Monday Morning Sneak Peek: THE DOMINO PROJECT by KT Hanna

Did a weekend of reading leave you wanting more? 
Sneaking peeks of your newest novel from under
your desk at work? 

For the eternal reader...here is your 
Monday Morning Sneak Peek!

Enjoy.

First of all, congrats to KT Hanna! PARASITE (The Domino Project #3) is available TODAY! Happy book birthday :) Go add it on GOODREADS!



CHAMELEON (The Domino Project #1) by K.T. Hanna


After Sai's newly awoken psionic power accidentally destroys her apartment complex, she’s thrown into an intensive training program. The only grades are pass or die. 

Surviving means proving her continued existence isn't a mistake--a task her new mentor, Bastian, takes personally. Her abilities place her in the GNW Enforcer division, which partners her with Domino 12, who is eerily human for an alien-parasite and psionic hybrid. When her assassination duties are revealed, Sai understands the real reason for her training.

On a mission to dispatch a dangerous Exiled scientist, she uncovers truths she never thought possible. Sai is unsure who to trust as her next mission might be her last, and a double agent seems to be manipulating both sides.

www.kthanna.com GOODREADS | AMAZON


CHAPTER ONE
Droves of addicts litter the dirty pavement the closer Bastian gets to Block 63. While Markus navigates the Gerts125 through the human refuse, Bastian scans the streets. He tries to avoid the vacant gazes of the Shined, lost staring at the holes in their veins and the stars in the sky, drool running down their chins to pool on the fetid ground. Shine abuse is blatant in the city's outskirts.The next shockwave hits sooner than it should. Psionic abilities don't normally awaken violently, but Bastian can sense she's a Rare. At this proximity he no longer needs his wristband's help to pinpoint her, but glances at the beeping indicator to avoid arousing suspicion, before silencing it with a brief jolt of power.Another shockwave warps the air under their vehicle. Bastian doesn't wait for the transport to stabilize, but steps out as it slows and shades his eyes as Block 63 implodes.Flames envelop the upper floors of the four apartment towers. Pieces of concrete cascade down the outer walls. Amidst the chaos, he can sense her panic, bewilderment, and--above all--her utter exhaustion. The fact that he's still standing there, that the area around him isn't in flames, means she pulled some of the force back into herself somehow.Panicked screams and distant sirens make it hard to focus. The thin layer of Shine permeating the mess doesn't help either, and Bastian refuses to think about the potential death toll. The surrounding blocks should be safe as long as the emergency forces can contain the blaze. Smoke and ash obscure Bastian's vision, and he has to close his eyes to focus. He listens for a moment, picking up her--Sai's--incoherent inner diatribe, which leads him to the botanica. The vegetation once protected within has already started to wilt, and the glass walls of the small atrium lie shattered in a perfect circle around the girl. She sits in the center, blinking tears away as silver power tendrils wind their way through black irises, leaving her eyes unfocused. Blood from a cut on her forehead mingles with dark hair, lending it a dull red gleam in the flickering light. Her flannel nightshirt is tattered. She clutches it as she rocks back and forth. Pieces of glass embedded in her back glitter through the shirt, but he'll deal with that later. Her state of mind is the more pressing matter."Sai?" Bastian puts a little suggestion behind it--that she can trust him, that he will help her. He has to be careful, though. Her mind is raw from the awakening blast. She continues to rock back and forth, so he repeats himself a little louder. "Sai?"She looks up at him and blinks, only tears left streaming down her face. Her mouth opens, but no words come out.Bastian reaches out a hand and waits for her to take it. For a few moments, her eyes dart wildly. He can sense the turmoil--her instincts telling her to run, her mind urging her to go with him. She slides her hand into his, and he tugs her up.Markus waits at the end of the street, a scowl on his face as he leans against his door. "We didn't make it in time after all." He gestures toward the buildings, and his voice carries over the sound of the emergency vehicles as they hiss to a halt next to him. "Obviously," Bastian says as he motions for Sai to get in the back of the car. A second before the door closes, panic crosses her face, but she sticks out her chin and hugs her chest instead. Her erratic thoughts threaten to break the fragile facade she's holding onto. "At least we saved her," Bastian says softly as he slides into his seat. "Let's get her to the facility."Markus grunts as he turns the transport back on. "I still don't believe that young thing caused so much damage."Bastian shrugs and glances at the girl in the rearview mirror. Her face is mostly hidden by shadows, and her eyes are as wary as her thoughts. "She did most of it, though some of the sparks ignited the building's filtration system. We're lucky the emergency dampeners still work in this sector or the chain reaction would have spread through the city.""How can you be so calm? Won't they have your hide for this?" Markus steps on the gas and takes them away from the dregs of the city.Bastian stops observing Sai long enough to chuckle. "No. I'm psionic, not a fortune teller. I'm only as good as the signals I receive, and frankly the onset of puberty is unpredictable. Besides..." He pauses to watch her twirl her blood-stained hair around her fingers. She counts to ten slowly in her head, loud enough for him to hear, and reminds herself to breathe. Over and over.Markus prompts him. "Besides?" "This doesn't happen often. Do you remember a last time?"Markus shakes his head. "Is she special?""Pardon?" It's not like Markus to pry into Bastian's business."Can she do something special?""Besides blow up an entire block?" Bastian laughs. "Not...not really."The "not yet" echoes silently in his head. Just a few more years and he won't have to fight alone anymore.
