The Modified (The Biotics Trilogy, #1)

by Kunz, C. A.

  “What is this place?” I ask one of the guards standing next to us.

  “This is the Hexagon’s light tram platform. This tunnel connects to key destinations throughout the world. It utilizes state of the art suspended tram technology. Your light tram should be arriving shortly to transport you to the Shrouded Facility,” he replies in a very cold manner.

  “What’s this Shrouded Facility everyone keeps talking about?” I ask, but again get no answer. The guard just continues to look forward. It was worth a shot, I guess, I think to myself.

  We hear a slight buzzing noise coming from down the tunnel and suddenly a huge white vehicle stops right in front of us. The design is something I’ve never seen before. The whole body shimmers in the lights and looks super polished and smooth. It has a streamlined cylindrical shape, but is rounded off at either end. I notice that the tram is attached at several points to the track overhead.

  The double doors on the side of the light tram slide open, which is followed by an odd sounding electronic chime. As we board, the first thing I see is the stark contrast between the floor and the rest of the tram. The floor is a glossy blue surface and the rest of the interior is polished bright white. I almost don’t want to touch anything at the risk of getting it dirty.

  “Please take a seat,” one of the guards says as he steps inside behind us. He performs a similar trick to the one he did with the elevator, and a keypad appears on the interior wall. He puts in a code and proceeds to tell us to buckle up and hang on tight.

  “Hey, what about all the stuff we brought with us?” I ask the guard just as he turns to leave.

  “You won’t need it where you’re going,” he replies. Once he sees we’re all buckled up, he steps out of the tram and the doors close behind him.

  I can see into the area at the front of the tram where a driver should be and there is no one. Hopefully it’s automatic.

  The interior lights slowly dim and we slide back slightly as if it’s settling into gear. I hear a noise that sounds somewhat mechanical, which is the best way I can describe it. The next thing I know we launch into high speed. My stomach immediately goes into my throat and all I can get out is a tiny scream. I can hear Sam, who’s two seats over from me, yelling to go faster. Joey reaches over and grabs my hand as I tense up even more from the force. My face feels like it’s going to peel off.

  The tram begins to gradually slow down and I’m able to relax into my seat. “That was kind of cool,” Joey states as he pats my hand reassuringly. He knows that I’m not a huge fan of thrill rides.

  “Yeah, probably not the way I’d describe that,” I joke.

  “Oh, come on, Grayson. That was awesome!” Sam cries out.

  I turn to look at Geoffrey, who’s sitting right next to me on my left, and he looks ill. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone turn that many shades of green so quickly and then back to pale white. Even paler than normal. “You okay, Geoffrey?”

  “Yeah…I’ll be fine…just a little motion sickness,” he chokes out between gags.

  Caleb’s just sitting there smiling. I guess he enjoyed the ride.

  We begin to slow even more, and it seems like we’re getting close to the Shrouded Facility. As I’m gazing out the windows of the tram, I see the tunnel open up into a huge well-lit cave. I notice several other tracks all converging toward one giant area in the distance. Pulling up to the platform, we see a large crowd of teenagers all standing in front of an enormous metal door which is embedded into the rock wall.

  The tram comes to a crawl and then stops. I begin to scan the crowd through the window, and my gaze fixes on a single guy. My heart skips a beat. He’s unlike any guy I’ve ever seen. I mean, there have been guys I’ve had crushes on back home, but there’s something so different about him. His sun-kissed skin and beautiful chestnut brown hair takes my breath away. I never thought I’d feel this way, especially not while in my current situation.

  Joey catches me staring at something. “What’s up?”

  I lie and tell him it’s nothing.

  “A boy out there caught your eye, didn’t he? Come on, you can tell me,” he says with a mischievous grin.

  I give him a playful slap on the shoulder. “It’s not like that.” I laugh because I know I’m lying.

  “All right, I believe you,” Joey says with an eyebrow raised.

  “Ooooh, which one is it?” Sam chimes in. “I bet I can guess.”

