by Felice Arena
‘Brad!’ Andy called out. ‘How’s he doing?’
‘He’s great,’ said Reggie as Brad squeaked excitedly at the camera, almost as if he was trying to talk. ‘Look what I’ve trained him to do. Brad. . .There’s a cat! A cat!’
Brad sprung up on his hind legs and began to bark loudly like a Doberman.
Andy couldn’t stop laughing.
Brad was partly bionic, like Andy – a lab rat given to him as a pet. He had the intelligence of a chimpanzee and the strength of two bulldogs. They were still figuring out what he was capable of.
When Andy had been recruited by the agency, he had given Brad to Reggie. They’d formed a close bond.
‘Can you believe he has a sound-mimicry app like yours, Andy?’ said Reggie, as Brad continued barking in the background.
Reggie looked at his phone. ‘I gotta go, Andy. I told Gabriella I’d meet her for a pancake breakfast. We’re going out,’ Reggie said casually, as if he dated pretty girls all the time.
Andy smiled, remembering how Reggie had once been so nervous around Gabriella Lopez that he could barely speak.
‘We have so much in common. She might look like a model, but she’s a total geek, just like me. Remember I’m on Channel Einstein anytime, okay? See ya! Say goodbye, Brad!’
Brad barked and the image on Andy’s palm zapped off.
Andy felt his earlobes vibrate uncontrollably – it felt like his ears were flapping wildly back and forth.
‘What’s that?’ he yelped. ‘What’s going on?’
‘You have an incoming call.’ Andy’s father smiled. ‘Sorry, I thought I fixed that. Your mother and I have direct access at the moment, but for anyone else you’ll have to accept the connection. Say Gesundheit!’
‘Seriously, Dad?’ Andy said rolling his eyes. ‘Flapping ears to signal calls and saying cute words to answer them. . .’
‘We were just having some fun,’ his dad said. ‘We’ll change it before you head out on your first mission, promise.’
Andy shook his head before reluctantly calling out, ‘Gesundheit!’
‘Hey, dude! This is Agent Buddy!’ It was Judd. ‘Coming to you through my bluetooth earpiece direct to your bionic brain. Hey. . .think quick! Because you won’t look so good with my boot in the back of your head! ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!’
Andy whipped his head around to see Judd dropping from the top of one of the gym walls and swinging on a rope directly for him. There was no way Judd was going to stop. He was going to swing right into them!
Andy ducked in the nick of time, but his dad didn’t.
THOMP!
He took the full force of Judd, but Judd just bounced off the metal chest-plate of the exoskeleton suit.
‘Woah! I’m so sorry, Mr Reid,’ Judd said, as Andy’s dad helped him up.
‘I’m fine, but how’s your foot?’ said Andy’s dad. ‘I’m the one wearing the one-hundred million dollar suit!’
‘I was trying to catch Andy off guard. . .’ said Judd, turning to Andy. ‘I thought you’d try to stop me, dude, not duck!’
WOOP WOOP WOOP
‘What’s that?’ asked Andy. High-pitched alarms were echoing through the ship.
Judd’s face dropped. ‘Oh, boy. This isn’t good,’ he said.
Judd and Andy joined the General in the media room. The captain of the ship and several officers stood next to him, looking grim. The room reminded Andy of a mini cinema, but he knew there wouldn’t be any popcorn or trailers in this one.
‘Are you serious?’ Judd said. ‘We have a hostile situation with. . .pirates?’
‘Yes,’ the General answered. ‘And you can take that smirk off your face.’
‘Well, me hearty!’ Judd laughed. ‘Shiver me timbers.’
Judd’s pirate impression was pretty funny, but Andy didn’t laugh. He could see that the General and the others weren’t in the mood for jokes.
‘These aren’t the kind of pirates you’ll see in a Hollywood movie,’ the General snapped. ‘There are no swords or eye patches or parrots with these people. They are murderous thugs, armed with powerful guns. They’ve boarded a private yacht and taken the passengers hostage. The closest local law enforcement is over five hours away. It’s an international incident and we’re the closest responders.’
