The Prometheus Project: Stranded Part 5

"What about people trying to leave the city?" asked Regan. "Or anyone who goes near the exit? They'll know we're locked down."

"No they won't. We're not posting guards on the Prometheus side of the entrance. That would be too obvious. We're posting them inside the cavern. The elevator is the only way to the surface. The guards enforcing the lockdown will be posted there. So no one will know we're in lockdown until they've entered the cavern. If they pa.s.s the lie detector test, we'll keep them in the cavern and ask them to do their part to keep the investigation secret until we've found the shooter."

"It's going to be tough to keep this secret for long," noted Mr. Resnick. "No matter what you do."

"I know. But the longer the better."

"Well, under the circ.u.mstances, I think it's an excellent plan," said Mr. Resnick. "But I'd like you to question me first. Then, when I pa.s.s, I can help you with your investigation. I think you know how much the Enigma Cube scares me."

Mrs. Resnick turned to her husband. "Don't you need to set up your equipment on Isis?" she asked. "I thought you said this was the chance of a lifetime."

"I'll have to miss it. This is just too important."

"No, Ben," said Dan Walpus. "Go. I read about your proposed expedition to Isis this morning when I was deciding who to a.s.sign for off-planet security. I don't want to offend you, but right now you'll just be in the way. And canceling a trip this important would be highly unusual. We don't need that." He paused. "The group that was scheduled to go should do so. Don't worry, we'll know exactly who's there. If we need any of you, we know where to find you."

"And what if whoever did this is in our group?" said Mr. Resnick.

"It's a small group so that's not very likely. But you'll be taking the same risk that everyone else in the city is taking whenever they're around others. If we haven't found who's responsible, we'll know it's one of you and come calling."

Ben Resnick thought about it. He knew Dan was right. "Okay," he said. "You win. We'll go as planned." He directed a long, hard stare at the tall captain. "But I expect you to catch whoever did this and find the Enigma Cube," he added with grave intensity. "When you do, make sure the Cube is well guarded. Whatever you do," he insisted, "don't touch it."

Dan nodded solemnly. "Understood," he replied.

Mr. Resnick held the stare for a moment longer and then turned to his wife and kids, his expression and voice softening. "We'd better get moving," he told them. "We don't want to hold up the rest of the group."

As much as he hated leaving the city during a crisis, the trip to Isis would at least get his family half a galaxy away from an unknown shooter. His eyes swiveled to the spot Dr. Harris had fallen, still stained with blood, and he sighed heavily, as though the weight of the world were resting on his shoulders.

CHAPTER 8.

Arrival

Due to the Resnicks' unusual tardiness, the eleven members of the Isis expedition a.s.sembled twenty minutes behind schedule. Along with the four members of the Resnick family there were two other physicists, Donna Morgan and Nathaniel Smith. Amanda Resnick had long before decided to bring the same three biologists who had been with her on her last, fateful visit to the volcanic planet: Bob Zubrin, Eric Morris, and Mich.e.l.le Cooper. A return to Isis would help them put the harrowing events they had experienced behind them once and for all. Dan Walpus had a.s.signed Lieutenants Miguel Sanchez and Cam Kincaid to provide security for the group.

They loaded overstuffed backpacks, sensors for detecting X-ray levels in s.p.a.ce, a portable force-field generator, self-inflatable dwellings, and stores of water into the back of a Hauler and pulled up in front of the zoo building. As usual, the building projected an endless series of realistic holograms of alien animals near its entrance, advertising its function as a zoo.

Dan had already instructed the guard manning the zoo building, Lieutenant Lebron Williams, to blend in as much as possible so as not to arouse the suspicions of anyone pa.s.sing by. When the Isis expedition neared, Dan ordered him to stay out of sight and watch carefully through binoculars to be sure that only the eleven people authorized for the trip went inside. He didn't want to tip off anyone on the expedition that anything was out of the ordinary. After they had entered, Lebron could man his post once again.

After several trips back and forth through the portal, the team's belongings and equipment were safely stowed in two trams parked within the dome-shaped shield on Isis. These were the only two trams on the planet, but they were large enough to easily accommodate both the team members and their supplies. While the trams were standard alien equipment on each of the zoo planets, each planet seemed to have them in different sizes and different numbers. Some had only one. Some had dozens.

Mr. Resnick, the two other physicists, and Miguel took the lead tram. They would be on the lookout for a good location at which to set up the X-ray detector. Mrs. Resnick, Regan, Cam Kincaid, and the three biologists piled into the one behind.

Mrs. Resnick had put one of their two Med-Pens in her backpack, but she pulled the other one from her pocket. She inserted it into a canvas emergency kit they had brought with them, letting everyone know that she had done so. In addition to a Med-Pen, the emergency kit contained bandages of every type, gauze, several flares, and a variety of human medications.

"Hey Ryan," said his sister telepathically. "Looks like there's an empty seat next to Mich.e.l.le Cooper."

Ryan glanced at Mich.e.l.le Cooper's steely blue eyes. Now that he realized who she was, he could see the similarities between her and Alyssa. She was a million years older, of course, and not nearly as pretty. She was also decidedly less friendly.

