Hector Amani

Hector Amani on the cover of Masterminds

"*Why are you so shocked? You've always sort of known that the only person who cares about you is you. Even among the Serenity "parents" yours were the only ones who couldn't manage to work up any affection for the baby clone they were given to raise!*"
—Hector Amani, *Criminal Destiny*

**Hector Amani** is cloned from notorious swindler C.J. Rackoff as a result of Project Osiris, an experiment designed by scientist Felix Hammerstrom and internet billionaire Tamara Dunleavy (although the latter quit before it was executed).

Hector was raised by two surrogate parents, Tina and Peter Amani, in the artificial town of Serenity, New Mexico, and grew up believing that they were his biological parents. After the end of Osiris, he was adopted by Tamara and went to live in her mansion in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, along with the ten other Osiris clones. When the school year began, Hector attended the middle school in Jackson Hole as an eighth grader.

## Biography

A sample of DNA was taken from swindler C. J. Rackoff by Felix Hammerstrom, who used it to clone him for Project Osiris. The result was placed inside Tina Amani, his host mother, and Hector Amani was born on February 15, 2003, in the fabricated community of Serenity, New Mexico. There, he was raised by Tina and Peter Amani, becoming best friends with Malik Bruder and often doing his friend’s homework and chores.

On July 29th, 2005, Hector had a brain scan. At three or four years old, he was playing in his sandbox when a diamondback approached him. His surrogate father rushed to him and scooped him up after the snake left, and Hector overheard Tina referring to him as “valuable” that night, taking it to mean he was loved.

At six years old, Hector and Malik were each given a big electric car to play with. When trying to teach himself to ride a bike, Hector dented his garage door, but the damage was fixed the same day. Once, he lost his father’s favorite toilet snake and was prohibited from watching TV, so he went to Malik’s house to watch I Love Lucy.

### *Masterminds*

#### Hanging out with Malik Bruder

When Malik Bruder told the other kids that he would leave Serenity for New York City as soon as he could, Hector pleaded that people would take advantage of him. One day, Hector was given a skateboard and rode it clumsily towards Malik, who took him to steep Fellowship Hill. While speeding down, a traffic cone truck emerged from the Plastics Works, blocking his way, and Malik tackled him to safety after Hector was too afraid to jump. Although Hector’s nose bled on the traffic cones, he insisted he was fine, but Malik still took him to his father’s doctor’s office.

While in the park to work on his and Malik’s Serenity Day project, Hector observed Stanley Cole and his family but felt uncomfortable by their amusement at everything.

#### Sneaking into the Plastics Works

During an electrical storm, which Hector enjoyed, Eli Frieden was taken ill a second time. Hector was uncertain, afraid he was contagious. Soon after, they learned that Eli was never sick, but that Felix Hammerstrom and Henry Bruder had attempted to wipe his memory of a letter from Randy. When Eli, Tori and Malik went to investigate the Plastics Works, Hector followed, not wanting to be left behind. Furious, Malik lunged at him, but Hector was pleased he could be included and was the first to realize that the Serenity internet was tampered with.

Later, while attempting to take photos of the factory using a camera attached to a kite, they were caught by Dr. Bruder, but Hector quickly lied and saved them. That night, they examined the photos, and Hector realized there was a lower part to the roof that could be used to get in.

The Bruders’ kitchen faucet broke the night they broke into the factory, so Malik went to fetch Hector and his father, the plumber. They managed to sneak out, but while scaling the gate, Hector’s pants got stuck and he had to temporarily take them off. After climbing onto the roof, Hector led Eli and Tori into the air vent. When he almost fell through a grate, Eli pulled him up, possibly saving his life.

In the factory, Hector realized it lacked material or equipment, deducing that area to be a cover. They found monitors showing cameras around town, as well as the printing press for *The Pax*, Serenity’s local newspaper, and eleven whiteboards detailing the lives of each Project Osiris subject. When a Surety member approached, the kids escaped back through an air duct. Hector squeezed past the others to cover up the grating and was relieved when they made it out.

