THE HIVE

Chapter 21

It's chaos in my mind.

I feel my hands grow sweaty. The tip of fingers grow cold. My breathing is heavy.

Is he dead, or alive? Where even is he? Did he survive-

Brother, keep calm. First we need to head back.

The frenzy in my mind is intruded, shattered into a million pieces and the voice of an unlikely brother brings me back into the light.

"Talk to me Jordan! What and how did you find out, this is... " Sally has been going on and on all this time. But I don't have the courage to answer her. Or explain it all to her. Not right now.

But, "Sally, " I say, somehow managing to give out a voice. "I'd explain it all later. But first, let me make one last check." Hesitant I touch my implant. One that feels as unfeeling as a necklace, I'd presume.

I shift uneasily in my mind. Try to set all the pieces straight, fill in the gaps. I know where he ended up in. But, that doesn't explain the discrepancy that the tracker has created. Because, judging from the holographic map and the feed earlier at the control room, Billy had the tracker on for the entire fight. Which doesn't make sense at all. How can he simultaneously be under control and not be at the same time?!

There's one way though... Space buddy teases.

Without being under their control and having the tracker on at the same time?!... I try to guess what he's getting at.

I blink. "Aha!" I clap my hands in sudden realisation. "It's partial override."

Bingo!

Alright then. I swallow and compose myself. I'm still getting chills all over, but try to stay as calm and normal as both I and Space buddy can manage. Had I been left alone with this discovery, I would have hyperventilated like mad!

...

Okay, enough talk. Turn the translator on. I need to see this for myself.

Aye aye sir! He shouts like a soldier. Hey not that loud-

And the next thing I know,

It's the sound of nothingness.

...

"Sally?" I say, anxious.

"Yes, Jordan?" she sounds much livelier now. But, not necessarily happy; more like determined.

"Is my tracker back on again?" It's not. She would have said it first thing if it was.

"No, it isn't."

I slap my leg. It didn't work!

I grit my teeth. How did he then...

Silly, there must be a tracker built in.

-?

My eyes open wide. Why, that must be it!

Such an idiot. Wait a second. With that said, he sets off to find a way to activate the tracker, wherever it might be on my body. He plays around in my mind, humming.

My eyebrows jump upwards. Huh? You can hum like that? I'm surprised, considering he's an alien being himself that he knows tunes and stuff. Where did you learn that from?

There's a pause.

I..., he hesitates. Well that's new. He has never done that before, or maybe once or twice before...

And that's why I can recall those few times he did hesitate. It had to do with-

Is it about my memories?