Andy Roid and the Turbine Runaways

by Felice Arena

  ‘BO-OYS!’

  ‘You sure?’ Andy asked. ‘Because it sounds as if she’s majorly cheesed off about something.’

  ‘Maybe she found out that you called Molly?’ said Judd.

  Andy felt nervous. He’d told Judd how he’d made contact with Molly and about her scary encounter with Baffi’s men. He’d been up all night thinking about her and guilt had gotten the better of him.

  ‘Please don’t tell the General about that,’ Andy said.

  Judd just shook his head, and spooned cereal into his mouth. ‘Dude, it’s serious,’ he said. ‘I have to report it. Think of Molly. We need the agency to check on her. Baffi’s men could be circling her like sharks right now. Besides, it could affect the entire –’

  ‘BO-OYS!’ The kitchen door flew open with a big bang. And there stood Agent Granny, her face bright red and her veins popping out on her forehead.

  ‘I found this two inches away from where I left it yesterday,’ she barked, holding up a rag in her left hand. ‘What did I say about touching my bike?’

  ‘Don’t know what you’re talking about,’ said Judd calmly. ‘We didn’t even…’

  Before Judd could spit out the rest of his lie, Agent Granny lunged for him. Andy fell backwards over his chair, as bowls and cereal went flying. He couldn’t believe what was happening. It was an all-out breakfast brawl. When he picked himself up he saw Granny and Judd chopping and blocking karate punches and kicks as if they were in a martial-arts movie.

  ‘Don’t even try it,’ yelled Agent Granny, letting loose a windmill kick. ‘I’ve taught you everything you know!’

  ‘I didn’t start this, old lady,’ snapped Judd, swiftly blocking her attack. ‘And you might be my karate master, but now it’s time for a lesson from the student.’

  Andy didn’t know what to do. But he didn’t want to see either of his protectors get hurt. He jumped between them, just as they executed two side snap-kicks. With his super-quick reflexes and strength Andy was able to grab Granny’s foot in one hand and Judd’s in the other. He grunted as he absorbed the force of their strikes.

  ‘STOP IT!’ he yelled. ‘I DID IT! IT WAS ME! I TOUCHED YOUR MOTORCYCLE!’

  Judd shot him a look as if to say, ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘Sorry, Agent Granny, I mean Bev. I just wanted to sit on it. That’s all. Yesterday was my birthday, and I couldn’t resist.’

  ‘Can you please let go of my foot?’ said Agent Granny, still breathing heavily.

  Andy relaxed his grip. Judd lost his balance and fell to the ground. But Agent Granny didn’t. ‘Is this true?’ she said, stepping up to Andy.

  ‘Yes,’ he said, looking at the floor. ‘I’m sorry. I grabbed the rag to clean up a scuff mark I made.’

  Agent Granny stared intensely at Andy, then at Judd, and back at Andy again. For a moment Andy thought she was going to respond with a karate strike to the throat.

  ‘Only because it’s your birthday am I going to overlook this,’ she said. ‘But if you ever do it again, you won’t get off so lightly. Got me?’ She turned and stormed out of the kitchen.

  ‘Dude,’ sighed Judd, getting back on his feet. ‘Can’t believe you took the heat for me like that. So, thanks. But was it seriously your birthday?’

  Andy nodded.

  ‘Man, this is perfect. Let’s throw a party after school today. It’s the best excuse ever for me to invite Gabriella over.’

  ‘No,’ said Andy. ‘I don’t want a party.’

  ‘You just saved me from getting my butt kicked. I’m throwing you a party! Now get to school because the Juddster’s got some planning to do.’

  By the time Andy made it to school, word of his party had already got around. Judd had texted Reggie, and he’d told Pete and Parker – who told everyone else.

  ‘It’s not going to be anything huge,’ Andy told Reggie. ‘Just a few of us hanging out.’

  But the truth was that Andy had no idea what Judd had in store. He just hoped it wouldn’t be anything that drew too much attention.

  Reggie closed his locker. He looked exhausted. ‘I was up all night researching biorobotic technology,’ he said, pushing up his glasses to rub his eyes. ‘Everyone’s so excited about bionics on the forums…’

  Andy got a sick feeling in his stomach. What if Reggie had given something away? He felt sure that even the slightest mention of his parents’ work on the science forums would raise a red flag with the Triple S.

