The Modified (The Biotics Trilogy, #1)

by Kunz, C. A.

  “To some, it is a sign of cowardice to kill an unarmed man.” I hear Galileo say as he approaches us.

  I rear back and my hand begins to glow even a brighter blue. I lean forward and throw the punch, breaking through the wall of energy. At the last moment, I ease off my power and my hand stops glowing. It connects with the guard’s chin, which is exposed beneath his helmet’s face shield, and he falls to the ground.

  “I was never going to kill him, Galileo. If I did, then I’d be no better than he is,” I reply, looking down at the unconscious man in front of me. “We need to get moving, we don’t have much time.”

  “Agreed,” Galileo answers.

  Once we enter the research lab, the lights begin to flicker on and reveal a large space full of scientific-looking equipment and seven large glass tubes that look eerily like the ones where we received our implants. Five have green lights on above them and two have red.

  I continue looking around the lab and see several androids, dressed in lab coats, but they are deactivated and hunched over the tabletops they’re standing in front of. It’s eerie seeing them lying there motionless with their eyes still open, but no sign of activity in them.

  “Do not open any of the conduits with a green light above them, Kenley. Those cadets have already been processed,” Galileo states and it almost sounds like there’s sadness in his voice.

  Scanning the tubes, I stop on one that has a red light over it and hurry over when I realize that Landon is propped up inside of it. He’s lying there only in his boxers and seems to be in a deep sleep. I try to open the door, but it won’t budge. A keypad appears on the front of the tube, asking me to input a code.

  “I need a code, Galileo. Do you know it?” I ask over my shoulder hurriedly at him.

  “Let me see,” he replies, moving to stand next to me in front of the tube. He scans the keypad and presses his hand to it. The numbers begin punching in automatically and once the last number chimes, the keypad turns green. The door slides open and Landon falls into my arms. I cradle him to the ground. He breathes in deeply as his eyes shoot open.

  When he realizes that it’s me in front of him, he grabs me tightly. “You have no idea how glad I am to see you,” he whispers into my ear.

  “Me too,” I choke out.

  I just live in this moment for a while and let him hold me. I feel safe in his arms and just want to be there forever. It isn’t until Galileo taps me on the shoulder and presents Landon’s uniform that I let go of him.

  While Landon gets dressed, I walk over to the tubes again. All of the cadets inside are lying there motionless, just as Landon was, and my heart begins to break. The red light that was on above the tube next to the one Landon was in is now green. I recognize the girl inside as Jamie Warren. She was the girl my dad called up during the first day of training. I put my hand up to the glass and it starts to glow. I want to just punch through and pull her out to safety.

  “Kenley, it is too late for her now,” I hear Galileo comment behind me. I turn to look at him and feel my eyes stop glowing. Returning my focus back to Jamie, I jump back as I see her eyes are now open and staring at me. She slowly places her hand up to the glass in front of mine, and it begins to glow neon red. I pull my hand back quickly as her eyes begin to glow the same color as her hands. My hands stop glowing and almost like a hunter losing track of its prey, Jamie relaxes and closes her eyes while leaning to rest against the back of the tube.

  “It’s almost like my implant was causing her to react,” I state, backing away from the row of tubes. I stumble into Landon’s strong arms and he props me up. I turn to face him and give him a wan smile just before he kisses me.

  “Thanks for saving my ass for a second time,” he says quietly, close to my lips after we kiss.

  “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I do believe we should know the meaning of haste and be on our way,” Galileo states.

  “Are you going to be okay to fight?” I ask Landon with worried eyes.

  He shows me that he no longer has the bangle on his wrist and his eyes begin to glow. I guess Galileo did the same trick on his bangle that he did on mine. “To protect you, I’m ready for anything,” he replies with slight force and all seriousness. I place my hand on his cheek and caress it softly. He sneaks a quick kiss on to my palm as it passes his chin.

  Over Landon’s shoulder I see Galileo motioning for us to follow him. I look back once more at the tubes that house the “processed” soldiers, and can’t help but feel mournful. I mouth I’m sorry toward them just before leaving the lab.

  “We have to find a way to release the rest of the cadets,” I say to Galileo as we reach outside.

  “Your father has an emergency override switch in his office. But if it is triggered, an alarm will sound, and the Allied Federation will be alerted,” he explains.

  “Will it open all the doors in the facility?” Landon asks.

  “Yes, it will.”

  “I don’t see any other choice, do you?” I ask both of them.

  Landon shakes his head. “They all deserve a chance to get away. The rest of them shouldn’t have to end up like those cadets in the lab.”

  “I agree with Landon. Let’s head to my dad’s office,” I tell Galileo.

  “No, Kenley. You go rescue your friends and then get to the escape pods. I will go to your father’s office and push the switch. You will need to be there to protect the ones you love,” Galileo replies with a smile.

  “Will you be okay?” I ask worriedly. “You have to promise me that you’ll make it to the escape pods too.”

  “I will be there. I have to keep my promise to your father,” he states seriously. “Now go, we don’t have much time.”

  I give Galileo a hug and whisper in his ear, “Be careful.”

  “Don’t worry, Little Bit, I will be,” he whispers back.

