Prometheus Road Read Online Free PDF

“Do I look crazy to you?”
    Tom didn’t feel any need to state the obvious, so he shrugged.
    “That’s it. Back in the water with you.”
    “Okay, sorry, but where am I? I thought you lived in a cave in the wasteland.”
    “That’s what you’re supposed to think. Keeps the curious yahoos out of my hair. We’re actually in the northern transbay tunnel, not far from my home. Bay Area Rapid Transit built the deep tube under the bay in 2030 to connect San Francisco with Alcatraz, Angel Island, and Sausalito. The mag-lev trains don’t run anymore, but it’s still a great way to get around without being seen by nosy parkers with silicon brains.”
    Tom looked up at the ceiling and shuddered. “So we’re underwater?”
    “About thirty feet of it, yes. And another ten feet of gravel and mud.”
    “Then how did I get in here?”
    Magnus pointed at a hatch about ten feet away in the side of the tunnel. “Grapple on a robot construction arm. My alarms went off when the guardian entered the water. The defensive system thought my house was under attack. The grapple was meant for the guardian, but I intercepted my robot in time and snatched you instead. Hauled you in through the construction airlock and scrambled the guardian’s brains with a high-voltage shock. You’re lucky I was home.”
    Tom rubbed his sore ankle, uncertain as to whether he should thank Magnus for the rescue or curse him. Drowning would have made things so much simpler. “Yeah. Thanks.” He offered his hand. “I’m Tom Eliot, by the way.”
    Magnus ignored Tom’s outstretched hand. “I know. I’ve been keeping my eye on you, boy.”
    Tom raised his eyebrows.
    “Anyone who regularly manages to sneak past the wards like you have deserves my attention. I’m surprised that Telemachus let you get away with it for this long, but now the jig is up. The siliboys know who you are, where you live, and what you had for breakfast. To put it another way, it’s time for you to hit the highway and run like hell.”
    “I can’t leave my home. My family depends on me.”
    “Up until today that may have been true. If you go home now, not only will the siliboys find you, but they might just decide to take the rest of your family in as well. I know all about their ‘rehabilitation units,’ and I can assure you that you don’t want to see the inside of one. You probably wouldn’t even survive it—many people don’t.”
    “How do you know so much about these things?”
    Magnus raised an eyebrow, and his gray eyes glittered in the red light. The look jarred Tom, as if he were receiving input on all the channels of his brain simultaneously, communicating amusement, strength, the memory of pain, and wisdom all at once. “I have to get back. Can’t stand around chatting all day. I’ve got work to do.”
    Magnus spun on his heel and began to walk away. Tom hesitated, then trotted after him. “Wait. I don’t know how to get out of here.” Magnus snorted and continued walking at a brisk pace. Tom noticed that he didn’t move like an old man; his gait was quick and confident, his movements fluid. Their rapid footsteps echoed in the tunnel.
    Magnus glanced over his shoulder. “We’ve met before, you know.”
    “We have? When was that?” He was sure he would have remembered such a meeting. Maybe the old man was crazy after all.
    “You think about it, boy. If you can remember, we’ll both learn something. If you can’t, I’ll learn something, and you’ll just remain in the dark where you belong.” Magnus stopped suddenly and whirled around, his robes flapping when he raised his arms, looming over Tom like a giant bat. His eyes were wild and full of gray fire. Tom noticed that his right arm looked scarred and unusually smooth. “Every creature has at least one special moment in its life when it learns a secret,” Magnus boomed. “A secret that will alter the course of its future. Are you prepared for that, boy? This may be your one great