by Felice Arena
Contents
PREVIOUSLY…
1. DRIVE BY
2. SUSPICIOUS
3. THE GENERAL
4. CAMP HOWL
5. RUN!
6. TAKEN!
7. INTO THE DARK
8. SPLASH!
FROM THE AUTHOR
…WHEN YOU’RE HALF BOY, HALF MACHINE,
IT’S HARD NOT TO BE A HERO…
Andy’s not a regular kid, but he’s trying his best to act like one. His parents are government scientists, specialising in robotics.
After a terrible accident, they rebuilt him using their latest, untested research, giving him superhuman powers. His parents nicknamed him Andy Roid, but it’s more than just a nickname: it’s his government code name. And there’s a dangerous enemy – Dr Baffi and the Triple S – who want to use him as a human lab rat.
At his old school Andy used his powers to save his friend Molly’s life. Then he and his family had to go on the run. Andy’s only just settling in to a new school, but he’s already used his powers to stop a bank robbery. Now there’s CCTV footage of his laser gun, and a chance the Triple S are hot on their trail.
But how can you pretend to be a regular boy when even you don’t know what you’re capable of? Why is Andy’s friend Reggie acting so strangely? And what secret is Judd hiding?
With hired goons out to get him, can the government keep Andy safe, and can he trust anyone with his secret?
‘I, Reginald Hopkins, now officially launch this prototype, the Reginald Epic 3000, on its history-making run –’
‘Just get on with it, Reggie!’ said Judd.
It was a Sunday afternoon and Andy was hanging out with his new friends Reggie Hopkins and Judd Shoemaker.
Judd rolled his eyes. ‘Who builds billy-carts these days? I think my grandad had one, when they, um, let’s see…invented the wheel! Don’t they have super go-carts now – with engines?’
‘This isn’t a billycart,’ Reggie said defensively. ‘It’s the basic framework for my extreme-gravity racer. Optimum aerodynamics is my goal and my plan is to develop a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis for the Reginald Epic 3000. I’m not a subscriber of Inventors Adolescere online magazine for nothing!’
Judd turned to Andy. ‘Do you understand a word of what he’s saying?’ he asked.
Andy grinned. It had been a long time since he’d been able to just hang out and be a kid. His life had been so crazy lately. Sometimes he wanted to tell his new friends his true identity, but he’d promised his parents he wouldn’t say anything about his powers or the fact that he was on the run from a dangerous enemy. Besides he didn’t want to put Reggie in danger. And Judd…well, Judd could take care of himself, but Andy knew that he had secrets of his own.
‘Andy, will you be my driver?’ Reggie asked. ‘So I can film it?’
‘Sure,’ said Andy. ‘Should be fun!’
‘You won’t regret it,’ Reggie said, wheeling the racer out from his driveway onto the footpath. ‘Here put this on,’ he added, handing Andy a motorbike helmet. ‘Right, wait until I get to the bottom of the hill, and use the ropes to control your steering. Judd, do you think you could push Andy off? And remember, Andy – no brakes so stay off the road.’
Andy nodded. He flipped up the visor of the helmet. ‘So what’s up with you?’ he asked Judd, as Reggie walked down to the bottom of the street. ‘I think it’s cool he invited us to do this.’
‘Yeah, I know. I s’pose I’m being a jerk,’ said Judd. ‘I’m just in a bad mood because Gabriella won’t even talk to me anymore.’
Gabriella Lopez was the prettiest and most popular girl in their class and Judd had a serious crush on her. Andy knew what that was like – he thought about his friend Molly from his old school. He hadn’t even said goodbye and he wasn’t allowed to make contact with anyone from his old life.
‘Just be yourself,’ Andy said. ‘Try to find out what she likes. Maybe talk to her on the way to Camp Howl tomorrow.’
Andy and his class were off to camp for four days, but Andy wasn’t sure he wanted to go. The last two excursions he’d been on had ended with him having to use his powers. Plus, his dad was making it worse. He was acting like their school was sending them to the moon or something. He’d even enabled two new applications for Andy – a GPS program in his palm screen in case he got lost when he was bushwalking and a mini heating plate embedded in his right palm so he could cook, and boil drinking water.
