Captured (The Prometheus Project Book 2) Read online

  Additional Praise for

  THE PROMETHEUS PROJECT: CAPTURED

  “Fast paced and full of action.”

  —ForeWord Magazine

  “I was captivated by Captured. I found the second book in this great series as entertaining and action filled as the first book.”

  —TCM Reviews

  “An intense storyline that will have you churning through the book without putting it down.”

  —The Super Mom

  “I would give this book three thumbs up, but I only have two thumbs.”

  —7th grade student, MSTA Newsletter

  “A sequel that matches the pace and excitement of the original. In Captured, the author has added a second gem to the reading treasure chest.”

  —The Reading Tub

  “A delightful tale of kids working together, much as you would find in the Lemony Snicket books. Readers will look forward to more.”

  —Curled Up With a Good Kids Book

  “Will keep you on the edge of your seat while begging you to read on … full of fast paced action (that) keeps the reader wanting more. I eagerly await the third book.”

  —Steve Fielman, Director-at-large,

  Intermediate Science, New York State

  “Holds even an adult readers attention to the very end. I look forward to his next offering in the series.”

  —AAAS

  “With Captured, the author continues to tell a story that leaves the reader reaching for chapter after chapter with plenty of suspense and cliff hangers. This is a fun and adventurous story.”

  —California Science Teachers Association

  Praise for

  THE PROMETHEUS PROJECT: TRAPPED

  “A thriller that you won’t put down until you’ve reached the last page.”

  —Kids’ Picks, Odyssey Magazine

  “Trapped is a complete thrill ride.”

  —TCM Reviews

  “This adventure will keep kids turning the pages … perfect for middle grades.”

  —Teaching Pre K-8 Magazine

  “Highly recommended for both boys and girls. Wonderful and unique.”

  —Discovery Journey

  “My class loved it. They were totally engaged. It’s a hard book to put down.”

  —Jeff Montag, 5th Grade Teacher

  As Quoted in the San Diego Union-Tribune

  “Cinematic. Readers will surely be reminded of Eleanor Cameron’s Mushroom Planet series, as well as Heinlein’s Have Space Suit—Will Travel, and even Clarke’s 2001. Vividly speculative. Able to capture the imagination of any teen.”

  —Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine

  “Keeps you turning the pages. It had me hooked by page two of the first book.”

  —The Children’s Book Review

  “Captures that pulse-pounding excitement you remember from your Have Spaceship Will Travel and Postmarked the Stars days. Crisp, clean, and delivers what it promises.”

  —SFReader.com

  “Brings to mind the classic young reader’s novel A Wrinkle in Time. An adventure story for young and old alike.”

  —Associated Content

  “Fun and suspenseful. Highly recommended.”

  —Kirkus Discoveries

  “An entertaining novel … that reads in a flash.”

  —Bookloons Reviews

  “The gripping storyline will make young readers read this story in one sitting and want a sequel. I strongly recommend this book.”

  —The Midwest Book Review

  “I did not want to stop reading.”

  —8th Grade Student

  Published in the Newsletter of the ISTA

  “If you have a middle schooler that is into science or sci-fi, buy this book. If you have a reluctant reader who has an interest in science or adventure stories, buy this book.”

  —Amateur de Livre Book Reviews

  “I read this book with my class for the first time this year and my class loved it.”

  —President, Idaho Science Teachers Association

  “Brilliant. Perfect for a class reader for 9-13s, and a ‘must’ for any school library. These books are, I hope, the first of a long series!”

  —Primary Science (UK Journal)

  “Nonstop action adventure … You really can’t put the book down for very long. A thrilling read.”

  —California Science Teachers Association

  “Would make a great read-aloud and would foster much talk among families.”

  —The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

  “A suspenseful thriller that you will not want to put down…. vividly written.”

  —The Science Reflector

  The Prometheus Project

  Book 2

  Captured

  The Prometheus Project

  Book 2

  Captured

  Douglas E. Richards

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and

  dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are

  not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events

  or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2007 by Douglas E. Richards

  Paragon Press Edition copyright © 2010

  Second Edition published by Paragon Press, 2010

  [email protected]

  All rights reserved. With the exception of excerpts for

  review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced

  or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or

  mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any

  information storage and retrieval system.

