Then it hits me. My inhuman strength. My yellow blood. “You’re… you’re turning me into one of them.”
Finn’s eyes go wide in horror.
Hector holds my gaze for an agonizing amount of time before he bursts out laughing. “Don’t be foolish! I would never do that to my champion.”
I have no way of knowing if he’s telling the truth, yet I’m unbelievably relieved.
Hector pulls me into a hug. “You and I will change the world. It won’t be pretty at first, but then it will be glorious. And don’tworry about Finn—we’ll keep him with us because people like him will be the first to perish.”
That just tells me how much he underestimates Finn, which might end up being his downfall.
We continue to walk, reaching two rows of cells where prisoners are being kept cramped together. Some reach out through the bars and beg for help. I can’t do anything for them, so I avoid their eyes, ashamed of how much their stench disgusts me.
“Evil,” Finn mutters.
“It is,” Hector says, leaving it at that.
We enter a spacious and bright lab with people in white lab coats. They bow when they see Hector, then continue their work. Five naked men are strapped to metal tables, seeminglyunconsciouswith IVs dripping a yellowish liquid into their veins.
“Once they’re done here, they’ll be moved somewhere else until they finish transforming,” Hector tells us. “It usually takes a few days, but I’ll spare you the gruesome sight.”
“How much more do you need?” Finn faces Hector. “You think your Raiders will want to fight alongside these creatures? Or are you planning on transforming all of them too?”
“If I could transform them all, I would, but there’s only so much of my blood I can afford to spare. I’m close to achieving the army I need, but I have to move fast because the life expectancy of my creations is less than three years. Their bodies first welcome the change, then they fight it until they die. It’s quite poetic.”
“Murder isn’t poetic!”
I touch Finn’s lower back, trying to signal him to calm down. Seeing all of this feeds us information we can later use. As disturbing as all of this is, I’m glad more of Hector’s sick plan is coming to light.
“You want Caden to be your conqueror and lead your army,” Finn says. “Did you mean the lizards?”
“No. I can order them around just fine, but if I want people to surrender once I crush their armies, they won’t do that for an army of lizards. I’ll need human troops, led by a human champion. Well, anenhancedhuman.”
Finn glances at me as if he expects me to argue, but I’m done arguing. If I’m to challenge Hector’s plan, it won’t be with words, and I’m not yet strong enough to fight him.
Hector holds my hand and leads me to one of the empty medical beds. I snatch my hand back, my gut twitching. “We’ve seen enough. Let’s head back.”
“You’re going to face the greatest fighter in the world tomorrow, and despite all of your hard work, hewillkill you.” He shakes his head. “I can’t allow that, not after all we’ve been through.”
A sudden wave of dizziness hits me. I begin to fall, but Hector grabs me and eases me onto the bed.
“What are you doing to him?” Finn’s voice sounds far away.
“Saving his life.”
“You promised not to turn him into one of them!”
“And I won’t.”
I can barely feel my body, though I’m aware of Hector pulling off my shirt. Through my blurry vision, I notice people in lab coats walking around. They strap my wrists and legs tightly tothe bed. I should fight what’s coming, but I’m trapped inside my own flesh.
Warm hands touch my temples. Finn’s blurry face floats above me, but I can’t reach out to touch him. He shouldn’t see this. He shouldn’t even be in Denver. “I’m sorry I can’t stop this,” he whispers as he cries. “I’m sorry.”
“Why would you want to stop him from becoming so much more?” Hector asks.
“Your friends wouldn’t have wanted any of this. You’re not honoring any of them!”
“Be careful, Finn. Don’t assume you know me because I told you some things. Now, I’m afraid that this will require a bit more than a cut.”
