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A man I assumed must be on Julius’s staff escorted me to the dining room, where dinner proceeded much like the first one we’d had. We ate and drank rich food and wine, and Julius droned on about how my performance was turning the tide of public opinion, how I was exceeding expectations. It frankly turned my stomach, but I let him think I appreciated the praise, if only because I wanted him to fulfill the promise he’d made at our first dinner and answer my questions.

I didn’t ask him about my father. That would’ve tipped him off too much. But knowing more about the history of the compounds felt like an important step towards understanding the circumstances that resulted in my father’s death. Speaking with Julius had opened my eyes to how little I truly knew about the place I’d once thought of as home.

Instead, I said, feigning a coy smile, “You promised me you’d answer questions.”

“I did,” Julius replied indifferently, sipping on his third glass of wine. “Do you think you’ve been good enough this week to earn that kind of privilege?”

I wanted to retch, but I replied, “I’ve done all that has been required of me.” Then I tried a little flattery—just enough to butter him up without overdoing it. “I know your time is in short supply, but I’ve just been…very curious about what you told me last time. About starting the Omega Corporation, and its mission.”

He leveled his gaze, and I forced myself not to look away as he inspected my expression.

“Its mission,” he said silkily, “was the same as all companies of the time: deliver value to shareholders.”

“And did it?”

“I should say so. Our innovations in human enhancement—both before and after the Fall—provided value far beyond simple wealth.”

That caught my attention. “Human enhancement, sir?” It boiled my blood to call him that, but it was more subtle flattery and deference, which was his weakness. The slight lift of his eyebrows told me I’d gotten it right. “I don’t quite understand. Do you mean our implants?”

He inclined his head. “That was one of our less ambitious projects, yes.”

Less ambitious. Nervous excitement was alive inside me, though I wasn’t certain why except that I felt on the cusp of something important.

“And your more ambitious projects?”

He sat back in his chair, studying me. Finally, he said, “I’ll answer your question with a question: during your time in the Wasteland, among the barbarians, did you happen to encounter primitive gangs? Ones who subsisted, at least in part, on human flesh?”

Whatever I had been expecting to hear, it wasn’t that, and surprise loosened my tongue before I could carefully consider a response. “Yes. They nearly killed me.”

Julius gave a huff of amusement. “Oh dear. That is unfortunate.” As usual, however, he didn’t sound the least bit sympathetic. Rather, his tone had turned predatory, and a bad feeling swelled in the pit of my stomach. His amusement was always a portent for misery.

“Why do you ask?” I fidgeted with handfuls of my skirt.

His answering smile was like that of a predator scenting blood.

“Have you never asked yourself, Claire, how in a single generation, a group of people could regress to their baser instincts so rapidly? How they could become so utterly out of touch with their humanity?”

Of course I had. I still had the occasional nightmare about being trapped at the bottom of the pit that John had rescued me from. But as there had been no answers, and no apparent way to get them, I’d tried to put it out of my mind. When I remembered that day, I focused on meeting John for the first time, and the way he saved me. It was the only way to keep the more terrifying memories at bay.

Evidently, the question had been rhetorical, because Julius didn’t miss a beat when I didn’t respond.

“It was initially intended as an experiment, you see,” he said, twirling his wineglass. “Shortly after the Fall. Once we had the compounds up and running, we wanted to continue our work—our vision. We continued the projects we’d had in development prior. In fact, Regenerex was the result of one of those projects, and has saved many lives since.”

I could sense there was a but in there somewhere, but I held my tongue. I didn’t want to interrupt the flow of his words and risk him clamming up again.

“But we aimed higher, as we always did,” he continued, with a strange tinge of pride in his voice. “Not all experiments are a success, however. When we experimented with growing our own enhanced humans, it had…undesirable outcomes.”

Despite my resolve, I couldn’t mask my shock. “Growing enhanced humans?”

Julius chuckled. “Don’t sound so surprised. You already know our knowledge of biotechnology is vast. Your own husband knew about some of these experiments—all medical personnel did, because much of it became relevant to medicine eventually.”

I shifted in my seat, then said in a hollow voice, “So, how does one go about growing humans, then?”

“With great difficulty,” he answered, chuckling again. “Genes were carefully selected, and ideal conditions created. We tried initially with artificial wombs, but none of the fetuses made it to viability, so we experimented with implantation into a living host.”

Also known as a person, I thought miserably. I doubted there was any consent involved.

“The ultimate goal was to create a better soldier—stronger, faster, more agile, and less bogged down by complex thought,” Julius said with a wistful sigh, like he was recalling an old lover with fondness. “Also, to shorten the lengthy time it takes a human being to grow up. In just a decade after the Fall, we had fully-grown men and women, theoretically ready to become the soldiers we intended.”