“It’s not.”Mike’s tone was reassuring but firm.“The signature is consistent with a simple GPS tracker.No additional functionality.But here’s what we’re going to do—we’re going to clone the signal.”
Mike opened his laptop on the hood of the car, the screen reflecting the Texas sun as he pulled up what looked like a highly sophisticated program.“I can intercept the data stream from your chip and redirect it through our own servers.Whoever’s watching you will still think they’re getting real-time location data, but we’ll be feeding them whatever we want them to see.”
Gabe paced beside the car, his mind racing through the implications.“How long has this been in me?”
“Based on the integration with your tissue, I’d guess at least four to six months.”Mike didn’t look up from his laptop as he typed rapidly.“Think back—any medical procedures, dental work, even a vaccination where you might have been unconscious or distracted?Got an injection?”
The memory hit Gabe like a physical blow.“I…College Station.I was filling in, doing cardiovascular coverage until their new surgeon got there.I had a tetanus booster.Scraped the side of my leg on a piece of metal sticking out of a wall and realized my tetanus shot was out of date.But they couldn’t have given me the chip in that shot, that was given in my upper arm, not my shoulder.I did get sick afterward now that I think about it.Dizzy and lightheaded.They had me lay down for a bit.Thought it was food poisoning, but…” He trailed off, the pieces clicking into place with horrible clarity.
“Someone obviously added a little something extra to your booster shot to make you nauseous.I’d bet that’s when they implanted the tracking chip, because you wouldn’t be paying attention to somebody putting a hand on your shoulder, maybe offering you comfort while you were being sick.Would’ve been easy enough to inject the tracker without you noticing.”Mike’s fingers paused over the keyboard.“This chip is sophisticated, Gabe.We’re not dealing with some disgruntled patient or random stalker.This is organized, well-funded, and whoever did this is extremely patient and is playing a long game.”
Gabe’s phone rang, the caller ID showing an international number.His heart sank before he even answered, because he had a feeling he knew who it was and why they were calling before he even answered.
“Dr.Summers?This is Dr.Elisabeth Hoffman from the World Health Organization.”The woman’s accent was crisp, professional, and apologetic.“I’m calling regarding our recent offer of the field director position in Geneva.”
“Let me guess,” Gabe said, his voice hollow.“You’re withdrawing it.”
“I’m afraid so.We’ve received several concerning communications regarding your qualifications and your departure from Stanford University.While we haven’t verified these claims, the nature of the allegations requires us to—”
“What allegations?”Gabe’s free hand clenched into a fist.“What exactly are you being told?”
There was a pause.“Claims of misconduct, drug use, medical malpractice in the death of a patient, as well as inappropriate relationships with colleagues.The emails contained documentation, and though we haven’t had time to authenticate the—”
“None of it’s true.”Gabe’s voice cracked with frustration.“Dr.Hoffman, I’m being harassed by someone who’s trying to destroy my career.The FBI is investigating—”
“FBI?”Mike looked up sharply and held out his hand for the phone.“Gimme that.”
“Dr.Hoffman, please hold on a moment.”Gabe handed it over, watching as Mike’s expression grew grim during the brief conversation he had with Dr.Hoffman.When Mike hung up, his jaw was tight.
“She’s agreed to hold off on any final decisions for seventy-two hours while we investigate further,” Mike said.“But Gabe, whoever’s gunning to take you down is escalating.The emails to WHO weren’t just accusations; they included documents that looked authentic enough to fool a preliminary review.Obviously forged, but we have to prove that, and it’ll take time.Time we don’t have.”
“How is that possible?”
“Someone with serious resources and connections.The kind of person who can get their hands on Stanford letterhead, maybe even hack into databases to create false records.”Mike closed his laptop and looked directly at Gabe.“We need to talk about protection for Nica.”
The mention of his wife’s name sent ice through Gabe’s veins.“She’s with her mother at the bakery in town.There’s a deputy sheriff stationed outside watching them.I made sure she’s never alone.”
“If they’ve been tracking you for months, they know your routines, your habits.They know exactly when you leave for work, when you come home, when Nica goes to the school library or the grocery store.They know her work schedule.They know everything, Gabe.”
The full horror of the situation crashed over him.His enemy hadn’t just been watching him—they’d been studying his entire life, learning every detail about the woman he loved.The flowers at the school, the journal quote, the man Nica had seen following her—it was all connected, all part of some elaborate psychological torture.How much more had this monster done to his wife and Gabe hadn’t known, hadn’t realized?
“We have to get her out of town,” Gabe said, already reaching for his phone to call her.
“Wait.”Mike caught his arm.“If we move too fast, if we change patterns too dramatically, they’ll know we’re onto them.We need to be smart about this.”
“Smart?”Gabe’s voice rose.“They’re stalking my wife, Mike.They’ve invaded her privacy, her sense of security.How much smarter do we need to be?”
“Smart enough to catch them.”Mike’s tone was steady, professional.“Here’s what we’re going to do.I’m going to set up surveillance on your apartment—undercover, a team I’ve worked with in the past—Nica won’t even know they’re there.We’re going to clone your tracking signal and use it to draw whoever’s doing this into the open.”
“How?”
Mike smiled grimly.“We’re going to make them think you’re going somewhere they can’t resist following.Somewhere isolated where we can control the situation and finally get our hands on them.”
Gabe felt a chill that had nothing to do with the outside temperature.“You want to use me as bait.”
“I want to end this before it gets worse.”Mike’s expression was serious.“Because it will get worse, Gabe.People who go to these lengths, who have these kinds of resources, they don’t just stop.They escalate until they get what they want or until someone stops them.”
“What do they want?”
