by Andrew Cope
Very fast. Too fast! This is going to hur–
Lara landed in the deep Scottish snow with a thud and a yelp.
19. ‘Make My Day!’
Lara lay still for a few seconds, watching the rocket disappear high into the sky. She made no attempt to move. She didn’t even know if she could. Breathing seemed difficult enough. Eventually the rocket was just an orange speck of light before – BANG! – a huge explosion ripped it apart. Bright dots were spread across the grey sky. Like fireworks! Lara lay in her doggie-shaped snow hole, smiling at her success. She didn’t mind the pain. I couldn’t stop the rocket, she thought, but I did stop Jimmy from destroying the ozone layer.
Her thoughts turned to the children and her dad. Lara wiggled her paws to check they were working. She winced as she sat up in the snow hole, her head peering out over the scene. Some singed fur and a sprained ankle. Oh, and a sore neck, she thought, struggling to look left and then right. Still, could have been much worse.
A helicopter spluttered overhead and she saw the professor waving. Lara eased herself out of the snow hole and limped to her father.
Here, she said, pawing at Leo. He needs medical treatment urgently, Prof.
A rope ladder fell from the helicopter and figures started climbing down it.
‘Dad,’ barked Lara, above the noise. ‘Dad, can you hear me?’
Leo opened his eyes and nodded. ‘I hear you, girl,’ he said. ‘I knew you were special. That’s why I came to do one last mission. But now I know just how special.’
‘You’re a hero, Dad.’
‘Aye,’ he agreed. ‘I’ve even got the superhero outfit to prove it.’ Lara could see the pain in his eyes. Even a doggie smile was beyond him.
‘You’re so brave. Please hang on,’ Lara whimpered. ‘We’ve got some catching up to do. I love you, Dad.’
Leo spluttered and closed his eyes for a few seconds. ‘Aye, Lara, and I’ve always loved you too,’ he replied.
‘Who’s that dog in the professor’s arctic suit, Lara?’ asked Ollie.
‘It’s my father,’ she barked, stroking his forehead and planting a lick on his cheek. ‘And he’s the bravest dog in the world.’
‘Is everyone OK?’ puffed Professor Cortex, struggling through the snow. Sophie and Ollie hugged the professor as the helicopter medic arrived with the police officers.
‘We’ll have to get him to the vet immediately,’ he said.
‘I can’t save him but I may be able to capture them,’ Lara barked, jabbing a paw at the three baddies who were escaping from the cabin.
‘Over there!’ shouted one of the policemen from the helicopter.
Lara was after the three men, her ears down, the slowest man in her sights. She took big three-legged bounds through the snow, her bad leg out of action. This is exhausting. She launched herself and grabbed his knees in the perfect rugby tackle. Gotcha! Ben was right. You can’t run without knees. Lara sat on the man until one of the policemen caught up.
The children watched as the other two baddies made it to the lorry. Lara darted into the shed and came out holding a Taser gun. How cool is this, she thought, standing on her hind legs and holding the gun like she’d seen in the movies. Jimmy had retrieved a snowboard and was away down the mountain. Lara hated it when baddies escaped. She turned the Taser on his mate. Go ahead, mister, challenged Lara, make my day!
‘You wouldn’t,’ stammered the man. ‘I mean, you’re a bloomin’ dog!’
‘Not any old dog,’ growled Lara. ‘I’m trained to catch baddies.’ She pressed the gun’s power button and it charged, ready to fire. The green light came on. I’m not messing. You shot my dad. Either you put your hands up or I’ll make your hair stand up. There’re 5,000 volts waiting for you.
The man considered his options. The dog sure looked menacing. And it sounded angry. And it had powered up the gun. But it was only a dog … and he knew dogs couldn’t shoot guns.
Lara issued a warning growl. Final warning, mister. Step away from the lorry.
The man backed away, using his hands to calm the animal. ‘Nice doggie,’ he said. ‘Put down the gun, doggie.’
Lara motioned the man over to the cabin. He walked backwards, hands held high. He was now standing underneath the steep snowy roof, right where Lara wanted him.
The man’s patience finally snapped. ‘OK, poochie,’ he snarled. ‘I’m calling your bluff. You’re only a dog and dogs don’t use stun guns.’
