Phaze Read online

  Table of Contents

  PHAZE

  Books by S.C. Mitchell

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  PHAZE

  Xi Force #2

  S.C. MITCHELL

  SOUL MATE PUBLISHING

  New York

  PHAZE

  Copyright©2018

  S.C. MITCHELL

  Cover Design by Fiona Jayde

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

  Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Published in the United States of America by

  Soul Mate Publishing

  P.O. Box 24

  Macedon, New York, 14502

  ISBN: 978-1-68291-642-1

  www.SoulMatePublishing.com

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Books by S.C. Mitchell

  Hearts In Orbit Series

  The Blarmling Dilemma

  Pirates Of The Dark Nebula

  Captives Of The Kratzen

  ~ ~ ~

  The Heavenly War Series

  Son Of Thunder

  Daughter Of Darkness

  ~ ~ ~

  Xi Force Series

  Z-Bot

  Phaze

  This book is dedicated to

  Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster,

  and the other pioneers of the superhero comic genre.

  My childhood and second childhood

  wouldn’t have been the same without you.

  Acknowledgements

  This book would not be possible without the encouragement and commitment of my editor, Cheryl Yeko, who makes me better with every book. Special thanks to my amazing critique partners Sarah Hegger, Xio Axelrod, Helen Johannes, and Barb Raffin. ♥

  Chapter 1

  Kayla Armstrong positioned the camera, hit record, then placed the fabric piece on the workbench in front of her. “Mutalon fabric, test twenty-seven.”

  With delicate precision, she ran the laser cutter straight through the middle, burning the fabric into two swatches, then slid them an inch apart on the workbench, keeping the cut edges aligned.

  “Come on. You can do it,” she whispered to the fabric.

  Her latest invention, Mutalon fibers, featured nano-receptors that theoretically remembered their previous, programmed state on the atomic level.

  She watched threads along both of the severed edges unravel and writhe like living things. The threads not only stretched out, they walked each of the swatches forward to meet and rejoin with the corresponding fibers from the other swatch, gluing themselves into a single swatch of fabric.

  Kayla picked the cloth up to examine it closer. Nothing. No indication it had ever been cut. She rolled her stool to the microscope and focused the instrument on the seam for closer inspection.

  Behind her, footsteps sounded.

  Probably Ben, the night watchman . . . or Joel. They were the only other people who would be in the building at this late hour.

  She hoped it wasn’t Joel, because he’d tell her to stop working and go home for the night. She’d lost all sense of time. Still, she wasn’t about to wait until tomorrow for these results.

  Hell, it could already be tomorrow.

  On the other hand, a late-night visit from the sexy FBI agent turned superhero wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. The fact that he was her boss, and departmental regulations restricted fraternization, didn’t stop Kayla’s mind from wondering into fantasyland.

  Keeping her eye on the eyepiece of the microscope, she raised her hand to wave at whoever was behind her. “Hi.”

  On closer inspection, Kayla noted the fibers still coming together, working out how they aligned. Not perfect, but damn close. Every so often, one thread stood out as still severed or only partially reconnected. Perhaps an adjustment in the weave programming. God help her if she needed to take things to the sub-atomic level.

  The footsteps shuffled closer. Maybe Joel, sneaking up to plant a kiss on the side of her neck? In her dreams maybe, but the thought sent a quiver through her core.

  Get real, girl. A highly trained FBI operative, if Joel were sneaking up on her, she’d probably never know it. And sure, they’d flirted a bit, but it hadn’t gotten to the kiss level . . . yet.

  She pulled up from the microscope eyepiece just as a black-gloved hand came around the side of her head, cupping her mouth roughly and pulling her back. Stale odor wafted around her, like the inside of Dan Finkle’s car when he gave her the occasional ride to work. Dan smoked heavily.

  “You’re not supposed to be here, bitch.” An unfamiliar, guttural voice. Definitely male. “You should have gone home when you had the chance.”

  Strong arms pulled her up from her stool and shoved her across her office.

  She stumbled into her wheeled chemical cart, smacking her head against the heavy slate countertop. Mind swirling, she spun as she crumpled, grasping onto the cart as she fought to stay conscious. She hit the floor hard, taking the cart with her.

  Chemical jars and beakers clanked together as they toppled. Glass containers rained down and shattered on the tiled floor, splattering her clothing and skin. Odors melded into a nauseating chemical stench. Her skin burned and tingled in places saturated by the fluids.

