The Modified (The Biotics Trilogy, #1)

by Kunz, C. A.

  Looking across the room, I see Geoffrey standing there. He seems to be more nervous than I am, so I wave to him in hopes it will reassure him. He waves back and seems to be a little more at ease than before.

  An electronic voice filters into the room. “Please stand on your activation panel to commence with the exam.”

  I look in front of me and one of the large panels on the floor is pulsing bright blue. As I step on it, the panel turns solid blue and stops pulsing. I look over at Landon and Geoffrey as they do the same.

  A pleasant electronic chime sounds throughout the area. Suddenly, white walls shoot out of the floor and begin to connect and arrange themselves. They form a room around me without any sign of an exit, except the closed door behind me.

  The electronic voice pipes in again. “Milton, Geoffrey, please proceed into the exam. Your first task is to reach Grayson, Kenley. Your time begins now.”

  After a few seconds pass, the voice says, “Initializing Tactical assessment.”

  As the voice fades away, a shiny white post emerges from the floor to my right. At the top of the post seems to be some kind of switch, but it’s not lit up. I stand there waiting for something to happen, anything. The only activity in my enclosed area is the bright blue lines that pulse across the walls in a zigzag pattern. It’s actually kind of hypnotic.

  Several minutes pass and suddenly the wall in front of me begins to slide open. Geoffrey is standing there, hunched over slightly, and breathing heavily. His hands are glowing and I notice sweat on his forehead and his cheeks are flush as he looks up at me with his electric blue eyes.

  “What happened out there?” I ask as he begins to make his way over to me.

  “A lot,” he replies, trying to catch his breath.

  The electronic voice flows into the area. “Phase one complete. To begin phase two, Grayson, Kenley, you must activate the switch in your area.”

  The switch on the post begins to glow as I look over at it. I turn to Geoffrey to make sure he’s okay to continue and he nods. His cheeks are still flushed.

  As I hit the switch, a melodic chime sounds throughout the room. “Milton, Geoffrey, Grayson, Kenley, please proceed into the exam area. Your second task is to reach, Shaw, Landon.”

  As we step out into the hall beyond the room we’re in, the wall we entered through closes up behind us. The first thing I notice is that the same blue zigzag line pattern is coursing through these walls as well. Since all the walls are bright white, the lines of light actually show where walls stop and transition into the next corridors.

  “Initiating fortification assessment.”

  Geoffrey and I begin to move forward cautiously. There are two corridors ahead of us and Geoffrey grabs my arm and tells me to stop. His eyes start to pulse as they begin to roll back into his head. He must be using scan to see where we need to go next.

  “That way,” he says, pointing to the left hallway. “We need to stay alert, I sense movement ahead.”

  I nod to him and both of our hands begin to glow as we move forward. Peering around the corner into the next hallway, I don’t see any sign of movement. I take a deep breath and hesitantly step out around the corner with Geoffrey following at my side. The familiar hum of a rifle warming up sounds in front of us as a combat drone pops out from behind the corner in the distance. A barrage of bullets flies in our direction. I immediately throw up two barriers, one around me and the other over Geoffrey. We stand there watching each bullet ricochet off the walls of energy, with each bullet seeming like it’s hitting harder than the last.

  The drone ceases fire and creates a barrier around itself in the process. I dig down deep and concentrate on the drone’s barrier. As the energy enters my hands, ours disappear, leaving us vulnerable. The rifle begins to hum again and I release a shockwave of energy from my hands. It knocks the drone against the far wall, shattering its body into several pieces.

  We seem to be in the clear while making our way down the hallway. Geoffrey moves ahead of me and uses his scan ability again.

  “There’s more movement ahead. Seems like there are three signatures in the next area, but I can’t tell what they are,” he explains as his eyes return to normal.

  “All right, let me take a look,” I say, moving up to the corner that leads into the next corridor. I peek around and see three short walls, standing about four feet tall, and staggered in a left-and-right pattern down the hall. There’s no sign of movement again. I go to step out into the open and I feel Geoffrey grab my arm, pulling me back behind the wall.

