Code (24 page)

CHAPTER 45

“D
on’t touch it!”

Every Viral shouted at once.

“Okay!” Jason raised both palms. “But how can a balloon be dangerous?”

“In this game,
everything
is dangerous!” Shelton had dropped into a judo stance.

Though fully inflated, the balloon dangled from the ceiling. My every instinct screamed in warning.

“Nobody move.” I tried to order my thoughts. “Where are we?”

“That’s AC equipment.” Ben pointed to the riot of metalwork above our heads. “We’re in some kind of ventilation room.”

The first inkling of suspicion formed in my mind. “Is the AC on tonight?”

Hi shook his head. “If those suckers were running, you’d know it. HVAC units roar like jet engines.”

Shelton jabbed another finger. “What’s
that
?”

A steel box sat to the left of the corral. Shiny and dirt free, the modern-looking cube stood out from the rest of the grimy machinery. I craned my neck for a better look.

The box was constructed of sheer metal sheets bolted together along the edges. Its exterior was smooth and unmarked, except for the top, which had two rectangular niches cut into its surface. The first niche held a built-in LCD touchscreen covered by a clear Plexiglas shield. The second was empty. Its thick plastic cover allowed a view into the guts of the device.

Curious, I took a step toward the box and rose up on my tiptoes, thankful that Whitney had chosen dressy sandals for my outfit and not murderous high heels.

My neck hairs went vertical.

Above the LCD screen, stamped into the metal, was a single leering clown face.

“This is it!” Adrenaline shot through me. “We found the bomb!”

“How do we turn it off?” Jason started forward before I could stop him. On his third step, I heard a soft snap.

“Get down!” I screamed.

Everyone but Jason reacted instantly.

The balloon dropped from its wire.

Behind me, I heard the screech of metal on metal.

THUMP!

The lights flickered, recovered, then resumed their electric buzz.

I cringed, face pressed to the dirty floor, eyes squeezed in fearful anticipation.

Nothing happened.

I cracked one eyelid. The other. Glanced around.

Jason had frozen in a half-crouch. Ben was lying flat on his stomach, eyes darting. Hi had assumed the airplane crash position, while Shelton was curled into a ball.

“Everyone okay?” I checked myself for wounds, found none. But streaks of brownish grit ran the length of my white silk gown.

“Yeah.” Ben dusted himself off.

“I think so,” Jason said, still rooted in place.

“I’m tired of this garbage!” Shelton whined. “But fine.”

“Ah, guys?” Hi had un-turtled and was staring back the way we’d entered.

The light from the passage had dimmed.

Ben dashed through the door, then cursed loudly. Metal rattled in the corridor.

I lurched to my feet, recalling the room-shaking thump. “What is it?”

“Some sort of . . . grate.” More harsh clanking. “It dropped from the ceiling and is blocking the entrance.”

“No no no!”
Shelton streaked to Ben’s side. “Lift it up!”

I hurried to investigate. Down the passage, Ben was shaking a steel grill similar to those used to secure stores in shopping malls. It had fallen directly between the electrical room and us.

“Won’t budge.” Ben’s arms bulged as he strained to raise the grate. “It’s set on runners. Should lift easily. Something’s jamming the tracks.” Face flushed, he abandoned his efforts. “We’re stuck.”

“Always trapped!” Shelton actually stamped a foot. “Always underground! If we get out of here, I’m moving to a high-rise on a mountaintop. Penthouse! And ya’ll ain’t invited!”

Keep calm.

Stepping back into the ventilation room, I saw Jason kneel, pinch his fingers, and lift a broken wire. “Oops. My bad.”

The balloon was now resting on the floor tiles. I watched it nervously. Was there more to this trap?

“I bet he’s watching us
right now,
” Shelton whispered. His gaze rose to the tangle of pipes bolted to the ceiling. “A dozen cameras could be hidden up there.”

Something about the whole setup bothered me.

