by Axel Lewis
“Even Horace Pelly can’t be that stupid,” said Cabbie. “He won’t win sitting there!”
“And neither will we,” groaned Jimmy.
But a nasty grin had spread across Horace’s face. “Dig your way out of this one, Chippy,” he yelled over the roar of his engine.
Two pipes shot out from beneath Zoom’s bumper. One sprayed water all over the racetrack. The other sent clouds of white smoke billowing across it. When it cleared, the water had frozen and turned the track into a dangerous ice rink!
Dug was racing towards the tunnel at top speed and when he hit the ice, he had no hope of controlling the racer. The caterpillar tracks tried desperately to grip the path, but they just spun and spun. Dug’s pincer arm flailed and grabbed at the ice, helplessly trying to steady himself as he skidded towards the cliff edge.
Jimmy watched Chip’s mouth open in a silent, terrified scream as he plunged backwards and disappeared over the side of the cliff...
Chapter 12 - Over the Edge
Jimmy sat frozen for a moment – long enough to see Horace and Zoom shooting off through the tunnel.Then he jumped out of Cabbie and ran to the cliff edge, inching forward slowly to peer over the edge.
All Jimmy could think about was what he would see when he looked over the edge: the twisted and gashed metal of the broken robot, and Chip...?
Hardly daring to open his eyes, he looked out over the cliff edge. The floor of the Canyon was about a kilometre below them. Jimmy screwed up his eyes in the blazing heat of the sun, but all he could see was dust and sand and rocks. There was no sign at all of Dug or Chip at the bottom of the canyon.
“Help!” cried a voice. It sounded American ... like Chip.
“Help! Help! Help!” replied the echoes, rebounding from the towering Canyon walls.
“Did you hear that?” asked Cabbie.
“I heard it!” said Jimmy. “Chip,” he shouted down. “It’s Jimmy. Are you all right? Where are you?”
“Down here!” said the American voice.
Jimmy moved along the cliff face, trying to edge closer to where the sound was coming from. When he found the spot he stretched a little further out over the Canyon. Fighting the dizzying view beneath him, he looked straight down – squinting against the glare of the sun as it bounced off the shiny surface of ... Dug!
Jimmy cheered. There, resting about 20 metres directly below them, was the huge yellow racer. Dug appeared to be hanging in mid-air and Chip’s head was poking out of the window, looking up at Jimmy and waving.
“Hold on!” Jimmy yelled down. The echo of his voice sent a few small stones from the rockslide showering over the cliff face. They plummeted down, down, down and then bounced!
“It’s an invisible force field,” said Cabbie to Jimmy. “Dug’s scanners are showing a high-voltage plasma net down there.”
“Lord Leadpipe must have had them installed for the race because he expected at least one of us to end up being knocked over the edge,” Jimmy guessed.
He racked his brains for a way to help them up. None of the safetybots were hovering overhead. There was no sign of anyone at all who could help rescue Dug and Chip. It was up to Jimmy. He ran over to Cabbie and got in.
“What are we doing?” said Cabbie. “Let’s fire up the engines and catch those other losers!”
“We’re not going anywhere,” said Jimmy.
“What?” said Cabbie.
“We’ve got to help Chip and Dug,” said Jimmy. “We’re their only hope!” He scanned the rows of buttons on his control panel, looking for something he could use to help Chip – retro-rockets, jet-thrusters, rocket-boosters, Magnetic SuperPull...
“Yes!” cried Jimmy excitedly, remembering the huge magnet flying out of Cabbie’s roof at the start of the race. “Cabbie, I’m firing the Magnetic SuperPull over the cliff edge. OK?”
“I can do better than that,” replied Cabbie. “Press the green button. It’s flashing now.”
“What is it?” asked Jimmy, punching the button.
“The Magnetic Superpull Crane-o-matic,” replied Cabbie proudly. And before Jimmy could say ask any more questions, he felt four heavy thuds as stabilizing legs extended from Cabbie’s undercarriage.
Jimmy opened his window and stuck his head out to get a better view. A hatch opened on Cabbie’s roof and an enormous crane arm rose high into the air, stretching out like a tape measure over the cliff edge. Then he heard a familiar click and a rush of air as the Magnetic SuperPull fired out of the roof and flew down into the Canyon.