  “Allow me,” he says with an impish grin.

  Geoffrey concentrates, and suddenly a copy of him projects out right in front of me.

  “Of course. We can use decoy to draw out the enemy,” I whisper and then concentrate as well. I open my eyes and see an exact copy of myself standing in front of me.

  We send both of our decoys out into the hall and within seconds we begin to hear gunfire. I look around the corner and see both our decoys crouched behind the low-lying walls. Two combat drones are moving in on their position and the gun turret on the wall is focused on them as well.

  “You stay put and keep control of your decoy. I’m going to create a distraction,” I say to Geoffrey and he nods.

  “Be careful, Kenley. The bullets may be rubber, but they still hurt like hell,” he states.

  “Will do,” I reply with a smile. “Okay, so you send your decoy forward the moment I step around the corner, and then I’ll do the same.”

  “Got it.”

  “Ready?” I ask and he nods again.

  I whip around the corner and our decoys run toward the drones. They begin to take heavy damage and I see their images start to shutter and fade away just before I dive behind the first low wall on the left. With the fire still concentrated on the decoys, I’m able to cast barriers around both drones, restricting their movements. As they continue to fire, the bullets ricochet around inside the barriers, incapacitating them. They collapse to the floor just as the turret downs both of our decoys.

  As I go to move behind the next low wall, the turret hones in on my position and begins to fire. The bullets fly right by my face and I duck back against the wall I was just hiding behind. The turret ceases fire and I turn to see Geoffrey running up to the wall adjacent to mine.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I yell at him as he slides behind the wall, barely dodging the flurry of bullets directed at him. He winks at me and points back to the hall he just ran from. I see Geoffrey kneeling there giving me the okay sign. I smile and shake my head. How was he able to produce another decoy so quickly? I think to myself.

  Out of the corner of my eye I see Geoffrey’s “twin” dash out from behind the wall and begin to take a barrage of bullets to the chest. This is my chance. I pop out from behind the wall and focus on the turret. It begins to glow bright blue. The turret starts to vibrate as I clasp my hand shut into a fist. I move my hand to the left and the turret rips from the wall it’s mounted to and hovers there, waiting for my next move. I slam my fist downward and the turret crashes to the ground in a crumpled pile of metal.

  Geoffrey’s decoy fades away as he joins me by my side.

  “Nice work, Milton.”

  “Not too bad yourself, Grayson,” he replies with a grin.

  We cautiously continue down the corridor. As we make our way through the maze toward Landon, we’re surprised we haven’t encountered any more resistance.

  Reaching a dead end, I turn to Geoffrey and ask, “What now?”

  “The hall leading up to your position came to a dead end too. When I touched the wall, it opened. Maybe you have to do the same,” he explains.

  “All right, here goes nothing,” I say and extend my hand to touch the wall. My hand begins to glow and then we hear the sound of an electronic lock disengage. The wall slides to the side and as my eyes meet Landon’s, a smile forms on his mouth. I smile too and run up to him, enveloping him in a hug.

  “I was beginning to
worry. Sounds like you guys had fun out there,” Landon says, returning my hug.

  The electronic voice sounds again. “Phase two complete. To begin phase three Shaw, Landon, you must activate the switch in your area.” The light from the switch on the post to my right catches my eye when it pulses on. Landon looks over at it too. He gives me a reassuring look as he pulls away and walks over to the switch. As he presses it, an electronic chime echoes throughout the room.

  “Milton, Geoffrey, Grayson, Kenley, Shaw, Landon, please proceed into the exam area. Your third task is to reach the exit.”

  The three of us enter the maze and the wall closes up behind us, sealing us in. The walls begin to shift and the hallway directly in front of us disappears. The only directions we have to choose from are the corridor to our left, or the corridor to our right. I notice that the zigzag lines of light coursing through the walls are now bright neon red instead of the blue like before.

