by Kunz, C. A.
“No, I won’t leave you here. You and I are the only ones that have powers right now. We need to stick together,” I reply looking seriously into his eyes.
“But-“
Landon’s interrupted by the sound of an explosion within the other hall leading into our area. As I stare in horror waiting to see if anyone emerges from the opening, seconds seem like an eternity. My heart sinks and my stomach churns as I stand there helpless. I go to move forward, but Landon grabs my hand and pulls me back to stand next him. His hands are glowing and so are his eyes. I feel his strength growing as he just stares at the doorway, anticipating an attack.
My worst fears are realized as I see Joey come stumbling out from the hall into the room. He’s grabbing his side and seems like he can barely walk.
“Joey!” I yell as I see him rest up against the wall and slide down it to the ground. Letting go of Landon’s hand, I begin to run over to Joey. I hear Landon call my name, but my want to save my best friend outweighs my own safety.
I see Joey push himself off the wall to stand when he sees me rushing over. He takes a few steps and I can hear “Kenley!” leave his mouth. I slide to a halt as I see a large group of soldiers pour out of the doorway behind him. They begin to open fire and I clench my eyes shut while throwing up a barrier. As my eyes shoot open the scene before me plays out in slow motion. I stand there mortified, watching Joey being shot multiple times, his body reacting to every impact. I immediately go into shock, and can’t believe what I’m seeing is real. My barrier failed to protect him, is all I can think as he drops to his knees and reaches his hand out to me. Tears come to my eyes as I shout out his name. I feel the pain from my heart caress my lips as I cry out to him.
My body surges with anger and I feel like I’ve caught fire. The heat is so intense. As sweat drips down my face, my barrier begins to pulse violently. I grind my teeth and stare down the group of soldiers moving toward me cautiously. Letting out a scream of anguish, I release all of the power I’ve built up into a barrage of light projectiles. Explosion after explosion sound in the distance as each projectile hits the ground decimating the group in front of me.
I feel suddenly dizzy as a wave of nausea washes over me. I stumble backward and feel someone cradle me to the ground. Through the blur, I can make out a familiar face, it’s an Adam android.
“I have got you, Kenley,” is all I hear Galileo say before my vision is consumed by darkness.
Chapter Fifteen
Safe Haven
“Galileo, are you sure she’s okay?” I hear Landon’s worried voice fade in and out nearby.
“Yes, Kenley just overheated her implant, causing her body to shut down. Hence, the fainting spell. Kenley can you open your eyes?” Galileo’s voice seems to be right above me.
I feel exhausted and my body aches with even the slightest movement. My head throbs with a serious migraine as I struggle to open my eyes, but they feel like they weigh a ton. My mouth is dry, and as I lick my lips I hear a few sighs of relief.
“Kenley, please open your eyes?” Landon’s voice pleads.
I try again and tiny slivers of light enter my eyes as they open slowly. Through the haziness, I make out Landon and Galileo hovering over me. Landon smiles and I crack one too as I feel someone rubbing my head. I see Galileo grin and then leave my side.
“You scared me, Kenley. Don’t ever do that again, okay?” Landon leans down and wraps me up in a hug. He lays me back down and begins to caress my face with the back of his hand.
I lick my lips again and attempt to speak. “Landon…what happened? Where…are we? My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth because it’s so dry. Landon seems to read my mind and props me up while putting a cup up to my lips. The cool liquid feels heavenly as it enters my mouth and slides down my parched throat.
“We’re in an escape pod. You fainted. You’ve been out for a few hours, though to me, it seemed like a lifetime. I thought I lost you.” Landon’s voice breaks a little, and his beautiful blue eyes become misty with tears.
My heart trembles when I hear the intense feelings in his voice. Raising my hand to his face, I stroke his cheek. I realize he must be feeling how I felt when Galileo and I rescued him from the lab. There’s no doubt in my mind now that I love him, and he definitely feels the same way.
Landon helps me sit up, and I see Geoffrey, Mara, Sam, and five others, whose names seem to escape me at the moment. They all smile weakly at me while resting in the blue seats attached to the walls of the escape pod.
