The Gas Giant

by H. Badger

  She sounded genuinely sorry. Now that the aliens knew Kip and Finbar wanted to help with their pain, they were way less snappy.

  Kip thought about his next move.

  ‘Would it help to see the plans of the city?’ the first alien asked suddenly.

  Kip grinned. Perfect! He could take copies of the plans in the hope that Earth’s scientists could follow them.

  The aliens led the way over to their igloo-shaped home.

  Once inside, Kip looked around. He loved seeing how different aliens lived.

  A metal rod ran across the middle of the igloo. The Vapod aliens perched on it. They looked comfortable there, just like humans relaxing in armchairs.

  ‘When we found this place, the igloos were full of research stuff,’ the aliens said. ‘Our people made these perches from bits and pieces that we found.’

  ‘Do you know who the researchers were?’ asked Kip.

  ‘No. We think they left in a hurry, though,’ the first alien said. ‘All their things are still here.’

  They both paused. Then the second alien added slowly, ‘We’re afraid there might have been an attack of some kind. We found sketches of huge creatures among their research papers, and there were signs of a struggle when we arrived. But we have no way of knowing for sure. We haven’t seen any signs of life since we arrived.’

  ‘I’m sure it’s nothing, then,’ said Kip reassuringly. He didn’t want the Vapod aliens to get distracted — they were unrolling the plans of the floating city.

  Kip and Finbar bent over the city plans, looking for clues about how the platforms were kept afloat.

  ‘There don’t seem to be any turbines or engines making them float,’ Kip said thoughtfully. ‘It seems as though it’s just the balloons. But they’re so small! The gas inside them must be super, super light.’

  ‘That looks like a chemical symbol,’ said Finbar, pointing excitedly at a label on the balloon saying ‘CO2’.

  ‘Maybe,’ Kip answered. ‘But what does it mean?’

  Without my SpaceCuff, I can’t look it up!

  Kip was feeling sick in the stomach. Is it nerves? he wondered. After all, this was the most important mission of his career. He had made good progress already. The locals were friendly (if slightly grumpy), and he had the city plans to study.

  But now he’d hit a wall. How was he going to identify the mystery gas with a broken SpaceCuff?

  Then Kip had a sudden brainwave. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten — the holographic walkie-talkies!

  Kip held the walkie-talkie in front of him and pressed the button. After a moment, Jett’s hologram appeared.

  ‘Hey Jett! I need a favour,’ Kip said. ‘Can you look up what CO2 stands for?’

  Back on Earth, Jett typed the formula into the Universe-wide Web. ‘Carbon dioxide,’ he said a moment later. ‘Does that help?’

  The sick feeling in Kip’s tummy suddenly grew worse. He shook his head and frowned. ‘Carbon dioxide is one of Earth’s most common gases,’ he answered. ‘It’s what makes Supernova bubbly. WorldCorp’s scientists would have tried CO2 already — they’ve been trying to build a floating city for ages.’

  ‘Perhaps the symbol’s in an alien language,’ Finbar suggested.

  It was a good idea, but no help. The Vapod aliens didn’t know who the researchers were, let alone which language they spoke. There were billions of languages in the Universe, many unknown to humans.

  Kip groaned. The mission was becoming maddening. Plus, his stomach was seriously bloated. He felt like he’d just eaten a gigantic meal. But the last time he’d eaten was hours ago, back at Jett’s party.

  From out of nowhere, Kip heard a loud whirring noise. He looked up. Through the igloo’s transparent top, Kip saw a huge cloud of tiny insects.

  ‘They’re not insects,’ Finbar said, looking hard.

  ‘They’re nanobots,’ the first Vapod alien said. ‘They’ve been here since the researchers’ time.’ He explained that the nanobots were tiny robots that had been created for maintenance work. They were very simple robots that couldn’t talk.

  ‘Can you go outside so I can get a closer look?’ begged Jett from the walkie-talkie. ‘I’d love to get a sketch of an alien robot!’

  Kip grinned. ‘OK,’ he said. ‘But quickly! I’ve got a mission to complete.’

  Kip took the walkie-talkie outside. Finbar and the two Vapod aliens followed.

