Read Final Battle for Free Online

wheelchair. Was this a result of the nuclear plant accident? Did anything go wrong during his handling of the robot? Was he injured as a result?”
    â€œNo, it wasn’t the result of the nuclear plant accident,” Cannon stated. “No, nothing went wrong during his robot control. And no, he wasn’t injured as a result.”
    That was true in one way. But in another way, I was in a wheelchair because of robot control. For when the pioneer operation had been done to my spine to allow the computer hookup to my nervous system, something had gone wrong. And because it took place on Mars, the doctor didn’t have access to the specialized equipment he needed to fix the mistake immediately. That mistake left me in my wheelchair. I couldn’t remember ever walking or running. It used to make me angry. But I was slowly learning how to live with it.
    â€œYet we heard he was hurt,” another reporter said. Her white-blonde hair and red dress stood out from the pack. “We heard he’s been in a hospital and—”
    â€œRecovering from an exhausting rescue effort,” Cannon said. “Tyce is in perfect health. Just tired.”
    â€œGeneral,” a taller man said, “I would guess until today this has been top secret. How much money has been spent on this robot-control research?” He chewed on his pencil while waiting for a response.
    â€œIt’s in the report.”
    â€œDid the Federation approve this money, and if so, why wasn’t it subject to public debate?” the man threw in quickly.
    Cannon had warned me this type of question would arise. He took it without flinching. “Surely you understand that every government has issues of national security. This was one of them.”
    â€œDid Tyce Sanders have a choice in the operation?” the pencil chewer asked.
    For a moment, Cannon paused. It was a moment too long. Because his brief silence said everything. I had not had a choice.
    â€œThe operation that allows the spinal hookup to a computer must be done before the child is three years old,” Cannon said slowly. “Otherwise the neuron connections won’t grow into place. We had the consent of his mother, who is involved in the Mars Project.”
    I coughed discreetly. Cannon looked at me.
    â€œMay I answer?” I whispered.
    The general nodded.
    Barely enough moisture remained in my mouth to swallow back my nervousness. What would I say in my first words to the world?
    â€œBecause of the operation,” I said, “I’m able to see and hear worlds that no human has ever been able to explore. Outer space. The surface of Mars. I don’t think there’s a person alive who wouldn’t want to have the chances I’ve been given as a result.”
    There was more to say, but I kept it to myself, because it was private. Dad had been off on a flight to Earth when my mom had to make the decision. Because the Mars Project hadn’t counted on babies in its early stages, my mom was given a choice. Either she could send me back to Earth on a spaceship and risk what the g-forces would do to a baby, or she could allow me to have the operation and stay with her on Mars. So she made the best choice she could. No one guessed that something would go wrong during the surgery and that my legs would be paralyzed as a result. What’s helped me deal with it is knowing that there’s a God and that even when things look bad, he’s still in control. He can make good things happen from bad things. Like the ability to travel the universe through controlling a robot with my brain… .
    â€œGeneral! General!” an African-American woman in black pants and a black sweater interrupted.
    â€œYes, Ms. Borris?”
    Ms. Borris! Earlier Cannon had told me that Ms. Evangeline Borris was the most feared reporter in New York City. As a young reporter, she’d broken a story that overthrew a presidency. She was a legend now and not