Trapped!: The 2031 Journal of Otis Fitzmorgan Read Online Free PDF

perfect for nonbiological
     uses—such as a stamp that works like a one-of-a-kind signature. That's right! You can now sign important documents with your
     DNA. Better than fingerprints, which can smudge, DNA is also harder to copy and will be an amazing weapon in the fight against
     fraud.
    I ran the probe over the plane. Another pleasant chime let me know my DNA stamp was still there. “Everything's fine,” I told
     her. Once again, I was showing off, but I couldn't seem to help myself.
    “What would happen if your probe told you one of these pieces of art was a fake?”
    “Whoever found the real artwork would get a huge reward from the insurance company—and I'd be out of a job.”
    “But working for the government isn't the job you want anyway, is it?”
    “What makes you say that?”
    “Just something I read somewhere…” Her voice trailed off, but her eyes locked onto mine with a challenging look.
    I knew, of course, she was talking about what she'd seen in my journal when she was flipping through it at the security clearance
     area. But before I could say anything, she walked away.
    I followed her over to the E SCAPE BY A H AIR statue.
    “Now, this is something,” she said.
    “What's it make you feel?”
    Her eyes glinted, but she just shrugged. She started walking to the next object, which was a carved totem. As she moved away,
     the air stirred around the statue. I caught a whiff of the light smell of the soap she used.

    CHARLOTTE SEEMED IMPRESSED BY THE STATUE.
    “I think you'll—” I froze in my tracks. “It can't be…”
    Charlotte turned to look at me. “What's wrong?”
    I ran my microprobe over the statue and confirmed that my DNA stamp was in place, but I knew I was right. My limbs felt heavy,
     and my head swam. I pointed with a shaking finger at E SCAPE BY A H AIR and managed to say, “This statue is a fake.”
    “Are you serious?” she asked. “How do you know?”
    I sniffed around the statue.
    “What are you doing?” she asked, as I smelled the air again.
    “Forgers have been able to copy all kinds of materials. They can get past most physical inspections. But there's one thing
     they haven't been able to copy, and that's the smell of certain materials.”
    “I don't follow you.”
    “I have a secret weapon I use in my job. So far, the FSA has managed to keep criminals from finding out about it.”
    “What's your secret weapon?”
    “My nose.”
    “Your what?” She asked, looking doubtful.
    “My nose!” I almost shouted. “I can pick up and identify smells as well as any bloodhound.”
    “You're kidding—” She broke off as understanding flashed in her eyes. “So that's how you knew my dad was carrying food in
     his pocket!”
    I nodded.
    INK STINK
    Different inks and materials have different odors. Just a sample of the smells I try to detect when inspection art for fraud:
    MARBLE (STONE): Has a clean, sharp odor—like an ice cube from a freezer packed with steaks.
    MAHOGANY (DARK WOOD): Smells like a handful of rich, compacted earth.
    VARNISH: A light acrid odor if the artwork is more than 100 years old. A stronger smell that fills my nose indicates a newer
     work.
    GREEN INK: Reminds me of sweat or a gym locker.
    BLUE INK: Makes me think of our musty old boathouse in New Hampshire.
    YELLOW INK: Gives off a sugary smell, almost like candy.
    When the materials above are listed as part of the art but the odor isn't there—my nose tells me something's fishy!
    I removed a small blade from my belt. In one fluid motion, I hacked off a small piece of the statue.
    “You can't do that!” Charlotte gasped.
    “I'm confirming what my nose tells me to be true.”
    I walked over to the minilab in the wall, hoping that it would be stocked with the materials I needed. I found a petri dish
     and dropped the hunk of statue into it. I could use my microprobe as a heating device. Now I just needed a food source.
    “Do you have any kind of food in your bag?”
    “All I've got is