Domination (A C.H.A.O.S. Novel) - By Jon Lewis Page 0,65

pulled up the holomap of the facility.

“Remember,” Rhane said, “our singular goal is to get Colt inside that reactor room, and that means we do whatever it takes. Understood?” He was looking directly at Pierce, who started to cough.

“Yeah . . . I got it,” Pierce said.

They were all surprised by how few guards patrolled the facility. Whenever a detail would approach, including the drones, they’d simply duck behind pipes or slip into empty stairwells until the Defense Corps soldiers passed. But Colt’s heart nearly stopped beating when he almost ran smack into a Wächter.

Adolph Hitler’s secret scientists first developed the Wächters—robots that had a narrow head atop broad shoulders and a wide breastplate, all painted red.

Colt stood there holding his breath as he waited for it to either shoot him or sound an alarm. But it didn’t do either.

“Is it deactivated?” Danielle asked.

“I think so, but I’m not sure,” Colt said. The light behind the robot’s eye was dead, and Colt decided to tap its chest to see if it would respond.

“Let’s go,” Rhane said. “We don’t have much time.”

The robot’s eye lit up. It raised its hand, releasing a stream of energy from a disc on its palm that knocked Rhane into the wall. Colt fumbled in his pouch for a magnetic grenade, but the Wächter was too quick. It knocked Colt’s hand away and wrapped a claw around his arm.

“This wasn’t part of the plan,” Colt said, choking as an alarm sounded and red lights flashed across the ceiling.

Pierce raised his gun, but again the Wächter was too quick. A compartment opened on its forearm, revealing a Gatling gun. It opened fire, catching Pierce in the chest. He stood there, mouth agape as he watched plumes of red spread across his shirt. His eyes went to the Wächter and then to Colt, and blood started to pour from his lips.

Colt caught him as he fell.

“I’m sorry.” Pierce coughed. “I . . . didn’t . . .”

“It’s okay,” Colt said. “You’re going to be fine.”

“No . . . I’m not,” Pierce said. “And . . . it’s okay.”

“Don’t talk like that.”

“Just . . . finish.” Pierce closed his eyes. His breathing was rapid. “Finish it . . . and tell my dad . . .” Pierce went limp, and his head rolled back as his spirit left his body.

Colt felt the rage well inside of him and he leapt at the robot. Power surged as he tore its arm from its socket, using it as a club to beat its head until it caved in.

“That’s enough,” Oz said, but Colt kept pounding the Wächter. “Come on,” Oz said. “We have to get out of here before more show up.”

Colt stopped, chest heaving as he stood and looked at Pierce’s motionless form.

“There’ll be time to mourn when the battle is over,” Rhane said. “Right now we need to finish what we started.”

: :

CHAPTER 47 : :

Where are they?” Colt said as they followed Rhane through the empty hallways. “I mean, it’s like this place was abandoned. There aren’t even any drones.”

He looked back at Danielle, whose eyes were filled with tears. She tried to force a smile but it didn’t last long. Her hands were shaking and her breathing was shallow, like she was suffocating. Colt felt as though he was suffocating as well. He tried to push the image of Pierce lying there, dead, out of his mind, but he couldn’t stop thinking about him.

“Koenig is probably marshaling his forces,” Rhane said. “But he knows you’re here to destroy the reactor, so leaving it unguarded doesn’t make any sense.”

“Unless it’s a trap,” Oz said.

“Even if it is, we don’t have a choice,” Colt said. He could feel the weight of the explosives resting in his backpack. “You got the portal cube ready?”

Danielle nodded.

“And you’re sure you have the right coordinates?” Oz said. “The last thing I want to do is end up at the bottom of the ocean or the heart of a volcano.”

“Not now,” Danielle said.

“What? I’m serious,” Oz said. “I was reading about it a couple nights ago when I couldn’t sleep. All kinds of people died during the testing phase.”

“The reactor room should be up around the—” Rhane stopped as he rounded the corner. There, standing at attention, were two rows of Koenig’s Defense Corps, one on each side of the corridor. They were tall and muscular with long snouts, nostril slits, and glowing eyes of yellow that shone bright against their onyx scales.

“How many?”