  “Initiating Strike Assessment,” the electronic voice states.

  I look at Landon and ask if he’s ready, he nods. I do the same to Geoffrey with the same result. “Which way should we head, Geoffrey?” I ask. His eyes and hands begin to glow as he concentrates.

  “Left,” he answers.

  “Left it is then,” Landon interjects.

  As we begin to move down the left hallway, the electronic voice filters into the room and we come to a halt. “Initiating deployment of advanced combat soldiers.” A few low-lying walls rise up from the floor in front of us after the announcement.

  “Advanced combat soldiers?” I ask, turning to look at Landon. I see a little red dot of light on his chest and follow the source to the corner up ahead. The moment I hear the charge up sound of a rifle, I shove Landon against the wall out of the way of the red light. A sharp sting courses through my arm and I let out a cry of pain. Looking down, I see a large red circle on my forearm where the rubber bullet struck me. My hand begins to glow and I feel a surge of power rush into my fingertips. Anger bubbles up in me and makes me forget the pain from the bullet. I clench both hands into fists and throw them down to my sides, as I turn to stare at the three heavily armed Bringers rushing into the hallway. The anger suddenly leaves me as I’m faced down with these creatures. One of them lets out an ear-piercing screech as it points at us. I feel like I’m frozen in place, just staring at the very things that killed my brother. Landon’s voice causes me to snap out of my trance.

  “Kenley, get down!” Landon yells at me as he and Geoffrey take point behind the low walls in front of us.

  I look down at my chest and there are three red dots resting just by my heart. Hearing the hum of the rifles, I throw up a barrier and just watch as every bullet bounces off. With each bullet, the anger inside me surges until I can’t stand it anymore.

  I throw open my hands and clutch my left one into a tight fist, sending the glow to my right hand, making it brighter. Rearing back, I let out a yell as I launch a projectile of energy from my hand in the direction of one of the Bringers encroaching on our position. It pierces through my barrier, causing it to break apart and shower down to the ground. The projectile blows right through the Bringer’s chest, sending an explosion of black cubes out of its back and leaving a large gaping hole. The creature collapses to the floor and shatters into hundreds of cubes upon impact. As the bullets begin to fly at me again, I duck behind the low-lying wall where Landon is. “That was intense,” I state while trying to catch my breath.

  “That was freakin’ awesome,” Geoffrey calls out to me. “My turn,” he says and quickly projects his decoy to draw their fire.

  Landon grabs my hand and I can tell he’s saying thank you with his eyes. He smiles and kisses me. I forget for a split second that we’re in the heat of battle, but the bullets hitting the wall behind us makes me snap out of it.

  I peek over the wall and notice that two more Bringers are posting up at the corner leading into the next hallway. With the two directly in front of us distracted, I’m able to cast a barrier over both of them. They cease fire and Landon hurdles over the wall he’s hiding behind and dashes up to their position with both hands glowing. He clenches his fists and his hands ignite. Leaping into the air, he comes down onto the creatures and rips through the barriers with both fists, causing them to shatter like glass. His fists penetrate both Bringers, and they crumble into a pile of shiny black cubes. He ducks down behind another wall when the Bringers up ahead open fire.

  I wait for a break and leap over the wall I’m posted up behind and dive behind the next one. All three of us look at each other and then nod, knowing what one another is thinking. We each project a decoy, sending them out into the fray. As the Bringers begin to fire, we jump over the walls and huddle behind our “twins,” using them as shields from the bullets. My decoy’s image begins to shutter and I decide to throw a barrier over Landon, Geoffrey, and myself. As the three decoys fade, all that’s between us and the flurry of bullets are my barriers. I stay behind, concentrating on keeping our defenses active. The amount of energy I’m expending takes a toll on me as my hands and arms begin to tremble. I dig down deep and keep the barriers strong enough to withstand the bullet barrage. Beads of sweat dribble down my forehead, but I hold my ground knowing that I’m the only thing between those bullets and the people I care for.

