Us Deadly Few by Alexis Patton

Here is a summary with spoilers for Us Deadly Few by Alexis Patton

Khalani, Takeshi, Serene, Brock, Derek, Winnie, and Adan have just escaped Braderhelm Prison and discover that the world outside Apollo is not the uninhabitable wasteland they were taught it was. They travel across the Death-Zone, the ruined surface of the former United States, while dealing with extreme heat, limited food and water, sandstorms, abandoned settlements, and the dangers of the people who survived outside Apollo. Khalani is still struggling with everything she learned in the first book, particularly the discovery that Governor Huxley was not actually human but an artificial intelligence housed inside a mechanical body. This makes Khalani question her own humanity and whether her memories and emotions can be trusted. She begins examining herself for signs that she could also be artificial, while the group continues searching for information about Project Helix and the technology that existed before the Great Collapse. They have decided that their answers lay in a place called Hermes, and that is where they decide to go.

The journey quickly becomes dangerous. Winnie becomes increasingly sick, and the group has difficulty finding enough food, water, and medicine to keep her alive. Khalani refuses to abandon her, even when continuing the journey puts everyone else at risk. Takeshi remains protective of Khalani but deliberately keeps his emotional distance from her. Their relationship is complicated by the fact that they have already admitted their attraction to each other but have not fully resolved the mistrust and trauma between them. Takeshi repeatedly pushes Khalani away while simultaneously putting himself in danger to protect her. But at the same time there are multiple times that he will say things that insinuates he continues to have feelings for her. A major sandstorm separates the group and nearly kills several of them before they manage to reunite and continue toward Hermes. Along the way, Khalani finds evidence of the world that existed before the collapse, including a child's diary that describes ordinary life before the destruction. The discovery reinforces how much history has been lost and how much of what Khalani knows about the world has been controlled by the governments that survived.

The group eventually reaches Desert Spring, a fortified settlement on the surface. Instead of finding safety, they are treated as potential enemies and imprisoned while the settlement's leaders determine whether they are connected to the Sinners, a violent faction threatening the community. Desert Spring has its own strict rules and authoritarian systems, demonstrating to Khalani that escaping Apollo has not meant escaping oppression. While the group is improsioned, Khalani and Takeshi share a kiss and admit some feelings for each other. But then the Sinners eventually attack the settlement, forcing Khalani and the others to help defend it. Afterward, the Chief agrees to let the group continue toward Hermes, but Derek must remain behind as collateral while the others leave to obtain weapons that Desert Spring needs to protect themseleves from the Sinners. Khalani hates leaving Derek behind but understands that they cannot continue without the agreement. Derek also realzies it’s for the best, and wants the group to go on without him. During the journey away from Desert Spring, Khalani and Takeshi finally stop denying the attraction between them, and their relationship becomes physical. Their feelings for each other deepen even though neither has completely overcome the trauma and distrust that complicate their relationship.

When the group reaches Hermes, they discover an underground city that is dramatically different from Apollo and Desert Spring. Hermes contains casinos, entertainment, wealth, crime, and competing political factions. It is more openly chaotic than Apollo, but powerful groups still control the population. The group makes contact with the Hermes resistance, which agrees to help them in exchange for their assistance rescuing an important member named Jack. Khalani and Takeshi are assigned to infiltrate a prison operation and use the cover of being a married couple. Their mission leads them into another prison controlled by the Dealers, where they discover that the facility is being used for much more than imprisonment and forced labor. This then leads to the two of them being captured and taken prisoner in said prison. While there, the two share a cell and continue sharing their feelings for each other. Things get spicy for them, though Takeshi refuses to go all the way with her, not wanting their first time to be in a cell. 

