The Final Six (The Final Six #1) - Alexandra Monir Page 0,62

moving too fast; the wind drowns out my voice. I fumble behind me, trying to grip my harness, the rope, something—but his hands have already closed around my harness straps. I feel a sickening lurch in my stomach as he pulls at the first strap. He is going to kill me—right here in the sky, where no one can save me. He is going to throw off my harness, untether me from the rope, and send me hurtling down to the ground in a crushed heap of limbs, where he can tell everyone it was an accident—

An engine roars. Our pickup plane circles, General Sokolov throwing out the rope to reel us in. And I’ve never been so relieved to see anyone or anything in my entire life. I’m going to live. Beckett missed his chance. His hand drops from my harness, and he grips the general’s rope instead, swinging his body into the second plane, with me right behind him—never taking my eyes off his back.

“Wasn’t that crazy?” Naomi rushes toward me, giddy with relief from having her jump over with.

I nod and try to smile, but my insides are turning to ice. Behind us, Beckett grins and high-fives Asher and Katerina, looking nothing like the killer I saw in the air. Could I have possibly misinterpreted what happened? Or did my competitor, my teammate, just try to take me out?

Fourteen

NAOMI

I MAKE IT TO THE CAFETERIA IN THE MORNING WITH BARELY A minute to spare, still groggy from a night of the nightmares that have been plaguing me since Suki left. I slip into my seat just as Dr. Takumi rises to make one of his announcements, and I brace myself, almost afraid to hear whatever news he has for us this time. But it’s not another report of an RRB reaction—it’s something else entirely.

“As vital as your physical skills and academic intelligence are to the mission, there is another factor that plays an equally crucial role in determining who will make up the Final Six,” he begins. “That would be your mental and psychological state. The passing of Callum Turner is a tragic reminder of that.”

I stiffen in my seat. So he’s sticking to that story, then, instead of pointing the finger where it really belongs.

“The personality tests you completed back when you were in school, during the scouting phase of our mission, helped secure you a spot here. However, as we saw with Callum, these tests were far from foolproof. As we prepare for the first round of eliminations later this week, we must employ more in-depth psychological evaluations—which will begin after breakfast today.”

Leo and I exchange a nervous glance. The last thing I need is to have one of Dr. Takumi’s followers trying to peer into my soul—or guess at my plans.

“To prevent human bias and emotions from affecting the psych evaluations, we are handing control of this task over to our robots,” Dr. Takumi reveals. “Dot and Cyb were the only ones to suspect Callum’s instability, and they understand exactly what we are looking for. And seeing as they will be traveling and living alongside the Final Six, it is only appropriate to have them closely monitor the personalities involved.” His eyes sweep across the room, watching all twenty-two of us. “The best advice I can give you is to be completely honest in your answers. By saying what you think we want to hear, you may inadvertently hurt your own chances. And there’s no need to worry about self-consciousness in front of your teammates. Each of you will be meeting privately with the robots.”

My heartbeat quickens. There’s no denying that time alone with the two most advanced robots in existence is the stuff of my scientific dreams—but I always figured I would be the one studying them. I didn’t expect to be on psychological trial in front of two flawless machines, who probably have some kind of sensors that light up whenever they detect me lying. How am I supposed to outsmart perfection?

The far-off voice of my former computer sciences teacher echoes in my mind: There are two keys to understanding and manipulating machines: you must have a keen grasp of both the binary number system and logic.

Both binary and logic play into my strengths. I’m not sure how I can possibly implement them into my upcoming session with the robots . . . but I’ll have to try.

Lark steps in and out of our training sessions throughout the morning, pulling us off the