a seat,” he said while guiding me to a metal chair on the opposite side of the room. Once I was sitting, he pulled a vial of antibiotic serum from his pants pocket and cleansed his hands. As if touching me was dangerous. Disgusting. Once he walked away, a guard that I didn’t previously notice chained my ankles and hands to bolts on the floor.
“Josiah, I recognize that you’re probably just confused. The stress of this entire ordeal has made you forget,” emperorLackley said in a singsong voice while walking around the room. “I’d like to cordially remind you that you don’t own anything. I own everything, and I simply let the people of this world use what I allow them to,” Lackley said with a bright grin as he smoothed a gray stray hair. His proper demeanor contradicted his vicious intentions.
“I find this Walker to be somewhat useful for my purposes. She’s marginally important to them, therefore, for the time being, she’s important to me ,” Lackley added while patting his frail chest.
I looked around the room and saw that Kemper was now awake and struggling against his restraints. Huxley sat silently, his eyes scanning the scene, taking in every variable.
Jacob and Cyler were still asleep, and Maverick was nowhere to be found.
Emperor Lackley answered his tablet, and I noticed that whatever was said on the other line made his easygoing smile turn hard.
“Well then, I guess we need to provide him with the proper incentive,” Lackley said before tossing his tablet to the guard.
“Unchain her, please,” Lackley ordered while picking his nails. “It would seem that I’ve already found an opportunity for you to fulfill your usefulness,” Lackley said to me as his gruff guard pulled me forward. “Come with us, Josiah, I’ve got a job for you, too.”
“Don’t do anything reckless,” Huxley said in an even tone as I was escorted out.
I felt hopeless and unsure of the situation while the guard guided me down a long, brightly-lit hallway. Stark white tile surrounded me, giving off a clinical feel. Josiah followed us in silence, and every time I tripped from my still sluggish movements, the guard would haul me back up, causing Josiah to let out a slight hiss.
Lackley chatted idly. “It’s a beautiful day outside, Ashleigh. The sunshine feels magnificent,” he said while kissing the tips of his fingers. I wondered why Lackley had a sudden interest in me, a Walker. “You know, when I told Josiah to bring you to the Capital, I really wanted to see just how important you were to Cyler. I was very pleased to find that you also captured Maverick’s heart. It was a bit of a test, you see.” My heart sank, and my shakiness no longer came from the drowsiness left behind by the drugs. It was pure terror that coursed through me now.
“Ash, I love gold. Probably more than I love my wife and three sons. But do you know what I love more than anything?” Lackley asked and looked at me pointedly, but I remained quiet. “You should speak when spoken to, Walker,” he growled out when I didn’t respond.
“Wh-what do you love more?” I stuttered.
“I love having power over someone,” emperorLackley said in a bright and cheery tone, as if the content of his words weren’t menacing.
Finally, after about five minutes of clumsy walking, I was guided into what looked like a lab. Computers and tables full of equipment filled every spare space. I peered around, wondering what I was doing here, when Maverick’s slumped form filled my line of site.
“Oh, Mav!” I exclaimed while pulling against the guard so that I could go to him. At the sound of my voice, Maverick perked up and his brown eyes met mine.
“Bringing her here isn’t going to make me work faster,” he gritted out through clenched teeth. Maverick flexed his arms, and I noticed electric metal cuffs around both his wrists. They were meant to shock its wearers into submission. Some families used them on their procured Walkers to discipline them .
“I think this little Walker is very motivating,” emperorLackley said. “Have you made any progress on the serum?”
“No. It’s way too complex. It has sequences I’ve never heard of, and the protein particles keep mutating. I don’t know what you want from me.” Maverick’s voice sounded hopeless, and I yearned to go to him.
“Yes, well that simply won’t do,” Lackley replied while putting on plastic gloves and walking over to a table. “I brought you