The Prometheus Project: Stranded Part 11

Ryan entered the manmade cavern that ab.u.t.ted Prometheus and rushed to the elevator. Everyone in the cavern was anch.o.r.ed to the ground as well. When he reached topside it was the same story. The guards protecting the elevator were down. Everyone appeared to be alive, but all of them had their eyes closed tightly. Whenever Ryan stayed up really late-or when he was even a little tired and Mr. McPherson was boring him to death in chemistry cla.s.s-his eyelids seemed as heavy as lead and it was a struggle to keep them open. He could only imagine what it must be like to have eyelids that actually were as heavy as lead.

Ryan exited the concrete bunker that housed the Prometheus elevator and entered the lobby of the decoy building that surrounded it. A clock on the wall read 6:14 and the sky was beginning to darken. He carefully peered outside.

Anyone within Proact who had been outside on the grounds when Nathaniel had used the Enigma Cube, probably a dozen in total, were spread-eagle on their stomachs. Whatever they had been doing when the wave hit, they had used all of their strength to change their body position so they were as flat on the ground as possible, lessening the strain on themselves. Hundreds of creeping and flying insects that had been caught in the wave were also glued to the ground, along with eight or nine birds that had had the misfortune of being in the gravity weapon's path.

It was a scene straight out of some psychotic nightmare, yet it was very, very real.

Ryan had little doubt that he would find the same scene, without the insects, within every Proact building, but he didn't have time to investigate further. Before he considered doing anything else-including going after Nathaniel-he had to leave this eerie war zone and find a way to bring back help for the rest of his family and the stranded Isis expedition.

As Ryan crept around the chemistry building the parking lot just inside the main gate came into view.

He stopped in his tracks!

Four very fit and very dangerous looking men were huddled there.

Mercenaries! While they weren't in uniform, each soldier held an a.s.sault rifle as though this were the most natural thing in the world. After Tezoc's attempted invasion the year before, Ryan knew a professional soldier-for-hire when he saw one. Nathaniel had promised mercenaries in his letter and he had clearly delivered.

Dropping to the ground, Ryan crawled behind a grove of trees that adorned the grounds nearby so he wouldn't be spotted.

The parking lot was nearly empty of cars, which meant that Nathaniel had trained the Enigma Cube on the Proact facility only recently. He had waited until after closing when the majority of employees had gone home for dinner and the weekend. A smart move, thought Ryan.

Under the mercenaries' watchful eyes, six large SUVs were idling next to each other, facing outward in a circle. A few of them began to turn slightly. One now faced Ryan head on!

Had he been seen?

Ryan's breath caught in his throat and he tried to stay as still as a statue behind the trees. If he had been seen, he was all out of options.

Ryan was bracing himself for being discovered when the four mercenaries suddenly jogged through the wide open gate and spread out around the large gravel area just outside the Proact grounds. They quickly surveiled the surrounding woods and then gave the all clear signal to the vehicles.

The six SUVs immediately began to exit the grounds. The one facing Ryan turned away and Ryan finally allowed himself to breathe. He crept closer to the gate, hoping to memorize a license plate belonging to at least one of the six off-road vehicles.

But he was too late.

All six of the SUVs immediately drove into the woods. Each went in a different direction, carefully maneuvering their way between trees and finding paths that would allow them to proceed.

The four remaining mercs regrouped at the most distant end of the gravel area ab.u.t.ting the Proact grounds, so Ryan continued moving until he was through the gate. He stayed well concealed and was confident none of them would be able to spot him.

Unfortunately, he didn't count on the two mercenaries who were approaching him from behind.

CHAPTER 20.

Pursuit

Ryan got lucky. Just as they rounded a corner, one of the two approaching mercenaries coughed.

Ryan whirled around and spotted them an instant before they spotted him. Adrenaline surged through him as he raced through the gravel, past the tree line, and into the woods. One of the mercenaries sprinted after him, but Ryan had a considerable head start. He was also one of the fastest kids at his school.

Unfortunately, the merc chasing him was even faster.

Ryan darted around trees and over fallen logs. He was racing against the mercenary but also against time. While there was enough light for him to see well now, this would not be true for long.

He saw two figures ahead in the distance. As he ran they began to take shape. One was tall, with long blond hair and wearing a yellow sweater, and the other was shorter, with darker hair and a hooded sweats.h.i.+rt. The short one was holding a plastic thermos bottle and a pietin. The taller one had binoculars around her neck and was holding a small camcorder in front of her face. She lowered the camera.

