“The computer,” she said to Dan. “It’s hooked to the server. You could hack in – disrupt the alarm!”
Dan hurried over to the computer.
OXYGEN LEVEL 13%
“We have to hurry,” Amy said. “Oxygen depletion affects your brain. You can’t think… .”
“I’d have to get past the fire wall… .”
Amy felt her temples pound. “What was it that the hacker taught us? The back door option … you can get into their e-mail and go on from there… .”
“I remember, but I’m no Evan.”
“You’re just as smart as he is,” Amy said firmly. “You can do it.”
Dan began punching out a string of code.
OXYGEN LEVEL 11%
Looking over his shoulder, Amy tried to concentrate on Dan’s numbers. It seemed like an incredible effort. Dan made a mistake and had to back up.
OXYGEN LEVEL 9%
“I’m in!” Dan leaned forward. “Now to get Att … Attleboro… .” His breath was quick, and he wiped at the sweat on his forehead. “I’ve got Evan!”
Amy watched as Dan typed out HALON GAS CZECH LIBRARY SYSTEM HELP
It took a moment. Then they saw the words appear I’M ON IT
“He’ll … have to … hack into the system through this terminal,” Dan said.
Amy clutched the chair back as a wave of dizziness washed over her. “Dan …”
He looked over his shoulder at her. Perspiration streaked his face, and his eyes were glassy.
OXYGEN LEVEL 7%
They were close to passing out. Amy slid down to the floor. Dan slumped down next to her. She felt his hand reach for hers. If it was over, they’d go together.
Jake was out. Stretched on the ground, a lump on the back of his head and the world swimming in front of his eyes. One minute he was running after Atticus, the next, he was down. Some Nordic-looking guy had been next to him and suddenly managed – Jake wasn’t sure how – to check him right into a wall.
He forced himself to his knees. He saw a screaming Atticus being held by a blond young woman. She appeared to be trying to hold him back from running back into the burning building. But she was grip- ping him too tightly… .
Atticus met his gaze. “DAN AND AMY!” he screamed.
The blonde pressed Atticus’s head against her chest as if to comfort him. Jake saw with horror that she was actually muffling his scream.
He struggled to his feet. He had to get to his brother. But Dan and Amy were still in the library! Through the pounding pain in his head, he pushed forward, even before he knew which way to go.
Amy felt sick.
Dan’s voice was weak. “He’ll … do it… .”
She looked over at the oxygen indicator.
OXYGEN LEVEL 6%
The siren stopped. From somewhere far away she heard a click. The lock!
Fighting her nausea and weakness, Amy crawled to the door and reached up for the knob. It seemed so impossibly high. Her fingers grabbed at air. Finally, with an enormous effort, she raised herself up and gripped it. The door felt as heavy as iron. She yanked at it with all her strength, and it opened.
She fell forward into the hallway outside. She took a breath. It was smoky and it made her cough, but it was air. As oxygen filled her lungs, she felt stronger.
She made her way unsteadily back to Dan. He was half conscious. She lifted him to his feet and half dragged him out the door.
He leaned over, coughing, taking shallow breaths.
They stumbled down the corridor. Two firemen appeared at the end of the hall. As soon as they saw Amy and Dan struggling to walk, they rushed forward.
Amy felt herself being lifted up and cradled like a baby. Coughing, she was carried out the door. The air felt so pure and sweet.
She saw Jake pushing through the crowd toward them, Atticus at his side. And, off to the side, the tall Wyoming twins walked rapidly toward the tram stop. Cheyenne was limping.
Amy felt too tired to care. She was laid down on a patch of cold stone and it felt as luxurious as a bed. An emergency technician checked her over and put an oxygen mask on her face.
“Is she going to be okay?” Jake asked. His concerned face swam in front of her.
“She’ll be fine,” the technician assured him.
Atticus hovered near Dan, almost in tears.
Dan lifted one hand slowly, patted his chest, and gave Amy a nod. He had the map.
Rome, Italy
William McIntyre sat in his hotel room in Rome, file folders stacked to one side. He tried not to think about what time it was in Massachusetts. Jet lag lasted whole days for him now. His body felt tired, but he needed to push himself a little longer before he allowed himself to rest.
Amy and Dan were on his mind. He had the utmost confidence in their abilities, but that didn’t mean he didn’t worry constantly. He hadn’t imagined anything could be more challenging and difficult than the search for the Clues, but this was proving to be so. Lives were at stake. And Vesper One … the fact that he could engineer this scheme, with hostages taken from all over the world … with kidnapping a boy of twelve … well, this was a new level of depravity.
He had confidence in all of them, not just Amy and Dan – Erasmus, Sinead, Ian, Hamilton, Jonah – even that boyfriend of Amy’s had turned out to be a worthy member of the team.
If only he didn’t feel as though they were missing something.
Something crucial.
He had come to Rome to meet with Erasmus, but first, he needed to consult with a client. That little thing that was nagging at him – he needed to dig a little deeper. But the client meeting hadn’t panned out. All he was able to get was a stack of old files.