  As soon as they got close enough to the nanobots, Kip could see Jett’s hologram sketching them and taking notes. He was a complete geek when it came to robotics.

  Kip couldn’t take his eyes off the bots either. They were buzzing furiously. Kip’s Space Scout senses told him something wasn’t right.

  ‘Is that how they normally act?’ Kip asked the first alien.

  The alien shook his head. ‘They only do that when something’s bothering them.’

  A tense silence fell. Kip wondered if the Vapod aliens were thinking the same thing he was. The descriptions of giant creatures in the researchers’ notes. Maybe those creatures had returned…

  Suddenly, Kip, Finbar and the two aliens lurched sideways. Jett’s hologram disappeared. The platform they were on had been hit by a violent wind!

  ‘Engage suckers!’ Kip commanded. Quick-release suction caps popped out of his spaceboots’ soles. The suckers would stop him blowing away.

  ‘What was THAT?’ Finbar yelled. He’d also managed to engage his own Plan-it Suckers just in time. The Vapod aliens were flapping wildly against the wind.

  Then they were all flung back the other way. The wind seemed to have suddenly changed direction.

  ‘Even a freak wind couldn’t change direction that fast,’ Finbar said anxiously.

  ‘I’m afraid it’s one of those creatures,’ Kip answered. ‘A giant creature flying past could easily create that much wind.’

  Another huge gust of wind blew them all sideways.

  Kip scanned the sky anxiously. But apart from the wind, there was no sign of hostile creatures.

  ‘We’ve got to get up there and check it out,’ Kip said.

  Finbar nodded. ‘But how?’

  Kip and Finbar only had one CondorCraft between them. There was no way it could support them both in such terrible conditions.

  There was another furious gust of wind. Then…

  Finbar’s Plan-It Suckers had come unstuck! He was a lot heavier than Kip. His Plan-It Suckers just weren’t strong enough to stand up to the fierce winds.

  The wind seized Finbar and hurled him towards the edge of the platform.

  ‘A-WOOOOOOO!’ howled Finbar.

  He grabbed onto an antenna as he blew past it. The antenna bent under his weight.

  Kip knew it was too dangerous to run over and help Finbar. If he moved too quickly the wind might pick him up as well, and then they’d both be blown off the platform!

  Kip watched as Finbar’s hand slid to the end of the antenna. He would only be able to hold on for a few more moments.

  I’ve got to do something! Kip told himself. But what?

  Kip looked around desperately. The Vapod aliens were facing the other direction, flying into the wind. By the time Kip got their attention, Finbar would probably be flung off the platform and plunging towards the planet’s core.

  Then it hit him. Kip wriggled his backpack and tore it open. Heart thumping in his throat, he grabbed a cylindrical container. His SurvivalRod was folded up inside.

  These ultra-light, ultra-tough fishing rods were highly useful for long missions. The rods could be used to fish for edible alien sea creatures. Instead of a physical fishing line, they had a laser line capable of reeling in giant loads. The laser used magnetic energy to hold onto whatever it caught.

  Working so quickly his fingers fumbled, Kip unfolded the rod. He aimed it carefully. Finbar was still holding on to the antenna, but Kip could see his paws slipping more and more.

  Kip would only get one shot at this.

  Squinting and holding his br
eath, Kip fired the trigger on the handle release.

  The line sped towards Finbar. Just at that moment, Finbar’s paws slipped off the end of the antenna. He hurtled across the platform at top speed, and then disappeared over the edge head-first.

  ‘No!’ shouted Kip.

  But a second later, the display on the SurvivalRod flashed that the line had caught something. The rod began automatically reeling in its catch.

  Was it…? Yes! Finbar’s foot appeared from over the edge of the platform, followed by the rest of his body.

  Relief washed over Kip. But the wind was still wild. Kip’s shoulders ached with the strain of holding onto the rod.

  Can’t…go on…much longer, Kip thought. His whole body was in agony. His stomach was about to pop.

  Suddenly the wind changed direction again, yanking Finbar towards Kip.

  He landed heavily on the platform. The wind died as suddenly as it had begun. Finbar seemed shaken but OK.

  ‘Any sign of the creature?’ Finbar asked after he’d caught his breath.

