by H. I. Larry
Zac turned the submarine down where Grandpa had pointed, rocketing toward the tunnel entrance. Slimy green seaweed slurped at the sub, blocking Zac’s view.
He plunged down through the mess of weeds, leaving the sharks behind just seconds before they tore the sub apart.
The clump of weeds led the sub into a long, dark tunnel. Zac eased off on the accelerator, slowing the sub down.
SPLOOSH!
Grandpa and Leon were still fighting to seal up the leaks, but they were losing the battle. The water was now swirling around Zac’s waist. In less than a minute, they’d all be underwater.
The sub’s headlights were flickering on and off, and Zac could barely see where he was going. After a few minutes, though, he saw a light at the end of the tunnel. He guided the sub towards it.
SPLASH!
The top of the sub suddenly burst up out of the water. It took Zac a second to realise that they had emerged into a wide, round pool in the middle of GADGET HQ.
‘We’re here,’ said Grandpa in a low voice, dropping the hose. He pushed open the door in the roof. ‘Quick, everyone out!’
He splashed over to the hatch in the roof and climbed through it. Leon went next. Zac swam across the sub and went up behind them. At that moment, the sub’s engines stopped shaking and gave out completely. The sub began to sink back down into the water.
Zac, Leon and Grandpa ran across the roof of the sub and jumped off, landing on the ground at the edge of the pool.
Zac watched the flooded sub drift back down into the tunnel. There was a dull thud as it hit the bottom.
There goes our ride home, thought Zac, as the wreck slipped out of sight. But he could worry about that later. Right now, they had to save the world.
CHAPTER
SEVEN
Zac looked around. They were standing at the edge of the pool in the middle of the old GADGET HQ. From what Zac could see, it seemed like most of the base was this one big room.
Half of the room was crammed with dusty labs and vehicle storage bays. The other half was filled with desks and meeting areas and enormous old computers. Amazing sea creatures swam past the windows on all sides.
But Zac wasn’t here to look at fish. He checked the PSU again, pressing the buttons for each piece.
All four pieces of IRIS were down here. And they were all together. Which meant Caz and Blackwood were down here somewhere too.
‘Here,’ whispered Leon nervously, as he pulled something out of his backpack. ‘Take this Deflector Shield in case Blackwood and Caz have put IRIS together.’
‘Uh, thanks,’ said Zac, looking at the flat metal disk. ‘Bit small, isn’t it?’ The shield was no bigger than the palm of his hand!
Leon flicked a switch on the handle.
G.I.B. DEFLECTOR SHIELD Collapsible Personal Protection Device
SHUNK-CLICK!
‘Oh,’ said Zac, as the shield unfolded. ‘Right. Sorry.’
Leon pulled out two more Deflector Shields for himself and Grandpa.
‘All right,’ said Zac. ‘Let’s spread out and see if we can figure out where –’ Zac heard a sound behind him and whirled around. Caz and Blackwood had just leapt out from behind a giant steel pillar. They were standing on the other side of the pool.
Caz had a stupid smile on her face, and a rusty blue weapon in her hands. She had found the fourth IRIS piece – the casing – and rebuilt the super-gadget.
‘Is that…?’ Zac began.
‘Yep,’ said Grandpa. ‘That’s IRIS.’
The complete IRIS was big and bulbous, with a strange, wide nozzle sticking out of the front.
‘Hello, Stanley,’ said Blackwood, staring coldly at Grandpa. ‘Bet you regret saving my life at the Misty Ruins now, don’t you?’
‘Not at all,’ said Grandpa calmly. ‘I would never regret saving a life.’
Caz lifted IRIS and pointed it at Zac.
‘Wait!’ said Zac, raising his Deflector Shield. ‘You can’t fire IRIS in here. You’ll put us all to sleep!’
To Zac’s surprise, Blackwood laughed. ‘You foolish boy!’ she snarled. ‘Do you think I’d let my granddaughter use IRIS without showing her how to control it?’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Caz smugly. ‘I’ve dialled it down to a nice, low power setting. It should be just strong enough to send the three of you off to sleep – permanently.’
