The Rhyklen Project

Chapter 4

I leaned back against the soft leather seat and looked around the car.  There was literally nothing in it.  Even with the sparse lighting I could tell that this thing was kept clear and clean all the time.

We went from main road to main road and I thought we would never stop, when all of the sudden we pulled into a residential area.  Looking around the car again, I realized that there was another open seat.  I realized we must be picking up someone else.

We wound along a few side roads until pulling up in front of a small, average looking house.  I felt bad for whoever was in there.  They were about to be horribly surprised.

After the agents got out of the car, I relaxed a little.  I tried to glance at the other guys without turning my head, but that was too hard and my eyes started to hurt.  I figured they would take a while at this house, so I pulled out my iPhone, plugged in my headphones, and played my music.  The first song that came on was Blow by Ke$ha.  I decided that was too loud for me, and found a nothing song.  This time it was The A Team by Ed Sheeran.  Now I might have been a bit more relaxed, but I definitely was not at ease.  I made sure my volume was down almost all the way and only one eat bud was in.  I was about to lean against the window, but I saw movement.  The front door of the house opened, and agent Haldry walked out followed by a new figure.  As they got closer to the car, I could make out what he looked like.  It was another guy.  He had a buzz cut, so I couldn't tell what his hair color was.  When he got into the car and sat in front of me, I noticed something else.

The dude was ripped.

And I don't mean maybe-he-plays-football-or-something ripped, I mean Taylor Lautner he-probably-works-out-all-the-time ripped.

And he didn't even look at us.

He freaking kept his head forward and sat straight and everything.

Who was this guy?

I couldn't really see his face, but he seemed to be about the same age as the guy siting next to me.  As the car pulled out and onto the street again, I caught a glimpse of his parents at the front door.  They were waving and almost smiling.  Something was weird about this, that's for sure.

---

A few minutes later we pulled onto the main highway leading to the city.  In the passenger seat, agent Haldry turned to talk to us.

"Now as you all probably figured out, I'm agent Haldry.  There are many things I cannot tell you here, but I promise we will tell you later. Some of you have different knowledge about what is occurring and most of you have similar reactions.  I just ask that you stay quiet until we get to our next destination."

I didn't think that anyone was going to talk anyways, but now I knew we weren't allowed.  I stayed awake the whole ride, possibly due to my recent adrenaline rush, along with everyone else in the car.

Right before we were about to enter the city, the car swerved hard to the left, pushing me against the side of the car.

Then, everything went black.

No I didn't pass out, but I couldn't see anything.  My body went into fight-or-flight mode, along with the other teens in the car.  Heart racing, breath quickening, and fists curled, I almost shot out of my seat.  I didn't like not being able to see.  I didn't know what was happening.  It seemed like my peers in the car felt the same way, as I could feel the boy next to me doing the same.  Sensing this, agent Haldry said quickly, "Don't worry we're just in a tunnel."

I relaxed myself, but only slightly.  I hated not being able to see anything.

When we finally pulled out of the tunnel we were hit with a beam of light so bright that my eyes hurt from the rays even when they were closed.  The radical change from dark to light made it even worse.

I guess that's what the agents' sunglasses were for, because the car just kept going.

A second later, we stopped and I heard the doors open.  Squinting, I opened my eyes and turned to see the rest of my comrades doing the same.  None of us moved at first, but after a shove and a push from the agent in the back, we all started filing out of the car.  Before I got out I made sure to shove my phone in my pocket so I had both hands free.

When I jumped out, my feet hit hard pavement.  I tried to keep my head down and shaded from the light, but the white cement only reflected it back at me.  Looking up for a second, I could see we were approaching a jet.

Like,

a legit top-secret pitch-black probably-filled-with-advanced-technology government jet.

There was one exception to the shine-proof black of the small jet; a logo right above the wing facing us.  It was in light gray and appeared to be an eagle biting into a circle.  Below the eagle's feet were the words, "The Rhyklen Project."

I must have lingered for a moment, because the boy walking I was walking in front of almost ran into me.  I heard his feet shuffle to a stop as his foot stepped on the back of mine.  He muttered a quick "Sorry" and took a step back.  That was quickly followed by a gruff "Hey keep moving!" from the agent behind him.

We were walking blindly like ducks in a row, and I didn't like it.  We, or at least I, had no idea what was going on and what they were going to do to us.  I still hadn't made up my mind as to wether or not they were good or bad, but as of now it didn't matter.  Lifting my head, I realized that the intense light was no longer affecting my vision.  Seeing that the boy in front of me was entering the jet, I looked around one final time to see the car that had taken us here driving away, followed by another similar car.