  ISBN: 978-0-9826184-2-4

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2009944189

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Paragon Edition

  Contents

  Prologue Trapped

  Chapter 1 A Warning

  Chapter 2 A Possible Intruder

  Chapter 3 A Painful Assault

  Chapter 4 The Alien Device

  Chapter 5 Security Sweep

  Chapter 6 Sleepover

  Chapter 7 Invaded

  Chapter 8 Spies

  Chapter 9 Captured

  Chapter 10 A Deadly Threat

  Chapter 11 Planning A Rescue

  Chapter 12 Globe Attack

  Chapter 13 Plan B

  Chapter 14 Escape Route

  Chapter 15 Escape

  Chapter 16 The Force-Field Nullifier

  Chapter 17 A Thorny Puzzle

  Chapter 18 Deadly Orders

  Chapter 19 Counterattack

  Chapter 20 A Startling Assertion

  Chapter 21 A Convincing Argument

  Chapter 22 Connecting the Dots

  Chapter 23 A Nightmarish Future

  Chapter 24 A Critical Mission

  Chapter 25 Reactivation

  Chapter 26 An Important Visitor

  Chapter 27 Underachievers

  The Prometheus Project

  Book 2

  Captured

  PROLOGUE

  Trapped

  Ryan and Regan Resnick were sure their lives had been ruined forever. Without any warning their parents, both leading scientists, had announced they would be moving from San Diego to a house in the middle of the Pennsylvania woods. They were forced to leave their friends to move to a town so small that most of its roads weren’t even paved. How could this happen to them? They were sure they would soon die of boredom.

  They would soon be in danger of dying, all right—but definitely not from boredom. In fact, they didn’t know it at the time, but they were just
days away from the greatest adventure of their lives.

  It had all begun when they were looking for something stored in a box in their attic just after the move. This is when they overheard their parents’ strange and suspicious conversation about a place, and a project, called Prometheus. When they investigated further, their lives had changed forever.

  Soon they were hopping razor-wire fences, solving security passwords and tricking guards to discover a vast underground city, built by a super-advanced alien race for unknown purposes. They learned that their parents were members of the Prometheus Project, an ultra-top-secret team of top scientists and elite security guards assembled by the president to explore the fantastic, abandoned city.

  The city was surrounded by a thin force-field, an energy barrier that was impossible to penetrate—or even to scratch. Only the genius of their father, Ben Resnick, enabled the team to finally break through the barrier and into the amazing city. And what they found inside was truly astonishing. The level of technology the alien builders had used was not only far beyond human ability, but beyond human understanding.

  While the force-field deep underground that surrounded the city was shaped like a hollow hockey-puck—about one mile around and thirty feet high—the city was many, many times larger than this, and its ceiling was so high it couldn’t be seen with the naked eye. How could anything be far larger on the inside than it was on the outside? How could something buried in a confined space underground have a seemingly endless blue sky? The city could well have been located outdoors, judging by appearances, if not for the eerie fact that the sun could never be found within its bright, cloudless sky. The existence of such a city was completely impossible, of course, but it was clear that the aliens hadn’t let that stop them from building it.

  The astonishing size of the buried city was just one of its mysteries. Inside the alien city the team immediately found many more. Fantastic structures of every kind. Buildings that could morph from one form to another. A walkway made of spongy material that would trampoline users forward, and always in such a way that they maintained perfect balance. A staircase made from almost invisible threads that were far stronger than steel. And all this had been discovered in a single day! The treasure trove of advanced technology that awaited the human explorers was truly endless.

  But the team knew they had to be careful. Very careful. They had chosen the name Prometheus so they would always be reminded of this. Prometheus was a Titan of Greek mythology who had stolen fire from the Gods and given it to humankind as a gift. Like fire, the city’s technology had the power to change human civilization forever, but also like fire, it could be unbelievably dangerous.

  After discovering the city and learning of the Prometheus Project, Ryan and Regan had pleaded with the team’s leader, Dr. Harry Harris, to let them become part of the team. While he had been very impressed with the talent they had shown by overcoming extensive security measures to discover and enter the alien city, he had refused. They were just kids, after all.

  They were about to be escorted out of the city, forever, when a heavy generator had fallen and severely injured their mom. The kids ran for help. When they returned, just a minute later, the entire team had disappeared! They had vanished, without any evidence that they had even existed. Worse still, Ryan and Regan soon learned the entrance to the city was gone as well. They were trapped! Trapped and alone inside a dangerous, alien city.

  What had happened to the team? What had happened to the entrance? And how long would it be before the same thing happened to them?

  Before their adventure was over, they were able to find the answers to all of these questions—and more. They discovered a zoo building that allowed them to visit other planets instantly. They forged a friendship with a telepathic computer called the Teacher. They learned who had built the city and why. Finally, they figured out exactly what had happened to their parents and the others and were able to save their mother’s life.

  Just another boring day in Pennsylvania.

  Dr. Harris was impressed. Very impressed. They had made enormous contributions to the team. Their courage and capabilities were truly remarkable. After all they had done, Dr. Harris changed his mind and agreed to let them become members of the team. They had certainly earned it.