  I see Landon and Geoffrey push through and lunge at the creatures. Landon punches through his own barrier, breaking it apart, and while using full force, smashes in the Bringer’s face. It shatters from head to toe under the pressure of the punch just as Geoffrey dispatches the other one with a barrage blast from his hand.

  After feeling drained of energy, I release the barrier around me and hunch over while clutching my knees. My breathing is a little labored, but I pull myself together and wipe away the sweat pouring down my face. Landon and Geoffrey look back at me as I make my way over to stand with them.

  “I’m not sure how much more of this I can take,” I murmur, feeling an ache all over my body.

  “We’re almost to the end, I think,” Geoffrey states while using his scan ability. “There are only a few more rooms until the exit.”

  “You can do this, Kenley. We can do this…together,” Landon says, reaching his hand out to me.

  “Yeah, what he said,” Geoffrey jokes, extending his hand toward me as well.

  I reach out and grab both of their hands. “All right, let’s do this.” They both smile at me and we move ahead into the next hallway.

  It’s quiet and all I can hear is our breathing echoing off the walls. I expect to hear the heating up of rifles at every turn we make. For this being the last part of the test, we sure haven’t run into anything else for a good stretch of the maze.

  Just before we round the corner to the next area, Geoffrey tells us to be still. We all stop immediately in our tracks and wait for his go-ahead. He stands there, his eyes and hands glowing as he uses his ability. “There’s something big ahead of us, and a few smaller signatures in the next hall. The small things are probably gun turrets, but I’ve got no idea what that other thing is,” he explains as his eyes return to a normal blue color and his hands stop glowing.

  Landon tells us to stay put and he’ll check out the next area. Geoffrey and I nod, but follow closely behind him just in case he needs assistance. Landon holds up his hand in a fist, signaling us to stop. He peers around the corner and then moves back to our position to give us a report of what he saw.

  “There’s five turrets in the next hall. They seem to be guarding a room at the end of it. I bet that’s where the exit is,” Landon explains.

  “Yeah, and that big thing is probably in there too,” I chime in.

  “Let’s just stick with the strategy we’ve been using and down these turrets. Then we’ll regroup for the big bastard in the next area, okay?” Landon says, looking seriously at us.

  “That thing is giving off a lot of energy. So we need to keep our wits about us out there,” Geoffrey interjects.

  “Don�
�t worry. We’ll deal with that after we take these turrets out,” Landon reiterates. Geoffrey and I nod. I place an arm around Geoffrey because he seems nervous.

  “It’s going to be all right. Let’s just stick to what we’ve been doing so far, and we’ll be fine,” I say reassuringly, trying to calm him.

  “I hope so,” Geoffrey replies with a strained smile.

  We creep up to the end of the wall with Landon in front. He stops and peeks around the corner. “There’s a low-lying wall in the middle of the next hall. We just need to make it there, and then we can take out those turrets. They’re too far away right now for any of our powers to have an effect,” he states looking back at us. “Barriers up, everyone. This is going to get serious.”

  I focus and throw a barrier up around myself.

  “All right, move out,” Landon says.

  The three of us come around the corner and are immediately fired upon by all five turrets. As the bullets bounce off my barrier, everything seems to be going by in slow motion. Every shell gracefully deflects off the bubble of neon blue and falls to the floor. The sound of the shells hitting the ground is oddly comforting since that means one hasn’t passed through my barrier yet. Landon makes it to the wall first and I’m almost there when I hear a groan of pain behind me right on my heels. Looking back, I see Geoffrey on the ground. I feel every syllable of his name scream out from my throat as I stop and begin running back toward him. Immediately, I cast a barrier around him, weakening my own in the process. I hear Landon cry out to me, but I must see if Geoffrey is okay. I begin to feel every bullet as they continuously pound into my barrier.

  Geoffrey’s lying there on the ground with his eyes squeezed shut and his hands holding his chest. I see several shells around him on the ground.