The Prometheus Project by Douglas E. Richards

.”
    Ryan laughed. Maybe he had lived in California too long. He still couldn’t see how this helped them. The answer suddenly dawned on him as it had on his sister and his mouth dropped open. He hadn’t adjusted his thinking to the possibilities of the alien city. In the zoo they had instant access to dozens of worlds, several of which would be cold enough to freeze water. Using an entire world as a freezer seemed a bit excessive, but a good scientist had to be able to use whatever tools were available.
    Regan could see that he had caught on. “We’ll need to go back to the city and find a small container that will hold liquid. Then we can drop it off on an ice-planet and come back after it’s frozen.”
    Ryan nodded. “If it floats in the stream, we’ll drink some. It still might not be pure water, but it’s the best we can do.”
    “I agree,” said Regan. “What about possible diseases?”
    “We’ll just have to be careful,” her brother replied. “Provided the ice floats, we can drink a very small amount. If that doesn’t kill us by tomorrow, then we’ll know it’s okay.”
    “And if it does kill us by tomorrow?” said Regan.
    “Then we won’t be thirsty, will we,” responded Ryan with a straight face.
    “Very comforting,” said Regan.
    They turned away from the stream and headed back for the tram. They were halfway there when they spotted their first large animal.
    And it spotted them.
    It was about seven feet tall and probably weighed six-hundred pounds—with most of this weight in the form of dense, rippling muscle. Its mouth was packed with dagger-like teeth. It was orange and black and looked somewhat reptilian. It had eight powerful legs, four on each side, and each foot ended in a claw that a raptor would envy. It was a vicious predator; an unstoppable killing machine.
    And it was between them and the tram.
    They froze in place, their breath stuck in their throats. If this beast attacked, it would cut them both to ribbons before they could even blink.
    Regan’s mind worked furiously. Was there any way out of this? They couldn’t possibly outrun it. Besides, running was a very bad idea. Kids who hiked in California were taught that if they encountered a cougar, also known as a mountain lion, the last thing they should do is run, because running only made them look like prey.
    What else could they do? They were no match for this alien monster physically. But then, humans had never been a match, physically, for any of the predators they had conquered. Only their superior brainpower had allowed them to become the top predator on Earth.
    The creature stared at them for several long seconds, trying to figure out what to make of them. Finally, satisfied that they would make easy prey, it snarled fiercely and started toward them with a killer’s gleam in its eye, preparing to attack.
    And with the immense strength and physical weapons available to the creature one thing was certain; at this moment, all the human brainpower in the universe wasn’t going to stop it for even a second.
     

 
    Chapter 19
     
    The Swarm
     
    Suddenly, Regan had an inspiration.
    She picked up a large rock by her feet. “Brace yourself, Ryan!” she yelled. And then she did something her brother would never have expected in a million years. She jumped on his back.
    Despite her warning he barely managed not to fall over as she climbed up his back and sat on his shoulders. What was she doing?
    “Now growl and scream at it!” said Regan, who immediately took her own advice. While they were screaming she threw the rock as hard as she could at the snarling monster, hitting it in the center of its body.
    They continued growling and yelling as loudly and fiercely as they could, feeling ridiculous trying to scare this formidable beast with their yells and puny human teeth.
    The creature stopped seven feet from them and considered. It studied them carefully for about fifteen seconds while they continued to shout insults