[ wp ] all u.s citizens have a chip implanted in their brains . It helps with math , navigation and memory . You discover a way to remove it , and finds it does much more than simple math

The machine pushed the quietly spinning drill towards the shaved area on his skull just above his left temple. Daniel gripped the chair with anticipation as the quiet whir became a deafening roar, just above his ear the drill stopped, searching. 
 
 After a moments pause the machine came to life again, `` Chip located, commencing removal in t-minus 60 seconds'' It droned in it's procedurally generated computerized speech. He had placed the delay in case he changed his mind, now he really wished he had n't. He gripped the kill switch tightly in his hands, eyes darting around his messy living room. He had moved the machine from the basement and set himself up looking out the window just in case everything went wrong. It was a beautiful day outside, the glistening pine forest across the street glowed as the sun hung, just above its tree line. He grimaced as the machine suddenly buzzed and made a minute adjustment but it remained still inches above his head it would be 53 seconds before it would actually push forward. A bead of sweat formed just below the belt restraining his head rolled down his face staining the felt of the antique recliner he had re-purposed as an operating table for this machine. His hands felt clammy, his stomach churned. 
 
 Glancing out the window he could n't help but wonder if it would look different. He knew it was a silly question, the chips were largely just extra processing power for the brain, allowing it to focus less on mundane things like simple arithmetic or memory recall. Leaving it to more complex tasks like the chip removal robot he'd assembled. Although robot might be pushing it a bit, an old computer hooked up to an actuator and sensor module from his last car could hardly be described as a robot, still it was a testament to the chip's effectiveness. 
 
 Since birth he had the chip, and he had never been able to tell his thoughts from it. He knew it worked, when parts of it would be turned off for maintenance he noticed his mind moved sluggishly, and less precisely. However parts of it could only be maintained if he was unconscious, which begged the question `` how much of me is the chip?'' The idea that he was the chip, and his body was just some meat suit he piloted chilled him to the bone. 
 
 The experiment itself was easy enough to set up, although tampering with the chips was illegal, in his town of 7500 the police force was so small and inept he'd have to practically invite them to try it out before they'd figure out anything was amiss. So no one really noticed him quietly assembling the machine in his garage. And if they did they likely did n't care much. Daniel was snapped back to reality by the robot as the drilled sped up and the speaker cracked to life. 
 
 `` Drilling commencing in 10'' 
 
 Today he would find out who he really was. 
 
 `` 9, 8'' 
 
 He took one last frantic look around his living room, trying to soak in as much of its musty messiness as he could. He would miss this place. 
 
 `` 7,6'' 
 
 He steeled himself, silently praying that he would live and prove to himself he was more than just the chip buried in his skull 
 
 `` 5,4'' 
 
 But was he really willing to die, just because he might be the pilot and not the vehicle? 
 
 `` 3,2'' 
 
 No he decided, I ca n't risk it, I do n't want to die 
 
 `` 1'' 
 
 Daniel pressed the button a moment to late, and the drill dove into the restraint holding down his head. Blinding pain ripped through Daniel's head as the robot pierced his skin, damaged the chip beyond repair and ripped it from his skull. Daniel tried to scream but could n't, he briefly fell unconscious as long tendrils of copper wire were pulled from deep inside his head. Bits of skull, skin and meat stained the chair, the floor and the walls around him and the smell of burning leather filled the room. After a few moments the machine stopped. 
 
 `` Thank you for going through with the operation, you've done the right thing Daniel'' The machine droned, emotionless. Daniel however, could n't hear this, his ears rung and his vision blurred, he struggled to undo the mangled head restraint and after a few moments released himself and collapsed to the floor, blood gushed out of the shallow hole in his scalp. Daniel blindly grasped for the towel he had left draped over the chair arm and pressed it against the wound. His head swam. As he struggled to stay conscious Daniel's vision began to return, the pristine white towel he had left on the chair looked brown and red with blood. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his thoughts. But they would n't, his mind was so busy with minor, simple thoughts. He wondered if he had remembered to ask someone to take care of his dog on the off chance he died, and with some effort reminded himself his neighbor would be popping over tomorrow if he did n't call. He tried to guess how long he'd been on the floor but with no internal clock the best he could come up with was around a minute. Every thought felt slow and deliberate. Opening his eyes he attempted to read the towel's tag, which took him almost half a second. He smiled through the throbbing pain, he'd done it, he'd proved who he was, and who he was n't. Removing the Towel from his head, Daniel surveyed his own living room. Everything appeared the same, with the exception of the bits of him scattered about the room by the drill. He looked out the window, and his jaw dropped. 
 
 Directly outside his window was neither his front lawn, nor the little road that marked his street. There was instead, only a metal corridor, that ended just about where the forest should begin, and painted on it's far wall was a forest, with a sun hanging just above the tree line. Just next to the Sun, painted in large black letters was a sign: 
 
 `` US FALLOUT BUNKER 75 CAPACITY 8000'' 
 
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 Just started getting back into writing, let me know what you think. 
 
 edit: some words
