Six (26 page)

Parker had been so intent on deciphering the message that he didn't stop to read the whole thing until he was finished. As his arm had been resting on the page as he wrote, neither Michael nor Emma had managed to look at it either. They all leaned in and, in silence, read the whole thing to themselves.

“What does it say?” asked Solomon.

Nobody replied.

“Hello? Are you still there?”

Emma and Parker were too shocked to speak, and it was left to Michael to answer.

“Yes,” replied Michael. “We're still here.”

“What does it say?”

Michael paused, as if waiting for Parker to jump in, but Parker said nothing. His eyes were just reading the same part of the message over and over again:

NEED YOU TO SEND THEM TO ME. REPEAT.

FIND WAY TO SEND P AND E TO ME HERE.

“He wants you to send Parker and Emma to SIX,” said Michael finally.

It was Solomon's turn to go quiet.

Parker walked away from Michael and Emma, who looked as shell-shocked as he felt. He took a seat on the gray leather sofa in Michael's room.

Questions were pouring into his head so quickly that there was no time to formulate any answers—was he really going to be teleported? Would it hurt? What would SIX be like? Was it really another planet?

Did he even want to go?

Michael seemed to understand that Emma and Parker needed time to think. He didn't say a word, and Parker barely registered the moment he left the room.

His wrist buzzed.

Do you think it's true?
asked Emma as soon as Parker answered.

I don't know.

Do you really think Dad's on a different planet?

I don't know, Emma. I really don't know.

But teleporting—you really think that can happen?

Emma's questions echoed his own. It was too much.

I can't think, Emma. I
need
to think.

He hung up the call.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Parker had no idea how long Michael was gone from the room. However long it was, it wasn't long enough. When Michael returned, Parker was no closer to answering any of his questions than he had been when Michael had left. If anything, he was even more confused.

“Do you want to watch the video?” asked Michael quietly.

Parker looked up and saw that Michael was holding a VCR—the one he had built himself. It was strange seeing something so familiar so out of context, and it only added to Parker's sense of disquiet.

Parker nodded. There was, however, no urgency as he stood and followed Michael and Emma up the stairs to the gallery. He sat down on one of the beanbag chairs—his mind so full and yet so empty—and waited as Michael hooked up the VCR and turned the television on. It was only when the screen came to life—white lines flickering against black—that his attention turned from his thoughts to the video playing.

What do you think it's going to be?
asked Emma on Effie.

Parker shrugged.
I don't know,
he said.
Let's just watch.

Don't forget to repeat everything—I don't want to miss anything.

Okay,
said Parker as bold white letters appeared across the screen.

FOR AUTHORIZED VIEWING ONLY. PROPERTY OF AVECTO ENTERPRISES.

The words dissolved into the black, and the film cut to an opening sequence of a chaotic street scene in Manhattan—traffic at a standstill, horns honking, and swarms of people dodging cars and stepping over litter on the sidewalks.

“Imagine,” said a woman's soothing voice, “a world without traffic jams.”

The scene cut to a factory with black smoke pouring out of a tall chimney stack.

“Imagine no pollution, no recessions, no wars, and no protests. Imagine no shortage of natural resources.”

Parker watched the images of war victims, angry rioters, foreclosure signs, and closed-down gas stations flashing on the screen. He'd already heard enough about SIX to know where this was going.

An image of a blue planet appeared.

“Imagine you could create your own perfect world. Imagine the possibilities.”

Three gold letters appeared on the screen:
SIX
.

“Discovered in 1981,” continued the woman's voice, “the planet SIX lies in the Milky Way galaxy in the constellation of Libra.”

The planet on the screen grew smaller until the entire galaxy was visible, and a straight red line appeared that connected the two labeled planets: Earth and SIX.

“This extraordinary planet—the first and only truly habitable planet ever discovered—is over nine billion years old, twice the size of Earth, and orbits a sun only slightly smaller than ours.”

Parker watched as the camera zoomed back in on SIX, breaking the cloud cover to reveal a brilliant turquoise sea dotted with large islands. It looked, thought Parker, like somewhere in the Caribbean, with one notable exception: all the trees and plants were shades of purple.

“With its shallow waters, temperate climate, an abundance of natural resources, and vibrant vegetation, SIX is the planet that nobody ever thought would be found—a place even more hospitable to humans than Earth.”

The scene cut to a brilliant white waterfall cascading into a blue lagoon.

“You'll find no treacherous dark rocky landscapes here. No aliens. No toxic air. You can forget everything that the movies have told you, because SIX is science fact, not science fiction.”

Michael nodded his approval. “Good line,” he said.

The film cut to a landfill.

“This is Earth today. It is accepted now that the damage done to our environment is irreversible. Soon—within our lifetimes—our planet will become uninhabitable.
Now
is the time to think about you and your family's future.”

A clean white laboratory appeared, sunlight sweeping in through the tall glass windows in the background. Sitting around a table, a group of smiling but serious-looking people in white coats were conducting a meeting.

“Over the last decade, Avecto Enterprises has been laying the foundations that will move our vision of paradise into reality. We are now ready to enter the next phase of our ambitious plan—the building of a new world of a magnitude and magnificence never seen before.”

The video went back to sweeping panoramic shots of blue waters, purple forests, and pure white beaches.

“Avecto Enterprises is now inviting investment in this magical paradise—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase land on which to build your own perfect nation.”

A quaint street scene of redbrick buildings and strolling couples appeared.

“Perhaps you'll choose to model your territory on the carefree days of the 1950s.”