“Welcome back, Grayson. It’s about time too. I don’t think I could’ve stood much more of Shaw’s moping,” Sam quips, but I see sadness reflected in her eyes.
“Are we the only ones who got out?” I ask and panic at the small number of people I see.
I notice everyone’s face becomes somber after I ask the question. Geoffrey and Sam dodge my eyes, refusing to look at me and I wonder why. Galileo’s voice draws my attention to the front area of the pod. “No, other pods were dispatched when ours did,” Galileo replies, positioned in front of a panel with a slew of buttons lit up like a Christmas tree.
I breathe a sigh of relief, but then it hits me why everyone is acting the way they are. I’m struck with the last vision I saw of Joey being gunned down right in front of me. “Joey!?” I yell as the scene plays out vividly in my head. Tears begin to stream down my face as Landon takes me in his arms. Intense emotions fill my every being, and in this moment I feel lost and utterly devastated. This was my all fault, and I’ll have to live with that image in my head forever.
“He didn’t make it,” I hear Landon answer solemnly. “We tried to get to him, but we were overrun by Federation guards.”
“He’s gone because of me,” I wail into his shoulder.
“That’s not true. You did everything you could, Kenley,” Landon says softly next to my ear.
“Then why isn’t he here with us? Why didn’t my barrier protect him? I failed him.”
“Stop it, you didn’t fail anyone. You tried, I saw you. It was the general that did this, not you. Don’t blame yourself, okay?” Landon explains with slight force, pulling my face to be in front of his.
I go quiet for a few moments, not saying anything, as I stare back at Landon. He moves his thumbs just below my eyes and wipes away the tears rolling down. His face is the only thing I’m focusing on and I let out a huff. “Well, I guess I didn’t try hard enough,” I reply and hang my head low, breaking eye contact. I feel Landon kiss my forehead and move to sit next to me with his arm around my shoulder.
“We will arrive at our touch down destination soon.” Galileo announces. I lean back against the wall and Landon reaches across my lap, taking my hand. His light touch puts me slightly at ease.
The last hour seems to have flown by even though we’ve all been silent since my breakdown. Poor Geoffrey still looks like he’s in shock, as does Mara who’s sitting next to him. Sam’s frown lines are still present and she seems to be in deep thought. I catch her glancing over at me every once in a while, but neither of us smile when our eyes meet.
I feel numb as I keep replaying my last vision of Joey. I feel so helpless. Looking over at Landon, he smiles at me while rubbing my arm, seeming happy just to be able to touch me again. A strained smile appears on my face as I go to rest my head on his chest and try to ward off the tears that threaten to spill out.
A thought about my dad enters my mind, and I remember Galileo telling me that the Federation had taken him. I hope he’s okay…wherever he is.
“Hey, where are we going, Galileo?” I hear Landon ask and feel the reverberations from his voice through his chest.
“Somewhere safe. Coordinates Dr. Grayson, Wyatt gave to me.”
Landon sighs as he returns his attention back to me and begins stroking his hand through my hair. I snuggle up closer to him after seeing Joey’s face in my mind once more.
“Are you feeling any better?” Landon whispers.
“Kind of,” I reply
quickly, not really wanting to talk right now.
“We’re going to make it through this,” Landon says kissing my head again. “You should try to relax, and maybe get some rest.” Some of my numbness fades away and I begin to feel so grateful that Landon’s still with me. I lay my head back onto his chest and close my eyes, hoping that when I wake up, everything will have just been a bad dream.
“Attention, everyone. I need you all to report to the nearest seat and buckle up. We are in for a rough landing,” Galileo’s voice echoes within the pod, waking me up. My head is leaning on Landon’s shoulder and I wonder how long I’ve be asleep. Everyone’s awake and adjusting their seat belts while preparing for our descent. Landon helps me settle into mine, giving me a quick kiss along the way.