  I look over to Sam. “It’s nothing, really.”

  “Sure it isn’t. I got my eye on you, Grayson. Keep those hormones in check, girl. We’ve got a war to win,” she jokes.

  My gaze inconspicuously wanders back over to where I saw the guy standing before, but he isn’t there anymore.

  The tram’s doors finally open. We unbuckle our seat belts and head out to join everyone else on the platform.

  An unfamiliar male’s voice comes over the intercom system. “Welcome, everyone, to the Shrouded Facility. We will begin your processing shortly. We thank you in advance for your patience. When the door opens, we would like all the females to proceed toward the left side entrance, and all the males to proceed toward the right side entrance.”

  I look around the crowd again to see if I can find the guy from before, but to no avail. I’m still not quite sure why I’m so intrigued by him. Is it wrong to have feelings like this right now?

  “Look, the doors are beginning to open,” I hear Joey say and then my focus pans over to them. There’s a large circle in the middle of the door that rotates and then slides upward, disappearing into the frame. The left and right parts of the door slide open quickly after.

  As we begin to separate into girls and boys, Joey gives me a hug and whispers into my ear, “See you on the other side, okay? Be strong, Kenley.” With that, he moves away from me and into the crowd of males gathering around the right side entrance. I see Geoffrey and Caleb join him as well.

  I feel someone put an arm around my shoulder and turn my head to see that it’s Sam. “Come on, Grayson, we’ve got a date with destiny.”

  “How can you be so calm and cheery about this?” I ask her.

  “What? Would you rather me be scared? Life’s too short, Grayson. Besides, I’ve spent plenty of time being all gloom and doom, but now I’m ready to kick some ass. And that makes me happy. We’re in a war, if you haven’t noticed.”

  “Oh, I’ve noticed. Probably more than you think,” I murmur. “I’ve already lost someone to this war.”

  “Looks like you and I’ve got a lot more in common than I first thought. I’ve lost a brother and my dad so far,” she replies with a serious face instead of her usual joking one. “But the moment you let that get to you, they’ve won, and we can’t have that now, can we?” she continues and flashes me a smirk.

  “You’re right.”

  “I’m never wrong,” Sam says with a laugh. “Now, like I said, let’s go meet our destiny.”

  Sam and I are two of the last girls to make it through the left side entrance and into the room beyond. The first thing I notice is a pile of clothes to the right of us. There are several lines of girls, all in their underwear, standing in front of more doors. A large sign above the row of doors reads: Decontamination Zone.

  A few female guards are standing off to our left and one approaches us. “Please strip down and then proceed toward one of the lines. You must be decontaminated prior to receiving your implant,” the female guard explains sharply.

  Now I know why they split us up, I say to myself.

  It’s my turn to step into the decontamination chamber. The door slides open and I see a small room ahead of me. A blue scanner grid is stationary in the middle of the space, causing the white walls to have a blue tint to them. As I step into the room, the door slides shut behind me and I begin to feel slightly claustrophobic.

  An electronic voice flows into the room. “Please stand still. The decontamination process will commence immediately.”

  The scanner grid moves back and forth ov
er my body multiple times. It tingles like someone is giving me a light massage with their fingertips.

  The electronic voice comes back into the room. “Decontamination process complete.”

  The door on the other end of the small room opens, revealing a long and narrow bright white chamber. In front of me is a row of large cylindrical glass tubes, positioned at an angle. They’re being held in place by a metal base and a mechanical arm affixed to the top of it that seems to be attached to the wall.

  I notice a few of the other girls enter the area and see Sam emerge from the door a few down from mine. The electronic voice filters into the room as the rest of the girls join us in the chamber. “Please proceed to the implant administration conduit directly in front of you.”

  As I approach the tube, the electronic voice comes through once more. “Please place your hand onto the triangular pad to the right of the implant administration conduit.”

