by Andrew Cope
‘The back legs might be on their way out,’ grinned the old dog, ‘but the nose is in perfect working order.’
‘You’re going to help me. You are a hero!’
‘Not a hero, lady,’ he said. ‘But there’s summat about you I like. You remind me of myself. And what’s an old dog to do when he’s told there’s one last mission?’ Lara noticed a spark in her father’s eye. He sat awkwardly, his ageing legs clearly not up to the journey. ‘Now, where are we going, exactly?’
Lara quickly explained the whole story. ‘There’s a rocket … and some baddies … and some dangerous gas … and it’s going to destroy the ozone layer … and then they make millions from selling their suncream … so basically we’re all in big trouble!’
‘Slow down, girl,’ he said. ‘Why are you wearing your pyjamas and what’s yer name?’
‘Oh, it’s a special suit to keep out the cold. I know it looks silly. And I’m Lara,’ she said, holding out her leg and shaking her dad warmly by the paw.
‘Lovely name,’ he smiled. ‘Righty ho, Lara. Let’s keep calm. A rocket will have to be launched from a relatively flat spot. Right?’
‘Right.’
‘And there’s only one flat spot in this neck of the woods. The east side of Ben Nevis. Thataway,’ pointed the old dog, towards an even higher peak.
‘How far?’ asked Lara.
‘Ten, maybe twelve miles?’ guessed Leo. ‘Are you up for it?’
‘Sure am, Da– I mean, Leo,’ smiled Lara.
The two dogs marched onwards and upwards, their doggie footprints soon covered by fresh snow.
17. Tug of Life
The blizzard’s wind had died down but the snow was still falling as the two dogs struggled up the mountain. Lara had looped some rope through their collars so they were tied together.
‘I saw it in a film once. If one of us falls, the other one can save them,’ she’d shouted above the gale. It also meant she could pull her dad up the really steep sections. Lara breathed a sigh of relief as she came to a flat section. ‘An easy bit,’ she called back.
But as Lara stepped on to the smooth surface, her foot went straight through the ice. She howled with terror as her body fell into a deep crevasse and she was left dangling on the end of the rope, her collar strangling her.
‘Help!’ she panted, her legs flailing wildly. ‘Help me!’
Leo was some way back, eyes squinting into the wind, concentrating on one step at a time. As Lara fell he was suddenly dragged along by the rope, his claws scratching for a hold. Leo’s tired back legs finally found some grip and he sat in the snow, the rope clutched in his mouth. He leant back, tug-of-war style, taking the strain of the rope. He couldn’t see Lara but knew she was in trouble.
‘Don’t worry, Lara,’ he woofed out of the corner of his mouth. ‘I’ll haul you out.’
Little by little, Lara felt her body being winched upwards. She was powerless to help, swinging by her collar in the ice cave. Her bulging eyes looked around and the flashlight on her head pointed down into the crevasse. Just a sheer drop into the darkness. If my dad lets go, it’s certain death.
Leo was pulling with all his might, inching backwards.
I’m being strangled, Lara spluttered. She could see the hole above. I wish I hadn’t eaten that second pizza, she thought. Keep going, Dad. I know you must be exhausted but please keep going.
Leo’s back legs were wobbling, his muscles aching and lungs bursting. It wasn’t a tug-of-war, it was a tug-of-life! Lara reached up and grasped the icy ledge with her front paws.
‘Come on, Dad. One more heave,’ she gasped, not caring if he heard her.
One more heave was all Leo could muster. Lara scrambled from the ice hole as her dad collapsed in a heap. Lara ran to him.
‘That’s me done, Lara,’ he gasped. ‘This old dog’s done for.’
Lara looked down at her dad, collapsed in the snow. He’s such a hero to have come this far, she thought. And to have saved my life. I’m so proud.
‘OK,’ she barked. ‘But the clearing is just over the next hill. I have to go on alone. Here,’ she woofed, ‘take this collar. It has a special tracking device so I’ll be able to come back and get you later. And put this suit on,’ she added, wriggling out of her Lycra outfit. ‘It’ll be much warmer and you’ve earned it – superhero!’