The prison is controlled by Dr. Strauss, a scientist who conducts experiments on prisoners. The facility is divided between forced labor and a laboratory where selected prisoners are used as human test subjects. Strauss has access to advanced technology that survived the Great Collapse, including devices capable of controlling prisoners and manipulating their brains. Prisoners are fitted with electronic restraints and implants that can be used to incapacitate or control them. Strauss's experiments focus on altering the human brain so that a person's ability to resist commands and act independently can be suppressed. He specifically studies the temporal lobe and limbic system and attempts to interfere with the parts of the brain responsible for emotion, decision-making, and resistance. His goal is essentially to create people who can be controlled and compelled to obey.

Strauss takes a particular interest in Khalani. She is selected as one of his test subjects and taken to his laboratory, where she sees other prisoners being kept in glass pods filled with blue liquid. This causes panic for both Khlani and Takeshi as they are now seperated. Some of the subjects have already been severely damaged by the experiments. Strauss treats their physical deterioration and deaths as acceptable parts of his research. His methods are deliberately brutal because he uses technology that can repair the physical damage inflicted on a subject, allowing him to continue experimenting after injuries that would normally be fatal. He uses a serum and advanced medical equipment to keep prisoners alive, meaning that their bodies can repeatedly be damaged and repaired while Strauss records the results. The laboratory therefore becomes a cycle of experimentation, injury, recovery, and further experimentation.

Khalani is restrained while Strauss begins his procedure. He attempts to convince her that his work is necessary and that she will eventually understand its value, but Khalani recognizes that he does not care about her consent. He sees her as a test subject rather than a person. Strauss begins operating on her brain while she is conscious, causing extreme physical pain. He intends to damage specific parts of her neurological system while keeping her alive long enough to observe the effects. Khalani fights him as long as she can but eventually loses consciousness. When she wakes, the effects of the procedure and the psychological trauma remain with her. Strauss's experiments also provide evidence that the technology used to control human minds did not disappear with the old world. The same civilization that created artificial intelligence advanced enough to produce Governor Huxley also possessed technology capable of directly manipulating human brains.

While Khalani is being experimented on, Takeshi and the other prisoners begin organizing a rebellion. They discover that the Dealers' control systems can potentially be disabled and begin planning an escape. Takeshi becomes increasingly desperate to find Khalani after realizing that Strauss has taken her. His concern for her overrides his own safety, and he is willing to jeopardize the escape to reach her. The resistance outside the prison also prepares to attack. Eventually, the prisoners revolt, and violence spreads through the facility. Khalani escapes Strauss's laboratory with the help of Takeshi, while the prisoners fight the Dealers. Strauss's operation begins collapsing as his prisoners turn against him and the facility is overrun.

The escape is chaotic, and several people are injured or separated. Takeshi is seriously injured, and Khalani eventually loses sight of him. She believes he has died while helping her escape, and she feels like it is confirmed as she heard single gun shot as the rest of the group forces her to leave. The loss devastates her because she has finally admitted to herself how deeply she loves him. She returns to the others convinced that she has lost him, but also wants that proof and is willing to go back into the prison to find out if he is alive, and if he is still alive she plans on getting him out. However, the group needs her to move on, as there is still the larger mystery surrounding Project Helix has not been solved. The group also still needs to recover Derek and determine what happened to the technology and research that existed before the Great Collapse.

While investigating Hermes, Khalani and the others find a connection between the city and Prometheus Inc. A silver ring belonging to Elise's family contains the name “Prometheus Inc.,” and information recovered from Hermes points toward the company's former headquarters. Timothy Talbot's journal from the first book also referenced Prometheus and indicated that it could provide answers about Project Helix. The group therefore concludes that Prometheus is their next major destination. The surviving records suggest that Prometheus's scientists and employees were involved in the technological developments that preceded the collapse and may have knowledge about the experiments and artificial intelligence systems that Khalani has been trying to understand.

The group prepares to leave Hermes, but their plans are interrupted by another attack. During the attack, Khlani is shocked to see that Takeshi survived prison and he broke out himself. She runs to him. But instead of being reunited with the man she remembers, Khalani realizes that something has been done to him. Takeshi does not recognize her and wants to know how she knows his name.