Chapter 4

The lobby of the research hospital was packed.

I pulled my cap low, kept clear of everyone's eyes, and headed straight for the VIP elevator.

Up to the brain-computer interface core lab on the top floor.

Dr. Dickerson, the lead surgeon, was in his office going over files.

I pushed the door open and locked it behind me.

He looked up and adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses.

"Miss Fox? Weren't you just discharged? Why are you wrapped up like that?"

I walked to the desk, planted both hands on it, and stared him down.

"Dr. Dickerson, run a deep scan of my brain-chip right now. I want to see the raw code at the lowest level."

His brow furrowed, and his tone turned serious.

"Miss Fox, the underlying code is the hospital's trade secret. You don't have the clearance to view it. And your surgery was a complete success. There's no need to—"

"Cut the excuses!"

I slammed my palm on the desk.

"If there's nothing wrong with my surgery, then why does everyone who sees my eyes fall to pieces? What exactly did you put in my eyes?"

He blinked, then his face twisted into something like disbelief.

"Miss Fox, are you sure the stress after the operation isn't getting to you? The bionic eyes are just a micro-transistor that receives light signals and converts them to electrical ones. There's no way they could cause what you're describing."

"You don't believe me?"

I let out a cold laugh and reached up to pull off my goggles.

That startled him. He waved his hands quickly.

"Wait! I'll run the scan! Just calm down!"

He led me into the sterile scan room in back.

I lay on the scan bed, my head locked inside a huge ring-shaped machine.

"The machine will read all the data from your optic nerve interface and project it onto the big screen outside."

Dr. Dickerson worked the console beyond the glass wall.

The scan began.

The machine let out a low hum.

I felt a faint prickling deep in my eyeballs.

Just then a nurse pushed the door open and came into the control room carrying a medicine tray.

"Dr. Dickerson, here's the—"

Before she could finish, she glanced up out of habit, at the huge screen on the wall showing the raw data from my eyes.

One glance.

The stainless steel tray in her hands hit the floor with a clang.

Both hands clamped around her own throat, her eyes bulging, her face going a dark purplish red.

"Fire... so much fire... I'm going to burn to death... help me!"

The nurse shrieked and thrashed across the floor, clawing at her own face with her nails, tearing several bloody streaks into her skin.

Dr. Dickerson went white and rushed over to pin her down.

"Kate! What's wrong with you?"

The commotion in the control room brought the security guards outside.

Four burly guards rushed in.

They saw the horror on the floor, then saw me lying on the scan bed.

"She released a nerve agent! Restrain her!"

The security captain roared, yanked out his baton, and lunged at me.

Panicked, I tried to explain.

"I didn't! Don't look at the screen!"

But it was already too late.

The guard dragged me off the bed, and the baton came down hard on the back of my head.

The pain hit, my vision went black, and I lost consciousness completely.