by H. I. Larry
He swerved away, sending up a spray of snow. The snowball whooshed past, missing him by inches.
BOOM!
The snowball hit a rock and exploded in a shower of snow.
‘Zac!’ his mum called anxiously. ‘Are you OK?’
‘I’m fine,’ said Zac, glancing back. ‘Just make sure you – WATCH OUT!’
The next snowball was headed for Zac’s mum and dad. At the last second, his parents veered apart, and the snowball rolled past between them.
SHOOMP! SHOOMP!
More snowballs started rolling down the hill. Zac saw Leon twist around and almost fall off his Snooter as he darted away from another huge snowball.
‘This way!’ Zac yelled, making a sharp turn to the right. He pulled off the gently sloping path and pointed his Snooter straight down towards the city. The others followed behind.
WHOOOOOSH!
If Zac thought he’d been going fast before, it was nothing compared to how fast he was speeding down the mountain now.
‘AAAAAHHHHH!’ cried Leon, tearing along behind him.
Enormous snowballs were still rolling after them. Zac rocketed down the near-vertical slope. He leant forward, knees bent, pushing for even more speed.
The five Powers were almost at the bottom of the mountain now, and Zac could see the City of Snow not far away. But there was one more obstacle to cross before they got there. A massive frozen lake stretched out between them and the city.
WHOOOOOSH!
Grandpa lurched sideways, away from another snowball, and almost crashed into Zac. The boulder rushed past, narrowly missing them both.
BOOM!
It hit a bump in the ground and smashed to bits right in front of Zac.
‘Quick!’ said Grandpa, as snow rained down on top of them. ‘Out onto the lake!’
‘Onto the lake?’ Leon yelled. ‘Are you sure that’s – AAHH!’
Two more snowballs came thundering past Leon, only just missing him.
And suddenly there was no more time to argue. Zac and his family reached the bottom of the mountain and slid out onto the ice. They shot across the lake, their robes flying out behind them.
The boulders crashed onto the hard icy lake and exploded. But the Powers were almost halfway across the lake by now, and the city was rising up in front of them.They were safe.
Holding onto his Snooter with one hand, Zac pulled the PSU from his pocket and glanced at the screen.
‘Well done, everybody!’ called Zac’s dad, looking around proudly as they all skimmed across the ice. ‘Those BIG losers don’t stand a chance against –’
CRRACCCK!
Zac’s Snooter gave a nasty jerk as the ground started to shift beneath it. The ice was breaking apart!
‘I knew this would happen!’ cried Leon. ‘The volume of the ice didn’t look nearly sufficient to bear the mass of five –’ ‘Just keep moving!’ called Zac. He pushed along the ground with one foot, fighting to get his Snooter across the lake before the ice collapsed underneath them.
But more and more cracks started appearing.
CRRRAAACCCK!
Suddenly, a whole sheet of ice broke off around Zac’s mum and dad, trapping them on a tiny floating island of ice. The ice bobbed up and down, almost plunging them both into the icy water.
‘Ejector Packs!’ Grandpa shouted. ‘Quick!’
Zac reached around to his pack. He wound the crank as fast as he could and the others did the same.
G.A.D.G.E.T CRANK-O-MATIC Hand-cranked Personal Ejector Pack
CRRRAAACCCK!
Another horrible shudder sent Zac and Leon flying off their Snooters.The Snooters skittered across the ice and splashed down into the inky black water below.
Zac scrambled to stay on top of the ice. His right hand clung to the crank, desperately turning it round until –
SPROINNNG!
The top of the Ejector Pack burst open and a propeller shot out on the end of a long pole. The propeller whirred above Zac’s head and he blasted up into the air like a human helicopter.
Zac heard more whirring noises and suddenly the rest of his family were floating through the air beside him.
‘That,’ said Zac, breathing heavily, ‘was pretty close.’
CHAPTER
FIVE
Zac leant forward, steering his Ejector Pack over the lake. Then he turned the handle more slowly, and the chopper blades above his head started to slow.
As Zac drifted towards the snowy ground, he looked back at the mountains. For a minute, he was sure he could see people moving around up there. He was reminded again of the White Ninjas.