"Um ... that's okay. I think I'll go with Dad," he broadcast back.

"Chicken! This is your chance to get on her good side. Don't blow it."

"Are you coming?" said Mrs. Resnick to her son.

"Sure," said Ryan. He wished it weren't true, but his sister had a point. He exhaled loudly and took a seat beside Alyssa's mother. Maybe he was just imagining that she didn't like him. The first few times they had met she had treated him like a celebrity. Although she hadn't been there when the alien invader named Tezoc Zoron had captured the entire team, she had heard all about it. She had told Ryan that his actions during that crisis were legendary, and deservedly so. She had really liked him then. He had no idea why this had changed.

"Hi," said Ryan, smiling pleasantly.

Mich.e.l.le gave him the slightest nod. "Hi Ryan," she said. She wasn't outwardly hostile, but something about her body language made it clear to him that she wasn't open to further discussion. It was as if he had a really nasty case of body odor but she was too polite to tell him; turning ever so slightly and moving as far from him as she could without being obvious about it, instead.

Could it be that she had always disliked him? Maybe she had only been pretending to like him in the beginning because she worked for his mom? Regan thought she just didn't approve of having kids on the team, and Regan was usually right. Maybe Mich.e.l.le Cooper had just forgotten some of the contributions he and his sister had made.

He glanced at the red crystal medallion in the front of the vehicle that hung down from the roof like a circular rear-view mirror. These crystals allowed the trams to pa.s.s through the force-fields. Without one of the red crystals, the shield could only be breached using a furious onslaught of energy from high-powered lasers and other advanced power generators. Their father had been convinced that the shield opened when it detected a tram trying to pa.s.s. But Regan had proved him wrong. She had discovered that the crystals were the key, not the trams. These crystals were like universal garage-door openers, able to get through any force-field barrier.

It was possible that Mich.e.l.le Cooper hadn't heard about this contribution. If not, maybe she could use another reminder that kids could play an important role on the team. And since it was Regan who had been responsible for the discovery, he wouldn't be bragging.

Everyone else in the tram was now engaged in conversation except for Alyssa's mother-and Regan, of course, who wanted to eavesdrop on his efforts to win the woman over.

Ryan took a deep breath and turned to the icy woman next to him. "You know," he began, "Regan actually discovered how these trams get through the force-fields. This was when Tezoc was threatening to-"

"Thanks, Ryan," she interrupted, "but I know all about your sister's discovery." While her tone was pleasant enough, Ryan saw nothing but contempt in her eyes. She flashed a quick smile that Ryan was convinced was fake. "Sorry to cut you off, but I'm not really up for discussion at the moment. I'm trying to focus on Isis right now," she added pointedly. "I'm a biologist who studies alien life. And here we are on an alien planet. You get that, right?" she finished, as if speaking to a five-year-old.

"Yeah. I get that," said Ryan. "Totally."

"Real smooth, Ryan," broadcast Regan as their parents each activated a holographic control and the caravan of two trams began moving forward. "What are you thinking? How about starting a conversation by asking her how she's doing or something?"

"I know. I always act like an idiot around her. Even when I had no idea Alyssa was her daughter. Knowing she doesn't like me stresses me out."

"Maybe it's time to find some other girl to like."

Ryan frowned. "No. I could still be okay," he broadcast hopefully. "Aren't girls supposed to be attracted to guys their parents don't like?"

Regan laughed. "You've been watching too many bad movies, Ryan. And I don't think you'd fall for a girl like that."

Ryan was about to reply.

But he couldn't!

The strange force he had felt when the Hauler had hit him was back. His body seemed to stretch out and threatened to pull completely apart. He wanted to gasp, but he couldn't do that either.

But he realized in horror that there was one thing he could do.

He could see the heart, lungs, and ribcage of the person in front of him with perfect clarity.

CHAPTER 9.

An Ideal Location

In less than a second it was over.

Ryan patted his own body once again to be sure he was solid as his heart pounded away furiously in his chest.

"Did you feel that?" he asked anxiously.

"Uh-huh," replied Regan, her mind reeling in shock.

"It was like when the Hauler hit us. Exactly the same. I felt like I was being stretched apart in some weird way and I could see through things again."

"Yeah, me too."

"What's going on?"

"Mom," said Regan out loud. "Did you just feel anything funny?"

Mrs. Resnick shook her head. "No, Honey. But I'm in the middle of a conversation, okay," she added.

"Sorry," said Regan.

"I don't get it," she broadcast. "This is even freakier than before. The Teacher didn't do it this time. The Teacher isn't even on the planet."

"So whatever happened to us in Prometheus, it might keep happening. What if we're not stable anymore? What if this happens more and more often? Until ... I don't know ... we become ghostlike-permanently."

"But it wasn't random," pointed out Regan. "It happened exactly when we were going through the shield. That has to be important."

Ryan hadn't been paying attention to where they were when it happened, so he hadn't been aware of this. What could this mean?