  ‘You can’t say anything to anyone, remember?’ he whispered. ‘Even searching the web could cause trouble.’

  ‘I didn’t tell anyone,’ said Reggie. ‘I wouldn’t. I was just finding out information…information that might help you with your glitches and –’

  ‘MASTERS!’

  They turned to see Mr Presticott marching over to them. Andy sighed heavily.

  ‘GET TO CLASS, HOPKINS!’ growled Mr Presticott. ‘I need to talk to Masters. Now!’

  ‘It’s a funny thing, you know,’ said Mr Presticott, when Reggie had darted off. ‘I was watching the basketball at home, surrounded by the awesome trophies I won as a young gun, and suddenly I see two kids who look a lot like you and Shoemaker sitting courtside and ducking behind a giant foam hand.’

  Oh, man, thought Andy. Who else saw us? What if Baffi and his men were watching too?

  ‘Well, it can’t have been us.’ Andy shrugged, trying to look cool. ‘I mean, seriously, sitting courtside? How on earth would we get those tickets?’

  Mr Presticott sneered suspiciously. ‘That’s my point,’ he said. ‘I was once given courtside tickets by the coach of this city’s mighty Wildcats, but that was because he thought I was one of the best junior basketball players in the country.’

  ‘Was that before or after you were the best up-and-coming race-car driver in the country?’ asked Andy. He hated the way Mr Presticott constantly bragged about his ‘I-coulda-been’ sporting achievements.

  ‘Don’t get smart with me, Masters! Something’s not right about you, and I’m watching you like a –’

  ‘Cobra,’ Andy said with him.

  ‘Yes…a cobra!’ snarled Mr Presticott, before turning and marching off to class.

  Andy sighed again. It felt as though everything was spiralling out of control.

  When Andy got home, Judd was nowhere to be seen, but Andy could hear music playing in the basement. He made his way downstairs to check it out.

  ‘What d’you reckon?’ Judd grinned. He was standing in the middle of the basement, which had been transformed into a mini-nightclub.

  Andy dropped his school bag and looked around in awe. There was a mirrored ball spinning from the ceiling. The armchairs – which had been the only pieces of furniture – had been cleared out to create a dance floor. The four screens were all showing different films without sound and the main screen was showing the video clip of whatever cool music was playing on the surround-sound speakers. Along one wall a long table was covered with soft drinks, snacks, lollies and cupcakes.

  ‘This is amazing,’ said Andy.

  ‘I know,’ said Judd proudly. ‘You deserve it, dude.’

  ‘Thanks,’ said Andy. ‘But before everyone gets here, there’s something I need to tell you.’

  ‘Well, make it quick, cos this place will be off the hook soon! I can’t wait to see Gabriella.’

  ‘Um, yeah, sure…Look, Presticott saw us on TV last night at the game.’

  ‘He did?’ Judd sounded a bit worried. ‘I’ll check with a couple of my contacts at the agency to see if anyone reported it.’

  ‘Did you tell the General about Molly?’ Andy asked, dreading the answer. ‘Am I in huge trouble for calling her?’ Andy knew that if the General thought the Triple S might find him, this would be a farewell party, not a birthday party.

  ‘He’s sending an agent to check on her.’ said Judd. ‘If you’re in trouble, you might as well enjoy tonight. Go crazy, I say.’

  ‘The party begins,’ Judd said, running up the stairs. �
��Granny! Can you get the door?’

  Andy’s jaw dropped when he saw Agent Granny in the living room. Instead of her usual leather jacket, pants and biker boots, she was dressed like a dear sweet grandmother. She had on a flowery blouse, dark-green slacks – and fluffy slippers! She was even wearing make-up.

  ‘We need a responsible adult,’ said Judd. ‘Bev is perfect for that. Or do you think the parents would prefer someone who looks like the president of a bikie gang?’

  Agent Granny winked at Andy and then opened the front door.

  ‘But how did you get her to do this?’ whispered Andy. ‘You just about kicked each other’s heads in this morning.’

  ‘I know it might look as if I can’t stand the old bag, but we do work together well – most of the time,’ Judd said. ‘Besides, she’s doing this for you, not me. Believe it or not, she really likes you.’

  Before long, the rest of the party guests began to stream in – all of them chaperoned by their parents and warmly welcomed by Agent Granny. Andy couldn’t believe how sweet she was – talk about an Academy-Award-winning performance!

