The Modified (The Biotics Trilogy, #1) (27 page)

“Come back and say that to my face, Joey. I dare you,” Caleb jokes while quickening his pace to catch up to the laughing group ahead of him.

“Caleb’s something else. He’s suddenly a man of many words, what the heck happened?” Landon asks while taking my hand and guiding me through the corridor opposite the one our group just disappeared down.

“Yeah, I couldn’t believe how he was during our session, he’s always so quiet. And did you hear poor Geoffrey, I think Mara likes him, and he doesn’t have a clue.”

“Do you?” Landon asks as he pulls me into a little alcove in the deserted hallway.

“Do I what?”

“Have a clue that I have strong feelings for you, or are you scared about what I said last night?” Landon pushes his hand through his hair, looking perplexed.

“No, not scared, just confused. I mean, we’ve only known each other for a little while and you tell me…that.” I bite my lip nervously, not able to say the words I want to.

“It isn’t a line, Kenley. From the first time I saw you in the crowded tram station, I knew I wanted to meet you. I felt this connection that made me want to push my way through the mass of bodies just to talk to you. I know you probably think I’m crazy or something. And I am crazy…for you.” Landon’s eyes meet mine and I realize I feel the same way. There is a connection between us. Is it love? Maybe, but I’m not sure. All I know is that I’m happy whenever Landon is around, and I don’t want to lose that feeling.

I lean in and pull his head down so my lips meet his, and softly kiss him. His arms slide around my waist, pulling me close, and he nudges my mouth open and slips in his tongue. His mouth engulfs mine and my body begins tingling from head to toe.

He gently pulls away and looks into my eyes. “Yes, I feel it too,” I say as I reach up to pull him to me again.

“I think we need to find another spot. How about we go up to a special place on the seventh floor?” His voice is husky with emotion.

“A special place, huh?”

“Yeah, you’ll like it. Trust me. I’ve been meaning to take you there for a while now.”

Landon takes my hand and we quickly make our way to a bank of elevators down another deserted hallway. We stand in front of the first elevator and it swishes open. We enter and the doors close behind us. Landon presses one of the many buttons and says, “Kenley,” after the electronic voice asks for a password.

Seconds later the doors open up to a sight that is truly remarkable. Vibrant plants and full-size trees fill the area inside. The area is unbelievably huge and slightly humid. Gone is the air-conditioned feeling the others floors have. Small colorful birds and giant butterflies share the air space. Landon takes my hand and we walk down one of the cobblestone paths lined with tropical looking plants and flowers of every color.

“Oh, Landon, it’s beautiful. How do you think they recreated all of this?”

“Look at that, it’s a toucan. It doesn’t even look real, but it just blinked.” Landon squeezes my hand as we both take in the lush scenery surrounding us. “I don’t know how they did this, but it’s incredible. Look, there are even bumblebees, they haven’t been on Earth for years.”

I reach out to touch a giant plant leaf and watch as a monarch butterfly gracefully lands on my finger. We both instantly hold our breath not wanting to scare it away. After a few seconds it takes off and flies high up to the clear dome ceiling above.

“I wonder why this place is such a secret. It’s so wonderful. Everyone should have a chance to see this,” Landon comments.

“Maybe it’s an experiment or something.”

“Well, if it is an experiment, it’s an unbelievable one. I’ve already seen several birds and insects that I know have been extinct for years,” he replies.

“Shush, I hear voices,” I whisper, whipping my head around to face Landon. He points to a bush behind us and quietly pulls me to duck behind it as the voices grow louder. Through little holes in the shrubbery, I can see a pair of military boots and a pair of men’s dress shoes.

“Is this it?” a familiar voice I recognize as General Barclay asks.

“Yes sir, everything’s there in those files. It’s exactly what you asked for,” Dr. Wilhelm says.

I see Landon's confused face when he hears Dr. Wilhelm's voice.

“Very well, I’ll let my superiors know. Harvey, you’ve performed your job well, and you’ll be compensated justly.”

“Thank you, General. I’m honored you asked for my help. It was my pleasure to aid the Federation.”

“Yes, indeed. This experiment will be revolutionary. Not to mention the progress you’ve made with this place,” the general states while pointing to the green jungle surrounding us.

“Yes, this has been quite the unique project. I do hope we’ll be able to utilize what we’ve learned from it one day.” Dr. Wilhelm beams at the compliment.

“Yes, well, I have to go and notify my superiors of your excellent work here. This is a great place indeed.” The general shakes Dr. Wilhelm’s hand and then makes a hasty exit toward the elevator. Landon and I see the doctor bend down, pull a weed out of the grass, and then he too follows the general out.