If the debutante ball was the target, why put a bomb down here? This building was a fortress, literally, and these rooms were deep underground. The party was two full floors above us.

The Gamemaster was ruthless. I suspected he’d want the highest body count possible. Burying explosives in the basement didn’t fit the bill.

“Why’d the Gamemaster want us down here?” I asked. “In this room?”

“To kill us!” Shelton was close to panic. “We can’t get out!”

My mind raced, trying to fit the pieces. “But we almost didn’t find this location. What if we hadn’t?”

Hi started chewing his thumb. “Keep going.”

“According to The Rules, if we fail,
innocents
will die.” My eyes scanned the room. “An explosion down here might kill the five of us, sure, but only if we’d guessed correctly, and were in the right place.”

Shelton threw up both hands. “Does it matter now?”

“Could an explosion centered here level the building?” Jason asked.

“Not likely,” Ben said. “The Citadel was built to last. It’d take an enormous blast to collapse this whole structure.”

“I’m with Tory.” Hi began pacing. “The Gamemaster plans to hurt a lot of people if we don’t succeed. The deb ball is the obvious target.”

“But he also wanted
us
trapped in
this
room.” I pinched my forehead, trying to force my thoughts into logical order. “It all has to connect somehow.”

No one had an answer.

Jason kicked the balloon in frustration.

Pop!

A lime green mist oozed from the torn red plastic. Jason grabbed his throat and began coughing madly. Cheeks flushing scarlet, he stumbled backward, trying to cover his face.

Noxious vapors spread through the room. My eyes watered and burned.

Tumblers fell in my head.

A key turned. Terrible insight followed.

Combine what you’ve learned to uncover The Danger.

“Oh no.”

Hi grabbed Jason and yanked him toward the door. Shelton stripped off his jacket and fanned the vapors. Shielding his nose and mouth, Ben raced forward, scooped the balloon, and tossed it into a corner.

Frantic seconds later, the air seemed to clear.

The sound of Jason’s hacking filled the room. “That . . . was . . .
cough, cough
. . . pretty dumb, huh?” he rasped.

“Just take it easy.” Hi thumped his back. “And yes, you’re a dumbass.”

I remained rooted, a sick feeling roiling my gut.

Combine what you’ve learned.

Heart pounding, I raced to the Gamemaster’s box, certain I’d identified The Danger. And found what I’d feared most: clear plastic tubing, connecting the rear of the device to the pipes overhead.

As if on cue, the massive HVACs grumbled to life.

My head whipped to Hi. “Time?”

“Oh crap!” Hi swallowed. “It’s nine o’clock!”

“Can we turn these units off?” I asked.

Ben shook his head. “The corral is triple-padlocked. We’ll never get inside.”

Almost out of time.

My eyes shot to the top panel of the box. Through the second niche I could see the inner workings of the sinister device.

Another jolt. I knew why the window was there.

The Gamemaster wants me to see. Now that it’s too late. Now that he’s won.

I saw two silver objects inside the machine. Guessed their evil function.

A cry of alarm escaped me.

Jason grabbed my arm. “Tory, what is it?”

“This isn’t a bomb.” My voice trembled. “At least, not the kind that explodes.”

I pointed to twin silver canisters visible through the glass.

The labels were easy to see.

Jason squinted, then read aloud.
“Bromo . . . bromometh.”

“Bromomethane.” My voice was numb. “A toxic pesticide. The balloon must’ve contained a weak dose. A sample for us to enjoy.”

Hiram’s eyes widened. “We’re standing in the freaking ventilation room.”

Ben winced. Shelton covered his face and moaned.

“So it’s flammable?” Jason didn’t understand. “Explosive?”

“It’s a poisonous gas.” I had to shout over the rumbling AC units.

Jason shook his head in confusion.

“The pipes, Jason!” I pointed at the ceiling. “This device is hooked into the air-conditioning system.”