“Just like going fishing,” Cabbie said, a smug edge to his voice. “Not that I’ve ever been fishing before.”
Jimmy got out of Cabbie and hurried back to the cliff edge. The huge magnet swung on its chain from the crane arm, about two metres short of Chip and his massive racer.
“It’s not long enough!” called Chip.
Oh, no, thought Jimmy. There’s no way of getting closer to them.
Then suddenly he had an idea.
“Chip, you’re going to have to reach up as far as you can. If you can get Dug’s lifting arm close enough, the magnet will do the rest.”
Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. For a split-second it looked as if they were still too far away. The magnet swayed from side to side as Dug’s long arm stretched to breaking point to reach it.
Come on, come on, Jimmy thought.
Then suddenly there was a loud thunk! that echoed around the Canyon.
“Yes! Reel them in, Cabbie!” called Jimmy.
Cabbie braced himself on his four stabilizing legs, tightened the chain and began to heave.
Slowly Cabbie pulled Dug up. The digger swayed to and fro in the wind as it was hauled up. Clouds of black smoke poured from Cabbie’s exhaust as he strained against Dug’s enormous bulk, his engines firing on full throttle to generate enough power for the super-electromagnet.
“Yee-haa!” yelled Chip, punching the air in celebration as they gradually emerged from the Canyon. Still creaking and groaning, Dug rose level with the racetrack, and Cabbie swung the Crane-o-matic’s huge arm around and gently lowered Dug to the ground.
“That’s some gadget!” called Chip, jumping down from his cab. “Thanks, guys. I thought we was a goner when we went flyin’ over the edge.” His face suddenly darkened. “I can’t wait to get Dug’s claws on that Horace fella and his robot.”
“No problem,” said Cabbie. “Now, does anyone think we should get going?”
“The race!” cried Jimmy and Chip together.
Chip jumped into Dug, and Jimmy jumped into Cabbie and, side by side, they fired up their engines.
“After you!” called Chip. “It’s the least I can do!”
Jimmy nodded his thanks, and Cabbie shot through the gap in the landslide with Dug following close behind. They flew out the other side of the tunnel to the deafening roar of hundreds of fans cheering, the noise spurring the two racers on to even greater speeds.
“Hello? Hello?” crackled a familiar voice on Cabbie’s intercom.
“Grandpa!” said Jimmy.
“Where are you?” said Grandpa. He sounded worried. “Four of the other competitors have made their second pit stop already.”
“We had a bit of a problem,” said Jimmy. “All sorted now.”
“I don’t know what you’ve been doing to him,” said Grandpa, “but it looks like Cabbie’s blown seven or eight fuses and your rocket fuel’s nearly on zero. That wipes out the rocket-boosters and you’re going to need them. Pit stop in two kilometres. You’d better pull in this time.”
“Another hold-up?” grumbled Cabbie. “Rock falls, rescue missions, pit stops ... why don’t we stop for a cup of tea and a slice of cake as well?”
“Come on, Cabbie,” said Jimmy. “Grandpa needs to check you over. We’ll never win if you’re not in peak conditi
on. There it is!”
Cabbie slowed and pulled into position at the pit stop, just seconds ahead of Chip and Dug.
Grandpa stuck his head in the window, filling the cab with his huge white hair. “You’re doing brilliantly, my boy.” He grinned. “I’ll get under the bonnet and have a quick tune-up and you can get on your way.”
Jimmy sat patiently while Grandpa ran a computer check on Cabbie’s functions and made some small adjustments. Grandpa danced around the taxi like a man half his age, inserting a new microchip here and replacing a blown fuse there.
After just a few moments he shouted, “All clear! Off you go, my boy. Sock it to ’em.”
“Right,” said Jimmy as Cabbie fired up his engines. “Time for some speed, Cabbie. I’m putting my foot down.”
“About time!” exclaimed Cabbie, his tyres squealing. “Full speed ahead!”
Chapter 13 - Back in the Race
Jimmy and Cabbie hurtled out of the pit lane in a cloud of dust, as Chip’s mechanics climbed all over Dug, tightening bolts and hammering out dents after the bashing he had taken. Monster, Zoom, Maximus and Lightning were nowhere to be seen.
