“So you want me to ask Dad about that part of Nathaniel’s letter?”
“Yeah. And any other thoughts he might have about this weapon.”
“It isn’t really a weapon, Ryan. It’s a device that could change the world in some really great ways. Nathaniel is just misusing it.”
Regan told him she’d be back in ten minutes and ended their connection.
She returned just five minutes later. Ryan was surprised. Once their father began talking about science it was usually hard to get him to stop.
“Okay,” began Regan. “Nathaniel called gravity ridiculously weak. That’s because it is. There are only four known forces in the universe. Two of them are called the strong and weak nuclear forces. These do things like keep atoms from flying apart and … I don’t know, something else. I only took notes when Dad got to gravity. The third is the electromagnetic force. And the fourth is gravity.”
“So why did Nathaniel say it wasn’t a force?”
“I’ll get to that,” replied Regan. “Anyway, gravity is by far the weakest of the four forces. Dad says magnetism is … “ She looked down at her notes. “Well, he doesn’t remember exactly. But it’s something like a thousand trillion trillion trillion times stronger than gravity. Which he says would be a 1 followed by 39 zeros if you were gonna write it.”
“Are you sure you heard that right?” asked Ryan. “That doesn’t seem possible.”
“That’s what I thought. But it’s true. Dad reminded me that the gravity produced by an object depends upon its mass. So the gravity we feel on Earth is produced by the mass of the entire planet.” Regan glanced at her notes once again. “Dad says the Earth weighs about twelve million billion billion pounds.”
“Really,” commented Ryan, amused. “I’ll bet it was hard finding a scale big enough for that weigh-in.”
Regan smiled. “The point is, even when the weight of the entire Earth is trying to hold a paperclip down, a tiny little magnet can lift it off the ground.”
Ryan thought about this and nodded. His dad made a good point. He had never thought about it that way. “Okay. Magnetism one, gravity zero,” he broadcast. “Which means that if you did have the technology to affect gravity, there’s a lot of room to strengthen it.”
“I guess.”
“So why is it not a force?” asked Ryan.
“Well, some scientists classify it this way, some don’t. According to Einstein, gravity isn’t so much a force as it is a change in the shape of space-time.”
“What’s space-time?” asked Ryan.
“Dad says it’s like space and time rolled into one. But Dad told me when he was explaining not to worry about that. To think of it as the same thing as just space. Anyway, he told me to think of space as a gigantic sheet of rubber. Or a gigantic trampoline. And objects dent this trampoline, causing other objects to roll toward them. That’s what gravity is.”
“What?” broadcast Ryan uncertainly.
“Let me give you an example.” She consulted her notes once again. “Suppose you spread marbles out on a large, circular trampoline. Then you set a hundred pound bowling ball in the very center of the tramp. If you did, the bowling ball would stretch the tramp down, creating a crater-shaped pocket, and the marbles would roll toward it. But even the marbles dent the tramp some, creating their own little indentation to sit in.”
Ryan thought about this. “Okay. I sort of get it. So space is like a trampoline. And everything pushes into it. Light things dent it just a little. Heavy things, like the Sun, dent it a lot. And the heavier an object is, the bigger the crater it creates, so the more other things are forced to roll toward the bottom of this crater.”
“Right. So gravity isn’t really a force. It’s what happens when objects stretch space.”
“Interesting,” noted Ryan. “But I can’t see how any of this is going to help me stop Nathaniel.” He paused. “Did Dad say anything else about the Enigma Cube?”
“I tried, Ryan. But we got interrupted. There’s a lot going on right now. He said he would tell me more at another time.”
After another few minutes of telepathic conversation the siblings ended their connection.
Ryan took a deep breath and crossed the barrier again to leave a red crystal for the expedition. As had happened earlier that same day the first time he had crossed the Isis shield—could it really be true that only four or five hours had passed since then?—he felt the stretching sensation that meant he was brushing against the forth dimension. Now that he understood it—a little—he fought to open his mind as wide as he could to the experience.
Ryan buried the crystal and stabbed the two spears he had been making deep into the soft soil beside it to mark its location as he had promised. He shoved the other red crystal into his pocket. “Better luck next time, wolf-things,” he said with a sneer.
With that, he crossed through the shield and headed to the portal back to Earth.
CHAPTER 19
Pinned
Ryan peered around the zoo exit cautiously. Not seeing anyone he emerged from the building, keeping an eye out for surprises.
A body was stretched out like a human speed bump on the ground twenty yards away. No one else was in sight.
He rushed over to the body and knelt beside it. It was Lieutenant Lebron Williams, and he was sprawled out like a snow angel on his stomach. He had been assigned to guard the entrance to the zoo. His automatic weapon was lying next to him, and every square inch of his body that could possibly be touching the ground was pinned there.
The guard’s eyes were closed but he was still breathing.
“Lebron, it’s Ryan Resnick. What happened?”
The guard managed a shallow grunt but that was all.
Ryan grabbed one of Lebron’s hands that was palm-down against the floor and pulled. He was able to move it, but it was far heavier than a hand should have been. Nathaniel must have used the Enigma Cube. The gravity of the ground on which the guard was glued hadn’t changed at all. The gravity of his body had changed. It was as if Lebron was wearing a bodysuit made of powerful magnets and the Earth was made of solid steel. To Ryan, the gravity around Lebron was the same as it had always been.
Nathaniel had chosen the setting on his weapon carefully. He didn’t change the guard’s gravity so much that his heart stopped or he could no longer breathe. Just enough so that every movement was a battle. Ryan suspected Lebron had been strong enough to drag himself this distance away from his post before he became too exhausted and was forced to give up.
There was nothing Ryan could do for him. “I have to go, Lebron,” he said apologetically. “But I promise I’ll try to find a way to help you.”
Ryan checked several more buildings and the security headquarters but it was all the same. Everyone inside of Prometheus was now pinned to the floor. Nathaniel must have set the Enigma Cube to a broad enough radius that the gravity effect had hit all life within the city at the same time.
He calculated that he was only two or three hours behind the deranged physicist and his hostage. And if Nathaniel had further business within Prometheus after using the gravity device, or had been delayed for any reason, Ryan might be almost on his heels.
Ryan entered the manmade cavern that abutted Prometheus and rushed to the elevator. Everyone in the cavern was anchored 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 class—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.
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 assault 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 abutting 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 sweatshirt. 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 classmate 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 th
e 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.
Stranded (A stand-alone SF thriller) (The Prometheus Project Book 3) Page 12
