Omega City (22 page)

“You know, Howard, there's a guy in one of my classes down at the VA who owns a dry-cleaning store. I know I can trust him.”

Howard brightened. “Really? Well, if you're sure he isn't one of
them
, Dr. S . . .”

We all breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately regretted it. Because, you know, breathing.

But, yeah, things are good. Even Eric is excited about Dad's book, though he's wondering if maybe Dad should look into a publishing contract for it sooner rather than later, because Dad promised when he sold the book, he'd buy Eric's dinghy back. But of course, Dad is keeping the manuscript a secret for the time being, just in case.

I mean, except from me. I get to read every single page of
The Forgotten Fortress
just as soon as he's done typing it up. I'm getting a real research assistant credit on this one. He says it's going to blow the doors right open for us again, in terms of opportunity. And if it doesn't, well, we still haven't told anyone about the batteries. Dad isn't sure who we can trust, but once we figure it out, I'm sure they're worth a fortune.

So things are pretty good. Mom even called to see how we were all doing, and Eric said she sounded like she missed us. I didn't hear that in her voice, but who wants to disappoint him?

Unlike Howard, the rest of us don't wear our Omega City utility suits around very often, though Nate took his gloves rock-climbing the other week and said they were the best he's ever used. Mine's hanging in my closet, back behind the fancy Easter dresses I never wear anymore. I can see it from my bed sometimes in the night, glinting silver in the starlight. I like it; it makes me think that, just like in the city, Dr. Underberg is still out there, watching over me.

Turns out, he is. But that history's still being written.

You may have noticed during reading that Gillian and her father have a lot of strange ideas about the “real” stories behind the history we all know. These alternative explanations are sometimes called “conspiracy theories” and some people out there really believe them. Gillian's statements about the Apollo 11 moon landing; the mystery of Area 51 in New Mexico; and the Tunguska Event are all based on well-known “conspiracy theories” about those moments in history. Are they true? Well, that's up to investigators better than I am to decide. Maybe you'd like to take a crack at it?

Speaking of fun projects, if you are interested in making your own model of the solar system, you can find a downloadable worksheet and the formulas Savannah and Howard used on my website: www.dianapeterfreund.com.

And finally, dear reader, I must inform you that I have lied. Astronaut ice cream was not invented by Dr. Aloysius Underberg. It was invented by the Whirlpool Corporation—yes, the same one that probably made your dishwasher—for the Apollo missions.

At least, that's what
they
want you to think.

Books, like buried cities, can never be the work of a single person. And so I am grateful for Kristin Rens, who planted the clue; Dan Peterson, who uncovered the city; and Michael Bourret, who made me explore it all. Along the way, I got help and support from Carrie Ryan, Mari Mancusi, Julie Leto, Lavinia Kent, Joy Daniels, Sean Williams, Starla Huchton, and the DC YA crowd. For research tips and advice, superhero props to the patient and always-understanding Jon Skovron. All fumbles are my own. Thank you to my parents and my in-laws for letting me crash with them while in crazy drafting mode, and to my daughter and dog for understanding when “Mommy's working.”

I'd also like to thank not-at-all-bad astronomer Phil Plait for being so remarkably approachable on Twitter, and for answering my questions about the measurements of celestial bodies. (I apologize for calling Pluto a planet.) I am also deeply indebted to the assistance of NORAD expert Brian “Bear” Lihani, who helped me envision what giant underground cities would actually look like, and how
much cooler I could make Omega City even than I'd imagined. And finally, thanks to the editorial, marketing, and design team at Balzer+Bray, who always show so much care in shepherding a project from dream to reality, and a huge round of applause to Vivienne To for her remarkable visual.

And of course the Goonies. Never say die.

Photo by Vania Stoyanova

DIANA PETERFREUND
is the author of many books for adults and children, including the critically acclaimed
For Darkness Shows the Stars
and
Across a Star-Swept Sea
. She lives with her family outside Washington, DC, in a house full of bookshelves, and is always on the lookout for lost cities or stray rocket ships. Find out more about Diana and her books at
www.dianapeterfreund.com
.

Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at
hc.com
.

Cover art © 2015 by Vivienne To

Cover design by Joel Tippie

Balzer + Bray is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

OMEGA CITY
. Copyright © 2015 by Diana Peterfreund. 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.

www.harpercollinschildrens.com

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014952614

ISBN 978-0-06-231085-9 (trade bdg.)

EPub Edition February 2015 ISBN 9780062310873

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