The Modified (The Biotics Trilogy, #1)

by Kunz, C. A.

  “That’s okay, Galileo. It’s not your fault,” I reply.

  I feel a hand touch my shoulder and I spin around to find Landon standing there. “So, you were worried about me?” he asks.

  “You heard that, huh?” I reply and he nods with a smile. “Well, yeah of course I was worried. You never showed for dinner.”

  “Sorry about that. My dad was on the news talking about California. I didn’t really feel like eating afterward,” he states, his tone more melancholy with a hint of anger.

  “What did he say?” Landon gets quiet as he stares down at the ground.

  “Hey, I want to show you something,” he says, quickly changing the subject. It’s clear he still doesn’t want to talk about California or his dad, so I drop the topic.

  “What do you want to show me?”

  “It’s a surprise,” he answers, extending his hand for mine. I take it and let him lead me down the hall to the elevators. As we enter the elevator, the floor and walls light up bright white, causing me to squint slightly at first. Landon hits a button on the wall panel that says observatory.

  The panel flashes red and an electronic voice says, “Password required.”

  Landon replies, “Kenley,” and the panel changes to green.

  “Password verified,” the electronic voice states as the elevator doors close.

  “My name is a password?” I ask looking at Landon with surprise. “Wait, how did you know my name was a password?”

  “By accident…don’t ask,” he laughs nervously.

  Only seconds seem to go by and the doors open again, revealing a large triangular-shaped room beyond the elevator. “Top floor, observatory,” the electronic voice chimes in.

  As we exit the elevator, the walls of the room begin to retract and slide downward as if they’re reacting to us entering the area. I stare in awe as I spin around slowly, taking in the sight before me. After the walls completely retract, all that’s left between us and outer space is a wall of glass. A blanket of stars completely surrounds us. They’re incredibly bright and vibrant, casting a glow over the entire room. I’m completely mesmerized as I continue gazing at the beauty before me. I wish Dylan and Joey could see this.

  I feel Landon take my hand into his and squeeze gently as he joins me by my side. A silence falls over us as we just stand there, gazing into space.

  “It’s hard to believe a war is happening out there amongst such peace and beauty,” I say, breaking the silence.

  “Yeah, hard to believe, isn’t it?” is all Landon says. It seems like he’s waiting for something to happen as he stares pensively up at the stars.

  “Is this what you wanted to show me?” I ask softly.

  “Nope,” he replies, still staring up and not breaking his line of sight. “There, that’s what I want to show you.” Just as those words escape his mouth, I see Earth come into view. “There it is.” He squeezes my hand tighter and I look over at him, but he doesn’t take his eyes off Earth.

  “My father called California a casualty of war…that’s it. That’s such a bullshit answer,” Landon says under his breath. “He didn’t say a damn thing about the rest of our family or friends. There was no emotion at all. Nothing but that bullshit answer. Some hero he is, huh?”

  “I’m sorry,” I say quietly.

  “But that’s not even it, though. My mom told me my dad had called her and said he missed his family. He told her that he wanted to see them and was sending a plane to bring them to D.C.”

  “Why would that upset you, though? He missed them,” I ask.

  “My mom wouldn’t leave home to go to Washington, even if it was to see my dad. And as far as my dad missing her, that’s a joke. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself and his career. I’m glad he made them go because they’re still alive, but something’s not right. Two days after they arrived in D.C., California was hit. Doesn’t that seem strange to you?” he asks.

  “How could your dad have known? It would’ve been impossible for him to know that was going to happen to California, right?”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he responds.

  Landon goes silent for a moment and then turns to me. His blue eyes start to pulse slightly.

  “I miss everyone so much, Kenley. I should’ve been there with them,” he grounds out, clenching his jaw.

  “Don’t talk like that. You wouldn’t have been able to do anything to save them,” I say, tearing up at the look of pain on his face.

  “I know, but at least I would’ve been with them.”