“The HVACs will pump the gas into the ballroom.” Ben shook the chain-link barrier in frustration. “The debs are still being introduced. Everyone up there is a sitting duck!”

“Poison gas?” Jason took a few steps backward. “That’s crazy!”

Hi grabbed Jason by his lapels. “Exactly! We’re dealing with a lunatic. Got it?”

I thought of the people above us. Kit. Whitney. My classmates. A large swath of Charleston’s wealthiest one percent. All crammed into that ballroom.

With so many bodies in such close quarters, the temperature would’ve risen.

The tightly packed crowd, decked out in stifling formal wear, would welcome the influx of cool air.

Until it started killing them.

“We have to shut this thing down!” Jason shoved Hi aside and started banging the metal box with both hands. “There must be a way to kill the power.”

I caught one of his sleeves. “Let me look.”

The others crowded behind me while I studied the mechanism.

“The outer shell consists of five metal plates bolted at the seams.” Thinking analytically calmed me down. “Each side is riveted to the floor. I see no way to access the canisters inside.”

Shelton smacked a side panel. “Building this took
mad
effort. The Gamemaster must’ve spent hours holed up in this dungeon.”

“Agreed,” I said. “The exterior must’ve been assembled on-site.”

“We rip it open.” Ben gestured with his hands. “Get inside before the canisters discharge. Simple.”

“How?” Hi ran his fingers along one edge. “This box is fastened tight. We’d need power tools to get under its skirt.”

“There
must
be a way.” But I couldn’t see it. My panic meter was rising again.

“The Plexiglas.” Shelton smacked his hand on the little window. “Bash it open.”

“No good.” My gut warned against tampering with the box’s construction. “The plastic won’t break easily, and the opening’s too small anyway.”

Shelton reached for his earlobe. “We have to do something!”

I waved a hand in annoyance. “Let me think.”

There
must
be a way to gain entry. A way to win The Game.

Beneath its plastic cover, the touchscreen suddenly flared to life. Cartoon clowns danced and rolled as a familiar script flashed on-screen, red words burning against a black background.

Ready to play?

“This is i
t.” Trying to still my shaking hands. “We have no choice.”

Hi nodded. Shelton groaned. Jason had locked up, eyes wide, unable to speak.

“There’s no other way?” Ben glared at the screen in anger.

I shook my head. “We play or they die.”

A look of despair twisted Ben’s features, then vanished so swiftly I questioned having seen it. “Do it,” was all he said.

“Here we go.”

Bracing myself, I tapped the Plexiglas with my index finger. The shield didn’t move or open.

“How do I accept? I can’t reach the screen.”

Before anyone could answer, I heard the scrape of a footfall.

All heads whipped to the door at our backs.

Hi ran to investigate. Froze at the threshold. “What are
you
doing here?”

“Hi?” I couldn’t see past him into the corridor. “Is someone there?”

“Yes.”

His tone chilled my spine. I sprang to Hiram’s side and peered into the passage.

Locked eyes with the last person I expected to see.

CHAPTER 46

C
hance smiled coldly from the other side of the grate.

“Trapped in a cage, are we? Seems to be a specialty of yours.”

Ice ran through my veins as I hurried through the passage. The others followed at my back.

Chance Claybourne.

Down here in the bowels of the building, where he had no business being.

Where only the Gamemaster knew we’d be.

How could I have been so dense?

“You!” Shelton shouted. “You’re a monster. Let us out!”

Hi covered his face with his hands. “Man, I did
not
see that coming.”

“What’s going on?” Jason called from behind me. “Claybourne, bust us loose!”

“Chance, why?” I could barely form the words. “All those people!”

His face pinched. “What people?”

I pressed close to grate. “You have to disarm the device!”

“Device?” Chance squinted. “Victoria, I have no idea what you’re talking about. How’d you lock yourself in there?”

“Stop lying, you turd!” Shelton’s voice crackled with fury and fear. “Murderer! Lunatic!”

