Stranded (A stand-alone SF thriller) (The Prometheus Project Book 3) (3 page)

There was an awkward silence for several long seconds.
Finally, Ryan pointed to the book Alyssa held at her side. “What are you reading?”

She lifted the book to show him. Small pictures of a number of different animals appeared on the cover along with the title,
Classical and Operant Conditioning: Advanced Research Methodologies
.

“Okay then,” said Ryan playfully. “Classical and operant conditioning: advanced research methodologies. Good choice. I mean, I almost picked that one up at the bookstore the other day.” He grinned broadly. “But I decided to wait for the movie.”

Alyssa laughed, a sound that was like music to Ryan’s ears.

“Actually, it’s for a Science Fair project I’m working on,” she explained, wincing just a little, hoping Ryan wouldn’t think she was a total geek.

“That’s great,” said Ryan enthusiastically. He paused in thought. “Didn’t I hear that you went the furthest of anyone in Chicago in the Science Fair competition last year?”

Alyssa brightened, surprised he had known this. “Well,” she responded almost shyly. “I got lucky.”

Ryan smiled. This girl just got more and more awesome every single day. She was smart, but also modest. She was friendly to everyone and had an easy, infectious smile that brought a sparkle to her eyes and could light up an entire room. Most importantly, she wasn’t the
least bit fake, which is something he couldn’t stand. He had never liked a girl
nearly
this much before.

“I’m hoping to do really well this year too,” she continued. “Since there’s nothing else for me to do here in Brewster, I’ve been spending a ton of time on the project. My sister Kelsey is helping me.”

An idea burst into Ryan’s head. Maybe this was his chance to be with Alyssa outside of school; to have something in
common
with her; something to talk about that wasn’t classified. He might have to postpone asking her on a date for a few weeks, but so what? He had already waited
this
long. “You know, maybe I can help too,” he offered eagerly. “I don’t have a lot of time, so I wouldn’t want to be an official member of the team, but I know classical and operant conditioning really well.”

Actually, while he remembered that Regan had discussed this subject with their mother a few months ago, he hadn’t listened to a word, and he knew absolutely nothing about it. If Alyssa took him up on his offer he would have to learn very quickly. But as he gazed into her soft blue eyes he knew it would be more than worth it.

“I was thinking of doing a project in this area myself last year,” he added.

“You liar,”
broadcast Regan, still pretending she was reading.
“You were never thinking of doing a Science Fair project last year. And you don’t know anything about the subject.”

“Get out of my head!”
insisted Ryan.
“And stay out!”

“Really. That is so cool!” said Alyssa. “No one else I’ve talked to even knows what classical and operant conditioning
are
. What’s your favorite experiment?” she asked excitedly.

Ryan’s outer expression remained calm, but inside he was panicking. He didn’t know enough to even guess at an answer.

“Regan, help!”
he pleaded.

“I thought you wanted me out of your head,”
she replied with a grin.

“Hmmm,” said Ryan aloud, stalling for time. “Let me think about that for a second.”

“I’ll give you two dollars,”
offered Ryan.

“Ten.”

“Five,”
broadcast Ryan frantically.
“It’s all I have.”

“Done,”
agreed Regan.
“Tell her Pavlov’s Dog is still your favorite, because it started the entire field.”

Ryan had no idea what Regan was talking about, but he had no other choice but to trust her. He tilted his head and smiled at Alyssa. “There have been so many fascinating experiments done in the field,” he said. “But I would have to say Pavlov’s Dog is still my favorite, because this really started it all.”

Alyssa nodded. “I get why you would say that one,” she said. “But my favorite—”

She stopped in mid-sentence as the door to the principal’s office began to creak open.

“Better go,” she said and rushed off to her class.

