"Implant a chip? What kind of chip?" Jonathan asked, with one eyebrow raised.

"Yes, a chip. And it will be an ocular chip." Maya replied.

Her words drew doubtful looks from the others. Clearly, none of them seemed very thrilled about the idea.

Maia met each of their eyes, speaking calmly: "I know how this may sound to you. But trust me, there's no need to worry. Remember: you are the key pieces for our objective."

"We understand that, but the idea of having something implanted directly into our bodies doesn't sound exactly pleasant, you know?" Nina said.

Humming lightly, Maia nodded at her. "I understand that point of view. But you're also grabbing several tools that could be compromised in some way. You didn't think about that?" She raised an eyebrow back at her.

"Well, none of those things are being implanted into my body, so no, I didn't think much about it." Nina smiled slightly at her.

Maia then shook her head lightly. "Anyway, there's no need for you to worry about that. Quite the opposite, this chip will be extremely useful for you."

"And, if it makes you feel more comfortable, we all have one too." Saying that, Maia pointed to her right eye, where, from inside the pupil, a faint red glow became visible.

Seeing that, some frowned; others looked intrigued. Nalini, in particular, made a disgusted face.

"That is… kind of gross, actually. I mean, ugh, it's inside the eye. Just thinking about it already makes me feel agony." She shivered slightly, imagining something placed inside her own eye.

Maia laughed lightly, placing a hand on her hip. "I understand what you mean. Imagining something like that inside your eye really can be uncomfortable. But trust me, the implantation is very simple and you won't feel a thing."

"Right… and what exactly is the purpose of this chip?" Jonathan spoke, drawing her gaze to him. "What is this thing going to do exactly? Besides, like, making you look like the Terminator or giving you a creepy glow-in-the-dark eye?" He asked with crossed arms and an inquisitive look.

And just as Maia was going to answer, Alex exclaimed loudly:

"Now I remember! That's why I thought she looked weirdly familiar!" He smacked his fist into his palm, drawing Maia's questioning stare.

"When your eye glowed red, you looked like Schwarzenegger. Like a T-3000. That's why you felt familiar! Also, very cool by the way." Alex gave a thumbs-up while closing one eye.

"…Right." Maia replied slowly, as some of the others began questioning the mental sanity of their new acquaintance.

Returning her gaze to Jonathan, she continued: "The main functions of the chip are to serve as a communicator, database, and internet connection. The internet and communicator are self-explanatory. The database refers to memory storage with different types of information, from mundane knowledge to people's identities."

"So it's basically a mini computer?" he asked, with a questioning look.

"Yes, basically that." Maia nodded lightly.

"I see. But what about risks? Since we're putting this in our eyes and, I don't know, some enemy activates something that makes them explode or something like that. Isn't that too risky?" he asked, frowning.

"Don't worry. Naturally, we already thought of that." Maia replied, giving a faint smile.

Seeing she seemed confident, Jonathan didn't question further. Instead, he asked something else.

"So, is this chip the only thing we'll implant in our bodies? Will there be other things? If so, can I choose? I would like to have some of those nanomachines if possible." He raised his hand, heart racing at the possibility.

Laughing lightly upon understanding what he was thinking, Maia shook her head. "For now, what we'll do to you is just the chip. It's better that you get used to it first, then we'll move on to something else."

Jonathan clicked his tongue, disappointed. Alex and Ivan also let out frustrated groans.

"Well, I'd like to know, if you're all done, we'll proceed with the implant immediately." Maia gestured toward the table.

Some nodded in confirmation, while others went back to grabbing more things — Jonathan being one of them. His gaze dropped to what looked like some kind of vest.

"What does this do?" he asked, pointing at the vest.

"It creates a force field around the user, protecting them. You can wear it under your clothes."

Jonathan brought the vest closer, seeing how thin it was. Certain parts had small discs like electrodes. Rubbing between his fingers, he felt ultra-thin wires inside the fabric.

Nodding to himself, Jonathan grabbed it and then picked up a bracelet. His interest came because part of it had a display, reminding him of a certain alien watch.

"And what does this one do?"

"It's a holographic shield."

Hearing the answer, Jonathan lifted his gaze, curious. "A holographic shield?"

