Domination (A C.H.A.O.S. Novel) - By Jon Lewis Page 0,12

like to—”

She slapped him across the face, and there was a moment when the only sound was the flag above the commissary snapping in the wind.

Pierce smiled, and his tongue went to the corner of his mouth in search of blood. “McAlister can have you,” he said, as though she was his to give away. “But you know he’s one of them, right? They shot him up with Thule blood to try and turn him into some kind of super soldier.”

Colt’s heart started to race. How did Pierce know? Danielle wouldn’t have told him, and Dr. Roth was supposed to be bound by doctor-patient confidentiality.

Pierce’s father.

Senator Bowen was head of the Senate’s Committee on National Intelligence, which meant he had access to military records—including secret experimental programs. Those same reports would explain how Colt had gained over fifteen pounds of muscle mass in the last three weeks. That he was stronger. Faster. That his reflexes were uncanny and his skin as resistant as Kevlar.

“Come on,” Pierce said, taunting him. “Show us how you can shape-shift.”

: :

CHAPTER 8 : :

What seems to be the problem?”

Everyone turned to see Captain James Starling, the director of the CHAOS Military Academy’s flight training program, and an Arconian named Giru Ba, who was one of his assistant instructors. Starling was handsome, or at least he could have been if he hadn’t let himself go. His hair was thick, his shoulders broad, and his jaw square, but his waistline had expanded and his eyes were bloodshot either from lack of sleep or from too many long nights at a local pub. Giru Ba, on the other hand, was tall and elegant, with skin the color of sea foam, enormous eyes, and what looked like a curved beak in place of lips.

“I’m not witnessing fisticuffs, am I?” Starling asked, raising a single eyebrow. “And both of you from the same squad?”

Giru Ba stood placidly behind him, her eyes unblinking.

“No, sir,” Jonas said, placing his glasses back onto his face at an odd angle.

“Then what, may I ask, were you doing on the ground?”

“Pierce was . . . well . . .”

“Yes?”

“He was just showing me a new fighting technique, that’s all.”

“Is that true?” Captain Starling asked.

“Yeah,” Pierce said.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Captain Starling said. “I was talking to Cadet McAlister.”

Colt looked at Jonas, who was staring at the ground. “I guess,” he said.

“Then that’s good enough for me.” Captain Starling turned to face the cadets, who looked more than a little disappointed that they weren’t going to see a fight. “Now, off with the lot of you before I decide to give you all a demerit.”

“A demerit?” Jonas said.

“Let it go.” Stacy took him by the arm and led him toward the library.

“Not you,” Captain Starling said as Colt started to walk away.

“Sir?” He closed his eyes, waiting for whatever bad news was about to follow.

“The president believes that the country—in fact, the world—needs a shot of hope in these dark days. He wants to resurrect the Phantom Flyer and his Agents of CHAOS.”

“Grandpa?”

“No, son, not your grandfather. He’s much too old for the rigors that lie ahead.”

Colt looked over to Giru Ba, hoping she would tell him that this was all a joke, but she just stood there. “Then who?”

“Isn’t it obvious? The president has picked you.”

Colt’s first thought was that the president wanted him to dress up in a costume and fly around in a jet pack looking for criminals—which, given that the world was at war with a race of aliens who wanted to exterminate humanity, seemed ridiculous, particularly in light of Project Betrayal. In less than three weeks he was supposed to lead a covert team through a portal and into Dresh, the capital city of the Thule. He didn’t have time to play superhero.

The truth was even worse.

“Think of it as a traveling air show that’s part Blue Angels, part Broadway musical. Are you ready for the title?”

“Not really.”

“It’s called Phantasmic . . . March to Victory!” Captain Starling spread his fingers wide, and his arms shot into the air like a burst of fireworks.

“Seriously?”

“Wait until you see the promotional posters. They’re amazing, don’t you think?”

“Extraordinarily so,” Giru Ba said with a slight nod.

Colt stood there, dumbstruck, as Captain Starling explained how Colt would play the part of the Phantom Flyer and team up with his Agents of CHAOS to fight actors who would be dressed as Thule. He pulled up some pictures of the costumes on a tablet computer, and