by Felice Arena
‘Call Monsieur Farrient,’ Andy ordered, looking out the window to try to get a better idea of what was happening. He looked up at the cable that the carriage was attached to.
‘They already know we’re in trouble,’ said Mr Yoshio, shoving his phone back into his pocket. ‘They’re going to try and get us moving and send for a rescue helicopter just in case.’
‘We need to stay calm,’ Andy said in fluent Japanese, wondering what he could do to get them out of this predicament without blowing his cover.
‘Let me climb on your shoulders,’ he said, pointing towards a small trap door on the ceiling of the carriage. ‘I’m going outside to see if I can do something.’
When Andy pulled himself up on top of the carriage, his heart skipped a beat. They were seriously high up and this time he didn’t have a parachute.
‘Can you tell what the problem is?’ Mr Yoshio called out.
Andy couldn’t believe what he was seeing – part of the cable holding the carriage was ripped to shreds and had come off the guide rail. If the carriage were to move even a metre or so further the cable would be sure to snap.
‘Mr Yoshio!’ Andy cried. ‘Call Monsieur Farrient again and tell the cable-car operators not to try and get us moving or we’ll –’
CRUUUNNCHH!
The cable car had started to move again!
‘NO!’ Andy yelled. ‘Tell them to switch it off!’
But the carriage continued to crunch forward along the guiding rail. Andy could see the strain on the already shredded wire cables. Another tear would mean certain death for all of them.
He crouched down and leaned back into the car.
‘Here, grab my hand,’ Andy said, thinking quickly. ‘You all have to get out.’
So much for undercover! Andy thought. He knew there was no way he could continue to hide his powers. Their lives were at stake and he had no other option.
One by one, he pulled Mr Yoshio and the other two through the trapdoor and up on to the roof of the carriage with him. With Andy’s super strength it was as easy as scooping apples out of a bucket.
‘How can he do that?’ said one of the men.
‘How can you be so strong?’ Mr Yoshio asked breathlessly. ‘And speak Japanese so fluently without an accent?’
‘No time to explain,’ Andy said as the car jolted again and swung violently from side to side. Another of the steel strands of the cable had snapped.
‘We’re going to die!’ one of the scientists cried.
‘All of you hold on to me tightly,’ Andy yelled. ‘Grab my arms. QUICK! IT’S GOING TO GIVE ANY SECOND NOW!’
‘Here goes,’ he cried, jumping several metres off the roof of the carriage and grabbing on to the guide rail.
SNAAAAP! SNAP!
The final strands of the cable broke apart and fell. Further down the line, the other carriage dropped away, looking smaller and smaller as it plummeted a thousand metres to the ground.
Mr Yoshio just looked at Andy in awe.
‘ARRRRGGHHHHHH!’ The other scientists screamed.
‘Just don’t let go of me,’ said Andy in Japanese, his hands firmly gripping the railing and his legs dangling freely. ‘Here comes the rescue helicopter!’
‘Farrient must know who we are. I reckon he tried to have you killed.’
Andy and Judd were whispering to each other in the cable-car hut while they waited for Agent Granny to pick them up.
‘Is the mission still on?’ Andy asked. ‘Even though I’ve blown my cover? Have my parents agreed to let me continue?’
‘Dude, we’re playing with the big boys now,’ said Judd. ‘Your ‘rents don’t have much say in it anymore. You’re an official agent. The Japanese dudes and the rescue team will be sworn to secrecy. It would be an international offence to blab to anyone. There was no one in the other cable car, thankfully, and as far as Farrient and the Swiss authorities know, the rescue team saved you. But if Farrient knows we’re agents, then it’s over. We should hear from the General any minute, but I suspect we’re heading home, bro.’
‘What about the blond-haired guy from the fundraising dinner?’ Andy asked, feeling disappointed that their mission would be cut short. ‘I overheard Farrient arranging to meet him tomorrow. What if that’s a serious lead to the Blaireau? We can’t just give up.’
‘Dude, it’s not up to me. We’ll just have to. . .’ Judd’s mobile began to buzz. ‘That’s the General now.’
