The Brain Sucker

by Glenn Wood

  “What do you think?”

  Callum hesitated. “I’m not sure. What am I looking at?”

  Sophie gave a huff of impatience. “It’s obvious. Do you remember the railway lines that ran behind the warehouse?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, I’ve designed this trolley to run on the tracks.” Sophie tapped the raised platform attached to the trolley with her finger. “We just clip your wheelchair onto this platform, put a motor on the back of the trolley, and we’ve got an instant train.”

  Callum examined the trolley. “Where will you be?” A look of horror crossed his face. “You’re not sitting on my knee.”

  Sophie rolled her eyes. “As if. I’m going to stand on the rear strut of the trolley and strap myself to your wheelchair.”

  “Is there enough room on the trolley for Jinx? He wants to come with us.”

  “Should be.” Sophie tapped the rear strut with a spanner. “I’ll just reinforce this bar and make another strap. It’ll be good to have another pair of eyes along.”

  “That’s what I thought. I told him he can be our lookout. He’s bringing a phone and a pair of binoculars with him.” Callum paused, studying the trolley. “One tiny detail. What if we meet a real train coming the other way? We’ll be toast.”

  “I thought of that. I’ll check the train schedules before we go so we can time our departure. But I’ve added a fail-safe device in case something does go wrong.”

  Callum gave Sophie a nervous look. “And what would that be?”

  “I don’t want to go into the technical details,” said Sophie, answering a little too swiftly, “but trust me; we’ll be fine.”

  Callum’s suspicions grew. “I’ll need more information than that.”

  “No, you won’t. You get all weird and twitchy every time I mention anything that may involve a teeny explosion.”

  “Yeah, I’m funny like that.” Callum decided not to push the point. “Let’s just hope we don’t have to use it.” He sighed. “It’s not like there’s much option. The welfare officer confirmed their appointment; they’re going to be at our house at eight o’clock tomorrow morning before school. We have to get Gran’s goodness back by then.”

  Sophie’s expression hardened. “Then there’s nothing else to discuss. We go tonight.”

  Eleven

  It was a calm and peaceful evening. The sky was clear and full of stars. A three-quarter moon bathed the Earth in a pale glow. Conditions were perfect for their night-time mission.

  The railway lines ran through the woods behind Thanxton. There was no station in the town itself. A water treatment plant was also situated on the edge of the woods, and it was here that Sophie, Jinx and Callum met at exactly ten pm. Well, Sophie and Callum were there at exactly ten, Jinx arrived at ten-twenty. He was delayed when a suicidal hedgehog named Tim threw himself under Jinx’s bike, puncturing the tyres. Jinx was inconvenienced but unhurt. Tim survived with minor bruising and then skulked away to throw himself off a cliff (which he missed).

  Callum had told his grandmother he was staying at Sophie’s place for the evening. He didn’t like lying, but extreme situations called for extreme measures. Callum had expected some resistance from Rose, but she didn’t blink an eye. His grandmother was watching a reality TV show and had the television turned up very loud – something she had never done in the past. So when he asked for permission, all he received was an unresponsive grunt.

  Jinx’s parents seemed almost relieved when he said he’d be staying at Sophie’s place. Their only comment was to ask if the Barnsworths’ house insurance was up to date.

  It was harder for Sophie to get away as her parents were very suspicious about the sudden and miraculous disappearance of her cold. Sophie was undeterred and slipped out her bedroom window after her parents had gone to bed.

  Both Callum and Sophie were dressed in black. Callum wore trackpants, a T-shirt and a light rain jacket. Sophie wore blue-black jeans, a T-shirt and a hoodie. The bulge of a tool belt showed around her waist. Jinx had elected to dress in camouflaged clothing. He’d even blacked out his face with what looked suspiciously like crayon.

  Sophie stifled a laugh when she saw him. “We’re not going to war.”

  Jinx bristled. “A lookout’s job is to blend in with his surroundings.”

  Callum clapped Jinx on the shoulder. “Ignore her. I think you look awesome.”

