Freegans part 35

Ben continued
I had written, 'Okay, what is going on? Who are these people, and what is he doing to Madiza?'
Kestrel frowned at me. "Who's Madiza?"
I gestured towards her, and the guy who was bent over her. He reminded me of the archetypal college professor: thin, with glasses and a slight beard. I could imagine him in a suit standing in front of a blackboard, holding chalk and writing complex equations.
"Oh. Why do you call her that?"
'It's what she calls herself. Madiza Hatter.'
Getting the pun in the name, Kestrel gave a small smile. "Well, don't worry, the Ox won't hurt her. He just wants to run a small test, make sure she's what he thinks."
'What are you talking about?'
"Wake your friends up. This is something all of you need to know."

Soon all four of us were seated around Kestrel. Madiza had woken up by now, and it appeared that the Ox was asking her some questions, and at the same time holding up some weird little box to the side of her head. It made little beeping sounds, almost as if it were scanning the insides of her brain.
"About six years ago, scientists working for the government developed a new type of technology they referred to as Project 112. Its' purpose was to get rid of schools, by transferring information directly into the brain, since it's basically a living computer. Anyway, before it could be sold, they first needed to experiment to make sure it was safe. To do this, they needed a test subject."
"You mean-" Lucy stopped in shock, and her eyes flicked in Madiza's direction.
"That's right. Your friend was already a prisoner, so they figured why not make her a lab mouse, too. The test run failed, filling up her brain too much. It was like a computer that had been overloaded; so to speak, her wires short-circuited."
"Wow. So there is such a thing as too much information," said Matt. All of us glared at him. This was hardly a laughing matter.