The image was replaced with a futuristic landscape of glass buildings and wide plazas.

“Or you might prefer a futuristic state-of-the-art way of living. Whatever your vision of paradise is, Avecto Enterprises can make it a reality.”

The scene cut to a computer-generated view of a city center with wide empty avenues and buildings made of wood and glass, separated by squares of water and purple-leaved trees dotted with bright colorful flowers. A large glass archway formed a glistening rainbow over the scene. It was only when the camera zoomed in that Parker was able to see the archway was, in fact, a building made of glass. Running along the outside of it, a clear tube filled with glass capsule elevators delivered workers to their office buildings.

“This is Great Bowveld, the heart of SIX. Here, all nations will be able to work together to ensure that the practical needs of our generation and of generations to come are met. Taking the best of what we have here, then discarding the worst, we will be able to provide the finest standards of living. Together we can make this new world the very best that it can be. Together we can make sure that the mistakes made on Earth are never repeated. Together we can create paradise.”

The film cut to a man sitting reclined on a sleek leather armchair, looking out of his floor-to-ceiling window at the blue skies and equally blue waters in the distance.

“Imagine a world of luxury. Imagine a world created to your vision of perfection.”

The blue planet appeared on the screen.

“Imagine SIX.”

The screen went black and the gold letters of SIX appeared above the words
PRACTICE MADE PERFECT.

*  *  *  *  *  *

“Wow,”
whispered Michael and Parker at the same time.

“It actually looks kind of cool,” said Michael.

Parker didn't respond, but he was thinking the same thing. He had been so focused on the process of getting to SIX, and on the thought of not being able to return, that he had not stopped to consider exactly what living there might be like. By the looks of it, it would be just like Earth, but better. And surprisingly familiar.

“Do you think it's true?” asked Parker finally.

“Are you okay?” asked Michael.

Parker turned, confused, and saw that Michael was looking at Emma. Emma, in response, wiped the tear running down her cheek and sniffed.

“I don't want to go, Parker,”
said Emma, her lip trembling as she signed.

Parker put his arm around his sister. “It's going to be okay,” said Parker. “I promise.”

Parker awoke the next morning with a sense of clarity and calmness that took him completely by surprise. The same could not be said for Emma, who clambered down from the bunk bed with bleary eyes. She looked like she hadn't slept all night.

Parker, having already showered and dressed (in the treetop tower), put down his toast.

“You okay?”
he signed.

Emma shook her head and walked over to the sofa where Parker was sitting. She glanced down at the plate of toast and croissants that Michael had brought up for them before leaving for school, then turned away.

“What are we going to do?”
signed Emma.

“We're going to go. We have to.”

“Really?”

Parker shrugged and switched on Effie.
What choice do we have?
he asked.
We can't hide here forever. We haven't got anyone else to go to. We have no money, and, even if we did, at some point somebody's going to notice two kids living on their own.

But shouldn't we wait?

For what?
asked Parker calmly.
Dad's message said he wasn't going to be able to fix it in time. How long are we supposed to wait?

Emma stared at Parker as if he'd gone mad. Parker sighed.

What Dad said makes sense—if he fixes it, we can all come back together. If not, at least we're with him.

Emma shook her head.
So you think it's true?

Don't you?
asked Parker.

I don't know. I thought so, but it's all so crazy. Do you really believe it?

Not really. Well, I'm not sure. But that doesn't matter. What difference does it make if we go along with it? If it's not true, nothing's changed. If it is, then we go spend some time in paradise, right?

That's not paradise!

I don't know,
said Parker with a shrug,
I think it looks nice.

It doesn't look like nice to me, Parker. Just a few rich people running away from everything they've messed up here—how is that paradise?

Dad's there. That's all that matters right now.

Emma looked ready to argue back and then, as Parker's logic began to sink in, the fight seemed to leave her. She dropped her head and slumped down next to Parker.

What if we end up like Solomon?
Her thought was weak.

If what Solomon says is true—then that won't happen.

And if it isn't?

Parker shrugged again.
It's a risk I think we have to take.

Emma thought about this as Parker picked up his toast and took a bite. Finally she leaned over and grabbed a piece herself.
Okay,
she said.
Let's do it.

It's not so bad, Emma,
he said. He smiled.
What's the worst that can happen . . . happen . . . happen . . . ALBERTA!

Emma stared at Parker and then, in spite of their nerves—or perhaps because of them—they both began to laugh.

*  *  *  *  *  *

From the moment Parker made his decision that morning, his mood had lifted. All the tension and fear—despite what they might be about to be putting themselves through—had inexplicably disappeared. Perhaps it was that they finally had a plan. It was a crazy plan, sure, and it might not even be possible, but it was still a plan. Over the course of the morning, his calmness began to rub off on Emma, and by the time Michael returned from school, the two of them were happily teaching Polly new tricks in the field next to the tree house.

“I'm coming with you,” called out Michael. The expression on his face was thunderous. “I
hate
that school.”

Parker patted Polly on the head and stood up. He waited until Michael reached them.

“Really?” asked Parker. His face broke out into a wide grin. “That's great!”

Michael sighed. “No. I wish I could though. Aaron is such an idiot.”

“What happened?”
signed Emma.

“He tried to take my money again.”

Parker raised his eyebrows. “Tried?” he asked.

“I didn't let him.”

Parker's mouth dropped open and then curled into a wide smile. He thumped Michael on the back. “No way! What did you do?”

Michael gave a heavy sigh. “I punched him.”