Six by Mark Alpert Page B

Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg. In the United States, the missiles will destroy Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
    I am ready to fight. The choice is yours.

CHAPTER
8
    Pioneer Base is even bigger than I thought. After Dad and I fly back to Colorado, he gives me a tour of the facility, pushing my wheelchair down the corridors of all the underground floors. We pass computer labs and machine shops and conference rooms. We peek inside the base’s mess hall and the barracks for the soldiers. But he saves the best part for last, when we’re on the lowest floor. As Dad opens the door to another conference room he says, “I have a surprise for you.” When he wheels me inside the room, I see Shannon.
    Without saying a word, she hobbles toward me. Her left eye is swollen shut and her lips are bunched to one side, but I can tell she’s smiling. She bends over my wheelchair to hug me, and I manage to lift my right arm and hook it around her. I’m so glad to see her here.
    We hug for a long time. Shannon nuzzles her head against mine, and I can feel the prickly fuzz on her nearly bald scalp. After half a minute she finally pulls away from me, but she keeps smiling her lopsided, nerve-damaged smile.
    â€œWell, here we are again. How are you feeling, Adam? Are you ready for tomorrow?”
    I nod. Dad has already given me a rundown of what’s going to happen. Of the twelve teenagers who were recruited for the Pioneer Project, six have volunteered to become Pioneers, and I’ll be the first to undergo the brain-scanning procedure. If it’s successful, the other volunteers will follow over the next few days. The thought of the procedure terrifies me, but for Shannon’s sake, I don’t let it show. Instead, I smile back at her.
    â€œYeah, I’m ready. I can’t wait to get out of this wheelchair.” I glance at Dad, who’s hanging back in the doorway, giving us some space. “Hey, you think we can program the robots to play football? That would be awesome.”
    Dad smiles too, but it’s not very convincing. I think he’s even more scared than I am. “First things first, Adam. We need to get you inside the Pioneer before you can start tossing the pigskin.” He lets out a lame chuckle, then looks at his watch. “Listen, can I leave you two alone for a while? I have a meeting with General Hawke in five minutes. If either of you starts feeling sick, just press that intercom button, okay?” He points at a red button on the wall beside the door. “The medics will hear it and come running.”
    He seems anxious to go. I know how he feels—pretending to be brave isn’t easy. With an awkward nod, he heads out the door.
    I look around the conference room. There are no windows, of course, because we’re hundreds of feet underground. There are some chairs, a table, and a video screen on the wall. For a super-secret military base, the décor is pretty ordinary. “This office is so depressing. I wish we could go outside.”
    â€œI have an idea.” Shannon steps behind my wheelchair and grasps its handles. “Let’s go visiting.” She opens the door and rolls me into the corridor. “I want you to meet a couple of people.”
    She doesn’t have to push me—the wheelchair is motorized—but I like it. It’s kind of intimate. “Are you going to introduce me to your parents?”
    â€œNo, they’re a little freaked out right now. They supported my decision to come here, but they can’t really handle it. I think they’re on another floor now, trying to talk to the general.”
    I open my mouth, intending to tell her about Mom, who was so devastated by my decision that she locked herself in her bedroom again. I had to say good-bye to her from the hallway, shouting the words through the bedroom door. But I can’t tell Shannon this story. It’s too upsetting. I