Trapped!: The 2031 Journal of Otis Fitzmorgan (9 page)

“What statues?” asked Lysa

I filled the others in on what Charlotte and I had discovered on Level 2. “I don't think we should consider the crimes separate
events,” I added. “I think they're all connected. Like links on a chain.”

Crockett nodded. “Okay, what do we do?”

“Let's start with the one link in the chain that we all witnessed: Our parents being knocked out by the virus.”

“Why don't we start with the ESCAPE BY A HAIR statue being stolen?” Charlotte asked.

I thought about it for a second. “I am absolutely certain that I inspected the real statue up on the Terminal. And I watched
it being put on the Climber, so it must be somewhere on board. That's one of the links, but I think we need to start with
the adults getting sick.”

“I don't know if I can do that … relive them collapsing like that, I mean,” Lysa said quietly, looking down at her hands.

“Even if it might help to save them?” Charlotte asked gently. “If we can find the bad guy, maybe he or she will be able to
reverse the effects of the virus or at least have an antidote.”

Lysa wiped the tears away from her eyes. “Okay,” she said, her voice sounding stronger. “I'll do it.”

Before she could change her mind, I started getting everyone into position. “Let's all stand where we were when the adults
collapsed. Charlotte, you and I had just left the elevator. Yves, you were out there with us, too, remember?”

The three of us went out to the hallway, while Crockett and Lysa stayed in the Common Room.

“We walked off the elevator … and, Yves, you said…”

“Hi, how are you?” Yves said with a little sneer.

“Ah … no,” Charlotte responded. “You said something nasty to Otis about sending you up to your room.”

“That's right,” I said, trying to keep us on track. “Then you wanted to talk to us some more, but we went past you and into
the room. Like this.” I took Charlotte lightly by the arm, and we walked into the Common Room.

Lysa was seated on the couch. Crockett was standing in the far corner, exactly where he'd been the day before. He said, “Lysa
and I were already in here—”

I said, “My parents stood up and then—”

“They all fell down!” Lysa cried and put her hands over her eyes as if she were seeing it happen again.

But Charlotte remained calm. She snapped her fingers as if remembering something. “No,” she said. “Before they collapsed,
the elevator stopped on this level again. I heard the door open, and Yves said something.”

“That's right!” I exclaimed, playing the scene back in my mind. “Yves said, 'What are you doing here?' to someone.”

“But who?” Crockett asked. “Nobody came into the room.”

“And we didn't see anyone in the hallway when we left to go down to Level 1,” Charlotte added.

We all looked at each other with the same question on our faces: Then who was Yves talking to? Could this be the break in
the case we were looking for? One way to find out, I thought, and turned to ask him. “Yves?”

There was no answer. I imagined he might be pouting because things weren't exactly going his way, and I walked out to the
hallway.

It was empty. Yves was gone.

Followed by Lysa and Crockett, Charlotte came out into the hall. “Where's our self-proclaimed leader?”

“I was just wondering the same thing,” I said. “It's not safe for anyone to wander off like this.”

“Maybe he didn't wander away …,” Crockett considered.

“Maybe he ran because he's the one who did all this,” Lysa added. “I don't know about that,” I said.

“I agree with Otis,” Charlotte said. “Don't get me wrong. I think Yves is a real snake. But to spread this virus? Something
like that would take lots of brains.”

“I'll find him.” I said and walked down the hallway toward the gym.

But I didn't have to go that far. Halfway down the hall, Yves had ducked into a small alcove with a drinking fountain. He
stood with his back toward me, looking like a student who'd been told to stand in the corner for being bad.

YVES WAS GESTURING!

I heard whispering as I got closer. Had Yves gone a little nutty? Was he talking to himself? Then I noticed that his hands
were moving as if he were gesturing to someone.

He turned and I saw that faraway look that new 'quist users have. Yves had a 'quist!

He finally saw me through all the data that must be streaming before his eyes.

“Go away!” he cried.

Suddenly, his eyes started going cloudy. It was the virus!

“Yves! Disconnect!” I shouted.

