Free The Prometheus Project by Douglas E. Richards

astonishing alien buildings.
    Ryan continued to try to put on a brave face for his sister but he was getting more worried by the hour. “If we ever get out of here,” he said and then quickly amended, “I mean— when we get out of here, I promise to never complain about being bored again.”
    Regan smiled weakly as they exited another building after yet another fruitless search. “Yeah. I’d give anything to be bored right now. This could have been the greatest day of our lives. Getting to see this amazing city. Learning about the most important discovery of all time. But instead, it’s turned into a nightmare. How could things—”
    “Down!” screamed Ryan.
    Before Regan could react he dove on her and threw her forcefully to the soft ground, covering her with his body.
    Regan looked up in terror to find the reason for her brother’s action.
    An immense alien bird of prey was flying directly toward them! It had the sleek, dangerous lines of an eagle, but it was the size of a minivan .
    The swooping predator extended its razor sharp talons as it prepared to complete its attack.
     

 
    Chapter 17
     
    The Unearthly Zoo
     
    Regan closed her eyes tightly.
    A few seconds went by.
    Then a few more. Confused but relieved, Regan opened her eyes.
    The bird was gone! In its place was a small, cuddly-looking alien creature with big blue eyes. “What in the world . . .” she began.
    As she watched, wide-eyed, the creature vanished, only to be replaced by an animal that looked something like a kangaroo with the face of a lion.
    “Holograms,” whispered Ryan. Although the animals looked every bit as real as his sister did, they weren’t. None of them. They were just three-dimensional movies.
    He quickly got to his feet and helped Regan up off the ground. “Are you okay?” he asked.
    She ignored his question. “You saved my life,” she whispered, her eyes wide. “And you risked your own life to do it. I really owe you one.”
    “Nah,” said Ryan, feeling awkward at his sister’s heartfelt appreciation. “I just haven’t tackled you in a while and thought this would be a good excuse. I only saved you from a hologram,” he finished modestly.
    “You didn’t know that at the time, so I’m afraid you’re stuck being a hero,” she insisting in a tone that made it clear that this was the final word on the subject.
    As they talked, perfect three-dimensional holograms of different animals continued to appear before them. The images changed every few seconds and they had yet to start repeating. The animals appeared directly in front of a large, arch-shaped building.
    “A zoo?” guessed Regan after watching several more animal holograms appear.
    “That would make sense,” said Ryan. “But inside this single building? The cages would have to be awfully small.”
    “Even if it is—or was—a zoo,” said Regan, “it’s not as though any animals are still going to be alive in there. This city has been abandoned for a long, long time.”
    They had been in the city all day and had yet to find the slightest hint that the city had ever been inhabited.
    “Let’s check it out anyway,” suggested Ryan.
    They entered to find that the building contained absolutely nothing but dozens of oval doorways, spaced evenly around the walls. Above each doorway a different animal hologram appeared every few seconds, just as they had outside. This time the holograms above each doorway seemed to have a theme; winter animals, or desert animals, and each of the groupings had subtle similarities that made the kids think they came from the same planet.
    Regan gestured to one of the doorways. It was clear they could pass through the opening but they couldn’t see what was on the other side. “Should we go through one of them?”
    Ryan considered. “Okay, but I’ll go first,” he said protectively. He walked through a doorway with his sister close behind.
    They had expected to see cages. What they saw was a vast forest of trees