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

sugar,” Charlotte replied, handing me a packet from her bag. “It's rare to find real sugar these days, so
     I always carry some around with me to put in my tea.”
    I tore open the packet and dumped it into the petri dish. I adjusted my probe and aimed it toward the dish.

    I ZAPPED THE SHARD WITH MY PROBE.
    BLAM!
    There was flash of light, and the piece of statue seemed to explode.
    Shocked, Charlotte jumped back.
    “Sorry,” I told her. “I meant to say, watch out.”
    In less than a second, the bit of statue had been reduced to a grayish brown pile of what looked like sand.
    She gasped. “What just happened?”
    After slipping on a plastic glove from the minilab, I ran my hand over the sculpture. “This statue is definitely a fake. Someone
     used biological nano—material to recreate a near—exact copy of the original.”
    Charlotte shook her head. “Can you say that again for the back of the class?”
    I took a deep breath and tried to explain it more clearly. “Nano—material is made up of smart cells that are manmade. They're
     alive, but they've been constructed by scientists.”
    “Like mini living robots?”
    “That's right. Nanobots are extremely small. If you lined up thousands of them end to end, they might only be the width of
     a human hair. They may be small, but because they're living, they need to eat. Nanobots can't resist a food source. It overrides
     whatever their secondary programming might be. It's kind of like a survival instinct. If you introduce a liquid food source,
     they act like a swirling school of starving sharks.”
    “I remember now. We studied this stuff in grade school,” she said. “Wouldn't a group of nanobots this big be worth more than
     the statue itself?”
    “Yes,” I said. “And no one has ever been able to copy a DNA stamp before. These nanobots must be the most advanced kind.”
    I was shaking my head and staring down at the petri dish. I could be in serious trouble. “Come on,” I ordered. “I have to
     tell my parents.”
    We rushed back to the elevator. As the doors closed, I jabbed the button for Level 3.
    I didn't speak on the way up. Charlotte nudged me with her elbow. I looked at her, and she gave me a small, reassuring smile.
     “It's going to be okay.”
    I wished I could be so sure.
    With a DING, the door slid open.
    “There you are!” Yves cried, putting one meaty hand on my chest. “You lied to me! You sent me up to my room for no—”
    I knocked his hand away. “Yves, I don't have time for this,” I said through clenched teeth.
    His face went red and he took a step closer to me. “You'll make time—”
    This was ridiculous. We pushed past him and walked into the Common Room. The partition had been removed, and the two rooms
     had been turned into a single large one. My parents were at one of the tables chatting with Charlotte's dad, who appeared
     to be feeling much better. I could see Lysa curled up on a couch and Crockett standing in the corner talking with the holo—nurse.

    WES THE BULLY
    As I tried to figure out how to tell my parents about the fake statue, the elevator dinged, and I heard Yves say, “What are
     you doing here?”
    Many of the adults had looked up as we came in. My mom and dad were looking at me expectantly with half-smiles. Then they
     must have noticed the alarm on my face. They both stood.
    “Honey, what is it?” my mom asked.
    I opened my mouth to speak—and saw the most terrifying thing in my life.
    Without warning, the bodies of each and every adult went rigid. Their arms were straight at their sides, as if they were being
     jolted by an electrical shock.
    Then in flash, they all collapsed.
    It was like a watching a forest of trees fall under the invisible axe of a ghost. If they were standing, like my parents,
     their bodies simply crumpled to the floor. If they were seated, they either pitched forward or slumped back in their chairs.
     It was over in about one second. Only five people remained