wait for the foal to grow up. Which he did super fast. So we switched him for the real Tornado Warning and by six months of age, he was winning every race we entered him in.’
‘What happened to the real Tornado Warning?’ Emily asked.
‘There couldn’t be two in case we were found out. So I had him destroyed.’
Emily’s hand went up to her mouth. ‘You killed him?’
Rip shrugged. ‘Hey, this is horse racing. I did what I had to do.’
Agent T sat back on his haunches. ‘That was a grave mistake. What did your cousin tell you about the foal?’
Rip shook his head. ‘Nothing. I was just told to race him and to keep him coloured grey. That I did. And he is one amazing racehorse. Tornado Warning is the fastest horse in the world.’
‘He’s the fastest because he isn’t really a horse. He’s a clone of Pegasus!’ Emily shot. ‘Didn’t you ever wonder about the bandages? Didn’t you care that they cut off his wings!’
Rip held up his hand. ‘Hey, I didn’t know nothing about that. I just thought he’d had shoulder surgery.’
‘Yes!’ Emily cried. ‘To cut off his wings!’
Her raised voice caused Tornado Warning to whinny and pound the ground furiously. His eyes went wild.
‘Keep that monster back!’ Rip cried.
Emily left Pegasus and stepped up to Tornado. ‘Easy boy. I’m sorry I raised my voice.’ At her touch, Tornado Warning calmed. He even let Pegasus move closer.
She looked back at Pegasus. ‘See, Pegs, you don’t have to fight him. He’s fine.’
Emily stood between the two stallions with one hand resting on each of their wings. Beneath her fingers, Tornado was calm. But she could feel Pegasus trembling. He wasn’t happy with the attention she was giving the clone.
‘Where did your cousin get the foal?’ Joel asked.
‘I swear I don’t know,’ Rip said. ‘He’s an agent with the Central Research Unit. I had no idea he was working with horses.’
‘The CRU.’ Agent T nodded and looked back at Emily and the others. ‘That explains everything. If his cousin was working on the clone project, he’d know just how powerful Pegasus was and how powerful the clone could be. If he has a high rank, it wouldn’t be impossible to smuggle a very young foal out of a facility. A clone like that could make a fortune.’
‘He has,’ Rip said. ‘We’ve made millions from Tornado. Especially after the Triple Crown win. When he goes out to stud, there is no telling what we could make.’
Pegasus’s ears went back and he whinnied angrily. He pawed the ground furiously, causing Tornado to shy back and open his wings menacingly.
‘Easy, Tornado,’ Emily calmed. ‘Pegs, please. We get you’re angry. But you can’t upset Tornado. There’s no telling what he’ll do.’
‘Can he understand us?’ Rip asked as his wide eyes watched Pegasus.
‘Yes,’ Joel said. ‘And he’s furious that you were putting his clone out to stud.’
‘I didn’t know he was a clone!’ Rip insisted. ‘I just thought he was a horse!’
Agent T reached out and squeezed the man’s wounded legs. ‘Where can we find your cousin?’
‘I – I – I don’t know how to reach him. He works at Area 51!’
‘Oh God, this gets worse by the moment.’ Agent T started to pace and combed his fingers through his long hair.
‘Isn’t Area 51 where they develop all the new military aircraft?’ Joel asked.
Agent T nodded. ‘Yes, it’s an air force base. But it also holds the country’s largest CRU facility. That’s where we have been keeping all the debris from the Roswell alien crash. That facility has the highest security of all the US locations because it’s got the most developed laboratories. Governors Island was an open theme park and the facility at Tuxedo was a children’s playground compared to it.’
‘Where is it?’ Emily asked.
‘The Nevada desert,’ Agent T said. ‘At a dried-up lakebed, Groom Lake. It’s a good hundred miles from Vegas. I’ve only been there once
‘What happened to the real Tornado Warning?’ Emily asked.
‘There couldn’t be two in case we were found out. So I had him destroyed.’
Emily’s hand went up to her mouth. ‘You killed him?’
Rip shrugged. ‘Hey, this is horse racing. I did what I had to do.’
Agent T sat back on his haunches. ‘That was a grave mistake. What did your cousin tell you about the foal?’
Rip shook his head. ‘Nothing. I was just told to race him and to keep him coloured grey. That I did. And he is one amazing racehorse. Tornado Warning is the fastest horse in the world.’
‘He’s the fastest because he isn’t really a horse. He’s a clone of Pegasus!’ Emily shot. ‘Didn’t you ever wonder about the bandages? Didn’t you care that they cut off his wings!’
Rip held up his hand. ‘Hey, I didn’t know nothing about that. I just thought he’d had shoulder surgery.’
‘Yes!’ Emily cried. ‘To cut off his wings!’
Her raised voice caused Tornado Warning to whinny and pound the ground furiously. His eyes went wild.
‘Keep that monster back!’ Rip cried.
Emily left Pegasus and stepped up to Tornado. ‘Easy boy. I’m sorry I raised my voice.’ At her touch, Tornado Warning calmed. He even let Pegasus move closer.
She looked back at Pegasus. ‘See, Pegs, you don’t have to fight him. He’s fine.’
Emily stood between the two stallions with one hand resting on each of their wings. Beneath her fingers, Tornado was calm. But she could feel Pegasus trembling. He wasn’t happy with the attention she was giving the clone.
‘Where did your cousin get the foal?’ Joel asked.
‘I swear I don’t know,’ Rip said. ‘He’s an agent with the Central Research Unit. I had no idea he was working with horses.’
‘The CRU.’ Agent T nodded and looked back at Emily and the others. ‘That explains everything. If his cousin was working on the clone project, he’d know just how powerful Pegasus was and how powerful the clone could be. If he has a high rank, it wouldn’t be impossible to smuggle a very young foal out of a facility. A clone like that could make a fortune.’
‘He has,’ Rip said. ‘We’ve made millions from Tornado. Especially after the Triple Crown win. When he goes out to stud, there is no telling what we could make.’
Pegasus’s ears went back and he whinnied angrily. He pawed the ground furiously, causing Tornado to shy back and open his wings menacingly.
‘Easy, Tornado,’ Emily calmed. ‘Pegs, please. We get you’re angry. But you can’t upset Tornado. There’s no telling what he’ll do.’
‘Can he understand us?’ Rip asked as his wide eyes watched Pegasus.
‘Yes,’ Joel said. ‘And he’s furious that you were putting his clone out to stud.’
‘I didn’t know he was a clone!’ Rip insisted. ‘I just thought he was a horse!’
Agent T reached out and squeezed the man’s wounded legs. ‘Where can we find your cousin?’
‘I – I – I don’t know how to reach him. He works at Area 51!’
‘Oh God, this gets worse by the moment.’ Agent T started to pace and combed his fingers through his long hair.
‘Isn’t Area 51 where they develop all the new military aircraft?’ Joel asked.
Agent T nodded. ‘Yes, it’s an air force base. But it also holds the country’s largest CRU facility. That’s where we have been keeping all the debris from the Roswell alien crash. That facility has the highest security of all the US locations because it’s got the most developed laboratories. Governors Island was an open theme park and the facility at Tuxedo was a children’s playground compared to it.’
‘Where is it?’ Emily asked.
‘The Nevada desert,’ Agent T said. ‘At a dried-up lakebed, Groom Lake. It’s a good hundred miles from Vegas. I’ve only been there once
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