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all we’ve gone through, you can’t die like this! You just can’t!
    But she doesn’t wake up. Marshall’s sending messages directly to her electronics, but she’s still not responding. Which means the problem is a lot bigger than a broken radio.
    Zia connects my Snake-bot to the console too. Marshall uses the robotic arm to x-ray the severed wire between my battery and my motors, but this just annoys me. “Why are you looking at my hardware? Shannon’s the one who needs help!”
    â€œI’m sorry, but I can’t do anything else for her. One of the bullets hit her neuromorphic circuits. I don’t have the equipment here to repair that kind of damage.”
    This is exactly what I’d feared. For a Pioneer, the neuromorphic circuits are the electronic equivalent of brain cells. Just before our bodies died, my dad scanned our brains and recorded all our memories and emotions, which are encoded in the patterns of our brain-cell connections. Then Dad preserved all our data by imprinting those patterns into the connections between our circuits, which started generating new thoughts and emotions as soon as we woke up inside the machines. So any damage to our neuromorphic circuits is the equivalent of brain damage.
    I tell myself to stay calm. All the Pioneers have sturdy, durable electronics. My father designed them to be tough. If the damage to Shannon’s circuits is minor, we can fix it. She’ll make a complete recovery.
    But if the damage is major, she could lose years of memories. She might never wake up again. And even if she does, her mind might not be the same. She might not be my Shannon anymore.
    My logic circuits race through all the thousands of possible outcomes, but the analysis is just making me panic. I have to focus. I have to do something to help. “Zia, get another cable and connect my Snake-bot to Shannon’s. I’m gonna transfer myself to her circuits to see what’s wrong.”
    I’ve done this before. Each neuromorphic control unit has enough storage capacity to hold all the memory files of two individuals. Six months ago I briefly transferred myself to Zia’s electronics, and on two other occasions I shared circuits with Jenny. But this maneuver can have serious consequences: when one Pioneer enters the circuits of another, all their memories and thoughts are shared. The massive exchange of information can be disorienting, to say the least. And I’ve never tried to enter a damaged control unit before. I don’t know what will happen.
    Before Zia can reach for another cable, Marshall interrupts. “This is an exceptionally bad idea, Adam. It’s much too risky. We shouldn’t attempt a transfer until we get back to New Mexico.”
    â€œWaiting is risky too. Shannon’s circuits might deteriorate.”
    â€œBut the equipment at Headquarters is infinitely better. And your father’s lab is there, and he’s the top expert on—”
    â€œ We can’t wait ! ”
    I’m a little unsure which side Zia’s going to take, but after a millisecond of hesitation, she grabs a cable and plugs one end of it into my Snake-bot’s port. Then she plugs the other end into Shannon’s machine.
    I’m just about to plunge into my girlfriend’s electronics when Shannon sends an audio message through the cable. Her voice is loud and confused.
    â€œAdam! What the heck’s going on? Where’s the factory?”
    My relief is so strong I feel like laughing. I don’t care anymore if she’s harsh with me. I’m just so glad to hear her voice again.
    â€œWe’re okay, Shannon. Your control unit is damaged, but we’re back in the B-2, and we’re gonna fix you—”
    â€œDamaged? How?”
    â€œThe North Korean soldiers surprised us, remember?”
    â€œWhat? The last thing I remember is arguing over who should do the recon. We were in the factory, in the