Well... The main antagonists in the book are actually connected to the United States government. The overarching "bad guy" is the Department of Homeland Security. Underneath that, the lady with the severe haircut especially antagonizes Marcus. The whole plot of the book is Marcus trying to get back at the DHS and save Darryl. The first thing that they do directly is the most obvious. While trying to get help for Darryl after the terrorist attack, Marcus and the foursome are kidnapped. At first, Marcus follows the logical train of thought and thinks that his kidnappers are the terrorists. If I had been in his position, I would have thought the exact same thing. These people treated them roughly, it was in the immediate vicinity of the attack, and it was immediately after the attack. All signs pointed to them being terrorists. However, it turns out to be the DHS. The lady with the severe haircut treats Marcus not-very-nicely. She interrogates him and demands information from him. When Marcus doesn't comply, she basically tortures him. When they finally release him, she threatens him with death if he ever told about what happened to him. Based off the information given, this woman seems like she could be an average, everyday woman. At the end, we find out that her name is Carrie Johnstone. A common name for a common-looking woman; she could easily blend in. However, when you look at the way she treats Marcus, she is not average. Most people would at least feel a little bad about torturing Marcus. Most people would show some sympathy or empathy. Most people would care a little bit. She doesn't. Never once does a book make it seem like the woman has any sort of conscience. She may only actively be in the book for part of the book, but she is Marcus' main opponent.
At the end of the book, right around when it seems like the DHL won't do anything to Marcus, they kidnap him again. This time, they take him from the tent he was sharing with Zeb. He actually knows where they take him this time. Gitmo-of-the-Bay, or Treasure island, is where the DHS keeps their prisoners, like Darryl and Zeb. Marcus (and us) first learn about Gitmo-of-the-Bay from the letter from Zeb. When Marcus is taken back to Gitmo-of-the-bay, they torture him even more. I think what they do is called water boarding, pouring water up this nose to make it feel like he was drowning. In the very end though, Barbara and her news crew come in and save the day. The way that they handle their prison and prisoners makes me think about the Stanford Prison Experiment. These people are all Americans, fighting against terrorism; just like how all the prison experimentees were average college students. The way that the DHS treats Marcus, and Darryl, and everyone else is truly like how the experiment went ugly. At least in my head...
Though it is a part of our government, in this book, the Department of Homeland Security goes way out of line. They may have been instructed to find and detain the terrorists, but they way in which they do it is rather unacceptable, to me. They literally kidnapped people off the streets and then interrogated without giving them the basic legal rights that citizens have. They also just assumed that these people were guilty, Instead of asking the logical questions (did you do it?), they asked questions like how something was done. This shows that there is no doubt in their minds that Marcus is guilty. The lady with the severe haircut is especially malicious. As the one who directly interacts with Marcus, she obviously is portrayed as more of an antagonist (because we are seeing this through Marcus's eyes). What's worse than her methods are the ways in which she carries them out; without any regret or remorse at all.
Though he never does anything serious to them, Charles is another antagonist in the book. It seems to me like while the DHS challenges the adult part of Marcus, Charles challenges the child part of Marcus. While the DHS do some pretty serious things to Marcus, Charles only does things that are annoying and bothersome, but not that bad. Marcus and Charles have always been enemies. Back when they were LARPers, Charles didn't play fair and Marcus and Darryl got in trouble for getting back at him. Since then, they have hated each other. In the beginning of the book, Charles is introduced as being a bully who sucks up to teachers. He almost busts them when they are sneaking out, but Marcus is able to use is techy skills to get them out of it. in class, he always counters everything that Marcus says. The most major thing that he does is to stop Masha and Marcus from escaping the vampire event. He had recorded Marcus leading the event and threatens to turn both of them in. He is clearly not very smart, as Masha is able to trick him into thinking that she works for the DHS and then steal his phone. Though Charles never really does anything to Marcus, at least not in the same way as the DHS, he is still a nuisance.
What I think is very interesting about this book is the fact that it's Marcus vs. the DHS. I mean, he took on a part of the government for gosh sake! Who would've actually thought that he would win? With the help of all his friends, he, the protagonist, is able to take down the DHS, the antagonist, and that gives this book a happy ending. Marcus finds Darryl again, they are all friends again, the DHS has been taken down, severe haircut lady is sent to Iraq, the world knows the truth, security measures are loosened, and Marcus has a girlfriend to boot. If that isn't a happy ending, then I don't know what is!
-Lina >.<
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