Leo staggered to his feet and Lara used her teeth to pull the Lycra suit over him. He slumped to the ground under a rocky ledge and closed his eyes, overcome with exhaustion. ‘You go on ahead, Lara. The old fella just needs some rest. Come back for me later.’
Lara gave her dad a loving nuzzle as the professor’s special suit started to warm him up. But there was no time to waste, and so she finally charged on, leaving her father to recover. She looked at him from a distance. Be safe, Dad.
She was exhausted and starving. The wind chill was making her teeth chatter. Her face was white and there was an icicle forming on the end of her nose. She looked over the edge of the ridge, sheer drops either side. One slip and I’m a goner, she thought. Ears flat to her head, Lara inched forward, getting closer to the children with every step.
Ben, Sophie and Ollie found a safe spot where they could see everything. They watched as three other men unloaded the large drums from the back of the lorry. They rolled them over to the rocket and used a winch to lift them into position.
‘Look,’ whispered Ben. ‘Lara’s right – that is Jimmy from the suncream adverts!’
‘Hold steady,’ shouted the driver, ‘and I’ll bolt the first gas bottle into place.’
It took the men most of the morning. While they were all out working, Sophie sneaked into the cabin and stole a packet of biscuits and a bottle of juice, returning with her breakfast treasure. She looked scared as she handed over the snacks.
‘Are you OK?’ asked Ben through a mouthful of biscuits.
‘They’ve … they’ve … they’ve got guns in there!’ exclaimed Sophie, her eyes wide with fear.
Ben and Ollie stopped mid-crunch, eyes wide in horror.
‘I sooo wish Lara was here,’ wailed Ollie. ‘She’d know what to do.’
‘Well, she’s not,’ said Ben bravely. ‘It’s up to us to come up with a plan. Simple as that.’
Professor Cortex was woken by his mobile phone. He surprised Mrs Cook with his startled manner. ‘Yes, what, who?’ he spluttered in a half-asleep state. ‘Ah, Mrs Cook,’ he said, looking quickly around the room to remind himself where he was. He couldn’t believe it was the morning. ‘Good to hear from you. You’re on your way up here! Splendid,’ he lied. The professor’s brow creased as he listened to Mrs Cook’s next question. ‘How are the kids?’ he repeated. The professor hated lying, partly because he was very bad at it. ‘Having the adventure of a lifetime,’ he said, avoiding a fib.
‘And where are the children?’ asked Mrs Cook. ‘Can I have a quick word with them?’
‘They’ve popped out,’ blurted the professor. ‘On a mission … I mean an errand,’ he stammered, slapping his forehead in frustration at his poor answer.
‘At this time of the morning? Are the children OK?’ asked Mum suspiciously.
‘OK?’ repeated the professor. ‘Why do you ask that?’
‘Oh, you know,’ added Mum, much more sternly, ‘you’ve been in a few scrapes in the past. Guns, diamonds, robberies. So you can’t blame me for checking if they’re safe.’
‘Safe?’ laughed the professor, struggling for anything other than a complete lie. ‘As in “protected from harm”?’
‘Yes, Professor, as in “protected from harm”,’ replied Mum, her tone ever more serious.
‘All I can say, Mrs C, is that the children are having a terrific adventure.’ The professor mopped his brow. ‘Erm, sorry, but I’m losing the signal. There’s nothing to worry about,’ he blurted before snapping his mobile shut and dabbing his brow once more. ‘Except rockets, poisonous gas and evil men who want to destroy the planet!’ he added, gasping for breath an
d reaching for his blood-pressure pills.
The professor took a deep breath and held it a while. He checked his phone for messages but there were none.
‘GM451?’ he shouted out. ‘Where are you?’ He got up and searched the hotel room but the spy dog was nowhere to be seen. ‘Blast!’ Switching on the tracker he located Lara’s flashing red dot on-screen. ‘Twelve miles due east,’ he noted. ‘It’s time to call in a favour.’
He phoned the Secret Service and asked for Agent A. ‘I wouldn’t normally ask,’ he said, ‘but I need a helicopter …’
The blizzard was almost over as Lara looked down on the scene spread out below her. She watched three men walking to and from a shed and spied the lorry from the night before.
But where are the children?
Lara undid her backpack and emptied the contents on to the snow. She took the binoculars and scanned the magnified scene.