"That's right." Maia nodded. "It's a shield made of hard light and extremely resistant. It can withstand energy-based attacks and high-caliber weapons, like anti-tank rifles, and even explosives."

'Okay, that's way cooler than I expected.' Without hesitation, he grabbed the bracelet too.

After that, his eyes finally landed on something he really wanted: a weapon.

Picking it up and looking closely, he stared in awe at what looked like a futuristic hand cannon.

This time, Maia answered before he could even ask: "That is a multifunctional hand cannon. It fires three different types of energy shots: paralyzing, stunning, and piercing, and the ammunition recharges on its own over time."

While running his hand over the entirely black weapon, Jonathan noticed thin vertical stripes of blue light on the side — twelve in total.

"It has 12 shots?" He looked up at her.

Maia nodded.

"And how long does it take for the shots to recharge?"

"One shot per second."

Jonathan smiled, satisfied. "Not bad." Without hesitation, he took the weapon for himself.

Raising his eyes, he saw the others staring at him in silence, as if he were the last one.

"Well, now that you've all chosen your equipment, follow me. It's time to implant your chips." Saying that, Maya walked toward the exit, the others following silently.

Leaving the room, she turned right down a corridor. They walked in silence for a moment until the path opened into a wide space.

"Whoa!" Alex exclaimed, impressed. The place was much larger, with a high ceiling far from the ground, made of pure stone.

"That car looks like the Batmobile." Ivan pointed excitedly in one direction.

"Damn, it really does, doesn't it?" Alex exclaimed, amazed.

And it wasn't just them — all the others looked around with great interest, observing the vehicles and futuristic tools scattered around. They walked to the end, entered another corridor and passed several closed doors, in complete silence.

Reaching one of the doors, Maia entered without hesitation.

A woman in a lab coat and glasses looked up from her phone. Upon seeing them, she smiled lightly.

"Looks like you brought our beloved special agents." She stood up, putting her phone in her pocket. Maia waited for everyone to enter before closing the door and approaching the other woman.

"Miranda." She said, extending her hand.

Taking her hand out of her pocket, the woman named Miranda shook it back, gently. "Hi, Maia. Haven't seen you around here in a while. So… you've come to start their project?" Still smiling, Miranda turned her gaze to the others.

"That's right." Maia looked at the group. "Everyone, this is the head scientist and the one mainly responsible for the technological implant area: Miranda Russell."

"Hello boys and girls. How are you all doing?" Miranda greeted, raising her hand slightly.

While everyone returned the greeting, Alex leaned discreetly toward Vanessa and whispered, "Is it just me, or are you guys also getting mad-scientist vibes from her?"

The whisper, of course, wasn't that quiet.

Vanessa shot him a sideways look and whispered back, "Don't say that out loud, you idiot. Did you forget the technological implants? She probably heard you."

And as if to confirm, Miranda's smile widened slightly as she stared at Alex.

"Oh…" Alex murmured, returning to a normal posture and smiling at her as if nothing had happened.

Miranda laughed lightly, while Maia shook her head.

"She will be responsible for the implantation procedure."

"Indeed, I imagine you must be eager to start, right?" Miranda asked, receiving only silence and blank stares in response.

"Wow… such enthusiasm. Anyway, don't worry, it will be a quick procedure. You won't feel a thing. See those stretchers over there, lie down on them." Miranda pointed while walking toward an area full of monitors and controllers.

Jonathan and the others looked at the stretchers — chairs that looked like a mix of dentist office and sci-fi lab, complete with mechanical arms on both sides.

"Not creepy at all, right?" Jonathan muttered weakly upon seeing something straight out of a Jigsaw movie.

William took the lead, followed by Xiao Xun'er. Soon, everyone positioned themselves on the chairs.

"Everyone positioned? Great. Don't get scared, okay? This is necessary so you don't make any sudden movements." Miranda said, standing behind the operation table, Maia beside her with crossed arms.

Before anyone could ask what she meant, restraints emerged and locked their feet, wrists, thighs, chest, and head.

"Is this really necessary?" Alex asked with a strange smile toward Miranda.

"Yes." She replied, still smiling. "Now, stay still, please."

