Zack meets his father and is so overwhelmed with emotion that he can’t even finish his reference:
I found myself staring at a drop of sweat that had formed on his brow, and then watching as it rolled down the side of his face, as if this detail were proof this was really happening. It made me think of a scene in the original Total Recall— another movie I knew by heart because he’d once owned a copy on VHS.
Both men are happy to be reunited until Zack’s dad reveals he knows about Zack’s anger issues.
“I’m relieved to hear that,” he said. “I wasn’t sure you would be.” He smiled nervously. “You have every right to be angry, and I know you’ve got a temper, so—”
UG DAD, you’re so awkward! I can’t believe you read super secret military files about me, god.
The tension fades when Dad hands Zack a plot device USB drive with years worth of letters! SOMEHOW THIS IS THE ONE FUCKING THING ZACK DOESN’T TURN INTO A REFERENCE DESPITE IT BEING IN ALL OF THE THINGS.
It’s always so convenient that these people were so dedicated to their letter and or diary writing to people who may never see them. It makes it so much easier to info-dump on the protagonist! I better get started on writing all of my important letters just in case I am ever involved in any mysterious circumstances whatsoever.
His voice faltered, and he turned away from me to hide his face. I glanced down at the flash drive, then closed my fist around it protectively, unnerved that so small an object could hold such priceless contents.
I say this from the bottom of my heart: I hope the letters are the most mundane pieces of crap Zack has ever laid eyes on. Like these letters are essentially those pointless Facebook statuses people post like, “It’s raining outside.”; “I made it to class on time.”; “The Starbucks barista spelled my name right!.” This I pray.
Then Dad takes Zack around the base. Zack marvels over how amazing this moon base is, and I am left wondering why these people are being kept at these bases that are being attacked by aliens. Surely you should be scattering these people in places that will not be targeted by aliens given they are piloting the drones remotely anyway. Or is that the point? Are they trying to eliminate people who are good at video games…for some reason? Zack’s dad even confirms later in the chapter that there have been previous attacks on this base by the enemy, so it really makes no fucking sense unless they are deliberately trying to make it easy for the aliens to kill the drone pilots.
Zack also makes a reference to Ender’s Game, so everyone who has been making the connections to this book can rest easy. No reference left unturned!
Dad and Zack talk a bit about the upcoming battle and how they’re all probably doomed. His dad sort of tries to be motivational:
“I also know how hopeless our chances must seem, given what you’ve been told and the images you’ve been shown. But believe me, Son, there are a lot of things about our situation— and our enemy— that you still don’t know.”
He cast a glance back over his shoulder, toward a large security camera mounted above the nearest exit, sweeping its lens slowly back and forth. Then he turned back to me, and I think that was when I caught my first glimpse of something truly unsettling in my father’s eyes. A hint of the very madness that I’d always feared I might have inherited from him.
“We can’t talk now, or here,” he said, lowering his voice to a whisper. “But things aren’t nearly as hopeless as they seem, Zack. I promise you.” He gave me a hopeful smile. “That’s why I’m so thankful you’re here now. I’m going to need your help.”
I don’t know what to make of this. Is Zack’s dad going to be good crazy or bad crazy or the only sane one of them all?
The tour is 90% walking by references to things like “The cake is a lie” and things that look like they’re from the Aliens films. Said tour concludes with Dad taking Zack to his quarters. Zack points out that the battle is in like ten minutes, so this is kind of stupid.
Zack tells his dad that his mom is still holding a candle for him and he should call her if they make it out alive. I can’t tell if his dad is really happy about this or upset because he’s hiding a new moon base girlfriend or something. I suspect this because Zack asks to see his dad’s room and he acts super sketchy about it.
“Just let me peek inside for one second,” I said, standing my ground. “Please? Sir?”
“There really isn’t that much to see,” he said, still interposing himself between me and the door.
But judging by his reaction, there was clearly a lot to see— and I was determined to see it. I didn’t move. Our standoff continued for a dozen or so seconds before the general finally stepped aside and palmed open the door, his face already flashing red in embarrassment as I squeezed past him to peer inside the tiny modular room.
The entire back wall of my father’s quarters was covered with photos of me and my mom, including all of my yearbook photos going back to grade school. A photo of my mother in her nurse’s uniform, which he must have found on her hospital’s website, was hanging over his bed. The rest of his walls were completely bare.
Before I could examine his living space further, he prodded me back out of it into the hall, then locked the door.
“Hurry,” he said, trying to hide the unsteadiness in his voice. “Every second counts.”
I’m actually curious about what Zack’s dad is hiding. It’s nice to actually feel curious about something in this story for a change!