Amanda/Aella

Hero, center of story, her name will change to Aella, her actual birth name during her journey of self-discovery. She starts as a young bike mechanic for a Tribe called the Truthriders, and evolves toward her true identity as a warrior who will take down the Ones.

Rami

Charismatic leader of the Truthriders who rescued Amanda on the banks of the Rio Grande and raised her.

Lyz Estrada

Former history professor and leader of the first Great Resistance, current head of the Entertainers, a tribe that does a kind of performance art to spy on the Ones, Lyz takes Amanda under wing and mentors her, helps her begin to realize her gifts.

The Ventriloquist

The Ventriloquist is a spy for the Ones who hides out among the performing tribes and is Amanda’s greatest antagonist.

The Dummy

In an early confrontation, Amanda steals the Dummy from the Ventriloquist. On the long journey across what’s left of the country, she learns that the Dummy speaks, can switch power on in various buildings and billboards, and seems to know where she’s going.

Lee Redburn

A coding/technology genius who is the only gifted software engineer not working for the Ones.

The Wild Children

A mysterious Tribe of seemingly abandoned children who are self-contained and elusive. They are always in masks, and show up at key moments to guide Amanda and the Dummy.

The Rogue Scientists

They are among the last authentic scientists in the country, hiding in plain site as interns in a fake lab the Ones have set up. When not in the lab, they guard and maintain The Last Library of Human Knowledge. They are:

• Dr. Sandra Ortega – the last Surgeon General of the U.S. before it broke up into the Deconstructed States, directed several state Departments of Public Health, spoke out against racism, drug abuse…

• Dr. William Emerson – had been a prominent, globally respected researcher in the field of Climate Change before the Ones took over…

• Dr. Michael Collins – former head of the CDC before it was abolished by the Ones…specialist in Pandemic Viruses and Molecular Biology…

Macaria

Leader of the Skulls, a Tribe that recovers the identities of those who have been “disappeared” by the Ones. She helps Amanda recover her origin story.

Frank/Frances

A gender-fluid guerrilla fighter who with her partner bombs the One’s chemical plants to destroy the poisons they disseminate. They will teach Amanda the art of guerilla warfare.

President Leona Ivanka Paris Kardashian

Current leader of the Ones, descendant of many famous and hugely important people. She operates from New Rome and wants to turn Amanda against the Tribes.