‘But we’re on a huge warship with a crew of a thousand men,’ said Andy’s mum. We have fighter jets. . .Surely this shouldn’t be a problem?’
‘The pirates have made direct contact with us, ma’am,’ said the captain of the ship. ‘And they’ve made it clear that if we attempt a rescue they’ll kill the people on board – a couple and their daughter. We’ve grounded the jets. The pirates are demanding that a large amount of money be sent to their account. We have three hours to comply with their threat.’
‘Can’t you send out a SWAT team when it gets dark?’ asked Andy’s mum.
‘They have night-vision binoculars and they’d spot one of our inflatable rescue boats instantly,’ said the General. ‘Our guys in scuba gear could never board the yacht without being noticed. We have to find another way – quickly.’
Suddenly the door behind them burst open. ‘Sir! Sir!’ cried another ship’s officer, running in. ‘They’ve just released two of the hostages. We have clearance to collect them now.’
‘Stay here,’ the General ordered. ‘We’ll be right back.’
The General and the ship’s captain stormed out of the media room. Andy and his parents exchanged worried looks. Andy wondered if they were thinking the same thing he was – that sending Andy in was looking like the only option.
● ● ●
‘Right,’ said the General, returning to the media room and quickly activating a 3D-imaging screen. ‘These hostages have been released by the pirates.’
An image of a woman and her daughter popped up on the screen.
‘This is a clear tactical move,’ the General continued in a serious voice. ‘They have amped up the emotion. Sending back terrified family members begging for us to do all we can to save their husband and father. It raises the sense of urgency. We have to send someone in. . .’ He paused for a second. ‘Specifically we have to send in Andy.’
Andy’s dad jumped out of his seat. ‘There’s no way you’re sending Andy in. He’s nowhere near ready to go on a mission like this.’
‘We have no other choice,’ said the General. ‘We’re running out of time. And Andy is an agent, after all.’
‘You said his first mission was a shadow-and-search assignment in a secure environment,’ Andy’s mother said.
‘Circumstances have changed, Rebecca,’ the General shot back. ‘Andy is best equipped to go in under their radar. Just a jump, a short swim and then. . .’
‘Then what?’ Andy’s mother demanded. ‘Shot when he reaches the yacht?’
Emotions were running high, but Andy knew it was time for him to step up to the plate. He looked back at the photo of the girl. She was about his age. He knew what it was like to have your dad taken hostage. He had to help them.
‘I’ll do it, sir,’ Andy said loudly.
It wasn't going to be easy. He dreaded the thought of having to take someone’s life. He didn’t want to be that sort of agent.
Andy knew he had the capacity and technology to be a human weapon, but that wasn’t the path for him – or at least that’s how he felt. He didn’t believe in killing anyone, no matter how evil they were. He would have to find another way to save the yacht owner.
He didn't know what that would be, but one thing he knew for certain, the General was right – he was an agent now. And this was his call of duty.
‘Right. This is it. Fortunately we have calm seas tonight,’ said the General to Andy.
He and Judd stood with Andy on the upper deck. The sun had set and small lights flickered on along the edge of the runway. Where they ended, the sky and ocean were pitch black.
‘Now remember, you can contact us, Agent Einstein or your parents at any point. Are
you sure you don’t want to take this?’ The General held up a pistol. ‘You’ve had the training.’
‘Dude, I think you should be armed, just in case,’ said Judd.
But Andy refused to take it. He just shook his head and got into position.
His heart was racing. He felt scared and excited at the same time. He hoped that this, his first mission, wasn’t going to be his last. He widened his stance and took in a deep breath.
‘GO!’ shouted the General.
As Andy took off he heard Judd call, ‘LOOK OUT FOR SHARKS!’
‘Oh, great!’ Andy said, his legs now sprinting in full stride. ‘Sharks?’
Andy picked up the pace. The runway lights whizzed by his feet in one continuous blur.
Might as well try to beat my own record, he thought, gritting his teeth and kicking it up another gear. 94 km/h, 97 km/h,99 km/h, 102 km/h, 108 km/h. . .
‘Yes!’ Andy launched off the edge of the runway and soared into the night. When he started to fall, he released his parachute.
