Marcus is a 17-year-old senior at Cesar Chavez High School who uses his understanding of technology to bypass restrictive surveillance systems. Following a terrorist bombing in San Francisco, he is wrongfully detained by the Department of Homeland Security. This traumatic experience motivates his creation of an encrypted network, Xnet, to organize resistance against the city's new police state. He attempts to protect his friends while processing his recent trauma.

Ange is an intelligent, passionate high school student who strongly opposes the government's suspension of civil rights. She shares Marcus's enthusiasm for technology and quickly becomes an active participant in his encrypted resistance network. Her idealism pushes Marcus to take bolder actions against the authorities, often questioning his more cautious instincts.

Carrie is a severe, dispassionate Department of Homeland Security official tasked with managing a secret offshore prison on Treasure Island. She utilizes extreme psychological pressure and deprivation to extract information from detainees. Operating outside normal legal constraints, she views her authoritarian methods as necessary for national security.

Drew works as a technology consultant specializing in data practices. Traumatized by the belief that he lost his son in the terrorist attack, he firmly supports the new Department of Homeland Security surveillance measures. He argues that sacrificing personal privacy is a reasonable trade for physical safety, putting him at odds with his son's perspective.

Lillian is a British expatriate who works as a cultural consultant. She acts as a protective force in the Yallow household, openly questioning the arbitrary detainment of citizens. While she understands her husband's fear-driven support of the new security measures, she privately aligns more with her son's skepticism of authoritarian overreach.

Jose-Luis is a skilled programmer who attends a strict Catholic high school. As a core member of Marcus's gaming team, he provides crucial technical support for the encrypted network. However, his Hispanic heritage makes him acutely aware of the unequal risks involved in resisting law enforcement, causing him to evaluate his participation carefully.

Vanessa attends a private girls' school and serves as the strategic thinker of the Harajuku Fun Madness gaming team. Her family's history of escaping an oppressive regime makes her highly sensitive to the dangers of provoking a police state. She actively discourages her friends from engaging in sabotage, prioritizing their safety over ideological victories.

Darryl is Marcus's closest friend and second-in-command for their gaming excursions. He prioritizes his academic standing and initially resists the idea of skipping class. During the panic following the terrorist attack, he is injured and separated from the group. His subsequent disappearance becomes the primary motivation for Marcus's actions against the government.

Fred Benson is the authoritarian vice-principal at Cesar Chavez High School. He enforces the school's extensive surveillance systems, including gait recognition software and laptop keystroke logging. He demands unquestioning obedience from the student body and enthusiastically adopts the government's new security-focused curriculum following the attacks.

Ms. Galvez is an independent-minded social studies teacher at Cesar Chavez High School. She encourages her students to think critically about civil rights and historical protest movements. Her commitment to academic freedom puts her directly in the crosshairs of the school's administration.

Mrs. Andersen is brought in to teach a new government-approved curriculum focused on homeland security. She argues that constitutional liberties should be restricted during times of national crisis, utilizing the recent underground concerts as examples of dangerous youth radicalization.

Charles is a fellow student at Cesar Chavez High School who holds a long-standing grudge against Marcus. He supports the new security measures and views any dissent against the government as treasonous. He actively looks for opportunities to report rule-breakers to the authorities.

Barbara is an investigative reporter for a major local newspaper. She understands the severe risks involved in publishing stories that challenge the Department of Homeland Security's official narrative. She requires solid proof before acting, representing the crucial role of a free press in holding powerful institutions accountable.

Masha is an aggressive, competitive teenager who plays alternate reality games in San Francisco. She carries a camera and threatens to report truant students to the authorities to eliminate her gaming competition.

Ron is Darryl's father. He wears a military uniform, visually aligning him with the legitimate armed forces as opposed to the unmarked federal agents operating in the city. He suffers deeply from the lack of information regarding his missing son.

Zeb is a teenager experiencing homelessness in San Francisco. He operates largely outside the digital surveillance net, allowing him to observe events without being tracked by the government's mandatory transit passes or credit monitoring.

Known as "Ruthless," Kurt Rooney is the White House Chief of Staff. He operates at the highest levels of the federal government, directing the national political strategy and prioritizing election outcomes over the civil liberties of local citizens.