  Sophie had suggested meeting at the water treatment plant for two reasons: firstly, because there was a road behind it that led across the railway lines, which meant easy access for Callum’s wheelchair; and secondly, it was a comfortable downhill bike ride from Sophie’s house. This was important because Sophie had to transport the railway trolley, engine and surveillance tools to the meeting point, and it was quite a load. She had achieved this by attaching a long trailer to her bike and piling everything on that. It had been slow, unsteady going, but she made it with no mishaps.

  Callum took a black backpack from the trailer to lighten the load. It was unexpectedly heavy. He laid it across his knees. He pointed to her tool belt. “If you’ve brought a pack, why do you need a tool belt?”

  Sophie gave a dismissive wave. “I keep smaller stuff in there. Snack food, wire clippers, smoke bomb, concussion ball – that kind of thing.”

  Callum raised his eyebrows. “What’s a concussion ball?”

  “A globe that sends out a shock wave when it goes off. Completely disorientates anyone in a ten-metre radius.”

  “Where’d you get that?”

  “Made it.”

  This wasn’t good news. Anything Sophie made was almost always unpredictable and unstable. Callum looked warily at the bag on his lap and gave it a tentative poke. “What’s in here then?”

  “Just some mission essentials. Nothing explosive.”

  “Oh, that’s all right then,” said Callum sarcastically. He called to Jinx. “Did you bring the phone and the binoculars?”

  Jinx patted a pouch that was clipped to his belt. “Yep.”

  “Right,” said Callum. “Let’s go.”

  They travelled the rest of the short distance to the railway crossing in silence.

  The trio stopped just before the crossing’s lights and barrier arm, and pulled into a gravel area to unload the trailer.

  “Are you absolutely sure you want to go ahead with this?” Callum asked both his friends.

  They both nodded. “Most excitement I’ve had for ages,” said Jinx.

  It was more personal for Sophie. “I saw what those guys did to Rose and they are not getting away with it. Besides, who wants to live in a world where everyone is as rude and offensive as they were in the city? Not me, that’s for sure.”

  Callum tried not to let his relief show. He didn’t think he had the courage to do this on his own. “Thanks, guys,” he said, meaning every word.

  Sophie got back to business. “I’ve checked the train schedules and the passenger services ended at nine thirty, so we should have a clear run. I also calculated the distance to the outskirts of the city and it’s a straight ride down the tracks. It’s much quicker than going by road and shouldn’t take too long to get there.”

  Jinx took the bicycles and headed into the woods to hide them. Callum swung out of the Thunderkit so they could attach it to the trolley. He grunted with effort as he pulled his body along the ground to where Sophie was working. Sophie moved towards him but stopped when she saw the look in his eye.

  “I can do it,” he snapped.

  Sophie held out a wrench. “I was just going to give you this.”

  Callum reddened and took it from her. “Sorry,” he murmured.

  It was hard work, but before long the trolley was on the tracks with the wheelchair attached.

  Sophie then fitted a petrol-driven engine to the rear of her invention. “She won’t go fast, but she should go. Let’s fire it up.”

  Callum looked around. “Where’s Jinx?”

  At that moment the boy reappeared from the
woods. His clothes were dishevelled and his face was scratched and bleeding.

  “I’m here. A tree fell on me as I was hiding the bikes.”

  “Are you okay?” asked Callum.

  “Yeah, fine. It was a small tree.”

  Sophie pulled a twig from his hair. “Some days it must be quite difficult being you.”

  Jinx sighed. “You have no idea.” Then he brightened. “Are we ready to roll?”

  “Yep,” said Callum. “Let’s go.”

  Callum climbed awkwardly back into his wheelchair and strapped himself in. Sophie picked up her backpack and fastened it to the wheelchair. She threaded an extra-strong strap around the pack, then pulled on it to make sure it was secure. The pack didn’t budge. Satisfied, Sophie jumped up behind Callum and positioned herself on a strut next to the engine. Jinx hopped up beside her. She tightened a heavy-duty strap to Jinx’s waist and wound it through the back of Callum’s chair. Then she did the same for herself. “Hold on tight, boys,” she said as the engine spluttered to life.

