Blockbuster (6 page)

His hands were free! And his nose was still attached to his face!

He checked the time on his watch.

Zac was too late.
Covert Operations
had already begun!

CHAPTER TEN

The movie had started, but Zac wasn't quitting. Showering concrete dust everywhere, he ran down the Hollywood Walk of Fame towards the Nightshade Theatre.

Zac knew he had to get inside the cinema to stop innocent spies being brainwashed. But if he saw a single second of the film, he could be brainwashed himself!

I need protection,
he thought. Thinking quickly, he pulled on his sunglasses. Then he stuffed his iPod earphones in, turning the music up loud.
BIG could have planted
subliminal messages in the soundtrack, too
, he figured.

Zac ran up the red carpet. Paparazzi were everywhere.

‘Look!' someone yelled. ‘It's Poppet L'Estrange's stylist!'

‘Great suit!' called a TV interviewer, as Zac raced past and into the theatre.

His throat was dry. Passing the candy bar, he grabbed a bucket-sized soft drink.

Zac burst into the cinema where the film was screening. The audience was packed with spies. Some he recognised from GIB!

He avoided looking at the screen. Zac scanned the walls for the projector. He had to stop the screening!

But how?
In his mind Zac ran through his gadgets.

Electronic snake-charmer?
No good.

Edible dictionary?
No way.

How about my trusty slingshot?

Zac felt in his pockets for ammo, but they were empty. Everything must have fallen out when he did the handstand back on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

What else in a cinema was small and round? ChocBalls!

That'll do!
thought Zac, snatching a box from a dazed spy sitting nearby. Zac whipped round to the back of the cinema. High up on the wall was the projector, safe behind thick glass.
But the ChocBalls
feel too light!
If he wanted to smash the projector, Zac calculated that he'd have to hit it in exactly the same place ten times in a row. That would take superior shooting!

He loaded his slingshot with the first ChocBall, and snapped the rubber band.

It whizzed through the air – and hit the glass dead centre. Zac reloaded with a second ChocBall.

THUNK
!

The second ChocBall made contact.

‘What's that noise?' asked an usher angrily. He looked familiar to Zac…

The usher was another android! In fact, Zac suddenly realised,
all
the ushers in the cinema were androids.

Desperately, Zac fired more ChocBalls at the projector.

Seven – eight – nine –

Android ushers appeared from every direction. They were closing in on Zac.

Zac loaded his tenth ChocBall. He took aim, screwing one eye shut for a better view.

But as Zac prepared to fire, an android usher ran up behind him. Its robotic arm reached out towards Zac's neck just as he fired the tenth ball.

SNAP!

It shattered the glass and the projector behind it in a shower of sparks. The cinema screen blanked out.

The audience erupted. Spies jumped out of their seats. Android ushers tried to stop anyone leaving. A girl who sounded very much like Caz screamed, ‘Nooooooo!'

Zac spun round. An android was almost on top of him! Lightning fast, Zac tipped the entire bucket-sized soft drink over its head. Instantly, the acids and sugars in the drink ate through the android's synthetic skin. The android dropped to the floor, one eyeball hanging out on a single piece of red wire.

I really should stay away from soft drinks
, thought Zac, as the android shuddered and sparked.

Then a blurry figure raced past Zac. Bushy pigtails, a camera bag over her shoulder – Caz!
And she's probably carrying
the ThoughtVision prototype!

Zac took off after Caz and the prototype. But Caz, sneaky as ever, handed the camera bag to an android usher and ran off.

Should I capture Caz, or stay and secure the
prototype?
Zac wondered.

He hated Caz more than boy bands and Homework Club. But his mission was to bring back the prototype!

He sighed. Caz streaked away as Zac turned to the android.

‘You know, I've heard there's a top agent here looking for androids to star in a new movie,' said Zac slyly.

‘Really?' said the android, loosening its grip on the camera bag. ‘Where?'

‘Oh, somewhere over there,' said Zac vaguely, pointing across to the other side of the cinema.

The android spun around for a better look. Zac slipped the camera bag from its arm and ran.

The Harley was still parked where Zac had left it, outside the cinema. He roared off, slinging the camera bag over his shoulder. He called Leon and put him on speaker.

‘Leon! Can you get me out of here?' he yelled over the Harley's growl. ‘I've got the prototype!'

‘I'll plot your co-ordinates on GIB's central mission computer,' said Leon.

Zac heard a crash as a bunch of android ushers burst out of the Nightshade Theatre and started chasing him down the street.

‘Will it take long?' yelled Zac.

‘Nope,' Leon said. ‘There's a GIB rescue chopper in your area. Ride to the Hollywood sign on top of the hill, climb up and we'll grab you from there.'

‘Got it,' said Zac, speeding off.

The Hollywood sign loomed in front of him. He leapt off the Harley and raced to the bottom of the enormous letter ‘H'. It was a least ten stories high and made of flat sheets of steel.

It would be really difficult to climb. Difficult that is, if Zac's shoes hadn't been specially modified for situations like this.

He flipped the Octopod Mode switch on the tongue of his left shoe. At once, powerful suckers sprung out of the soles. Zac stepped onto the letter ‘H' and started walking up.

He was almost at the top when he heard voices below – he'd was being followed!

‘Hey, Grave! You're needed for another stunt!' called Brutus.

‘You told me there was an agent looking for androids!' snarled the android usher.

‘What's your plan for Poppet L'Estrange's next look?' called a reporter.

But the whirring chopper blades drowned them out. The chopper door opened and the GIB rescue team threw a rope down to Zac. He grabbed hold of it and was instantly hauled upwards to safety.

As soon as he sat down inside the chopper, Zac's SpyPad rang. It was a call from Agent Bum Smack – Zac's mum.

‘I hear GIB invited you to a premiere,' said his mum. ‘Lucky thing! You'd better write a thank you note to GIB as soon as you get home.'

‘Sure, mum,' said Zac. He could fill her in on what
really
happened later on.

‘Did you enjoy the movie?' his mum asked.

‘Yeah, I really got into it,' said Zac, laughing. ‘Especially the stunt scenes.'

THE END