The Modified (The Biotics Trilogy, #1) by C.A. Kunz Read Free Book Online

your family down. You can’t let the world down , I state to myself, trying to muster the courage to proceed.
    “Please answer the question: Do you need assistance?”
    “No, I’m fine,” I reply as I slowly climb up the steps leading to the opening. Raising one leg into it, I grab hold of the handles on the sides and pull myself in the rest of the way. As I settle in and lean against the back of the tube, the cold glass against my skin makes me tremble. The door slides downward and I hear an electrical locking sound. My heart is pounding so loud that I can hear it echoing within the small confined space. My hands begin to shake and I take a deep breath in an attempt to try and relax. I hear a swooshing sound and feel my feet getting wet. Looking down I see the blue liquid entering the tube through four openings at the bottom. As the liquid creeps up my skin it feels like a million bugs are crawling all over me.
    I begin to panic and then I hear the electronic voice again. “Please remain still. Nanobot technology is being administered.” I try not to move, but the sensation is almost too much to bear.
    The liquid is at my waist now and I wonder how far up it’s going to go. I take another deep breath as the liquid reaches my chin. Terror overtakes me as it creeps past my mouth and flows over my nose and ears. I scream, which sounds muffled, as I pound in slow motion on the walls of the tube, trying to break out. In my panic I accidentally swallow a mouthful of the liquid and realize that I can still breathe.  How is this possible? I should be drowning, I ask myself. A slight calm comes over me as I float there as if in suspended animation. The tingling sensation has stopped and my body almost feels like it’s numb. Suddenly, the liquid begins to drain from the tube.
    “Nanobot introduction successful. Cleansing process will commence shortly.”
    As I stand there in the empty tube, an immense surge of energy courses through me. Surveying my skin, I see that it’s covered in a blue film. I hear the sound of something rushing through the pipe that’s connected overhead. A strong blast of warm water hits me like a high-powered shower. Staring at my arms I see the blue film peel away, collect at the bottom, and rush down the drain. The water shuts off and a green light appears at the top of the door.
    “Cleansing process is complete. You are now free to exit the implant administration conduit.”
    The door slides upward and I step out. I shudder in the cold of the room outside. The energetic feeling that I had before disappears and is replaced by nausea. My head begins to pound and my heart feels like it’s about to explode out of my chest. I stumble and drop to my knees as I hear a muffled voice call out to me. The blurry outline of someone rushing over fills my vision. The next thing I feel is a strong pressure rising up into my throat and liquid gushing out of my mouth onto the floor. As I stare down at the puddle of neon blue, the whole room fades to black.
     
     

 
     
    Chapter Three
    The Escadrille
     
    I slowly open my eyes and scan my surroundings. A headache begins to invade as the blinding white of the room creeps into my pupils. As my haziness dissipates, and I begin to see more clearly, I notice there’s a clear glass bubble encasing the bed I’m lying in. When I begin to sit up, the glass dome separates into two pieces at the middle and slides down into the metal frame that surrounds the bed. I look around and I seem to be in a hospital room of some sort, but it doesn’t look like any I’ve ever been in before. The entire room retains the slick polish that everything else at this facility has had, and there are shiny metal objects everywhere that are most likely some kind of advanced medical equipment. I see other cadets in the beds that line the perimeter of the room. They must have passed out like I did.
    What I assume is a nurse, approaches me dressed all in white. “Hello, I am Ada 21, your