But he scurried out of the alcove and darted past me down the hall toward the Common Room.

“Yves!” I shouted. “Disconnect! Disconnect now! Every second counts! You could be infecting yourself with the virus!”

But he wasn't listening to me. He just kept running.

YVES TRIED TO ESCAPE BY LEAPING OVER A TABLE!

“He has a 'quist!” I shouted to the others who were still standing near the elevator. They looked up startled as Yves raced
into the Common Room, and for a moment, they just stared.

Then everything was a blur of motion. We all rushed into the Common Room after Yves. We had to catch him and get him to disconnect.

But Yves's powerful body had made him as fast and agile as a mountain cat. Muscles popping, he leaped over a table. He wasn't
going to be easy to nab.

“Stay away from me!” he shouted.

The four of us formed a semicircle around him and were backing him and were backing him slowly into a corner.

I caught Crockett's eye and made a small gesture with my hand. He nodded that he understood. To distract Yves, I started talking.
“Manet was the greatest of the Impressionists but often used subject matter that would be considered trite and clichéd by
today's art critics.”

Yves looked at me, confused. “What are you talking—”

Crockett moved quickly and crouched behind him. Lysa—normally so mousy and quiet—must have found some reserve of strength.
She darted in from the side and pushed Yves. He stumbled back over Crockett and sprawled on the floor.

I dropped on top of him, trying to be as careful as I could. After all, I didn't want to hurt the guy, I was trying to help
him.

I put my knees on either side of Yves's chest to keep him from getting up. By now, Crockett was holding down his struggling
legs, and Lysa and Charlotte had each taken one of his flailing arms.

“Take it easy, Yves,” I told him. “I just need to get the contacts out.” using my thumb and index finger, I pried open one
of his eyes. The contact was just starting to cloud over but had not turned black.

Yves stopped fighting me as I plucked out both contacts, cutting off his connection to the 'quiet. I handed the lenses to
Crockett. “I'll put these in solution,” he said.

When we let go of Yves, he didn't jump up. The energy seemed to have drained out of him. I had to help him up into a sitting
position.

“What were you thinking, Yves?” I demanded. “Why were you using a 'quist. You knew that you would be infected!”

“I'm different than you…,” he said, his words slurring. “Better than …” Yves slumped back, and I caught him just before his
head hit the floor. His eyes were closing.

“Wait!” Charlotte cried. “He has to tell us who he was talking to yesterday just before the adults collapsed!'”

She was right. Yves might hold the key to the identity of the bad guy. I gave him a gentle shake. “Yves? You have to stay
awake.” But there was no response. I sighed and carefully laid his head back down on the floor.

“I don't get it” Charlotte said. “If he had a 'quist, why didn't he get infected when the adults did?”

“He must have had the device turned off so it wouldn't be detected when he passed through customs,” I said as I got to my
feet. “It's illegal for him to have a 'quist because he isn't eighteen.”

“But he's above the law,” Charlotte said sarcastically.

Lysa added, “But not above getting sick.”

Crockett had put the contacts in a glass of solution and now knelt on the other side of Yves. He checked his pulse and examined
his eyes. Yves groaned and then was quiet again.

“How bad off is he, Crockett?” I asked.

Crockett looked up at me. “He didn't have the 'quist on long enough to get a full blast of the virus like the adults did.
But he

still got enough of it. He might not be as sick as they are now, but he'll catch up.”

This might be my last chance. I had to try and get through to him again before he sank into a deep unconscious state. I leaned
over him and said loudly, “Yves, who did you see when the elevator stopped right before our parents got sick?”

CROCKETT HANDED ME THE CONTCTS.

But he didn't respond. His eyes remained closed.

“We have to make him comfortable,” Crockett said. “Otis, help me carry him to his room, and I'll start an IV to keep him hydrated.”

After we got Yves settled, the four of us met back in the Common Room. Once again, we sat around a table, considering what
our next plan of action should be.

“I guess this rules out Yves as a suspect” I said. “After all, he probably wouldn't give himself a deadly virus just to cover
his tracks.”

“Now what?” Charlotte asked.