Captured (The Prometheus Project Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

holographic images of alien animals appeared one by one in front of the door, showing anyone passing what could be found inside.
    Small though it was, the zoo building contained numerous doors, or portals, that each led to a different primitive planet. The Qwervy allowed visitors on these planets since none of them had intelligent life. Circular force-field barriers, similar to the Prometheus shield, completely surrounded the portal entrances on each planet to protect visitors from any dangerous animals, but a tram could be used to cross these force-field domes to explore.
    Ryan passed the zoo—which was now showing the three-dimensional image of a giant creature, covered in red fur, with a body like a polar bear and a face like a crocodile—and stopped the cart in front of their parents’ new laboratory building. It was octagonal, like a stop-sign, but silver instead of red. Their mother, Amanda Resnick, had specialized in predicting what alien life would be like, but she no longer had to predict: she was the first biologist on Earth who could actually study the real thing. She had set up shop in the building next door to the zoo and their father had set up his lab there as well.
    The building appeared not to have any entrances, but appearances were deceiving. As the kids walked upto the middle of a solid wall a large panel seemed to dissolve, creating an entrance. Once they passed through it the wall rematerialized behind them. Regan had dubbed these “invisible doorways.” While they were quite visible, it was impossible for anyone to know they were doorways just by looking at them, so the name was somehow appropriate.
    Their parents were both wearing long white lab coats. Their father was sitting at a large, stainless-steel table in the center of the room studying a computer screen. Their mother, a short, attractive woman with soft features and blue eyes, was peering carefully through a powerful microscope at one end of the table.
    The kids started to say hello. From out of nowhere their heads exploded in pain! Something was hammering at their brains and bringing pure agony in its wake.
    They grabbed their ears as the merciless blast of searing pain hit them with such force they weren’t even able to scream.
    The pain was blinding, as if red-hot fireplace pokers were being jammed into each ear, stabbing relentlessly at their brains.
    And there wasn’t a doubt in either of their minds that if whatever was causing the pain didn’t stop, they couldn’t possibly survive it much longer.

C HAPTER 4
The Alien Device
    R yan’s legs felt rubbery and he knew he was nearing collapse.
    “Ryan, leave the building. NOW!” came a shouted telepathic command from his sister, already outside of the building, which barely managed to find his conscious mind through the immense pain crushing his brain.
    Somehow his legs obeyed her command and the next thing he knew he had joined his sister outside.
    He gasped in relief as the pain ceased immediately. Regan was lying on the ground with an exhausted look on her face and he stumbled to the ground next to her. Although she had fled the building before sending her message, she wasn’t in much better shape than he was.
    An instant later their parents were kneeling over them wearing horrified expressions. They had looked up from their work just in time to read the agony on thefaces of their children and then to see first Regan, and then Ryan, stagger out of the building.
    “Are you okay?” asked Amanda Resnick worriedly.
    They both nodded.
    “What happened?” asked their father.
    Both kids told them about the sudden onset of over-whelming pain centered on their ears and head, and how it had dissipated immediately after they had exited the building.
    “Great job, Regs,” said Ryan warmly. “Thanks for saving me from that.”
    It never occurred to him that running from the building would help. He had assumed that whatever was happening to them would happen anywhere within the