Mindsiege (Mindspeak #2)(65)

“Data center?”

“Sandra or her agents are able to send out instructions over any cell network. The messages are collected here. The device itself then sends out radio waves throughout the brain.”

“Giving them complete control of whoever has one,” I whispered.

Jonas tilted his head side to side. “More or less.”

“But in your case, she doesn’t have as much control as she wants.”

“More like as much control as she thinks she has. She uses Ty or another clone to get to me fully and to disguise the invasion. Fortunately, she hasn’t realized that I’m learning to detect when another presence tries to take over my mind.”

“You’ve found a way to keep Ty out.”

“Mostly.” He flashed me a weak smile, one with an unspoken apology for the uninvited kiss earlier. “That doesn’t mean I’m not constantly watching out for him. And sometimes I miss him. Like earlier.”

“So, you pocket your thoughts—but when you do detect him, how do you keep him from forcing you to act against your will?”

“That’s a little trickier. Like I said, I’m always on the lookout for anything foreign entering my brain. If I don’t catch the person inside my mind, things like Kyle sticking his arm in the fire happen. And let’s not forget how you’ve seized control of my mind—twice now.”

Oh, I hadn’t forgotten. I walked closer, analyzing the actual device. I pointed to the opposite side of the object from where the microchip was located. “What are the little prong-like things on this side?”

“Exactly that. They only come out when the tracker is implanted. Those little legs, or prongs, weren’t there before the tracker was implanted.”

“Strange. What do they do?”

“That’s what holds the tracker in place.” He glanced sideways at me with a grim look. “Those small prongs are what keep us from removing the tracker.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you tried to take the device out, the prongs would pull and scrape at the base of the brain. Those tiny legs are designed to puncture the cerebellum and cause massive brain hemorrhaging. Or they’ll slice at the spinal cord, or the many tiny nerves along the spinal cord, causing paralysis.”

“Neither outcome would be good.” I backed away from the pictures and leaned against an exam table. “What if when I removed the device, Jack was here to heal the spinal cord?”

“Can he heal spinal cords? Has he ever done that?”

“No, not that I know of,” I answered, slightly deflated. Was I capable of removing the device and healing the brain? What if I passed out in the middle of it? Dani or Addison would die for sure. “There has to be a way to remove it without harming the host.” I needed to see an actual tracker. “What happened to the tracker that Ty gave you the day we were on campus?”

Jonas walked over and turned off the monitors. “Why? What are you thinking?”

“Not sure. But I’d like to hold one of those in my hand and see how those prongs come in and out.” I refused to believe that removing these tiny objects and freeing victims of Sandra’s invasion was impossible.

Jonas slipped inside my head and poked around.

I narrowed my gaze. “That was obvious. Why are you intruding when I’m standing right here?”

“That was no more obvious than I’ve always been. You’re just becoming more aware.”

“Huh. Interesting.”

“So, are you going to tell me what you’re thinking, or do I need to keep sorting through your thoughts?”

I smiled. “How about we see if you can figure out what I’m thinking as you hunt down that tracker, and I’ll put my plan into motion while you’re gone.”

I needed to find Jack. I had to tell him that I was pretty sure I knew how to extract the trackers from Addison and Danielle, not to mention from the other clones and from Jonas. Surely he wanted to be rid of that thing. I was almost certain that once I removed the tracker, Ty would no longer have access to Jonas’s mind, therefore blocking Sandra from further manipulating Jonas.

I walked closer to the MRI images. I tilted my head while I analyzed the device and the tiny prongs further. Removing the tracker wouldn’t be an option if I couldn’t find the one person I thought could help me.

“Lexi, there’s one more thing.” Jonas stood directly behind me; his voice was low. “You have to know why Sandra needs you.”

The muscles in my neck tightened. Turning slowly, I narrowed my gaze at Jonas. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared intently at the floor between us. “Okay…” I said, hesitating. “Why?”

“You hold the key to her entire life’s research. The ability to control and manipulate her little monsters is important.”

“No shit.”

Jonas took a deep breath. “Can I continue?”

I quirked both brows and motioned with my hand for him to continue.

“She figured out how to control and manipulate people with these little devices.”

“Okay, but what does that have to do with me?” I reached up and fiddled with the starfish and key hanging around my neck.

“The reason she cloned and manipulated her own DNA to begin with was to create a healer of all disease and injuries. You, Lexi, were designed as the perfect healer. And Sandra plans to replicate that ability inside one of those tiny trackers. She will stop at nothing to make sure you join her inside The Farm.”