Chapter 41 (YEAR 2052)

"To answer your first inevitable question, I lost it about seven years ago flying a dropship prototype," Martin stated. His voice took on a bored tone as he wiggled the fingers of his prosthetic. He had clearly shared this information many times before.

Martin's left arm gestured toward his temple. His head turned, just slightly, to the left, and I could see something I hadn't noticed before.

A small patch of Martin's blonde crew cut had been shaved bald, clearing space for an IRON chip. The chip itself was clearly modified-spliced apart to serve a new purpose-and was mounted far from its usual location on the back of the neck.

"You control your arm with an IRON chip?" I inquired. "That's amazing! I thought they could only tap into the cerebellum."

At this Martin's smile returned. He pulled down his sleeve with a steady motion and nodded at me.

"With a little work," he corrected, "the IRON chip can be so much more than a weapon. It just needs the right owner."

A loud electronic c