‘Give it to me!’ Andy said, grabbing the phone out of Judd’s hand.
There’s no way I’m giving up so easily, he thought.
Andy knew the General wouldn’t be able to get another agent in place in time to follow up his lead on the blond-haired guy. He begged the General to give them twenty-four hours. It was too important a lead to pass up on.
‘Okay, Andy,’ the General said. ‘You’ve got a day to prove this will lead to something, otherwise I’m pulling you boys out. I admire your bravery, but I’m not willing to risk your safety or Judd’s any more than that.’
Judd shook his head. ‘That was some smooth talking,’ he said. ‘But if your cover is blown, you can’t risk following Farrient openly. Tomorrow you’ll have to shadow him without being seen. The pressure is on you, dude!’
‘Just me? What about you?’ Andy asked.
‘I’ll hang out with Sara – she’s invited me to hear her friends play in a band. I’ll make sure you have cover – I‘ll tell everyone you’re in shock, lying down in the apartment.’ Judd grinned. ‘So try not to get yourself killed tomorrow, okay?’
‘Killed? Who’s getting killed?’ asked Sara, returning with some water bottles.
‘Hopefully not me,’ Andy said.
‘That must’ve been terrifying for you. I’m so glad you all made it out of there,’ said Sara. She sat next to Andy and felt for his hands. Andy noticed that her expression changed.
‘What’s wrong?’ he asked.
‘Your skin. . .It feels different,’ she said. ‘It’s weird.’
Andy nervously yanked his hands out of Sara’s grip. ‘Sorry, but I’ve got to go and make a call.’
Andy left Judd and Sara alone and walked out to a deserted courtyard. ‘Channel Einstein,’ he said, connecting with Reggie.
‘Hey, Andy! I’m glad you called,’ Reggie said as his image popped up on Andy’s palm-screen. ‘I’ve got some news about the guy who was following you and Judd on the train.’
‘Hit me,’ said Andy. ‘Is he with the Blaireau Corporation?’
‘I really couldn’t find a lot on him, other than that he’s been on the agency radar before. . .which is strange. I’ll keep poking around. He’s connected with the city of Lucerne in Switzerland, if it helps.’
‘Thanks, Reggie. It’ll be good to – whoa!’
Something small and furry had just flown past Reggie’s head.
‘That was Brad!’ Reggie laughed. ‘I made him a mini hang-glider and he’s learnt to fly it. Awesome, right?’
Andy saw his pet rat whooshing past in the background in the other direction.
‘You’re hilarious!’ Andy grinned. ‘I’ll talk to you soon.’
When he re-joined Judd, Sara had left. He told Judd what Reggie had reported.
‘Lucerne, did you say?’ Judd asked, looking freaked out.
‘Yeah, why?’
‘You’ve got to be kidding!’ He clenched his fists. ‘That might explain why he reacted when he saw me. He might not be Blaireau at all.’ Judd was clearly upset, but Andy had no idea why.
‘Judd, what’s going on? You said you didn’t know the guy. Why is Lucerne so important?’
Judd swore under his breath. He had tears in his eyes. It seemed so strange to Andy – Judd looked hurt and angry at the same time.
‘Just leave it alone,’ Judd snapped. ‘It’s got nothing to do with this mission.’
‘But we’re partners –’
‘LEAVE IT, ANDY!’ Judd barked. ‘JUST LEAVE IT!’
Andy k
ept a distance of about thirty metres between him and Farrient.
The professor walked quickly through the old town of Geneva and crossed over the Rhone, the river that runs through the centre of the city.
Andy pulled his hoodie over his face and put on his sunglasses. Shadowing someone was so nerve-racking, especially when that person had probably just tried to kill you.
For a moment he thought Farrient had spotted him, but he didn’t turn or speed up.
When Farrient had reached Place de Cornavin, a busy square full of travellers with suitcases, it was obvious to Andy that he was heading to the train station.
Andy kept up with him, ducking and weaving in between people. Once inside the station, Farrient headed to platform three and boarded a train.
Andy jumped on the same carriage just as the doors slid shut. Farrient sat at the front of the carriage so Andy took a seat at the back.
