The Million-Dollar Heart

Barnaby chuckled, a hint of steely resolve behind his humor. "I choose to have the chip removed even if it means I have to be conscious during the process."

No matter the pain, she refused to let someone else dictate the course of her life!

"The chip is currently lodged in your brain, and I'll be performing the surgery with my mom. We'll keep chatting with you throughout, and you'll even hear and feel us poking around in your noggin, so brace yourself."

It sounded simple enough, but only those who have been through it knew the agony was beyond any normal threshold of endurance.

It was akin to the trauma Arabella suffered after Brody and Vivienne had planted and then diffused a bomb inside her. The psychological scars were likely still unhealed.

Not that she had much time for healing.

Barnaby nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's get on with it."

Time was of the essence. The chip could travel through her bloodstream to any part of her body.

Noah had met his end when a similar chip had migrated near his heart. Barnaby was luckier; the chip was near her stomach when Karen intervened, sparing her life.

But now the chip had moved to his brain, and if F-Poison struck again, it would be too late.

Soon, Barnaby was wheeled back into the OR, with Karen and Vivienne scrubbing in together.

Throughout the procedure, Barnaby's eyes remained open. She could feel the drill and other surgical instruments stirring inside her skull, each nerve echoing the whine of the drill, her glands vibrating with every movement.

The sensation was indescribable.

If she had to label it, 'terrifying' would be a vast understatement.

"When was this chip put in? Can it track our location?" Barnaby inquired, curious despite the circumstances.

after Belle was captured. Belle, Scott, Rowan, and Ismene don't have chips, or they'd be dead by now," Vivienne said, her gaze fixed on the screen displaying Barnaby's brain scan. Karen, manipulating the scalpel, added, "The chip can track

a moment, then said, "I can't recall anything. Maybe we ingested it without

Karen agreed,

we swallow a chip without

dissolve upon entry and then slowly assemble its particles inside the body." Pausing, Karen mused, "That's a promising lead. We should engineer something similar. Imagine being able to

We could even link it to the pet's retina, offering

expected her casual question to spark such a lucrative brainstorm

form, they were quite

see it!"

Karen and Vivienne successfully extracted the chip

slipped

is my sister going to be okay?" Caspian asked,

head reassuringly. "She'll be fine. She just needs some sleep, and my mom

former captain. I'm in

left. After years apart, it was only thanks to Vivienne and her team

the thanks. "If you're truly grateful, go

his tears, Caspian was eager. "Anything you need, just say

laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard. Soon, a satellite map appeared on the screen, dotted with numerous red points marking individual locations. Vivienne printed the map and handed it to Caspian. "Take this to your commander.

realization sank in for Caspian. Those red dots were the whereabouts of every member of

"Yes, right away!"

just a task; it

their squads arrested every marked individual, using a jamming device developed

other words, even if F-Poison wanted to kill them now, there

F-Poison, who remained at large, all

was Vanguard Agency's first major victory since the "Destruction Plan,"