  Kip shook his head. By now, the skies were filling with Vapod aliens flapping up to the cloud layer. The entire population was panicking about the attack.

  The aliens on Kip and Finbar’s platform flapped over to them. Each of them was now holding a strange-looking contraption.

  The devices reminded Kip of waterskis. He’d once seen a picture of waterskis in a digital history book. Of course, Earth’s water was now too precious to be used for something useless like skiing.

  The skis had a tow-rope with a handle to grab onto. Kip saw wings on the sides of the skis that looked like they belonged on a plane.

  ‘The researchers left these AirSkis behind,’ the first alien said.

  ‘If you hang onto the handles, we’ll tow you to the cloud layer. We’re going up to investigate,’ said the second alien.

  Finbar’s whiskers were quivering like crazy again. Kip guessed he wasn’t keen to get airborne again so soon after his mishap.

  ‘Come on, Fin,’ Kip pleaded into his helmet’s intercom.

  But Finbar had a terrified look on his face. He really didn’t want to go.

  Kip didn’t want to go without Finbar. But if Vapod was under attack, Kip’s chances of completing his mission were tiny.

  Would Kip have to choose between staying with his 2iC and leaving him behind to save Earth?

  Slowly, Finbar nodded his head. ‘I’ll come,’ he said bravely.

  Kip sighed in relief. He and Finbar stepped into the AirSkis and gripped the tow-rope.

  The Vapod aliens flapped their huge, bloated wings and lifted off the ground. They took flight, their ropes stretching a few metres behind. Kip and Finbar soared through the air.

  As his alien shot up to the cloud layer, Kip shuddered with pain. Something was seriously wrong with his stomach. As soon as he got back to MoNa, he’d have to get the Docbot to check him out. But until then, he had to concentrate on the mission.

  Just then Kip’s pocket vibrated. It was his holographic walkie-talkie! Kip took it out and Jett’s hologram appeared in front of him.

  ‘Just calling about those nanobots…’ Jett began.

  ‘Now’s not really a good time, Jett,’ Kip said. He didn’t have time to talk. The floating city might be under attack. Besides, he was flying through the air strapped to an alien at that moment!

  Jett seemed too excited to listen. ‘I’ve never seen that kind of design before,’ he went on. ‘I think there’s some kind of heating device inside them. It’s really cool.’

  ‘Great,’ Kip yelled. ‘I’ll call you back.’

  Grinning, Jett waved goodbye. His hologram disappeared.

  ‘Are these winds getting stronger?’ Finbar said as the Vapod aliens flapped upwards towards the orange cloud layer.

  Kip nodded grimly. The winds were out of control.

  Suddenly, the Vapod aliens plunged into the cloud layer. There must be other aliens around, but Kip couldn’t see them. Visibility was almost zero. Kip was on high alert — at any moment, a hostile creature could attack from any direction!

  Just then, Kip remembered his MistEze. He’d clipped it to his utility belt ages ago, back when WorldCorp was planning a mission to the fog planet Mysterio.

  MistEze was shaped like a ray-gun, but fired dissolving pellets. If a pellet met something hard, it exploded into a harmless mist and sent a radar message back to Kip. Then the display on the inside of Kip’s helmet produced a picture based on the information it received.

  Kip fired pellets in all directions and waited, watching the display on his helmet. For a moment nothing happened, but then a picture started to form.

  A huge picture.

  ‘I think the creature’s right in front of us!’ Kip said urgently.

  There was a deafening buzzing noise in the air. Then a huge green shape loomed up at them. The creature!

  Nanobots were swarming around it. The creature swished angrily back and forward, trying to get rid of the bots.

  The creature was almost hidden by orange cloud. Kip could just make out its curved body and huge beak.

  What is it? Kip wondered. It’s huge! He knew they had no chance of survival against such an enormous enemy.

  Kip stared in horror. Then he stopped, squinting at the beast. Now that he looked closer, he realised there was something weirdly familiar about it…

  ‘That creature looks exactly like MoNa, except green!’ Kip said.

  Finbar gasped. ‘MoNa’s Chameleon Paint!’ he exclaimed. ‘It’s turned her green!’

  Relief flooded through Kip. The city wasn’t under attack — it was just MoNa!