‘What’s that?’ Zac asked Blackwood, noticing something glinting from a holster at her hip. It looked like a silver remote control.
‘It’s a detonator,’ said Blackwood, brushing her hand over the gadget. ‘As soon as you three are taken care of, I’m going to blow up that minefield and destroy this place once and for all.’
Caz raised IRIS again, her finger on the trigger. ‘Come on, Grandma,’ she said. ‘Let’s put these losers to bed and get out of here.’
‘Don’t do this, Caz,’ said Grandpa. ‘That weapon is too dangerous.’
‘Ha!’ Blackwood sneered. ‘I built that weapon, Stanley. I think I know how to –’
‘You couldn’t have built anything if you didn’t have my grandpa helping you!’ snapped Zac. ‘You’re just –’
BZZZEEEEOOOWWW!
A beam of orange light exploded out of IRIS, flashing across the pool. The force of the blast sent Caz staggering backwards.
Zac instantly flicked his Deflector Shield up. But then he realised Caz wasn’t aiming at him.
‘Leon, get your shield up!’ Zac yelled.
But Leon wasn’t quick enough.
The bright orange bolt shot straight past Zac and slammed into Leon’s chest.
Leon crumpled in a heap, hitting the floor with a dull thud.
CHAPTER
EIGHT
‘LEON!’ Zac shouted, running over to his sleeping brother.
BZZZEEOOOWWW!
Caz fired again as Leon gave a loud, rumbly snore. Zac thrust out his shield to deflect the blast. The orange beam rebounded off the shield and hit a nearby desk, sending it sliding across the floor.
CRASH!
The desk hit a steel pillar and smashed into pieces.
No-one puts MY brother to sleep! Zac fumed as he turned and sprinted furiously towards Caz, his Deflector Shield held in front. Grandpa was right behind him.
Caz and Blackwood raced away across the dome, weaving in and out of the old wooden desks. Caz pointed IRIS back over her shoulder.
BZZZEEEEOOOWWW!
The beam hit Grandpa’s shield and bounced straight back at Blackwood and Caz.They dived out of the way, and the beam crashed into the floor between them.
Caz and Blackwood scrambled to their feet and kept running. Caz aimed IRIS out behind her again, firing towards Zac without even looking.
BZZZEEOOOWWW!
The beam went way too high. It was going to fly right over Zac’s head.
Right into that window in the dome! realised Zac. He didn’t know if the beam would break the glass, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. He jumped into the air, holding his Deflector Shield above his head. He caught the oncoming beam with his shield and sent it back, like a tennis player returning a serve.
The bolt of orange light flashed towards Blackwood. She tried to get out of the way, but she was too slow. The beam blasted into Blackwood’s side and she crashed to the floor, sound asleep.
Caz gasped in shock as Blackwood gave a little snore. Caz wheeled around furiously and fired IRIS at Zac again.
BZZZEEOOOWWW!
Zac leapt out of the way.
SMASH!
The IRIS blast shot through a glass case full of lab equipment. It shattered to pieces, sending shards of glass flying in all directions. Zac dived for cover behind a desk.
Suddenly, everything went quiet.
Zac and Grandpa waited a few seconds and then got to their feet again.
Zac peered across the dome. Caz had disappeared.
Grandpa turned around. ‘Where did she –?’
BZZZEEEEOOOWWW!
Caz darted out from her hiding place behind a computer station, and fired IRIS at Grandpa’s back.
‘Grandpa, look out!’ yelled Zac. He held his shield out like a frisbee and threw it between Caz and Grandpa, right into the path of the IRIS blast.
The beam crashed into Zac’s Deflector Shield and bounced away from Grandpa, straight up into the air.
SMASH!
Zac stared, horrified, as the beam crashed into the dome, blasting a huge hole in a glass panel. Water poured down through the hole, surging like a waterfall.
‘Zac!’ Grandpa yelled. ‘Out of the way!’
While Zac had been looking up at the break in the dome, Caz had lined up another shot at Zac. And now that he’d thrown his Deflector Shield away, he had no way to protect himself.
BZZZEEEEOOOWWW!
