Manning studied Ryan carefully but said nothing.
“We’re also out of ideas for a rescue,” he continued. “Two kids against armed, trained soldiers. We’d rather spend our time trying to save our mom.”
“All we ask,” added Regan, “is that if we do find a way out, you promise not to hurt anyone on the Prometheus team.”
The major considered. “Okay,” he said finally. “You have a deal. You make some good points. If your dad doesn’t come through, perhaps you will at that.” He motioned to a soldier with a long, thin face and thin lips. “But there is no way I’m letting you just go. You must think I’m an idiot. Lieutenant Davidenko here will accompany you.”
The lieutenant stepped forward.
“Lieutenant, I want you to give them free reign and not slow them down. If they find anything, however, I want you to bring them back here immediately. You are not to bother Tezoc with it. I’ll examine what they find and make sure it works and isn’t a trick. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir,” said Davidenko.
Ryan and Regan turned to leave with their new escort following.
“Oh, and Lieutenant, one last thing. If they go anywhere near where Ben Resnick is working, or if they attempt to escape,” said Manning with deadly conviction. “I want you to shoot them both without mercy.”
CHAPTER 14
Escape Route
Under the circumstances, they knew, they had done well. While they were still prisoners, at least they weren’t bound and gagged on the floor of the invaders’ headquarters. At least they had a chance to escape.
They had tried to think of a way out of the city to protect their mother from Tezoc’s threat—tried to think of what a force-field nullifier would look like, or where one would be, but had gotten nowhere. At least their attempt had given them the idea for a bluff. Now all they had to do, with time quickly running out, was escape from a heavily armed mercenary without having any plan, find a way to rescue the prisoners—again without a plan—and then rescue their father and defeat all the deadly enemy soldiers.
Piece of cake, thought Ryan miserably as they exited the building.
“Where to?” snapped Davidenko angrily, annoyed that he had been chosen for a baby-sitting mission.
“We need to take a Hauler,” said Ryan.
“A Hauler?”
Regan pointed to one of several of the green, electric trucks outside the building. “One of those,” she explained. “We need you to drive.”
Davidenko laughed. “Sure. Good idea. I suppose you’d be willing to hold my weapon for me.”
Regan smiled innocently. “Okay,” she said.
The lieutenant shook his head. “Your brother will drive.”
“I can’t,” said Ryan. “I don’t have my license. I’m allowed to drive a golf-cart but not a truck.”
“Drive!” ordered Davidenko impatiently. “Are you seriously worried about breaking driving laws? I’d be more worried about saving my mother’s life if I were you. Besides, I don’t think we’ll be running into any traffic cops,” he added sarcastically.
Ryan got in the driver’s side and Regan sat beside him. Davidenko stationed himself behind them with his machine gun trained on their backs.
Regan nodded slightly toward the assault rifle. “Do you have to point that at us?” she asked. “Do you think we’ll be able to take it away from you if you don’t?”
Davidenko smiled broadly. “Not in this lifetime.”
“So what are you worried about?” pressed Regan. “If we make a run for it you’ll still have plenty of time to shoot us. Or are you such a bad shot, you don’t think you can hit us even with a gun like that?”
Davidenko didn’t respond, but a few seconds later he lowered the rifle and put it in his lap. “Let’s go,” he instructed Ryan.
“Any ideas?” broadcast Regan.
“No,” answered Ryan telepathically. “You?”
“None.”
“I guess I’ll just drive and pretend to know where I’m going until we figure something out.” As he sent the message, Ryan started the Hauler and began to pull forward jerkily.
Ryan drove aimlessly around the city for five minutes. Thankfully for all involved, his herky-jerky driving got better as he went along. No one spoke, although both kids were deep in thought the entire time.
“Ryan,” broadcast his sister, finally. “What if we went to the zoo building? We could go to a planet with dangerous animals and try to lose him there. One where we know which animals are deadly and which aren’t. It would give us the advantage.”
Ryan nodded. “Good thinking, Regs,” he broadcast, abruptly changing direction. It was a long shot, but far better than any plan he had been able to come up with.
Once again, they drove for several minutes in silence, both of them trying to remember all the planets they had visited through the zoo’s portals and which would provide the best chance of escaping the lieutenant.
Once more it was Regan who hit upon the answer. “How about Walendam?” she proposed. “There are usually lots of furry rynows near the force-field. They’d do the trick.”
“Perfect,” broadcast Ryan admiringly, feeling at least a tiny bit hopeful for the first time since they had begun driving.
Walendam was a planet whose animal life resembled the wildlife of Africa in many ways. They had watched one animal there, in particular, for many hours with their mother because it reminded them of a cross between a rhino and a cow. A rynow.
On Earth, the rhinoceros had terrible eyesight, but was very fast and was good at detecting movement. If a rhino charged and you ran, you were in big trouble. If you stood perfectly still, however, the animal could easily lose sight of you and wander off. The rynow was very similar in this respect, both in terms of its eyesight and its dangerous horn. The features that made it different from a rhino, however, were perfect for their needs. First, it was covered in fluffy black fur, like a dog, and was somewhat cow-like in appearance. It might have looked soft to predators, but underneath its fur it had body armor like a tank. Its nasty horn was retractable and could only be seen when it was about to charge. This made the animal appear very harmless—almost cuddly even. Davidenko wouldn’t think it was dangerous until it was too late.