The man started to run for the lorry. Lara pointed the Taser at him and then raised the sights slightly before firing a bolt of electricity at the cabin roof. Lara was catapulted backwards into the snow. The blast of energy caused the snow on the roof to shift. An avalanche of snow fell with a thud and the man was stopped in his tracks.
Lara stood gingerly, her bad leg really hurting. Her head was spinning and she was seeing double. She noticed blood in the snow. Must be the result of the fall from the rocket, she thought. The man was buried up to his neck. She lowered the stun gun and beckoned to the police. Dig him out, she woofed. Before the snowman catches a cold.
The man’s eyes were wild and his teeth were chattering. ‘But you’re only a dog,’ he stammered.
A spy dog, growled Lara, her energy hitting zero.
Sophie squealed as Lara fell to her knees. By the time Ben had reached her, she had collapsed in the snow.
20. Serious Condition
Lara woke up and struggled to open her eyes. They stayed at half mast. She sniffed hard and grimaced. It didn’t take a sensitive doggie nose to tell her she was probably in an animal hospital. She licked her dry lips and looked around. Her leg was suspended in the air, encased in white plaster. Oops, that sore leg must have been more serious than I thought! She could see her father lying in the next bed.
‘Good morning, girl,’ he smiled. ‘Welcome back to the land of the living.’
‘Dad,’ she croaked. ‘Are you OK?’
‘Aye, Lara, I’ll live,’ he woofed. ‘Which is more than we thought about you. Climbing a mountain in a blizzard, falling from a rocket and chasing baddies,’ he explained. ‘It’s a miracle you only broke your leg. You hero! I’m so proud,’ grinned her father.
‘Just like you,’ she smiled weakly. ‘But what about the children?’
‘The kids are fine,’ began Leo, before the door was flung open and in raced Ollie, Sophie and Ben.
‘Lara, you’re awake,’ yelled Ollie. ‘We’ve been so worried about you, with your leg and everything.’
‘And Leo’s bullet wounds,’ reminded Sophie. ‘Check his ear, Lara, it’s just like yours.’
Lara turned to her dad and smiled at the light shining through his sticky-up ear.
‘Like father, like daughter,’ he smiled.
The professor arrived and everyone went quiet. He frowned at Lara and lowered his eyebrows for one of his serious talks. ‘Well, GM451,’ he began. ‘I hope you’re proud of yourself. You’ve managed to get me in serious trouble with Mr and Mrs Cook. And I mean serious trouble, like never before. I told her it wasn’t me, it was you and the rocket and saving the planet and all, but she wouldn’t have it.’
Whoops, sorry, Prof, thought Lara, attempting a wag but finding it too painful.
‘But, worst of all,’ continued the professor, ‘it’s completely reckless of you to go mountaineering and rocket riding … in your condition!’
There was a moment’s silence while everyone thought about the last sentence.
My condition?
‘Her condition?’ repeated Ben. ‘What do you mean, “her condition”? She’s retired, but you know adventures just come her way.’
‘That’s not what I mean, young Benjamin,’ laughed the professor, unable to keep the grin from his face. ‘Lara’s going to have puppies. Quite soon, actually. She got the once-over from the doc and he reckons they’re due in about six weeks. That explains why she’s had such an appetite!’
Puppies? thought Lara excitedly. I’m going to be a mum? Yippe
e! she barked.
‘And I’m going to be a grandad!’ sang Leo. ‘What wonderful news. I thought Lara finding me was exciting enough. I can’t wait to tell them all my grandad stories about me being a superdog. And saving the planet, of course.’
Lara looked across at her dad with a big smile on her face and a warm feeling in her heart. Hey, old dog, she woofed, WE saved the planet. And wait till I tell Potter he’s going to be a dad!
21. A New Beginning?
Mr Jetski was out of his room. The nurses considered it a miracle. He’d shuffled, unaided, to the TV lounge and was sitting watching the news.