  When Gabriella and her friends arrived at the door, Judd pushed Granny out of the way. ‘Can I get you ladies anything?’ he asked.

  Andy turned to say hi to Reggie who was already in the lounge. They walked down to the basement, which was filled with people talking and eating.

  ‘Here’s my birthday gift to you,’ said Reggie, handing Andy an envelope.

  Andy opened it to discover it was a year’s subscription to an online magazine called The Bionic Planet.

  ‘You just have to log on to their site and confirm your email address,’ added Reggie. ‘Isn’t it cool? I heard about it on one of my science forums.’

  Andy shoved the envelope in his back pocket. ‘Are you trying to give me away?’ he snapped.

  ‘You don’t like it?’ Reggie said. ‘Sorry. I just thought it would be nice for your birthday.’ He looked wounded.

  Andy felt terrible. Feeling as if he was losing control made him extra sensitive and he knew he shouldn’t have taken it out on Reggie. He realised, too late, that he should have told Reggie the full story – made him realise how much danger they might be in.

  ‘I’m the one who should be sorry…’ Andy said. ‘I’m a little on edge –’

  ‘What’s he doing here?’ said Judd, stepping up to Andy and pointing to the stairs. ‘I didn’t invite that loser and his mates.’

  It was Hunter, and his friends Mitch and Chad.

  ‘Well, it’s your fault,’ said Andy to Judd. ‘Believe it or not, being kicked out of camp has made me cool. Now Hunter wants to hang out.’

  ‘So you want him to stay?’ asked Judd. ‘He’s a jerk!’

  ‘I don’t know how to get rid of him,’ said Andy. He turned to look at Hunter. He was already on the dance floor…with Gabriella.

  ‘Okay, don’t be mad,’ he said to Judd. ‘But you’re not going to like this.’

  ‘You’ve got to be kidding,’ said Judd, shaking his head.

  ‘They’re just dancing, I wouldn’t worry about…’

  But Judd wasn’t listening. ‘Check this out!’ he said. He rushed out onto the floor, and started dancing as if he were a contestant on a TV talent show.

  To Andy’s surprise, Judd was really good. Apparently everyone else thought so too. All of the other kids stood back and created a circle around him. Even Gabriella and Hunter looked like they were in awe of his moves. Judd was happy with all the attention he was getting. He looked over at Andy, and broke out into some robotic moves.

  Andy caught Agent Granny rolling her eyes and disappearing back upstairs.

  ‘Andy!’ Judd called out. ‘Come on! This is your favourite dance move – the robot, right?’

  Before Andy could refuse, Gabriella had grabbed his hand and dragged him to the centre of the circle. ‘Come on, birthday boy, show us your moves.’

  Andy had no choice but to do his best robot hand and walking motions. If they only knew! he thought.

  Soon everyone joined in. Andy couldn’t remember when he had laughed so much or had so much fun. As he loosened up a little and began to dance more freely he glanced up and caught sight of Reggie and Gabriella standing close together in the corner of the room. They were smiling and talking. He elbowed Judd in the ribs and pointed.

  ‘I see it, but I don’t believe it,’ he said. ‘I’m breaking out my best moves here and she doesn’t even care. Isn’t she interested in you anymore? What’s he got that we don’t?’

  ‘Serious brain power,’ said Andy. He watched Reggie leave Gabriella and make his way upstairs. ‘Sorry, buddy.’

  ‘Yeah, well, who am I to get in the way of geek love? It’s time for the Juddster to move on.’ And with that Judd moon-walked back on to the dance floor.

  Andy grinned and made his way over to Gabriella. ‘Where was Reggie headed?’ he asked.

  ‘He said he had something to show me,’ she said. ‘It’s in his jacket upstairs. You know, he’s really nice, isn’t he?’

  ‘Yeah, he is,’ said Andy. He walked upstairs to the living room where a few people had left their jackets, but Reggie wasn’t there. Maybe he’s left it in my room, he thought.

  When he opened the door, the first thing he saw was Brad’s cage, lying open on the desk.

  ‘Reggie! No!’ cried Andy.

  Reggie was just about to put his hand into the cage to pick up Brad.

  ‘He’s no ordinary rat! He could rip your fingers off!’