It was Alyssa Cooper! And her younger sister. What could they possibly be doing here?

Whatever it was, Ryan realized he was leading the mercenary solider behind him straight toward the two girls. The man was gaining fast! Ryan knew he would be caught soon, but somehow he had to find a way to warn Alyssa and her sister to stay quiet and hidden.

Ryan made a sharp turn to the right, sprinted for another fifteen seconds, and then stopped abruptly. Far enough from the two girls that the merc couldn't see them, but close enough for them to hear what was going on.

"Okay, I surrender," he yelled loudly in the direction of the oncoming soldier, gasping for breath. "Don't shoot!" he bellowed. "Please don't kill me!"

That should do it, he thought. If that didn't put Alyssa on alert, nothing would.

Ryan put his head down and focused on slowing his breathing and heart rate after his long sprint. The merc caught up to him seconds later, his weapon drawn. The man was short and squat, with a neck as thick as a tree, but he ran like a track star.

"Where did you come from?" barked the soldier-for-hire, barely breathing hard. "And how is it you weren't affected by the gravity weapon?"

Ryan scratched his head. "Gravity weapon," he said in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

The merc smiled broadly. "You're not going to make it as an actor, kid. Look, if you cooperate you won't get hurt. But the boss will want to know your story." He paused. "My name is Tony. Tony DeMarco. What's yours?"

"I'm Cole," said Ryan, using the name of the first cla.s.smate that popped into his head. "Cole Johnson."

Ryan surveyed the landscape behind the merc, but made sure to do so very, very carefully so the man wouldn't follow his eyes. There! He found what he was looking to find. Alyssa and Kelsey crouching behind a wide birch tree. One whose numerous low-hanging branches were densely covered with leaves that had just turned yellow. The two girls were well back and to his left. As he had hoped, they had heard him and had-cautiously-come to investigate. When the merc marched him back to Proact they would be safe, as long as they left the woods immediately and took care to stay out of sight.

In a flash, Ryan realized that their presence nearby gave him the chance to escape. But if he involved them any further he would be putting them in danger. Even as he thought this he decided he didn't have a choice. He had a duty to warn security about Nathaniel and to get help for the stranded Isis expedition, something that was impossible to accomplish while a prisoner-or dead.

Ryan set his jaw in determination. His only hope was to get this Tony DeMarco to leave him in the woods alone. But how? Nothing was coming to mind.

"Okay, Cole," said the squat soldier. "Come with me. Cooperate and everything will be all right."

Ryan began to panic. He still hadn't thought of anything. Was there a way to stall for time? The answer came to him immediately.

Ryan took a step and collapsed to the ground with a startled groan.

The merc looked at him in confusion. "Get up!" he ordered.

Ryan shook his head. "I must have twisted my ankle when I stopped to surrender. Putting my full weight on it made it worse. I can't walk."

"I'm not buying it. Get up," said Tony DeMarco once again, waving the automatic weapon menacingly.

"Look, you can carry me. I can hop on one foot while you hold me up. Or you can shoot me," added Ryan defiantly. "But what I can't do is move quickly."

While Ryan was stalling a plan finally formed in his mind. He looked over the soldier's shoulder and pretended to be scanning the area, frantically searching for something. He had to make it obvious, but not too obvious.

The merc caught his eyes. "What are you looking for?" he barked.

Ryan gulped guiltily. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The merc pressed the nose of his rifle into Ryan's jean-covered thigh. "I really don't want to hurt a kid. But no more lies. You have five seconds. If I find out you lied about any detail, you will very much regret it. Five ... four ... three ... two ..."

"Alright!" shouted Ryan frantically. "Don't shoot. I'll tell you what you want to know." He shook his head in disgust as though he were betraying a trust. "My dad is a Proact guard. I was with him and five other guards when the gravity wave hit. But somehow it wore off on all of us. My dad told me to stay put while they went to the store room for better weapons." He shook his head dejectedly. "I should have listened."

Tony DeMarco searched the direction in which Ryan had been looking but saw nothing. He doubted the kid's story was true, but it paid to be cautious. The boss had said the gravity effect wouldn't wear off for three hours. On the other hand, this had obviously not been true for the kid. So maybe he was telling the truth after all. Was it possible that, even now, one or more of these revived guards were stalking him?

