Free The Modified (The Biotics Trilogy, #1) by C.A. Kunz Page A

returned to stable levels.”
    I laugh to myself and shake my head. “I see, I guess.”
    “My pleasure,” he responds.
    I hear an electronic clicking sound followed by some quick static that erupts from the speaker above my door. It sounds like the intercoms at my high school.
    “Grayson, Kenley. Will you please report to the office of Doctor Grayson, Wyatt? He is expecting you,” a monotone female’s voice echoes in my room.
    Galileo projects out of the band and says, “I can show you the way.”
     
     

 
     
    Chapter Five
    Becoming Acclimated
     
    I follow Galileo’s directions to my dad’s office, and after navigating the many corridors of the facility, I finally arrive at his office. There’s a sign next to the door that reads:
    Dr. Wyatt Grayson
    Headmaster at Magnus Academy
    “We have arrived, Grayson, Kenley,” Galileo announces.
    The door to my dad’s office is a large metallic oval with a slit down the middle of it. Just as with all the other doors, this one also lacks a handle. Like I did with my room’s door, I hold up the bangle to it and hear the familiar electronic unlocking sound before the two oval halves slide apart, revealing the room beyond.
    “Kenley, there you are. Come in, come in,” my father says as he rises from behind an oversized desk made up of blue light. “I hope you’re settling in all right. I know all of this has been happening so fast,” he states, giving me a hug.
    Returning his hug I reply, “I’m acclimating, I guess. But Dad this place is amazing. And when were you going to tell me about you being headmaster? Kind of glossed over that one, didn’t you?”
    “Sorry about that, there was a lot going on and I completely forgot to tell you about the whole headmaster thing. But isn’t this place absolutely remarkable? This facility was going to be used to train soldiers in advanced battle tactics, but once the war began, the project was scrapped and has since become home for the Magnus Academy. We’ve obviously upgraded it a bit,” he jokes.
    “I’ll say. There’s stuff here that I never thought I’d ever see.”
    My dad chuckles. “Well, I’m glad to hear that you’re doing okay. How’s your implant? Any more nausea from the fluid?”
    “Well-“
    Galileo’s image springs from the band, making me pause. “Implant is functioning at optimal levels,” he states before disappearing.
    “Good to hear,” my dad says with a smile. “Seems like your AI is working well. I’d hope so since I designed them,” he continues with a laugh.
    “It’s been interesting to the say the least,” I say, glancing down at my wrist, and then back to my father. “Why are we here? What is this place? This is almost too much to process.”
    “I know, Kenley. That’s why I called you here,” he replies as he leans up against the desk. “You’re a soldier now, Kenley. And as a soldier you must train and hone your skills. That’s what this academy is, your training ground. You’ll find that you have powers lying dormant inside of you that you can’t even imagine. They’re just itching to get out.”
    “You mean the implant?”
    “Look at your hands, daughter of mine.”
    I look down at my hands and they’re glowing with a faint blue light. “What’s happening?”
    “That’s only the beginning,” he says, clasping his hands around mine. The blue light in my hands fades away. My wary eyes rise to my dad’s. “I’m so sorry, Kenley,” he says softly and pulls me in for a hug.
    So many questions flood my mind, but there’s only one that creeps from my lips. “Why did they really pick me, Dad?”
    He sighs heavily and replies, “Because I told them to.”
    I pull back from him slightly. “What? Why?”
    “I had no choice, Kenley. You did so well in your preliminaries, and they were going to put you on the front lines. I couldn’t go through that again. At least this way you’re here, and your odds of survival have greatly increased,” he