  I place my hand on the pad and a blue light emanates from it. I feel a prick on all of my fingers and gasp as I pull my hand back quickly. I look at my hand and there are small puncture wounds on each of my fingertips, but they’ve already begun healing and are not bleeding. I notice a stream of red fluid flowing through the clear hose that’s connected from the pad to the base of the tube. I assume it’s the blood it just took from me. It mixes quickly with the clear liquid that’s collected at the bottom of the tube, turning it a neon blue color.

  I can’t do this. I need to get out of here. This is all too much. I trust my dad, but I’m not ready for this. This is crazy, my inner voice says. My mind begins to ramble with all the worries that I’ve been holding in. I try to calm myself and not hyperventilate.

  “Please enter the implant administration conduit at this time,” the electronic voice states. The door to the tube opens and slides upward.

  No, I’m not going to do this. I don’t care what they do to me, I tell myself.

  “Is there a problem with your implant administration conduit? Shall I call a guard over to assist you?” the electronic voice asks. I see a female guard heading my way and I turn to look back at the glass tube in front of me. Taking in a calming breath, I push out all the negative thoughts gathered in my mind. A sense of strength begins to build up inside me.

  You have to do this, Kenley. You can’t let Dylan down. You can’t let your family down. You can’t let the world down, I state to myself, trying to muster the courage to proceed.

  “Please answer the question: Do you need assistance?”

  “No, I’m fine,” I reply as I slowly climb up the steps leading to the opening. Raising one leg into it, I grab hold of the handles on the sides and pull myself in the rest of the way. As I settle in and lean against the back of the tube, the cold glass against my skin makes me tremble. The door slides downward and I hear an electrical locking sound. My heart is pounding so loud that I can hear it echoing within the small confined space. My hands begin to shake and I take a deep breath in an attempt to try and relax. I hear a swooshing sound and feel my feet getting wet. Looking down I see the blue liquid entering the tube through four openings at the bottom. As the liquid creeps up my skin it feels like a million bugs are crawling all over me.

  I begin to panic and then I hear the electronic voice again. “Please remain still. Nanobot technology is being administered.” I try not to move, but the sensation is almost too much to bear.

  The liquid is at my waist now and I wonder how far up it’s going to go. I take another deep breath as the liquid reaches my chin. Terror overtakes me as it creeps past my mouth and flows over my nose and ears. I scream, which sounds muffled, as I pound in slow motion on the walls of the tube, trying to break out. In my panic I accidentally swallow a mouthful of the liquid and realize that I can still breathe. How is this possible? I should be drowning, I ask myself. A slight calm comes over me as I float there as if in suspended animation. The tingling sensation has stopped and my body almost feels like it’s numb. Suddenly, the liquid begins to drain from the tube.

  “Nanobot introduction successful. Cleansing process will commence shortly.”

  As I stand there in the empty tube, an immense surge of energy courses through me. Surveying my skin, I see that it’s covered in a blue film. I hear the sound of something rushing through the pipe that’s connected overhead. A strong blast of warm water hits me like a high-powered shower. Staring at my arms I see the blue film peel away, collect at the bottom, and rush down the drain. The water shuts off and a green light appears at the top of the door.

  “Cleansing process is complete. You are now free to exit the implant administration conduit.”

  The door slides upward and I step out. I shudder in the cold of the room outside. The energetic feeling that I had before disappears and is replaced by nausea. My head begins to pound and my heart feels like it’s about to explode out of my chest. I stumble and drop to my knees as I hear a muffled voice call out to me. The blurry outline of someone rushing over fills my vision. The next thing I feel is a strong pressure rising up into my throat and liquid gushing out of my mouth onto the floor. As I stare down at the puddle of neon blue, the whole room fades to black.