Keeping his eyes on Farrient, Andy’s mind turned to Judd. He still didn’t understand why he had flipped out over the news about the mysterious guy being connected to Lucerne.
Maybe it has something to do with an assignment he was on, Andy thought. Judd’s past missions had included keeping an eye on diplomats’ kids, maybe he’d worked in Lucerne before.
Prochain arrêt, Nyon! Nächster Halt, Nyon! Prossima fermata, Nyon! Next stop, Nyon!
Farrient was leaving the train in Nyon – where Andy and Judd had been followed on their way to Geneva. But once out of the train, Farrient didn’t go far. He turned right at the bottom of the platform ramp and stepped on to a steep escalator that led down to a mini-station that had only two tracks.
Andy hung around at the base of the escalators, trying to blend into the crowd, and watched Farrient board a little red train. It looked almost like a tram.
Andy jumped onto the second carriage. From there, he could see through to the first carriage where Farrient was seated.
The blond-haired man from the fund-raising dinner approached Farrient and sat down next to him. He was in a business suit.
I knew there was something dodgy going on with him from the start! Andy thought, starting to feel excited. He could be the contact from the Blaireau Corporation! I could be on the verge of completing our mission! If I can follow him back to their headquarters the agency will take care of the rest – this might be easier than I thought.
Andy’s mind was racing. He felt as if he was in a real-life spy thriller.
The little red train pulled out of the station and snaked its way through lush farmland. But Andy wasn’t paying much attention to the scenery.
Farrient and the blond-haired man looked as if they were having a heated argument. The man was shaking his head and pointing his finger.
When the train stopped at a village called Trelex, the blond-haired man hopped off, but Farrient remained seated.
Why isn’t Farrient going too? wondered Andy. He was torn. His orders were to continue following Farrient, but he had a strong feeling that he should shadow the blond-haired guy instead – he was obviously the strongest link to the Blaireau Corporation.
Andy scooted out of his seat and jumped off the carriage with a group of teenagers.
The train, with Farrient still on board, moved off down the tracks towards the next town.
Andy paced several metres behind the man, who was talking on his mobile.
Thanks to his acute bionic hearing and his languages app, Andy was able to hear and understand every word the man was saying.
‘He’s definite about wanting to return the money we gave him. . .Yes, it’s as we suspected. So I told him he would have to deal with a representative who would meet him at the next stop, Givrins. . .’
The man paused for a second and listened to whoever was on the line.
‘It’s under control,’ he said. ‘The bridge before Givrins will explode exactly when the train is scheduled to pass over it. . .Yes, exactly. Christophe Farrient may have dodged death with the cable car, but he certainly won’t survive this!’
The man laughed loudly, but Andy had already turned and was bolting after the train.
Andy jumped onto the tracks and sprinted as fast as he could. His arms and legs were moving so rapidly that they looked like one big blurry streak as he propelled himself forward.
WHOOOOSSHH!
Andy’s iris-speedometer app had been activated and illuminated figures flickered across his field of vision, showing his speed. 34 km/h, 39 km/h, 45 km/h, 53 km/h, 66 km/h. . .
‘Faster! Faster!’ he willed himself, closing in on the train.
68 km/h, 72 km/h, 77 km/h, 79 km/h. . .
Andy was only a couple of hundred metres from the train when he felt a call coming through. He accepted it mid-sprint.
‘Dude!’ It was Judd, his voice echoing in Andy’s ears. ‘I just found out from Sara that the blond-haired guy offered to fund Farrient’s entire biorobotics lab. It’s more money than any individual could afford and he’s not from any government or corporation that we can discover. He’s got to be from the the Blaireau Corporation. But Sara says for some reason her dad has backed out of it. Farrient’s a good guy. . .’
‘I know, I know!’ shouted Andy, picking up his speed. ‘But he’s a dead guy soon if I don’t get to him. Send backup. I’m in between the towns of Trelex and Givrins.’
Andy was closing in on the train. He was now only metres away.
Just as he was about to grab on to the railing of the rear carriage, he caught sight of the train driver looking back at him through the rearview mirror in utter shock.
