Chapters 22 through 25 Summary

In the first part of chapter twenty-two, Avis details the plans for the First Revolt, which was to begin with a simultaneous, country-wide strike against the pillars of the Oligarchy's social and political structure. She writes of there being thousands of loyal revolutionists within the ranks of the Mercenaries and the Favored Unions, as well as within the secret service of the Oligarchy itself, that were prepared to participate in the rebellion at whatever cost. She adds, however, that the Oligarchy somehow got word of the impending revolt and planned to stage a preventive strike in Chicago. She describes her desperate efforts to get word to the comrades in Chicago, her concerns for Everhard, and her overnight journey into the strangely quiet heart of the city. There, she writes, she heard explosions in the communities of Mercenaries and Favored Unions, encountered...