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them, and then they both turned and headed back to their car.
    Melissa was still glaring at Hannah as the door closed behind us. "Whoever you are," she hissed, "I hope you're worth it."
    For once, MeeMee and I were in full agreement. "My sister gave up her seat for you," I added. "I hope you remember that."
    Although she'd pulled her ball cap down low, it wasn't hard to tell that Hannah's face was red. The man who'd met us at the door saved her from making any sort of response. "All right, then," he said, "we're going to have to hurry now. Ms. Barlowe, Ms. Hernandez, Ms...um..."
    "Johnson," she whispered.
    "Right...Johnson." He pointed to a young woman standing a little further down the corridor we found ourselves in. "Please follow Ms. Cates. She'll take you to get you ready. Boys, you're coming with me."
    Logan took my bag from Melissa, then accompanied me down the corridor, letting the others lead the way. The girls disappeared through a door marked P ASSENGER P REP -F; a little farther down the hall was P ASSENGER P REP -M, which is where Logan, Eduardo, and I went.
    Our escort murmured something into his prong as he led us into the room, then he left us alone, shutting the door behind him. We'd barely had time to take in the hospital-style furnishings--gurneys, medicine cabinets, a counter with a computer terminal, some uncomfortable-looking chairs--when the door opened again and three doctors wearing lab smocks, surgical masks, and thin plastic gloves walked in.
    For the next twenty minutes, I underwent the fastest physical I'd ever endured. I'll spare you the details except to say that it was painful and humiliating. The doctors were considerate enough topull curtains around the gurneys the other guys and I sat on. This didn't give us very much privacy, since I could hear what was happening elsewhere in the room, but at least I didn't have to see it. And while Logan and I were used to having people seeing us without our clothes--joining a high school swim team isn't something you should do if you have body shyness--it was pretty obvious that Eduardo didn't like taking his clothes off even for a medical exam. He put up a stink that didn't stop until his doctor threatened to tell his little sister what a coward he was.
    What is it with that kid? I thought. Is he disturbed or something?
    The physician who examined me tried to be gentle, but he was in a hurry; every couple of minutes he'd glance at his watch, and then move just a little faster. One of the first things he did was to hand me a suppository, and once he was through giving me the jelly-finger treatment he asked me to insert it myself. The reason for this soon became clear; he'd barely finished taking a blood sample when my stomach began to cramp, and without a word the doctor handed my crutches back to me and hastily ushered me to a toilet where I was able to empty my guts. Dad hadn't given us a chance to eat breakfast before we left the house; now I knew why.
    I had so many shots that my arms ached. But when the doctor opened my medicine box, he asked only a couple of perfunctory questions about the prescriptions and supplements I was taking before he closed it again and put it back in my bag. Apparently he already had my medical data in his pad; he didn't appear at all surprised to be dealing with a teenage kid who had LBDS.
    It was obvious that he'd been expecting me. Dad must have sent him this info in advance. If that were true, though, then that meant my father must have anticipated that he might have to send his kids to the Moon long before he actually had to do so.
    And if that was the case...did this mean he'd also expected President Wilford to be assassinated and Vice President Shapar to take his place?

    I had no answer for that. But the very question itself made me nervous.
    When the doctor was through, he left me alone for a few moments. I no longer heard Logan or Eduardo from the other side of the curtains, so I figured that they must have finished