Zac turned to point them out to Grandpa, but when he looked back, he couldn’t see them anymore.
Just focus on the mission, Zac told himself. There might not even be any White Ninjas around here.
The five Powers touched down on the outskirts of the City of Snow.
Zac checked the PSU again.
‘This way,’ said Grandpa, pointing to a frosty silver archway up ahead. They shrugged off their Ejector Packs and set off for the archway.
Now that he was on solid ground again, Zac’s mind went back to the gut-wrenching thought of being Caz’s cousin. He walked next to his dad, wanting to talk to him about it. But he couldn’t figure out what to say.
‘So,’ said Zac’s dad, breaking the silence. ‘Grandpa tells me you boys know about Blackwood and Caz.’
Zac stared at his dad.‘You knew we were family?’
Zac’s dad shrugged. ‘Oh, I wouldn’t call them family.’
‘What do you mean?’ said Zac. ‘Blackwood is Grandpa’s sister! That means Caz is my cousin!’
‘Second cousin,’ Zac’s dad corrected. ‘Anyway, the way I see it, your real family are the people who actually care about you. Caz and Blackwood might share a bit of Power DNA, but that doesn’t mean we’ll invite them to the next family BBQ.’
Zac nodded. He still hated the thought of being related to Caz and Blackwood, but his dad was right. It didn’t mean they were family.
Then something else occurred to Zac.
‘Hang on,’ he said, turning to Grandpa. ‘If you knew Blackwood had Power DNA, why did you put a DNA-lock on your map to the IRIS pieces? You knew she’d be able to open it.’
‘That map takes two sets of Power DNA to open,’ Grandpa reminded him. ‘Don’t forget, I made that map a long time ago, before you or even your parents were born. Back then, Blackwood and I were the only two spies with Power DNA.’
‘So the only way you could open the map was if you did it together,’ said Zac.
‘Right,’ said Grandpa. ‘I was still hoping my sister and I would make peace again. Then we could put IRIS back together and use it for good. I was far too young to be thinking about kids and grandkids.’
As they reached the silver archway, Zac saw Grandpa pull something white and fluffy out of his pocket and stick it to his face. A fake beard. It was so long that it trailed all the way down to the ground.
Zac remembered what Grandpa had said about the people here not liking spies, and wondered why Grandpa needed to disguise his face.
Grandpa led the way into the city. There were people everywhere, all dressed in heavy fur coats. Most of them were on foot, but a few rode by on carriages pulled by shaggy white yaks.
‘They’re here!’ shouted a voice from above them. Zac saw a woman staring down at him from a second-floor window.
‘Did you hear that?’ said someone further up the street. ‘They’re here!’
‘The royal family!’
‘Look! Over there!’
One by one, every single man, woman and child turned around to stare at the Power family.
Suddenly, the air was filled with the sound of thumping. Everyone in the street knelt down as Zac and the others passed by.
‘Wow,’ said Zac. ‘I guess people take royalty pretty seriously around here.’
‘Yeah,’ Leon grinned. He smoothed out his robes and started marching do
wn the street, waving at the people.
‘Greetings, my loyal subjects!’ Leon called to the crowd. ‘Great bowing, everybody! Keep it up!’
Zac snorted, and his mum rolled her eyes. Leon loved wearing disguises.
‘Oh, Leon! Settle down, for goodness’ sake,’ groaned their mum. She grabbed Leon’s arm and pulled him back with the rest of the family.
Zac saw a man in a blue uniform riding towards them on a silver yak-drawn carriage. The man pulled to a stop in front of the Power family, climbed down, and bowed to Grandpa.
‘Your majesty,’ he said. ‘The king sends his greetings. May we take you to the Frozen Palace?’
‘Certainly,’ said Grandpa. ‘Thank you.’
The five Powers piled into the silver carriage. The carriage pulled them down the street, past hundreds of bowing people.
Looking around, Zac saw one person who wasn’t bowing.
Caz stood by the side of the road, wearing a heavy-looking backpack and holding Grandpa’s Data Orb. She was breaking the No Technology law in front of everyone!
