When the Chips Are Down by Anne Rasico Read Free Book Online Page B

have gotten what they came for,” Trent sighed, glancing around the dining room. Zane did not want to give up. His adrenaline was soaring.
    “Let’s tear up this carpet,” he said.
    “Are you crazy? We don’t have the tools for that,” Trent retorted.
    “My tool box is in the truck,” Zane said.
    “All you have is a couple of claw hammers and a screw driver.  You can’t tear up carpeting with that!” Trent exclaimed.
    While Zane and Trent stood in the dining room arguing about the carpet, Brooklyn walked around the living room, feeling along the lime green walls, looking for anything abnormal. Tap… tap… tap… tap… thud! “Guuuyys,” Brooklyn called, excitedly, “I think I found something.”
     
    Trent and Zane ran into the living room. “What is it?” they asked.
    “I think there’s something behind this wall,” Brooklyn said with her hand still on th e hollow spot she had found.  Zane and Trent crowded around her, studying the wall.
    “The paint on this section does look newer than the rest of the wall,” Trent observed, shining his flashlight on the hollow spot. Zane ran out of the room and emerged with a hammer.
    “Get back,” he barked . Trent and Brooklyn moved away from the wall as Zane swung the hammer into it.
     
    He peeled off the plaster and pounded the hollow section of the wall until he stopped suddenly with the hammer still raised in his hand. “What is it?” Trent asked. Zane dropped the hammer and knelt down. He reached inside the hole and pulled out a manila envelope. Brooklyn and Trent hovered over him. Inside it was a thick stack of papers and a flash drive. Zane flipped through the papers, skimming over them. “This is it.  This is the documentation of his research! He was researching the effects of the microchip,” he said triumphantly.
     
    A smile came across Brooklyn’s face. She was excited, elated, and fighting the urge to shove a finger in Trent’s face and say ‘I told you so.’ “What does it say?” Brooklyn said, kneeling beside Zane, whose hair was covered in plaster dust. Trent walked towards the front window and peered out around the curtain.
    “There’s a lot here to read, but it appears he observed changes in a group of men and women before and after their microchips were installed,” Zane replied.
    “Let’s get out of here now. We’ll read all of this later,” Brooklyn urged.
     
    “Oh dammit!” Trent exclaimed backing away from the window, “It’s the cops.”
    “What!” Brooklyn cried, rising to her feet.   Zane quickly shoved Eldridge’s research back into its envelope.
    “The neighbors must have heard something .  Come on, you two.  MOVE IT!” Trent yelled, running out of the living room. Zane and Brooklyn followed, heading for the back door. Zane clutched the envelope tightly. They flung open the door and ran across the backyard and into the alley.
     
    As soon as Zane reached the alley, something grabbed him and jolted him backyards.  Oh God, no!  They got me! he thought.  He whirled around and saw his shirt was caught on the gate.  He yanked the shirt loose, cutting his hand on the metal “No Trespassing” sign that hung on the gate.
    “Police ! Stop!” a voice shouted from the backyard. They ran faster.
     
    “Come on, man!” Trent yelled to Zane. Unlike Trent and Brooklyn, Zane was moderately overweight and out of shape, and he was struggling to keep up with them.  Brooklyn had caught up with Trent, but Zane was a good ten feet behind. They could hear the officer running behind them.
     
    He was gaining on Zane. I can’t get caught or we’ll lose everything, Zane thought frantically. Then he had an idea. Zane ran across to the other side of the gravel road with the officer hot on his heals. Running as hard as he could, he quickly jumped over the large pothole he remembered seeing when there was still daylight.
     
    Not having time to react, the officer’s foot snagged the pothole, and he hit the ground