Each day after that, they discussed their observations with each other. When researching Osiris, Eli found an article about the project itself, realizing it was referring to them and that they were clones of criminal masterminds. Because of this, Hector came up with the idea to escape Serenity.

#### Escaping Serenity

At night, they biked off and were followed by Amber Laska, who had discovered their intentions. However, they fell ill after reaching the border as the computer chip implanted into their necks for Project Osiris affected them, and were rescued by Mrs. Delaney, who helped them return home without being caught. Later, Malik discovered the satellite dish on a traffic cone truck, which was part of how they were affected by the barrier.

They left the park during the Serenity Day fireworks, Eli and Malik attempting to destroy the satellite dish and Hector, Tori and Amber soon joining them. As they reached the barrier, they became ill again, but Eli accelerated the truck. Paralyzed with fear, Hector was the last to jump off before the truck exploded. He was knocked out by a tree, which kept him from rolling down the hill but also led to the others believing he had died after being unable to find him.

#### Fending for himself

Hector later woke up to a splitting headache, realizing that his friends had gone on without him. Although he yelled at the top of his lungs, they didn’t hear him, leaving Hector alone. He climbed a tree in the woods to avoid being spotted by the Surety and stayed there for a while, eating berries and attempting to catch rabbits.

He eventually returned to Serenity, only to find that most of its residents had either traveled to Poseidon Resort and Water Park or scattered elsewhere. He cut a deal with the Surety to help capture his friends, and soon realized he had been cloned from swindler C. J. Rackoff, whose name he found in his mother’s diary. After discovering where he was imprisoned, Hector gathered money and hitchhiked to the Kefauver Federal Detention Facility, telling people he was trying to get home so that they would help him.

### *Criminal Destiny*

#### Breaking out C. J. Rackoff

Near Kefauver, Hector found the Tumbleweed Inn and spotted Eli, Tori, Amber and Malik inside. While trying to make sure it was really them, the others mistook him for an enemy until Malik realized it was Hector, stopping Eli from injuring him. They hugged and told each other their story, although Hector left out the fact that he had encountered the Surety in Serenity.

C. J. Rackoff recognized him to be his clone upon sight, telling them that Felix Hammerstrom had visited him years ago to convince him to take part in Project Osiris. Rackoff then asked them to break him out of jail in return for his help in proving Project Osiris’s existence.

Hector and Tori passed through security the next day to have a picnic with Rackoff, telling him about their plan. Rackoff pretended he was having an allergic reaction and was taken inside, where he slid into the laundry chute and hid among the mailbags heading out of the prison.

However, the Surety arrived after they passed the gate, and Rackoff revealed that Hector had made a deal with them back in Serenity. Hector refused to admit they were the same person and attempted to apologize to Malik as the other kids escaped. He and Rackoff were picked up by the Surety and taken to Poseidon Resort and Water Park, where many of the other Serenity residents were.

### *Payback*

#### At Poseidon

Eli, Tori, Amber and Malik managed to sneak into the water park to rescue the remaining Osiris clones, and it was there that Hector found them. After a brief scuffle with Malik, Hector managed to convince Robbie Miers of Project Osiris and helped find and convince the other clones—Ben Stastny, Freddie Cinta, Margaret Rauha, Penelope Sonas, and Aldwin Wo.

After running to the beach and recruiting Aldwin, C. J. Rackoff and two Surety members attempted to stop them, but Malik quickly knocked out Rackoff. When Hector almost fell into the water, Malik helped him back aboard the inner tube, and they ran into the hotel.

There, they met Felix Hammerstrom, who pointed a pistol at Eli. Eli raised his hands and argued, but Hammerstrom pulled the trigger just as Hector slammed into him, jarring his arm. As a result, the bullet shattered the lobby’s fish tank and a manta ray crushed Hammerstrom, killing him. The bullet also grazed Hector’s cheek, and Malik embraced him for his heroic actions, forgiving his friend for betraying them earlier.