Out of the corner of his eye, Zac caught a sudden blur of movement. It was Grandpa. He dived in front of Zac, his shield held out, just as the IRIS beam collided with Grandpa’s shoulder. He fell asleep in midair, collapsing across an overturned table.
‘No!’ Zac shouted. He couldn’t believe he’d let both Leon and Grandpa get hit by IRIS. He picked up a stray Deflector Shield and charged furiously towards Caz.
‘You’re going to regret that, Caz!’ he yelled. But the water was still swirling at Zac’s feet. He slipped on a piece of rubble and fell down hard on his back.
A split-second later, Caz was standing over him, her face twisted in a cold, cruel smile.
She aimed IRIS right between Zac’s eyes. ‘Time to say good night, Zac Power.’
CHAPTER
NINE
Caz squeezed the trigger.
At the same moment, Zac whipped his foot around, knocking Caz’s legs out from under her. The blast from IRIS went wide, shooting into the water.
BZZZEEOOOWWW!
Caz fell over backwards with a splash. IRIS flew out of her hand and skimmed across the water. Zac scrambled over and snatched it up.
CRRRAAACCCKKK!
Zac’s eyes flashed up to the hole in the dome. The glass was cracking, letting in even more water. Zac heard Caz getting to her feet, and he spun around to face her.
Caz slowly held up her hands. ‘Go ahead,’ she said. ‘Shoot me.’
Zac shook his head. There was no way he was using IRIS – not even on his worst enemy.
Caz snarled at him. ‘Gone soft, have you, now that we’re family?’
‘We are not family,’ Zac said firmly.
‘Blackwood was right about one thing: you’re not a Power. You’re evil.’
Zac looked past Caz and spotted a row of escape pods. They were parked in chutes along the wall. Zac hoped they still worked. They hadn’t been used in decades.
‘Go on,’ he said to Caz, pointing in the direction of the escape pods. ‘Find Blackwood and get out of here.’
Caz stared at him suspiciously. ‘But –’
‘Move,’ said Zac.
Caz looked like she was thinking about trying to take IRIS off him. But then she groaned and shot Zac an angry look, and started wading over to where Blackwood was floating.
CRRRAAACCCKKK!
Zac looked up again. The hole in the glass was getting even bigger and water was rushing in with huge force. The whole base would be filled with water in minutes.
Zac splashed across to where Leon was asleep on the floor. Zac grabbed Leon’s arms and dragged him through the rising water to the escape pods.
By the time Zac got over there, Caz had finished getting Blackwood into one of the pods. Caz climbed in next to her and turned back to Zac.
‘I see right through you, Power,’ she sneered. ‘You think you’re being noble, letting me go? You’re too chicken to even –’
SLAM!
Zac heaved the pod door shut in Caz’s face and hit the Launch button.
WHOOSH!
The escape pod zoomed up into the dark ocean, away from the dome. Zac hated letting Caz and Blackwood go like that, but it was his only option. He just hoped his mum and dad’s back-up would get there in time to catch them.
Zac put IRIS on a nearby desk. Then he threw open the door of a pod and shoved Leon inside with both hands. Leon rolled over in the pod and started sucking his thumb.
WHOOSH!
He launched Leon’s pod.
Water was gushing in through the hole five times faster than before, and the water was up to Zac’s waist now. He turned back to the desk to pick up IRIS.
But IRIS was gone. It must have fallen into the water! Zac’s eyes swept the base until he saw the super-gadget tumbling through the water about 20 metres away.
But then Zac spotted something else getting tossed around. It was Grandpa.
He was floating on his back in the water, fast asleep, getting knocked around by the swirling waves.
Zac glanced up at the straining dome around the glass. He knew the force of the water would crack the roof at any moment, and the whole dome would come crashing down. Zac only had enough time to rescue Grandpa or IRIS. It was one or the other.
Zac knew what he had to do. He turned back and half-ran, half-swam out to Grandpa.
CRRAAAACCKKK-SMASH!
A massive chunk of glass fell to the ground. It splashed down into the water, sending up an enormous wave.
Grandpa tumbled through the water towards Zac. Zac grabbed hold of him as he floated past and hauled him through the water to the escape pods.
GZZZZK!
