Chapter 10

Micro... Micro means something very very small. Chip? I can't think of anything that makes sense so I tell her, 'No'.

She digs in her case and pulls out a plastic tube with a needle at the end. It's sealed in a plastic wrapping of some sort. Walking over to me, she lays it on the bed and I sit up, pulling the blanket tightly around me. I scan the packaging with my eyes for a moment before looking at the words.

"Micro-Claim" I read aloud. "Legally Acquired Slave Identification Device".

"This is a micro chip. We call them LASIDs, for short. Until recently, we used to brand slaves with a tattoo.", she begins. "But in the cases where they escaped, it was difficult to track them down. Zio- I mean your master's company came up with a way to both mark and track slaves in one device. It's more humane, less painful, and a lot faster than tattooing."

I turn it around in my hand, trying to figure out ho