The Matsumoto (The Matsumoto Trilogy Book 3) by Sarah K.L. Wilson

Author:Sarah K.L. Wilson [Wilson, Sarah K.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sarah K. L. Wilson
Published: 2017-01-26T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Who is Jin Ayumi?” I asked aloud, gripping the side of Roman’s stretcher and checking the med readout. What had Hoffstad said about how long he would be out for? Had he said? I could never ask now. I felt a pang of sadness over the kind doctor. I was growing weary of so much death and loss. Before I even got to know people they were dying now. But I didn’t want to die with them. I had found a goal worth fighting for.

Choshi and Driscoll exchanged a glance while Kitsano looked sharply between them.

“A relic,” Driscoll said.

“A scholar,” Choshi said at the same time.

“What sort of a scholar?” I asked, ignoring Driscoll’s remark.

“A scholar of history. He specializes in the Dynastic rule of the Matsumotos,” Choshi said, frowning at Driscoll. “He has an excellent reputation, though he is elderly.”

“I’m not sure that you can afford to look down on the old, Driscoll,” I teased, surprised that I still could tease after everything.

His eyebrows rose and his mouth twisted the way it did when he was almost happy, but then his expression tightened again. “He gambled on me. Saved me from execution.”

It was my turn to be surprised.

“He’s one of you? Of The Hand?”

“Not exactly,” Driscoll said, “but he knows about The Hand and he sent me to them.”

I nodded.

“So not a terrorist, then,” I said.

“Mock as you will, Vera. If you end up needing an army, I have the means to raise an army for you in just a few short weeks. ”

I saw Ch’ng’s expression sharpen, and Kitsano stood and reached to pull the divider shut between the pilots and us.

“Don’t bother,” Driscoll said to her. “The rest of Driscoll’s Own knows, or will soon enough. We developed a chip that is so miniaturized it can be injected in the blood stream and hack the human brain via a tiny computer. It steals your will for long enough that it can control your actions.”

“For how long?” Kitsano asked.

“It varies. So far the median time is two weeks. We’re calling them ‘combies.’ It’s short for ‘computer zombies.’”

My lips hardened and my eyes narrowed.

“Don’t be a hypocrite, Vera. It’s no worse than the army in your head,” Driscoll said.

“No. It is worse,” I argued. “And I won’t allow it on my watch.”

“The citizenry have already been tampered with,” Choshi argued as we sped across the roiling water, in the distance I saw a flaming piece of debris falling from the sky and sinking into the ocean like my innocence. “You will see when we reach the Capitol. VX-7 is turning them into shadows of themselves. Anyone who has ingested it will be under the direct control of Nigel Matsumoto.”

“How do you know?” I asked. “That isn’t quite how it worked on Baldric.”

“It’s been modified,” Choshi added. “We have very reliable sources for our information on this.”

I frowned again, running my hand over Roman’s forehead as I thought.

They overrode my implant and sucked me in somehow. If they’ve modified it further, who knows what it is capable of doing? Zeta chimed in.

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