Robin Wasserman - Torn

“Excuse me?” Schwarz began again, timidly.

Once again, the answer came back angry and in unison. “What?”

Schwarz spread his arms to encompass their masterpiece, the orderly silhouettes of desk after desk, the inspirational posters blowing in the wind. “It is beautiful, isn’t it?”

It was.

Three proud smiles. Three quiet sighs. And one silent look exchanged among them, confirming that they all agreed: Whatever the risk, whatever their motives, whatever the consequences, this moment was worth it.

“Now can we please get off the roof?” Schwarz led the way down, holding his breath until his feet brushed grass. And a moment later, the three of them disappeared into the night.

It was their final dry run, their final game in the minor leagues. Max was the only one who knew it, because Max already had the plan crawling through his mind, the idea he couldn’t let go. He hadn’t said anything yet, but he would, soon—because up on that roof, he decided it was time. The hack on Dr. Evil had gone so effortlessly, with almost a hint of boredom. It was child’s play, and Max was getting tired of toys.

He knew the idea was worthy.

He knew the plan was ready—and so were they.

I wasn’t there, of course. But I’ve pieced it together, tried to sift the truth from the lies, eliminate the contradictions. And I’ve tried to be a faithful reporter of the facts, even the ones that don’t make me look very good.

Maybe even especially those.

The three of them agreed not to broadcast what they’d done. But much as I know now, close as I’ve gotten to the center of things, I’m still not one of them, not really. And that means that I never agreed to anything. I’m not bound. I can do what I want—and I want to speak.

So like I say, this isn’t my story to tell, but it’s the one I’ve got. And all it’s got is me.

ROBIN WASSERMAN is the author of the Cold Awakening trilogy ( Frozen, Shattered, Torn ), Hacking Harvard , the Seven Deadly Sins series, and the Chasing Yesterday trilogy. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

“A convincing and imaginative dystopia that her characters fill with action and a wide range of human emotion.”

“A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. The ending will leave readers pondering the nature of humanity.”

“This is one of the best final-book-in-a-series I have ever read.”

“The twist-filled payoff I had been hoping for all along.”

The Cold Awakening trilogy

Hacking Harvard

The Seven Deadly Sins series

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales o r persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

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www.SimonandSchuster.com

First Simon Pulse paperback edition October 2011

Copyright © 2010 by Robin Wasserman

Previously published as Wired .

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

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Also available in a Simon Pulse hardcover edition.

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Designed by Mike Rosamilia

The text of this book was set in Edlund.

Manufactured in the United States of America

2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:

Wasserman, Robin.

Wired / by Robin Wasserman

p. cm.

Sequel to: Crashed.

Summary: Lia is back at home, pretending to be the perfect daughter, but she has become the public face of the mechs, devoting her life to convincing the world that she and others like her deserve to exist, until shocking truths are revealed, forcing her to make a life-changing decision.

ISBN 978-1-4169-7454-3 (hc)

[1. Science fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.W25865Wir 2010

[Fic]—dc22

2010010237

ISBN 978-1-4169-3636-7 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-4224-3361-8 (eBook)