“We’ve got some catching up to do, Cabbie,” said Jimmy.
“Rocket-boosters?” suggested Cabbie.
“Not yet. Not yet. There’s a long way to go and we might need them for a fast finish.”
They sped on for the next few miles without any incidents, both Cabbie and Jimmy staying silent, focused on the track in front of them. But as they rounded a bend and began to climb a long, steep hill, they got their first glimpse of another competitor.
Crawling up it, just ahead of them, were Missy and Monster.
“Why are they going so slowly?” asked Jimmy.
“Too heavy to get up the hills,” said Cabbie, preparing to overtake.
Cabbie darted to the right of Monster.
Monster swerved to the right and blocked him.
Cabbie darted to the left.
Monster blocked him again.
“And too wide and too sneaky for us to get past,” muttered Cabbie in frustration.
“What do we do?” asked Jimmy.
“I’ve got it!” said Cabbie. “I know a way to get past Missy before you can say, ‘Cabbie that was amazing, you’re a genius.’ OK?”
Jimmy nodded.
“Right,” said Cabbie. “Drop back. We need” – Cabbie paused to calculate – “fifty-seven metres between us and Monster.”
Jimmy eased off the accelerator and soon the gap between Cabbie and Monster widened.
“Perfect,” said Cabbie. “Now maintain that speed and, when I say so, press the flashing orange button on the top right of the control panel.”
“OK,” said Jimmy, gritting his teeth.
“Ready? Now!” said Cabbie. Jimmy pressed the orange button. With a whoosh! and a flash of black, a rocket shot out from under Cabbie’s bonnet. It soared high into the air, then arced downwards sharply. As it plummeted back towards earth it unfolded into a steep ramp which hit the ground with a thud! just behind Monster.
With a whoop of excitement Jimmy crushed the accelerator pedal to the floor and gripped the steering wheel for dear life. They hit the ramp at top speed and flew high over the monster truck. In a strange, still moment of silence, Jimmy could see nothing through Cabbie’s windscreen but blue sky. His stomach seemed to be in his throat. He didn’t dare breathe. Then Cabbie began to tip forward ... forward ... forward ... and landed with a skidding thump, kicking up a mountain of dust behind them.
“Amazing!” screamed Jimmy. “Genius!”
“Thank you,” said Cabbie calmly. “I’ve been looking forward to using the VelociRamp.”
“Drat!” they heard Missy shout as they roared away over the brow of the hill. “Monster, you great big dingo, why do you have to be such a lardy boot?”
Leaving the red-haired girl and her racer far behind, Cabbie and Jimmy flew over the top of the hill and tore down the other side.
“Now, let’s find the others and get past them,” Jimmy said. He hit the windscreen zoom-in button. It showed Horace Pelly and Zoom in the lead, Sammy and Maximus just behind them, and Princess Kako on Lightning bringing up the rear of the group.
“I’m at top speed,” said Cabbie, soaring round a bend on two wheels. “We’ll catch them in the next five minutes.”
“Excellent,” said Jimmy as Cabbie continued to eat up the miles.
Zoom was now in the lead with Maximus and Lightning right behind him, dodging left and right, looking for space to overtake. The road narrowed and the cliff face crumbled as Maximus slid dangerously close to the edge. All three robot racers were now bumping and jostling each other, swerving wildly and taking risks to get the upper hand.
Maximus made another dart towards the left, but before he could drag himself alongside the sleek black shape of Zoom, there was a deafening noise that made Jimmy’s stomach wobble and his ears throb. Suddenly the giant hovercraft seemed to hit an invisible wall. It flew high into the air, spinning back over the roof of Cabbie as if it were a paper bag being tossed around in the wind.
“What the...” Jimmy whispered.
“He’s going over the edge too,” Cabbie said.
But Cabbie was wrong. Maximus was swept into a vicious-looking clump of cacti. As Jimmy sped past he heard a long, loud RRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPP! The cacti tore a deep hole into the bottom of the racer’s air cushion and the gas inside came whooshing out, making a low hissing noise.
Sammy climbed out awkwardly, trying to avoid the nasty spikes on the nearest cactus. When he saw the tear in the side of his racer, he scowled and stamped his foot. There was no way he could carry on today. Sammy and Maximus were out.
