Chapter 96

The Extraction Option

Lex sat across from Siddharth in the back room of the farmhouse. A laptop displayed live neural scan data from Rhea's daughter—read by a discreet portable bioscanner Micah had smuggled in from India.

"I don't like this," Siddharth muttered. "This chip—it isn't just a passive memory storage. It's a living encryption system. It will fight if you try to access it."

Lex clenched his jaw. "Fight how?"

"Neural feedback. Electro-disruption. It could harm her brain. She's too young."

Rhea entered the room. She'd heard everything.

"I won't risk her," she said quietly. "We'll destroy the data before we extract it."

Lex stood. "We might never get another chance. This data could—"

"I don't care what it holds," Rhea said, eyes steely. "Not if it means she suffers. The chip was meant to protect her, not turn her into a lab."

Siddharth nodded. "There may be a way to shut it down permanently. But you'll need the original biometric key that activated the chip."

Lex turned to Rhea.

She already knew.

Muri's retinal code. Her voice signature. Her neural pattern.

The past self she buried would have to be awakened.