Wow! she whistled softly. She almost didn’t see the rocket at first, its whiteness camouflaged against the snowy mountains. That really is a huge rocket! But it looks as though the gas canisters are already attached. Maybe if I can find the kids then I might just be able to stop evil Jimmy’s plans after all.
Lara pointed the binoculars around the launch site.
‘Gotcha!’ she barked as she watched Sophie scamper into the log cabin and then back to a hiding place.
She looked at the men crowded around the rocket. I’ve got to save the children. This spy dog needs a plan. And quick!
18. Lift-off!
Lara scrambled down the hill towards the spot where Sophie had disappeared.
She gave a quiet woof. Hi, guys, she wagged, fancy seeing you here!
‘Lara!’ mouthed Sophie, beating her brothers to a hug. ‘You’re here. To rescue us. Everything’s going to be all right.’
Not sure about that, she thought as she spied the men quickly heading back to the cabin.
‘Five minutes and counting,’ one of them shouted. ‘Let’s make ourselves scarce.’
‘Five minutes!’ yelped Ben. ‘We’ve only got five minutes to stop the rocket!’ The children stood looking up at the spacecraft. Its engines were rumbling into action, warming themselves before lift-off. A digital counter was counting down the seconds.
280, 279, 278 …
You guys, stay hidden, woofed Lara, using her paws to push them further into their hiding hole. I’ve got to do something. Anything!
‘You can’t stop the rocket,’ said Ben. ‘You’ll get yourself killed.’
But I can release the gas canisters, barked Lara. At least that way it’s a harmless blast-off.
Before they could stop her, Lara scurried down the snowy slope towards the rocket. The children watched as their pet stood upright and peered in through the cabin window.
The men are packing their bags, presumably for a quick getaway, Lara guessed. She spotted some tools hanging on the wall. I need a spanner. Urgently. The spy dog crept round the hut but the door was protected with a security code and the windows were locked shut. Hmm, I’ll have to try getting in from upstairs.
Lara jumped on to the lorry cab and then on to its roof. She eyed up the next leap. It’s just about possible, she told herself, if you believe a dog can fly! Lara sprang for all her worth and scrabbled for a hold on the steeply sloping roof.
Sophie squealed from her hiding place as the children watched their pet start to slide down the roof in the snow. But Lara scrambled around and gradually hauled herself up towards the chimney.
It’s the only way in! Lara stared down the hole into the blackness. Well, if it’s good enough for Santa, it’s good enough for me. The digital clock was ticking down. Less than four minutes … No time to come up with another plan now.
Ben gulped as he watched Lara disappear down the chimney. Ollie peered out from behind the gaps in his fingers.
‘Ouch … ouch … eek … ouch … eek!’ howled Lara before landing in the fireplace with an almighty thud. Soot filled the room and by the time the men realized what was happening a jet-black dog had opened the door and shot outside before it slammed behind her. Lara jumped up to the security keypad and pushed the Emergency Lock button.
‘What’s going on?’ Jimmy shouted through the black cloud.
‘A mutt’s fallen down our chimney!’ yelled one of the men. ‘And it’s stolen a spanner!’
Jimmy ran to the window and watched as Lara bounded towards OZONE 1.
‘Do you want some even worse news, guys?’ added one of the men, rattling the door handle. ‘The bloomin’ mutt’s trapped us in here!’
All eyes watched as Lara raced to the rocket, a spanner in her jaws. The spy dog began to climb a metal ladder that ran the length of the rocket. She made it to the first gas canister and, hanging on with one paw, started to loosen the bolts.
‘Go, Lara!’ shouted Ben, coming out of the hiding place and jumping up and down with excitement.
‘She’s doing it!’ squealed Sophie.
Ollie dared to open his eyes completely.
The men couldn’t believe what they were seeing. ‘Get yer shooter, Alex,’ shouted one of them. ‘That pesky mutt’s stealing our gas.’
Lara twisted and twisted until the bolts came loose and canister number one fell to the ground. The rocket was shaking now in readiness for lift-off. The timer was ticking away …
122, 121, 120 …
Yikes, just two minutes to go!
