The Shadow Project by Herbie Brennan Page A

was a lot more dangerous than they were pretending, probably a lot more complicated as well. It was one thing joining a spy outfit and playing at remote viewing—nobody could touch you if you stayed at home—but Danny was no hero. He looked at the machinery and felt a little chill run down his spine. Those seats looked more like electric chairs than ever.
    Sir Roland’s daughter was obviously in a bad way. Danny hadn’t expected to find her unconscious in the chair—wasn’t sure what he had expected to find, but certainly not the pretty girl he’d seen earlier slumped like an empty sack. So long as his Nan was sick, they hadhim, but that didn’t mean he had to do everything they said. He felt sorry for the girl, but an early life on the streets taught you to look after number one. This whole deal was showing all the signs of a dangerous mission, whatever Sir Roland wasn’t telling him.
    Michael said, “He doesn’t want to do it, Sir Roland. I can do it—I know I can.”
    â€œAll right,” Danny heard himself say. “Mr. Hanover says you need me. Your girl is out there somewhere and I have to get her back—is that about it?”
    Sir Roland shook his head. “A little overstated. We simply need you to find out what has happened to her. If you can get her back, that would certainly be a bonus, but it’s not expected. Bring us information, and we should be able to do the rest.”
    â€œHow am I supposed to find her?” Danny asked.
    â€œWe can send you to her last known coordinates,” Carradine said. “You don’t have to do anything—that’s automatic.”
    â€œAnd I’ll be able to see her—this second body of hers?”
    Sir Roland nodded. “Yes, so long as you’re in your own energy body. And she can see you. But no one else can.”
    Fran said, “Your surroundings will seem quite normal, and so will you. Opal will seem quite solid, but shewon’t be and neither will you.”
    â€œWhat happens if she’s not there?” Danny asked. “At the coordinates?”
    â€œIn that case, you’ll have to look around.”
    â€œYou’ll be able to fly in your second body—I’d suggest you use it,” Carradine said. “See if you can spot her from the air.”
    Danny blinked. “I’ll be able to fly ?” He looked from one face to another. “You telling me I’ll be able to fly? Like Superman?”
    â€œLeap tall buildings with a single bound,” Carradine said sourly. “Danny, you will be in an energy body. You can do things with it you could never do in the physical. It’s like being a ghost. You can walk through walls. Gravity can’t hold you, so you can fly.”
    â€œHow?” Danny asked him promptly. He was still wary, still scared if he admitted it, but the idea that he might be able to fly was something else.
    â€œYou ever fly in a dream?” Carradine asked.
    Danny hesitated. “Matter of fact I have,” he said. “Sometimes…”
    â€œIt’s like that,” Carradine told him. “Might take a little time to get the hang of it, but…”
    Danny was about to say something else, but Sir Roland cut in. “Take all the time you need. We won’t call you back from this mission until you signal.”
    â€œHow do I do that?” Danny asked.
    There was sudden silence in the chamber.
    â€œAh,” Carradine said.
    Fran said, “We haven’t trained him to signal.”
    Danny looked from one to the other, then said to George Hanover, “That’s part of the basic training I don’t really need—right?”
    â€œMaybe I exaggerated a little,” Hanover said, dropping his eyes.
    Sir Roland looked from Carradine to Fran, then back to Carradine again. After a moment, Carradine said, “Suppose we link the chairs again—”
    â€œWe can’t do