  Chapter Three

  The Escadrille

  I slowly open my eyes and scan my surroundings. A headache begins to invade as the blinding white of the room creeps into my pupils. As my haziness dissipates, and I begin to see more clearly, I notice there’s a clear glass bubble encasing the bed I’m lying in. When I begin to sit up, the glass dome separates into two pieces at the middle and slides down into the metal frame that surrounds the bed. I look around and I seem to be in a hospital room of some sort, but it doesn’t look like any I’ve ever been in before. The entire room retains the slick polish that everything else at this facility has had, and there are shiny metal objects everywhere that are most likely some kind of advanced medical equipment. I see other cadets in the beds that line the perimeter of the room. They must have passed out like I did.

  What I assume is a nurse, approaches me dressed all in white. “Hello, I am Ada 21, your nurse here in the med-wing. I hope you do not mind, but I took the liberty of fitting you with a proper Allied Federation hairstyle, and dressed you in a uniform.” Her tone is robotic.

  Ada 21? That’s the same name of the lady at the front desk, except with a different number. They even look similar except she has brown hair.

  “Thank you,” I say as I begin to examine the clothes I’m wearing.

  I hear the door to the med-wing slide open and turn to see my dad hurrying into the room. He rushes up to my bed, “I came the moment I heard you had complications. Are you okay? What happened?” he asks hurriedly while grabbing me in a hug as he speaks.

  “I’m so glad to see you Dad. You can’t even begin to know how much,” I answer, returning his hug and getting a little teary eyed. “I’m okay. But that was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced. I don’t think there was any way I could’ve prepared for that.”

  “I’m so sorry you had to go through that, Kenley. The process is very intense, but full immersion into the Nanobot fluid is the only way to introduce the implant,” he explains, pulling back slightly to look me in the eyes.

  “Nanobot fluid? There were little robots floating around in that stuff?”

  “Correct. The nanobots carried the implant into your body through the pores in your skin.”

  “Was that why I was able to breathe?”

  “No. Actually the liquid has a high concentration of oxygen in it, which makes it breathable. The liquid has properties of water, but is just like breathing air.”

  “Oh, I see…kind of.”

  “Listen to me getting all scientific. I’m just so relieved that you’re okay.”

  “Me too,” I say, sending him a smile.

  “Is there anything that I can be of assistance with?” Ada 21 asks, coming up to the side of my bed.

  “I think we’re all set here,” My dad replies.

  As Ada 21 w
alks away, I turn to my dad and ask, “What’s with the nurse having the same name as the lady I met at the front desk at the Hexagon?”

  “They’re androids,” he replies nonchalantly.

  “Androids? You mean robots that look like humans?”

  “Indeed. Just another wonderful innovation brought to you by the Federation,” he jokes. “These are all prototype models though. They’re testing them out here before they can be used in combat.”

  “It’s kind of creepy if you ask me.”

  He just chuckles at my comment. “Well, at any rate, I’ve got to get back to work. I just wanted to make sure you were all right. I’m glad I got to see you again. I’m sorry I haven’t been there more often for you, or anyone for that matter,” he says, his voice full of sadness.

  “It’s okay. We know that you love us, no matter how busy you ever get with work. I’m glad you came by. I definitely feel better now that I’ve gotten to see you again.”

  “I love you, Kenley.”

  “Love you too, Dad,” I reply as he kisses my forehead.

  After he leaves, Ada 21 walks over again. “Grayson, Kenley, you have a visitor. Would you like for me to allow them in?”

  “Yeah, it’s okay,” I reply.

  Joey strolls through the door and the first thing I notice is that his eyes are shockingly blue, almost as if they’re electrified. The next thing I see is his uniform. It’s a formfitting black-and-red ensemble with white stripes on the sleeves, chest, and legs. Joey’s athletic build wears it very well.

  “I heard what happened to you,” Joey states as he grabs for my hand. “Looks like you weren’t the only one that had this reaction though.” We both look around the room at the rest of the cadets who are recovering.

  “Yeah, that was quite intense, huh?” I ask.

  “You could say that,” he replies with a slight smile.

  “Hey, have you seen your eyes lately? They’re like really blue.”

  “So are yours,” he states, pointing at me.