UnWholly

Connor uses his punching bag to absorb his anger. Risa has been gone for weeks. Starkey hints at Connor going out to find Risa, and Connor begins to find him suspicious. However, Connor does not put enough weight in these suspicions (Starkey’s plan to take over the Graveyard will be a surprise to Connor later). Without Risa, Connor confides in Trace.   

One day, the Admiral shows up at the Graveyard in a black limo. He invites Connor inside, and they talk about the Admiral meeting all the people who have his son’s parts, as well as the Admiral’s health. The Admiral then discusses Connor’s attitude changing after Risa left, and the nature of anger.

The Admiral recognizes Roland’s tattoo on Connor’s arm and tries to reassure him about it. He also suggests that Connor forget about Risa. Connor asks him about Proactive Citizenry, and the Admiral mentions the terror generation and Teen Uprisings. Connor is unfamiliar with modern history, so the Admiral suggests he do some research.

After the Admiral leaves, Trace and Connor have a private meeting in the jeep. Trace warns Connor that some Juvey-cops want to take out the Graveyard, but Proactive Citizenry does not want this to happen. Trace also gives Connor the name Janson Rheinschild, which he learned after a meeting in the organization’s main headquarters. The name had been removed from a marble wall and statues celebrating former organization presidents and founders.

This chapter is a Public Service Announcement by Risa about how her going AWOL—not giving up her organs—cost lives.

Hayden sees Risa’s public service announcement in the Communications plane (ComBom). His staff are upset and confused. Hayden wants them to hide Risa’s media announcement in favor of unwinding from Connor. They work out a plan to stop the feeds from getting out of the communications center and also agree not to talk about another disturbing development: They saw Risa walking.

Connor contemplates what Trace said about Proactive Citizenry and, taking the Admiral’s advice, researches. Hayden tells him most of the computers are down (buying time while the Risa information is hidden). Connor insists on doing research, and Hayden agrees under the conditions that Connor let Hayden search for him in the ComBom.

Hayden tells his staff to take a break and searches for the name Trace gave Connor. The name doesn’t lead to any information, so they search for the terror generation. Connor and Hayden find news articles about teens marching in the capitol in protest of closing schools. They also see reports about angry teens seeking change then responding with destruction when their concerns are not addressed.

They also learn about the formation of clappers during the Heartland War. Connor realizes schools stopped teaching modern history because of the power the teens were demonstrating. Eventually, they come to familiar images of the Unwind Accord being signed, and realize it was to stop the terror generation as well as the dispute between pro-life and pro-choice factions.

Starkey thinks about his ambitions—fame for raising the storks to glory and a silent coup. After failing to convince Connor to rescue storks, Starkey bides his time. He lives it up in the Rec Jet during Stork Hour, getting storks to fetch him things and teaching them small magic tricks.

Starkey watches Connor leave his meeting with Hayden in the ComBom. A Stork Club member who works for Hayden previously told Starkey about Risa’s PSA. Starkey decides to tell Connor about it now.

Connor contemplates if there is a way to end unwinding in his private jet. Starkey comes in and puts Risa’s interview up on Connor’s TV. Though somewhat reluctant, Risa answers questions in favor of unwinding. Connor realizes she can use her legs. When Risa says she had no choice but to support unwinding—that it was a matter of necessity—Connor tells Starkey to turn off the TV.

Starkey tells Connor that Hayden had been keeping the information about Risa from him and leaves the private jet. Connor is devastated, but he begins to entertain more suspicions about Starkey.

The Stork Club member from the communications team gives Starkey information about a nearby stork kid. Starkey decides to rescue him. Late that night, with nine other storks, Starkey breaks into the kid’s house. The stork kid hits Starkey with a baseball bat. A Stork Club member hits the kid with a football trophy, instantly killing him.

Starkey responds by attacking the kid’s father. Eventually, the other storks interrupt his beating, and the whole family runs away from the kid’s corpse and Starkey’s Stork Club. Yelling to the neighbors that this is a warning to not unwind storks, Starkey sets the house on fire.

Risa considers the consent form she signed and how it set off an avalanche of events, starting with getting a new spine from an unwound teen.

Risa awakes from a medically induced coma with her new spine. A nurse asks if she can feel her legs, and Risa realizes she can. The nurse says healing will take about two weeks. Risa has mixed feelings.

