Lost Planet 01 - The Lost Planet Read Online Free PDF

days.”
    Dr. Silvestri crossed his arms. “Do you think … could he have another?”
    â€œNo. Not that I’m aware of.”
    â€œAnother what?” asked Chase.
    The doctor barely spared him a glance. “You’ll have to hold on to him at the compound until we reach Asa. I don’t know what this all means, but with his injury, I have a bad feeling that this is only the beginning. And we still don’t know how he got inside the compound.”
    â€œI teleported, right?” said Chase. “That’s the only way I could just show up outside like that.”
    Dr. Silvestri shook his head. “That’s impossible. The entire perimeter is ringed with scramblers.”
    â€œWith what?”
    â€œAnti-inport devices. That compound is locked down like a fortress. For you to just turn up like that—it’s very strange. And very worrying.”
    â€œWhy?” asked Chase.
    Dr. Silvestri pushed his glasses up on his nose and glanced at Mina. “Because Asa Kaplan has a lot of enemies.”
    A million possibilities opened up in Chase’s mind, none of them good. All of them blocked by his missing memory. The freshly healed wound on the back of his head prickled, and he rubbed it. Had that been the work of Asa Kaplan’s enemies?
    Mina was watching him with her creepy analytic stare. “I’ll take him back to the compound and keep him under close surveillance for now.”
    â€œGive him the same level of protection you give to Parker.”
    Mina nodded. “I’ll send the message to Asa as soon as I see his signal come back in range.”
    Dr. Silvestri drew a deep breath and turned toward his work table. “I’ll keep working on the chip. I’ve also got a tissue sample I took from Chase’s wound. I’ll see if I can find any matches on his DNA. Be safe.”
    â€œBe safe,” said Mina, taking a step away from the doctor. Chase reached for the door, but she stopped him. “No, we can leave from here. Just hold still.”
    From the corner of his eye, Chase saw her touch the ring on her finger. This time he squeezed his eyes shut as the horrid sensation rushed over him, numbing his entire body. Instinctively he jerked backward from the discomfort.
    Before he opened his eyes again, he knew something had gone wrong. A strong breeze blew on his face, and he heard a whistling, rustling sound all around him. Chase looked out into the darkening twilight, and his heart began to race. He was standing in the middle of a grass jungle, outside an electrified dome.
    And he was alone.

 
    CHAPTER FOUR
    Chase stumbled backward through the tall stalks, his heart galloping in his chest. The grass grew so thick that he couldn’t see more than a few feet. “Mina?” he called in a shaky voice. No one answered. She wouldn’t have sent him here on purpose. Had the teleport failed?
    Suddenly he lost his footing and went sprawling down, slicing his arms on the sharp edges of the grass. His left foot had slid into a wide, deep hole. He yanked it out in a panic, scuttling away on his hands and feet.
    An ominous whirring sound echoed up from the hole. A moment later a pair of scaly black limbs reached out, followed by the dark, angular head of a Zinnjerha. Its protruding, glittery eyes swiveled toward him, and it clicked the curved pincers jutting from its mouth.
    As the dark creature emerged from its tunnel, Chase sat paralyzed with terror. RUN! his mind screamed, but his legs were two dead weights. The Zinnjerha tilted its head and started toward him.
    Chase finally forced his legs into action, scrambling backward until he could jump to his feet. The creature clicked, closing the distance between them in two long strides. More clicking cut through the air, coming from every direction. Another Zinnjerha pushed through the grass, and then a third.
    Chase backed through the jungle of plants, not daring to turn and run. One of