Free Radioactive by Maya Shepherd Page B

further. “He will forget who he is, where he comes from, and why he’s here.” A566 looks into my eyes and makes me shiver. “He will forget who he has met in life and who he loved.”
    He will forget me.
    â€œHe will forget who he was and who he is.”
    A350 interrupts him angrily. “No way. We have never tested it. We do not even know if it works.”
    A566 just shrugs his shoulders. “What difference does it make? Either he dies immediately or after surgery. If it does not work, at least he was given a chance to live.”
    â€œNo, I object,” A350 protests further. But A489 has other thoughts. “Why not? He attacked us, why not make it useful? After all, he came here at his own risk.”
    â€œThat’s disgusting! We are far from being able to test it on humans.”
    â€œBut imagine the possibilities! Those who do not know who we are cannot rebel against us,” A489 announces euphorically. He already sees a new opportunity to rob people of their humanity.
    â€œWhy do we not let her decide?” A566 looks at me. Am I capable of making this decision?
    I turn from the Legion commanders and look at Finn who never ceases in his fight against his bonds. Even if he knew they would break his arms and legs, he would not stop fighting. I know what decision he would make if given the choice. He would die rather than be a part of the Legion. He would never voluntarily give up his memories. They are what distinguished him. Without them, he would only be an empty shell.
    But I’m not Finn. And it is not his decision, but mine. “Let him forget.”
    â€œI knew she would like my suggestion,” A566 announces triumphantly.
    â€œBut first I want to see him again. Without glass. In the same room with him.”
    A566 shrugs. “There’s no problem with it to me, he won’t remember you after the surgery anyway.”
    The other commanders have nothing against it either, so they give me access to the operating room. Once Finn’s eyes are on me, I can see the spark in his eyes that will soon fade. He will forget the love he once felt for me.
    I kneel down beside him so we are on the same level. His head is so firmly fixed in place that he cannot turn to look at me. But I know that even if he could, he would not. He is too deep seated in his disappointment.
    I bow to him and whisper my parting words in his ear. “Do not forget me.”

08. DANGEROUS TRUST
    A ngry, I pace up and down in my room while the shallow light of the moon falls gently through the large windows. But I do not care for its beauty. The only thing that interests me at the moment is Finn. I wanted to stay by his side until he woke up, but the other Legion commanders have forbidden me from seeing him. Just thinking about how lonely Finn will be when he wakes up alone in a cold cell breaks my heart. I remember exactly how I felt when I woke up with a cold, gray blanket. But to him, it will be a thousand times worse, because if it’s true what they say, he will remember nothing of his previous life. To him, the first thing he will see is a cold blanket. I want to be with him and hold his hand. I want to put his head in my lap and whisper soft words into his ear. I want the first thing he sees to be my face. Perhaps then he would remember. I will not give up hope. We have experienced too much for it all to be taken away by a single operation.
    Nobody could tell me how long it would take for him to regain consciousness. Maybe he’s already awake, or maybe it will take hours. They will check on him in the morning. Then they will test his brain activity, it’s possible that during the surgery something went wrong and could have caused brain damage. That would be the worst thing to happen, so I try not to think about it.
    I know there is a chance I could see him. I knew it in the second they told me I was forbidden from staying with him. It is risky though, as I have to have