Only my mother is silent, staring at me with a broken look on her face. She tries to smile, but a sob escapes instead.
“I love you, my sweet girl,” she whispers, kissing my forehead.
“I love you all so much. And I realize now, more than ever, how lucky I was—am—to have you.” I take a deep breath. “I’ll never forget it.”
A roar bursts from the crowd, and I turn to see a giant countdown clock lighting up.
“T-minus ten minutes!” a voice booms.
I cling tighter to my family as I wonder how it’s possible for my heart to break so many times in a single day. One of the guards steps forward, placing a firm hand on my back.
“It’s time to get into the launch vehicle, Naomi.”
This is it. I shake my head. How is it possible I’m already out of time?
I hug my parents and Sam once more, and before our last good-bye, I blurt out, “The other finalist, the one I was standing next to on TV—his name is Leo Danieli, and he doesn’t have any family left. Will you find him for me? Maybe—maybe you guys can be there for each other. He . . . he means the world to me.”
“We’ll find him,” Mom says. “Promise.”
I try to smile in thanks.
“Go fly, Sis,” Sam says in my ear. “We’ll be watching you, cheering you on every day from Earth.”
“My body might be up there, but my heart will always be here.” I reach out my hand, and my parents and brother cover it with their own. “So I won’t say good-bye. I have to believe I’ll see you again.”
“T-minus seven!” the booming voice echoes, and now two guards are wrenching me away from my family, ushering me in line with the two robots and the rest of the six.
I can hear my heart’s loud thumping inside my space suit as we make the slow march into the rocket ship. Cyb supervises us as we strap into our acceleration seats and lie down flat, just like in the virtual reality simulation. I turn my face against the leather seat, as I did with Leo before we kissed . . . but it’s not his face beside me anymore. A fist tightens around my heart.
The countdown echoes inside our spacecraft, and it doesn’t matter how terrified I am—the clock keeps ticking. “T-minus six . . . T-minus five . . .”
The ground beneath us rumbles violently, and all six of us grip the sides of our seats in fear. Through the porthole window, I spot fish leaping out of the sea, the sky lighting up a fiery shade. I hear Cyb yell, “All clear for liftoff!”
The force of gravity presses down against me as the cabin rattles; the engines ignite. Just when I think I can’t stand this feeling any longer, that my whole body is going to explode and disintegrate right here—we break loose. The air whooshes from my lungs as we fly.
And we soar, up past the sky.
Twenty-Nine
LEO
I STAND AT THE EDGE OF A PRIVATE LAKE IN AUSTRIA WITH DR. Greta Wagner, the exiled inventor and scientist—who I now know as the anonymous mind behind the Space Conspirator, too. Across from us, on a concrete platform, stands her latest secret invention: a single-passenger rocket ship built for Europa.
“I’ve long believed that both mankind’s greatest discoveries and greatest risks lie there, below the ice,” Dr. Wagner says, following my gaze. “None of us know how Europa’s native environment and extraterrestrials will react to the arrival of humans. I wanted to be the one to take that risk, but as you can see, I’m far too old now. When I saw your face on the news the day the Final Six were announced, I knew I could count on you to be my proxy. I can tell you want this—maybe as much as I do.”
My heartbeat picks up speed. “Tell me what to do.”
“My spacecraft is smaller, lighter, and therefore faster than the Final Six’s. Even though they have a head start, as long as you depart this week, you can catch up to them by the time they reach Mars’s orbit. Using the airlocks, you will dock with their ship.” Dr. Wagner smiles. “And hitch a ride with them to Europa.”
“Is it safe?” I ask. “Not for me, I mean—for the Final Six.”
“The only risks involved are on your end, and mine,” she answers. “The spacecraft is built for a one-way trip. If the docking fails, you will be adrift in space until you die. If all goes well, I will be in hiding for the rest of my life, since launching a human into space without government approval is a high crime. But it’s worth every risk and sacrifice if you make it. Based on my intel, I can say this with certainty: the Final Six are far more likely to survive Europa with the help that you and I can uniquely provide.”
I take a deep breath. I have so many questions, but one thought supersedes all others. “I’m in.”
And then I look up and whisper:
“I’m on my way, Naomi.”
Acknowledgments
This project has been the biggest thrill of my author life thus far, and I have so many people I wish to thank.
First, to my representation for their unwavering belief in me and my writing, and for pushing this project to greater heights: Brooklyn Weaver, Joe Veltre, and Greg Pedicin, you guys are my heroes! Brooklyn, talking through the story with you early on challenged me to come up with bigger and better ideas, and I’m grateful for you helping me reach my full potential. Joe and Greg, I’ll never forget how you guys rallied around this project and helped it soar. I’m beyond blessed to have the three of you on my team.
To the first person who said yes and started this author’s dream coming true—Josh Bratman, thank you!! I’m forever grateful for you sharing my vision, for your insightful notes, and for finding us the perfect home for the movie adaptation with Sony. You are a true writer’s producer, and working with you has been a game changer—may this be just the beginning!
