Trapped!: The 2031 Journal of Otis Fitzmorgan

by Bill Doyle

  “Otis!” she cried from somewhere nearby.

  I ran toward the sound. When I reached her, I could see why she'd been screaming. Booth had Judge in a headlock. She squirmed and kicked, but she was no match for him. He seemed to be squeezing the life out of her.

  “Let her go!” I shouted.

  “All right,” he said. To my surprise, he tossed Judge aside. She tumbled in a heap next to the airlock. Charlotte rushed to her side. Booth cracked his Knuckles as he eyed me hungrily. “I want to savor every last second of this experience, anyway.”

  Even then I thought, Am I really facing off against the man who Killed Abraham Lincoln?

  “Stand back,” I told him and pointed the probe at him.

  “And what do you have there?” Booth asked in a mocking tone as he took a step toward me.

  I didn't want to be like the guy in virtual movies who talks too long and gives the bad guy a chance to attack. Without hesitating another moment, I pointed my probe at John wilkes Booth and pressed the ON button.

  Nothing happened.

  “Ooooh, that was very frightening,” Booth said sarcastically. “Is that the best you can do?”

  “Just wait,” I said, still holding out the probe. “It gets better. Much better.”

  BLAM!

  There was a flash of light.

  The probe had taken a second to heat up, but now the nanobots were overriding their programming in a feeding frenzy. They were disconnecting from each other as they desperately sought out a meal of bacteria.

  It was as if someone had pressed a rewind button on Booth. His body began to shrink and his face to disintegrate. In his place, Asyla appeared once more.

  But the disintegration didn't stop there. Suddenly, we were looking at a much younger Asyla …maybe six years old.

  Then that Asyla was gone as well. In a long arc of streaming material, the nanobots flew across the room and straight into Judge's chest. She jerked slightly, and her body literally left the floor. She spun slowly as the whirlwind surrounded her.

  Judge aged before our eyes. As she grew taller, her hair and clothes changed, and I could see decades ing by. Finally, the nanobots' food source ran out and they stopped swirling. When Judge came to rest, she looked to be about thirty years old.

  She was gazing down at herself, so I couldn't see her expression. Was she okay?

  THE SWARMING NANOBOTS PLOWED INTO JUDGE'S CHEST.

  “Judge…?”

  She lifted her head. Her face broke out in a smile.

  “You did it Otis,” Judge said, her voice more mature again. “Bully for your!” She stepped forward and gave me a hug.

  I pulled back slightly and gestured to Charlotte. She joined us in the circle. “We did it together,” I said.

  And just in time,” Charlotte said. Over her shoulder, I could set what she meant. Through the thick glass of the small windows in the airlock doors, I could see that it was no longer black outside. Instead, it was cool blue with a yellow tinge.

  We had just entered Earth's atmosphere.

  THE ADULTS HAD ALL REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS!

  JANUARY 6, 2031

  Day 6 of 6 7:30 PM

  The first thing I did was find Teddy. He had clicked off when his body struck the wall. But when I turned him back on, he started whirling and clacking furiously, as if he were still going after Booth. I assured him everything was okay, and he looked up at me with those soft bio-real eyes and blinked twice. “Good boy.” I told him, and even Charlotte said, “That's one brave toy.” I tucked Teddy safely back in my jacket pocket.

  We made sure that Ms. Jenkins was securely but comfortably tied up. After putting helmets and gloves back on, we made our way carefully down the ladder to Level I then rushed up to the common Room.

  The room was bustling. Well, quietly bustling. Most of the adults were there, talking softly to one another. They all looked groggy and a little beaten up, but it was so wonderful to set them awake. Ms. Jenkins had been telling the truth. Apparently, the virus had an auto-destruct element. It had just kicked in a little earlier than she had planned.

  Crockett looked up at us from where he was checking on Mrs. Benato, who sat who sat on a loveseat with Lysa. He gave us the thumbs-up sign.

