Free Race to Witch Mountain by James Ponti Page B

abandoned service tunnel hidden beneath some scrub brush. They moved forward on their hands and knees until their way was blocked by a grate. Jack grunted and strained trying to push it open, but he couldn’t budge it.
    â€œFor the record,” Alex said, “I get very claustrophobic in tight places.”
    â€œ Perfect ,” Jack thought as he maneuvered his body around so that he could give the grate a couple of quick kicks. On the third try it finally popped off and fell down and out of sight. Jack kept waiting for the sound of the metal clanging against something, but there was no sound at all. The grate just kept falling. Jack took a deep breath before he looked over the edge and down into what appeared to be a bottomless pit.
    â€œHow are you with heights?” he asked, trying to force a smile.
    The drop was at least two thousand feet. Jack was able to dangle over the edge and get his feet onto the rungs of a service ladder that was attached to the wall.
    He signaled for Alex to follow. Slowly and very carefully she inched her way onto the ladder. Everything was okay until she looked down. Then she froze, too scared to speak or move.
    â€œIt’s okay,” Jack told her.“I am right below you.”
    â€œI . . . can’t . . .” she stuttered. “You have to go without me.”
    â€œNo way,” Jack insisted. “I’m on this ladder. You’re on this ladder. This ladder leads us to Sara and Seth. Chaos theory, right?”
    Alex gulped. “No theory,” she said. “Just a lot of chaos.” Still, his tone reassured her. Feeling a bit safer, she began to move.
    As they climbed down, they discovered service tunnels every hundred feet or so. Jack wasn’t sure which one he was looking for, but he hoped he would know it when he saw it.
    Just then there was a loud and ominous grumble from deep below them.
    â€œEarthquake?” Jack asked.
    â€œDoubt it,” said Alex.“The mountain was picked for its lack of seismic activity.”At least, that was what Harlan’s documents had said.
    There was another, larger rumble that made the ladder shake. They had to hang on for dear life until Alex suddenly remembered something from one of the schematics.
    â€œOh, no, Jack,” she yelled. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
    Jack looked down and saw a fiery red glow coming up toward them.
    â€œExhaust furnace!” she shouted.
    They hurried down to the next service tunnel as the fire rose. Jack ripped the grate off the entrance, and in one quick move he grabbed Alex and swung them both into the tunnel—just as the fireball shot past. The force of the explosion knocked them farther into the tunnel, which was slanted downward like a gigantic playground slide.
    The two slid and tumbled until finally, Jack slammed into the bottom of the tunnel with a painful thud .A few seconds later,Alex landed on top of him.
    When they crawled out of the tunnel, they were amazed by what they saw.
    They were in the heart of Witch Mountain.

CHAPTER 18
    H enry Burke sat in an all-white observation room that overlooked a high-tech laboratory. Seth and Sara were unconscious and connected to a series of wires and tubes in the lab. They were being examined by Matheson and Pope, each dressed in full medical gear.
    â€œHow soon until the subjects are prepped?” Burke asked, speaking into a microphone.
    â€œThey’re heavily sedated,” Matheson answered. “Minimal med tests proceeding within forty-eight to seventy-two hours.”
    Burke couldn’t wait. “Unacceptable. Commence the procedures.”
    â€œWe don’t know enough about their systems,” Matheson reminded him. “Any sudden change could terminate the subjects.”
    â€œYou can’t just kill them,” Pope interjected.
    â€œMr. Pope, you’d do well not to forget what our mission is,” Burke said. “Our orders come from Washington. And