affirmatory.’
Archie watched his friend’s eyes open steadily wider as he listened to the handset. Finally he said, ‘Copy that – message received and understood. Over,’ before ending
the call and tossing the phone on to the bed.
‘We’ve got to get online,’ he announced, spinning to face the desk. ‘We’ve got a code blue on the suspect. Looks like the cheetah is about to snare its next
mouse.’
Barney bit his bottom lip and hunched over the keyboard, typing feverishly. When Dr Doom’s page appeared on the screen both boys sat in silence and read the latest message.
I will select my next volunteer where a secretive cave dweller hangs around with someone whose achievements are out of this world – 12071600
Archie let out a long breath. ‘I haven’t got a Scooby Doo what he’s on about.’
‘Agent X-ray said Doom must have changed his cipher on this one. It’s classic evil mastermind behaviour. He’s sort of taunting the authorities while still keeping us
guessing,’ said Barney, with a knowing look.
‘Well, how are we supposed to crack it if we don’t know how the code works?’
‘Agent X-ray told us not to bother trying to solve it anyway,’ Barney said, before glugging the last of his milk.
‘How come?’
‘She said it was far too complicated for us to work out and we should let the professionals do the thinking.’
‘She said that?’ said Archie, his blood fizzing with anger. Suddenly the importance of what they were doing jolted him into action. His father’s life was at risk and it was in
his power to help. It was as if someone had lit a fuse inside him and he could practically feel the synapses in his brain firing as he channelled all his attention into solving the riddle.
‘OK, let’s think about this,’ Archie muttered. ‘A cave dweller could be an animal of some sort – a bear or a salamander or even some kind of sea creature which
might live in an underwater cave . . .’
The boys stared at the walls for a long while. Barney popped open a packet of crisps and started munching.
‘There must be millions of creatures that live in caves,’ he sighed, spraying cheesy crumbs into the air.
‘Maybe we’re thinking about it too literally,’ Archie offered, wiping some crisp spray off his cheek with the back of his hand. ‘What if it’s not an animal at all?
Who else lives in a cave?’
Barney shrugged. ‘A caveman? Ooh, I know, Captain Caveman!’
As he excitedly pronounced each C, more globules of soggy potato rained over Archie.
‘I’m not sure I’d describe Captain Caveman as secretive exactly.’ Archie paused, picking a morsel off his glasses. ‘What about Batman, though? He was pretty
secretive and he lived in a cave.’
‘I think you’ve cracked it, Agent Yankee.’
‘Well, it’s a possibility,’ Archie said. ‘Let’s see if it fits with the rest of the clue. Let’s see . . . Whose achievements are out of this world?’
‘Anyone who’s really successful,’ Barney suggested. ‘Actors, sportspeople, rock stars – tons of people. How are we supposed to pick a name out of thin air?
It’s impossible.’
For a few moments both boys slouched in front of the computer, staring at the screen in silence. Then Archie’s back straightened.
‘Unless . . .’ he said, leaning across Barney and tapping something into the computer, ‘. . . Doom is referring to someone whose achievements are actually on another
planet.’
‘Like E.T.?’ Barney suggested.
‘Could be,’ encouraged Archie, adrenalin pumping round his body. ‘Who else goes outside this world to achieve their goals?’
‘Astronauts,’ Barney beamed, starting to enjoy the challenge.
‘Exactly!’ said Archie. ‘And who’s the most famous astronaut in the world?’
Barney clicked his fingers triumphantly. ‘Armstrong. Neil Armstrong!’ he proclaimed, then a frown puckered his forehead. ‘But I’m not sure the Caped Crusader ever met
Neil
Archie watched his friend’s eyes open steadily wider as he listened to the handset. Finally he said, ‘Copy that – message received and understood. Over,’ before ending
the call and tossing the phone on to the bed.
‘We’ve got to get online,’ he announced, spinning to face the desk. ‘We’ve got a code blue on the suspect. Looks like the cheetah is about to snare its next
mouse.’
Barney bit his bottom lip and hunched over the keyboard, typing feverishly. When Dr Doom’s page appeared on the screen both boys sat in silence and read the latest message.
I will select my next volunteer where a secretive cave dweller hangs around with someone whose achievements are out of this world – 12071600
Archie let out a long breath. ‘I haven’t got a Scooby Doo what he’s on about.’
‘Agent X-ray said Doom must have changed his cipher on this one. It’s classic evil mastermind behaviour. He’s sort of taunting the authorities while still keeping us
guessing,’ said Barney, with a knowing look.
‘Well, how are we supposed to crack it if we don’t know how the code works?’
‘Agent X-ray told us not to bother trying to solve it anyway,’ Barney said, before glugging the last of his milk.
‘How come?’
‘She said it was far too complicated for us to work out and we should let the professionals do the thinking.’
‘She said that?’ said Archie, his blood fizzing with anger. Suddenly the importance of what they were doing jolted him into action. His father’s life was at risk and it was in
his power to help. It was as if someone had lit a fuse inside him and he could practically feel the synapses in his brain firing as he channelled all his attention into solving the riddle.
‘OK, let’s think about this,’ Archie muttered. ‘A cave dweller could be an animal of some sort – a bear or a salamander or even some kind of sea creature which
might live in an underwater cave . . .’
The boys stared at the walls for a long while. Barney popped open a packet of crisps and started munching.
‘There must be millions of creatures that live in caves,’ he sighed, spraying cheesy crumbs into the air.
‘Maybe we’re thinking about it too literally,’ Archie offered, wiping some crisp spray off his cheek with the back of his hand. ‘What if it’s not an animal at all?
Who else lives in a cave?’
Barney shrugged. ‘A caveman? Ooh, I know, Captain Caveman!’
As he excitedly pronounced each C, more globules of soggy potato rained over Archie.
‘I’m not sure I’d describe Captain Caveman as secretive exactly.’ Archie paused, picking a morsel off his glasses. ‘What about Batman, though? He was pretty
secretive and he lived in a cave.’
‘I think you’ve cracked it, Agent Yankee.’
‘Well, it’s a possibility,’ Archie said. ‘Let’s see if it fits with the rest of the clue. Let’s see . . . Whose achievements are out of this world?’
‘Anyone who’s really successful,’ Barney suggested. ‘Actors, sportspeople, rock stars – tons of people. How are we supposed to pick a name out of thin air?
It’s impossible.’
For a few moments both boys slouched in front of the computer, staring at the screen in silence. Then Archie’s back straightened.
‘Unless . . .’ he said, leaning across Barney and tapping something into the computer, ‘. . . Doom is referring to someone whose achievements are actually on another
planet.’
‘Like E.T.?’ Barney suggested.
‘Could be,’ encouraged Archie, adrenalin pumping round his body. ‘Who else goes outside this world to achieve their goals?’
‘Astronauts,’ Barney beamed, starting to enjoy the challenge.
‘Exactly!’ said Archie. ‘And who’s the most famous astronaut in the world?’
Barney clicked his fingers triumphantly. ‘Armstrong. Neil Armstrong!’ he proclaimed, then a frown puckered his forehead. ‘But I’m not sure the Caped Crusader ever met
Neil
Similar Books
