The Final Six (The Final Six #1) - Alexandra Monir Page 0,49

wrists. Her force catches me off guard, and I shout out as she presses her fingernails into my skin.

“What’s she doing?” Naomi cries.

“I—don’t know—how did she—get—so strong?” I choke out.

“Tā hái huózhe.” Suki stares at me with frantic eyes and repeats the phrase in a distorted voice. “Tā hái huózhe.”

“It’s Mandarin,” Naomi pants. “Please tell me you understand Mandarin.”

I shake my head.

“Tā hái huózhe,” Suki says again, this time in a whisper. And then she drops my wrists—and her body turns limp.

“No!” Naomi screams, running to her side. I drop my head in my hands, dreading the moment that I know is coming. I can’t see another dead body, not another person—

“She’s breathing!” Naomi holds two fingers against her pulse, and relief floods through me. There’s still a chance.

Footsteps come pounding toward us, and the door flies open. As Asher returns with Lark and Dr. Takumi in tow, Suki’s body jerks forward, her convulsing recurring more violently than before. She pounds her head against the wall as she thrashes, still crying out the unfamiliar phrase, “Tā hái huózhe.” I can see tears in her eyes, and I turn to Dr. Takumi and Lark in desperation.

“What’s happening to her?”

“And what’s she saying?” Naomi demands from behind me. “Can you understand her?”

Lark’s face drains of color as she takes in the scene. She turns to Dr. Takumi, who doesn’t say a word either. He simply steps forward, his presence in the middle of the dorm room only adding to the heightened sense of fear—and he reaches for Suki. I hold my breath as he lifts her off the bed and she shrieks, her head whipping back and forth, her hands clawing at the air. Still managing to maintain his composure, Dr. Takumi reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a syringe.

“What are you do—” But before Naomi can get out her question, Dr. Takumi plunges the needle into Suki’s skin. And everything turns quiet.

“This light sedative should do the trick,” he says, tightening his grip around Suki. He moves toward the door, and Naomi jumps in front of him.

“Where you taking her? What’s happening?”

“I’m afraid she’s had an adverse reaction to the RRB,” he says coolly. “I’m taking her to the larger medical facility at Johnson Space Center. We’ll keep you updated as necessary.”

The four of us watch as Dr. Takumi carries her away, until all that’s left of Suki is the stench of fear. Lark sighs heavily.

“I’m sorry you all had to see that. When the body rejects a vaccine, it can on occasion cause catatonic symptoms that are frightening to witness. But you can trust that Dr. Takumi is getting Suki the best care possible.”

“If the RRB is so risky—” Naomi starts, but Lark cuts her off.

“For the vast majority of you, it isn’t. Suki is the only one of the Twenty-Four to exhibit any symptoms.”

So far, my mind adds. Could one of us be next?

“I know it’ll be hard to sleep after this,” she acknowledges. “But we have another busy day tomorrow, and you’ll want to be well rested.”

“Wait.” Naomi looks at her in disbelief. “So no matter what happens to Suki, tomorrow is business as usual?”

“That’s how it works in our field,” Lark says. “At NASA, I trained with the crew of the Athena, and I saw some of my closest friends die. I was devastated, but I still had to show up to work. Our goals at NASA remained the same: to push the boundaries of space and find a new home for human life. That doesn’t change when something bad happens.” She moves toward the door. “And there’s no reason to believe that anything irreparable happened tonight. If I know Dr. Takumi, he won’t spare any expense to make sure Suki returns to her old self.”

“Let’s hope,” Naomi murmurs under her breath.

“On that note,” Lark continues, “I suggest we go back to our rooms and at least try to get some sleep.”

“You guys go ahead,” I tell them. “I’ll be just a few more minutes.”

Lark gives me a sideways look, but she doesn’t try to stop me.

“Just don’t make it much longer.”

“Goodnight, Naomi. I—I hope you’ll be okay,” Asher says, his eyes flicking back to Suki’s empty bed before following Lark out of the room. And then it’s just the two of us.

I watch as Naomi crosses to her side of the room, decorated with photos and posters where Suki’s is bare. She sinks to the floor, leaning against her bedframe with her head pressed