“A former mental patient, too,” Hi said bitterly. “God, why didn’t I see it? We
knew
the Gamemaster was no-joke crazy. Plus Chance hates us, and has all that money.” He smacked his forehead. “I’m such an idiot!”

“That’s the
last
time I’ll be called a ‘murderer’ by you freaks,” Chance snapped. “Or ‘crazy.’ Now what the hell is this? What’s a Gamemaster? Why are you down here?”

Doubt crept in. Chance sounded genuinely confused.

“Why are
you
down here?” I shot back.

“I followed you. Your exit wasn’t exactly subtle, stampeding past everyone on the stairs. And now I see Jason’s involved too. I want to know what’s going on.”

“Wait.” Shelton pointed with both hands. “You’re
not
the Gamemaster?”

“Enough, you moron! What absurd game are you playing? Tonight of all nights.”

I believed him. Chance really was clueless. He wasn’t the Gamemaster.

But he might just save our asses.

“Listen up!” I said. “There’s a machine in this room that will poison everyone upstairs. We’re trying to shut it down.
You
have to free us.”

“Poison people?” Chance’s gaze bounced from face to face. “Like, kill them? Is this some kind of nerd joke?”

“No, you jackass!” Ben elbowed forward and slammed the grate with both hands. “Everyone upstairs could
die
in the next few minutes. Just do what she says!”

“It’s true,” Jason added. “Get this thing open as fast as you can.”

Chance’s lips parted, but I cut off whatever he planned to say.

“Please. Trust me. I’ll explain everything later.”

I saw a thousand questions burning in Chance’s eyes.

“Please!” I slapped the sides of my stained white dress.

“Fine!” Chance stepped back and examined the barrier from his side. “This is some type of sliding door, like in a garage.” Pause. “Two clamps are locking the runners in place. I’ll have to release them.”

“Just do it!” I ran back into the ventilation room, the boys on my heels.

Under the Plexiglas, a timer was counting down.

15 . . . 14 . . . 13 . . .

I stared at the screen I couldn’t touch. “What do we do?”

Hi wiped sweat from his brow. “I guess we wait.”

A loud clanging kicked up behind us.

Hurry, Chance!

The five of us stared at the device, hoping we weren’t too late.

The HVAC units continued to roar.

I looked at Shelton. He was tracking the clear tubes exiting the rear of the Gamemaster’s box. “Those feed into the duct for the unit marked ‘second floor.’ The gas will shoot straight up to the ballroom.”

“We bust the tubes,” Ben said. “Problem solved.”

“And have the poison discharge in here?” Hi looked incredulous. “You got some kind of a death wish? Chance has to clear the doorway first.”

Shelton’s voice cracked. “So it’s either us or them?”

The prospect of such a choice shocked everyone to silence.

Jason finally spoke. “We can’t let the gas into the AC. No matter what.”

Horrific images strobed in my mind. Debutantes collapsing. Panicked guests scrambling for doors. Kit and Whitney, gasping, choking, struggling to breathe. Bodies littering the gleaming parquet.

“We won’t,” I swore. “We’re going to win this sick game.”

The HVACs shifted to a low humming. Red lights blinked on both units.

Hi paled. “Oh crap. Are we out of time?”

My eyes shot to the tubes. “I don’t think the gas released.”

Ben pressed close to the chain-link and peered inside the corral. “The HVACs have switched to standby. AC isn’t blowing right now.”

My eyes flicked from the tubes to the timer.

3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .

Horns blared from speakers inside the box. The sound morphed into a whimsical, circus-like tune.

The question dissolved from the screen. A new message took its place.

Type the Magic Word to disarm the device!

A touchscreen keyboard appeared at the bottom of the display.

Above it, a cursor blinked.

The timer reset to five minutes and began counting down.

A cacophony of beeps and shrieks replaced the music.

My eyes flew back to the tubes. Still clear.

On the screen, a second line scrolled below the first.