As he splashed across the floor dome, Zac felt a tiny electric shock zap his arm. He looked down and saw that the shock had come from a sparking silver gadget that was floating around in the water.
Blackwood’s minefield detonator.
Some water must have leaked inside, Zac realised. It’s short-circuiting!
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!
A high-pitched alarm started ringing out from the detonator. Then Zac heard a recording coming from the gadget.
Thirty seconds until detonation.
Uh-oh, thought Zac. That’s not good. The minefield was about to explode! Zac pocketed the detonator and dragged Grandpa over to the escape pods.
Twenty seconds.
Zac shoved Grandpa into one of the empty escape pods. Then he slammed the door and launched Grandpa’s pod.
Fifteen seconds.
Zac had to get out of there now. He splashed across to the last remaining escape pod and crawled inside.
Ten seconds.
Zac pulled the door shut behind him – just as the dome above cracked open under the weight of the water.
Five seconds.
Looking around, Zac saw another Launch button on the inside of the pod’s door.
Four.
Zac hammered the button desperately.
Three.
His heart thumped madly.
Two.
Water swirled all around him.
One.
And then an enormous shockwave ripped through the ocean as –
KABOOOOOOM!!!
The minefield exploded.
WHOOSH!
At the last possible second, Zac’s escape pod blasted away from the wreck of GADGET HQ. He’d barely had time to strap in! He shot through the churning sea, tumbling head over heels inside the pod.
Outside, the water was a blur of white and red and green. It was like the whole ocean was on fire!
Zac had no idea where he was going or which way was up. He squeezed his eyes shut and held on as the pod tore into the ocean.
CHAPTER
TEN
Just as suddenly, the water around Zac’s escape pod stopped churning.
Zac slumped down, zoomed silently THE through END exhausted, as the pod the calm ocean. He closed his eyes. He’d done it. IRIS was finally gone, destroyed in the rubble of GADGET HQ. Blackwood would never be able to rebuild it.
But Zac still had work to do. Grandpa and Leon were still lying asleep in their own pods, and he had to figure out a way to get them back home.
He slowly sat up str
aight and checked the dashboard in front of him, but he couldn’t find steering controls anywhere. Hmm, Zac thought. If I were an escape pod, how would I get back to –
CLUNK-CLUNK!
Zac gripped his seat as the escape pod suddenly jerked to one side. Then it slowed down for a moment as it changed direction.
It whooshed backwards, like it was being sucked up through a straw, then stopped still. What’s going on? thought Zac. He twisted around, trying to see outside.
The pod’s door opened into a sub. Zac’s parents were standing there, looking worried!
‘Zac!’ cried his mum, helping him out of the pod and wrapping him up in a hug. ‘Thank goodness you’re OK!’
Zac rolled his eyes. ‘Of course I’m OK.’
They were inside a shiny GIB rescue sub, still underwater. Zac’s dad signalled the agent at the controls, and the sub started moving again, heading for the shore.
As Zac untangled himself from his mum’s hug, he saw other GIB agents carrying Grandpa and Leon out of their escape pods. One agent bent down and prodded Leon gently, trying to wake him up.
‘They both got hit by IRIS,’ said Zac in a low voice, walking over. ‘You won’t be able to wake them up.’
Then he turned to his parents. ‘Mum, Dad, I’m really sorry. But Grandpa and Leon are never –’ ‘Just five more minutes,’ Zac heard Leon say sleepily. ‘My screwdrivers are all out of order...’
Zac’s heart skipped a beat and he spun around. ‘LEON! You’re awake?’ he exclaimed. ‘Are you seriously dreaming about screwdrivers?’
Then Zac heard someone yawning. Grandpa was awake too.
‘Grandpa!’ cried Zac as his grandfather sat up and stretched. ‘I don’t understand. You both got hit with IRIS. Isn’t that supposed to be permanent?’
‘Hmm,’ said Zac’s dad thoughtfully. ‘Yes, under normal circumstances it would be permanent. But I bet it was never tested against an exploding minefield. I guess it was loud enough to wake Leon and Grandpa up.’
‘Where are Caz and Blackwood?’ asked Leon, rubbing his eyes sleepily.