### blinks at the sudden light and pushes the dream to the back of her mind. Today is not a day for distracting nightmares. Remembering her parents' apathy won't get her through the exam.The dim morning light filters down through the slit in the wall that serves as her window. It's too small for her to even squeeze through, assuming she could reach it in the first place. Not that there's anywhere to escape to outside, anyway.Dressed in training gear, she heads to the cafeteria. The tension in the air is thick and choking even before she reaches the line. She accepts the mash doled out to her and forces it down, trying not to think too hard about what makes it grey. No one in the room makes eye contact, not even the friends who left training laughing with each other the day before. Everyone knows what the final exam means. There is no positive spin to put on it. Her last bite of food threatens to stick in her throat, but she washes it down with water and heads to the examination rooms. Trainers suffuse the hall and foyer outside, finding the students they're in charge of and metering out supplies. Ms. Genna catches Sai's attention and motions her over. "Student Fifty-Two, enrolled 2350 via GNW United Conglomerate 17?" Sai nods and clenches her fists at her side, hating her full designation. "That's the spirit." The sarcasm in Ms. Genna's voice makes Sai cringe inwardly. "Your cubicle will be ready after the first round of examinees enter their rooms. Stay in the waiting area until I call you."The allocated room is small with a bench encircling a training mat. Everyone sits, eyes riveted to the GNW logo in the middle. If they're anything like Sai, they're imagining the worst possible encounter and figuring out a way through it. From pieces of thought strong enough to break through the shielding of others in the room, she can tell they know it, too. No one in this room wants to fail, but the chances of success aren't good. If you owe GNW a debt of gratitude, it's their privilege to keep only the strongest. One by one, the room empties. By the time her number is called, she feels an odd sense of finality. Her cubicle is small and dimly lit by a buzzing light. There's just enough room for her to change into the sleek black clothes piled neatly on the bench. She traces her fingers over the subtly strong material and the GNW logo embossed over the shoulders.As she dresses, a sinking feeling forms in the pit of her stomach. This Sparring gear denotes physical fighting. Though quick and light on her feet, even one direct hit to her head wipes her out.There is no time for doubt. She's been at their mercy since she was twelve.Sai squares her shoulders and pushes the door open. She frowns at the tall and lanky man standing there. His dark hair partially obscures some of his face, but the piercing pale eyes catch the light and make her pause. Something about him is eerily familiar.He motions her over. "Are you ready, Sai?"She starts as he says her name but masks her shock quickly with a nod. No one in the facility uses her name. It's forbidden. Students are numbers. The familiarity of his voice nags at her, and she has to concentrate on his words."You will face single, double, and triple waves of attackers. They will be human, psionic and domino. You know what a domino is, yes?""Yes, sir."He nods and continues. "Human combat requires physical prowess. The psionic waves require that you only use your mind. Against the dominos, you need to combine your combat knowledge of both. After all three waves, you'll face a combination of two or all for the final fight of your test." He waits for a moment, his eyes never leaving hers, and she can't help but wonder why someone so young is in a position to be giving her instructions."You will be observed through the whole process. Do not use the incorrect type of force against your opponents, or you will fail." He pauses. "And make sure to stay on your toes. A direct hit from anyone will end you."Sai blinks at his retreating back. How did he know? She shakes her head to clear the nagging doubt. Three at a time will be the problem, not to mention combining her psionic and physical training. There were few classes on the theory behind it, and fewer still on practical usage. The GNW doesn't want survivors.She pushes the thought away as soon as it flashes across her mind. Given the price of her awakening, it's no wonder she's considered a danger. She clenches her fists, determined to make up for her past, to prove her parents wrong. The door at the other side of the hall opens, distracting her from her thoughts. She stands straight and walks into the examination room. The door slams immediately behind her, and for a second, her body breaks out in a light sweat.It's dimly lit, but she can make out some weapons scattered around. Sai feels her stomach twist at the realization that the weapons aren't only for her to use, but for her opponents as well. The mundane selection gives her hope. Knives, maces, hammers, and swords, but no distance weapons. Not her preference, but at least she doesn't have to resort to only her fists.As a gate cranks open on the far side of the room, Sai shakes her head to clear her mind. She readies herself for attack, hands guarding her face, knees slightly bent, ready to dodge. "I will not fail." The words help soothe her nerves.Her robust opponent crouches low as he circles her. Darting in, she lands two quick punches to his solar plexus and jaw. While small in stature, she's light on her feet and fires off strong, focused blows. He's clumsier than expected and goes down easily. She frowns as he's cleared from the room and her next opponent enters. The force of his mind is immediately obvious. Her shields slam up, and she hopes all her practice is enough. She's better than her peers, but against someone this strong, any of them would be dust. His first onslaught takes her by surprise and rattles her head, but she deflects his push back at him and the momentum catches him by surprise. He falls awkwardly onto