AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Before Kate killed Edward Lonergan, he told her the key to removing the implants successfully,” I say as Dr. Grenoble washes her hands. Eyal opens a briefcase full of syringes, surgical tools and a series of nine small devices that could be mistaken for jewelry boxes. “The key is to remove them in the right order, and to fool the chips into thinking they’re still implanted.”
“It’s easier said than done,” Grenoble says, picking up the thread. “If what Lonergan told Kate is accurate, removing any one implant improperly will trigger the others. And if what he told her is wrong…”
“Wait,” says Timo. “This isn’t safe. I want the implants out, but there has to be another way.”
“You don’t have a choice,” I grunt. “Doctor, start with him.”
“These devices are the key,” she continues, pointing to the little boxes. “The insides of them are filled with ballistic gelatin, that will be heated to your precise internal body temperature at the site of injection.”
Eyal runs a signal scanner over Timo’s wrist, finding the implant. He draws a dot on Timo’s skin to mark the location.
“The cases also produce an electrical charge to mimic the one present within the body, and the interior releases sonic pulses, simulating a heartbeat. The plan is to remove the chips and seal them in these cases.”
The scanner releases a sharp squeal over Timo’s thigh; Eyal marks the spot.
“If I apply the procedure properly and the information we have is correct, you will not be harmed, Mr. Thor.”
Finally, Eyal waves the device past Timo’s neck, finding and marking the final implant.
Grenoble picks up a syringe and says, “I’m ready, Mr Dent.”
“Is that going to knock me out?” Timo asks.
“No, it’s just Novocaine,” says Grenoble.
“Could you knock me out?”
“No,” I snarl. “If this doesn’t work, I want you to feel it.”
“Fuck you, Ingram.”
“Doctor, you can skip the anesthetic,” I say.
Grenoble laughs.
“It’s my medical opinion that I can’t,” she replies, injecting Timo’s wrist. “Look upward or shut your eyes, Mr. Thor. Don’t watch what I’m doing.”
“Fuck,” he mumbles, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling.
Eyal, Lincoln and I watch the doctor works in silence, giving her the tools she needs whenever asked. Despite her age, she still has a steady hand, making precise incisions. She has the first implant out within minutes: Eyal holds open the first container to Timo’s skin so Grenoble can slowly pull out the implant using a pair of forceps and immediately transfer it into the hot gelatin. Once it’s inside, Eyal seals the device.
It’s a good start.
The implants in his thigh and neck take more time: she has to be careful around his femoral artery and spinal column. However, within an hour she completes the procedures, and Eyal has safely stowed all three implants in the cases.
Timo smiles, his face flushing red with relief.
“It’s going to be okay,” he says to Lincoln. “Thank you. Thank you, thank you!”
“Relax,” she says. “Don’t tear your stitches.”
She moves on to Lincoln, who focuses on me, brows furrowed in suspicion. He doesn’t argue, though, allowing Grenoble to anesthetize him and perform the operation. She builds up a sweat, perhaps growing tired; Eyal dabs her brow with a cloth, but working on the last implant, her hand starts to waver.
“Doctor, are you okay?” I ask her.
“I’m fine,” she says. “Almost done.”
However, Lincoln begins to breathe heavily.
