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

Three!”
    They both stepped through the hole and lobbed their glass grenades in a high arc to different spots in the room. The instant their hands were free they removed the knives that were clamped between their teeth, ready to use them.
    The four globes hit the floor one after another and exploded into fragments.
    Reacting to the sudden sound of shattering glass around them, the mercs moved instantly, rolling away from the sound and coming up with their weapons at the ready. Finding no targets other than broken glass toshoot at, they scanned the room rapidly, their feet and their weapons shifting along with their eyes.
    The soldier closest to the siblings saw them immediately and rushed forward so quickly he had them in his sights, at point-blank range, before they were able to blink.
    Major Manning snapped his fingers and pointed at the opening in the wall. Two men lined up on either side of it and plunged through, rifle-first, and then separated, walking rapidly in different directions through the corridor, their weapons pointing ahead of them and their fingers on the triggers. They reappeared about thirty seconds later. “All clear,” they reported.
    Finally, the rapid-fire movements of the mercs stopped and the room became filled by an eerie silence.
    One of the men crouched down and picked up a shard of glass, holding it up in front of his face and examining it carefully. He brought it to his nose and sniffed cautiously to determine if the globes had contained sleeping gas or any other substance that could prove dangerous. Detecting none, he looked up at his fellow soldiers and shook his head.
    “Where did these kids come from?” demanded one of the soldiers. “How is it Tezoc didn’t know they were here? He gave the all clear. Maybe his telepathic powers aren’t what they’re cracked up to be.”
    Ryan glanced over at the prisoners for the first time. They had recovered from their shock at the dramaticappearance of the team’s two youngest members, and their eyes gleamed hopefully, all having guessed the kids’ plan. While their mother had guessed their plan as well, a tear was slowly sliding down her face and Ryan knew she was terrified for her children. She would have far preferred they stay away and protect themselves rather than try to be heroes.
    The soldier holding them at gunpoint motioned with his head for them to move into the center of the room. Although their hands were raised in surrender, neither had let go of their knives. Their captor started laughing and shook his head at Regan in disbelief. “A knife, little girl?” he said mockingly. “You two were going up against us with some glass balls and a few knives?” he continued. “You have to be kidding me.”
    “That is so cute,” added another mercenary mockingly.
    While four of the five men were laughing, one was decidedly not.
    Major Manning maintained an expression that was deadly serious. Although short and thin, and still wearing a silly looking black ball-cap, Tezoc’s second in command radiated more menace than all of the other men combined.
    “These aren’t just any kids, you idiots!” barked the major, his forceful voice cutting through the laughter like a knife. “These children are Ryan and Regan Resnick,”he said icily. “And you would do well not to underestimate them.”
    The laughter stopped immediately. The mercs knew that both Tezoc and Manning had spent long hours studying all Prometheus personnel. These two must be on the team. The Prometheus Project had resorted to recruiting kids. How pathetic . But what was even more pathetic was how seriously Major Manning was taking them.
    And then, right on cue, the nanobots appeared!
    They shot from the floor like black lava from a volcanic eruption. They each had six identical body segments and looked far fiercer and more deadly than the most savage collection of army ants. As they crossed pieces of the globe, the glass melted away under their gnashing jaws and