Domination (A C.H.A.O.S. Novel) - By Jon Lewis Page 0,14

knowledge,” Glyph said. “Although Cadet Danielle Salazar may have mentioned something about a control booth.”

But they picked Stacy? Colt thought as he watched her sip on an energy drink. She could barely fly in a straight line, so how was she going to fly in formation? It didn’t make sense.

She must have caught him staring at her, because she suddenly smiled. He smiled back. He wanted to go over and talk to her, but he wasn’t sure what to say. For some reason he felt awkward around her. Stacy was great, but he wasn’t ready to give up on Lily—at least not yet.

“Ah, there you are.”

Colt turned to see Captain Starling walking down the tunnel toward him, eyes bright and teeth brighter.

“So what do you think about the uniform? Not bad, if I do say so myself.”

“Yeah, it’s great.”

The original Phantom Flyer costume didn’t offer much in the way of protection. It consisted of a flight suit, a bomber jacket, a pair of gloves, and a leather mask with aviator goggles. Whitlock Global had designed the new costume, which was a cross between the original and one of their armor systems. Under any other circumstances Colt would have loved it, but he felt like a fraud. No matter what Captain Starling or anyone else said, there was only one Phantom Flyer—Murdoch McAlister.

Captain Starling directed everyone to watch a display screen that covered most of an entire wall, where he showed a series of stunts using animated characters that looked like something out of a video game. It reminded Colt of the air shows that his dad used to take him to when he was younger. Squadrons of F/A-18 Hornets would do maneuvers like loops and barrel rolls, but there was an important difference: those pilots had trained together for years, while the cadets had only been flying for a few months.

“We’ll start nice and slow,” Captain Starling said as he led them through the tunnel and onto the aerial field. “Nothing fancy, just a simple V formation. Colt will take the point and everyone else will fall in behind him.” He looked directly at Colt. “Think you can handle that?”

Colt nodded.

“Then let’s fire up!” Captain Starling stepped out of the way as they put on their helmets and ignited their jet packs. Streams like flames erupted from the engines, leaving scorch marks on the ground. Almost as one, they lifted off, rising into the dark sky. Colt, however, released the throttle too quickly and shot past everyone.

“That’s a bit aggressive, don’t you think?” he heard Captain Starling say through the speakers in his helmet. “Now slow it down and let’s take it to five hundred feet.”

Colt glanced over his shoulder to see where the other pilots were, but at that speed an act as simple as turning his head changed his trajectory. He banked hard to the left, but the other pilots were skilled enough to follow without crashing into each other.

“Use the mirrors in your goggles,” Captain Starling said. “That’s what they’re there for.”

For the first time Colt noticed tiny rearview mirrors that allowed him to see reflections of the pilots as they flew behind him. They had split into a perfect V formation, each one keeping perfect pace as Colt led them in a wide loop around the stadium.

He felt his spirits rise. There was something freeing about flight, and for a moment he closed his eyes and let the cold winter air rush over him.

Captain Starling instructed them on new formations, including a barrel roll. Colt banked to the right, his arms tight to his body and his ankles crossed to keep his legs from pulling apart. As he sliced through the air, he wondered if this was what a drill bit felt like as it tore into a wall.

“This is awesome!” Grey yelped into his microphone as feedback reverberated through Colt’s speakers like a herd of screeching cats.

“Are the invaders ready?” Captain Starling asked.

“Roger that.” It was Danielle.

“Then let’s see what we’ve got.”

The ground shook as a massive door in the center of the grassy field started to open. Smoke issued out, and Colt watched as a platform carrying what looked like Thule fighters rose from the darkness. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Yeah, it’s a Class 2 Taipan,” Grey said. “But there’s no way that thing is real.”

“Agreed, Cadet Grey Arnold. It must be a hologram,” Glyph said.

“I can assure you that it’s quite real,” Captain Starling said. “In fact, it was discovered in