Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 They headed out through the downtown, the oldest part of Joplin. "I love this street," Dr. Gage said, admiring the brick and stone buildings that had been watching over Main Street for more than a hundred years. "That used to be my great-grandfather's diner," Dex said as they passed a squat brick building that was now a gift shop. "How long has your family been in Joplin?" Dr. Gage asked. "Since 1925," Dex said. "My great-grandfather came here when he was sixteen."

Dr. Gage raised his eyebrows. "You're Joplin royalty," Dr. Gage said. Dex had to laugh as he imagined a king eating Mom's Saturday night chili, or a princess lounging on the couch covered with Zeke's fur. Dex loved his house. But it wasn't exactly a castle. "I bet Joplin is a great place to grow up," Dr. Gage said. "It is." Dex nodded, surprised how much he meant it. Sure, there were more exciting places. Mike Sturm was always bragging about his family trips to New York City, where the buildings scraped against the clouds, or Las Vegas, where wild parties lasted all night. In Joplin, the tallest rooftops were mostly the church steeples, and the best parties were backyard barbecues. Dex knew that one day he'd travel the world. But he also knew he'd always be happy to come home to Joplin.

The land flattened out as they drove toward Kansas, and soon there was nothing but bright green cornfields. Dex scanned the sky, which was clear blue except for some hazy clouds. It was hard to imagine that a violent storm was somewhere nearby. They came upon a beat-up pickup truck on the side of the road, at the edge of a field. A young man and woman were standing there, video cameras aimed up at a patch of gray clouds. Dex guessed they were storm chasers, too. Dr. Gage smiled wide as he pulled up next to them and rolled down his window. "Jimmy! Sara! How are you?" he called out. "Norm!" the two chorused. "Hey, Jimmy, how's the leg?" Dr. Gage asked. "Thirty stitches, Norm. But healing up nice." "Sara, keep your buddy out of trouble today, will you? I want you guys to be careful."

"We promise, Norm," said Sara, her brown eyes shining out through round glasses. "Who's your assistant?" "This is Dex James. His dad and I went to college together." Dex was relieved Dr. Gage didn't reveal how they'd met yesterday — with Dex almost getting squashed by Dr. Gage's SUV. "Dex," Jimmy said. "You know you're chasing with one of the best guys in the world." Dex smiled. "We're heading northwest," Dr. Gage said. "What about you?" "We'll probably see you later," Sara said. "You going to get some pods into the sky?" "We're about to," Dr. Gage said. "You both take care. And, seriously, be careful!" After they'd driven away, Dr. Gage told Dex how Jimmy got his thirty stitches. "Last month, he and Sara were chasing in Mississippi, and they got too close to an EF-5

tornado." Dex knew that EF-5 tornadoes are the strongest tornadoes, according to a system called the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which scientists use to rate the strength of tornadoes. An EF-1 is the weakest — a breeze funnel or little rope tornado that can knock over a chicken coop but not much else. The EF-5s are the killers, the violent twisters that wipe out whole towns. "The wind shifted," Dr. Gage explained, "and the tornado they were chasing started chasing them. Their car got thrown, and Jimmy sliced open his leg. Luckily the tornado changed direction again and missed them. But they could have been killed." Dr. Gage shook his head like a worried father. "I'm hoping they learned their lesson," he added. "Do you really think we're going to see tornadoes today?" Dex asked, suddenly wondering if that's what he really wanted.

"We can never be sure, not even with our radar and satellites and computers. All we can do is warn that a tornado might strike, and usually we're wrong." That sure was true in Joplin. The tornado sirens went off practically every week, always false alarms. They were like watchdogs that growled at every squirrel. Most people in Joplin ignored the sirens. "Can't you a see a tornado on the radar?" Dex asked. "No," Dr. Gage said. "You can see clues — high wind speeds, a storm that has what we call rotation, or spinning clouds. But tornadoes form deep inside the clouds, hidden from satellites and radar. We don't know a tornado is coming until someone actually sees it with their own eyes." Dex glanced out the window, half expecting a black funnel to explode out of the sky. Dr. Gage went on. "But the most dangerous tornadoes are the ones you can't see. They hide