  The trolley gave a lurch and slowly, but surely, began to chug along the track.

  “Woo hoo,” yelled Sophie. She punched the air triumphantly.

  Callum raised his voice above the sound of the engine. “Nice job, Soph.”

  Sophie unzipped a pocket in the side of her pack and pulled out three pairs of clear plastic glasses. She put one on herself and handed the other pairs to Callum and Jinx. “Put these on. It’ll get a bit windy, and there may be bug splatter.”

  The boys donned the glasses, just in time too. The trolley was picking up speed and an unwary moth bounced off the side of Callum’s left lens.

  The engine chugged along and propelled them down the track at quite a clip. The countryside whipped past, allowing them glimpses of the world at night. Cows and sheep wandered through rolling pastures, owls hooted in the trees and hawks hunted for field mice, their cries haunting in the darkness.

  Callum was thankful for the glasses. The wind clawed at his face, and even though his eyes were covered, they still streamed. Sophie and Jinx were more sheltered. They ducked down behind Callum, using the wheelchair as cover. Sophie pulled her phone from her pocket. She’d programmed the route into her maps page and was following their progress.

  “Not far now,” she shouted to her companions.

  “Good.” The ride had been fun, but Callum was anxious to get to the warehouse.

  He couldn’t say afterwards which reached him first: the sound or the vibration. It merged into one long, horrifying realisation. The track vibrated, and above the noise of their engine came the rumble of a much larger one. They rounded a bend and saw a large goods train thundering straight towards them.

  “Sophie!” yelled Callum. Panic rose in his throat.

  Sophie immediately realised her terrible mistake. She’d checked the passenger train timetables but had forgotten about goods trains. Now several hundred tonnes of locomotive were hurtling towards them, and there was no way the train would be able to stop in time. That was assuming the driver had even seen them. As the train bore down upon the trolley, it became clear that he hadn’t; there was no wail of warning from the train’s horn and no sparks flew from the gigantic metal wheels to indicate that the brakes had been applied.

  Callum stared at the train in terror. The locomotive was fitted with a large V-shaped scoop on the front, which was designed to keep the train from being derailed by shunting aside any foreign objects that got onto the tracks. It would easily split Sophie’s trolley in two, sweeping them away as casually as an avalanche crushes a sapling.

  Time slowed. The train was fifty metres away and closing. A collision was inevitable and it was going to be deadly.

  Callum spun around in his chair and screamed at Sophie. “If you’re going to do something, do it now.”

  “I’m with Callum,” yelled Jinx. “Now’d be good!”

  Sophie barely heard them. She wrenched open the lid of a clear plastic box that had been welded into the frame of the trolley. A big red button sat in the box. Sophie punched it as hard as she could. Nothing happened.

  “I’ve fitted an eject button, but it’s not working,” she yelled.

  The train was twenty metres away. Its engine growled like a hurricane.

  Callum knew he’d never be able to get out of his chair before the train hit them. He was strapped in too tight. Sophie and Jinx might have a chance though. “You two have to get off the trolley. Don’t worry about me. Cut yourselves free and jump now,” he bellowed.

  Jinx yelled back. “We’re not leaving you. We’ll think of something, won’t we, Soph?”

  Sophie ignored him. She held tightly to the top of the chair and punched the button again and again. “What’s wrong with it?”

  Callum glanced at Jinx and saw the thumb on his left hand dancing wildly. He realised his friend’s bad luck was jamming the ignition system. He reached over to undo the strap that attached Jinx to the trolley, but Jinx’s weight was pulling against it and the buckle wouldn’t budge. Callum yelled to Sophie. “Got a knife?”

  Sophie nodded and removed a utility knife from her tool belt, handing it to Callum. He sawed hard and the sharp blade sliced through Jinx’s strap.

  Jinx stared at him, eyes wide. “What are you doing?”

  Callum didn’t answer. Instead he grabbed Jinx by the shoulder and threw him from the trolley.

