Unwind Quotes

Quotes from the Unwind Dystology and Unbound by Neal Shusterman - enjoy :) Note: Most characters are tagged with the same name, but Lev's name is changing according to how he calls himself. The only ship I tagged was Connor and Risa, as conrisa.

[unwindquotes]

“And then you’re free, Argent. I will have you taken to wherever you want to go.”

Argent looks at Divan, holding eye contact—something he never before had the courage to do. “What if I don’t want to go? What if I want to keep working for you?”

“Well then, I’ll pay you a wage worthy of your loyalty.” Divan looks up at Lady Lucrezia’s vapor trail, slowly being torn apart by crosswinds. “When the plane finally does goes down, we’ll all be taken for dead. I intend to take advantage of that. Leave my business. Retire under an assumed name. Of course, I’ll always need a valet.”

They sit down and wait for the arrival of Divan’s “friends,” who will most likely come by helicopter. And as Argent ponders the electrifying prospect of his new future, a question comes to mind.

“Where will we go?” he asks. “Where do you want to retire?”

“Well,” says Divan, “faking one’s death does require a level of continued anonymity.” He feigns to consider the question, but clearly he’s thought about it before. “Did you know that with all that I possess, I’ve never owned a yacht? It has been a long-standing dream of mine to own one, and sail the Mediterranean—sticking only to the smaller, less traveled ports, of course.”

“Sounds like a plan,” says Argent, already settling in to the idea.

After all, what are the chances of running into someone they know?

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity

[unwindquotes]

Then Divan pulls something out of his backpack—the only object he salvaged from the plane—and hands it to Argent. It’s a biological stasis cooler about the size of a lunch box.

“What’s . . . inside?” Argent asks.

Divan sighs. “The only part of Malik I didn’t sell. His best part, actually.”

Argent doesn’t dare open it. He knows what it is. “And it’s . . . for me?” Argent asks, scarcely willing to believe it.

“It’s an elegant solution, don’t you think?” Divan says. “It fulfills my promise to you, and allows me to see my nephew’s handsome face once more, without having to suffer the rest of him.”

Argent holds the box closely. He feels awful, he feels grateful, he feels damned, and he feels blessed. How could something generate so many conflicting emotions? He decides to go with the positive ones, because the negative ones will surely drive him mad. “Thank you,” he says.

“I do believe Malik is better off living divided,” Divan says. “It’s certainly better than the life path he was on.”

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity

[unwindquotes]

“Malik . . . Where’s Malik? Where’s my son?”

“No longer on board. Mostly. He was put off in Kamchatka.”

“You left him alone?”

“No, of course not. He’s in the company of your distribution network. You’ll be pleased to know that his parts fetched us more than three hundred thousand dollars.”

Dagmara gapes at him. He’s joking. He must be. He wouldn’t unwind his own nephew. What sort of monster would do such a thing?

[...]

“I’ll be leaving you now, dear sister. “Saying ‘sayonara,’ as it were. You see, there are two parachutes on board. One for me and one for my valet.”

“Wait—you’re just going to leave me here?”

“I leave you with my prize possession: the Orgão Orgânico. As long as you keep playing, the plane will fly true. At least until it runs out of gas, but her tanks are massive. You’ve got at least twenty hours left, maybe more.”

[...]

In a panic Dagmara looks at the keyboard and quickly launches into her go-to piece as she had when she first arrived—Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D-minor.” The chorus of disembodied voices fills the space.

“Very good!” says Divan, as he strides away “Keep playing, Dagmara. Keep playing!”

“Divan!” she calls. “DIVAN!” But he’s gone.

And so she plays for her life, buying herself the seconds and the minutes and the hours until there is nothing but soulless voices and fumes.

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity

[unwindquotes]

To the left a single male face has its mouth open, intoning a deep bass aaaaaaaaaah. She sees a single finger depressing the lowest B-flat key and follows that finger to her brother, who sits beside her.

“Stop that,” she says wearily, because the sound resonates in her aching head.

“I’m afraid that would be a mistake,” Divan says, then removes his finger. Immediately Dagmara can feel the plane begin to lose altitude.

Divan puts his finger on the key once more. The voice sings again. The plane stops dropping. “You see? When I installed the organ, I made sure it was wired into the autopilot circuit, on the chance that this day might come. A mere flick of a switch has sent the control here. Now as long as the Orgão Orgânico is being played, the autopilot is engaged.”

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity

[unwindquotes]

“What do you want me to do now?” Argent asks.

Divan smiles. “You would do anything I asked, wouldn’t you, Argent? Such loyalty is a rare commodity in this world.”