one of the hammers scattered around the room. The crunch is sickening, and his body goes limp.Her confusion at his ineptitude is stolen by the iridescent domino as it enters the room. It's bigger than she expected, having only seen them from a distance before. The frequency of colors passing through its system makes her blink as she tries to follow the movements. Her eyes adapt slowly, picking the domino out from its camouflage just in time to dodge the first punch.Her own speed is barely enough to avoid the flurry of kicks and punches. Sai ducks in once with a lucky punch, barely avoiding the hybrid's left hook. Two more quick punches and she rolls to the corner, crouching in wait for the next onslaught, nursing her hand as a reminder to reinforce her punches with psionics in the next attack. But it seems she only needs to score a hit on it three times before it backs off and the round is declared won. Her mind swims as the examiners announce she's passed the first round. The opponents were far too easy. Cold sweat drips down her spine. Something is wrong.The second round of two opponents in each category stuns her, too. Almost as easy as the first victories, she finds herself starting to panic as the unconscious bodies are floated from the room.When the third round is announced and her opponents revealed, Sai's stomach spasms. These men look brutal, covered in scars. Their forearms are the size of her waist, and they're already armed. This. This is the real test.There's no understanding in their eyes, just the same gleam she remembers from her parents and the beggars that surrounded her childhood home. The sheer focus of a Shine addict craving their next fix.Resolve set, she clenches her teeth and attacks first, taking the man on the left by complete surprise. Her kick lands squarely on his jaw, and he crashes to the floor. She grabs his mace, jabbing the butt into his skull before he can make another move. His head lolls to the side. One down. The other two back off, suddenly not quite so confident.Wary now, they're tougher to fight. She avoids most of their attacks except one narrow miss that grazes her ribs. Heat sears her skin and blood trickles down her side. She sections off the pain and aims for their knees, caps the middle man with the mace in the left knee, and follows through with a sound kick to his other one, barely dodging the right guy in time. Mr. Right murmurs under his breath, his eyes staring at something she cannot see. She leverages two quick punches directly to his face before jumping back out of his reach and into a crouch to sweep his legs. A second later, Mr. Right lies on the floor clutching his knees and gasping something about coconuts and palm trees. Sai backs away, disgusted, and tries to catch her breath.She barely has time to take stock of her injuries before the wall opens to float the three humans out and deposit the psionics. Far more difficult than the previous battle, this one is at least less physical. Suggestion has never been her strong suit, but hours of boredom spent in her room rebuilding her shields gives her an edge. The ability to keep the attacks from directly affecting her mind makes it easier to concentrate on her offense. She resists the urge to use precious psionic energy to reinforce her physical skills in this stage. Punching them will disqualify her. The stipulation for her to use only psionics on her psionic opponents apparently doesn't extend to their own restrictions.She forces one of them against the wall in a weak mimicry of Sixteen's fate. The second stumbles as he's about to attack, and she barely deflects it back on him in time. He slumps to the ground. Sai doesn't have time to check if he's breathing, but convinces herself he is.As she pushes the last one back against the opposite wall, her legs buckle for a moment. Sai holds him still long enough to rest a hand on his forehead and send him to sleep. She stands panting over the three subdued psionics, reinforcing the walls blocking her pain. Her head starts to pound with the effort as they're removed and replaced with three dominos. The adrium-psionic hybrids are far stronger than any human. Their energy supply never ends, and the way the light refracts off their alien skin makes seeing them difficult, even when they're not attempting to camouflage with their surroundings."I will succeed." She takes a brief moment to center herself and extends the shielding she uses for her mind underneath her skin. Her punches hit harder, even though she needs to draw on energy reserves to keep her speed up. Where it was difficult with one domino, it's near impossible with three.It takes almost all of the energy she has left to keep two of them out of reach while she tries to score three hits on the third. Something brushes her shoulder briefly, and her left arm tingles. She pushes the irritation aside and focuses on hitting the dominos. They won't let her tag them. Reinforcing her own attacks with psionic strength drains her. With one last desperate heave of power, she flings the first domino into the other two. The weight is heavier against her mind than she expected and the throw goes wild, catching the two remaining dominos at chin height and smashing their heads into the stone wall behind them, temporarily disorienting them. It appears to count.Sai would laugh but doesn't have any spare energy. She needs to dredge up more stamina for her final round.She closes her eyes for a moment to regenerate what she can.The sound of the gate mechanism jolts her out of the mild trance. Three psionics and three dominos emerge. No humans. Six at once. And none of them an easy out. Her mind is tapped, and she feels an odd sense of peace start to wash over her.When the dark-haired psionic instigates his attack, she feels it in her gut at the same time she hears the strange hum she now associates with dominos. She closes her eyes to get her bearings and make her decision. Her last hope to survive this hell they pitted her against. "I will not be broken."She reaches for the glimmer of power inside her and lets instinct take control.