After her words, the mechanical arms began to move. One of them came down beside each right eye, bringing a thin needle that reflected the light.

Without warning, the needles pierced the side of their faces. Each one felt a slight pinch followed by a cold sensation as something was injected.

"That's just anesthesia, don't worry." Miranda said, operating the machines as if it were routine. Her smile remained on her face.

Jonathan blinked several times, feeling his eye go numb so quickly that he felt like he didn't have eyelids. If it weren't for his vision darkening with each blink, he might have thought they had been ripped off.

The mechanical arms moved again, bringing a magnifier and a small container in front of their faces.

"Do you see this? This will be the chip that will be implanted."

Through the magnifier, they all saw a tiny chip, cylindrical in shape and covered with what seemed like gel, with one end from which ultra-thin wires extended.

"Now I will begin."

The arms moved away with the chip and, shortly after, another arm came down toward their eyes.

"Keep your eye open."

The mechanical arm positioned a device to hold their eyes open. Some got uneasy, but Jonathan didn't react — his eye was completely numb, so he didn't feel anything at all.

"Keep your eyes aligned. Don't move them, yes like that~"

The mechanical arm moved. Without warning, something descended and pierced in an instant before retracting.

"Huh? That was it?" confused murmurs echoed. The movement had been so fast that they literally didn't see or feel anything.

Jonathan saw his vision become slightly blurry before the needle that had pierced him released a familiar pink liquid into the eye.

With the thing holding his eye open removed, he felt the numbness fade as the liquid was absorbed. In the end, he blinked normally, with his eye now normal.

His vision was the same as usual. No pain. No discomfort. As if nothing had happened.

"It's done."

The restraints unlocked, allowing them to get off the chairs.

"So, how are you feeling?" Maia approached, Miranda right behind her.

"I don't feel anything different. Am I supposed to feel something?" Alex asked, waving his hand in front of his face.

"Hm." Humming quietly, William looked at his own hand. "How… do we use this thing?"

"You just have to say: 'Activate chip'." Maia replied, crossing her arms.

They repeated the phrase.

Immediately, something changed.

In front of Jonathan's eyes, a hologram appeared — an image of himself, with detailed information about his physical condition displayed next to his holographic counterpart.

Raising his eyebrows, he wished to see information about Maia and, surprisingly, several details about her appeared.

"The chip responds to thought?" he asked, surprised. "I thought we needed a voice command, or something."

"That is thanks to the wires connected directly to the optic nerve. They receive commands by analyzing brainwaves." Miranda explained, raising a finger.

While Jonathan absorbed the explanation, Maia smiled.

"With these smiles, I imagine you're eager to grab your new equipment, right? Let's go back."

Maia said goodbye to Miranda with a wave. "See you next time."

"Bye-bye." Miranda waved gently, with the same unnerving smile. They returned the gesture, still a bit tense.

They went back to the previous room, grabbed their equipment, and Maia said goodbye to each one as they were escorted by other agents to their respective exits.

Maia left together with Jonathan, and the two went to the elevator.

Arriving at the familiar junkyard, Jonathan was about to say goodbye when she said:

"Before you go, there's something I need to warn you about. You have to tell Rachel, Elizabeth, and Marianne about what's happening."

Not expecting that, Jonathan blinked, confused. "Ok… why are you saying that out of nowhere?"

"Because it's the most logical thing to do, given the nature of what you are and what you'll have to do. It's better if they know. Or were you planning not to tell them?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was… just not now."

Maia shook her head. "That's not going to work. It's better if you tell them today, or tomorrow at the latest. You'll have your first mission soon and you won't have a valid excuse."

"Right…" Jonathan nodded slowly.

Maia patted his shoulder. "Bye. See you soon. And good luck."

With that, she went down through the ground and disappeared back into the base.

Alone in the junkyard, Jonathan looked at the ground returning to normal. I sighed, and holding the bridge of his nose, he closed his eyes.

'This is going to be a fucking headache.'

After a moment, he exhaled weakly and headed toward the exit. Whatever their reaction was going to be, he'd deal with it later. Especially since he had another problem to resolve at Chad's house — in the form of Tyrone.

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