The Final Six (The Final Six #1) - Alexandra Monir Page 0,44
artificial eyes roving over each one of us.
“Welcome to the Altitude Chamber,” the lieutenant greets us, with a sweep of his hands. “The space we’re standing in is a NASA-engineered replica of Thera Macula, the ice-surface terrain where the Final Six will land when they reach Europa.”
A ripple of excitement runs through my teammates. Katerina does a little spin on the ice, managing to make it look elegant even in tennis shoes. “It feels like home,” I hear her murmur to Asher before Lieutenant Barnes continues.
“In preparing for any mission, astronauts-in-training will generally spend two hours a day exercising, three times a week, to prepare their bodies for the physical changes that occur in space. We often put them through military-grade obstacle courses, in addition to the standard gym routines. At the same time, our scientists develop altitude chambers like this one to help astronauts’ bodies adjust to the environment they’ll be entering. However, in your case, with so much training we need to pack into so little time, we’ve decided to kill two birds with one stone: by combining the physical challenge of a military obstacle course with the Europa Altitude Chamber.”
I exchange a nervous glance with Suki. Could there be worse timing for a training session like this?
“Europa has no atmosphere, which means no wind or weather—so you’ll be safe from all the climate-related crises that plague us on Earth.” Lieutenant Barnes pauses, smiling at my teammates’ reaction to that. “There are only two environmental issues on Europa that we’re aware of. The first is the occurence of icequakes, which should feel similar to a low-grade earthquake. The second are known as water eruptions: when shifting tectonic plates cause enormous plumes of water to shoot out of the ice. While these events might sound unsettling, both are fairly mild compared to what we’ve been through here on Earth.”
I eye the lieutenant suspiciously. How can he say that with any authority, when he’s never experienced either of those things for himself? Besides, even if these are the only environmental issues they’re “aware of,” how soon will it be before the hands of humans wreak havoc on this new world, just as we did on Earth? I’m beginning to wonder who should be more afraid: us of Europa’s unknowns and its potential intelligent life . . . or them of humans and our tendency to destroy.
“To complete the course, you’ll run sprints around the path of orange cones and jump over the ice-block hurdles, dodging any simulated icequakes or water plume eruptions that may occur,” Lieutenant Barnes instructs us. “Your challenge is to make it through the obstacles without falling, and without touching the water or the cones. You’ll complete the course in pairs, and whoever has the fastest time and fewest deductions at the end wins. Got it?”
I cringe. This is an athletic feat beyond my comfort zone—and way beyond what Suki is capable of right now.
She turns to me in panic. “I—I can’t mess up,” she gasps. “I need to win.”
I resist the urge to tell her that’s not about to happen in her state. “Let’s be partners,” I suggest instead. “I’ll go at your speed, so you don’t seem off compared to the others.”
“Thank you,” she says, her face flooding with relief. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“No problem,” I tell her, though a small voice in my mind reminds me of Dr. Takumi’s warning. What if I’m not a good enough actress to pull this off—what if they figure out that I’m throwing the game on purpose? Then again . . . my paltry athletic skills could come in handy here. It won’t take that much effort to make Suki look decent.
“All right, line up in pairs!”
Leo and Asher stand at the head of the line, with Katerina and Beckett right behind them, and me and Suki going last. I watch, nerves mounting, as Leo and Asher take off the second Lieutenant Barnes blows the whistle. The two of them weave around the cones at a breakneck speed, occasionally slipping on the ice but catching themselves before they touch the ground. And then the first icequake hits. I’m not even in the obstacle course and my body sways, hands gripping my knees to keep from falling over and dragging Suki down with me. Asher hits the ground, but Leo keeps running, leaping over one of the ice blocks with such confidence that I can’t look away. Asher gets to his feet, and I hear Katerina cheering him