She has been moved to the same private mansion as Cam, and he visits her. During this visit, Risa makes hateful comments and hurts Cam’s feelings. They talk about his mind, and he asks why she changed her mind about the spinal operation. Risa doesn’t answer, and Cam asks for her permission to visit again. She doesn’t answer again and eventually falls asleep.

A week later, Risa is able to walk with the help of Cam and his physical therapist. This brings her joy, and she is able to look out the window with just Cam’s support.

Cam feels overjoyed when Risa walks while leaning on him. She learns they’re in Molokai, Hawaii. When Risa insults Roberta, Cam defends her as his mother. Cam then insults Risa for being motherless, and Risa slaps him. She falls backwards, but Kenny, the physical therapist, catches her. Risa continues to insult Cam for being rewound, and he continues to defend Roberta.

Cam continues to wonder why Risa changed her mind and thinks about Roberta’s persuasiveness. Roberta insists on easing Risa into her companionship role slowly, only forcing them to have one meal a day together. Cam obsesses over Risa, however, and he eventually notices her watching him play basketball.

Risa works with Kenny and eventually walks up and down the spiral staircase. She and Cam dine together awkwardly until Cam apologizes for insulting her. He mentions some of his parts come from state wards and accurately describes the experience of living in them. Cam says he can find out about Risa’s parents, but she declines the offer.

Then Cam apologizes for the death of Risa’s love, Connor. Risa discovers he—and Proactive Citizenry—don’t know all the AWOLs’ secrets. Risa admits she misses Connor, and Cam asks Risa to consider him a friend.

One day, Risa’s usual solitary walk in the garden is interrupted by Roberta organizing a camera crew there. Roberta tells Risa she must perform for the cameras in order to keep up her end of the agreement. Risa reads the script of her first public service announcement and initially refuses to read it. After Roberta subtly threatens Risa, Cam joins them. Risa agrees (the reader later learns she does so because Roberta has threatened the Graveyard unless she complies).

The text of the Public Service Announcement about how unwinding changed her life interrupts the narrative.

Risa considers what she has survived and contrasts previous hardships with her cushy situation with Cam. Risa feels like her perspective on the interview (the same one Starkey showed Connor) is skewed by the manipulation of Cam and Roberta. She dozes off in a backyard lawn chair, and Cam wakes her later.

They talk about the upcoming interview with the two of them together for the first time. Cam names some stars, and Risa contemplates the morality of her role with Proactive Citizenry. They also talk about Connor. Cam admits the part of him that understands math was a kid named Samson who had a crush on Risa. This upsets Risa, and she asks Cam to leave her alone.

When Risa goes inside, she finds Cam playing guitar. This causes her to feel more empathy for him, and she plays piano with him. They lose themselves in the music for hours.

The narrator describes Cam and Risa’s first interview together after the ad campaign that teased images of Cam. It is a morning talk show where Cam and Risa pretend to be a couple, making up a story about how they met. Risa speaks in favor of unwinding. Then, the hosts—Jarvis and Holly—bring in a fashion designer who makes clothes inspired by Cam. 

Once off-camera, Risa heads to the bathroom. She feels guilty for speaking in favor of unwinding and for liking Cam. He bangs on the door, asks if she is okay, and waits until she comes out. When she does, she cries in Cam’s arms. He comforts her.

Cam wants to know how Roberta convinced Risa to accept the unwound spine and become his consort. Risa refuses to tell him the details. Cam knows Roberta is keeping it a secret and gets surveillance videos from the day Risa signed the consent form by blackmailing the security guard.

This chapter looks back on the day that Risa signed the consent form two months prior. Roberta replaces the consent form that Risa folded into a paper airplane and asks her to sign. When Risa refuses, Roberta says Proactive Citizenry has convinced the Juvenile Authority to leave the airplane Graveyard alone. Roberta threatens to unleash them on the Graveyard if Risa doesn’t sign the form, naming Trace as their inside man.

Roberta goes on to explain that Risa must be kind to Cam and do whatever else Roberta asks of her later. Risa decides to sign the form to save her friends from being arrested and unwound.

Cam tries to play basketball after watching the video, and then finds Risa in the kitchen. He tells her he knows about her deal with Roberta to save the AWOLs at the Graveyard. Risa admits that she faked the kindness towards him at first but has grown to like him.

Cam takes a motorcycle out for a ride and gets into an accident. He rides back to the mansion, where there are police with Roberta. Cam storms off and locks himself in his room. Risa comes to him and treats his wounds, saying he needs an x-ray. Cam apologizes, and they lay in bed together. Risa kisses him. Cam tears up when she says she might try being with him for real.