  But what was she doing down here in Vapod’s cloud layer? Kip and Finbar had left MoNa on the far side of the cloud layer, in deep space. She’d never normally venture further without permission.

  She must have been practising her Ninja tricks, Kip realised. Then accidentally dipped through the cloud layer and caught the nanobots’ attention.

  Kip started to explain the situation to the Vapod aliens. But they didn’t seem so relaxed. MoNa had completely freaked them out!

  ‘MoNa’s our starship,’ Kip said. ‘She’s not hostile.’

  ‘Just a little bossy,’ Finbar added.

  But the two aliens didn’t look convinced.

  Nanobots were still swarming around MoNa. She was swooshing back and forward, as furiously as ever.

  I’ve got to stop her from doing that, Kip thought. The wind she was creating was strong enough to cause serious damage if it kept up. And more importantly, he had to convince the Vapod aliens that MoNa wasn’t attacking the city — or else they might think he and Finbar were bad news too.

  Kip’s last hope of finding out how the floating city worked was to fly to one of the balloons and check them out. To do that, he needed the aliens’ help.

  I’ll have to prove that MoNa’s under my command, Kip thought. That was going to be tricky, though. MoNa never listened to anything Kip said! Plus his SpaceCuff wasn’t working, so he couldn’t call MoNa and explain.

  Kip could think of only one other way to get MoNa’s attention. He’d have to fly through the swarm of nanobots and knock on her front windows. And that would mean getting the Vapod aliens to fly close to MoNa.

  ‘Can you do me one more favour?’ he asked the aliens, and then explained what he wanted them to do.

  The aliens’ eyes bulged. They both looked like they’d rather have their wings removed with lasers than fly anywhere near MoNa!

  ‘Please,’ Kip begged. ‘If you help me now, I promise to cure your headaches!’

  Inside his helmet, Kip bit his lip. What if MoNa’s Docbot couldn’t find what was wrong? But it was a risk he had to take.

  The alien towing Kip huffed and rubbed his painful head. After a long pause, he seemed to decide to help them.

  ‘OK. Hang on,’ the alien said grimly, shooting off towards MoNa. Finbar’s alien followed closely behind.

  They rocketed upwards as if
they wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Kip and Finbar hung on tight to their AirSkis.

  As the Vapod aliens got near MoNa, she suddenly swooshed forwards and almost brushed the Vapod aliens’ snouts.

  With a terrified shriek, Kip’s alien swerved out of the way. Kip was just close enough to reach MoNa’s front window. He stretched out his arm and pounded on the glass.

  There was a crackle as MoNa turned on her exterior microphones.

  Kip engaged his helmet microphone. ‘Calm down, MoNa,’ he called. ‘It’s just a swarm of maintenance bots buzzing around. You’re freaking out the locals!’

  But MoNa wouldn’t listen. ‘Do you think I was manufactured yesterday?’ she said. ‘Something’s trying to attack me!’

  The Vapod aliens widened their eyes. ‘Are you…sure that’s your starship?’ Kip’s alien asked.

  Kip groaned. Why did MoNa insist on always showing him up at the worst possible time?

  ‘MoNa! Stop thrashing around,’ Finbar barked sharply. ‘The nanobots are friendly!’

  Kip stared at Finbar. He’d never heard his 2iC talk like that to anyone. For once, his wolfish side must’ve won out over his gentle nature.

  MoNa stopped at once. ‘Yes, Finbar,’ she said in a small voice. MoNa was obviously as shocked as Kip!

  ‘Fly to the other side of the cloud layer and stay there until we’re ready to leave,’ Finbar ordered. ‘No more acrobatics!’

  Abruptly, MoNa threw herself into reverse. She shot upwards and disappeared through the clouds.

  ‘Thanks, Finbar,’ Kip said, his spirits lifting.

  The Vapod aliens looked impressed and relieved.

  ‘Can you take us to the nearest balloon now?’ Kip begged his alien.

  They seemed to trust Kip again. They dived downwards, back to the floating city. The nanobots swarmed around them in a cloud.

  The Vapods circled the balloon so Kip and Finbar could have a close look. At the base, Kip noticed a valve poking out.

  That must be the valve labeled CO2 on the blueprint, he thought to himself.