  What did she have on this cart? What was it doing to her? Kayla shook her head to clear her vision.

  The figure before her wore all-black. Jumpsuit, boots, gloves, and a ski mask. He drew a handgun from the holster at his side. Dark eyes narrowed behind the mask. “Now, I guess, you’ll never get home.”

  Crap. She’d left her Glock under her jacket, hanging on the back of the door on the other side of the room. She’d be dead before she reached it.

  Damn it. She’d never expected to be attacked in her
own lab.

  This building was supposed to be one of the most secure on the planet. How the hell had this guy gotten in and past the guard? She was on the third floor, for Christ’s sake.

  The heavy cart lay across her legs and lower torso, pinning her to the floor. When she pushed it up, a huge beaker of fluids slid out of where it’d lodged in one of the side racks and smashed on the tile beside her, sending a rain of searing fluid across her left arm.

  “Ouch. Crap.” She released the cart and it crashed back down. “Oof.”

  Her clothing soaked with a primordial ooze of toxic liquids, patches of her skin tingling and burning, she huddled as best she could beneath the cart. Scant protection from a bullet. “Please, no.”

  She wanted to be anywhere but here. Why hadn’t she gone home? Too much work. Too little life. Now, none at all.

  The soft thwip of the silenced handgun rang in her ears.

  Kayla closed her eyes, waiting for the impact. Sinking. She sank into a void. This was it. Wrong place at the wrong time and shit just happens.

  Then she fell.

  “Ooph!”

  She’d landed on something . . . someone.

  She opened her eyes, but the inky blackness around her was complete. She touched heavy fabric and something else. Her hands slid over warm dense planes and rippling muscle.

  “What the hell?” The body under her rolled, and skittered to the side. She sank into a soft cushion. Lights came up in the room.

  Blinking through the sudden brightness, she pulled in a deep breath and assessed her condition as the room came into focus. Her skin no longer burned. No cuts or abrasions on her arms or legs from the broken glass.

  She was on a bed, completely naked.

  How?

  Joel Weisberg stared wide-eyed from the other side of the mattress. He wasn’t wearing anything either.

  ~ ~ ~

  Pinch yourself. This has got to be a dream.

  Joel often dreamed of Kayla Armstrong naked in his bed. But this was no dream, and he’d have counted his blessings if her eyes hadn’t been filled with horror. “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know. I was in my lab.” Her eyes wide, she never even bothered to cover her rose-tipped breasts. “Someone came in. They tried to kill me. I don’t know how I got . . . here.”

  “Okay.” Joel forced his gaze and his growing erection away from her naked form, picked up his jeans from the floor, and shoved his legs in one at a time. “Stay here, and lock the door behind me.”

  All the labs were on the next floor up, on top of the apartment level of the complex. He’d chosen his apartment specifically for its access to the stairwell. He could get up there in no time.

  “Not on your life.” Anger filtered into her tone and replaced the fear in her eyes. “He’s in my lab.”

  Kayla’s life was in that lab. Anyone messing with it, messed with her. Joel learned that early on.

  He picked up his shirt and threw it toward her. “Then you’d better put that on.”

  Turning his back to give her some privacy, he brought his internal computer online and pulled his Glock from the nightstand. Joel didn’t need the handgun anymore, not since his rebirth as a phase-two zombiebot, but figured she’d feel safer with the weapon in her hand.

  He’d seen Kayla in the downstairs firing range almost every day since the attack on the Xi Force Headquarters that cost the lives of so many of their friends. She had a cool head, a good eye, and a steady hand. A far cry from the naïve college graduate he’d hired only a few months ago.

  She hadn’t been tested in the field, but Joel had no doubt she’d keep her head in a firefight. He hoped she’d never need to. Kayla was a scientist not a field agent.

  He turned to offer her the gun.

  She crawled across the mattress toward him, bristling. “Let’s go.”

  His buttoned-up shirt hung to mid-thigh on her long, tanned legs. Disheveled and red cheeked, Kayla Armstrong was still a vision. How the hell she’d gotten through the locked door into his room . . . hell, into his bed . . . was a matter they’d discuss later.

  Had she even noticed he’d been completely naked as well?

  He handed her the pistol. “Only use this if you have to. Let me handle things. Remember, I’m bulletproof. You’re not.”

  He checked the latch on the front door of his apartment, to make sure it had been locked. It had. Then he pulled open the door and scanned the hall outside. Seeing nothing, he stepped out and motioned her to follow.