  Mr. Bennett was sprawled on a couch, his head in his hands. I thought about telling him how SHARP TEETH had helped subdue Ms. Jenkins but decided it could wait.

  I quickly scanned the room again. I saw Yves sitting with his parents. He gave me a small wave and a sheepish smile. I returned the smile, but my eyes kept moving. There! My mom and dad were sitting on a couch. As Charlotte rushed to her father, I sprinted over to my parents. 'They held out their arms to me and the three of us shared a long, long hug.

  Feeling tears on my cheeks, I pulled bad just so I could look at them.

  “Crockett told us a little about what's happened…,” Dad said, and then trailed off as he looked over my shoulder.

  I WAS SO GLAD MOM AND DAD WERE OKAY!

  I saw he was gazing in wonder at Judge.

  “Hello,” Judge said, smiling. “I'm so glad you're feeling better. You had us worried, you Know”

  “Oh, my,” Mom said. “I think I'm sicker than I thought.”

  “No, it's okay Morn. I'd like to introduce you to Judge Pinkerton.”

  Both of my parents knew Judge the way I had before this Elevator trip: from the journals of our ancestors. She had been woven into the fabric of our family.

  My mom's eyes filled with tears. “How …?”

  “Oh,” Dad said in a husky voice, “I wish my mother were here to see you.”

  Judge beamed at them both. “We've got a lot of catching up to do.”

  I left them alone. As I was helping Crockett make the other adults comfortable and get them something to eat, I Kept an eye on my parents and Judge.

  I had spent my life uncovering faxes. So I felt like I Knew a real person. And that's what I saw when I looked at Judge —who was composed of trillions of nanobots—a real person. But I Knew not everyone would set her like that. There would be people, like Lysa, who were scared because they didn't know any better. And then there would be more dangerous people. The ones who might want to destroy Judge or keep her locked up because she was different.

  About twenty minutes later, Judge joined me by the observation window. In silence, we watched Earth as it grew closer and closer.

  I guess Judge was thinking along the same lines I'd been. She said, “I Know from your hard drive and from what your parents just told me that I might not have any rights on Earth because I'm an artificial life form.”

  I wanted to tell her that wasn't true. But it was. Who knew what would happen to Judge when she got back to Earth? I looked at her. “Our laws need to catch up with technology.”

  “But that could be some time, couldn't it?” she asked.

  I nodded. “Honestly it could be years. When we reach Earth and they open those doors, I'm not sure what will happen to you.”

  Judge was quiet again for a moment. Then she said, “I wish there was some way for me to slip away when we reach Earth.”

  “That's going to be impossible, “I told her, trying to be as truthful as possible. “We'll be met by Customs. There will be no way to sneak off without anyone knowing it. And once they have you in custody… ”

  You might never be free, I finished to myself.

  “Could change shape?” Charlotte asked from behind us. “Sorry to interrupt, but maybe we could program you into… ” Her voice trailed off. “But then you'd just be hiding who you really are.”

  Judge nodded. And that's no way to live.”

  More silence. Finally, I said, “I have an idea. Come with me.”

  Charlotte and Judge followed me to Level 2. When we reached our destination, Charlotte seemed doubtful, but Judge clapped her hands together.

  “Oh, yes!” she cried. “This is just perfect.”

  We were gazing up at the retrofitted biplane.

  “It uses
hover technology,” I explained. “But the controls are the same as they would be on a regular biplane.”

  “A young man taught me to fly one of these old planes over a hundred years ago.”

  “I Know,” I said. “John Hatherford was the pilot's name.”

  Judge looked surprised for a moment. Then she smiled. “You read G. Codd's journal, so you Know flying this won't be a problem for me.” “Are you sure about this?” Charlotte said, eyeing the plane.

  “Absolutely,” Judge answered without hesitation. “I need my freedom. I'll make my way in the world and wait for it to catch up.”

  I touched her arm. When Judge turned to look at me, I said, But keep in touch.”

  “Always,” Judge promised. We hugged. “Thank you,” she whispered to me.