  Their discovery of the alien city and these adventures are all chronicled in the book, The Prometheus Project: Trapped. The Resnick kids were certain that nothing they would ever do the rest of their lives could possibly be more exciting, or more important.

  They were wrong.

  Six months had now passed since the events in The Prometheus Project: Trapped. During this time, when Ryan and Regan weren’t attending school, they spent almost every waking minute in the alien city, helping the scientists explore the most important discovery in the history of the world. Life could not have been more exciting. And so far, they had not encountered any further dangers.

  But this was about to change.

  They had no way of knowing it, but they were about to embark on yet another adventure—one even more demanding and more dangerous than their first.

  And this time, there would be more—far more—than just their lives, and the lives of the Prometheus team, hanging in the balance.

  CHAPTER 1

  A Warning

  “Yessss!” said Ryan Resnick happily, pumping his fist in the air. Finally. The three o’clock bell had rung. The Friday bell. The weekend had officially arrived.

  Ryan bolted out of the classroom, down the stairs, and outside to his bike securely padlocked to one of the school’s many bike-racks. He was so eager to take off he thought he might actually jump out of his skin. But after three full minutes there was still no sign of his sister Regan, two years younger than him.

  “Regan,” he thought as hard as he could, straining to broadcast the thought as forcefully as possible. “Where are you?”

  “Sorry,” came the telepathic response. “Held up by a teacher. Be right there.”

  A few seconds later Regan shot through the door. She had strawberry blond hair, a freckled face, and green eyes that always seemed to sparkle.

  “Let’s get going,” said Ryan impatiently as he saw her and then, realizing this wasn’t a very friendly greeting, added, “how was school?”

  Regan quickly worked a combination lock and removed it from her bike. “Great,” she replied as she stuffed the lock in a pouch attached to her handlebars. “Fantastic even.” She paused, raised her eyebrows, and added, “Then again, when you’ve explored Prometheus, it’s hard to get excited about school.”

  Ryan nodded as he and his sister jumped on their bikes and took off.

  Their school really was terrific. No money had been spared on the facility, the teachers were excellent, and the students were eager to learn; many of them children of accomplished scientists. In the few months the new school had been open they had both made numerous friends. But nothing could possibly compare to Prometheus. Nothing on Earth, at any rate. One day they hadn’t known about the astonishing alien city and the next it had become, by far, the most important part of their lives.

  Not only had their first visit to the alien city forever changed the course of their lives, it had changed them—given them new abilities. This was almost certainly due to their interactions with the city’s unbelievably advanced, telepathic central computer. Because they had first activated it inside an alien classroom it had introduced itself simply as the Teacher. The Teacher was wonderful and they had rapidly developed a very special relationship with it.

  During their first telepathic conversation with the Teacher they had developed splitting headaches and it was forced to end the conversation in mid-sentence. The Teacher had realized that the telepathic frequency it was using was not compatible with their minds, and if it did not end the conversation it was in danger of damaging their brains. Later it was able to find a way to communicate with them telepathically without causing any damage, and even to temporarily speed up their brains so
that it could have a lengthy conversation with them in less than a second. In this super-accelerated mode, their brains were working so quickly that even a speeding car would have appeared to them to be completely frozen in place, like a statue. In some way, something the Teacher had done during these interactions had subtly changed the structure of their minds.

  Now, even though the Teacher wasn’t really alive, they could always sense what they thought of as its life-force, a faint but comforting mental glow that told them it was still out there, still going about its business. And most astonishing of all, they had found that they were now telepathic! Well, at least with each other. And while it still required more effort to communicate telepathically than out loud, their skills continued to improve. Perhaps someday they would develop into full telepaths.

  Their telepathy, and their adventures together, had brought them closer together than they ever would have believed. Since they had discovered Prometheus, working together and getting along had very quickly become as much a habit for them as arguing and teasing each other had been before.

  They had been riding in the direction of the alien city for several minutes when Regan broke the silence. “So how was your day?” she asked.

  “Great,” said her brother. He had short, light brown hair, green eyes and a smile that made people feel comfortable around him. “We had a really cool discussion about pain in Mrs. Rosen’s science class.”

  “Pain?” said Regan, confused. “What do you mean? Like how to cause it?”

  Ryan rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Sure Regan. She was teaching us how to torture people.”

  Regan smiled, feeling a bit foolish. “Okay, maybe not how to cause it. How about how to get rid of it?”

  “Nope.” Ryan shook his head.

  “Okay, I give up. What did you talk about?”

  “Believe it or not, why it’s important?”

  “Why it’s important?” she repeated in disbelief.

  “You know. Why it exists in the first place.”

  “That’s an easy one,” said Regan confidently. “To make people miserable.”

  “So you think it would be better if there was no such thing as pain?”