When the Chips Are Down Read Online Free PDF
Author: Anne Rasico
turned her head to face him, “Thanks.”
She smiled , nodded, and went to get ready for bed.
“No, no, NOOOOOO!” thud.
The sound awoke Brooklyn with a start. What’s going on?! she thought, groggily. A man was yelling, cursing, and it sounded like he was throwing things downstairs. She was terrified and confused. Someone must have broken in. What do they want?! she thought. The yelling continued.
Brooklyn threw off the covers, tiptoed out of bed, and slowly pushed open her door. She was relieved to see Trent at the top of the stairs.
“Trent, what’s happening?” she whispered.
“Shhh,” Trent hissed holding up his hand. He listened for a moment. “It’s Zane,” he said and hurried down the stairs with Brooklyn following behind him.
Zane was in the kitchen yelling in a voice Brooklyn did not recognize. “What the hell is going on, man?” Caleb grumbled, staggering into the room.
“I just got off the phone with Ben an d Brian and they’ve joined the freaking Army,” Zane said, angrily.
“What?!” Trent and Brooklyn cried in perfect unison.
“This was never the plan. They were supposed to be here today. Who joins the army on their 18 th birthday?! They got them. Those soulless government pricks got your cousins and now my brothers,” Zane shouted.
“They must have gotten the stupid chip implanted in their arms and now they’re mind warped like everyone else. I told them not to let anybody near their arms with those things. They never wanted to join the Army. They were coming here today. I was on my way to get them,” Zane choked.
“They have gone too far! The government and its yes men have gone too far this time! It’s one thing that they force us to live on farms, but they are not sending my brothers off to war to a third world hellhole to get shot at,” Zane shouted. He marched out of the kitchen and down the basement stairs, stomping all the way.
“What i s he planning to do?” Brooklyn asked, concerned.
The three exchanged glances and followed after him. Zane was seated in front of his computer busily typing.
“What are you doing?” Trent asked.
“I’m going to get my brothers here where they belong,” Zane replied.
“How are you going to do that?” Brooklyn wanted to know.
“I’m going to get into the government’s mainframe system and turn the microchips off. I can create a virus that will destroy their system. When the chips are deactivated, my brothers will come to their senses again and come home,” Zane explained.
“Zane, you can’t do that! That’s never going to work.” Caleb cried.
“What do you expect me to do, Caleb? Nothing? Am I just supposed to sit back and let my brothers get taken from me? They’re the only family I’ve got!” Zane yelled, fiercely pointing at himself.
“Calm down. Nobody’s saying you should do nothing. All we’re saying is that you need a better plan. Okay, so you’re going to hack into the government’s mainframe and shut the chips off. What happens next?” Trent reasoned.
“My bro thers will come home,” Zane responded.
“It’ll only be a matter of time before the governmen t turns them back on again, and they’ll be able to trace Ben and Brian right to our doorstep,” Trent said.
“Yes and they’ll be considered AWOL from the military, so they’ll definitely come after them and arrest us all,” Caleb interjected.
“Look dude, you’re upset and understandably so, but for God’s sake, don’t act on anything yet, not until we figure out an intelligent w ay to go about this,” Trent pleaded.
Zane stopped typing and sat back in his chair. He hated being wrong, but he knew he was. He could think of nothing else but Ben and Brian. He realized just how stupid he had been for thinking he could protect his brothers from afar and how wrong he was for telling Brooklyn to forget about her own family and look out for herself. Trent, Brooklyn, and
She smiled , nodded, and went to get ready for bed.
“No, no, NOOOOOO!” thud.
The sound awoke Brooklyn with a start. What’s going on?! she thought, groggily. A man was yelling, cursing, and it sounded like he was throwing things downstairs. She was terrified and confused. Someone must have broken in. What do they want?! she thought. The yelling continued.
Brooklyn threw off the covers, tiptoed out of bed, and slowly pushed open her door. She was relieved to see Trent at the top of the stairs.
“Trent, what’s happening?” she whispered.
“Shhh,” Trent hissed holding up his hand. He listened for a moment. “It’s Zane,” he said and hurried down the stairs with Brooklyn following behind him.
Zane was in the kitchen yelling in a voice Brooklyn did not recognize. “What the hell is going on, man?” Caleb grumbled, staggering into the room.
“I just got off the phone with Ben an d Brian and they’ve joined the freaking Army,” Zane said, angrily.
“What?!” Trent and Brooklyn cried in perfect unison.
“This was never the plan. They were supposed to be here today. Who joins the army on their 18 th birthday?! They got them. Those soulless government pricks got your cousins and now my brothers,” Zane shouted.
“They must have gotten the stupid chip implanted in their arms and now they’re mind warped like everyone else. I told them not to let anybody near their arms with those things. They never wanted to join the Army. They were coming here today. I was on my way to get them,” Zane choked.
“They have gone too far! The government and its yes men have gone too far this time! It’s one thing that they force us to live on farms, but they are not sending my brothers off to war to a third world hellhole to get shot at,” Zane shouted. He marched out of the kitchen and down the basement stairs, stomping all the way.
“What i s he planning to do?” Brooklyn asked, concerned.
The three exchanged glances and followed after him. Zane was seated in front of his computer busily typing.
“What are you doing?” Trent asked.
“I’m going to get my brothers here where they belong,” Zane replied.
“How are you going to do that?” Brooklyn wanted to know.
“I’m going to get into the government’s mainframe system and turn the microchips off. I can create a virus that will destroy their system. When the chips are deactivated, my brothers will come to their senses again and come home,” Zane explained.
“Zane, you can’t do that! That’s never going to work.” Caleb cried.
“What do you expect me to do, Caleb? Nothing? Am I just supposed to sit back and let my brothers get taken from me? They’re the only family I’ve got!” Zane yelled, fiercely pointing at himself.
“Calm down. Nobody’s saying you should do nothing. All we’re saying is that you need a better plan. Okay, so you’re going to hack into the government’s mainframe and shut the chips off. What happens next?” Trent reasoned.
“My bro thers will come home,” Zane responded.
“It’ll only be a matter of time before the governmen t turns them back on again, and they’ll be able to trace Ben and Brian right to our doorstep,” Trent said.
“Yes and they’ll be considered AWOL from the military, so they’ll definitely come after them and arrest us all,” Caleb interjected.
“Look dude, you’re upset and understandably so, but for God’s sake, don’t act on anything yet, not until we figure out an intelligent w ay to go about this,” Trent pleaded.
Zane stopped typing and sat back in his chair. He hated being wrong, but he knew he was. He could think of nothing else but Ben and Brian. He realized just how stupid he had been for thinking he could protect his brothers from afar and how wrong he was for telling Brooklyn to forget about her own family and look out for herself. Trent, Brooklyn, and