All they had to do was step through a zoo portal to Walendam, telling Davidenko they were looking for an important clue. They would then take a tram and drive it through the force-field barrier surrounding the entry point and right into a rynow ambush. The mercenary wouldn’t have any idea he was in danger. They would stay totally still while Davidenko, knowing nothing about these animals, moved and made himself their target.
The plan was far from foolproof. They would have to be lucky for it to succeed—very lucky. On the other hand, while being closely guarded by a trigger-happy mercenary, any plan that gave them even a small chance of success was a good one.
Ryan glanced at his watch as they turned a corner and the zoo came into view in the distance, along with their parents’ octagonal lab building. If this was going to work—and Ryan knew the odds were against them—it had better work quickly. About four hours had passed since Tezoc had made his deadly threat. Which meant they only had two hours left.
He looked longingly at his parents’ building. Had it really only been five hours earlier when they had awakened there. It seemed like days had gone by since then.
Ryan barely managed not to gasp as a sudden flash of inspiration surged through him like electricity. His parents’ lab building! That was the key. But he needed to work out a detailed plan. His mind raced, and in less than a minute he had it! The corners of his mouth turned up into the slightest of smiles.
Regan’s plan to ambush Davidenko on Walendam had been good. But his was better.
And with just a fraction of the luck they would have needed on Walendam—and some good performances—they might just be free of Davidenko.
They might be free of him far sooner than they had imagined.
; CHAPTER 15
Escape
“Regan, I need you to pretend to get sick to your stomach.”
“Why?” she broadcast back.
“No time. You’ll see. Just do it.”
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“You’ll have to trust me,” he replied adamantly. “Hurry.”
Regan moaned loudly. “I feel horrible,” she complained.
“Tell me to stop the truck,” broadcast Ryan.
“Stop the truck, Ryan,” said Regan aloud. “I think … I might have to … vomit.”
Ryan stopped the Hauler abruptly and everyone got out. Regan stumbled away from the truck and dropped to the ground, rolling onto her back and groaning.
“Good acting,” sent Ryan. Another of her performances flashed into his mind for just a moment, when her pretend vomiting had created the diversion they had needed to enter the city for the very first time.
“There’s a nasty flu going around school,” explained Ryan as Davidenko looked on. “She must have caught it.”
Ryan reached into his pocket and—
“Freeze!” barked the lieutenant, his rifle up instantly.
“Okay, okay, okay,” said Ryan nervously. “Take it easy. I’m just trying to help my sister. Don’t shoot.”
Ryan pulled his hand from his pocket very, very slowly and removed what looked like a fancy, expensive pen. He opened his hand, allowing Davidenko to examine it while it sat in his palm.
“What is it?”
“It’s an alien medical kit,” answered Ryan.
Regan continued to make soft groaning sounds on the ground next to him and did a convincing job of looking nauseous.
“Watch,” said Ryan. He pointed the device at his sister. As he moved the device it changed colors so that it always stood out from its surroundings. As he pressed the bottom button the small triangle at the tip of the device glowed briefly and then stopped.
“Okay,” Ryan instructed his sister telepathically, “have an instant recovery now.”
Regan had no idea what Ryan was up to, but at this point she had no choice but to do as he asked and hope for the best. She waited a few seconds and then breathed a heavy sigh of relief. “Thanks, Ryan. I feel much better.” She hopped to her feet. “Okay, let’s go.”
Davidenko shook his head and sneered. “You two think I was born yesterday, don’t you? That was just an act. That isn’t a magical medical pen, you were just pretending for some reason. Why?”
“Not an act,” said Ryan. “When you push the bottom button it attacks infections. It must have already killed off all the viruses causing my sister’s flu. The top button helps wounds heal faster, and the middle one will give you complete pain relief for about thirty minutes.” Ryan paused. “I’ll show you,” he offered, turning the pen toward Davidenko.
“Push that button and you’re dead,” barked the lieutenant.
Ryan shook his head. “Not very trusting, are you? Suppose for a moment this isn’t a weapon and I’m not trying to trick you. Suppose it really does what I say. If you could learn how it works, how much would medical technology like that be worth?”
Davidenko smiled slowly. “Billions and billions,” he said simply.
Ryan began to slip the device into his pocket once again.
“Not so fast,” said the lieutenant. “I think I would like a demonstration, after all. First, point it at your sister and press the other two buttons. I want to make sure nothing happens to her.”
“Still no time to explain?” asked a confused Regan.
“I’m afraid not. But don’t worry, you’ll catch on.”
Ryan pointed the device at Regan and pressed the top button. The tip of the device glowed. He pressed the middle button and it glowed again. Ryan glanced up at their captor. “Satisfied?” he asked.
Davidenko nodded and considered what he should do next.
“Wow, Ryan, that pain setting really works,” broadcast Regan. “The nasty headache I got when we were talking to Manning went away the second you pressed the button.”