SPLLAAAAAASSSSSSHH!
Andy dropped deep into the dark cold ocean in a swirl of bubbles.
He unclicked his parachute. Wearing a custom-made training suit with his Bionic-Sonics still on his feet, he bobbed back up to the surface. He knew that no one else could survive the bitterly cold water for long without a cumbersome dive suit.
‘Andy. . .Andy. . .come in, Andy! Are you okay?’ It was his mum’s voice, loud and clear inside his head.
‘Yeah, I’m okay,’ Andy said, dimming the lights in his palms and swimming aimlessly. ‘Am I heading in the right direction, Mum?’
‘No,’ she replied. ‘Turn around! And initialise your night-vision.’
The vast ocean immediately seemed to be flooded in bright green light. It was one of the eeriest things Andy had ever experienced. There was nothing fun about bobbing in the middle of nowhere like a cork.
He powered in the direction of the boat. ‘How far now?’ Andy whispered.
‘You’re about four hundred metres away,’ she said. ‘Just veer to your left a little. . . and by the way the fastest Olympic breaststrokers can swim at around one-point-six-four metres a second. You’re doing around three metres a second. Keep it up!’
‘I will as long as I’m not eaten by Jaws,’ Andy muttered. ‘Damn you, Judd, for putting that in my head!’
‘Judd said he was more worried for the poor shark – it would get a good old zap if it bit one of your legs.’ Andy’s mum laughed.
‘Seriously, Mum? I can’t believe you think this is funny! Do you think I could outswim a shark if I had to?’
‘You’re super, but not that super,’ said Andy’s mum, sounding apologetic. ‘With your bionic strength you can probably get to speeds of fifteen kilometres per hour in the water. But a great white shark can reach around twenty-five. So, no, you can’t outswim a shark. We’ll look into that during the next upgrade.’
‘Thanks, Mum, that makes me feel a whole lot better.’
‘Look, darling, the probability that a shark will eat you is beyond huge. It must be at least a million to one. Don’t worry about that. Now, you should be approaching the yacht soon.’
‘I can see it,’ said Andy quietly, his heart pounding harder. ‘It’s about a hundred metres away.’ He turned out the lights in his palms. ‘Can you patch me through to the General?’
‘Andy, it’s time for you to focus,’ the General said. ‘You’re coming into range so stop talking or they’ll hear you. We’ll continue to keep the line open. . .Good luck. . . Andy. . .Andy?’
‘Yeah, I’m here. You said to stop talking!’
‘Good boy.’
Andy slowed down and silently paddled towards the yacht.
He could make out a couple of figures moving about in the lit cabin. One of the pirates was keeping guard on deck. He wore a belt of bullets across his chest, and he was staring through night-vision binoculars. Every few minutes he scanned the ocean with a large spotlight.
Andy dived deep beneath the water as the torch neared him. Phew! That was close.
I’ve got to get around the back of the yacht, Andy thought.
As he edged his way closer, the guard suddenly cried out for the others to join him. He was obviously concerned about something. Andy thought at first that he had been spotted, but realised that if he had they would have aimed the torch on him by now.
Then Andy caught sight of a large dorsal fin gliding right past the yacht. It skimmed through the water like a torpedo.
So much for probability! He panicked. It was heading straight for him.
● ● ●
I can’t believe this is how I’m going to die, he thought, sucking in a deep breath and ducking beneath the surface.
Are any of my powers useful under water? he wondered.
Andy dove down a couple of metres. His eyes darted from left to right, but he couldn’t see anything moving.
Any second now the shark would show! His mind raced. It would tear him to shreds with its razor-sharp teeth.
Andy had never been so terrified in his whole life. On a scale of hair-raising events, this was off the charts!
Andy clenched his fists, ready to punch and kick and do anything he could to avoid being chewed up like fish bait – if he didn’t die of fright first.
He strained his super-hearing to hear something. . .anything! But then Andy’s ears were bombarded by waves of high-pitched sounds, a series of squeaks and whistles.
‘GGARRGGH!’ He coughed out bubbles as a smiling face appeared right in front of him.
