Page 28 of N8
“It is,” Cydney countered. “But I’m betting it’s through Wi-Fi. You wouldn’t be able to hear it.”
“What’s Wi-Fi?” G8 inquired.
“It’s how our telephones work. It’s the signal that’s put out that computers can access. It doesn’t give off a pulse or anything audible. It’s not a type of frequency like radio. At least, I don’t think it is.”
“Which is why I can’t read it.” P8 threw a thumb over his shoulder. “I can sense the tracking device on this buggy, but that’s all. Want me to blank it out?”
“Why don’t we just get rid of it, the way we did for the tracker in Cydney’s car?” T8 asked.
“No. Leave it be,” N8 countered as he shook his head. “If we do, that’ll signal the compound that something’s wrong. Coxwell told them it would take at least two more hours for the van to arrive there. They may not wait that long. They could come after us if they notice we’re heading away from them instead of toward. We need to take advantage of whatever time we can gain. And the first thing we need to do is find those microchips.”
“Why would they microchip us?” K8 wondered aloud.
“For identification,” Cydney supplied. “For lots of reasons. Microchips were first introduced in animals so that… F8?”
“Yeah?”
Cydney patted herself behind her head. “Check the back of the neck and between the shoulder blades. That’s where they chip dogs.”
Bending closer, F8 ran her fingertips along the base of P8’s skull, then down, following his spine. She paused there. “Wait. I think… P8, can you feel this?”
He reached over his shoulder, but he wasn’t able to touch the spot. “That’s probably why they put it there, where we couldn’t get rid of it ourselves. How deep down is it?”
“It can’t be far,” Cydney informed them. “They insert it just beneath the skin in animals.”
“How big is it?” F8 asked.
“Tiny.”
“How tiny is tiny?” N8 queried.
“Like…something caught in your teeth tiny? Hell, I don’t know the exact size. Itty-bitty. Teensy-weensy like a baby spider. Or a tick.”
“T8, where’s that knife?”
T8 handed F8 the knife, and she bent over P8’s back again. “This might sting a little. Try not to flinch.”
N8 and the others watched as she cut a little half-inch incision into his back, then inserted the curved tip of the knife into the slit. P8 winced but fought not to move. A smile broke over F8’s face, and she withdrew the blade. Wiping it on the tip of her finger, she held it up for them to see.
“It looks like a grain of gold rice,” G8 commented. “How were you able to find it so quickly?”
“It has a slight magnetic pull. Okay, who’s next?” She dabbed at the incision with the back of his shirt. K8 appeared by her elbow with a First Aid kit and handed her a band-aid to use instead.
“Who’s going to do you?” P8 asked after F8 patted his shoulder to let him know he was done.
“You are.”
“How?”
“Now that I know what to look for, I’ll be able to pinpoint it with the knife. Check for the pull. It’s very slight, but once you sense it, you won’t have any problems.”
“You do the rest of us first,” P8 told her. “I’ll do you last.”
“What about Cydney?” N8 pointed to her. “Can you check to see if she has one?”
“Why would she?” T8 questioned.
“Why should we take the chance?” N8 countered.