  She embraced Charlotte and climbed into the open cockpit of the plane.

  “We need to get inside the airlock,” I said to Charlotte. “I can open the large cargo door from there. We're still pretty high up, so once the door's open, the air will be too thin and too cold for us.”

  Charlotte nodded. We opened the inner door of the airlock, stepped inside, and closed the door behind us. Through the small window, we could see the plane and Judge.

  “Is she going to be okay?” Charlotte asked as I pressed my thumb on the keypad and gained access to the cargo door controls.

  “Don't worry,” I said. “The Climber is descending at a stable rate. And the hovercraft equipment on the biplane includes a powerful nuclear engine. Judge simply has to lift off and move the plane forward and she'll be free.”

  THUNK! THUNK!

  I could practically feel the bolts sliding back as the cargo door unlocked. And then it slowly opened up and outward, like a flap lifting up from the side of the Elevator.

  Judge rolled the plane to the edge. Then it lifted up and glided off the elevator.

  “Wow,” Charlotte whispered next to me. “She's—”

  “Incredible.” I finished for her. I knew in my heart I would set Judge again someday.

  Judge hovered for a moment, giving me one last thumbs-up and a grin. She mouthed, “See you soon!”

  We watched her until the biplane was just a speck in the bright blue sky.

  And then she was gone.

  About two hours later, Charlotte and I waited in front of the main doors of the Climber. Our parents were standing in front of us. My mom and dad were telling a story to Mr. Noonan, who was laughing along.

  We had reached the bottom of the ribbon about twenty minutes earlier. We now sat on the Elevator platform on Salmona Isle, a small rocky island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

  The Elevator had come to rest with a loud hiss, as if the mechanical clamps were as tired as we were. The crews outside had been spraying down the outside with high-powered disinfectant, just in case we had brought back. any extraterrestrials without realizing it.

  “How will you explain that missing plane?” Charlotte asked me.

  “I don't know,” I said. And then couldn't resist grinning. “I guess I'll buy the owner a new one.”

  “And, how exactly will you do that?” She nudged me in the ribs.

  “I plan on collecting a nice chunk of change.”

  Understanding lit her face. She smiled. “You're going to collect the reward money for recovering the statue?”

  “You got it,” I answered. “All the artwork on board has an automatic reward policy.”

  “Even though the statue is smashed into pieces?”

  “Since it has been 'damaged,' the reward will be half,” I explained. “But it's still a fortune. There will be plenty to buy a new plane.”

  “What will you do with the rest of the money?” she asked.

  “I plan on making it my life's mission to ensure that private detectives are allowed to practice again.”

  I looked over at Mrs. Benato and Lysa. Crockett was standing with them, and Lysa was listening intently as he told her a story.

  I realized Judge wasn't the only one who had a second chance to build a life. Asyla Notabe would live on in Mrs. Benato, Ms. Jenkins, Lysa … and in Charlotte.

  She must have noticed my gaze on her. “What?” she asked a little self-consciously.

  “I was just thinking about the future.”

  “And what do you see?”

  I smiled. “I'd rather show you,” I said.

  A worker opened the door to the Climber from the outside, and cried, “Welcome home!”

  Following in the footsteps of our parents, Charlotte and I walked out into the bright sunlight and onto planet Earth.

  WARNING: This message gives away parts of the story!

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  This note is different than many others I've written for the Crime Through Time series. Normally, I'd tell you not to use this book to study for a history test. But unless you're reading this in 2032 or after, that's not going to be a problem. Just remember, Judge and the other characters are inventions of my imagination.

  Most of the technology, however—such as cool uses for nanobots—is based on real scientific advances and might be right around the corner.

  NASA is considering building a space elevator. There'd be no need for dangerous and expensive launches from Earth. Satellites and spacecraft could be sent off into space from the top of the elevator. Imagine: You might ride the space elevator someday.

  Even with all this amazing technology in the story, I wanted Otis and his friends to rely on good, old-fashioned detective work to crack the case. Clever gadgets are no substitute for using your head in tricky situations.

