54 pages • 1 hour read
Zero Days
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Part 1Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1: “Saturday, February 4: Minus Eight Days”
Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussions of abuse and stalking and mentions a possible suicide.
Dressed in black and carrying a backpack full of lock picks and fake IDs, Jack Cross breaks into an office. Though her clothing is professional, she is wearing sneakers and sporting “fluorescent scarlet” hair. Jack, who narrates the novel, asserts that Arya Stark is the best character in Game of Thrones. She wears an earpiece through which her husband, Gabe Medway, gives her instructions. After she plugs in one of his devices, he can hack into the company’s security cameras to monitor Jack as well as the security guards. Jack and Gabe work together to get her to the server room. She must crawl above the ceiling to get in and knocks down a tile, which sounds like a gun firing. Jack plugs in several devices that allow Gabe to infiltrate the company’s systems. He alerts her to two guards approaching.
Gabe and Jack have a comfortable, familiar rapport; they joke and flirt, but they also know when to be serious. Hiding under a couch, Jack twists her wedding ring, her “usual tic” when she feels stressed. Following Gabe’s instructions, Jack escapes the guards and exits the building. Gabe promises to order food so she can eat when she gets home. After they hang up, however, Jack runs into the head of security.
Part 1 Analysis
Although it seems that Jack is the one in danger, her husband, Gabe, will soon be dead. Jack’s narration does not yet reveal why she broke into the office. So, when she is apprehended, it appears she is in trouble. In truth, however, she is safe, and her husband is in trouble. The simile in which Gabe compares the sound of the ceiling tile hitting the floor to a “gunshot” points toward danger.
Jack’s stereotypically masculine name signals her strength, independence, and determination. She is the more active, physical partner in her marriage. Her athleticism and quickness enable the pair to break into the office and gain access to company data. Further, her respect for Arya Stark, a fiercely unconventional female character who even disguises herself as a boy, emphasizes Jack’s physical dexterity and gender fluidity. Her shocking red hair is a symbol of her independence and fiery spirit. Jack’s character combines strength and independence with devotion to her husband.
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