I reached out and took his hand.

His skin was cold, his grip incredibly weak.

“I’m here,” I said. “I found you.”

“You shouldn’t have come,” he whispered, trying to shake his head. “It’s a trap, Natalie.”

“I know,” I said. “But I’m not leaving you behind again.”

He looked past me, his eyes wide with fear as he saw the empty corridor.

“Where is your mother?” he asked.

“She isn’t coming, Dad,” I said. “She’s working with Voss. She wants to protect the project.”

A deep sigh escaped his chest, rattling in his throat.

“Of course,” he said, his voice laced with bitter regret. “Caroline always did care more about the legacy than the flesh and blood.”

“What did they do to you?” I asked, checking the monitors.

The heart rate was low, hovering in the low forties.

The automated drip systems next to the bed were powered down, their screens showing error messages.

“The serum,” he said, his fingers tightening slightly around mine. “They stopped the maintenance doses. My organs are shutting down.”