Captured (The Prometheus Project Book 2) by Douglas E. Richards Read Free Book Online Page A

the mouse? What were the changes? If a mouse was born without a tail, the gene that had been eliminated might be involved in tail growth in some way. Scientists had made considerable progress over the years using this strategy.
    But the nanobots made this impossible. Remove a part from an alien television to see what effect this would have and the nanobots would repair it instantly, ruining the experiment. Soon some of the scientists, no longer terrified of the nanobots, tried to cover artifacts they didn’t want fixed with their bodies so the nanobots couldn’t get to them. Surprisingly, this worked. Not only did the nanobots retreat, they would never attempt to repair the object again, even if additional damage was later done to it.
    It didn’t take long for the scientists to discover that the nanobots were learning from experience. Their programming was truly remarkable. Within days, the scientists didn’t have to actively block items they didn’t want repaired, the nanobots could somehow tell ifthe damage was done by accident or for experimental purposes—perhaps by reading the scientists’ body language. If done for experimental purposes, the nanobots would completely ignore the item, not even swarming in the first place. If the damage was done accidentally, they were their old reliable selves, making quick and perfect repairs.
    But last night this changed. Dr. Matthews had cut a piece from the walkway for experimental purposes, but the nanobots swarmed anyway. Dr. Matthews was forced to actively try to stop them, something that had not been necessary for some time, but even this didn’t work. They politely, but persistently, worked around him until they finished their repairs, undeterred by his actions. Why had this happened? Dr. Matthews wasn’t sure yet, but his working hypothesis was that since the walkway was for public use, the nanobots could not ignore damage done to it, no matter what the reason.
    Not for the first time Regan marveled at the wonders of this amazing city. There was no doubt in her mind that she and Ryan were the luckiest kids on Earth.
    She glanced over at the digital clock on the small table by her cot. It read 8:17.
    That was odd.
    She toured the laboratory for a few minutes and returned to the cots, pushing Ryan awake.
    “Wha … wha,” he said groggily, opening his eyes just a crack.
    Like his sister, he had fallen asleep the night before without bothering to change and was still wearing green cargo pants and a yellow t-shirt. His hair was messy and pointed in several different directions at once.
    “Ryan, it’s past eight o’clock.”
    “So?”
    “So—Mom and Dad were supposed to be here at least an hour ago.”
    Ryan rubbed his eyes. “They’re probably in the next room and just wanted to let us sleep.”
    Regan shook her head anxiously. “They’re not . I checked. No sign that they were here at all this morning.”
    Ryan pulled his feet onto the floor and sat up. “That’s strange. They must have been held up. I’m sure they’ll be here any second.”
    “Just to be on the safe side, let’s ask the elevator guards if they saw them.”
    “Okay,” agreed Ryan. “But I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.” He grinned mischievously. “And this is our chance to tease Mom and Dad about not being responsible. After all, we were here when we were supposed to be and they weren’t.”
    Regan pretended to smile lightheartedly, but she couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling that had settled over her.
    After quickly brushing their teeth, they each grabbed a muffin and a small cardboard box filled with orange juice and headed for the golf-cart parked just outside. Itwas Regan’s turn to drive. They drove for several minutes without seeing anyone else, which was unusual. At least a few members of security were always present—day and night. And most scientists entered the city at the crack of dawn and were in full stride already by eight o’clock, even on weekends. But