“What do you think that was all about?” I ask Landon, wondering why the two men had to meet in a place probably the majority didn’t know existed.

“I don’t know, but I get this feeling we weren’t supposed to hear that.”

A noise from my arm has me realizing that I forgot to take the casing off Galileo again. I quickly remove it and he instantly pops out.

“Kenley, I wish you would not do that so often. If you want me not to talk, all you have to do is ask. Now, I have a message from your father. He wants you to report to his office ASAP.”

“Sorry, Galileo,” I reply, but he’s already returned to the bangle.

“I’ll walk with you to your dad’s office,” Landon says, grabbing my hand and leading me back to the elevators.

“Do you think Galileo sounded miffed at me just then?” I ask as we wait for our ride down.

“Yeah, he did seem a little put out, but he’s a computer. They don’t have feelings, remember?”

“I know, but-” The elevator arrives and interrupts me. As we ride down in silence, I contemplate what just happened.

Landon leaves me at the door to my dad’s office with a quick kiss, and tells me he’s going to wait in the mess hall.

When I approach the door, it doesn’t open. “Hey, Dad, it’s me,” I announce, knocking on the door. I hear him say “sorry” and then it slides open. The first thing I notice is that his hair is messier than usual, like he’s been running his fingers through it all day. His face is void of a smile, and in its place is an intense frown. He’s sitting at his desk, studying something in front of him very intently. I shudder, thinking about what could be wrong.

“Ah, Kenley, there you are,” he says, raising his head to look at me.

“Dad, are you okay?” He stands up from his desk chair and comes around to give me a hug. “Please tell me what’s going on.” The butterflies in my stomach increase because he’s still hugging me and not answering me.

“Kenley, I want to tell you something. It may all be in my head, but you have to listen, okay? Sit down,” he says as he releases me and guides me to a chair. “Now, where do I begin?” He runs his fingers through his hair before sitting in the chair opposite me. Leaning forward, he stares at me with his hands trembling a little. “Kenley, I need you to look at this map of the facility.” He presses a button on his watch and a screen projects up from his desk.

“We’re here, and these items over here are escape pods, which are utilized in case of an emergency evacuation. You need to memorize where they’re located, because you might have to use them in the coming days.

“What makes you think that?” I ask, nervous to hear his reply.

“I know this may sound crazy, but I want you to promise me that you’ll use the pods if things change around here, okay? Don’t wait for me to tell you to leave. Go with your gut feeling if the time comes. Now promise,” he says, his voice suddenly demanding.

“I promise, but-”

“No more questions. It’s probably nothing. I’m most likely just overreacting. Now, run along, and I’ll see you later, okay?” He rises from his chair and pulls me up from mine. I’m feeling unsure of what to say next as he hugs me tight and lets me go, shooing me out of his office. Before I can turn around to say anything, he shuts the door behind me.

“What the heck just happened?” I say out loud.

Making my way to the mess hall, I begin going over the confusing conversation I just had with my dad, and try to make sense of it. A body blocks my way and I look up to find Landon, grinning at me. One glance at my face and his grin disappears, replaced by a look of uncertainty.

“Kenley, what’s wrong?” He grabs my hand and pulls me in to an empty room, sensing we need privacy.

“I just had the weirdest talk with my dad. He showed me a map of the Academy, and the location of the escape pods.”

“Why?” Landon’s arms are around me and he’s looking intently into my eyes.

“Your guess is as good as mine. He didn’t say outright, but he told me to memorize the locations. He said he had a feeling something isn’t right, whatever that means.”

“I think we need to go and find these pods,” Landon says firmly.

“I think you’re right. Just us though. If we bring the others with us it’ll draw more attention, and I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.”

“You’re right. Listen, it’s probably your dad being cautious.  But we should go take a look, just in case.” Landon gives me a quick kiss and we make our way down the many corridors to locate the pods.

Chapter Thirteen

The Takeover

I open my eyes and instantly a feeling of grogginess hits me. I feel my head as I slouch up in bed. I’m finding it hard to focus, and it feels like I’ve slept for like twelve hours. I feel rested, but almost too much. Everything seems to be stagnant and very quiet. My ears pop from the pressure of the silence. There seems to be no activity outside my door, and I begin to feel like something’s wrong. Maybe it’s just my dad getting into my head with what he said yesterday.

“Galileo, what’s going on? Why didn’t you wake me up?” I ask, but there’s no response. “Galileo?” I ask my bangle again with the same result. Tapping on it, I call out to him again. It just lies there on my wrist looking like a hard piece of cheap plastic. There’s no pulsing light or activity.