Caz glared at Zac as the carriage went past. Zac saw two more men in blue uniforms kneeling down near her.
‘Guards!’ he called to the men. ‘Hey, guards!’
Grandpa grabbed Zac’s shoulder. ‘Zac, no! Let’s just keep quiet.’
But Zac wanted to stop Caz once and for all. ‘Guards, arrest that girl! She’s using modern technology!’
The guards sprang to their feet and grabbed Caz. They held her by the arms and dragged her down a narrow side street towards the Frozen Palace.
Grandpa pulled a face.
‘What’s wrong?’ Zac asked. ‘I just got Caz arrested!’
‘Yes,’ said Grandpa. ‘And you’ve just given her exactly what she wanted.’
CHAPTER
SIX
‘What are you talking about?’ asked Zac as the carriage rolled down the street. ‘Why in the world would Caz want to get arrested?’
‘Because now she’s being taken to the king’s dungeon,’ said Grandpa. ‘And that dungeon is in the Frozen Palace, right underneath the royal throne room.’
Right underneath the next piece of IRIS, thought Zac.
‘Oh,’ he said, wishing he’d kept quiet after all. ‘Sorry.’
‘No, kiddo,’ said Grandpa, patting him on the back. ‘I should have warned you.’
Checking to make sure that no-one outside the carriage could see, Zac sneaked a glance at the PSU.
Grandpa huddled everyone inside the carriage. ‘We need to make this quick,’ he said. ‘We get into the palace, grab the IRIS computer chip, then head straight back out before anything unpleasant happens.’
‘Unpleasant?’ said Zac’s mum. ‘The people seem so lovely!’
‘We’ll be fine as long as they don’t find out who I am,’ said Grandpa. He glanced sideways at the carriage driver and lowered his voice. ‘Now, the chip is hidden inside the king’s crown.’
‘Is that why I’m pretending to be the royal jeweller?’ asked Zac.
‘Exactly,’ said Grandpa. ‘I’ll convince the king to let you take a look at his crown. You’ll eject the computer chip and slip it into your pocket. Then we’ll get out of there and head back to the Ski-Pod, all before Caz has a chance to bust out of the dungeon.’
‘Piece of cake,’ said Zac.
His mum and dad nodded, while Leon looked a bit queasy.
A few minutes later, the carriage pulled to a stop outside the Frozen Palace. Zac and his family stepped onto a long, red carpet. The carpet ran up the palace’s front steps and through two giant doors.
Four guards in blue uniforms stood at the doors, each carrying a long wooden staff. They heaved the doors open and bowed low, waving the Power family inside.
As they entered the palace, Zac saw Grandpa reach up a hand to straighten his beard.
Another group of guards stepped forward, all carrying strange-looking silver trumpets. They marched out in front of the Powers, playing music to announce their arrival.
Zac raised an eyebrow at Leon, who smirked back. They followed the guards down a long hallway and into a throne room as big as Zac’s house.
Everything in the room gleamed red and silver. Tall, frosty pillars stood all around the room, holding up a shimmering see-through ceiling. Zac couldn’t tell if the ceiling was made of glass or ice.
At the far end of the room, Zac saw the king sitting on his throne. The king wore shining white robes and had an enormous gold crown on his head. He was surrounded by even more guards with wooden staffs.
As soon as Zac and the others stood still in the throne room, the trumpet players stopped and the whole room fell silent.
Grandpa walked up to the king. The others followed, their footsteps echoing on the marble floor. They stopped in front of the throne.
‘Greetings, your majesty,’ said Grandpa.
‘Welcome to my kingdom,’ boomed the king, spreading his arms wide. ‘May I ask why you’ve come to visit?’
Grandpa waved a hand at Zac. ‘This,’ he said smoothly, ‘is my royal jeweller. He’s designing me a new crown, and I wanted him to see the best designs I could find. So of course, I came straight to you.’
The king smiled and reached a hand up to his crown.
‘I’ve always thought your crown was the most spectacular in all of the Frozen Fortresses,’ Grandpa went on, taking a step forward.
