The Modified (The Biotics Trilogy, #1) (13 page)

Dr. Patel’s attention moves to the thirty-pound medicine ball that’s still spinning in the wall. “Did you do that with your biotics?” she asks with surprise present in her voice.

“Uh, yes, ma’am. We did,” I reply, putting a little distance between Landon and myself.

“Fascinating,” she remarks, walking over to inspect it closer. “It’s still spinning.” Turning to look back at us, she smiles. “You two better get back to your quarters. Tonight’s a school night, remember?”

“Yes, ma’am,” we both say in unison and salute.

“At ease, soldiers,” she says with a quick laugh, and we both hurry out of the room.

Approaching Landon’s hallway, he stops and grabs my hand. “Well, I guess this is goodnight.” I go to say something, but he catches me off guard and silences me with a scorching, mind-numbing kiss. He draws back slowly, “Goodnight, Kenley.”

After sending me a quick grin, he turns and begins heading toward his room. I’m left standing here a blushing mess, watching one of the most gorgeous guys I’ve ever laid eyes on walk away. I feel my cheeks and they’re burning up.

“Did that just happen?” I ask under my breath. I head down the opposite hall toward my room with a huge smile etched on my face.

On the day before the Strike final exam I wake up an hour earlier, deciding to do an impromptu training session in the gym before breakfast. While getting dressed I run through all the things we’ll be tested on. Out of the three abilities we’ve learned so far, telekinesis is my strongest one. Of course, I give most credit to the cooperative effort with one Landon Shaw. I notice that I smile every time I think about him or his name.

As I go to leave my room, I hear a knock at my door. It slides open when I get close to it. Joey’s standing there with a solemn look on his face.

“What’s wrong, Joey?”

“Something’s happened.”

“What?” My voice shakes, dreading to hear the next words out of his mouth.

“California…It was attacked. Most of the state’s been leveled. They were showing video up and down the coast on the news,” he explains.

“Oh no, Landon. He’s from there,” I choke out. “I wonder if he knows.”

“You should probably go find him,” Joey says as he touches my shoulder. He gives me a worried look just before I run out of the room.

I hesitate when I reach Landon’s door. I want to knock, but then think of how I’d be feeling if I just found out news like this.
But what if he doesn’t know?
I ask myself and then decide to knock anyway. There’s rustling on the other side of the door before it opens. Landon is standing there with his back to me. His hands are glowing and there are several holes in the walls. I don’t blame him for getting angry. I did the same thing when my brother died. I remember feeling helpless and completely lost. I can’t even imagine how I’d feel if I lost most of my family and home.

Landon turns to look at me and his face is tear-stained and his eyes are red and swollen. My heart breaks seeing him like this. I throw my arms around him and he wraps his around me while placing his head on my shoulder. No words are spoken for a few moments, we just hold each other.

“Kenley? You are crying again? Is everything okay?” Galileo asks.

“Sorry Galileo, but this is not a good time,” I reply.

“My apologies,” he says and sucks back into the band.

“They’re all gone.” Landon finally speaks.

“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say,” I reply. “Was your Dad there too?”

“No, he’s in D.C.,” he answers. “I can’t believe my home is gone…just like that…everything.”

As I squeeze him tighter in a hug I can feel his pain as his chest restricts and he sobs into my shoulder. It’s amazing how life can change in the blink of an eye.

“We’re going to make them pay, okay?” I say, pulling Landon’s face to be in front of mine. We both stare deeply into each other’s teary eyes. The only thing I want to do right now is kiss him, in hopes I can ease at least some of his pain.

“I think I’m going to skip breakfast and rest up for class today,” Landon says before kissing my cheek. “Thank you.” He goes to sit on his bed and I walk over to be by his side.

“Would you like some company?” I ask, sitting down next to him.

“Yeah, I’d like that,” he replies.

We lay down on his bed and he wraps his arms around me and holds tight. I snuggle up close to him and press my ear to his chest. I drift off to sleep, listening to the beat of his heart.

 “Grayson, you’re up,” Commander Archer announces and then points toward the back room. “Just like everyone else, you’ll have four timed tasks to complete. Your overall time will determine your mastery of the skill. Each task will require you to utilize one of the four abilities you’ve learned in order to complete the task. If you are touched at any point during the task, or perform a different ability that is not the one called for, you will fail, understood?”

“Understood, sir,” I reply with a salute.

“Well, get in there then, soldier,” Commander Archer orders.

Landon grabs my hand as I go to leave. “Good luck.”

I nod to him and head toward the back room. As I enter, I see a giant electronic timer imbedded into the far wall, and there’s a switch on the wall to my left that’s lit up.

“When you’re ready, press the switch on the wall,” Commander Archer calls out to me from the training room. The large window that everyone usually lines up in front of to watch is now shielded by a sheet of metal in order to keep the test a secret.

I hit the switch and the timer starts as an electronic voice pipes into the room. “Task is Kinetic Punch. Activating Combat Drone.”

A panel in the floor in front of me slides open and a drone rises up from the hole. It goes into a combat stance and readies for my attack. It charges at me and leaps into the air. The drone dive-bombs in my direction and I roll out of the way as it crashes into the ground, causing a dent in the tile on the floor. It recovers and charges me again. The drone reels back to throw a punch, but I counter, throwing a charged kinetic punch straight through its chest. The drone crumples to the floor and the timer stops.

My time shows up yellow and the electronic voice chimes in again. “Satisfactory.”

The switch on the wall starts to glow once more. Pushing it, my time starts and the electronic voice comes into the room. “Task is Surge. Activating combat drone.”

Another drone emerges from the floor, but this one is surrounded by a wall of blue energy. I concentrate on its barrier with my hands out in front of me, my palms facing the drone. My hands start to glow blue, and the drone’s barrier begins to slowly break apart into tiny particles I absorb. With the barrier fully depleted, I release my energy in a wave-like pattern, knocking the drone back against the wall and shattering it into pieces.

The clock stops and turns yellow. “Satisfactory,” the electronic voice says.

I press the switch and cue the electronic voice again. “Task is Barrage. Activating Combat Drones.”

Wait, combat drones…like multiple?
I ask myself.

 Three drones emerge from the panels in the floor and all enter into a defensive stance. I drop my hands down to my sides and both immediately ignite with a blue glow. The drone directly in front of me moves first and I dive out of the way as it lunges at me. I flip around and throw a light projectile from my hand right through its chest. As the drone crashes to the floor, I hear the clank of the other two’s feet on the tile floor as they move toward me. I spring up and spin to face them.
Wait, there’s only one there, where’d the other one go?
I think to myself. I feel two cold arms clasp around me tight, pinning mine to my side, not allowing me to move. I try to break free from its grip, but can’t. “Damn,” I murmur as a loud buzzer sounds and my time goes red. The electronic voice pipes in as the drone releases me from its grasp. “Unsatisfactory.”