Read Online The Last Revolution by R.T. Carpenter - Free Book Online Page A

handcuffs in his outstretched hands. In the span of a heartbeat Alden shot his left hand back and grabbed the guard, using his weight as leverage and swinging to the right. The guard was shoved into the middle providing a shield between him and the soldiers.
    Alden rotated around as he drew up to his full height, kicking the hostage guard so hard that he went sailing through the air and into one of the other guards. In the same swift motion Alden used the momentum to land a debilitating blow into the third guard’s chest, cracking several ribs and sending him to the ground in a heap. The final guard was leveling his weapon, but it was like he was moving in slow motion compared to the advanced reflexes Alden had been given through the Transcendence program.
    Alden grabbed the barrel of the gun and pushed it out of the way. In the same motion, he came in with his other hand and nailed the guard in the throat. He kicked him in the back of the knees, dropped a shoulder and flung him several feet away onto the soaking wet concrete. To his left, Alden saw the first guard reaching for his side arm and with a swift kick he too was left unconscious. The entire fight was over in seconds.
    Rain poured down around Alden as he stared at the guards lying motionless around him, Father McKinley resting in a pool of his own blood. The knife sat glinting in the light. The gunfire had died off and every alarm on the Island was blaring. His problems had only magnified; he would never be able to explain this situation in time. It was now or never.
    Alden stared at the school, would he ever see it again? Only time would tell, but he would not let that reactor fall into the wrong hands, nor would he let Father McKinley’s murder go unpunished. Turning back to the woods he sprinted as fast as he could towards the airfield.
    Alden pushed through the last set of branches and emerged at the far end of the landing strip. His clothes were tattered and soaking wet. The sheets of rain made it nearly impossible to see. There! He made out a shadow running amongst the rows of perfectly lined fighter jets. He needed to take this person alive, but there was a very real possibility he’d tear him apart with his bare hands.
    Sprinting across the open space he arrived at the first row and pressed himself against one of the fighters. Faint beams of light could be seen from the depths of the jungle. It was impossible to tell if it was the invaders or Island guards, but at the moment it didn’t matter. Alden moved further into the airfield as he searched high and low for any clues. How long had he been holding Father McKinley’s body? How long had he taken to get through the jungle? Straining his hearing, he searched for anything that would give the killer away. Rain battered the metal crafts around him, creating a deafening silence. Distant sirens and the rhythmic beat of his heart were the only other sounds that punctuated the storm. He was alone.
    Alden dropped to his knees and searched for any sign of movement. Popping up and moving around the nose of a jet, he turned and searched for something, anything. Was he being watched? On the other side of the jet he was shocked to see a cavity amongst the line of fighters nearest the runway. He grabbed a few pieces of dirt and moved the gravel around between his fingers. Barely any moisture, the killer had taken one of the jets. There was still time, time enough to catch them if he hurried. Alden weaved through the line and found his fighter; he pushed a button on his wrist deck, but nothing happened.
    The sound of dogs barking punctuated the downpour. They were getting closer. What is wrong with this thing? Glancing down he remembered the new deck; none of his passkeys or authentication information had been transferred over. He latched on to the thin metal stairs and pulled himself up to the canopy, punched in his code, and shoved the cockpit window open. He strapped in and then flew through the pre-flight checklist