“Okay,” said Davidenko, having made up his mind. “Let’s do this. Try it out on me.”
“But you aren’t sick or wounded,” pointed out Ryan. “Are you in any pain?”
The merc shook his head, no.
“Then how will you know it works?”
Davidenko considered this, frowning. “Good question,” he said finally. “I don’t know.” He noticed an amused look on Ryan’s face. “Let me guess,” he snapped. “You have an idea?”
“As a matter of fact,” said Ryan happily, “I do. My idea is to kick you—hard—in the leg. Then I can use the pain setting and you’ll know if it works or not.”
The mercenary thought about this. “Go ahead,” he said. “But let me warn you. If your pen doesn’t work, I’m going to kick you back. Hard.”
“Don’t worry,” said Ryan. “It’ll work.”
Ryan pulled his foot back and kicked Davidenko in the shin as hard as he could. The merc cursed several times through clenched teeth.
“Can you feel any pain now?” asked Ryan innocently, fighting back a smile.
“Quit stalling and use the pen!” demanded Davidenko.
Ryan pointed the alien medical device at the mercenary and pressed the middle button. The tip glowed softly once again.
Davidenko’s eyes widened in surprise and delight. “You were right,” he said in disbelief. “That’s amazing. My leg stopped hurting immediately.”
“Told you,” said Ryan, slipping the device into his pocket.
“I’ll take that now,” said Davidenko predictably.
Ryan frowned and handed the device over to him. “Okay,” he said. “But we really need to get moving. My sister and I are convinced that the last clue is in this building.” He pointed to their parents’ lab.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Ryan,” broad-cast his sister.
“Yeah. Me too,” he responded wryly.
They led the lieutenant to one of the invisible doors, a section of the silver wall that promptly vanished and then reappeared behind them after they entered. The mercenary was clearly surprised by this, looking back to where the doorway had appeared with a puzzled look on his face, but remained silent.
Ryan pointed to a washing-machine sized object at the side of the stainless-steel table in the middle of the room. “That,” he said, “is a holographic projector. I’m pretty sure it’ll give us the final clue. We need you to go over there and flip the switch in the middle.”
“What will it do?” said the mercenary suspiciously. “And why me? Why don’t you do it?”
“It will project a holographic map of the city covered with strange symbols. We think we can decipher them and find a force-field nullifier.”
“Again,” pressed Davidenko, “why don’t you flip the switch?”
Ryan appeared nervous. “We, ah … we could. I mean, there is no reason we couldn’t. But you have to be standing at this exact spot to read the clue, and it only stays on for a few seconds, so we ah … we need to be standing here.”
“Is that so?”
Regan’s eyes widened as she finally realized what her brother’s plan must be. “Ah … absolutely,” she responded, using her own acting talents to assist her brother. “That device is completely harmless,” she assured Davidenko, knowing that this would only make him more suspicious. “Just turn it on and we’ll read the clue from right here. Then we’ll be able to find the technology Tezoc needs to exit the city. Everyone will be happy.”
“I have a better idea,” insisted Davidenko. “You two go over there and turn it on. I’ll stand here and watch for the hologram.”
“But … but you won’t know what to look for,” stammered Ryan.
Davidenko smiled. “We can always do it again. But you have to try it first. Just like with the pen. I’m not about to walk into one of your traps.”
“What are you talking about,” complained Ryan. “I told
you the truth about the alien medical device. Why can’t you trust us?”
The mercenary laughed. “That’s how I’ve managed to stay alive for this long. By not letting myself get outsmarted by the likes of you.” The lieutenant smiled, very pleased with himself. “Now move!” he barked.
The siblings walked dejectedly to the generator.
Davidenko raised his weapon and pointed it at them. “Okay, no funny business. If I get the slightest hint you’re trying to trick me, I’ll shoot first and ask questions later.”
They nodded. Ryan stared calmly at the lieutenant and then reached forward and flipped the switch.
Nothing happened.
Five seconds passed.
“What’s wrong?” said Davidenko, his weapon still raised and his finger placed squarely on the trigger.
Ryan shook his head. “Nothing. It takes about fifteen seconds to warm up. You’ll see the hologram any second.”
“I had better,” said Davidenko. “Because if this is some kind of stu—”
He never finished his sentence. In mid-word he collapsed to the ground like a sack of cement.
“Yesssss!” said Ryan excitedly. He flipped the switch the other way, turning the ultrasonic generator off, and then hugged his sister in elation.
They had done it! They were free from Davidenko. His plan had worked perfectly!
They both rushed up to the fallen mercenary and Ryan checked for a pulse.
“Well?” said his sister worriedly.
“It’s weak, but he’s alive.”
Regan blew out a relieved breath. They needed to escape, but they certainly didn’t want to be responsible for killing someone—not even a merc who wouldn’t have hesitated to do the same to them.
“He’ll probably make a full recovery,” continued Ryan. “But I’m guessing it’ll take a long while.”
Regan nodded. “Now that was a great plan, Ryan,” she said in admiration.
Captured (The Prometheus Project Book 2) Page 8