"Hop over here," whispered the merc, who was standing beside a slender hickory tree. "Quickly. Say a single word and I'll shoot you."

Ryan did as instructed.

"Sit down and hug the tree," whispered Tony, continuing to look nervously in the direction of Proact.

Ryan sat with his legs on either side of the trunk and encircled it with his arms.

"Cross your wrists."

Ryan did as he was told. The merc pulled a long, hard-plastic strip from the vest he was wearing and zipped it closed around Ryan's wrists, effectively handcuffing him to the tree.

"Don't go anywhere," whispered the short, muscular soldier, reaching into another deep pocket of his vest, which contained spare clips for his weapon, a combat knife, and a small roll of silver duct tape. He pulled out the roll and taped Ryan's mouth shut. Then, without another word, he headed off in the direction of Proact.

As soon as the man was out of sight, Alyssa and her sister made their way over to Ryan. The binoculars were hanging around Alyssa's neck and she was still holding the small camcorder. Kelsey dropped the pie-tin and white thermos bottle she had been holding to the ground while Alyssa crouched down and ripped the tape from her bound cla.s.smate's mouth.

"Ryan," said Alyssa anxiously, "what's going on? Who was that guy?"

"Shhhhh," he cautioned, his voice barely audible. "Whisper." He blew out a relieved breath. "Boy am I glad to see you," he said excitedly, but his mood darkened almost immediately. "Sorry to get you involved," he added with a frown. While it was true that the stakes couldn't be higher, if anything happened to Alyssa or her sister he would never forgive himself.

Ryan's face was pressed against the side of the tree trunk but both sisters had placed themselves within his line of sight. "Don't let your guard down," he cautioned. "We're up against soldiers who couldn't be more dangerous. There's a pocketknife in my right front pocket. Reach in and pull it out. Hurry."

Alyssa did, but when she removed her hand she held two items. Her eyes widened as she recognized the second one. It was a lighter. "You smoke?" she said in surprise.

"No," whispered Ryan, shaking his head. "But you never know when you'll need a torch," he added with a wry smile.

"What?" mouthed Alyssa as she started sawing through the tough plastic handcuffs with Ryan's relatively dull pocketknife.

"Long story," replied Ryan.

"Do you know my sister Kelsey?" whispered Alyssa.

Ryan nodded. Both sisters were light on their feet and athletic, but they shared few similarities after that. Kelsey had dark hair, cut shorter than Alyssa's, and her features weren't quite as soft. "You're in Regan's cla.s.s, right?"

"Right," mouthed Kelsey as Alyssa continued sawing.

"Put down the knife!" boomed a male voice coming from deeper inside the woods. A towering mercenary, well over six feet in height, followed the voice. And so did his automatic rifle.

Alyssa dropped the knife to the ground.

"Now turn around!" he ordered the sisters. "Carefully. Make one wrong move and I'll put a bullet in both of your heads," he added with a scowl.

CHAPTER 21.

Sweating it Out

Neither girl could breathe. What was going on! Where did these soldiers keep coming from! The woods were crawling with them.

"Tony radioed me and told me to move in on this position," said the towering soldier. "Seems he didn't completely trust our boy Cole here. Tony has good instincts that way."

The mercenary slung his automatic rifle over his shoulder and pulled a machine pistol from his vest, set for single shot. "Give me the camcorder!" he barked at Alyssa.

Alyssa was so petrified with fear she could barely move. Finally she extended her arm, which was shaking, and the mercenary s.n.a.t.c.hed the camera from her hand and slid it into his vest.

He pointed his weapon at Kelsey. "Let me see your hands," he ordered.

Kelsey removed her hands from the large front pockets of her sweats.h.i.+rt. As she did so a bulky object fell out of her pocket and to the ground.

"What is that?" said the tall mercenary as he studied the object now on the ground at Kelsey's feet. "Is that a perfume bottle?" he said in disbelief as Kelsey picked it up. He roared with laughter. "I've faced men carrying knives, guns and even rocket launchers. But I've never faced a dreaded perfume bottle before. Is that an automatic or single shot?" he said, and then laughed again at his own joke.

Alyssa may have been paralyzed with fear but there was nothing wrong with her mind. "Don't wait for Phase Two," she croaked to her sister, barely able to get the words out given her petrified tongue and shortness of breath. "We want the missing person to freak out."

"What missing person?" said the merc, his thick eyebrows coming together in confusion.

Ryan had the same puzzled look on his face.