"Less glowering, Joan! Think Pollyanna, not Rambo!"

I don't know either of the characters Wilde is referencing, but I grit my teeth and try to smile. It's day one of filming for our reality series, and already I'm regretting my decision to dip a toe back into acting.

The pilot episode is all about how the five main characters—me, Justus, Alison, Tupac and James—meet and become friends. The early scenes that I had with Alison, Tupac and James went okay, because I only had a handful of lines.

But now that we're filming the scene when Justus and I meet, everything feels forced. I tried to point out that the world already knows that we have a relationship, since we've been caught by the tabloids in the past, but Wilde dismissed my concerns and told me that we are only using our real lives for inspiration, and instead are 'making our own reality'.

"Haven't I seen you around before?" Justus delivers his line with a boyish appeal I didn't know he was capable of.

I give him a smile that's supposed to be sweet, but I think I show too much of my teeth. "We went to high school together. You might not remember me, but I definitely noticed you."

"Stop, I beg of you! Cut!" Wilde shouts with a resigned shake of his head.

I look over at Justus, who has an obnoxious smirk on his face.

"What?"

"I remember your character in that Strand promotional vid—so sweet you gave me a toothache. Can't you wrangle that girl out of your psyche and bring her into your performance?"

I stick out my tongue at Justus, but he's right. I need to tap into my Sweet 'Lil Joanie character. The problem is, I hate her and never wanted to have to use her again. But the show must go on.

I raise my voice so that Wilde can hear me. "Give it one more take. I think I've got it now."

Wilde dramatically looks to the heavens and heaves a put-upon sigh. "Very well! Coffee shop meet cute scene, take twelve!"

"Haven't I seen you around before?" Justus asks, barely able to hide the twinkle in his eye.

My Sweet 'Lil Joanie persona settles over me, unwelcome but familiar. "We went to high school together. You might not remember me, but I definitely noticed you."

Something flickers in Justus's eyes, and instead of delivering his follow-up line, he takes a step closer to me.

"I know who you are. The loudmouth from my political science class senior year." Justus is not using the script Wilde gave us, he's riffing. My eyes widen as memories from our time together in high school come rushing back. "Even when you were being a know-it-all lecturing the class on right and wrong, I thought you were brilliant. I couldn't look away."

"And you were the guy who was always sporting bruises from fighting the bullies and protecting the younger kids," I say, and my smile this time is real. Maybe I don't need Sweet 'Lil Joanie after all. "You look good, Justus."

"I'm glad I found you again, Joan," Justus says, and then he pulls me in for a hug.

"Me too," I murmur quietly into his ear.

"CUT! Yes! That's the one!" Wilde shouts with glee. "The improvisation was just what we needed to bring this thing to life."

"Thanks," I say to Justus.

"Don't thank me. As soon as I saw you wearing that fake smile, I knew it couldn't be right. Even if this show is more fiction than real life, I want people to know you as you really are. Because if they do, Joan, they'll love you like I do."

I reach down to grip Justus's hand. It's warm and calloused, and his touch grounds me like it always does. I lean forward and press my lips briefly to his, because I can.

"I love you, too," I whisper.

"Eeeew, you two," Brie groans.

She, along with two of Justus's brothers and Mason's brother Benen, are working on the set, fetching supplies and doing odd jobs. The four of them are so excited to be a part of the show that they practically run every time anyone asks them for help.

But apparently even Brie's enthusiasm has limits, and seeing her brother and me kissing crosses the line.

"Sorry," I say, and she rolls her eyes at me.

"I guess it's nice that you two can finally be together. But please, do that somewhere else," she replies, making me laugh.

"What do you say, Joan?" Justus whispers in my ear. "Want to do this more somewhere else?"

~ ~ ~

Justus and I spend a full hour making out in my bed back at the Bunker before it's time for me to leave and meet up with Lexi. She insisted on delivering the second dose of the antidote face-to-face.

We're meeting at a well-populated Throwback café with dozens of witnesses, including Kat and her team, who are ready to step in with laser pens if anything goes awry, and I'm wearing my contact lens cameras to capture every second of our interaction for future episodes of Just Like Us.

Harriet walks with me to the café so we can strategize one last time.

"You control the conversation this time," she reminds me. "Your goal is to find out what Lexi knows about these visions you're having. Get her talking without giving her an inch in return. And for God's sake don't let her get close enough to inject you with anything."

I straighten my shoulders and give Harriet a nod. "I've got this."