  Pulling away from him, I look at him questioningly. No one has ever called me 'Little Bit' other than Dylan. Why would he call me that?

  I feel Landon grab my hand and pull me toward him. “Come on, we’ve got to get to the others,” he states.

  I watch as Galileo runs down the hall toward my dad’s office and disappears around the corner into the next hallway.

  “Kenley, we have to go,” Landon says again while tugging on my hand. I let him lead me down the hall toward the living quarters.

  When we reach the corridor that goes to my room, we see two guards standing in my doorway, examining the two guards on the floor from earlier. My hands begin to glow and I focus, using my scan ability. They’re the only ones I detect in the area.

  “Let’s take them out quick and quiet,” I whisper, turning to look at Landon.

  He nods his head and we rush up to the intersecting hallway just before my room. I hide behind the wall on the left side and Landon hides behind the one on the right. I give him the okay signal after checking again if we’re open for an attack.

  My heartbeat picks up the moment I see Landon dart out from behind the wall. I pivot around the corner as well and focus my attention on their guns. My hands begin to glow, and as they move to point their weapons at Landon, the guns start to glow blue as well. I pull my hands to me and both of their guns fly from their grip down the hall in my direction. I see Landon’s hands ignite as he continues to rush the guards. He throws two kinetic punches, sending the guards crashing against the back wall of my room.

  “Not exactly what I’d call quiet, but at least they’re down,” I comment as I approach Landon.

  “Yeah, sorry about that. I’m still not used to being free of the AI band yet.”

  “I feel we’re going to need every ounce of power we’ve got, because something tells me this is just the start of our fight off this facility,” I say, turning to look at him seriously.

  Suddenly, an alarm sounds throughout the area and I see all of the doors to the rooms lining the hall we’re in roll open.

  “Sounds like Galileo made it to the switch,” I say feeling rel
ieved. That feeling quickly leaves me as I realize that Federation guards will be swarming us any second now.

  “Hurry, we need to get to everyone,” Landon yells as we begin seeing cadets leave their rooms.

  “Get to the escape pods on the lower level of the facility!” I yell to everyone in a panic.

  I hear the buzzing of assault rifles charging up and I leap into my room, dragging Landon with me as a flurry of bullets pound into the walls around us. I look back out into the hall and see a few cadets downed by the stun bullets. Jumping to my feet, I position myself up behind the wall next to my door and peer out into the hall. Landon follows and pins himself up on the other side of the doorway.

  A group of guards with guns at the ready are encroaching on our position. I notice the cadets in the hallway to our left are huddled there waiting nervously.

  “Double surge?” I ask, looking over at Landon.

  “Double surge,” he replies.

  I cast a barrier over Landon and me the moment we whip out around the wall and into the corridor. We’re faced down by the guards ahead of us, and as they begin to fire, we stop dead in our tracks and focus our energy. As the bullets deflect off my barrier, I feel the power in my hands grow stronger and they almost feel like they’re on fire.

  Several more guards come up behind the group already positioned in the hall.

  “Ready, Landon?” I ask him as I place my hand on the side of my barrier that’s touching his.

  “Ready, Kenley,” he replies while doing the same thing and places his hand on the side of his barrier that’s touching mine.

  Our barriers converge into one large force field and I feel my power increase even more. This is such an intense sensation, and I almost feel connected with Landon on a deeper level than I’ve ever been.

  Another round of bullets is fired in our direction, but ricochet off, causing slight ripples in our barrier. It begins to expand and I start to see cracks forming in the barrier under the pressure. Suddenly it shatters, sending a huge shockwave of energy down the hall. I watch as the wave rips through the corridor, pulling up the ground, scorching the walls, and leaving a pathway of destruction in its wake while sending the group of guards soaring down the hall.

  We stand there staring at the devastation we just caused.

  “Wow, what a rush,” Landon comments as he looks over at me with a little grin on his face.

  “Yeah…you could say that again,” I reply, returning his grin.

  I notice the crowd of cadets emerge from behind the wall they were posted up behind. “Now’s your chance, guys! Get to the escape pods,” I call out. I notice a few of the cadets help the ones who were shot earlier to their feet and escort them.

  I hear the familiar crackle of the speakers followed by the general’s voice. “What do you expect to accomplish by doing this, Kenley? Don’t you realize that your actions so far have been futile? Can’t you see what we’re doing here is for the common good?” he states and I see one of the cameras on the wall focusing on us. I clench my hands with anger, glaring up at the camera. I hurl a projectile toward it, causing the camera to explode into a shower of mangled metal.

  “All right, have it your way then,” the general says and I can almost hear his smirk. “Attention, guards. If you see one Kenley Grayson or Landon Shaw, feel free to use lethal force if necessary.”

  “Screw you, asshole!” I yell at the speaker as if the general can hear me.

  “Come on, we have to get going,” I hear Landon say as I continue staring up at the destroyed camera. The anger leaves me and I focus on him.

  “Right,” is all I can get out before I feel Landon grab my hand and pull me down the hall.

  The alarm continues to sound throughout the facility as we hurry toward Joey’s room since he’s the closest. His room is empty.