Professor Cortex bowed his head and ran for the helicopter. The rotor blades were whipping up a snow storm and he slammed the cockpit door shut before indicating to the pilot to take off.
Two policemen were huddled inside, along with a medic.
‘Up, up, man!’ the professor bellowed to the pilot. ‘To the mountains.’
The rocket engines on OZONE 1 were now red hot. One of the men was clubbing at the locked door while another was pointing his gun out of the window.
‘Careful you don’t hit the rocket!’ shouted Jimmy. ‘Just get that crazy dog.’
The man aimed it at Lara and a shot rang out, the bullet pinging off the metal. ‘I said be careful,’ yelled Jimmy.
That was close, panicked Lara. I have to work quicker. What other options do I have?
The rocket was unsteady and her paw nearly missed the next rung. Ben, Sophie and Ollie gasped as their pet dangled from the rocket before grabbing on with her other paw and climbing to the second gas canister. The twisting started again as more bolts flew off. Another bullet whistled past the rocket, just centimetres from her ear.
I’ve already got a hole in one, she thought, so why not a matching pair!
Lara checked the digital clock.
60, 59, 58 … The second gas canister broke free and fell to the ground.
Phew. One to go!
The cabin door splintered open and the men rushed out, one waving a pistol. ‘Hey, mutt, stop that,’ he shouted. From the corner of her eye Lara saw him stride forward to get a better shot. ‘I’m warning you,’ he bellowed. ‘Stop or I shoot again.’
‘Can’t stop, mister,’ barked Lara out of the side of her mouth. Less than sixty seconds to save the world. She kept twisting the spanner around the final bolts.
The rocket was shaking violently, as if it were a rumbling volcano. The engines were breathing fire and the snow had melted around them. But the gunman continued forward, shading his eyes from the heat.
43, 42, 41 …
The children looked on in horror from above but were powerless to stop him as they watched him aim … and pull the trigger. A shot rang out, as did the man’s scream.
Ben, Sophie and Ollie watched in amazement as a dog in a superhero suit leapt at the man and sunk its teeth into his arm.
‘Get off me, dog!’ he bellowed, dropping his gun on the ground.
‘Isn’t that the arctic suit that Professor Cortex made?’ Ben asked in amazement.
‘Go, Lara,’ barked Leo as he watched her climb to the final canister. ‘I’ve got him.’
‘Brilliant, Dad,’ she barked back, dropping the spanner from her jaws.
Leo froze for a split second. Dad? he thought as he took a massive kick from the man. Lara’s my girl? Suddenly Lara’s interest in finding him made much more sense. Sticky-up ear! Black and white. Clever like her mum … it all makes sense.
The other man kicked at Leo, sending him sprawling to the ground. His friend recovered the gun and the Lycra-suited superdog leapt a second time. Leave my daughter alone! This time Leo couldn’t stop the shot and he fell, turning the snow pink.
19, 18, 17 …
Everyone watched as Lara struggled to loosen the final bolts with her teeth and claws. The heat from the engines was too much at ground level so the men had retreated, arms up against their faces. Lara struggled to hold on.
10, 9, 8 … the first bolt fell away …
7, 6, 5 … she felt the second bolt loosen in her mouth …
4, 3, 2 … she spat the bolt out. One to go!
The children scrambled out of their hiding place as flames billowed from beneath the spacecraft and the earth shook. The digital clock registered zero and Lara hung on as OZONE 1 lifted off.
‘Ha ha,’ the gunman shouted. ‘We’ve won! The rocket is launched and there’s still one gas canister. That’ll be enough to cause plenty of damage. And looks like that crazy dog is going into orbit too. Good riddance!’
But Lara wasn’t giving up. As the rocket launched she hung on with one paw, working the final bolt with her teeth. A couple more twists will do it. She could see the children below. Ollie’s hands had returned to cover his face. Sophie was screeching for Lara to jump. Ben was jumping up and down with panic.
The canister is rattling, almost loose. Oh my goodness! she wailed. I might end up following my great-grandma into space!
The children were getting smaller by the second. She twisted again and the final gas bottle fell to the ground with a crash. Yessss! She spat out the bolt, then let go of the rocket and fell with a huge doggie yowl. She watched the rocket disappear upwards and twisted to see the earth coming at her from below.