Don’t be wrong, or pay The Price!

Jason looked at me, eyes hopeful. “You know the magic word, right?”

“No. Yes. I mean . . . we must already know the answer, but have to figure out what it is. That’s how The Game works.”

Jason locked his hands on his head. “This isn’t a game, Tory!”

“How do we enter
anything
?” Shelton pushed against the plastic barrier sealing off the niche. “We can’t reach the screen.”

I ignored him, tried to block out the piercing racket blasting from the device.

Combine what you’ve learned to uncover The Danger.

“What led us here?” I asked.

“Your castle theory,” Hi said. “Along with the specific date and time.”

“No, I mean tonight.” I answered my own question. “We found the sunburst symbol upstairs, and again on the electrical room door.”

“That led us to the red balloon.” Shelton slapped the clown face stamped onto the box. “And this nightmare.”

Combine what you’ve learned.

My brain formed a synapse. “He’s using elements from earlier clues.”

Hi yanked my list from his pocket. “So what’s left?”

“Several of these factors are already in play.” I read aloud. “Castle. Sunburst. Bromomethane.”

“This box wants a magic word,” Ben said. “Like a code. The Gamemaster’s
first
letter—the one on Loggerhead—was encrypted. Maybe that’s a connection.”

“But there’s no message to decipher!” Shelton wailed. “Nothing to decode.”

My mind scrambled for links, but the clanging in the passage, combined with the grating static, kept breaking my concentration. “I can’t hear myself think!”

“The noise!” Shelton squealed.

“It’s a distraction,” Hi said. “And we’re down to three minutes.”

“No, listen! The volume is going up as the clock runs down. Maybe the sounds aren’t random.”

“Listen for a pattern.” But all I heard was an atonal mess.

“Dots and dashes!” Shelton cried. “The audio
is
the message!”

“Can you crack it?” Hi asked. “Because that’d be really useful right now.”

Shelton’s eyes closed. His lips moved silently as he listened. “It’s Morse code. First one my dad taught me. I got this.”

“I can help,” Ben said eagerly. “I know some, too.”

Shelton froze, head cocked to one side. Sweat beaded his temples.

I watched the timer.

Ten seconds passed. Twenty. Thirty.

Come on, Devers. You own stuff like this.

“Two words,” Shelton said finally. “Repeating every few seconds. The first letter is definitely
H.
”

Ben nodded. “I have
H
and then
I,
but can’t get the next one.”

Shelton scratched his cheek nervously. “This might take a bit.”

“Two and a half minutes,” Hi mumbled.

“There’s no signal down here.” Jason was waving his cell. “I can’t get online.”

“Quiet!” Shelton ordered.

Everyone shut up. For long moments the only sounds were the shrill static pumping from the device, the humming of the HVACs, and the metallic hammering reverberating down the passage.

“Third is an
M.
” Shelton jammed his glasses back into place. “Then another
I,
but after that I’m stuck. I haven’t done this in years. I don’t remember what a single dot means!”

H. I. M. I.

I rifled my vocabulary. Couldn’t find a single fit.

“I have a dictionary app!” Hi typed frantically on his iPhone. “Nothing starts with
himi
—”

Another synapse. My head nearly exploded.

“The puzzle box! What was its Japanese name?”

Shelton began dancing on the balls of his feet. “Um . . . um . . .”

“Himcho-Taco?” Hi guessed. “Hiro-Bono?”

“Himitsu-Bako.”
Shelton beamed. “That’s it!”

“Hurry!” Ben said. “Type it in!”

My fingertips smacked the Plexiglas shield. “I still can’t reach the keyboard!”

“Two minutes,” Hi reported hoarsely. “There has to be a way to open the glass.”

My fingers curled into fists.

Think!

More gray cells linked hands in my brain.

“That’s not the magic word!” I squawked. “
Himitsu-Bako
is two words, anyway. But it must be a clue to opening the shield.”