We begin to feel the harsh turbulence and my stomach sinks to my feet because of the pressure. I feel like I’m on one of those drop rides at the carnival, only it feels a hundred times worse. The whole pod begins to shake and I find it hard to focus on anything, so I close my eyes, waiting for it to all be over. Suddenly, we crash into something and I feel the pod spin in all different directions. I can’t even tell which way is up anymore. As we come to an abrupt stop, I feel my body suddenly jerked forward and then pushed back with great force. The sensation is very jarring, even with my seat belt strapped tight.
“We have landed. Please wait for the hatch to fully open before you alight from the craft.” Galileo’s voice fills the cabin.
As the hatch slowly raises open, we undo our seat belts and stand. Looking outside through the hatch, we see a dismal scene awaiting us. Black clouds fill the sky, threatening to pour down on us as we stare out at the desolate wasteland. My hopes are immediately dashed, and the thought of being safe fades away.
Galileo leaves his seat and moves toward the hatch. We hear a loud engine noise sounding just outside. From behind Galileo, we see an old dark green military-style jeep pull up beside us, followed by a large green truck. The jeep idles and a man jumps out dressed in battle fatigues that I remember seeing in our history books. He’s tall, and even though he’s wearing a jacket, I can tell he’s all muscle. His hair is covered by a tattered black ball cap, and his face is rugged, complete with a large scar that runs down the left side of it. Despite this, he’s oddly handsome.
Galileo moves down the ramp and, to my surprise, shakes hands with the stranger.
“So the worst has happened, huh? I’m not really surprised since the Federation was involved. Where’s the doc?” the man asks Galileo, and glances over his shoulder at me.
“He’s not with us.”
“Who the hell’s that?” Sam whispers in my ear.
I shrug my shoulders and resume listening to Galileo talking to the stranger.
“How many got out?” the man asks.
“Five pods were dispatched successfully, I lost track of the others. We have eleven in our group including myself. All are Modified,” Galileo replies.
“Well, let’s hope the others show up soon. We’ve got to get going. It’s not safe to be out in the open for very long.”
“Good idea.” Galileo turns around and motions for us to exit the escape pod.
I notice the back of the truck outside is covered with a heavy-duty green cloth. Several people with guns in hand step down and out from the open flaps at the back. Their faces seem friendly, but I wonder if they’re really on our side. As I move down off the ramp, Galileo stops me with a hand.
“Kenley Grayson, I want to introduce you to Young, Malcolm. He is the contact your father set up many months ago.”
“You’re Grayson’s kid? He never mentioned you to me.”
“Funny, my dad never mentioned you either,” I reply bothered by the smirk on his face as he glances from me to Landon, who’s holding my hand.
“Well, I guess that makes us even. We should probably get everyone else on the truck. But you, Ms. Grayson,” he says pointing to me, “you and Galileo will ride with me.”
I feel Landon tense up beside me and I squeeze his hand while looking over at him. I shake my head and then let go, following Galileo over to the jeep as it begins to drizzle.
Landon makes his way with the others to the truck and looks back at me. I give him a slight smile and then watch as the truck takes off with us following behind it.
“So, your dad didn’t tell you about us, huh?” Malcolm asks, turning in his seat to look at me. I semi-ignore him since I don’t really want to discuss anything right now. The driver keeps looking straight ahead making sure the jeep stays on the bumpy road. The rain seems to be increasing and several drops of rain land on my forearm, but thankfully the jeep has a roof, otherwise we’d be soaked by now. I stare out at the scenery around us and it’s bleak. There are no trees, no grass—just wet, scorched earth.
“Did you hear me, Grayson?” I hear Malcolm asks.
“Sorry, where are we?”
“We’re in England. So I guess your dad didn’t tell you much, did he?” Malcolm’s piercing light blue eyes meet mine.
“Not really. My dad said he had a bad feeling, and that if anything happened we were to get to the escape pods. That’s it”
“Just like him, vague and all. Well, I guess we’ll have to have a chat real soon, but unfortunately this is not the time or place,” Malcolm says as we pass through a broken chain-link fence that has a huge sign partially attached. It reads: R.A.F. Lakenheath.
