Chapter 3The Mind Hacker

That night, I packed my bag and pretended to leave for the day, but I actually just camped out at a diner across the street.

By ten-thirty, the entire building was mostly dark.

I slipped back in through the loading dock, using a spare keycard I borrowed from Gary, the night shift security guard.

Gary was a sweet older guy who always appreciated the donuts I brought him on Fridays.

"Rainey? Burning the midnight oil again?"

"Yeah, tight deadline. Hey, is the new director still up there?"

"Oh yeah. Guy practically lives here." Gary lowered his voice. "He is a weird one. Always locks himself in the back lab and refuses to let the cleaning crew inside."

"The lab? What is he even doing in there?"

"Beats me. Claims it is highly classified."

My suspicion deepened.

The lab was supposed to be a shared testing space. Who gave Erik the right to claim it as his personal fortress?

I took the service elevator up and crept barefoot toward my cubicle.

The main floor was pitch black, except for a sliver of blue light spilling from under the lab door at the far end of the hall.

I tiptoed closer, holding my breath, and peeked through the frosted glass panel.

Erik had his back to the door. He was tinkering with a massive piece of hardware I had never seen before.

It looked like a sleek, metallic helmet, wired directly into a stack of high-powered servers.

The main monitor displayed a dizzying stream of raw data flowing into a glowing 3D model of a human brain.

I pulled out my phone and quietly snapped a few photos.

Suddenly, Erik spun around. I threw myself flat against the wall, but I was a second too slow.

"Who is out there?" he snapped.

I pressed my hands over my mouth, my heart hammering violently against my ribs.

His heavy footsteps echoed as he marched toward the door.

Just as the handle clicked, a voice called out from the opposite end of the corridor. "Mr. Mercer? Your food delivery is downstairs."

It was Gary.

The footsteps stopped, then pivoted away. I seized the window and bolted into the women's restroom, shaking uncontrollably.

Once the coast was clear, I snuck out of the building and ran all the way to my apartment, too terrified to even look over my shoulder.

Safe inside, I immediately checked my camera roll.

Most of the shots were blurry garbage, but one captured the main monitor perfectly.

I zoomed in. Right above the glowing 3D brain model was a distinct file name.

Target: Rainey Woods.

My phone hit the floor. I was right.

Erik was literally hacking into my mind.

But how was he doing it without touching me? And why me?

My hands shook as I grabbed my notebook. I logged everything I saw, then set three aggressive alarms, absolutely terrified of what I might forget by morning.

Right before I shut my eyes, I made a desperate move. I wrote a message on the last page, ripped it out, and shoved it under my mattress.

"If you are reading this, remember. Erik is stealing your memories. The proof is in your photo gallery."