With a sense of relief he realised that it wasn’t a shark, it was a dolphin.
The dolphin gently nudged its nose into Andy’s chest, as if it wanted to play.
But Andy knew he couldn’t hold his breath for much longer. He hurriedly kicked his way back up to the surface, desperate for oxygen.
He burst from the water, gasping for breath.
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!
The pirates cocked their guns and Andy was suddenly blinded by the spotlight. He might not have been eaten alive, but thanks to this friendly dolphin, his cover had been completely blown.
The pirates dragged Andy out of the water. It wasn’t exactly how he had planned to board the yacht, but now that he was captured he knew he needed to play it cool and wait for the right time to make his move. Of course, having a gun pointed at his head made it easier for him to be patient.
The three pirates all had shaved heads and heavy facial stubble. The leader had a chipped and jagged front tooth. One of his mates had beady eyes, and the other a dark monobrow. They were all clearly rattled by the sight of Andy. They couldn’t figure out how he had appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the ocean.
‘Who are you? Where did you come from?’ asked the leader.
Andy didn’t answer, which only made the pirates even more angry.
‘Why would they send a kid?’ asked Monobrow.
‘I don’t know. It must be some sort of trick,’ said the leader. ‘Keep an eye on the radar. If they want to play games with us they will pay for it. Tie him up with the owner,’ he ordered the man with beady eyes.
The pirate tied Andy’s hands behind him with heavy rope, and dragged him below deck.
‘Who are you? You’re only a boy!’ gasped the yacht owner, as Andy was tied up next to him. ‘Do you know if my wife and daughter are okay?’
Andy nodded at the man, whose face was red and swollen. His eyes were filled with fear.
‘Shut up!’ barked the pirate, waving his gun and pulling up a seat in front of them. ‘No talking!’
Suddenly Andy heard the General’s voice in his head. ‘Andy! I understand that you won’t be able to respond right now but, if you can, try to find some way to give us information about what’s going on.’
Great, thought Andy. How can I do that? Then he had an idea.
‘Um, Mr Pirate?’ Andy said. ‘Now that you and your two mates have captured me and you’re hol
ding me below decks at gunpoint next to the owner of this yacht, who appears to be shaken but okay, what do you intend to do with us?’
The pirate swore at Andy and shouted for his mates. The yacht owner gave Andy a bewildered look.
But the General was impressed. ‘Okay, Andy. Good work,’ he said.
The other two pirates came thumping down the steps.
‘The boy spoke!’ said the man.
‘Well, he won’t be talking for long,’ said the leader. ‘These two are history once the pick-up boat reaches us.’
Pick-up boat? thought Andy desperately, snapping the ropes free from his hands and getting ready to make his move. How were they going to kill them? He knew the General would have heard this, but was there anything he could do about it?
Andy could take down the leader of the pirate gang with a single karate chop or punch. But the other two still had their guns aimed at him and the yacht owner. No matter how fast he was, he couldn’t be in two places at once.
The pirate with the beady eyes stepped forward and stuck strips of tape across Andy’s mouth. Then he did the same to the yacht owner. The other two stormed out of the cabin.
Andy mumbled through the tape, trying to talk to the General.
‘We’re here, Andy,’ said the General. Don’t blow your cover. . .Assess the situation. Think of your training. We’ve locked in on a craft fast approaching the yacht. That’s their escape plan. And payment is due to go through any minute, so prepare to make a move very soon.’
‘The money’s been transferred!’ With his super hearing, Andy heard the leader of the pirates talking from up on deck. ‘I can see the pick-up boat!’
Then he heard the man shouting down the stairs, ‘Activate them now – and hurry up!’
Huh? thought Andy. Activate what?
The pirate rushed over to the yacht owner and pushed him forward. Attached to the yacht owner’s arms was a metallic football-shaped pack with a phone keypad on the outside and a small screen.
It didn’t take a genius – or a secret agent – to work out that it was a bomb. The pirate tapped in a code and numbers appeared on the screen. It read 10:00 and immediately started counting down: 9:59. . .9:58. . .9:57. . .