“It’s Roman numerals,” Amy says dismissively. Then she lowers the book, meeting my eyes. “It’s Roman numerals. We shouldn’t use 0030 as the code—we should use XXX. And a zero in front, since there needs to be four digits.”

She rushes to the keypad and tries 0XXX.

Her door doesn’t unlock. “Why did the Romans use letters instead of numbers?” I ask.

She ignores my question. “Try that lock,” she says, moving closer to the door I’m at.

“You’re getting your hopes up for nothing. Orion was loons. This whole clue chase is loons.”

“Just. Try. It.”

I roll my eyes and tap out 0XXX on the keypad.

Beep! Click.

“Frex,” I say in awed surprise.

Chapter 36

36

AMY

THE DOOR SWINGS OPEN, AND IT’S NOT UNTIL I TAKE A HUGE gasp of air that I realize I’d been holding my breath. For all my confidence, I can’t believe that worked.

There are ten cubbyholes built into the wall, one suit in each compartment. Cords and tubes are coiled at the base around heavy boots, and shelves over the suits display helmets that, despite a fine layer of dust, still retain some of their mirror-like shine.

Elder rushes inside and runs his hands over the nearest suit. It looks like a painted paper bag but drips from his hand like silk. Behind the silk-like body suit, I can see harder pieces that look like plastic armor.

“Do you know how to use these?” Elder turns, asking me with shining eyes.

“Why would I?” I say.

“You’re from Sol-Earth. These were made there.”

I laugh, a short, bitter bark. “The whole ship was made on Sol-Earth; that doesn’t mean I know anything about it!”

“But—”

“There’s a manual,” I say. A thick metal-and-glass screen connected to a coiled cord hangs on the wall. Maybe it once worked as video instructions or an interactive guide, but the cord is frayed and the glass cracked. Under the monitor, though, is a thick black book. Good thing it’s pretty hard to break a book. I pick it up and flip to the first page. Two-thirds of it isn’t even in English. The part that is in English is so complicated it makes my eyes cross. At the end of the book, though, is a step-by-step illustrated guide of what to do to operate the space suits. I guess the builders of the ship made sure the people on the ship could use the suits even if their language somehow evolved or something else went wrong.

As I hand the manual to Elder, I notice that it had been resting on another book.

“What’s that?” Elder asks me, but he’s more interested in the manual than the slender book I found beneath it.