So much for keeping a low profile, Andy thought. He accelerated and jumped. . .
FWWOOOSSHH!
He soared through the air and landed on top of the train with the grace of a panther. The carriage rattled and vibrated underneath him.
He had a view of the bridge up ahead. It was about five hundred metres away. He knew he had to think mighty fast about how to stop the train without drawing too much attention to himself.
He looked around at the mountains and the woods on one side, and the green fields and cows calmly eating grass.
‘Got it!’ he said under his breath.
Andy tapped on his palm-screen, pointed it at a calf in a nearby field. He snapped an image of it, then projected the image in front of the train. The calf appeared to be standing right in the middle of the tracks before the bridge.
Gotta love 3-D holographic projection, Andy thought. That should keep them off the bridge.
But Andy had got his hopes up too soon. The train showed no signs of slowing down. It blew its whistle loudly, but it didn’t stop.
‘What the. . .?’ said Andy. ‘It’s a little helpless baby cow! They wouldn’t just run over it, would they?’
But the train powered right through Andy’s 3-D hologram. Andy moved forward, dropped to his stomach, and hung his head over the edge of the train. The driver was frantically pushing and pulling at buttons and levers.
He had obviously lost all control. The blond-haired man must have rigged the brakes. There was no way to stop it.
The bridge was drawing closer and closer by the second. Sweat was pouring down Andy’s face. What was he going to do?
As he jumped back on to his feet, he was almost swiped by a low-hanging branch from one of the trees that lined the track.
‘That’s it!’ he said, standing on the roof of the train like a surfer riding a huge wave. ‘I'll use my laser!’
With less than fifty metres between the train and the bridge, Andy activated his laser finger.
ZZZAAAAAPPP!
The red beam sliced right through a large overhanging branch. It crashed on to the tracks.
CRAACKKKKKK!
The branch wedged itself underneath the front carriage. Andy felt the train jerk, and start to slow as it dragged the branch along.
SCRREECCCHH!
Andy fired his laser finger again.
CRACK!
Another branch fell on to the tracks.
&nbs
p; SCREECCCHHH!
The train rattled and shook violently as one branch after another wedged underneath.
CRUNNNCHHH!
The train slowed down to a screeching crawl.
‘It’s working, it’s working!’ Andy cried, as the train eventually came to a complete stop, just metres from the bridge.
Andy jumped off at the back of the train.
‘Get out!’ he yelled. ‘Move away from the bridge!’
He ran to the first carriage, raced down the aisle and grabbed Farrient’s arm. He dragged him off the train.
‘Andy?’ he said. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Monsieur Farrient, you have to come with me. I’ll explain everything when –’
KAA-BOOOMM!!
A rush of heat hit Andy like a hot-air tsunami.
Everyone screamed and dove for the ground as debris flew everywhere, and dust engulfed the train. Flames hid what was left of the bridge. A giant cloud filled the sky.
‘We gotta get out of here,’ Andy said, pulling Farrient away. ‘That was meant for you! Let’s go. . .NOW!’
Andy and Farrient bolted into the surrounding forest. ‘Channel Einstein!’ said Andy, as they ran.
‘Andy!’ Reggie’s voice echoed immediately in Andy’s ears.
‘Code red, Reggie. I need backup immediately. I’m sending you my exact location now.’
‘We already have an agent in the area. Judd called me!’ Reggie said. Andy could hear him tapping furiously at a keyboard.
‘Oh, and, Andy!’ he added, as Andy was about to hang up.
‘I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Judd’s acting weird. I think I know why – Lucerne is where his parents were killed.’
Andy couldn’t believe it. No wonder the General hadn’t wanted to send Judd to Switzerland.
Andy ended his call with Reggie, but before he could explain himself to Farrient, a glossy orange car roared up the forest road in their direction.
Andy and Farrient ducked behind a tree, but the car screeched to a halt directly in front of them in a cloud of dust.
‘Hey, kid!’ came a familiar voice from the car.
Andy had never been so happy to see Agent Granny. And this time she looked more like the Agent Granny he knew – dressed in jeans and a leather jacket.