Stone Investigations (Stone Series Book 4) by Bob Blanton (open ebook txt) 📗

He had to open it slowly so theyweren’t jerked apart by a sudden change in speed.  He was having to fight AgentPeters as he tried to keep her above him so his butt would stay on the top ofthe portal.

“What are you trying to do?!”

“Parachute, can’t you feel it?!”

“What, that can’t be real.”  Agent Peters looked above them.

“It’s invisible, but it’s real.  Now quit fighting and helpme so I can slow us down more.”

“How . . . how are you doingthis?”

“It’s a secret.  I’ll explain later, but first, we have toslow down before we hit the water.”

“Okay, I guess I don’t have a choice.”  Agent Peters couldtell that they were slowing down, even if she couldn’t understand it.  “You canrelax your grip; you’re hurting my ribs.”

“Sorry.”

“What are we going to do once we hit the water?  It’s still along way to shore.”

“I’ll call a friend.  She’ll come get us in a speed boat.”

“Call a friend?  How?”

Matthew pointed upward.  “Parachute.”

“I guess if you can pull that off you can pull off a phonecall.”

Matthew had continued to expand the top end of his portal. It was now large enough that it was really slowing them down.  “I hope this isenough.”

“Why?”

“I think this is as good as it gets.  I can’t grow the chuteanymore.”

“I’ve done some skydiving.  This is a little fast, but not bymuch.  Hitting the water should cushion us enough to compensate for the speedwe’re carrying.”

“Good.”

“Now, can you explain what is going on?”

“Later.  I have to concentrate.”

Agent Peters shook her head, still confused.  Then lookeddown at the water.  “I think I should jump free before we hit.  Will you beable to find me after?”

“Not a problem.”

“Have you called your friend yet?”

“One thing at a time.”

It was another minute before Agent Peters jumped free. Matthew rode the portal the other six feet before he hit the water.  He immediatelyreopened it up high where it would give him a view of where Agent Peters was. He started swimming in her direction.  She was bobbing, dropping down below thewater, then kicking hard so she would pop up and get a view over the swells.

“There you are,” she gasped as Matthew swam up behind her.

“No sharks?”

“I don’t see any, and since there’s no blood, we should beokay for a bit.”

“Alright, give me a minute and I’ll get us out of the water.”

“What?!”

Matthew held his hand up to stop her question.  “Emily!”

“Matt, where are you?  I’ve been looking all over.  I wasabout to go to the police.”

“I need you to get a speed boat and come and get us.”

“Who’s us, and where are you?”

“I’ll explain when you get here.  We’re about twenty mileswest-northwest of the island.  I’ll give you directions once you get on thewater.  I’ll check back in thirty minutes.”

“What’s going on?!”

“Emily, I’m floating in the ocean.  Can I please explainlater?  I need you to come get us now!”

“I’ll have to get Rebecca to rent the boat since I’m noteighteen yet.  But I’ll come and get you even if I have to steal one.”

“Thanks.  Talk to you later.”

Matthew closed his portal and turned back to Agent Peters.  “Okay,we need to get out of the water, in water this cold, survival time is onlyfifteen or twenty minutes.”

“What neat trick are you going to come up with now?”

“We need to float on our backs next to each other.  Come on!”

The two lay on their backs and Matthew opened his portalbelow them.  Then he raised it up until it was pressed against their bodies. He put the other end all the way on the bottom, allowing the distance to adjustas their bodies bobbed.

“What’s that pressing against me?”

“My portal.  Now just wait until the next swell.”

When the next swell raised them up, Matthew locked thedistance between the ends of the portal, so when the wave passed they were nowabove the water.  He then stood up, pulling Agent Peters up with him.

“Okay, now we need to hop at the same time, bring your kneesup as far as you can.  Plan on landing on your butt.  Are you with me?”

“It’s worked so far.”

“Okay, on three; one, . . . two, . . . three.”  The two hopped, bringing their knees up. Matthew raised the level of the portal so when they landed they were above theswells.  Of course, they both fell over onto their butts when they hit theportal.

“This is amazing.  I keep thinking I’m dead and this is theafterlife, or they shot me and this has all been a dream.”

“Not a dream.  Now relax, I’m going to turn this into aboat.”

“Why, this looks like it’ll work just fine.”

“Two reasons, we’ll get slammed by any big swells.  I couldraise us up to avoid that, but then that goes to the second reason.  I don’twant to explain to anyone how I can suspend us in air.”

“Okay, you’re the boss.”  Agent Peters sat up and removed herblouse.  She wrung it out before putting it back on.  Matthew had quicklyturned away so he could focus on his portal.  He softened the face and broughtthe other end up so it was exactly against the end they were sitting on, makinga bowl-shaped surface.  Matthew made it large enough that it was able to keepthem floating above the surface.

“You know you should wring your shirt out as well.  Don’t beshy.”

“I wasn’t being shy.  But if I get distracted and loseconcentration, then the portal will collapse and we’ll be in the water again.”

“Oh, I guess I should have warned you.  But it’s no differentthan a bikini.”

“Right, well, I get distracted by girls in bikinis.”  Matthew'sears were red, so Agent Peters knew he was lying a little.  He pulled off hispolo shirt and wrung it out.  “We need to warm up as much as we can.  We’regoing to have to get wet again in thirty minutes when I have to connect withEmily again.”

“We will?” Agent Peters asked as she squeegeed the water outof her pants.  Matthew was glad she didn’t take them off to wring them out.

“Yes, I can only do one thing at a time.  So when I have tofind Emily, I’ll have