  “No. You were meant to be here. You were meant to live. If you need something to live for, then live to avenge them,” I reply.

  His eyes return to normal and the anguish leaves his face as I place my hand on his cheek. He brings his hand up and cups it around mine. Landon takes my hand from his cheek and kisses it softly and places it to his chest. He smiles as he stares deeply into my eyes.

  “I do have something to live for,” he replies and leans in close to me. Our lips touch with the slightest of pressure. He places his hands about my waist and pulls me closer. My hands press on his firm chest and find their way to his gorgeously chiseled chin. I hear Galileo say something followed by Landon’s AI, but I am so concentrated on Landon that I can’t make out what they’re saying. His hands move to my face and I can feel the heat from his power surge through my body. He pulls back slightly, his eyes pulsing again. “I’m so lucky I found you.”

  The next day in class, I couldn’t quit smiling at Landon. I stopped feeling guilty about how I feel about him. These could be our last days alive. Why not spend them happy? The war does still weigh heavily on my mind though, that’s for sure. One thing is for certain, I’ve never felt this way for someone in my whole life. This feeling gives me hope. It gives me strength, and I know Landon feels the same way too.

  “Yesterday you all learned how to produce barriers, so today I thought I’d go into a little more of the scientific explanation behind your implants. They’re quite fascinating really,” Dr. Patel states as she walks around the room. “First of all, it should be noted that your implants are synched with your DNA. That’s why your blood was taken before you entered the implant administration conduits. Each implant reacts differently depending on the host who receives it. And since your implants are linked with your DNA, they’re also connected with your vitals. Any changes in emotion can activate them. Once you learn how to control your emotions, you’ll gain control of your abilities. Speaking of controlling your abilities, let’s move on with our second exercise, the multi-barrier,” she explains and then sits down in front of us on her floor mat. We again copy her sitting position and close our eyes, waiting for her instruction.

  “Let’s begin by clearing our minds and focusing on someone in the room to cast a barrier around. We’ll practice one barrier at a-”

  Dr. Patel suddenly stops talking, which causes me to open my eyes, and I see there are barriers around Landon, her and me. Dr. Patel’s surprised look meets mine. As I look around I notice no one else has a barrier around them yet.

  “Kenley Grayson, I do believe you have produced three barriers at once,” Dr. Patel states in awe as the barrier around her begins to fade away.

  “I did?”

  “Absolutely remarkable,” she says with a huge smile.

  I look over at Landon and he grins at me. I return it.

  Heading into the Fortification final exam, I feel much more confident than last time. I’ve definitely proved myself, and Dr. Patel agrees. So maybe I wasn’t cut out for Strike, but that doesn’t mean I don’t deserve to be here.

  “Are you ready, Ms. Grayson?” Dr. Patel asks.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I reply with a salute.

  “All right then, head into the test area and press the switch when you want to begin.”

  I nod and enter the room. It is set up exactly like the Strike’s test room with a switch on the wall, a large digital timer, and the walls and floor are comprised of big white
tiles lined in shiny metal.

  I hit the switch, and as the timer starts an electronic voice filters into the room. “Task is Barrier. Activating combat drone.”

  One of the white tiles in the distance rises slightly and slides to the side. A combat drone emerges from the opening, but this time it has a weapon in its hands. Not just any weapon though, it carries a brand spankin’ new shiny plasma rifle. It looks like a newer and sleeker design than any of the rifles I’ve seen the Federation soldiers carrying. I calm myself, knowing the rifle will be firing fake bullets because that’s what Dr. Patel told us.

  Taking a defensive stance, I concentrate and focus as I hear the rifle warming up and readying to fire. I hear the bullets begin to rip through the air and my eyes shoot open just in time to see them ricocheting off the barrier I’ve produced. One by one I see them bounce off in slow motion, causing a ripple effect across the wall of energy upon impact.

  The gun ceases fire and I see my time turn green. The electronic voice says, “Excellent.”

