Read Online Mindwalker by AJ Steiger - Free Book Online Page A

bother you?”
    â€œI dunno. It’s just … kind of weird.”
    â€œI understand. But that particular technology has been around for a while now, actually. We’ve been able to pinpoint memories in the brain and translate neural impulses into images since the early part of the twenty-first century, but until the past decade, it’s been exclusively research-based. Then, once the first Mindgate was built, it allowed us to target and ablate specific cell clusters using a form of—” I stop and give him a small, embarrassed smile. “Sorry. If you let me, I’ll ramble about this stuff for hours. I know this doesn’t mean anything to you. … ”
    â€œWhat,” he says, a hint of defensiveness in his tone, “you think I’m not smart enough to understand it?”
    â€œIt’s not that. It’s just … it’s all very specialized and kind of, well, nerdy. Not many people
want
to hear about it.” I pause. “So you
do
understand it?”
    His ears redden. “Sort of.” He clears his throat. “So how long does it take?”
    â€œThe whole process will take around six sessions, each a few hours long. We can start tonight, if you want.”
    â€œTonight?” His eyes go a bit glassy.
    â€œYes.” I shift, feeling suddenly unsure of myself. “Is that acceptable?”
    â€œYeah. It’s just … I didn’t think this was really gonna happen.” He exhales slowly through his nose. His eyes are unfocused, fixed on a point somewhere beyond me. “I guess by now, you know what happened to me. Not exactly a secret, is it? It was plastered all over the news. Anyone can plug my name into a search engine and find out the whole story.”
    I swallow, trying to dislodge the rock in my throat. “Yes.” Six months in a killer’s basement. Tortured.
    I’ve dealt with so many traumatized people in my training. By now, it ought to be easier. I ought to have the right words. But somehow, I never do. “I’m sorry.”
    â€œFor what?”
    â€œEverything.”
    He looks at me. The flesh around his eyes is so dark, it looks bruised. Exhausted eyes. War-scarred soldier eyes. Hungry waif eyes. “You’re a nice girl, aren’t you?”
    I can’t read his tone, but somehow, I don’t get the impression he’s trying to compliment me. “I guess so.”
    â€œPeople have probably told you that you shouldn’t get mixed up with a guy like me.”
    â€œYes, actually.”
    He smiles thinly, without humor. “Well, they’re right. If you want to change your mind, now’s the time.”
    My palms are damp with sweat. Is this really the right thing to do? I can tell myself that I’m saving his life, but if I become a full-fledged Mindwalker, I’ll have the chance to save many more lives. If I’m caught, it all ends. Am I really being selfless, or just reckless?
    Slowly, I set down my cup. “May I ask you a question?”
    â€œGo ahead.”
    â€œDid you really get expelled from your last school for biting a piece of skin from another boy’s face?”
    His eyes turn cold. “Yeah. I did.”
    â€œWhy did you do that?”
    He holds my gaze. “Because he raped someone. Someone I cared about.”
    My pulse quickens. “Is that why they put the collar on you?”
    â€œThat’s why.”
    A school of silvery holographic fish flits by us, leaving a trail of bubbles that fade to nothing. Above our heads, a huge sea turtle glides slowly past.
    â€œI don’t understand,” I say. “Why wasn’t
he
collared? After what he did—”
    â€œWho was going to listen to me?” His hands curl into fists, knuckles whitening. “He was the superintendent’s son—good grades, star athlete, all that crap. And me? I was already a Three when it happened. People were just going to dismiss whatever I