The Modified (The Biotics Trilogy, #1) (15 page)

“I was?”

She continues to study me with her eyes. Suddenly something seems to dawn on her and she points at me. “I bet you’re a natural protector. You have a true instinct to defend yourself and those around you.”

“I do?”

“Indeed,” she laughs.

Sitting in the mess hall I look down at Landon’s seat and it’s empty.
He said he’d be right here
, I think to myself.
I’ve been worried about him ever since he got back from D.C. I know there’s something wrong with him that he’s not telling me. In stereotypical guy fashion though, he acts like he’s okay, but you can see in his eyes that he’s not.

“So how do you like Fort training?” Joey asks. “At least tell us what you can, since we can’t really talk specifics.”

Pulling myself away from my thoughts, it takes me a few seconds to process the question, and then I reply. “Apparently, I’m a natural protector. At least according to Dr. Patel. She said I created my barrier quicker than anyone so far.”

“Damn, Grayson, I couldn’t cast a barrier to save my life last week,” Sam chimes in. “I’m Strike all the way, baby.”

I laugh slightly. “Don’t even get me started on that egotistical jerk, Commander Archer.”

“He’s a teddy bear compared to how my father was,” Sam replies.

“Yeah, mine too,” Joey murmurs. I place my arm around his shoulder and give him a comforting look. He smirks back at me.

“How’s training going for you, Geoffrey?” I ask him as he flips through the dinner menu hologram.

“I just found out that Geoffrey got all Green during his Tact final. He’s a certified whiz kid. Strike on the other hand…not so much,” Sam answers for him. He nods, confirming what she just said is true.

“What about you, Caleb?” Joey asks him.

“I received all green in Fort. Actually finished second overall in my class,” Caleb replies, shocking everyone with his lengthy response since he usually just keeps it to one-word answers, if he even talks at all. He grins and returns to eating his food.

After dinner I make my way to Landon’s room since he never showed up. I knock on his door, but don’t hear any movement inside. I knock again, but still nothing.
Where is he?
I ask myself.

“Kenley, I sense you are worried about something. Is there anything I can help you with?” Galileo asks, projecting from my bangle.

“Not unless you’ve got GPS and can locate people,” I respond in a defeated tone.

“GPS? I am sorry, but I am not equipped with such technology.”

“That’s okay, Galileo. It’s not your fault,” I reply.

I feel a hand touch my shoulder and I spin around to find Landon standing there. “So, you were worried about me?” he asks.

“You heard that, huh?” I reply and he nods with a smile. “Well, yeah of course I was worried. You never showed for dinner.”

“Sorry about that. My dad was on the news talking about California. I didn’t really feel like eating afterward,” he states, his tone more melancholy with a hint of anger.

“What did he say?”  Landon gets quiet as he stares down at the ground.

“Hey, I want to show you something,” he says, quickly changing the subject. It’s clear he still doesn’t want to talk about California or his dad, so I drop the topic.

“What do you want to show me?”

“It’s a surprise,” he answers, extending his hand for mine. I take it and let him lead me down the hall to the elevators. As we enter the elevator, the floor and walls light up bright white, causing me to squint slightly at first. Landon hits a button on the wall panel that says
observatory
.

The panel flashes red and an electronic voice says, “Password required.”

Landon replies, “Kenley,” and the panel changes to green.

“Password verified,” the electronic voice states as the elevator doors close.

“My name is a password?” I ask looking at Landon with surprise. “Wait, how did you know my name was a password?”

“By accident…don’t ask,” he laughs nervously.

Only seconds seem to go by and the doors open again, revealing a large triangular-shaped room beyond the elevator. “Top floor, observatory,” the electronic voice chimes in.

As we exit the elevator, the walls of the room begin to retract and slide downward as if they’re reacting to us entering the area. I stare in awe as I spin around slowly, taking in the sight before me. After the walls completely retract, all that’s left between us and outer space is a wall of glass. A blanket of stars completely surrounds us. They’re incredibly bright and vibrant, casting a glow over the entire room. I’m completely mesmerized as I continue gazing at the beauty before me. I wish Dylan and Joey could see this.

I feel Landon take my hand into his and squeeze gently as he joins me by my side. A silence falls over us as we just stand there, gazing into space.

“It’s hard to believe a war is happening out there amongst such peace and beauty,” I say, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, hard to believe, isn’t it?” is all Landon says. It seems like he’s waiting for something to happen as he stares pensively up at the stars.

“Is this what you wanted to show me?” I ask softly.

“Nope,” he replies, still staring up and not breaking his line of sight. “There, that’s what I want to show you.” Just as those words escape his mouth, I see Earth come into view. “There it is.” He squeezes my hand tighter and I look over at him, but he doesn’t take his eyes off Earth.

“My father called California a casualty of war…that’s it. That’s such a bullshit answer,” Landon says under his breath. “He didn’t say a damn thing about the rest of our family or friends. There was no emotion at all. Nothing but that bullshit answer. Some hero he is, huh?”

“I’m sorry,” I say quietly.

“But that’s not even it, though. My mom told me my dad had called her and said he missed his family. He told her that he wanted to see them and was sending a plane to bring them to D.C.”

“Why would that upset you, though? He missed them,” I ask.

“My mom wouldn’t leave home to go to Washington, even if it was to see my dad. And as far as my dad missing her, that’s a joke. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself and his career. I’m glad he made them go because they’re still alive, but something’s not right. Two days after they arrived in D.C., California was hit. Doesn’t that seem strange to you?” he asks.

“How could your dad have known? It would’ve been impossible for him to know that was going to happen to California, right?”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” he responds.

Landon goes silent for a moment and then turns to me. His blue eyes start to pulse slightly.

“I miss everyone so much, Kenley. I should’ve been there with them,” he grounds out, clenching his jaw.

“Don’t talk like that. You wouldn’t have been able to do anything to save them,” I say, tearing up at the look of pain on his face.

“I know, but at least I would’ve been with them.”

“No. You were meant to be here. You were meant to live. If you need something to live for, then live to avenge them,” I reply.

His eyes return to normal and the anguish leaves his face as I place my hand on his cheek. He brings his hand up and cups it around mine. Landon takes my hand from his cheek and kisses it softly and places it to his chest. He smiles as he stares deeply into my eyes.

“I do have something to live for,” he replies and leans in close to me. Our lips touch with the slightest of pressure. He places his hands about my waist and pulls me closer. My hands press on his firm chest and find their way to his gorgeously chiseled chin. I hear Galileo say something followed by Landon’s AI, but I am so concentrated on Landon that I can’t make out what they’re saying. His hands move to my face and I can feel the heat from his power surge through my body. He pulls back slightly, his eyes pulsing again. “I’m so lucky I found you.”