Six Read Online Free Page B

at the computer at the bottom. “Is this the machine that’s giving you trouble?”
    I feel a jolt of adrenaline. He’s pointing at the computer that ran my VR program. “Yes, that’s the one,” I say. “What did you notice?”
    Steve pauses, taking a moment to gawk at me. Then he turns back to Dad. “There was a big transfer of data from the other servers to that one about fifteen minutes ago. That might explain the problems you’re having.” He takes another step toward the rack and kneels beside it. “I want to disconnect the machine and take it back to my office. There might be a bug in one of the programs on its hard drive.”
    He squints at the server at the bottom of the rack, eyeing the red LEDs on the machine and the cables that connect it to the other computers. Dad bites his lip again, back in his trance.
    Colonel Peterson approaches Steve and clears his throat to get the tech guy’s attention. “Some of the classified data from our secure servers may have been transferred to this one,” he warns. “You’ll have to follow the usual security protocols.”
    â€œYeah, yeah, don’t worry.” Steve edges the server out of the rack so he can disconnect the cables. “I know what to do. I’ll—”
    He stops in midsentence. The fingers of his right hand are clenched around one of the cable connections at the back of the computer, and his face is fixed in a look of deep concentration. But he doesn’t pull out the cable. He just stays there, bent over the machine, as if paralyzed by indecision. His eyelids flutter and his flabby arms tremble.
    Concerned, the colonel looks over Steve’s shoulder. “What is it?” he asks. “What are you—”
    â€œ No ! ” Dad shouts. “ Don’t touch him ! ” Rushing past my wheelchair, he grabs Peterson around the waist and pulls him away from Steve.
    Then I hear a BOOM that seems to come from the floor above us, rattling the walls and ceiling. At the same time, the lights in the office go out.

CHAPTER
3
    In the darkness I hear Dad rummaging through his desk drawers. A moment later he turns on a flashlight and shines the beam on the office chair behind his desk. Then he grabs the chair and rams it hard into Steve’s quivering body.
    It takes me a second to realize what’s happening—Steve is touching a live wire at the back of the server rack. He’s being electrocuted, and Dad’s trying to break the electrical connection before it kills the guy. He hits Steve again with the chair, and this time the impact shoves him away from the servers. Steve lands face-up on the linoleum floor and lies there motionless under the flashlight’s beam. His right hand looks like it’s been roasted.
    While Colonel Peterson runs to the desk and picks up the telephone, Dad kneels beside Steve and starts giving him CPR. He pushes down on Steve’s chest, fast and hard, trying to restart his heartbeat. Then Dad tilts Steve’s head back and blows air into his lungs. Then he goes back to doing the chest compressions.
    There’s nothing I can do except reach for the joystick on my armrest and move my wheelchair out of their way. I’m scared. The sight of Steve’s hand is bad enough, but what really gets me is the darkness. The power surge from the electrocution must’ve tripped a circuit breaker, cutting off our electricity. But then I notice that the red LEDs on the servers are still shining. Electricity is still running to the computers, but not to the overhead lights. It makes no sense. And what about the explosion I heard a few seconds ago on the floor above us? Did the power surge cause that too?
    Soon I hear frightened shouts and rapid footsteps in the corridor outside Dad’s office. People are racing out of the building.
    From the look on Dad’s face, I can tell that the CPR isn’t working. Grimacing, he leans