Chapter 32
THE UNITED STATES
Several weeks passed without any new concrete facts about Kip or Becca Wilde. The folk hero image of Becca evolved. Many people were now blaming her for their plight: living in the dark without fresh water, food, or electricity.
Rumors abounded, including that she was a robot, dead, in Federal custody, kidn*pped by the Russians or the Chinese, mounting a plan to take over the world, and that she was Carcharias all along.
The FBI and Director Masaki attempted to interrogate Ronni Wilde, who had returned to the mainland two months prior, but she refused to answer any questions about her daughter, and twenty-four-hour surveillance did not produce actionable intelligence.
The United States continued to fall into lawless chaos. The communication networks across