I can’t believe it. RAF Lakenheath! Why would my dad send us here to this place that impacted our life so much two years ago? This place is where the Shaw Blitz occurred. The awful day my brother was killed in the first large scale battle of this war. Tears well up in my eyes remembering the pain and sorrow our family suffered back then. My mom constantly crying, my dad’s eyes red and swollen on a daily basis, and me comforting Gavin, holding him for hours in my arms until he cried himself to sleep. Our lives did go on, but everything changed that day. Now two years later I’m in the area where my brother drew his last breath. Dad, why did you send us here? I ask myself.
We travel in silence following the truck until we reach a dilapidated, airplane hangar. When I was little, my dad had taken me to an air base once, and I remember being amazed at how big the structures were that housed the planes.
The truck stops and I peer out the open window at the ground surrounding it. There’s a big red circle painted on the platform it seems to be parked on. I hear a mechanical sound and suddenly it begins to lower into the ground until the truck disappears.
“Neat, huh?” Malcolm comments, turning his head and flashing me a smile.
“Unexpected is more like it,” I reply.
“It’s our turn now,” he states while facing forward as the driver pulls the jeep into the red circle. I hear the sounds of the platform shifting and grinding as we slowly begin to move downward. Lights track up the sides of the shaft as we descend and cast an eerie bluish-green glow into the jeep.
The elevator dumps us out into a massive area lit up with numerous floodlights, leaving no dark corner. A variety of military vehicles fills one end of the area and at the opposite end are four large tunnel entrances. I see the others getting out of the truck as we pull up and park next to them. Landon is the first to reach me, taking my hand before looking at Malcolm with questioning eyes. Sam, Geoffrey, Mara and the rest of the cadets move in behind us.
“This is our staging area. It’s been quiet for several weeks, since Bringer activity has lessened for now, but we’re always prepared. My driver, Rodney, will show you around and take you to the living quarters. I’ll meet up with you all at dinner,” Malcolm says hurriedly, and then abruptly leaves down the first tunnel on our left following the larger green truck as it pulls away.
“Right, as the boss said, follow me and try to keep up.” Rodney sounds irked as he moves toward the second tunnel entrance. Galileo takes the lead and we pull up the rear.
The walls of the tunnel are comprised of carved rock—all different shades of grey. As we ma
ke our way down the tunnel, I feel a chill from the damp coldness of the confined space, and wonder how far underground we are. The lightweight material of our uniforms does absolutely nothing to fend off the cold.
Landon hasn’t said a word. In fact nobody’s talking. The only noise I hear is our boots hitting the concrete floor.
“Hey, Rodney?” I ask breaking the silence.
“Yes, soldier?” he replies sharply.
“Who are you guys?”
I hear him laugh slightly. “We call ourselves the Defects.”
“The Defects?”
“Our group is comprised of soldiers who have all turned their backs on the Allied Federation.”
“I can see why you all did,” I state dryly. “I know why I hate them, but what did they do to piss you guys off?”
“Sorry soldier, but that information is classified. No offense,” he answers.
“None taken,” I say, knowing that once a soldier says it’s classified, there’s no use pushing the issue. They won’t talk.
We finally reach the end of the tunnel only to find a round chamber with three tunnels leading from it. We take the middle one and soon meet a large number of people, all dressed in fatigues, who immediately stop what they’re doing and stare at us as we pass by.
Rodney keeps moving forward until we reach a long corridor made of some kind of shiny metal. At the end is a massive white dome-shaped room with a series of numbered doors lining the walls.
“Rooms one thru five are yours. Each room,” Rodney begins to say as he takes a key card and pushes it into a slot in the door, “has two beds and a full bath. You’ll have to pair up. Galileo, your recharge station has been prepared for you.”
“Thank you,” Galileo replies.
“No problem. Oh, and here are the rest of the room keys,” he states handing them out. “I’ve got duties to attend to, so rest up and someone will come get you for chow time.” Rodney looks down at his watch. “You’ve got two hours.” Without another word he spins on his heel and leaves.