‘And check out this whacky adventure,’ chuckled the newsreader to his partner. ‘Two dogs climbed Scotland’s highest mountain to stop a rocket that was being launched to wipe out the ozone layer. One of the dogs became a rocket rider, putting a stop to the evil plot masterminded by the man behind Jimmy’s Tartan Suncream.’ Footage from the helicopter was beamed to the nation. The camera was a bit wobbly but it clearly showed Lara riding the rocket before falling to safety. ‘A very special doggie duo,’ he added.
‘Very special indeed,’ chuckled Oleg Jetski, clutching his framed picture. ‘Laika would be so proud.’
Jimmy locked himself into the toilet cubicle and took the small mirror from his pocket. He peeled off his face and hair, removed his contact lenses and threw the whole lot into the toilet. He pressed the flush button and growled with anger as the wig floated in the toilet bowl.
‘No matter.’ Jimmy fixed the thick glasses to his face and opened the cubicle door. A young man had entered but an old one emerged. Jimmy bent double, playing the role of the pensioner, and shuffled through to the airport departure terminal. He offered his passport to the official, who checked the picture before nodding him through.
‘Enjoy your holiday,’ smiled the passport control officer. ‘See you again soon.’
‘For sure,’ croaked the old man. He had a plan that meant he’d be back for revenge. He had a spy dog to kill.
It was Lara’s first neighbourhood watch meeting since the rocket episode. Her leg was still a bit wobbly but not as wobbly as her tummy.
‘The pups are due any day,’ reminded Potter. ‘So take it easy, Lara!’
She limped out of the house, aided by the dad-to-be. Tears came to her eyes as the neighbourhood watch team stood and applauded.
‘So good to have you back, boss,’ yapped Rover, bouncing with enthusiasm. ‘We saw you on the telly. What a hero! You’re a rocket rider!’ A dozen questions were barked and mewed at the same time.
‘Quiet, quiet,’ woofed Potter. ‘Give Lara a chance to speak. One question at a time please … Beany,’ he said, pointing to the whippet. ‘You first.’
‘What happened to the baddies?’ asked the bug-eyed whippet.
‘One was rugby-tackled at the mountain top,’ winced Lara, remembering the pain in her leg. ‘And I managed to capture the other in an avalanche.’
‘And the mastermind behind the whole scheme? Jimmy the suntan-lotion man?’ asked Jesse from number 4.
‘His entire operation has been closed down,’ Lara said happily. ‘But unfortunately Jimmy managed to escape by snowboarding down the mountain. He’s on the run, probably still up to no good. But do you know what? Scotland was just an experiment. If it was successful he was going to launch rockets to punch holes in the ozone layer over major cities throughout the world. The Secret Service found plans on his laptop for rockets over London, Sydney, Los Angeles and Paris. He would have made millions from his special suntan lotion.’
‘Wow, what an evil man. I’m sure glad he’s out of our lives,’ said Potter. ‘But when our pups are born you’ll have to stop having adventures, right? I mean it’s too dangerous to keep getting into trouble.’
Lara smiled and gave Potter a friendly lick. ‘I don’t go looking for trouble,’ she explained. ‘It just sort of follows me around.’
‘But puppies are important,’ explained Potter. ‘Surely the adventures will have to come to an end?’
Lara was lost in thought for a moment or two. ‘Potter,’ she woofed, ‘I reckon puppies could be just the beginning!’
Thanks to:
Tamsin and Bill at Coombeshead Farm, Cornwall – 4,000 words in a day! Best ever. Thanks for the peace and quiet.
Goldfields Academy … peaceful and productive African evenings.
Proofreader and ideas consultant, Lou. You were right about the baddie. He was far too nice. Now he’s so evil he makes me shiver!
Ollie and Scrump, for test marketing the first draft.
The extraordinary publishing team, especially Shannon, a Kiwi in a Puffin world!
James de la Rue … what brilliant illustrations. Thanks for bringing the story to life. I wish I could draw!
All the children who have written or emailed … thanks for liking my books! I hope you enjoy reading Rocket Rider as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.
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First published 2009
This
edition published 2012
Text copyright © Andrew Cope, 2009
Illustrations copyright © James de la Rue, 2009
Photograph of Laika the space dog copyright © RIA NOVOSTI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Cover Illustrations by Andrew Farley
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ISBN: 978-0-141-92320-8