Part 2 (2/2)
”Sounds safe to me,” agreed Regan enthusiastically.
”Well, as safe as any primitive planet can ever be, I suppose. But even so, we'll be taking precautions. We're bringing a portable force-field generator, just in case. And the guards going with us will have guns-this time filled with tranquilizer darts,” she added pointedly, intent on ensuring that no further senseless killing of Isis wildlife would be possible, regardless of the provocation. ”But whatever you do,” she instructed her children firmly, ”don't step on any lava rocks.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. ”Thanks, Mom,” he said sarcastically. ”If you hadn't warned us just now that would have been the first thing I did.”
At last the elevator stopped and they stepped off into a ma.s.sive, manmade cavern, the size of a baseball stadium, illuminated by powerful electric lights and filled with machinery and high-tech equipment. They said a warm h.e.l.lo to two heavily armed guards, both dressed casually. Carl had not wanted Prometheus turned into a military base and insisted the members of his security team not wear uniforms or use military t.i.tles. In fact, everyone on the team used first names with each other, decorated colonels and n.o.bel Prize winning chemists alike. Dr. Harris was the only exception, despite his objections, because he was the head of the entire project.
They entered the city through a rainbow-colored section of the force-field wall their father had managed to hold open with a furious onslaught of precisely tuned energy.
”So is Dad just coming to keep us company?” asked Regan.
”Actually, it's his expedition. I decided to go and bring along some of my staff to keep him company.” Amanda and Ben Resnick were among the first few members of the Prometheus Project and had recruited dozens of scientists who now worked for them.
”I don't get it,” said Regan. ”You're the one who studies alien life. What does a physicist want with a primitive planet?”
”Isis is about 25,000 light years away. Less than 900 light years from a ma.s.sive black hole in the center of our galaxy.”
A light year was the distance light could travel in a year. And since light was insanely fast, screaming along at 670 million miles per hour, 25,000 light years was some serious distance. Einstein had shown that nothing in the universe could travel faster than light-but obviously the Qwervy had found ways to circ.u.mvent this rule with their portals.
”According to your father, when stars are sucked into black holes and annihilated, X-rays are emitted into s.p.a.ce. He's calculated that the X-rays from one of these events that happened many, many years ago will be close enough to Isis for him to measure sometime tomorrow or Sunday. He says this data has the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of black holes. He'll set up the equipment tonight, and baby-sit it for the rest of the weekend to make sure nothing goes wrong.” Mrs. Resnick shook her head and an amused smile crossed her face. ”He's pretty excited about it.”
”Who wouldn't be?” teased Regan, unable to keep a straight face.
Her mother's smile broadened. ”Since the animal life on Isis is so interesting,” she continued, ”and since I haven't had time to return since the incident, I thought we could make it a family outing. With a few others along for the ride. It'll be fun.”
The familiar rows of fast, oversized electric-powered golf-carts were parked beside the entrance along with a half dozen electric trucks. The trucks were huge, with expansive cargo beds. They were called Haulers by the team since they were used to haul heavy scientific equipment around Prometheus. Despite their size their electric engines were almost whisper quiet. The trio jumped into a large golf-cart at the end of the row. This time Regan took the front seat next to their mother while Ryan took the back.
They drove past buildings that s.h.i.+mmered and others that changed colors depending on the angle from which they were viewed. Buildings that appeared to be floating and others that sparkled brilliantly as though made of diamonds. The city was magnificent. No matter how often the kids visited they continued to find it awe-inspiring.
Several minutes later their mother stopped the cart in front of a four-story building in the shape of a complex three-dimensional snowflake. ”I need to speak with Lou Holmgren,” she announced. ”Wait here. This should only take a few minutes. Then we'll go see the Enigma Cube.”
As they waited, one of the buildings off in the distance began changing shape, something that was always fun to watch. They exited the cart and walked toward one edge of the snowflake building to get a better view.
”Hold on,” said Regan when they were ten feet from the building's edge. ”I need to tie my shoe.” She knelt down to begin tying.
Ryan turned toward her to ask her a question.
And then a low hum hit his ears. The hum from a Hauler!
Ryan's heart jumped to his throat! He turned back around just in time to see a ma.s.sive runaway Hauler shoot around the corner of the building. It was headed right for them!
The driver-a scientist who had been working around the clock for days-had fallen asleep at the wheel. Ryan absorbed the entire situation in an instant, but it was too late.
Before he could begin to warn his sister or launch himself out of the way, the twelve-ton vehicle was on them.
Ryan didn't even have time to close his eyes as the Hauler slammed into his chest.
CHAPTER 5.
The Enigma Cube
The exact instant the Hauler made contact with Ryan's sweats.h.i.+rt, he felt a powerful force acting on his body that he couldn't possibly describe, threatening to pull him apart. And then the driver's face was less than a foot in front of him.
Impossible! The front of the Hauler should have crushed his chest and thrown him under the tires already.
Even more impossible, he could see inside the driver's face!
Ryan could clearly see his brain, a three-pound ma.s.s of wrinkly material. He could see the backs of his eyeb.a.l.l.s; huge orbs set into his skull, riddled with a complex network of blood vessels. And he could see inside of the blood vessels as well. And inside of the individual cells that made up the blood. And he could see through the truck to the driver's chest, and through this to his heart, and through this to his cells. He could see all of this in a single instant, and knew that his mind couldn't hold it all in and would soon become overloaded.
And then the truck was past him! Instantly his vision returned to normal.
With a start, the driver of the Hauler awakened and jerked the wheel to straighten the vehicle. Realizing he had dozed off for several seconds, he shook himself awake and drove on, completely unaware he had just hit two kids.
Only he hadn't. He had pa.s.sed right through them.
Ryan felt faint and dropped to a sitting position on the ground next to Regan as the Hauler receded in the distance. Both were now white as ghosts-which is apparently what they and the truck had become.
”How can we be alive?” said Regan, her heart pounding thunderously in her ears. ”I looked up and the Hauler was on us. We didn't have a chance.”
Ryan nodded. ”Just as it hit us, it became transparent somehow.” He paused. ”No, that's not the word for it. It became, I don't know-not solid. Like a cloud or something. I think we did too.”
Regan nodded her agreement. ”It was so freaky. I could see inside the tires. And inside the front hood-I could see the engine. And inside the engine. Somehow we and the truck pa.s.sed right through each other.”
Both kids looked down and pressed on their arms and stomachs, half expecting their hands to pa.s.s through their bodies.
”Well, we're solid enough now,” said Ryan. ”And the truck became solid again once it pa.s.sed us.” He shuddered as the memory of the ma.s.sive steel Hauler bearing down on him replayed itself in his mind. Never before had he felt so totally helpless and so certain that he had taken his last breath.
”That was like some kind of miracle,” said Regan, shaking her head in disbelief.
”Yeah,” said Ryan, nodding thoughtfully. ”It was.” The slightest of smiles played over his face as he reached an inescapable conclusion. ”So who do we know that can pull off miracles?”
The answer came to Regan immediately. ”The Teacher,” she whispered, her eyes widening. Of course! The city's central computer-so advanced it made a human supercomputer seem like a primitive adding machine. There could be no doubt it had saved them from certain death.
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