The Final Six (The Final Six #1) - Alexandra Monir Page 0,29

as good as me? It’s been over a year since my last swim meet or training session with my coach; I am far from competition-ready.

“What was your best race?” I ask Beckett, trying to sound nonchalant.

“The four-hundred-meter freestyle.”

“Oh.” I swallow hard. “Me, too.”

I should have known they would have more than one swimmer in contention here, with all the underwater elements involved in terraforming Europa. But in my excitement, I never even considered it.

I just assumed it would be me.

Training Day One kicks off with a crack-of-dawn wake-up call from our dorm room’s interactive mirror, followed by a jittery team breakfast where, unlike last night, no one seems to have much of an appetite. And then, before I know it, we’re following Lark to the elevator bay—and to our first training session.

The elevator dings as we land on the sixth floor. Lark sweeps through the lift doors first, leading us to a concrete wall straight ahead.

“Each team is running on a different schedule, so you can receive as close to individualized attention as possible during training,” she says, glancing behind her to make sure we’re all within earshot. “Your first session today takes place on a life-size mock-up of the Pontus: the spaceship that will fly the Final Six to Europa.”

Lark presses the badge hanging around her neck to a quarter-size symbol on the wall, and I hear a gasp behind me as the concrete splits apart. The wall juts open, revealing the gleaming white facades of space capsules and the outstretched arm of a robotic crane, beckoning us forward.

“Here we go.”

Lark steps through the opening, and we follow her onto the Mission Floor. It’s a vast expanse the size of an American football field, with a series of hulking, interconnected cylindrical structures running the length of the floor. The walls and ceiling are painted to resemble the pitch-black sky you’d see from the windows of deep space, while a futuristic blue light offsets the darkness. General Sokolov steps out of one of the capsules, dressed in a red flight suit adorned with mission patches and insignia.

“Good morning, and welcome to the Pontus,” she announces. “What you see before you are the capsules, modules, and nodes that make up the most cutting-edge spaceship ever built—the Final Six’s home base for the duration of the journey to Europa.”

I turn to Asher standing beside me, and we exchange an excited glance. This is getting real.

“Not only does the spacecraft transport you from Point A to a very far-off Point B, it also serves as a life preserver, shielding you from the deadly elements and punishing conditions of deep space. However, this very shield can easily become a weapon if you fail to understand how it works and what makes the Pontus tick. All it takes is one innocuous mistake—for example, failing to close the airlock doors securely—and you could be killed within seconds.”

She lets those words hang in the air, the image of an explosive death lingering above us, before she leads the way to the first space capsule.

“In the coming days, you will face emergency drills to test both your understanding of the spacecraft and your ability to survive a crisis onboard—so pay close attention as I walk you through the Pontus.”

The general climbs into a giant cylinder in the shape of a spinning top, with four thrusters protruding from the bottom. We follow her inside, emerging into a glowing, blue-lit flight deck. Two massive tablet screens hang from the ceiling, angled downward to face the five leather seats at the center of the cabin, all in the reclined position for liftoff. Another pair of seats rests in front of a glass cockpit, with an array of flight instruments between them, and an 8K electronic navigation display unfurling across the glass. As the six of us look around in wonder, General Sokolov strides up to the cockpit.

“While Cyb will be piloting the spacecraft under my command, one of the Final Six gets to take this seat beside the AI and serve as copilot. Upcoming flight simulations will test your abilities and determine who is best suited for this role, as well as help us fill the other key posts for the mission: lieutenant commander, communications and tech specialist, science officer, medical officer, and Europa underwater specialist.”

Asher elbows me in the ribs, a grin lighting his face. He’s sure to snag the copilot seat, and I know he must be thinking I’m a lock for underwater specialist. And I should be—it’s the