‘Looks as if he’s ready,’ said Judd, pointing at Reggie, who was waving back at them from the bottom of the street.
‘Hit it!’ Andy said. ‘I feel the need for speed!’
‘Woooo-hooooo!’ he hollered as he took off and the racer picked up pace down the steep street. Andy missed being able to use his powers – this was as close to flying as he was going to get for a while.
But as the racer rattled along, Andy saw something out of the corner of his eye that made him freak out. He turned his head to see better through the tinted visor of the helmet. A long, black car was cruising past him up the hill. The mean-looking driver stared at him in a menacing way.
Andy gulped. Could he be one of Sylvester Baffi’s goons? Completely distracted, Andy accidentally tugged one side of the steering rope.
With a sudden jerk to the right, the racer veered off the footpath.
Before he knew what was happening, the Reginald Epic 3000 had jumped the curb!
Andy felt the bone-jarring impact as the wheels hit the road and in seconds he was hurtling at full speed.
‘Whoa!’ Andy yelled. ‘Not good!’ He yanked on the ropes again to gain control. But the strength in his arms just snapped the ropes off the front axle. With no way of steering, Andy held on for his life.
Maybe there won’t be any traffic, he thought. Maybe I’ll roll to a stop at the bottom of the hill…
‘Look out! Andy! Look out!’ he heard Reggie screaming.
Andy saw a jeep turning into the street. It was heading directly for him, far too fast, and he knew it was too late for the driver to react.
Instinctively, Andy slapped the back of his neck. A bolt of electricity surged up his spine and his palms glowed pale-blue. Andy felt the boost of superhuman power in his robotic arms and legs.
The jeep was almost on him. Without thinking, he stuck up his legs and kicked with all his might.
The jeep roared to sudden halt and jumped back on its wheels several metres. The racer rolled gently to a stop.
‘Phew! Robot legs – gotta love ‘em!’ Andy exhaled. Anyone else would have been squashed like an ant. He took off his helmet.
‘How did you do that?’ yelled Reggie, running to his side. ‘You stopped a jeep with your legs.’
‘No, I didn’t! That’s crazy,’ said Andy, thinking that he probably should have jumped from the racer instead. But he hadn’t thought to hide what he was doing – in the heat of the moment, he’d just thought about saving his life.
‘Are you mental, kid?’ came a booming voice, as the door of the jeep swung open. ‘You could’ve got yourself killed.’
Andy couldn’t believe who it was.
The driver was the meanest teacher in his new school, Mr Presticott.
‘Andy Masters and Reginald Hopkins! I should have guessed!’
‘It’s my fault, Mr Presticott,’ said Reggie. ‘I think I may have miscalculated the mass moment of inertia… Seriously, what was I thinking? It’s basic linear dynamics. How could I miss the relationship between angular velocity and torque?’
‘Enough of your gasbagging, Hopkins,’ Mr Presticott snapped. ‘I just wanna know what stopped my jeep. I’m sure the transmission is shot to pieces after that.
I want answers! And, Masters, I’m talking to you!’ he barked.
Reggie was looking at him as if to say ‘I want some answers, too’.
Andy still wasn’t used to hearing his new name – Masters. As far as he was concerned he’d always be a Reid.
‘Um, I don’t know why your jeep bounced back,’ he said. ‘I’m lucky it did, though. Maybe you knocked it into reverse without realising, in the heat of the moment? If you did, well, thank you, sir, for acting so swiftly and not running me over. You’re a hero.’
Andy could tell that his teacher liked that last comment. He was always moaning to his class that he’d rather be a sports star than waste his time trying to teach kids Maths.
‘Yeah, well, I probably did whack it in reverse in the nick of time. I do have amazing reflexes, you know,’ he bragged. ‘I could’ve been a first-rate formula-one driver if I’d wanted to…’
He’s a first-rate big head, thought Andy. But as Mr Presticott went on and on, boasting about how wonderful he was, Andy suddenly remembered the stranger in the car and looked back up the street. He felt sick with fear – the car that had distracted him was now parked next to Judd. Andy could see a giant of a man talking to his friend.