  I hit the switch on the wall again once it begins to glow. “Task is Multiple Barriers. Activating combat drones,” the electronic voice announces.

  A drone appears in front of me with a rifle in hand just like the last one, and another appears next to me without a rifle. I was wondering how they were going to test this one. All right, bring it! I tell myself.

  I hear the rifle warming up and I concentrate on the robot and myself. I open my eyes and see that there’s a barrier around both of us even before the drone begins to fire. As the bullets begin to fly, I feel a slight stress on my barriers. The ripple effect gets larger and I find myself struggling to hold out with every bullet that connects.

  The bullet barrage ends and my timer turns green followed by the electronic voice saying, “Excellent.”

  I wipe away the sweat on my brow from the exertion of the previous task, and take a breather. Then I hit the switch to begin the next one. Again the electronic voice pipes in. “Task is Disarm. Activating combat drone.”

  The drone that rises up from the ground is not as heavily armed as the previous ones. It only holds a standard issue Federation pistol in its right hand. I immediately cast a barrier around the drone’s right hand and pull toward me, causing the gun to fly out and skid along the floor. It immediately whips a rifle from behind its back and takes a few steps forward. I concentrate harder and produce a barrier around the rifle. Pushing off the right, I send it soaring off into the wall.

  My timer stops and turns green. The electronic voice chimes in and states, “Excellent.”

  So far I’m three for three. You’ve got this, Grayson, I think to myself.

  The switch glows again and I press it. The timer begins and the electronic voice says, “Task is Restrict. Activating combat drone.”

  The drone emerges into the room, carrying a rifle identical to the previous ones. I hear the rifle readying to fire, and produce a barrier around the robot. It begins to fire and I hold my focus, ensuring the barrier stays in place. The bullets ricochet around inside the bubble of energy, pounding into the drone many times in the process. After the last shell hits the ground, I release my barrier. The drone collapses to the floor, covered in dents from all the impacts.

  My timer turns green and the electronic voice says, “Excellent.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief when it’s all over. I can’t believe I just did all of that.

  Looking over at Dr. Patel, she gives me two thumbs up.

  As I re-enter the training room, I immediately look for Landon’s face. He mouths good job.

  I mouth back thanks.

  Chapter Eight

  Strategic Maneuvers

  I’m still surprised every time I enter the library that it’s full of books, especially with the advancements in electronic reading. I’ve loved libraries ever since I was a little girl. It was actually my older brother, Dylan, who sparked my love of reading. I wish he could be here to see all of this. Most libraries back on Earth don’t even have a third of the actual books this one has. A lot of people just download them now. It’s rare to see people reading a physical copy anymore. And yet here we are on this highly advanced spacecraft with the library full of books.

  It’s actually a very neat sight to behold. The room is a large three-story cylinder with clear glass comprising the floor on each level, and walls made entirely of antique-looking wooden bookshelves. There are several bookcases randomly placed in the center of each floor as well. As I look up, I can see all the way to the ceiling and people on floors above me seem to just be floating there. The spiral staircase that leads up to each level has the same blue light comprising each step.

  Making my way to the top floor, I notice a lone leather chair off to the side sitting on a beautiful ornate rug that’s surrounded by stacks of books. There’s a man pacing back and forth in front of the chair while reading the book in his hands. He seems to be in deep concentration. He’s not wearing a uniform or a lab coat, and then it dawns on me where I’ve seen him before. He’s the bookish-looking guy from the first day. He’s dressed in a black button-down shirt with the sleeves slightly rolled up and a nice pair of khaki pants. His tie is loosened and his short brown hair is a little disheveled. I wonder how long he’s been in here, I think to myself.

  Looking closer, I spot the title of the book that’s holding his attention. The Art of War? Huh? Fitting, I guess.

  “Problem?” the man asks, apparently not okay with me staring.

