The Modified (The Biotics Trilogy, #1) (31 page)

“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.”

“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.