Just as Alyssa was out of sight, Ryan and Regan’s mother entered the school and greeted them warmly. Regan looked more and more like her mom with every passing year. Both were petite, with soft, attractive features, and bright, expressive eyes. While Mrs. Resnick’s hair was brown and relatively short, Regan had long, vibrant hair that had darkened from a reddish-blond to a reddish-brown. Unlike her brother, Regan hadn’t grown in over a year, and now seemed unlikely to reach five feet tall. She had a delicate bone structure that matched her small size, and those who didn’t know her were always surprised by the enormity of energy, personality, and intellect contained within her slender, eighty-pound frame.

The kids lifted their backpacks to their shoulders, preparing to leave, when the school’s principal, Lynda Lions, exited her office and hurried over to them.

“Good afternoon, Principal Lyons,” said their mother.

“Good afternoon, Dr. Resnick,” said the principal. She knew that Ryan and Regan’s parents had both earned a Ph.D.—which stood for Doctor of Philosophy—their mother in biology and their father in physics. They had earned the right to be called
Doctor
every bit as much as had medical doctors, and Principal Lyons insisted on using their proper titles even though she knew they didn’t care. Perhaps if they were prouder of their accomplishments their kids wouldn’t be such underachievers.

“I see you’re pulling Ryan and Regan out early again,” said Principal Lyons disapprovingly.

Mrs. Resnick nodded.

“I certainly don’t mean to judge,” she said, and all three Resnicks knew that was
exactly
what she was doing. “But Ryan and Regan’s attendance record is the worst in the entire school.”

Amanda Resnick raised her eyebrows.
“Really?”
she said, almost with a touch of amusement. “Ahh … sorry about that. I hope their grades haven’t suffered,” she finished innocently.

The principal’s frown deepened. “Well, they both get A’s, that’s true. But A minuses. The lowest A minuses possible—just a hair above B plusses. It’s as if they’ve worked out how to do the absolute minimum to get low A’s.”

The principal had seen the siblings’ standardized test scores and they were both off-the-charts bright—not entirely surprising when considering their parents were both world-class scientists. Bright students were at an epidemic in Brewster, Pennsylvania. The school and the town only existed because of the Proact research facility, after all, and even those Proact employees who weren’t brilliant scientists believed passionately in the value of education.

But as talented as many of the students were, none tested as well as Ryan and Regan Resnick. None. And yet numerous students outperformed these two siblings
in class. The principal had spoken with the kids the year before about finding a passion and working to their potential but apparently this had not done much good.

“I just think they’re capable of a lot more,” said Principal Lyons. “And I don’t think missing all these classes helps matters, either,” she added.

Amanda Resnick fought off the instinctive urge to defend herself. In normal circumstances the principal would have been right. She just didn’t know that the kids were being exposed to far greater learning opportunities as part of the Prometheus Project than any school could possibly offer.

“I appreciate your concern, Principal Lyons,” said Mrs. Resnick pleasantly, making her way to the door with her kids in tow. “I’ll try to limit their absences in the future,” she added in a tone that made it clear she had no time, and no interest, in further discussion.

The principal watched the three Resnicks rush through the door and shook her head. She had long ago decided there was something not quite right about this family. But for the life of her she couldn’t put her finger on just what this something might be.

C
HAPTER
3
Isis

M
rs. Resnick had parked the family car, a boring blue four-door sedan, along the curb at the entrance to the school. It was desperately in need of a bath, but the adult members of the family kept so busy inside Prometheus they rarely found enough time to even send it through an automatic car-wash. As they approached the car, Ryan pulled a crumpled five-dollar bill from his pocket and held it behind his back so his sister could see it but not his mom. She snatched it from his hand, her green eyes shining happily.
“Nice doing business with you, Ryan,”
she thought at him, amused.

Ryan took the passenger’s seat while his sister slid into the back.

“Guess what, Mom?” said Regan excitedly. “Kimberly Grimm got a new cell phone today. It’s
really
cool.”

Mrs. Resnick sighed loudly as the car growled to life
and they began to roll forward. Regan seemed to find a new way to introduce the subject of cell phones almost every week. “I thought kids weren’t allowed to bring their cell phones to school.”

