Chapter 62 · Gene Bound

"Cain!" Lila screamed.

Tomas's fist was already coming down.

Cain twisted between them and caught the blow against his forearm. The impact cracked through the lab hard enough to rattle the glass tanks. His boots slid across the floor. Tomas didn't even pause. He drove his shoulder into Cain's chest and shoved him through a steel table.

"Get away from my sister!" Tomas roared.

"Tomas, look at me!" Lila grabbed the control unit from the floor. Her thumb found the red switch. "It's me. Lila. You know me."

Tomas's head snapped toward her.

For half a second, his face was his again.

Then the black lines under his skin lit up.

His jaw clenched. "Run."

"No."

"Run, Lila!"

The speakers above them clicked.

Silas's voice slid through the lab, calm and pleased. "Press the switch, little scavenger. You know what it does."

Lila tightened her grip. "Shut up."

"Your brother's nervous system is linked to the same command lattice as Cain's. One pulse stops Tomas's motor control. A second pulse stops his heart. You don't get to pick which one the machine sends."

Cain shoved the broken table away and rose. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.