Would he do anything for Divan? Argent wonders. This man who cut off the good half of his face and gave it to Nelson—then turned him into an indentured servant in order to earn back the right to have a face again? Argent finds that his answer is yes. He would do anything Divan wished of him. Argent wonders if that makes him broken, or noble.

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity

[unwindquotes]

He pours juice. He takes away plates. He watches and listens, all the while his heart pounding so painfully in his chest, he fears it may explode. Did he confuse the cups? He doesn’t trust his own memory. What a time to be uncertain.

Divan has taken a sip. All three have. How strong is the poison? How much of it must be ingested, and how long does it take to work? What sort of ninja is this clueless about his own methods?

He doesn’t need to wait long for an answer. Sonthi begins to gag and froth at the mouth and falls face forward. His head smacks the table with a thud. His eyes remain open. He’s dead.

Dagmara gasps, then throws an accusing glare at Argent. “You imbecile! What have you done!”

“Precisely what I expected he would do,” Divan says. “Well played, Skinner.”

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity

[unwindquotes]

“Skinner tells me you have an interest in seeing UNIS in action,” Uncle Divan tells him.

Malik is cautious. “He told you that?”

“Yes—he doesn’t have access, so he asked if I could do it. I’d be happy to.”

Malik sits up, unable to hide his excitement. “Thanks, Uncle Divan.”

“Don’t mention it. But before we go into the harvest drum, you’ll need to put these on.”

He tosses Malik a one-piece garment that looks like long underwear, only heavier. As Malik examines it, he sees that it’s made of metal. A very finely woven chain mail.

“What for?”

“For your own protection, of course.”

Malik quickly dons the metallic one-piece and follows his uncle to the front of the jet, where the automated harvesting unit awaits.

“Can I watch an unwinding?”

“Of course,” says his uncle cheerily. “I think you’ll find it an eye-opening experience.”

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity

[unwindquotes]

The idea that Divan trusts him with anything—especially something as serious as this—is a surprise to Argent.

“You’re asking me to be your assassin.”

“The Eastern world calls such assassins ninjas. Many of them serve as personal aids to their masters. Is this a position you can rise to, Argent?”

It’s the first time he can remember Divan calling him Argent instead of Skinner.

“Yes I can,” says Argent. “And you don’t need to give me a million bucks, either.”

“Perhaps I will,” Divan tells him. Then adds. “In time . . . in time.”

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity

[unwindquotes]

The instant Dagmara leaves, Argent goes to Divan’s quarters, making sure that no one sees him. He knocks urgently, and Divan lets him in.

“I take it that this is important, or you wouldn’t be disturbing me.”

“Very important, sir.”

Then Argent shows him the vial that Dagmara gave him. “She said she’d give me a million dollars to pour this into your espresso at breakfast tomorrow morning.”

[...]

Divan opens the vial and sniffs it, thinks for a moment, then replaces the stopper and hands the vial back to Argent. “Do it,” Divan says.

“You . . . you want me to poison you?”

“Certainly not. But I have no qualms about you putting it in someone else’s espresso. Whoever you like. I trust your judgment.”

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity

[unwindquotes]

"I want to see UNIS. I want to see how it works.”

“I told you, I can’t.”

And then Malik reaches up and grips the biobandage that covers Argent’s faceless half. “I could rip this off you right now.”

It’s a terrifying threat—because a biobandage is more than just dressing: It grows into the surrounding tissue to protect the wound. If he rips it off, the pain will be unbearable.

Argent still remembers his martial arts moves. He could have Malik in a choke hold in an instant, cutting off his oxygen and rendering him unconscious. If he holds it long enough, Malik could be left with irreversible brain damage—which might be exactly what he needs. But who is Argent kidding? He’ll just get rewound brain bits to replace the damage. On the other hand, perhaps those brain bits will be better than the ones Malik came with.

Argent never gets the chance to find out, because Dagmara comes to the door.

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity

[unwindquotes]

There’s not much room in his tiny cabin to pace, but Argent can’t keep still. Divan has entertained the likes of parts pirates and contract killers, but none have gotten under his skin the way Malik has. Perhaps because those others do what they do for money, not for pleasure. As Divan always says, it’s strictly business, and no matter how illicit the business is, the joy comes more from the profit than from the act. Surely the black market is rotten with sociopaths, but Malik feels like a special case.

And Divan made Argent apologize!

There’s little enough self-respect left in Argent, and that just about killed it.

There’s a knock at his door. He suspects it’s Divan come to lecture him on his place in the scheme of things, but it’s not. It’s Malik, the beast himself, come to pay a visit.

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity

[unwindquotes]

“In other words, you propose to buy me out.”

