"Not
destroyed." I have this odd feeling that he lives half inside himself,
and now is one of those times when he's more in his brain than with us. He
shakes himself. "I think the information is still there. It's just...
not accessible to us. Not this way."
"OK..." I'm starting to get a little impatient,
and I wish they'd just explain it all. Obviously they've been mulling this
over for a couple of hours, but they seem hesitant. That makes me nervous.
Spec must suddenly realize my frustration, because he blurts
it out. "We need to remove the chip. Then Coder should be able to find a
way to access the information."
I stop, breathe, cross my arms, and look at him.
"Remove the chip."
Jonas looks dubious. He shakes his head a little—some doubt
intermingled in the gesture.
Celine, behind him, looks ready to kill. She turns her gaze
on Spec and Coder, and I swear her eyes are throwing daggers.
Spec deliberately avoids her gaze, but does not shy away
from meeting mine. "It's probably the only way to get the information.
...And we need that information."
I consider him for a moment, narrowing my eyes, tilting my
head. I tap one finger on my arm. "You want to cut open my head."
"Minimally," Coder interjects. "It would be
a small incision."
Spec jumps back in. "You've done it before."
"She had one put in before," Celine hisses
through clenched teeth. "And you said it could stay there. You said it wouldn't be a problem."
"It's not a problem," I say. "Except that we
want to know what's on it."
They all turn and look at me.
Now my teeth are clenched. I take a deep breath in and out
through my nose. Then I say, very calmly, "What the hell?"
Jonas' hand is on my arm again. "Eden," he says
gently, trying to soothe me. But my look lets him know he better spit it out.
He does. "It could cause problems if we don't remove it. It's damaged,
and who knows what could happen?"
I methodically remove my arm from his grip and spend another
moment tapping my fingers on my bicep. Thinking. Obviously, they've convinced
Jonas that this is necessary, and I trust him fully, even if I don't trust
them. But who's to say that the chip does need to be removed? It could
be a ploy to make me willing to undergo the brain surgery—to get them the
information they want. But it would seem that Lily trusted them. I mean, she
let them put the chip there, right? Only, that's a touch nuts if you
ask me. Maybe Lily was a nutter. Or maybe she didn't have a choice.
All these thoughts are too much. I'm suddenly unsteady.
Weak. A touch nauseous. I must even go a little pale, because Jonas reaches
out to steady me.
"I need to rest," I whisper, and my voice sounds
pitifully strangled, which is convenient because no one is going to argue with
me.
Spec nods, moving toward the door. "Alright. But this
doesn't leave this room." He looks from face to face. Coder and Celine
nod begrudgingly.
Jonas ignores him entirely, leading me out the door.
"Are you OK to walk? I can carry you."
I wave him off, taking him by the arm, instead. "That
wouldn't do much for keeping our little secret," I murmur. Honestly, I
would love for him to carry me. To just rest against him. But I force one
foot in front of the other. We take it slow, and we make it all the way down
the street, up to our apartment, and we shut everything and everyone else out.
I collapse onto the bed and he sits beside me, brushing back
my hair.
"How do they even know that their information didn't
get erased?" I murmur. I can't believe how tired I am.
"There was some," Jonas explains. He takes my
hand in his and strokes it. "They got some broken pieces of data. Coder
says he'll take a look at it, but he's pretty sure it's incomplete."
"Hmph." I consider it for a moment, but I can
feel sleep coming for me again. I blink suddenly awake. "We need to
talk, Jonas."
He shakes his head, his gaze so
destroyed." I have this odd feeling that he lives half inside himself,
and now is one of those times when he's more in his brain than with us. He
shakes himself. "I think the information is still there. It's just...
not accessible to us. Not this way."
"OK..." I'm starting to get a little impatient,
and I wish they'd just explain it all. Obviously they've been mulling this
over for a couple of hours, but they seem hesitant. That makes me nervous.
Spec must suddenly realize my frustration, because he blurts
it out. "We need to remove the chip. Then Coder should be able to find a
way to access the information."
I stop, breathe, cross my arms, and look at him.
"Remove the chip."
Jonas looks dubious. He shakes his head a little—some doubt
intermingled in the gesture.
Celine, behind him, looks ready to kill. She turns her gaze
on Spec and Coder, and I swear her eyes are throwing daggers.
Spec deliberately avoids her gaze, but does not shy away
from meeting mine. "It's probably the only way to get the information.
...And we need that information."
I consider him for a moment, narrowing my eyes, tilting my
head. I tap one finger on my arm. "You want to cut open my head."
"Minimally," Coder interjects. "It would be
a small incision."
Spec jumps back in. "You've done it before."
"She had one put in before," Celine hisses
through clenched teeth. "And you said it could stay there. You said it wouldn't be a problem."
"It's not a problem," I say. "Except that we
want to know what's on it."
They all turn and look at me.
Now my teeth are clenched. I take a deep breath in and out
through my nose. Then I say, very calmly, "What the hell?"
Jonas' hand is on my arm again. "Eden," he says
gently, trying to soothe me. But my look lets him know he better spit it out.
He does. "It could cause problems if we don't remove it. It's damaged,
and who knows what could happen?"
I methodically remove my arm from his grip and spend another
moment tapping my fingers on my bicep. Thinking. Obviously, they've convinced
Jonas that this is necessary, and I trust him fully, even if I don't trust
them. But who's to say that the chip does need to be removed? It could
be a ploy to make me willing to undergo the brain surgery—to get them the
information they want. But it would seem that Lily trusted them. I mean, she
let them put the chip there, right? Only, that's a touch nuts if you
ask me. Maybe Lily was a nutter. Or maybe she didn't have a choice.
All these thoughts are too much. I'm suddenly unsteady.
Weak. A touch nauseous. I must even go a little pale, because Jonas reaches
out to steady me.
"I need to rest," I whisper, and my voice sounds
pitifully strangled, which is convenient because no one is going to argue with
me.
Spec nods, moving toward the door. "Alright. But this
doesn't leave this room." He looks from face to face. Coder and Celine
nod begrudgingly.
Jonas ignores him entirely, leading me out the door.
"Are you OK to walk? I can carry you."
I wave him off, taking him by the arm, instead. "That
wouldn't do much for keeping our little secret," I murmur. Honestly, I
would love for him to carry me. To just rest against him. But I force one
foot in front of the other. We take it slow, and we make it all the way down
the street, up to our apartment, and we shut everything and everyone else out.
I collapse onto the bed and he sits beside me, brushing back
my hair.
"How do they even know that their information didn't
get erased?" I murmur. I can't believe how tired I am.
"There was some," Jonas explains. He takes my
hand in his and strokes it. "They got some broken pieces of data. Coder
says he'll take a look at it, but he's pretty sure it's incomplete."
"Hmph." I consider it for a moment, but I can
feel sleep coming for me again. I blink suddenly awake. "We need to
talk, Jonas."
He shakes his head, his gaze so
Similar Books