"Maybe becoming not-solid is the way we always get through the shield," he suggested. "How anything gets through. Maybe that's what the crystal really does. It makes objects ghostlike for an instant until they pa.s.s through."

"Then why didn't we ever experience this before?" asked Regan. "And why were we the only ones who experienced it now?"

"Good question."

Regan tilted her head in thought. "I have an idea," she broadcast excitedly. "Maybe the Teacher changed our brains again. It talked with us telepathically-did something to our minds so we would have a compatible frequency-and then we became telepathic. The telepathic signals were always there, we just couldn't pick them up."

"So you're saying that the crystals have always caused our bodies to become ghostlike and pa.s.s through the shield, we just didn't sense it before. But when the Teacher had to jerk our bodies into this state, it changed the structure of our minds again."

"Exactly," she replied. "We weren't telepathic. Now we are. We couldn't sense being turned into a ghost. Now we can."

Ryan considered. "I guess it's as good a hypothesis as any," he broadcast finally. "We'll have to see if it happens again the next time we cross the barrier."

With that the siblings stopped talking, telepathically or otherwise, and focused on their surroundings.

The gravity on Isis was slightly lower than on Earth and the air contained slightly more oxygen. The temperature was comfortable, if not a little chilly. The sky wasn't blue but instead had a reddish cast to it; similar to how parts of the sky could appear when the sun was setting on Earth. And while the vegetation was similar to tropical vegetation on Earth, yellow replaced green as the most popular color.

The Isis portal was within a section of rainforest, but they had exited this to a more open area fairly quickly. To their left, a towering volcanic mountain range seemed to go on forever. Three peaks, rising above all others, gathered rain clouds around themselves like blankets. These clouds would provide the water to quench the thirst of the broad swaths of rainforest.

Barren landscapes broke up the rainforest periodically-areas that were in the path of lava flows. The flows were usually a few yards below the surface, but even so, little or no vegetation would grow anywhere nearby. And there were no roots to break up the array of pink, orange and black lava rocks. After the incident with Carl, the expedition knew to steer well clear of these. And other than the half-mile section they had pa.s.sed through when exiting the Isis shield, they avoided the rainforest as well.

A half-mile to their right, dozens of miles of cliffs stood guard over a reddish-hued ocean far below. Glowing orange lava, mostly traveling through underground lava tubes, burst through the cliff face at dozens of locations hundreds of feet above the surf. From there it fell to the sea in thick, mola.s.ses-like waterfalls. Where it entered the ocean, thousands of gallons of seawater were turned instantly into blistering steam that rose and formed billowing sea-monster shapes above the cliffs.

Isis teamed with large wildlife of every kind, as their mother had told them. The variety was astonishing. It was as though all the animals of Africa, North America, and Australia were concentrated on a single land ma.s.s. And judging by the number of species with ma.s.sive jaws, fangs and other spiked natural weapons, the planet appeared to have more than its share of carnivores.

But as their mother had promised, the humans were completely ignored. Not a single animal attempted to approach the tram-not that this would have done them any good.

Although there were no detectable force-fields around the trams, no animal had ever been able to get within ten yards of one on any planet. No animal, that is, except humans. Whether the trams recognized humans specifically, or intelligent life in general, was unknown, but highly advanced alien technology was clearly behind this inexplicable effect.

Taking Regan's lead, their father had experimented on the trams and discovered a small white crystal that provided power to the vehicles. The power of these crystals seemed limitless, like batteries that never died. When the white crystals were removed the trams wouldn't move. But even without their power source, the trams somehow still managed to provide a zone of safety around themselves, keeping all animals at bay.

After they had traveled for about thirty minutes Mr. Resnick called a stop. They were about three miles away from the portal on a large, barren stretch of land that was roughly in the shape of a rectangle. One side bordered a rainforest. Behind another side a mountain range rose majestically into the red sky until it was out of sight behind wispy Isis clouds. Yet another side looked down on valleys that ended at the cliffs above the ocean. The land was flat and didn't contain lava rocks. It was protected from the wind by several natural features. Because it overlooked two valleys, the biologists could observe any number of species in the distance interacting with one another.

An ideal place to set up camp.

Everyone emptied out of the trams. The three physicists removed large cases in which sensitive equipment had been carefully packed in Styrofoam. They hauled the cases thirty yards away-within sight of the rainforest on that side of the clearing but not too close. They immediately unpacked and began to a.s.semble the X-ray detector under Cam's protective eye. He held a tranquilizer gun in one hand and the canvas emergency kit in the other.

The four biologists pulled pad computers from their backpacks, with built-in camcorders, and wandered off in search of the perfect place to observe their favorite wildlife. Miguel watched carefully for any signs of trouble.

Ryan and Regan wandered off on their own, but their mother caught up with them ten minutes later. "I want to show you something," she said. She pointed to a valley below them to the south and motioned for them to follow her. "I've spotted a herd of animals that are very unique. We call them-"

A scream pierced the reddish alien air! A shrill shriek that was earsplitting in its intensity.

The members of the expedition were spread out, but everyone jumped at once as though they had received an electric shock.