“Think about it, Divan,” says Dagmara. “No more attacks from the Dah Zey, no need to fear for your life, and more money than we’re pulling in now.”

Divan takes a sip of his espresso. “I will not surrender my business to an organization as bloody and barbarous as the Burmese Dah Zey. Not now, not ever.”

Then Dagmara finally shows her hand. “You forget, dear brother, that I control your ground operations. Without my distribution network, you can’t move a single unwound part.”

“Are you threatening me, Dagmara?”

“I’m merely trying to get you to see reason.”

Divan turns to Sonthi, his decision made—but in truth it was made even before they began speaking. “When we land in Kamchatka, you will be put off my plane, Mr. Sonthi. I trust you’ll be able to find your way home from there.”

Then Divan excuses himself, not wanting to be in either of their company a moment longer.

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity

[unwindquotes]

And then comes a voice from behind that no one is expecting to hear. “You didn’t unwind it; you killed it,” says Skinner, suddenly no longer unobtrusive but the center of everyone’s attention.

“Excuse me?” says Dagmara seething with indignation.

“Did you really just say that to me?” says Malik.

Dagmara turns to Divan. “Is this how you train your valet? To talk back to your guests?”

Divan sighs. He needs no more drama at the table. “Apologize to my nephew, Skinner.”

Skinner just stands there, refusing to look at anyone.

“I said apologize,” Divan says more forcefully.

“I’m sorry,” Skinner finally says.

And to keep this from escalating any further, Divan decides to remove Skinner from the situation. “You’re excused. Bula will serve the rest of the meal.” Bula steps out of the shadows to take over, and Skinner disappears toward his quarters at the rear of the plane.

“There should be consequences", Dagmara says. Divan agrees, but not with who those consequences should be for.

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity

[unwindquotes]

Then, when Skinner serves the main course, Malik turns to Divan in practiced disgust. “Does he have to be here? Looking at him makes me lose my appetite.”

“Would you prefer to serve yourself?” Divan asks.

“I would prefer you hire someone with a face.”

“Malik, you must learn to be more tolerant,” Dagmara chides. “This is the very type of thing that keeps getting him expelled from school. Do you want to tell your uncle why you were thrown out of Excelsior Academy?”

Malik grabs a roll and rips off a piece with his teeth. “I unwound my math teacher’s Chihuahua.”

Sonthi laughs.

“Well, it was a nuisance, yapping all the time,” Malik says. “The guy had no business bringing a yappy dog on campus.”

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity

[unwindquotes]

When Bula arrives with the Burmese man, the man does not appear disgruntled by his treatment. In fact he appears downright jovial, which Divan finds irritating.

Dagmara, the mastermind of this questionable summit, does the introductions. “Divan, I would like to present to you the honorable Mr. Sonthi, representative of the Burmese Dah Zey. Mr. Sonthi, my brother, Divan Umarov.”

“A pleasure,” Mr. Sonthi says.

Divan says nothing; he just offers his hand to shake, with a calculated shift of position at the last instant, making Sonthi’s grip awkward. It’s Divan’s way of setting an adversary off balance from the onset.

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity

[unwindquotes]

“Skinner! Show them.”

And so Argent pulls back the curtain to reveal the Orgão Orgânico. Eighty-eight faces loom above its keyboard.

Dagmara gasps. “Is that an organ?”

“Of a kind,” Divan says. “A heavenly chorus awaiting a conductor.”

Dagmara approaches it, not horrified as Risa was, but entranced. “May I?”

“Be my guest,” Divan says.

She sits at the keyboard and begins to play.

[...]

“ ‘Toccata and Fugue in D minor’!” says Divan. “An excellent choice.”

The Lady Lucrezia is filled with the eerie strains of the fugue voiced by the unwound chorus, mouths opening and closing to Dagmara’s touch of the keys. As it builds to a crescendo, Argent concludes that it is the most disturbing thing he has ever witnessed. Even Divan seems taken aback.

And Malik says, “Cool!”

“Play as much as you like,” Divan tells his sister. “It was purchased with you in mind.”

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity

(the music is this one: https://youtu.be/ho9rZjlsyYY )

[unwindquotes]

Divan relies on him. Back home Gracie had relied on him, but that had been different. He resented having to care for his low-cortical sister. But for some reason he doesn’t resent working for Divan. He has no idea where Gracie is now. Whether she’s alive or Nelson killed her. Connor swore up and down she was alive last time he saw her, but Argent can’t know for sure. He tries not to think about her. She’s the one who abandoned him. Whatever bed she made, she made herself.

- Neal Shusterman, Unknown Quantity