  But to Andy’s surprise, his bionic rat just crawled up Reggie’s arm on to his shoulder and gently nuzzled him under the chin.

  ‘He’s so friendly.’ Reggie grinned. ‘I love animals. And you know rats are super smart.’

  ‘Yeah, well, he obviously likes you,’ said Andy, feeling a bit jealous that Brad wasn’t trying to nip Reggie.

  Reggie pulled on his jacket and let Brad crawl into his pocket. ‘Are you okay, Andy? You’ve been so tense lately. I thought there might be something else you’re not telling me.’

  Andy sighed. He could tell that Reggie was genuinely worried for him.

  ‘Okay…you’re right.’ Andy sighed. ‘There is something I haven’t told you. I didn’t want to put you in danger. My parents and I are on the run from the –’

  Something caught Andy’s attention outside the front window. His stomach sank. A black jeep was parked on the street and Mr Presticott was walking up the path.

  ‘I’ll be right back,’ Andy said, rushing out of his room and bounding down the stairs.

  But Agent Granny had beaten him to the front door. ‘Yes, can I help you?’ she said to Mr Presticott.

  ‘I have something I need to say to Andy Masters,’ he said gruffly, shooting a dirty look over Agent Granny’s shoulder at Andy.

  Granny didn’t give an inch, maintaining her position in the doorway between Andy and Mr Presticott. ‘Can I inquire as to what?’ she asked sweetly.

  ‘I’m Andy’s Maths teacher, and I want to know why his house has been cleared out. I went over there today and looked in the windows – and everything’s gone. Where are his parents? And why is he staying here?’

  ‘Why do you need to know?’ said Agent Granny. Her tone was definitely not as nice now. ‘Because I don’t think I like your attitude, sonny!’

  Andy silently hoped she would just let loose and take out the loud-mouthed teacher with a well-placed karate strike or two.

  ‘If you have a problem, I suggest you take it up with the school’s principal. Andy is staying with us while his parents are out of town. The house is being renovated while they’re away. I’m Andy’s temporary guardian, so if you don’t mind…’ Agent Granny started to close the door.

  But Mr Presticott jammed his foot in the door. ‘What sort of guardian lets their kids out late on a school night to attend a national basketball game?’ he snapped.

  ‘What?’ said Agent Granny. Caught off guard, she sounded much more like Bev the bikie and less lik
e the adorable, cardigan-wearing grandma she was supposed to be. ‘They what?’

  Andy gulped. Oh shoot!

  Agent Granny turned around to look accusingly at Andy. She had put two and two together.

  Oh, man, we’re dead! he thought.

  ‘Well, I think you’re mistaken,’ Agent Granny said. ‘The boys have been here with me every night this week.’

  ‘Really?’ said Mr Presticott. ‘Because two men came to the office today saying they were at last night’s game. They said that a kid dropped his phone and they had been driving around to all the schools in the district to return it…’

  Just then Agent Granny’s mobile rang – her ringtone was the sound of a motorcycle engine revving loudly. Granny took the call and kept Mr Presticott hanging.

  With his acute electronic hearing, Andy could hear that it was the General on the other end of the line – there was fear in his voice.

  ‘You’ve got to get Andy out of the house NOW. Baffi’s men are on their way…This is a Code Red. Code Red! Code Red!’

  Granny swung into crisis-management mode. ‘Mr Presticott, I need you to leave now,’ she said and slammed the door in his face. ‘Andy – the party’s over! Get Judd!’

  Andy dashed down the stairs and dragged Judd back to Granny. She only had to say Code Red and his face dropped. But he immediately sprang into action.

  He turned off the music and shout-ed out, ‘SORRY, EVERYONE! You all have to leave! NOW! Please call your parents and have them pick you up at the McDonalds at the end of the street.’

  ‘This is a joke, right?’ snorted Hunter.

  ‘No joke, kiddo,’ said Agent Granny. ‘Get your butt out of here…NOW! And that goes for all of you.’

  Andy wondered if he’d ever see any of them again. His heart was racing. The thought of Baffi’s men being close by made him shudder.

  ‘Right – everyone’s gone,’ said Judd, crossing the front lawn back towards the house.

  ‘I know you took my bike out,’ Agent Granny barked at him. ‘And you are going to pay, if we get out of this alive. Right now I have to get rid of this big oaf.’