knelt down and rapped on it. "Step off for a sec," he said, moving onto the grass bordering the pathway. I followed suit. "Alright, now get back on."
I did, but nothing happened.
"Huh." He jumped up and down on it. Cursed. "Well, I guess this thing still breaks down all the time."
"Uh, does the rocket ship ever break down?" I asked, thinking back to the terrifying height of the mountain and imagining the ship malfunctioning before it reached the top.
He shook his head. "Nah, hardly ever."
"Hardly ever?"
"It has a backup system anyway." He started walking toward the distant food court. "C'mon."
I took a step and heard a thud. I paused, looking around, and saw nothing. Took another step. The ground vibrated ever so slightly beneath my feet.
Shelton spun to look at me. "What the hell?" His eyes narrowed. "Okay, now they're going too damned far."
I followed his gaze and spotted the robot from the entrance standing about thirty yards away, the red light in the center of its body glowing. "Hello, Your Majesy," it said in a cockney accent. "I'd like to personally welcome you to our lovely academy." With that, the huge cylindrical guns on either arm spun up, whining like twin jet engines, and spewed forth jagged bolts of death.
Chapter 11
I dove, shoving Shelton out of the way of a burst of white-hot energy, and rolled to my feet several yards away.
"Please do not move," the robot said, cockney accent gone and replaced with a calm, male robotic voice as it continued to blast away. "If you move, I will likely miss."
Shelton rolled across the ground as the death beams charred the grass around him to ash. In one fluid movement, he whipped out his staff rod, squeezed it, and popped it out to full length. He shouted a word, and an incandescent nimbus sprung up in a partial sphere around him. The beams speared into the shield, spreading across it with a dull red glow. Shelton's feet skidded back across the grass from the force of impact.
"I apologize," the robot said in a calm tone. "My weaponry appears to be failing for some reason. I will adjust." With a mechanical whirring sound, a rack of missiles sprang from the back of the robot, swiveled, and aimed at Shelton.
He cursed. "I don't know if I can hold out against that!"
I jumped up and down. "Hey, robot! Over here, you stupid thing."
Its torso swiveled. "It is unkind to call me stupid." With that pronouncement, it fired a red-tipped missile right at me.
I blurred out of its path, and the missile shot past. "How about you stop shooting at us?" I said.
"Justin, watch out," Shelton shouted, pointing wildly behind me.
I turned in time to see the missile arc lazily upward like a brilliant star against the night sky and curve back down toward me. "Oh, crap." Thinking back to all the science fiction movies I'd seen, I immediately knew what to do and how to stop this madness. I waited for the missile to level out about ten feet off the ground and streak toward me. Mustering all my speed, I ran straight at the robot.
Let's see how he likes a taste of his own medicine. "Prepare to die!" I shouted triumphantly.
About two seconds into my victory charge, I realized a serious flaw in my plan when the robot's twin guns whirred to life and spewed death rays. I shouted in dismay, dodged left, and narrowly missed plowing through a sapling some thoughtful gardener had planted there as lasers splintered the tree and set it on fire. My foot found a muddy spot where the same thoughtful gardener had apparently overwatered the area around the tree. At my high speed, the lost traction sent me sprawling like a greased midget in a mud wrestling match.
As I slid on my back through wet earth, I saw the missile on approach. It looked about the same size as the homemade rocket kit my dad and I had put together and fired off at a park once, although the tip looked sharp enough to spit me like a pig. Afterward, the explosion would spread me like confetti and, no doubt, really tick off the
I did, but nothing happened.
"Huh." He jumped up and down on it. Cursed. "Well, I guess this thing still breaks down all the time."
"Uh, does the rocket ship ever break down?" I asked, thinking back to the terrifying height of the mountain and imagining the ship malfunctioning before it reached the top.
He shook his head. "Nah, hardly ever."
"Hardly ever?"
"It has a backup system anyway." He started walking toward the distant food court. "C'mon."
I took a step and heard a thud. I paused, looking around, and saw nothing. Took another step. The ground vibrated ever so slightly beneath my feet.
Shelton spun to look at me. "What the hell?" His eyes narrowed. "Okay, now they're going too damned far."
I followed his gaze and spotted the robot from the entrance standing about thirty yards away, the red light in the center of its body glowing. "Hello, Your Majesy," it said in a cockney accent. "I'd like to personally welcome you to our lovely academy." With that, the huge cylindrical guns on either arm spun up, whining like twin jet engines, and spewed forth jagged bolts of death.
Chapter 11
I dove, shoving Shelton out of the way of a burst of white-hot energy, and rolled to my feet several yards away.
"Please do not move," the robot said, cockney accent gone and replaced with a calm, male robotic voice as it continued to blast away. "If you move, I will likely miss."
Shelton rolled across the ground as the death beams charred the grass around him to ash. In one fluid movement, he whipped out his staff rod, squeezed it, and popped it out to full length. He shouted a word, and an incandescent nimbus sprung up in a partial sphere around him. The beams speared into the shield, spreading across it with a dull red glow. Shelton's feet skidded back across the grass from the force of impact.
"I apologize," the robot said in a calm tone. "My weaponry appears to be failing for some reason. I will adjust." With a mechanical whirring sound, a rack of missiles sprang from the back of the robot, swiveled, and aimed at Shelton.
He cursed. "I don't know if I can hold out against that!"
I jumped up and down. "Hey, robot! Over here, you stupid thing."
Its torso swiveled. "It is unkind to call me stupid." With that pronouncement, it fired a red-tipped missile right at me.
I blurred out of its path, and the missile shot past. "How about you stop shooting at us?" I said.
"Justin, watch out," Shelton shouted, pointing wildly behind me.
I turned in time to see the missile arc lazily upward like a brilliant star against the night sky and curve back down toward me. "Oh, crap." Thinking back to all the science fiction movies I'd seen, I immediately knew what to do and how to stop this madness. I waited for the missile to level out about ten feet off the ground and streak toward me. Mustering all my speed, I ran straight at the robot.
Let's see how he likes a taste of his own medicine. "Prepare to die!" I shouted triumphantly.
About two seconds into my victory charge, I realized a serious flaw in my plan when the robot's twin guns whirred to life and spewed death rays. I shouted in dismay, dodged left, and narrowly missed plowing through a sapling some thoughtful gardener had planted there as lasers splintered the tree and set it on fire. My foot found a muddy spot where the same thoughtful gardener had apparently overwatered the area around the tree. At my high speed, the lost traction sent me sprawling like a greased midget in a mud wrestling match.
As I slid on my back through wet earth, I saw the missile on approach. It looked about the same size as the homemade rocket kit my dad and I had put together and fired off at a park once, although the tip looked sharp enough to spit me like a pig. Afterward, the explosion would spread me like confetti and, no doubt, really tick off the
Similar Books
