Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
But then my grandfather does the very thing I would do if Olive were defiant towards me. He asks her the question. “Who thinks for you, Olive?”
And I know it’s over. She will not rebel. And she doesn’t because she says, “You do.”
“And who acts for me?” my grandfather asks.
“I do.”
“Yes, good. Now go look for Shep.” His voice is his own now. It sounds nothing like mine. It’s deep, and mean, and old.
But Olive either doesn’t notice, or doesn’t care.
Because she leaves the room and goes looking for Shep.
25 - Shep
“She’s acting weird,” Collin says.
And I can’t say I disagree. Olive is acting weird. It was all fine at first, but then we started getting strange activity in her brain. Since I was on the receiving end of this tech last weekend, I didn’t realize that they were looking at my brain in real time. It’s like reading her mind almost. Once you know what to look for. And the technician points everything out as it’s happening, so we do know what to look for.
“Yes,” Penny says. She’s been mostly quiet throughout the test, letting the tech take over. But now she turns to Collin. “Let’s talk outside. Continue the test,” she tells the tech. “Make sure to record everything. We’ll be right back.”
The tech nods and Penny motions to the door. To my surprise, Collin taps my arm. “Come on. Whatever she’s gonna say, you should hear it too.”
We leave and walk down the hallway a bit to a small lounge nook tucked away in a corner. Penny turns to us with a serious face. But to my surprise, her gaze is directed at me, not Collin. “How much do you know about Project Mastermind?”
I make a little shrug with my shoulders. “I’ve heard of it. But mostly in a conspiracy theory kind of way. Why?” I ask the question, but obviously whatever is happening with Olive has to do with this project.
“What the hell is Project Mastermind?” Collin asks.
Penny directs her attention to Collin now. “It’s an old project. Something left over from the Cold War. Mind control.”
Collin scoffs. “Like… Mk ultra, or something?”
“No. Not like that at all. It’s cutting-edge science, not psychedelics and conditioning.”
“What kind of science?” I ask.
“Quantum neurodynamics.”
“Quantum?” Collin raises an eyebrow. “I thought that was all theory?”
I’m kinda surprised that he’s got any opinion at all about quantum physics, but don’t say anything. Penny must be surprised as well because she raises both eyebrows at him. “You’ve studied quantum physics, have you?”
“No,” Collin says. “But I was part of some very high-level meetings that last year we were operatives. There were plenty of boring discussions about this shit. So I’ve heard of it. And with all those boring conversations came a lot of high-level doubt as well.”
“I’m not surprised about the doubt. All of the really groundbreaking discoveries are kept at the highest levels of classification.”
“What’s this got to do with Olive?” I ask.
Penny turns to me, offering a small smile. “Yes. Let’s cut to the chase. I’m not a neuroscientist or a physicist, but I’ve been in many a high-level meeting myself.” Her gaze wanders to Collin for the last part. “CORE has made significant discoveries and we know for sure that they’ve been experimenting on humans for nearly a century. Project Mastermind is exactly what it sounds like—mind control. But not just implanting pre-programmed actions and things of that nature, but actual puppeteering using certain frequency waves aimed at the brain. Extremely Low Frequencies, or ELF waves, are particularly effective for this.”
Collin asks his next question. “So what are you saying? That Olive is one of these experiments?”
“That’s my suspicion,” Penny says. “Of course, I can’t confirm it. I’d need at least a week to find an expert who owes me the right kind of favor to get a professional opinion on her scan. But I’ve seen these scans before and hers, to me, looks textbook. She’s been manipulated. Extensively.”
Collin shoots me a side-eye because this is the very thing I told him yesterday morning. But his next question is directed to Penny. “So what do we do about it? I mean, how do we undo it, or whatever?”
“I have no idea, Collin. But it would probably be in everyone’s best interest if I called in a favor with a discreet institution where she can be detained until we get this professional opinion.”
“You mean, lock her up?” I ask.
Penny nods. “That’s precisely what I’m saying. She’s dangerous, Collin. I understand that she’s your sister, but she’s very dangerous. No one, as far as I am aware, has ever evaluated one of these operatives.”
“So you want to study her?” Collin asks.
“I don’t want to study her,” Penny says, a little defensively. “I’m certainly not qualified to do that.”
“No,” I say. “You’re not. But you work on favors, don’t you? So if you bring in an actual operative for this ‘professional’ to evaluate, he, or she, will get answers no one else can provide.”