Domination (A C.H.A.O.S. Novel) - By Jon Lewis Page 0,21

said, slowly raising his hands to show that he wasn’t a threat.

“Then what are you doing with that thing?” The man nodded at Glyph, whose eyes grew wide with fear.

“He’s with us.”

“I don’t think so,” the man said.

Colt narrowed his eyes. “Cadet Gundar is a cadet at the Intergalactic Defense Academy and is here under orders from the director of the Department of Alien Affairs. We’re here to check on a disturbance, but if you prefer we can turn around and leave.”

The man started chewing the inside of his lip as though contemplating what to do next. “How do we know he ain’t one of them?”

“Because he’s a Fimorian,” Colt said. “See? He has two arms, not six.”

“That’s true enough, I suppose,” the man said, lowering his rifle. “The name’s Damewood. Chadwick Damewood. I’m the head of security at this facility.”

“I’m Cadet McAlister, and this—”

“McAlister, you say?” Damewood interrupted. “Now where have I heard that name before?” He stroked his mustache as he cocked his head to the side. “Hey, wait. You’re that kid—the Phantom Flyer’s grandson, right?”

Colt rolled his eyes, which were hidden behind his helmet. “Yes, sir.”

“Ain’t you supposed to be traveling around with that air show and whatnot?”

“Right now I’m focused on helping you secure this facility,” Colt said.

“No offense, but it might be best if your alien friend there waited outside,” Damewood said. “The employees . . . well, let’s just say I don’t think they’ll take kindly to his ilk, if you catch my meaning.”

“No, I don’t,” Colt said.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

After the meeting they broke into teams. Colt led Alpha Team—Danielle, Glyph, and Jonas—through a sweep of the facilities, while Stacy led Bravo—Pierce and his dog, Grey, and Ethan—down to the riverbank.

The facility was massive, with cement walls, miles of pipes, and far too many nooks and crannies where Thule could hide. Glyph spent most of the time hunched over as he ducked through doorways and patrolled halls that weren’t built for someone his height.

Everyone in the plant was on edge, and it didn’t take long to discover that the employees were upset that management had let an alien onto the premises.

“What’s that thing doing here?” one asked.

“Since when do humans mix with their kind?” another said.

Glyph acted like he couldn’t hear them, but Colt was growing frustrated.

“We should round ’em all up and kill ’em before they turn on us,” said a short man with a thick mat of orange hair.

“What did you say?” Colt demanded.

The color drained from the man’s face as Colt stepped toward him.

“I asked you a question.”

“Don’t.” Danielle placed her hand on Colt’s shoulder, but he pulled away.

“His words are protected by the First Amendment, Squad Leader Colt McAlister,” Glyph said as he placed his hand on Colt’s shoulder. “And in truth, I cannot fault him for being afraid. We all are.”

Colt glared at the worker, who stood there with his back against the wall. “Go on,” he said, and the man practically ran down the hall before he disappeared around a corner.

“Thank you for standing up for me,” Glyph said. “But it truly wasn’t necessary.”

“Yes. It was,” Colt said.

“Wait a minute,” Danielle said. “Have either of you seen Jonas?”

: :

CHAPTER 14 : :

They searched the facility for nearly an hour before a security guard said that one of the cameras had caught Jonas leaving the facility and heading for the riverbank.

His tracks were easy enough to follow. They led across the lawn and down a path to the river, but they stopped at the water.

“Can you pick up his scent?” Colt asked, turning to Glyph, who just shook his head.

“He wasn’t wearing a jet pack,” Danielle said. “And if he tried to swim to the other side, he would have died from hypothermia.”

“I don’t see any signs of struggle,” Glyph said.

“So he just disappeared?” Colt asked, frustrated as he tried to make sense of what had happened.

“Bravo Leader, this is Alpha Leader, over,” Colt said into his comlink.

“This is Bravo Leader,” Stacy replied.

“Any luck?”

“Not unless you count losing Pierce’s stupid dog,” she said. “He let it off its leash, and it bolted.”

“Please tell me that was a joke.”

“Sorry.”

Colt sighed. “We’ll look for Jonas, you find the dog, and we’ll meet back at the entrance at 0930.”

“Roger that,” Stacy said.

“We need to find that dog before it wanders into somebody’s backyard,” Colt said as he turned back to Glyph and Danielle.

“What about Jonas?” Danielle asked.

“I’ll circle back and see if I can find a different set of