He hurriedly slipped the helmet back over his head. Had his parents’ enemies, the Triple S, finally caught up with them?
‘Excuse me, Mr Presticott,’ he said. ‘But all your talk about passion has really inspired me. I’m ready to try this racer out again.’
Reggie gave Andy an odd look. ‘I’ve gotta fix that steering, though,’ he said. ‘See you at school, Mr Presticott.’
Reggie hurriedly wheeled the racer onto the footpath and headed back up the street towards his garage.
‘Weird things happen around you, Masters,’ Mr Presticott called out to Andy as he followed Reggie. ‘You’re firmly on my radar. Got it?’
Andy just nodded, trying not to seem too phased.
As Mr Presticott sped away, Andy saw that the stranger talking to Judd had also gone. He took off his helmet and made his way back to Judd.
‘So you almost got killed,’ Judd said coolly to Andy. ‘Close call, eh?’
‘Yeah,’ said Andy. ‘Thanks for rushing to my side to see if I was okay.’
‘Knew you would be.’ Judd grinned. ‘It takes a lot to stop you.’
‘What do you mean by that?’ asked Andy, instantly suspicious.
Judd just laughed and popped some gum in his mouth. ‘Relax, will ya! I’ve only known you a month and I’ve already seen you dodge a bullet. Besides, I had my own troubles. I was talking to some weirdo fan. Said he saw me on the news – when I was interviewed about that crazy bank robber.’
Andy froze. ‘What did he look like?’
‘He had this wicked gold front tooth, and the left side of his face was totally messed up. It looked as if he’d lost a battle with a lawnmower. He had heaps of scars from his sideburn all the way down to the snake tattoo on his neck. He was a seriously freaky guy. His eyes had black specks and cloudy streaks across them. And on top of all that he had a weird accent.’
‘Weird accent?’ Andy repeated, remembering that the man who had tried to kidnap him months ago also had a strange accent.
‘Yeah, it made him sound just as creepy as he looked.’
Andy glanced behind him. ‘Did he ask about me?’
Judd snorted. ‘Nope. Why?’
‘Um, no reason.’
Judd shrugged and followed Reggie into the garage, but Andy heard his dad’s voice calling him from his left hand. Whenever he was switched on, a mini touch screen glowed beneath the skin of his left palm.
Andy turned his hand over and activated the screen. His father was squinting over his wire-rimmed glasses, looking serious. ‘Sorry, Dad. I know I shouldn’t have switched myself on –’
‘Andy, pay attention. This time I’m glad you did,’ said his dad. ‘Stay switched on. We need you home straight away. We have some bad news. And, Andy – this is important – don’t stop to talk to anyone.’
‘We’re in here, Andy,’ his dad called from the living room.
Andy was surprised to see that there was someone else with his parents – someone he recognised. The man smiled. His familiar face had a neat white beard, bushy white eyebrows and glowing bright-red cheeks. It was Mr Blundle – the man who used to work in his parents’ bakery!
‘Andy, you’ll remember the General,’ said Andy’s mum. ‘But you probably didn’t know that he’s our boss.’
Andy was shocked, but the General’s face lit up. ‘Andy!’ he said, leaning forward to shake Andy’s hand.
If Santa ever needed a replacement, Mr Blundle would win hands down, thought Andy, but I would never have picked him as an undercover General.
‘Mind boggling, am I right?’ The General patted Andy on the back. ‘One minute I’m selling donuts for your folks, the next I’m an agent for the government whose sole purpose is to protect them and you from Baffi and his men.’
‘Yeah, I didn’t see that coming,’ Andy muttered.
‘But I hear you’re settling in okay,’ the General said. ‘It’s nice to see you’ve made some good friends in Reggie and Judd. We’ve checked them out and they seem to be completely above board.’
‘What do you mean “checked them out”?’ Andy asked.
‘Intelligence – the government. We’re keeping an eye on everything.’
‘Oh,’ sighed Andy. He didn’t like the idea that he was under surveillance – even if it was for his own protection.
