Chapter 13

     “I can’t believe this!!” Heather threw her arms into the air.
     After getting past the garden force field, for the past half-hour, they had been trying to get the door into the mansion to open. They had figured out that they had to press a sequence of buttons on the wall based on the color spectra of a series of elements displayed on the wall by a projector. It required an inordinate amount of coordination, though, since if they pressed just one button off, shifted the projector a little too far to the left, or hesitated too long to press it, the whole thing reset and they had to start all over again.
     “Okay, let’s…let’s try this again,” Drew heaved a breath. “I think I’ve gotten the cramp out of my hands, now.”
     “I think,” Anastasia yawned behind the projector, “that we’ve almost got it.”
     “We’d better,” Phillip groaned, holding up the lamp so Anastasia could see the slip that said what order to put the projector slides.
     “Okay, I think we’ve got the sequence down. Just one more time, people.” Strufis exhaled sharply.
     Anastasia woozily held up a slide. “Okay…ready to start the spectrums…hurry before I get delirious again…”
     Once more, they started the sequence of putting in the element spectrum into the projector, pressing the keys that the color bands shined on, element by element by element.
     They were nearing the end of the sequence when suddenly they heard a whipping hum, the sound of helicopter blades. “Holy crap, they found us already?!”
     “Quick, hide!!”
     In a panic, they all jumped under overhangs and shady areas, trying to get out of view as much as possible just as the helicopters pulled into view, hovering above them with search lights.
     They approached the group’s location, but the vehicles couldn’t come any closer. At first it just looked like the wind, but then when one of them tried to accelerate it was thrown back, as if hitting an invisible wall.
     After some moments they swore they could hear some infuriated cursing before the helicopters turned around and pulled away towards the perimeter of the property.
     “Guess we can thank that force field that kept us out for saving our arses this time,” Anastasia remarked.
     “…Wait a second, those weren’t Naturals,” Strufis said. “They weren’t wearing green or brown, they were wearing black suits. Those guys were from the government, no mistake. I saw one of them leaning out; I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I think that was Mr. Templehill. He and the Professor know each other, and they’ve talked about the project a lot before.”
     “What? Really?” Heather said, surprised. “But then, why is he the one going after the translator? Did something happen…?”
     Strufis sighed. “I’m not entirely sure. But suddenly they stopped talking to each other and since then I’ve noticed the Professor was a little uneasy…”
     “Um…you guys?” Drew reluctantly pointed toward the wall, where the colored bands had disappeared. “…it reset on us.”
     They stared at each other.
     Anastasia collapsed. “I really, really want some sleep…”