Renegade plot summary

Renegade takes place two years after the Blanket. Martha Greenglass, Jess, Louise, and Kay Zeldin, live in the Free Zone. Zeldin has written a book about the Executives, the Blanket, and the Marq'ssan.

Weatherall sends Allison Bennett, an executive and daughter of Elizabeth Weatherall's school friend Vivien, to infiltrate the Free Zone as a service tech. The Free Zone is full of cooperatives. People have clean water thanks to Marq'ssan decontamination of water supply, and fresh food. Martha and Louise are lovers. Martha deals with immigrants/refugees to the Free Zone's desire to have children; they want the shot to change their DNA so they can reproduce.

Zeldin is abducted by US Security.

Martha and Louise fight over Louise's violence against men in the Night Patrol.

Zeldin realizes that Security or Military has her husband Scott. Sorben finally rescues Zeldin. Zeldin goes back into the U.S. undercover to try to find missing people, including her husband, connecting with people living underground.

Walt Jennings confronts Martha about men not being allowed on the Steering Committee of the Seattle Free Zone.

Zeldin realizes Military and Security are in an outright civil war.

Allison and Weatherall become lovers, breaking the taboo on executive women's relationships with each other.

Sorben argues with Zeldin about gender. The Boston Collective tries a violent overthrow of Security's hold on Boston. Religious, fundamentalist and cult leader men continue to agitate for their reproductive rights in the Free Zone.

Zeldin and Weatherall run into each other at the symphony in Colorado; Zeldin is captured and brought to a deep underground facility impenetrable by the Marq'ssan.

Martha Greenglass meets David Hughes.

Weatherall swears to Sedgewick she will break Zeldin and make her love authority. Allison and Elizabeth continue their affair, living in luxury, hanging out in jacuzzi having sex and eating delicious food in perturbing simulteneity to Weatherall's torture of Zeldin. Allison is in love with Weatherall, but Weatherall is mostly just 'managing' Allison. Weatherall explains her thinking about Sedgewick and Zeldin to Allison. The executives announce in public that they have killed Zeldin.

The Co-op steering committee honors Zeldin with a memorial.

Allison picks up Anne, a service tech, at a party. Weatherall talks about Wedegewood and a power struggle. Action and torture scenes are punctuated with steering committee discussions. We the readers find that David Hughes is a spy and is taping the steering committee meetings.

Zeldin delivers a lecture on "walls" in an attempt to stay sane in prison.

Beatrice points out to Martha that her relationship with Sorben and Louise was that of her relationship to men, giving them power or worshipping them as hero figures.

Allison continues her affair with Anne while fantasizing about Weatherall. Weatherall tries but fails to make Zeldin write in a leather-bound journal. Forcefeeding, injections, darkness and solitary. Anne is raped by service tech men.

The Free Zone argues about elections, government, and committees.

Elizabeth, Allison, and Alice Warner beat up and then castrate the men who raped Anne. Dr. Gordon visits Zeldin. Zeldin begins to write in the book. Anne moves in with Allison. Weatherall tells Zeldin she will torture Scott Moore, and makes Zeldin watch. Weatherall explains she is torturing Zeldin in order to try to use her later to rehabilitate Sedgewick, because Weatherall's power depends on Sedgewick. Weatherall gives Zeldin a "jouissance silk" robe.

Martha and Gina discuss longevity treatments and fertility restoration in the Free Zone.

Zeldin finally thinks about her early relationship with Sedgewick. Allison becomes increasingly angry and less infatuated with Weatherall.

Zeldin is taken to Sedgewick on his island. Kay begs Sedgewick to shoot her in the head.

Martha asks Sorben to take a more active role in the Free Zones and elsewhere on Earth.