“Well … not technically. But it was brand new,” said Regan, as if this explained everything. “And she was very careful to only show it to her friends when none of the teachers were around.” Regan removed an elastic tie from her hair. “But here’s the thing. Kimberly told me I could have her old one if I erased its memory and changed out the number.”

“Regan, how many times do I have to tell you? You’re not getting a cell phone for two more months. The cost has nothing to do with it. You know that.”

“How can you not see how unfair you’re being?” complained Regan. “Just because Ryan didn’t get a phone until he was fourteen shouldn’t mean I have to wait that long.”

“You’re not,” said her mother. “We’ve compromised a lot already, so stop pretending you don’t know that. In two months you won’t even be to thirteen-and-a-half. Barely thirteen-and-a-quarter.”

“But why start with the age Ryan got one and then compromise from there? If it wasn’t for him, you’d get me one
now
. Ryan didn’t
care
if he had a phone when he was twelve or thirteen. I do. We’re
different
. He never asked you to buy him a dress, either, but that didn’t stop you for buying
me
one. Besides, Ryan’s already told you
he’s okay with me getting a phone at a younger age than he did.”

“Regan, I’m not having this conversation again.”

“Mom, you’ll let me use Qwervy technology that’s thousands of years more advanced than ours, but you won’t let me use Earth technology that
everybody
uses. I just don’t get it. Do you know that I’m the only kid in my entire class without a cell phone?”

“I doubt that,” said her mother with just a hint of amusement. “But even if you’re right, so what? You’re unique.”

Mrs. Resnick knew that her daughter’s arguments were stronger than hers, but she and her husband had decided it wasn’t good for their children to always get everything they wanted the instant they wanted it. Besides, they had already moved the date in by almost a year.

“So I’m old enough to be on the Prometheus Project,” said Regan, trying yet another angle of attack. “I’m old enough to meet the President of the United States. But I’m not old enough to have a cell phone?”

Her mother smiled and shook her head. “Regan, you are the most relentless human being I have ever known,” she said, although there was more approval in her tone than criticism. “Your father and I have made our decision. It’s only two more months, which will fly by. Besides, you can’t use cell phones at school and you can’t get reception inside Prometheus, so it isn’t like you’re giving up all that much.”

Regan was about to reply, but Ryan jumped in first. “As much as I would love to listen to this same old argument forever,” he said sarcastically to his mother beside him, “I’d kind of like to know why you took us out early.”

His mother nodded, glad for a change of topic. “Because it’s Friday and we need to get a jump on things,” she replied, turning onto a road that cut through the heart of a woods, one that had only recently been paved. “I know you and your sister have been dying to see the Enigma Cube,” she continued. “Well, your father has finally decided that being in the same room with it is safe. As long as you don’t get so close that you might accidentally touch it. So this is your chance.”

“Awesome,” said Ryan happily.

The team had discovered the bizarre cube a few months earlier, but their father was terrified of it. He didn’t know what it was, but his instincts told him that it had the potential to be the most dangerous alien object they had yet discovered.

“I’ll take you there once we’re inside Prometheus,” said Mrs. Resnick. “But there’s no time to waste. At 1:00 your father and I are leading a group off-planet, with plans to stay for the weekend.”

Ryan and Regan had discovered a small building inside Prometheus that served as a galactic zoo. Small though it was, it contained numerous doors, or portals, that each led to a different primitive planet. The kids had learned that the Qwervy only allowed visitors on planets
that didn’t contain intelligent life. Force-field barriers, similar to the shield that surrounded Prometheus but far smaller, completely surrounded the portal entrances on each planet. These served to protect visitors from dangerous animals, but a tram could be used to cross the force-fields to explore.

“So is Grandma coming to stay with us this weekend?” said Ryan in disappointment. He loved his grandmother, but if she was taking care of them they couldn’t spend any time inside the city since she wasn’t in on the secret.

“Nope,” said Mrs. Resnick cheerfully, having hoped they would jump to this conclusion so she could surprise them. “Actually”—she glanced at her unsuspecting kids and raised her eyebrows—“we’ve decided to let you come
with
us.”