  Kayla held the Glock easily, barrel pointed up. “That asshole better hope you find him before I do.”

  Joel hoped the same thing. He’d rather have a live suspect to question. “Stay behind me.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Kayla knelt by the body slumped at the end of the hallway, her fingers searching his neck for a pulse. The coppery scent of fresh blood lingered in the air.

  She looked up at Joel and shook her head. Ben Jackson’s corpse was already cooling.

  The night watchman had been a friendly sort, always ready with a joke or amusing story for anyone working late at the headquarters. Just last week, he’d brought Kayla an iced tea when she’d worked past midnight.

  “They tell me you’re the reason they stock this stuff downstairs. Figured you could use some.” It was the last thing she remembered him saying. She’d been too busy to talk that night.

  Hell, too busy pretty much described her life the past year.

  Ben lay on his stomach, blood leaking from the bullet hole in his back. He hadn’t even seen it coming.

  A clear night sky with its host of twinkling stars filled the windows that lined the hallway on one side. The crescent moon illuminated that hillside to the north-east of the building. She’d often take a moment on her way out of the building to admire the sight and calm her spirit. But now the stark beauty did nothing to quell the knot that twisted in Kayla’s stomach.

  Joel crept toward the open doorway down the hall on the other side. The doorway to her lab.

  Shuffling. Movement beyond. Good. The asshole was still in there.

  Joel stepped into the doorway. “Freeze.”

  Thwip. Thwip. Thwip.

  Bullets tore into the skin of Joel’s chest, then bounced off his subdermal titanium weave enhancement.

  “Z-Bot? What the fuck?” That guttural voice again. “You weren’t supposed to be here either.”

  The intruder mistook Joel for Chris.

  Not surprising considering that, with the exception of the staff here and certain government agencies, the world was unaware of a second phase-two zombiebot in existence. Joel possessed all Z-Bot’s super powers but had been kept secret.

  So it was a logical mistake on the intruder’s part to think that Joel was Z-Bot.

  And hopefully a fatal mistake.

  Well, not fatal in the dead-dead way. Kayla wanted to know what the asshole was doing in her lab, though she wouldn’t mind putting a bullet in his leg or delivering a good, swift kick to the guy’s balls.

  Joel bolted toward the intruder as Kayla, Glock at the ready, slid around the door frame into the room.

  The black-garbed man held a stack of file folders and her laptop computer tucked under one arm, as he continued firing at Joel.

  Oh no you don’t, fucker.

  She brought the Glock to bear. “Drop my stuff, bastard.”

  “Kayla, let me handle this.” Joel dove toward the intruder.

  The man holstered his weapon, clutching the computer and files with both hands. “I think not.”

  Kayla sighted in the man’s right thigh.

  Dumph.

  The dull thud echoed in the room as the stranger simply disappeared. One moment there, the next . . . gone. Behind where
he’d been standing, lay the toppled chemical cart and the chemical ooze she’d been sitting in.

  It had happened just as she remembered. But how had she ended up in Joel’s bed?

  Joel passed right through the space the man had been standing in, a second before skidding to a stop right in front of the spilled chemicals.

  In the eerie silence that followed, a double dumph-dumph resounded from behind her. She spun, peering back around the door frame, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The hallway was empty except for Ben’s body on the floor.

  “What the hell?” Joel bolted through the doorway into the hall, looking both ways.

  Kayla lowered the Glock. The man had stolen some of her files and her laptop. “Crap.”

  Chapter 2

  Joel set his internal computer to scan the video feeds of the security cameras throughout the complex. “Sonofabitch. How did this happen?”

  Security in this building was as tight as possible. Patrolling guards, cameras, intelligent door locks. Yet, someone had broken in. And it appeared to be someone with enhanced abilities.

  That dumph sound. Invisibility? Teleportation? Super speed? Was any of that even possible?

  Hell. Look at me. A cyborg with an embedded computer system, titanium weave subdermal armoring, and enhanced speed and strength. He’d come back from being dead. Anything was possible. Science was completely out of control.

  He sent the activation signal to the complex’s switchboard. Code red. He needed his team and he needed some answers.

  Now.

  Kayla still held his Glock at the ready as she edged back into her lab. “He was here, right? You saw him?”

  “Oh, yeah.” As head of Xi Force security, this breach fell on him. And it should never have happened.