Blockbuster (4 page)

If he took a big run-up and timed it perfectly…yes, he probably could jump off the building and land on the roof of the moving golf cart below. No android guard would think of looking for him there!

The golf cart was in the perfect position. It was now or never!

He sped towards the edge of the building. He took a deep breath and... JUMPED!

He was in free fall…and then…
THUNK!

Zac landed squarely on the cart's roof. ‘What was that?' came a girl's voice from inside the cart.

Zac froze. He
knew
that voice…

An image flashed into his mind of the enormous silver trailer that he'd seen earlier. He remembered the name ‘Caroline' written on the door…

Caz is short for Caroline!
Zac realised with a shock.

Caz was an enemy spy for the enemy organisation BIG. And if Caz was here at Cinemania, that meant the two were somehow linked.
But how?

Zac was racking his brains when he felt a text message come through on his SpyPad. Lucky he'd set it to vibrate mode!

Now wasn't the time for spy industry gossip! Zac needed proper help from Leon, like an online search to work out how BIG and Cinemania were related.

But I can't call Leon from here! Caz will
hear every word!
thought Zac.

There was only one thing to do.

He flung himself sideways, rolling off the cart and landing heavily in the gutter with a muffled ‘urgh!'

Just as he had planned, the cart kept on driving. He didn't think anyone had seen him jump off.

Right, now to call Leon
, Zac thought, dusting off his T-shirt and digging out his SpyPad.

Then he heard a booming voice. ‘There you are!'

Oh no, the android guards!
Zac panicked.

‘You're needed on set, Grave,' continued the voice, which belonged to a beefy man wearing a ‘Film Crew' T-shirt. His name was stitched on the back – Brutus.

Brutus grabbed Zac's arm. There was no getting away. Brutus gripped like an angry pit-bull.

‘You're ready for your big stunt scene, right?' said Brutus.

CHAPTER SIX

Stunt scene?
Zac's brain whirred.

There was a child star called Dave ‘Grave' Danger – the most extreme stuntman ever. He was twelve, Zac's age. Brutus must have seen Zac's commando roll and mistaken him for Grave!

‘In here,' said Brutus, steering Zac into a film studio as big as an aircraft hanger. On the door, a sign read:

Action/blockbuster: Short Fuse
CAUTION
Filming in progress

Zac looked around. The studio was crawling with people wheeling cameras and shouting into megaphones. Straight away, someone rushed towards Zac and fluffed his hair. His nose was dabbed with make-up.

The make-up part was weird. Zac had hated it when enemy agents had given him a make-over as revenge, and he sure didn't like it now!
Still
, he thought,
it's nice to be
treated like a star for once.

‘OK, Grave,' said Brutus, checking a clipboard. ‘First up is the scene where you run through a glass window.'

Zac nodded.
No worries! Bet they pre-shatter
the glass so it only
looks
like you're
breaking it
, he thought.

‘Then,' continued Brutus, ‘you'll wrestle Bessie.'

The entire set went silent as Brutus led Bessie in on a massive silver chain. Bessie was a wild black bear!

In a lame attempt to make her look friendly, someone had tied a pink bow around Bessie's neck. It didn't work. Bessie's lips were peeled back in a snarl, giving Zac a perfect view of her big, white fangs dripping with gloopy spit. Great.

Spy school didn't cover wrestling black bears
. But if Dave ‘Grave' Danger can do it, so
can I,
figured Zac.

He quickly glanced at his watch, and grimaced. It was already 8.31am!

Zac desperately needed to keep going with the mission. But if he told the crew he wasn't Dave ‘Grave' Danger, they'd call security. And Zac didn't want to mess with those androids again.

Then he had an idea. He let out a high-pitched scream.

‘Where is the lemon-flavoured orange drink and brownies I asked for? I cannot work under these conditions!' He tossed his head and pouted. ‘I WANT to go back to my dressing room RIGHT NOW.'

Zac was stacking on his best impression of a celebrity tantrum.

And when I'm back in Grave's dressing room,
I'll sneak off,
Zac thought.

The crew just stood and watched Zac's tantrum. No-one seemed surprised.

‘OK, Grave,' said Brutus. ‘I get it.You're too scared to wrestle Bessie.'

Too scared
? I'm not too scared,
Zac huffed to himself.
I'm just too busy!
But he couldn't go back to the dressing room now.The next quickest way out was to just wrestle Bessie and then make a run for it.

‘Forget the brownies,' said Zac sulkily.

Brutus lead Zac over to a thick piece of glass. On the other side, he could just make out the blurry shape of Bessie standing on her hind legs, flexing her claws.

‘Quiet, please,' called a voice. ‘Roll camera – and – ACTION!'

CHAPTER SEVEN

CRACK!

Zac smashed into the glass window at top speed. Glass showered down around him.

Cool!
he thought.
Now to wrestle Bess –

WHUMP
!
Bessie landed heavily on Zac's back, growling dangerously. It was like being hugged by an especially loving aunt – who's hairy and stinks of salmon.

Suddenly Zac remembered something his grandma had told him.

Or was that alligators?
wondered Zac. His grandma tended to talk a lot.

Either way, now was the time to try out her advice!

Zac grabbed Bessie's slobbery muzzle. The enormous bear gave a ‘humph?' of surprise. Then she let go of Zac! She rubbed her snout and looked hurt.

‘CUT!' yelled the director. ‘Not bad, Grave. But you need to look…braver. Let's do it again.'

Zac shrugged. Surely it wouldn't be long until he could sneak away… ‘ACTION!' bellowed the director.

Zac ran towards a second sheet of glass. But before he got there, the director yelled out, ‘CUT!'

What now?
thought Zac, frustrated.

‘There's a hair on the camera lens. Let's go again.'

Now
Zac could understand why it sometimes took a whole year to make a movie! After every take, a new sheet of glass had to be brought in. Bessie's fur was brushed and Zac's make-up touched up.

Precious time slipped away. 9.12am. 10.43am. Soon it was midday!

‘OK, let's break for lunch,' called the director at last.

‘I'll be in my trailer!' Zac answered, disappearing into the shadows.

The back of the studio was a jumble of camera equipment, lights and dusty old sets.

Anything could be hidden back here,
thought Zac.
Hey – what's that?

Zac noticed a door, bolted shut. A sign read, ‘Camera Tests'.

Something clicked in Zac's mind.Those blueprints said ThoughtVision was some kind of camera.

This might get the mission back on track
, thought Zac.

Zac grabbed the SpyPad from his pocket and flipped it over. He slid the back casing off and pulled out a skeleton key. It was a special GIB issue key that could open any lock in the world.

Zac jiggled the key in the lock. It was stiff, but it opened. He inched the huge metal door open. Pressing close to the walls, he sneaked into the room.

A man sat on a chair facing away from Zac. He was looking into a movie camera. Zac couldn't quite make out who was behind the camera.