‘Why, thank you,’ the king beamed, lifting the crown off his head. ‘I don’t suppose there’s any harm in letting you have one quick –’
RRRRRIIIIIPPPPP!
Grandpa’s beard had ripped off! Zac looked down and realised that Leon was accidentally standing on the end of Grandpa’s fake beard.
The king stared down at Grandpa, suddenly furious. ‘YOU!’ he yelled.
The guards raced forwards from all around the room, surrounding the Power family and pointing their staffs at them.
Grandpa sighed. ‘So much for making this quick.’
CHAPTER
SEVEN
‘Stanley Power!’ the king shouted, fuming at Grandpa. ‘How dare you show your face in my kingdom again?’
‘Please,’ said Grandpa calmly, ‘let me explain.’
‘Explain?!’ the king raged. ‘After what you did to us, I should have you and your whole family dragged off to rot in my dungeon right now!’
Zac stared at the king. What could Grandpa have done that was so terrible?
The king caught Zac’s eye and seemed to guess what he was thinking.
‘You mean he hasn’t told you?’ the king snarled at Zac. ‘He hasn’t told you why our kingdoms outlawed modern technology? He hasn’t told his own family how he tried to wipe out the Five Frozen Fortresses with that weapon of his?’
IRIS! Zac realised. Grandpa and Blackwood must have brought IRIS here to test it or something, before Grandpa took it apart.
‘Your majesty, I am truly sorry,’ said Grandpa to the king. ‘It was a mistake. I didn’t know what I was doing.’
‘You almost sent my whole kingdom off to sleep with that horrible gadget!’ the king yelled, leaping to his feet. ‘You call that a mistake?’
‘I had no idea that would happen,’ said Grandpa. ‘I didn’t know that my sister had turned the gadget into a weapon! As soon as I realised, I took the weapon from her and broke it apart. I’m on your side in this!’
‘Rubbish,’ the king spat.
‘It’s the truth,’ said Grandpa.‘Elizabeth was testing IRIS on your people and I stopped her before it reached full power. If I hadn’t done that, you and your kingdom would still be asleep. I’m not here to cause trouble, your majesty. I’m here to protect everyone from my sister.’
‘Grandpa’s right!’ said Zac. He tried to step forward, but the guards blocked his way. ‘We’re trying to make sure no-one uses IRIS ever again. Blackwood’s the one who wants to put it back together!’
‘Ha!’ said the king, storming over to Zac and the others. ‘Why shoul
d I believe you?’
‘Because her granddaughter, Caz, is down in your dungeon right now,’ said Zac. ‘Your guards just arrested her for bringing modern technology into the –’
WHIRRRRRRRR!
An ear-splitting grinding noise blared up from the dungeon beneath Zac’s feet. The guards around the Power family started backing away as the whole throne room began to rattle and shake.
‘Guards!’ the king shouted. ‘Do something!’
But the guards had all backed off to the edges of the room.
WHIRRRRRRRR!
Suddenly, something huge and pointy broke up through the floor, right at the king’s feet. It spun wildly, letting out a piercing metal scream.
‘Your majesty!’ shouted Grandpa.‘Move!’
It was a giant drill, cracking the floor apart and sending chunks of marble flying through the air.
Zac’s eyes flashed to the king. Zac was sure he would be running away from the drill at his feet. But the king was just standing there, frozen in terror.
WHIRRRRRRR!
The throne room rumbled as the drill exploded through the marble floor. Enormous cracks split the floor in every direction.
Zac ran over and dived, tackling the king and knocking him clear of the rising drill.
THUD!
They crashed to the ground and the king’s crown went rolling across the throne room floor. The king, shocked into action, glared at the massive drill that was whirring its way up through the floor.
‘What is that thing?’ the king yelled over the screaming of the drill. ‘Who dares to do this to my throne room?’
Zac gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes at the king. ‘Who do you think –’ But Zac’s answer was cut short as the drill’s noise suddenly stopped.
The king’s eyes widened as the drill was pushed all the way through the hole in the floor, sending clouds of marble dust into the air. It clanked to the floor.
For a moment, there was a stunned silence. Then a dusty figure hauled herself through the hole. It was Caz.