I’ll always remember my amazing first phone call with Alexandra Cooper: the way everything clicked, and I knew right then that I wanted her to be my editor! Alex, thank you for believing in me and this project from the get-go. I’m grateful for your editing wizardry, for listening anytime I needed to talk through the story with you (and letting me express my writerly neuroses!), and for guiding my vision. It’s such an honor to be one of your authors!
Rosemary Brosnan, thank you for supporting this project from the acquisition stage, and for the incredible opportunity to publish with HarperTeen. Many thanks to everyone at Harper who had a hand in shaping this book: Alyssa Miele for your help at each stage in the process, Heather Daugherty and Erin Fitzsimmons for that incredible cover, Kathryn Silsand in managing editorial for taking such good care of the project, Maya Myers for your thorough copyediting, and Olivia Russo and the publicity, marketing, and sales teams for spreading the message and sharing The Final Six far and wide!
So much of this journey began with an incredible executive at Sony, who saw the book’s potential early on: Lauren Abrahams, I am so grateful to you! Thank you for believing in this story and saying yes. Thanks also to you and Sara Rastogi for the valuable manuscript notes. It’s a dream to be working with all of you at Sony.
Chad Christopher and the team at SGSLLP, thank you for getting my contracts all set and taking such great care of me!
Allison Cohen at Gersh, thank you for your amazing work bringing The Final Six to different countries around the world! To my foreign publishers, from Italy to Brazil and beyond, it’s a privilege and a thrill to have my book translated into your languages.
Megan Beatie, thank you for your awesome publicity skills and introducing this project to so many!
Dr. Firouz Naderi, I’m endlessly grateful for you taking the time to read and give notes on the manuscript. Getting feedback from someone I admire so greatly was a real privilege, and it was so generous of you!
To a great friend, scientist, Dr. Teresa Segura: thank you for reading and giving me such helpful notes and suggestions, and for all the time you spent answering my questions. You were truly like a science editor for me—thank you!!
Getting to meet and discuss Europa with actual NASA Europa scientist Robert Pappalardo was another pin
ch-me moment in this process. Robert, thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with me, and answering my questions about everything from landers to extraterrestrials!
Dr. Ross Donaldson, thank you for letting me run my biology and tech questions by you, and for being so supportive. Chessa Donaldson, thank you for beta-reading and giving feedback on every one of my books. You two are family to me.
One of the best things I did for research was attending Space Camp for adults at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Many thanks to the camp organizers and my teammates for an amazing, educational, and fun experience!
And now, to the people without whom I would be nowhere, who give meaning to everything I write and create—my family. My biggest thanks go to you, always . . .
Chris Robertiello, my soul mate and the greatest husband and father: your love and support makes everything possible. I am forever grateful for your belief in me and your understanding, patience, and encouragement as I worked around the clock on this book. I love you to infinity and beyond.
To my mother, ZaZa, aka Mommy Poppins: from coming over and taking care of me during the last weeks of pregnancy while I revised the manuscript like a madwoman, to returning nearly every day to help with Baby Leo while I was in the home stretch of working on the book—you’ve been a true angel on earth, and I am filled to the brim with gratitude and love for you!
To my father, Shon: none of this would be happening without all the years of you supporting my dreams, ever since I was a little girl scribbling away in a notebook. Thank you for teaching me to believe that whatever I can imagine, I can achieve! Love you beyond words.
Arian, I’m so grateful for the love and laughter you bring to my world. Thank you for being the best big brother ever—and for always reading and giving such valuable feedback on my manuscripts, too!
Gratitude and love to my big, beautiful Iranian family, on both the Saleh and Madjidi sides. To my family members up in Heaven: Papa, Mama Monir, and Honey, thank you for being my inspiration each day.
Many thanks to my closest friends and family (who were so supportive during this big year of double labor!): Brooke Kaufman Halsband, Sainaz Saleh, Dottie Robertiello, the Bratmans, Mia Antonelli, Ami McCartt, Heather Holley, Jon and Emily Sandler, Meganne and Jeremy Drake, Alex and Lisa Tse, Dan and Heather Kiger, Roxane Cohanim, Adriana Ameri, Marise Freitas, Stacie Surabian, Christina Harmon, Dani Cordaro, and Camilla Moshayedi. And of course, I can’t forget my writing companion, Daisy the dog!
Leo, you were a wish in my heart when I started writing this book. You became real, kicking within me, during my late nights revising the story of your namesake. And now you are here—and I’m so grateful.
I love you forever.
About the Author
Photo by Kerem Hanci
ALEXANDRA MONIR is an Iranian-American author and recording artist. Her debut, Timeless, was a B&N Bestseller and an Amazon Best Book of the Month and was followed by its sequel, Timekeeper, as well as Suspicion, The Girl in the Picture, and The Final Six. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California. To learn more about Alexandra, visit her online at www.alexandramonir.com.
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The Final Six
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Copyright
HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
THE FINAL SIX. Copyright © 2018 by Alexandra Monir. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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Cover art by Getty Images
Cover design by Erin Fitzsimmons
* * *
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017943575
ISBN 978-0-06-265894-4
Digital Edition MARCH 2018 ISBN: 978-0-06-265896-8
* * *
18192021 22PC/LSCH10987654321
FIRST EDITION
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Alexandra Monir, The Final Six
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