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HIGH ABOVE THE TOWN, Connor lowered his binoculars, too stunned to speak.
They’d expected to find their newest Implants going about their normal business, oblivious to the microtechnology hidden in their bodies.
Instead, they watched as the shopkeeper and his woman climbed into a dented vehicle which had appeared out of nowhere, throwing open its doors to welcome them.
“What just happened?” Tony asked, confused and angry. “It’s only been two days since we Implanted them. How could anyone know they even exist, let alone find them so quickly?”
“Somebody tipped them off?” Connor hazarded a guess. “The Givers use savages as raw material for their Trackers. It’s not much of a stretch to think they might supply them with tech to do their dirty work.”
Darcy studied the scene, probing, sifting, analyzing. Once he was satisfied, he lowered his binoculars.
“Someone’s been educating the savages,” he said in a sing-song voice. “They’ve managed to get their dirty fingers on tech that’s years beyond them. They have no idea what they’ve laid their hands on.”
He slid off the roof, jumping into the front passenger seat. He pulled out the controller he’d designed for the Implants, his fingers racing over the keys. A malicious smile creased his face. Connor hoped he was never on the receiving end of that smile. Darcy was finished in less than a minute.
“I’ve accelerated the timing.” He held the controller aloft. “The savages won’t be interfering for much longer. They just drove off with their own executioners.”
His smile grew broader as—far below them in the town—the truck spun its tires. Engine roaring, the vehicle recklessly reversed direction, spitting out a cloud of dust and gravel as it raced away.
A vehicle occupied by two Implants and their would-be rescuers. Darcy’s smile vanished, and he spat after them. “Savages, all of them.”
He lifted the controller, and with a theatrical flourish, activated the Implants.