“Move.”
Shelton leaned over the box, flexed his fingers, then pressed down on the edges of the plastic barrier. “We got into the puzzle box by pushing each side, then easing the top section—”

The Plexiglas slid back.

Everyone shouted in triumph.

“But what’s the answer?” Ben said. “What’s the magic word?”

“We’ve got one shot.” Hi jerked free his bow tie and loosened his collar. “Anyone have a guess?”

All eyes shifted to me.

“Can I see my notes?” I tried to keep my voice from shaking.

Hi passed them to me. “Ninety seconds, Tor.”

I shut out the world. Reviewed every task the Gamemaster had given us. Tried to create order from chaos.

Where had the Gamemaster sent us? What were the keys?

Castle Pinckney—we’d opened a puzzle box and cracked a coded message.

The Ocean Course—we’d solved a chemical equation and deciphered the picture.

Mepkin Abbey—we’d identified a statue and the symbol on its shroud.

“Only one minute left.” Hi was deathly pale. “Time to give something a shot.”

I ignored him. Kept sorting data.

Combine what you’ve learned to uncover The Danger.

What have we used?

The sunburst. Morse code.
Himitsu-Bako.
Bromomethane.

Symbol. Code. Puzzle. Equation.

What did that leave?

“Thirty seconds.”

“Tory, we have to try something!” Ben stepped up to the panel. “Now!”

Combine what you’ve learned to uncover The Danger.

We never used the equation.

“Bromomethane.” I was sure. “It’s the missing piece.”

No one moved. Enter the wrong thing, and we doomed the people upstairs.

The situation felt like a bad joke: five teenagers, dressed in formal wear, locked in a basement, trying to defuse a poison gas machine.

Yet it was very real. Lives depended on getting this right.

And we were finally, totally, and completely out of time.

“Fifteen seconds.” Hi swallowed audibly.

“I’ll do it.” Ben reached for the screen. “Tell me how to spell it.”

Hi called out the letters. Shelton covered his face, unable to watch. Jason closed his eyes and mumbled a prayer.

As I watched Ben’s fingers, my universe narrowed to the blinking cursor skipping across the screen.

Something was wrong.

What?

13 . . . 12 . . . 11 . . .

What?

10 . . . 9 . . . 8 . . .

We never used the equation.

“Here goes nothing.” Ben crossed himself. Reached for the keyboard.

A voice screamed inside my head.

The equation!

“STOP!”

Ben’s finger froze.

I shoved him aside.

6 . . . 5 . . . 4 . . .

Hammering backspace, I wiped out Ben’s entry and tapped a new sequence as fast as my fingers could fly. Pressed enter.

3 . . . 2 . . .

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The deafening static ceased.

The timer flickered, went blank.

Accepted.

Everyone gasped with relief.

“What did you type?” Shelton demanded.

“CH3BR. The
formula
led us to Kiawah, not the chemical name.”

Within the box, metal scraped metal. I heard a series of clicks.

The HVACs shut down.

The screen filled with bouncing red balloons. The horns returned. Fiery letters spelled out a single word.

CONGRATULATIONS!

“We did it!” Shelton pumped his fists, then gave Hi a flying chest- bump.

Jason and Ben high-fived like crazy. Then they froze, realizing exactly what they were doing. A beat passed, then the two boys nodded and shook hands. Hi and Shelton stared in disbelief.

I closed my eyes, too relieved to celebrate.

“What’s happening?” Chance’s voice carried from the passage. “These freaking clamps won’t come loose.”

I was about to explain when a new message lit the screen.

My elation gave way to dread. “Guys.”

The others followed my sight line. All celebrations died.

Well done, Players!

Through quick wits and skillful performance you have won The Game and successfully averted The Danger. However, you broke The Rules, and therefore must pay The Penalty. Make your choice.

Sincerely,

The Gamemaster

More clicks. Whirs. Inside the box, a canister rotated.