  Finally, one thing I loved about writing this book was letting Asyla show all her cards. Her character was like a seed I planted in the first book—and she finally got to blossom here. Even though she's the villain, it felt great to finally unleash her!

  Like Otis, I have the feeling we may not have seen the last of Asyla … or Judge!

  Yours in time,

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Bill Doyle was born in Lansing, Michigan, and wrote his first mystery when he was eight. He loved seeing the shock on people's faces when they discovered the. identity of the story's villain—and knew then that he Was hooked on Writing. Bill has written for Sesame Workshop, Leap Frog, Scholastic, ROLLING STONE, TIME FOR KIDS, and the Museum of Natural History. He lives in New York City with. a mysterious dachshund named Esme.

  Check out these other gripping

  Crime Through Time™ books!

  Now in stores!

  EXTRA! EXTRA!

  Don't forget to read the newspaper in the back of each book!

  2031 Edition

  THE INSPECTOR

  $3.50 We Have an “EYE” for News

  GOING UP…

  WAY, WAY UP!

  So you thought you needed a rocket to get to space? Think again! Last month, the first Space Elevator officially opened. Special cars called climbers will carry people and cargo up and down a very strong, thin ribbon that extends 60,000 miles up into space. These climbers will use magnetic clamps—they look kind of like the treads of a tank—that will grab onto the ribbon to pull the car up or slowly lower it down. About eight climbers can go up and down at a time and a one-way trip will take six days. Lasers on the surface will shine on the climbers' solar panels and provide them with power.

  A space station and private hotel are waiting for passengers at the top of the Elevator. “Every room in our hotel has an out-of-this-world view,” says Marvin Jackson, owner of the hotel.

  Wealthy travelers who are looking for the ultimate getaway can pay the steep price for the Elevator ticket and stay in one of the hotel's gorgeous rooms.

  Beyond the travel opportunities for tourists, scientists are drooling over the new possibilities for space exploration. “It will be much, much cheaper to launch satellites and spacecraft from the top of the Elevator than from Earth,” says Dr. Alex Podeszwa of the Federal Space Agency. “Ships that leave the station won't have to waste fuel fighting
against Earth's gravity to escape the atmosphere—that means they'll have more fuel to go deeper into space.”

  Is the Elevator dangerous? Dr. Podeszwa says, “The only real danger is from airplanes or satellites that might accidentally strike the ribbon.”

  The idea for a Space Elevator has been around for about 150 years. Science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke wrote about a space elevator 52 years ago in his book The Fountains of Paradise.But materials for the Elevator ribbon, or cable, were always too heavy to stretch for thousands of miles into space. It wasn't until 1991 that the Elevator became a real possibility. That's when scientists discovered a new material called ”carbon nanotubes.” This lightweight material is 100 times as strong as steel.

  Who knows? This new Space Elevator may do for space what the transcontinental railroad did for the West in the 1800s!

  NEWS

  Putting Private Eyes in Prison

  It looks as though the Notabe Corporation will finally have its wish. After successfully convincing the country that private investigators are dangerous and should be banned, the family-owned company has been calling for a new. bill that would provide stiff prison sentences—up to 50 years—for detectives who continue to work on private cases. The United States Congress passed the bill, known on the Hill as the Notabe Solution, which will go into effect immediately. To work on a case now, investigators must he hired by the government—or face jail time.

  TECHNOLOGY

  Kind Gesture

  The Pinkerton Foundation announced today that it would provide thousands of Gesture Technology Devices to disadvantaged people around the world. The devices—which allow the people to communicate with computers just by moving their hands, feet or even their eyebrows—will mean different things to different people. “I am so excited!” says Motsuri Hentricks, 12, a high school student in Norway. Motsuri was in a hydro-car accident that left him unable to walk. “The Gesture Devices will work with my artificial legs. All I'll have to do is point toward something. The new Gesture gloves will talk with the computers in my legs and they'll carry where I want to go!”