  “Joey!” I yell at the top of my lungs, hoping to hear a response. “Joey!” My heart sinks at the thought of losing my best friend. My mind can’t even comprehend the idea as I become overwhelmed with emotion.

  “Maybe he went to get the others,” Landon states as he places his hand on my shoulder.

  “Maybe-” I begin to say sadly, and then see Joey running down the hall toward us with the rest of our group with him. A smile of relief shows on my face and I hope the vision before me is not a dream. I run up and wrap my arms around him.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay,” I choke out as he squeezes me back.

  “Me too,” he says softly into my ear.

  “Okay, we can save the mushy stuff for later, but now we have to get the hell out of here,” Sam interjects.

  “Yeah, like now,” Caleb says.

  “Kenley and I will lead the way since we have our powers back,” Landon explains. “Try not to split up and keep behind us, okay?” Everyone nods with serious faces.

  “Hey, how the hell did you two get your powers back?” Sam asks harshly.

  “Galileo,” Landon and I reply almost in unison.

  “Right on,” she replies.

  We join the rest of the cadets running toward the escape pods, meeting little resistance along the way. Coming to the intersection with a hall in front of us and one to either side, I stop and try to remember which way is the best route. A small group of cadets join just behind us.

  “Mara!” Geoffrey calls out and I see him run up to her. She smiles at him and gives him a hug.

  “The right hall…that’s the quickest way,” I hear Landon call out.

  “Yeah, that’s the way we went earl-” I start to say and then see bullets zip past my face, hitting a couple of the cadets standing just behind me. I throw up a barrier, blocking any further gunfire. I look back and see a girl and two guys on the floor just writhing around in pain. As blood pools up in their wounds, I realize the general was serious about the use of lethal force.

  I yell out “No!” as I launch a projectile in the direction of the group of guards in front of us who are encroaching on our position. There’s no time to see where it hits as I dive toward the right hall and post up against the wall, avoiding further gunfire. I take in a deep breath, looking over at Landon, who’s sitting next to me. Gunfire continues to ring out into the intersection and I stare at the cadets on the ground. I’m overcome with a sense of guilt for what happened to them.

  “We can’t help them,” Landon says, noticing my change in mood.

  “I know,” I reply and then turn to look at him. His face suddenly fills with worry. “What is it?” I ask, not knowing if I want the answer. All he does is point to the hallway across from us. There’s Joey, Caleb, and a few of the other cadets huddled behind the wall, dodging the incoming fire.

  “We must’ve gotten split up when they began firing,” Landon says to me.

  “Joey, Caleb, you and the rest of the cadets have to get to the escape pods!” I yell over the sporadic gunfire.

  “Got it!” they answer.

  “You guys better be there when we get there!” I tell them.

  “We will be, Kenley. Don’t worry!”

  I smile at him and he returns it. “Go now!” I cry out to him and signal to the hall behind them. He nods and corrals the cadets together before heading out.

  Looking around the corner I throw another projectile down the hall, but duck back behind the wall before it hits. Turning to look at Landon I notice that Sam, Geoffrey, and Mara are behind him on the wall.

  I grab Landon’s hand. “Let’s go,” I say confidently, but am still thinking about Joey and Caleb, hoping they make it.

  At the end of the hall we come to a door that says stairwell access. I hear the humming of a rifle readying to fire behind us and spin around to see a few guards at the end of the hall, guns aimed in our direction.

  “Move!” I yell to everyone while pointing to the stairwell. As the bullets start to fly, I throw up a barrier, protecting everyone from the barrage. Keeping my barrier up, I follow closely behind the rest of my group, but always keeping an eye on the guards in front of me. I
look back at the stairwell to see that everyone’s made it out safely and then I see Landon hurrying back to my position. He throws a projectile down the corridor causing the guards to duck behind the wall. I release my barrier into a wave of energy down the hall, giving us a little time to flee down the stairs.

  We meet up with the group a few levels down and continue on our way through the labyrinth of halls that lead to the escape pods. With every step we take, my heartbeat quickens, wondering if we’ll encounter any more guards.

  I see the open door ahead of us at the end of the hall and remember it from Landon's and my search earlier. There’s a sign above the door that reads: Evacuation site.

  Going through the door, we enter into a huge room that stretches out for quite a distance. The first thing I notice is there’s no Joey. No Caleb. No other cadets.

  “Where are they? They said they’d be here,” I state forcefully with a hint of sadness in my voice.

  “They’ll get here, Kenley,” I hear Landon say behind me in a reassuring tone.

  There are numerous hatch-like doors that line the one wall of the room, each one leading to an escape pod. There’s a number above each one, and I notice a couple have already been dispatched. Maybe Joey and Caleb have already gotten out.

  “Everyone, get into pod twenty-one,” I call out while pointing to it. They all do as I say and head over to the pod and get in. “If you have to leave, leave. Don’t hang back for us, okay?” I call out to Sam.

  She steps back out and looks at me. “You guys better get your asses in here as soon as possible. Because we’re not leaving without you, understand?” she says in a very serious tone.

  I nod and smile slightly before turning back to Landon. He takes my face in his hands. “You should go. I’ll wait for the others.”