Project HALO

Chapter 10

At first I'm more shocked by Mikey's recurring cursing than what makes him curse, but after another confused second, his words hit me like a set of brass knuckles. My hand flies up to my neck, brushing every inch of skin there.

"There's nothing there?"

"Yes, it is. Right—" Mikey jams his index finger onto the nape of my neck, "there!"

I stroke my finger over the exact place he's pushing down, at the part of my neck where my hair starts, but it's hard to tell. If I press hard enough, I can feel the outline of something very small and round. It feels sore when I push down harder, which sounds like the definition of a pimple, not a chip.

"Are you sure?" I ask, but deep inside I know the answer.

"Yes!" Mikey sinks back into his chair. "I knew they planned to upgrade the surveillance programs all over Norway, but this..." He shakes his head. "This is on another level. They're actually implanting chips into people."

I sit down on his bed because I'm scared my knees might cave in if I don't. "What does this mean?"

"It means Phantom was right."

"Phantom?" I rub my neck, closing my eyes to concentrate. Does he mean that hacker group? In the news they're represented as a group of "hacktivists". Lonely and hateful people, according to the media. They target the rich and corrupt, like some kind of sci-fi Robin Hood. To be honest, I don't know much more about them than what's said in the news, even though Mikey has mentioned them. I usually zone out whenever he talks about them. All they do is post weird theories online and ruin people's lives, so why would I care?

"Please tell me you're not talking about that conspiracy group..." I sigh. "You're not part of that anymore, right?"

Mikey rolls his eyes like I'm the dumb one. At least I don't go around believing conspiracy theories.

"Let me show you," he says and types something into his computer.

I sigh. "Like the video about poison being spread through the air? Don't bother."

He doesn't listen.

A list of thumbnails pops up on the middle screen. "They made this video over six months ago, but as usual it was ridiculed by the media, and people like you—" He glances at me under low eyebrows, "thought it was a joke. Like this is something to be taken lightly."

He clicks on one of the links and a video opens. The image is distorted, but I see the outline of the mask Phantom is known for: a plain black facemask with two red X's painted over the eyes.

"Greetings from Phantom," the person begins in a digitalized voice. "Today we are here to hold the government of Norway accountable for their actions. We are here to expose a sinister plan named Project HALO, a plan that will destroy humanity as we know it. It threatens our freedom and our privacy beyond repair. If we do not fight this, if we do not come together and use our voices, we will have betrayed our country, one another, and ourselves."

The person angles their face straight at the camera, but the black and red mesh inside the eyeholes of the mask makes it impossible to see their eyes.

"Human experimentation has been conducted for decades all over the world, and since the 1950's there has been attempts to develop methods for mind control. Now, 70 years later, technology is ready to do just that. By the end of 2025, the government will implant chips into everyone, and they will not ask your permission."

They pause for a moment to let the words sink in.

"One of the government's biggest private intelligence contractors, the National Intelligence Center, has developed this technology while the public was left in the dark. But we are here to reveal the truth. A government that lies and keeps secrets from its people is not the kind of government we want. We are supposed to live in a democracy where our voices are taken into account, but this shows us how far away we are from that reality. We have to take action before it is too late."