#### After Project Osiris

Tamara Dunleavy, a billionaire who had cofounded Project Osiris and who Eli, Tori, Amber and Malik had met earlier, then took the eleven clones to her home on her private jet. Although Project Osiris was over, they had to pretend it never happened, an idea which Hector was against. However, he began school in September as an eighth grader at the middle school in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

## Personality and traits

Hector started out as the wimp of the group, needing to prove himself just to help investigate the "something screwy" of Serenity. He complained a lot and was kind of a pushover. However, Hector is also extremely intelligent due to his DNA and had been described to have a stratospheric IQ.

At the end of *Criminal Destiny*, we see a new side of Hector: the clone of C.J. Rackoff, professional swindler. He betrayed his friends by revealing their location to the Surety when he returned to Serenity and believed that the others had left him behind.

In Hector's only chapter in *Payback*, there was a bit of an explanation behind his actions, and he redeemed himself by helping convince the other clones about Project Osiris and slammed into Felix Hammerstrom when he attempts to shoot Eli Frieden in the hotel lobby of Poseidon Resort and Water Park, indirectly killing him when the bullet breaks the fish tank.

## Physical description

Hector is small and skinny for his age (hence the nickname Malik gave him, Shrimp) and the kind of person who never looks you directly in the eye. He has a scar where Felix Hammerstrom's bullet grazed his cheek. Hector also has bad posture and bony elbows and knees, as well as big ears that Malik occasionally made fun of.

## Relationships

### Family

Hector's surrogate father, Peter Amani, was the only handyman in Serenity for eighty miles. Tina Amani, his surrogate mother, was said to be an executive at the Plastics Works; however, that turned out to be a lie. Both parents were supportive of Project Osiris. They were known to not love Hector very much, raising him more like an experiment than a son.

When Hector was just three or four years old, Hector was found by a diamondback snake and his life was saved by Peter Amani. Peter later implied that he had hesitated because he was unwilling to get bitten himself, and Tina referred to him as valuable, although just because he was part of a unique experiment. Hector also stated that his surrogate parents often yelled and rolled their eyes at him or grounded him for a minor thing that wasn't his fault.

#### C. J. Rackoff

"*He's a jerk. Which might actually mean that I'm a jerk. That wouldn't surprise me.*"
—Hector Amani, *Criminal Destiny*

As a result of Hector being an exact genetic copy of C. J. Rackoff, they share many physical and personality traits. However, he didn't like Rackoff very much, as he describes the latter as a jerk shortly after meeting him for the first time. Hector helped Rackoff and the Surety capture his friends after breaking him out of prison, and they thought in very similar ways.

### Friends

#### Malik Bruder

"*We seem really different, but the truth is, Malik and I have a ton in common.*"
—Hector Amani describing his and Malik's relationship, *Masterminds*

Hector and Malik are best friends. They were said to have a lot in common, such as their love for hot dogs, the fact that neither of their fathers worked in the Plastics Works, and they didn't love their hometown that much even before they learned of Project Osiris. Hector always did Malik's homework and chores for him and while in Serenity and looked up to him. Malik was devastated when he believed Hector to be dead, and didn't completely forgive him for his betrayal until Project Osiris was officially over and Hector had saved Eli Frieden's life before he could be shot by Felix Hammerstrom.

## Trivia

* He loved double chocolate brownies, peanut butter cookies, as well as anything else Malik's mother, Ellen Bruder, cooked.
* Hector is Osiris 11, making him the youngest clone.
* Amani is Swahili for *peace.*
* Portrayed by Maxwell Glick in the audiobook.
* He is the only character in the trilogy whose exact birthday is known.
* Hector is the most intelligent clone out of the five that originally escaped Serenity.
* In a reply to his forum, Gordon Korman once stated that Hector's height is 4'9". However, Malik implies that Hector is 4'6" when they discuss who he might be cloned from.

## References

1. ↑ *Masterminds*, Chapter 18 (*Eli Frieden*)