Specimen(87)

Riley sits up straighter and leans forward to get a better look as part of the hologram lights up in red.

“You see these strands?” Errol says. “They’re very small—almost undetectable—but they’re there, and they aren’t part of the design. His brain is connecting to the implants in completely new ways. The repair design seems to have gone into overload, and it’s created new connections. I can’t even tell what they’re doing.”

“Is that why I remember who I am, and the others don’t?”

“I don’t think so,” Errol says. “That has to do with the original defect—there’s something mechanically wrong with the memory net. Basically, there’s always been a hole in it; it’s just gotten bigger as you remembered more. Eventually, it broke down completely.”

“So, what is it doing?” Riley asks. “What information is being transmitted through the new connections?”

“I can’t tell exactly,” Errol says, “but considering how everything is connected, I think it all has to do with you. I know the specimens are all supposed to bond with their doctors so you can control them, but this…this is way beyond that.”

I watch Riley’s reaction, but she doesn’t look at me. She stares at the hologram, transfixed. I reach over and take her hand again, but she doesn’t move.

I don’t know what to think of the information Errol Spat has provided.

“They’re supposed to be emotionless,” Anna says. She directs Errol to highlight a different part of the implant. “All of these connections are targeting his amygdala and hippocampus—the emotional centers of the brain.”

“Those should be shut down chemically,” Errol says. “Only rage and aggression are supposed to remain.”

“Galen’s not emotionless though, is he?” Anna looks between Riley and me, and Riley shakes her head.

A hard ball forms in my stomach and works its way up to my chest. I don’t want to hear any more of this. I know where it’s leading, and I don’t want anyone telling me some malfunction in the implant is the reason I love Riley.

“Let’s get back to the real question here,” Cross says. “Can we remove the implants?”

“Not a chance,” Errol says. “There’s no way to do that without killing him. We can, however, render them inert. It’s a better solution anyway since removal requires access to the specimens and actual surgery. Making the implants inactive is something we can design and potentially be able to activate remotely.”

“You want to give me an off switch?” I stare at Errol.

“We want to determine if you can be reverted to the way you were before you were forced into Project Mindstorm,” Anna says.

“The information your diagnostics provided us with is very helpful, Galen,” Merle says. “If we can understand how to turn it off or reverse it, we can fix the other men in your position.”

“I can’t help you fight a war if you change me back.”

“Is there even a war?” Merle raises his hands and tilts them upward in an exaggerated shrug. “There are attacks on supply lines, cyber battles over intelligence information, but there hasn’t been an actual hostile takeover of any territory for years. That’s why Project Mindstorm is so important to Mills.”

“He’s right,” Riley says. “That was the whole idea behind it—create a small group of soldiers who can get behind enemy lines and do major damage. Mills has the more advanced technology, but the Carson Alliance has always had the resources and the numbers to counter offensive movements.”

“The Carson Alliance and the Mills Conglomerate have been at a stalemate for a decade,” Merle says. “Project Mindstorm is the first real threat either side has developed since the beginning. It’s the first real offensive advantage for Mills, which is why we can’t let it be successful.”

“Mills is desperate for resources,” Riley says. “It’s not a subject I know a lot about, but it’s definitely always in the back of everyone’s minds.”

“Are you running out of food there?” Anna asks.

“It’s not so much food,” Riley says. “Synthetics do work, Anna, but there are other components we can’t synthesize as easily. Carson controls the mining facilities for the minerals needed for the tech division. Without those resources, we have trouble keeping up with demand. Some of the smaller provinces are suffering.”

Even with my memoires intact, I don’t have a lot of knowledge about the details of the war, and I can barely follow the discussion.