We make it the bustling coffee shop, and I glance in the window. Inside, Kat is in one corner, scrolling on a tablet, and two of her team are pretending to be on a date at another table. She also has two more people stationed outside to keep an eye on things. No sign of Lexi yet.

I order myself a coffee and settle by a window. It doesn't take long for Lexi to arrive, and her eyes sweep the room before stopping on me.

"Good, you're on time," she says, taking the chair across from me.

I push my chair back to add an extra foot of space between us, and Lexi grins. "A little late for that, isn't it?"

I narrow my eyes. "What you did was an act of aggression. Our team seriously considered releasing what we know about you, and damn the consequences."

"If they did that, Strand would have let you die from the H2IV. And we both know your team would never risk that," she says flatly.

"They also won't let our mission be jeopardized by your hold over me. If I have to let this virus eat me alive in order to stop you, I won't hesitate."

Something in my expression must convince Lexi, because she shifts in her chair, as if she's uneasy. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out two vials of fluid.

"As a show of good faith, I brought you two doses this time," Lexi says. "We can still be partners, Joan. You must have questions for me."

This is my opening. "You knew what would happen when you gave me H2IV. How?"

Lexi's face lights with curiosity. "We didn't know exactly, though we had an idea. A hope. Tell me what happened."

I shake my head. "No. If you want information from me, you'll have to earn it. Start by answering my question."

Lexi's mouth twitches with annoyance, but she doesn't seem truly upset. "As I'm sure that old Beaker told you, we've been searching for DNA with certain mutations for decades. At first, we combed through Evolved DNA, thinking that naturally, it would be superior. As the species progresses, it makes sense that the mind and body would adapt to the environment."

Even as a Throwback herself, Lexi's prejudice is astounding. "But you didn't find any of these mutations?"

"Very few, and those that we did uncover were minor modifications. Increased mental processing speed, for example, or certain agility in the hands, probably the body adapting to using more screens and less physical writing. But we didn't find anything truly game-changing."

Nothing that Strand could make a bunch of money off of, I guess she means.

"That's when my predecessor at Strand had the idea of looking backward instead of forward. We had the genetic material of some of the most influential figures in history right at our fingertips. And sure enough, when we tested it, we found significant mutations in several of our samples, including several individuals already cloned and grown to adulthood. But none of them exhibited signs of their mutation.

"When I became CEO of Strand, I had the idea that putting these Genetic Replicants under physical and mental stress might activate the mutations. We tried for years, with only negative results. Until Lozen."

The name triggers something in my brain, and I know I'm going to have a vision, right here in front of Lexi.

A girl with bronze skin and long, tangled black hair is strapped to a table by her wrists and ankles. She's fighting to get free with everything she's worth.

Find her. She knows what's next.

I can barely keep the horror from my face at what I just saw. Thankfully, the vision was just a flash, and Lexi keeps talking without noticing any changes in my expression.

"Lozen has a genetic mutation that we had never seen before. The original of her clone type was a Native American woman known as a warrior and a prophet. She had been cloned for entertainment, like you, and was waiting tables when we found her. We brought her to Strand and tried something new—injecting her with H2IV. The results were almost instant. She began being able to predict the behavior of her enemies with stunning accuracy. She escaped over and over again, and if it weren't for the chip in her brain, we likely would have lost her altogether."

"Let me get this straight," I say, so angry that I'm practically shaking. "You're keeping an innocent woman—"

"Genetic Replicant, not a real woman," Lexi interjects.

I clench my hands on my thighs so I don't reach out and punch her. "You're keeping Lozen against her will at Strand so you can study her like an animal."

"It's always drama with you," Lexi says, her eyes sparking with anger. "Lozen signed a contract with us. She agreed to stay with us for five years, and she was in breach of that contract when she tried to run away. More than that, it's selfish. If we can harness the power of her mutation, think how many Evolved could have their DNA modified to use these advantages to advance humanity!"

So fucking noble.

"That's why you need to come to Strand's lab, Joan. You've always wanted to make a difference, to do something good for humanity. This is your chance to be famous, to be remembered long after you die, just like the original of your clone type. Share your gift with us, and we will share it with the world."

"I'll think about it," I lie. "But I want some time. You need to give me enough of the antidote to last me a year."

Lexi snorts. "Not a chance."

"You need me willing to sign your contract. Because if you take me against my will, my friends will release your secret to everyone."

"I'll give you a month," Lexi counters. "And you meet with me every week and answer my questions."

"Six months. And I'll meet you once a month to answer questions. That's as low as I'm willing to go."

Lexi's mouth puckers like she's tasting something sour. "Deal."