been implanted with devices that track them and keep them inside the city limits. He suggests finding and destroying the wireless transmitter that causes their sickness when they try to escape. After several failed attempts, they finally locate the transmitter on the back of a traffic cone truck.

Back at home, Eli is playing a computer game to teach himself how to drive. He knows that bicycles won’t be a fast enough means of escape for their next attempt: “The plan is simplicity itself: knock out the dish, take the car, and goodbye” (262). The group ponders the best time to make their move. The Serenity Day celebration is 48 hours away, and they decide that they’ll leave during the distraction of the evening’s fireworks.