  “Oh, no, sorry. I was just curious about the book you were reading. It must be good if it has you that focused,” I reply.

  He laughs slightly and returns to reading.

  “You’re head of the Tactical division, right?” I ask.

  “It would appear so,” he replies, seeming slightly annoyed. I send him a look of confusion as to why he’s acting like this.

  He abruptly tucks the book under his arm. “Is there something I can help you with? Because as you can see I’m in relax mode, and so far all you’ve done is cover things that both of us are already aware of.”

  “I was just going to say that I start tactical training tomorrow and wanted to introduce myself.”

  “Ms. Grayson, I’ve already memorized all two hundred and forty students’ names and pictures. So no introduction necessary. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got some light reading to attend to,” he states, gesturing to the pile of books by the chair.

  “Sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to bother you.”

  As I turn to leave, his voice stops me. “Oh, Ms. Grayson?”

  “Yes, sir?” I reply, facing him.

  “Come here,” he says pointing to the floor just before him. I walk over to stand right in front of him. “Lesson one. Here in my hand I hold ‘The Art of War’ by Sun Tzu. A true gem amongst military literature. I’ve read this book a thousand times and was surprised to find this library didn’t have a copy on hand. Good thing I carry my own. It’s kind of a security blanket…don’t ask. But I digress. I’ve read this a thousand times, but never have I read it like you’re about to right now,” he explains and then holds the book out to me. “Go on, take it.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask while grabbing for the book.

  “Such a loaded question, Ms. Grayson. Let the answer come to you through action,” he replies cryptically with a smirk. “Now, I want you to clear your mind and focus on the book you hold in your hands. Open it up to any page.” I do as he says and I start to see the words move around on the page. “I want you to keep concentrating on the book, not allowing anything else into your mind. Now, place your hand onto the page. I want you to visualize the words becoming liquefied, like they’re floating around in book. Then imagine your hand is a vacuum, sucking up all those words,” he explains.

  I feel a sudden surge of power in my hand that runs all the way up to my brain. I see flashes of words, and those words begin to form sentences, and those sentences form paragraphs. I begin to see full pages of writing in my head. The
rush is intense. When it’s all finished, the book in my head closes and I can read the title, The Art of War by Sun Tzu.

  Letting out a gasp, my eyes shoot open and I drop the book onto the floor. A headache begins to invade and I touch just below my nose to find it’s bleeding. “What the hell just happened?”

  “You just dropped my one hundred and fifty dollar book on the floor, that’s what just happened,” he replies flippantly, picking up the book and dusting it off.

  “I meant with me. What happened to me just now?”

  “Good to know where your priorities lie, Ms. Grayson,” he states and I glare at him. “Relax, Ms. Grayson. It’s called perception. Just another one of the wonderful abilities which have been bestowed upon you.”

  “Perception?”

  “Oh, sorry, explanation, right? Well in short, you just read this whole book in a matter of seconds and stored it away in that little head of yours. You know, in the ninety percent of your brain you don’t use. Congratulations, you’re now using forty percent of your brain,” he states sarcastically.

  “Wait you’re telling me that whole book is in my head now?” I ask and he nods. “So how do I access the information?”

  “Well that’s lesson two and it’s a little advanced for someone who hasn’t even started the training yet,” he states and then shoos me away. “See you in class tomorrow, Ms. Grayson.”

  I turn back to face him just as I step onto the stairs. “Yeah, see you tomorrow, Mr.…?”

  “Doctor. The name’s Dr. Harvey Wilhelm.”

  As I make my way downstairs I bump into Joey on the second floor. “I just had an interesting experience with Dr. Wilhelm,” I state, walking up to him.

  “Oh, that guy. Yeah, he’s a piece of work. I could never tell if he was being serious or sarcastic,” Joey replies.

  “He showed me how to use perception,” I whisper so no one else could hear me.

  “Wait, he taught you that out of class?” Joey asks.

  “Yeah,” I whisper back.