The Robot King by H. Badger Page A

toward the goal.
    The goalie was treading air in her anti-gravity boots, but she was too slow. The ball flew right past her, straight through the goal!
    score!
    Kip plummeted back down to the Field-O-Line, bouncing lightly. The crowd was going crazy!
    â€˜Affirmative! The Cyborgs have won the Grand Final!’ shrieked RoboCoach.
    But Kip had no time for celebrating. He had to speed to the Intergalactic Hoverport where MoNa was docked.
    She’d be seriously grumpy by now!

CHAPTER 2
    Cheering Cyborgs fans flooded the Field-O-Line. But Kip headed straight for the exit. His parents pushed through the crowd towards the exit too.
    Kip grabbed his SpaceCuff from his pocket, put it on his wrist and checked the time. He was supposed to be at the Hoverport now !
    Kip used his SpaceCuff to communicate with MoNa. It had everything from a compass to a thermometer, and even a music program so Kip could remix his favourite songs.
    Two minutes later, Kip met up with his parents outside the stadium.
    â€˜I packed your scouting gear,’ said Kip’s mum. She handed Kip his backpack.
    His RocketBoard was lashed to the front. The RocketBoard was an aerodynamic skateboard made of carbon nanoparticles 600 times stronger than steel. It had mini rocket thrusters on the back.
    Kip grabbed his WorldCorp spacesuit from his backpack. He pulled it on over his ParticleBall uniform. Sleek and fitted, Kip’s spacesuit had green boots and a helmet with sparkling red flames. Kip clicked into the RocketBoard’s grip pads. Then he flicked the RocketBoard forward. The thrusters roared.

    â€˜Remember, I don’t want you hitching a ride, Kip!’ called his dad. ‘It’s dangerous.’
    Sorry, Dad, he thought. But how else will I make it to the Hoverpor? He was already running late.
    â€˜I’ll call you!’ Kip said, shooting into the air. He leant left and right to steer the RocketBoard.
    Just as Kip got airborne, a wriggling WorldCorp WasteWorm flashed by. Waste-Worms were vehicles that travelled from Earth’s lower atmosphere to the Hoverport and back, sucking up debris.
    Kip leant forward to speed up the RocketBoard. The WasteWorm’s tail was almost in reach. Kip stretched out, but the tail slipped from his fingers.
    Kip sped up again and stretched until his arm nearly popped off. His fingers closed around the WasteWorm’s tail. He clung on tight, feet still on the RocketBoard.
    Awesome, Kip thought. A tow!
    He didn’t have to hang on too long. The WasteWorm moved very fast. And the Hoverport was close by, hovering 10 kilometres above the ground.
    The Hoverport looked like a giant floating carpark in the sky. Spacecraft of all kinds were docked there.
    Kip saw MoNa immediately. She was black with curved thrusters and glowing lights underneath. The WasteWorm shot through the Hoverport. MoNa was almost directly above Kip.
    Kip flicked on his SpaceCuff. He was only four minutes late for take-off.
    â€˜Kip Kirby to MoNa 4000,’ he said into it. ‘Approaching now.’
    â€˜About time!’ snapped MoNa. ‘I’ll open the landing bay.’
    A hatch below MoNa’s nose cone slid open. A moment later, Kip let go of the WasteWorm’s tail and reached up, grabbing hold of the hatch to pull himself inside. When he was steady, he flicked the RocketBoard into his hands and stood up.
    Enough death-defying stunts for today! Kip grinned, taking off his helmet.
    A circular door at the end of the landing bay slid open. Kip’s second-in-command Finbar walked through it.

    â€˜How’s it going, you big ball of fluff?’ Kip called.
    Although Kip and Finbar were very different, they got along well. Finbar was part-arctic wolf, part-human. He was two metres tall and covered with white fur. It was extra thick at the moment because Finbar wasn’t shedding. Finbar’s animal instincts really came in handy on missions.
    â€˜No time for chit-chat,’ snapped a voice