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asks.
    “As you know, we’ve had some dissent among the working-age women in the Sector.”
    I’d heard Cormac speak of this before, on the night of the State of the Guild. It
     seems like a million years ago, and while I know that’s not the case, I also know
     it’s been an issue for at least two years.
    “They were refusing to marry,” I say out loud, recalling information Cormac had shared
     with me.
    “They never stopped.” Grady’s voice sounds weary as though he’s borne the weight of
     this for far too long. “We introduced new incentives—”
    “You tried to bribe them,” Cormac cuts in. “You gave them more pay, Grady. The only
     thing that taught them was that they could get what they wanted by being obstinate.”
    Grady’s hands grip the arms of his chair and I wonder if he’s trying to hold back
     from punching Cormac.
    “I think that sounds like progress,” I say.
    “You would.” Cormac dismisses my input. “How did it leak into the Coventry?”
    Cormac can be dense sometimes. I think of my own mother, complaining about her boss
     and her poor wages.
    “It became the vogue. It was impossible to determine if Eligibles had been contaminated.”
    Contaminated? Is he serious?
    “And now we have a full-blown strike on our hands, Grady. If you had listened to me
     when I suggested—”
    “Altering the entire population of the Eastern Coventry was not an option,” Grady
     interrupts him. “This is a case of a few bad apples spoiling the bunch.”
    “A few?” Cormac roars. “Your looms are dark! Where are your good apples?”
    “They can be reasoned with,” Grady says. “We have some of the Spinsters responsible
     for initiating the blackout on the premises waiting for further questioning.”
    “I want to see them. What have they admitted to?” Cormac asks. He stands and heads
     for the door in quick, purposeful strides.
    “Admitted? Nothing. They want to negotiate.”
    “Negotiate.” Amusement mixes with arrogance as Cormac repeats the term.
    “They’re willing to go back to the looms, Minister,” Grady says. “They simply want
     to discuss some possible changes within the structure of the Coventry.”
    “Do they?” Cormac asks. “Unlike you, I’m not in the business of listening to the complaints
     of a group of women.”
    “Really?” I say beside him.
    “Do you have something to add?” Cormac asks me.
    “Yeah, I do,” I say. “What happened to working together and finding a solution?”
    Cormac pushes me against the wall and lowers his mouth to my ear. “Do not question
     me in front of my men. You do not understand the gravity of this situation.”
    “Because you won’t tell me about it.”
    “Because you can’t fix it,” he seethes. “Now shut up and follow me, or I’ll send you
     back to the transport with Hannox and believe me, you do not want that.”
    “Yes, sir. ” I emphasize the title. So much for working together.
    “I want to see these women.” Cormac releases me and tugs at the hem of his jacket.
    “Minister, I think you’ll find that they aren’t asking for much—”
    “I’m not interested in what they’re asking for,” Cormac stops him.
    “But—”
    “Nor am I interested in what you think, Grady. You’ve let this situation get out of
     control. I came to fix it.”
    I can’t keep the question to myself. “Then why do you want to talk to them? If you
     aren’t interested in listening to them?”
    He stops and stares me down, his eyes as dark as the room surrounding us.
    “To tell them what I’m going to do to them.”

 
    FIVE
     
    T HE STONES ARE DAMP AS I TRAIL my fingertips over the rough walls. I recognize the smell, how it prickles my nostrils.
     This cell is different from the one I found myself in when I was brought to the Coventry
     after my retrieval. It’s large and set behind steel bars. I thought Grady wanted to negotiate with these women, but he must still see them as a threat. My goggles allow me to