Beyond Hades: The Prometheus Wars by Luke Romyn Read Free Book Online

fortitude than Chuck would have ever credited him for.
    Talbot led him back down to the middle level of the thermo-carrier and took a seat in a booth near the eating area, folding down the table attached to the wall before motioning for Chuck to take the seat opposite him.
    "What happened to my brother, Chuck?"
    The question shook him to the core. He'd been briefed not to disclose any of the details of Thomas Harrison's death, but now he felt unsure of his superiors' reasoning. They didn't believe the nerdy doctor could handle the truth, but Chuck wasn't so sure. His newfound insight into the man seated across from him spoke of a deeper grit and determination than any of them had witnessed thus far.
    Benedict decided instinctively in a microsecond - the marine way. Gathering his thoughts, he stared Talbot dead in the eye.
    "He wasn't killed in a landslide, sir."
    Talbot nodded. "With everything going on around here, I figured that. Go on."
    "Most of the creatures we've encountered from the other place are incredibly powerful, but they're still mortal, much like the dryad upstairs. Hard to take down, but there's usually a way. Their eyes are a weak point, but they seem to realize this and protect them well. I only took down the dryad so easily because she was more intent on ripping your head off than worrying about me."
    The doctor nodded, his brows narrowing slightly at mention of his near death experience mere moments before. Otherwise he showed no reaction to something which must have surely terrified him.
    Chuck swallowed, preparing to dive off the cliff into the unknown. If the doctor responded in any way other than how he hoped, their entire mission could be compromised.
    "There is one creature which doesn't have this weakness - in fact, it has no weakness at all so far as we know."
    He diverted the conversation slightly, delaying the inevitable. "Your brother was part of the advance team which entered the rift, trying to close it from the other side -"
    "From the other side?" interrupted Talbot. "Nobody said anything about going into that damn thing!"
    "General Sharpe believed it was the only way to close the rift. He took complete control of the situation and ordered a team to be assembled to go through the rift and investigate what was on the other side. He claimed it was the only way to close it. And so your brother, the only one able to manipulate the machinery or read the language, was sent with the team through the rift."
    "Into Tartarus," murmured Talbot.
    "What's Tartarus?" asked Captain Benedict, noting the look of surprise which crossed Talbot's face. He shrugged the issue aside. "We were simply told we were going into unknown territory with potential hostiles. Instead we found a place you can't even begin to imagine. Some of the guys were saying afterward that it was like that place in Greek mythology where the dead go. What was it called?"
    "Hades?" suggested Talbot.
    "That's it," agreed the captain. "But nothing written or imagined by man could have prepared us for what lay on the other side of that rift."
    " Us ?" queried Talbot. "You mean you were with Thomas?"
    Chuck cursed silently; he hadn't meant to divulge that. It would be hard to deny knowing things when the inevitable questions arose. "Yes sir," he admitted with a nod.
    "So what happened once you were through the rift?"
    "We were attacked by things. Some like those you've seen, others you can't even imagine. Most of which I'm not at liberty to disclose to you at this time," he added when he saw the question about to emerge from Doctor Harrison. Talbot relaxed back and motioned for him to continue.
    "We were gone for a long time. But then again time seems distorted there, and when we made it out only moments had passed, even though it felt like we were in that place for months. The creatures attacked us in ways we were never trained to defend against, and the land itself seemed to suck the confidence from us. It was like we'd entered a place where