‘But we’re not watching all the time,’ said the General. ‘We still want you to lead a normal life and have some privacy. I’ve called you in now because we have some news on Sylvester Baffi and his team. One of them is in town snooping about.’
‘Yeah, I know,’ said Andy. He told his parents and the General about the stranger he had seen speaking to Judd. ‘He didn’t ask Judd about me. And I was wearing a full-face helmet, so I don’t think he could have recognised me even if he knows what I look like,’ said Andy.
‘A helmet?’ asked his dad.
‘Long story,’ said Andy.
‘The bad news is that man is Viktor Zloy – he’s a notorious bounty hunter, obviously hired by one of Sylvester Baffi’s henchmen,’ said the General. ‘There’s a call out to find you, and they don’t get more evil or brutal than that guy.’
Both Andy’s parents looked extremely worried.
‘Do you want us to pack?’ asked Andy’s dad. ‘Do we need to leave?’
‘No, not again,’ begged Andy. ‘I’m just getting used to it here.’
‘It’s all right, Andy,’ said the General. ‘We think it’s safer if you all stay put, for now at least. I understand you’re on camp tomorrow. It’s a logical reason for you to be out of town, while my team tracks Zloy’s movements.’
‘Is it safe?’ asked Andy’s mum. ‘Shouldn’t he stay with us?’
‘It’s all right, Rebecca.’ The General sounded reassuring. ‘I’m going undercover again. I’ll keep an eye on the situation – in the guise of taking a fishing trip right near the camp. I wouldn’t trust anyone else for this job. Although, our team has reported that Zloy is travelling solo and Baffi’s men seem to be on the west coast investigating the zoo incident so I hope I won’t be needed. Oh, that reminds me. This is for you, Andy.’
The General pulled out an envelope from his pocket and handed it to him. The address on the letter was in Molly’s handwriting. ‘It was sent to your old address. It’s all above board.’
‘You read it?’ said Andy, annoyed.
‘We had to,’ said the General in a matter-of-fact tone. ‘But I’m only giving it to you, Andy, because you’ve been so co-operative and you know how important it is not to get in touch with Molly. I know how much you want to, but you’d be putting yourself – and her – in great danger. Got it?’
Andy nodded.
‘And this is by way of apology,’ said the General, reaching into a box at his feet and
handing Andy a small cage. Inside was a white rat with brown mask-like markings on its face.
‘Oh, it’s Brad!’ cried Andy’s mum.
Andy remembered his parents telling him that before they put him back together, they had experimented with using bionic parts on their lab rats, Brad and Angelina. They were part machine, part robot – totally awesome rodents. They each had the strength of a bulldog. They could leap two metres high and break out of any ordinary cage.
‘After Angelina’s spinning-wheel accident she’s just too erratic and dangerous to give to you,’ added the General. ‘But Brad here will make a lovely pet. It’s still best that you keep him mainly in his cage – there’s no way he’ll be able to break out of that.’
‘He’s mine to keep?’ asked Andy, taking a closer look.
The General nodded.
‘Awesome. And thanks!’
Andy raced to his bedroom and shut the door behind him. He sat on his bed, placed the cage beside him, and hurriedly opened Molly’s letter.
Dear Andy,
I’m not sure if you’ll get this letter, but if you do I hope you’re okay, wherever you are.
Andy smiled. He kept reading:
I can’t believe that you left without saying goodbye to anyone. I called you during the holidays, but your phone was disconnected. Then when school started you weren’t there. I asked the principal if he knew where you were and he said you’d moved, but didn’t know where to. So I’m writing this letter, hoping that it will be forwarded to you at your new home. Are you still in our city? Are you even in the country? There are rumours going around that you were the masked boy at the zoo who saved me from the gorilla. And, well, I just want to say that
Andy turned over the page, searching for the follow-on sentence. But there was nothing. Molly’s letter had skipped to the last page.
‘Huh?’ he said. ‘There’s a whole chunk missing.’
Andy read the last section of the letter.
and I’m not sure if you know this, but I really like you and I hope one day we will see each other again. If you get the chance, please write back. Even just to say you’re okay.