Domination (A C.H.A.O.S. Novel) - By Jon Lewis Page 0,28

miracle you were able to perfect them, you don’t have time to put them into mass production—particularly since your mission launches on January 15.”

Colt frowned.

“Why so surprised?” Koenig said. “Haven’t you discovered by now that you can read the thoughts of others? All Thule can. It’s one of the many reasons we’re superior to humans.”

“Says the alien stuck in a cage.”

“I didn’t ask you here to match wits,” Koenig said. “I simply want to make you an offer.” He paused, his eyes locked on Colt’s. “Join us and live.”

“That’s not much of an offer,” Colt said. “Besides, Togarr—that’s his name, right? You know, the warlord of the Black Sun Militia. He’s making a play for supreme commander, which means your little treaty was broken.”

“Togarr will be dealt with,” Koenig said. “And our people will be united.”

“If you say so.”

“I’ve offered you an opportunity to live, and instead you mock me,” Koenig said. “Know that it won’t be long before this world will burn, and so will everyone in it.”

“I won’t let it happen.”

Why? Because you’re the Betrayer? Koenig said, his voice penetrating Colt’s mind. I can sense the change inside of you. Soon your body will be covered in scales. You’ll be a hideous monster like the rest of us, and when that happens, humanity will turn on you. You’ll be an outcast. A villain.

Suddenly Colt felt a sharp pain in his temples, and before he realized what was happening, everything went black. The last thing he remembered was falling . . . and then he succumbed to the darkness.

: :

CHAPTER 20 : :

Colt opened his eyes to get his bearings, but whatever wasn’t blurry was unbearably bright, so he closed them again. He had a splitting headache, and the constant tapping of someone pounding on a keyboard wasn’t helping.

From what he could tell he was in a bed, but he was fairly certain that it wasn’t his bunk back at the dorm. His nostrils burned with the smell of lemon, pine, and ammonia instead of the musty stench from the sheets that his roommates refused to wash.

“Is somebody going to tell me where I am?” he said through cracked lips, his voice weak.

“Good morning, sunshine.”

“Oz?”

“Who did you expect, your fairy godmother?”

Colt opened his eyelids a slit and saw Oz standing at the foot of his bed and Danielle sitting next to a window. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“You’re in the campus infirmary, third floor,” Danielle said. “And you’re welcome. I mean, it’s not like we’ve been cooped up in this place for the last thirty-six hours watching to make sure you didn’t have a seizure or anything.”

“A seizure? What happened?”

“Koenig pulled some kind of Jedi mind trick on you,” Oz said. “One minute you were standing there, and the next minute you were out cold.”

“Wait, were you there?” Colt asked, trying to reach back into his memory.

“Nah, but they showed us the video footage,” Oz said. “At one point you were answering questions that Koenig never even asked. It was kind of crazy.”

All Colt could remember was that Grandpa had taken him to an underground prison facility to meet Aldrich Koenig, but after that things got fuzzy.

“I don’t get it,” Colt said. “I mean, I thought you weren’t allowed back on campus.”

“Your grandpa pulled some strings,” Oz said. “Apparently he doesn’t think the campus security is good enough around here, so he wants me to watch your back.”

“What strings did he pull?”

“The president was a big Phantom Flyer fan growing up,” Danielle said. “So your grandpa promised him a signed picture in exchange for Oz’s full reinstatement.”

“He bribed him with an autograph?” Colt smiled as he shook his head.

“There were some stipulations,” Oz said. “I had to agree to a full memory extraction to prove that I wasn’t part of all that stuff my dad did. Plus I have to see a counselor once a week—you know, to talk about my feelings or whatever.”

Colt had to stifle his laugh. “Seriously?”

“It isn’t funny,” Oz said. “I hate that stuff, but I did it for you. Figured you’d get yourself killed if I wasn’t around.”

“Does that mean you’re back on Project Betrayal?”

“That’s what they tell me,” Oz said.

Colt felt relief wash over him. Knowing that his best friend was going to be there with him suddenly made success seem almost possible.

“So what happened in there?” Danielle said as she walked over and stood next to Oz. For a split second Colt could swear they were holding hands. “You know, with Koenig.