“Wow!” breathed Jimmy, forcing his eyes back onto the road in time to see something glowing above Zoom’s rear bumper: a coil of pulsing blue light.
“What’s that?” he shouted.
“It looks like Zoom’s using some kind of EMP,” replied Cabbie. “That’s short for Electromagnetic Pulse. A kind of force field. It burns out electrical circuits on anything that comes near it. That’s what threw Maximus off the track. The moment anyone tries to overtake Zoom, he’ll fry their circuits!”
Chapter 14 - The Finish Line
Cabbie and Lightning raced side by side, both keeping a safe distance from Zoom and his deadly EMP.
“There’s no way we can win if we’re stuck behind Zoom,” said Jimmy impatiently. “We’ve got to do something.”
“The pogo-thruster!” cried Cabbie. “We can be up and over him before you can say—”
“No,” said Jimmy. “We’ll jump straight off the cliff. I’ve got another plan. You get as close as you dare. Pull to the right like you’re going to overtake. He’ll swerve right to block us. So we dart left. The track’s wider here. If we can get past Zoom on the inside fast enough, we might get through without getting fried.”
“That sounds dangerous,” said Cabbie. “I like it!”
As they hurtled towards Zoom, all Jimmy could focus on was the pulsing blue coil above the black racer’s rear bumper. It buzzed and growled like the noise made by a hundred microwaves all working at once. He could feel the air crackling with electricity as the EMP reached full charge again.
“Here we go,” said Cabbie, his voice shaking with the speed.
“Go, Cabbie, go!” Jimmy cried, squashing the accelerator as hard as he could, and swerving first one way then darting to the other, just as they’d planned. The taxi’s engine roared and they began to pull alongside Zoom. “Yes. We’re doing it,” Jimmy yelled. “We’re going to make it!”
The air suddenly fizzed and a wave of hot energy rolled over Cabbie as Horace fired the EMP.
“If I can just—” began Cabbie. “I think—” he went on, “engine what magnet...” He mumbled as he started to lose power
, “...fried magnet monster.”
“Cabbie?” Jimmy cried in alarm. “What’s wrong?”
A large orange triangle started flashing and blinking on Cabbie’s control panel.
“Error. Error. Error...” said Cabbie repeatedly, his voice fading into silence. They were slowing down, dropping back from Zoom, now level with Lightning.
“Ha, ha! You’re finished now, Roberts,” Jimmy heard Horace shout over the noise of the racers. “Your old rustbucket never stood a chance against Zoom.”
But Jimmy didn’t care about Horace Pelly at that moment. He was too worried about his friend. “Cabbie?” he said urgently. “Cabbie? Talk to me.” He stamped on the accelerator.
Nothing happened. The roar of Cabbie’s engines fell to a sickly whirr, and then silence. Lightning was thirty metres ahead of them and Zoom a hundred metres ahead of Lightning. Soon Cabbie would come to a standstill.
Jimmy started frantically pushing buttons but nothing happened. “Don’t give up, Cabbie. We’re so close to the finish.”
Suddenly there was a loud beep and every light and button on Cabbie’s huge control panel started flashing, randomly at first, and then in sequence.
At the same time, Zoom began to lose speed and the blue coil of pulsing light dimmed. The grinding noise faded and Jimmy could feel cold, fresh air on his face once again, as Cabbie’s cooling systems returned.
The orange triangle on the control panel stopped flashing and the hum of Cabbie’s power returned, from a whirr, to a purr, to a growl, to a roar.
“Hah!” shouted Cabbie. “That EMP uses thousands of volts a second. Using it twice in a row has sapped Zoom’s power. Let’s go!”
“Are you feeling OK?” asked Jimmy.
“Much better,” said Cabbie. “There’s nothing like a total re-boot and self-repair to set you up for the day.” He shot back up to full speed, and within seconds he had drawn level with Zoom.
From the corner of one eye, Jimmy caught a glimpse of Horace shouting and spitting in fury and pounding at Zoom’s controls with his fists. “Come on, you hunk of junk,” he was shouting. “I won’t be beaten by that rubbish excuse for a robot racer.”