  With a cry of surprise Jinx tumbled through the air, then a spectacular spray of water cascaded across the sky as he landed facedown in a bog. This was a mixed blessing. It was lucky because the muddy water broke his fall, and unlucky because it was a particularly foul-smelling swamp. At least Jinx was safe.

  The same couldn’t be said for Callum and Sophie. The train was almost upon them. Callum closed his eyes and braced for impact.

  Sophie wrapped herself around the body of the Thunderkit and punched the red button one final time. The ejection system ignited. There was a blinding flash and the wheelchair separated from the trolley and blasted vertically into the night. It flew directly over the nose of the locomotive, clearing its massive metal frame by the narrowest of margins.

  The force of the ejection blew the body of the trolley from the tracks. It lifted from the rails then smashed into the iron scoop at the front of the train. There was a loud scraping clang as the trolley was cast aside, its metal frame buckling and twisting as it spun into a ditch beside the railway lines. The train thundered on with barely a scratch on it.

  High above the tracks Callum and Sophie hung onto the wheelchair for dear life. If they hadn’t been strapped in, the force of the explosion would surely have separated them from the chair. Probably directly into the path of the train.

  Sophie prayed aloud. “Please let stage two of the ejection sequence work.” She reached for the pack she had attached to the Thunderkit and pulled a cord on its side. A large colourful parachute spat out, blooming above them. The wheelchair swung wildly beneath the chute then settled as they dropped towards the ground.

  Callum couldn’t believe his eyes. He stared at the parachute billowing above them. “Where on earth did you get that?”

  Sophie slumped against Callum’s wheelchair and ran a hand through her hair, relief painted on her face. “Army surplus. They used to drop jeeps with this chute. I figured it’d work just as well for a couple of kids and a wheelchair.”

  Callum shook his head in amazement. “That was one hell of a fail-safe device.”

  “Yep, I based it on a jet fighter ejection seat. I rigged some charges to blow through the catches on the trolley and blast us into the air. The only problem is the explosion probably warped the trolley base, which might make it difficult to repair for the trip home.”

  Callum stared at Sophie, incredulous. “You see that as the only problem?”

  Sophie looked at the rapidly approaching earth. “Well, that, and the landing.”

  Twelve

  Callum’s wheelchair tipped over when it hit the ground, but the
impact was surprisingly gentle. The wind was light and the chute dragged Sophie and Callum a few metres then deflated. They also had the good fortune to land in a field that contained only a few freaked-out cows.

  Once they’d stopped moving, Sophie drew her knife and cut the parachute lines. She also sliced through the straps holding both her and Callum to the wheelchair. Callum fell sideways onto the ground and lay still. Sophie was beside him immediately. “Are you hurt?”

  Callum flashed a look of panic. “Oh my God, I can’t feel my legs.”

  “That’s not funny.” Sophie punched him in the arm. “I’m serious.”

  Callum grinned. “For someone who has just been blasted over the nose of a speeding train, I’m extremely well. You?”

  “A few bruises, ribs are a bit sore, but pretty good.” She burst out laughing. “I can’t believe that worked.”

  Callum found himself laughing too. “An ejection seat! What were you thinking?”

  “What about you? What did you do to Jinx?”

  “I had to get him off the trolley. I hope he’s okay.”

  Sophie pointed to a bedraggled figure tromping through the field. “Here he comes now. Why don’t you ask him?”

  Jinx squelched up to his friends and dropped onto the ground beside them. He was covered in mud and smelled like a rotten egg.

  Callum began to speak. “Jinx, I’m s–”

  Jinx stopped him with a wave of his hand. “No need to apologise. My stupid bad luck was messing with the firing mechanism, wasn’t it?”

  Callum nodded.

  “Thought so. Sorry about that.” He sighed deeply. “I’ll just head home then, eh?”

  “What! No. Don’t be dumb,” exclaimed Callum. “We need you.”

  He hoped Sophie would back him up. She did.

  “Yeah, we still need a lookout. You’re part of the team.”

  Jinx grinned. “You mean it?”

  “’Course,” said Callum. “You’ll have to stay downwind though.”

  Sophie held her nose. “It’s like a combination of sour milk, old tennis shoes and dog vomit.”