Canyon Chaos (7 page)

Jimmy and Cabbie hurtled out of the pit lane in a cloud of dust, as Chip’s mechanics climbed all over Dug, tightening bolts and hammering out dents after the bashing he had taken. Monster, Zoom, Maximus and Lightning were nowhere to be seen.

“We’ve got some catching up to do, Cabbie,” said Jimmy.

“Rocket-boosters?” suggested Cabbie.

“Not yet. Not yet. There’s a long way to go and we might need them for a fast finish.”

They sped on for the next few miles without any incidents, both Cabbie and Jimmy staying silent, focused on the track in front of them. But as they rounded a bend and began to climb a long, steep hill, they got their first glimpse of another competitor.

Crawling up it, just ahead of them, were Missy and Monster.

“Why are they going so slowly?” asked Jimmy.

“Too heavy to get up the hills,” said Cabbie, preparing to overtake.

Cabbie darted to the right of Monster.

Monster swerved to the right and blocked him.

Cabbie darted to the left.

Monster blocked him again.

“And too wide and too sneaky for us to get past,” muttered Cabbie in frustration.

“What do we do?” asked Jimmy.

“I’ve got it!” said Cabbie. “I know a way to get past Missy before you can say, ‘Cabbie that was amazing, you’re a genius.’ OK?”

Jimmy nodded.

“Right,” said Cabbie. “Drop back. We need” – Cabbie paused to calculate – “fifty-seven metres between us and Monster.”

Jimmy eased off the accelerator and soon the gap between Cabbie and Monster widened.

“Perfect,” said Cabbie. “Now maintain that speed and, when I say so, press the flashing orange button on the top right of the control panel.”

“OK,” said Jimmy, gritting his teeth.

“Ready? Now!” said Cabbie. Jimmy pressed the orange button. With a
whoosh!
and a flash of black, a rocket shot out from under Cabbie’s bonnet. It soared high into the air, then arced downwards sharply. As it plummeted back towards earth it unfolded into a steep ramp which hit the ground with a
thud!
just behind Monster.

With a whoop of excitement Jimmy crushed the accelerator pedal to the floor and gripped the steering wheel for dear life. They hit the ramp at top speed and flew high over the monster truck. In a strange, still moment of silence, Jimmy could see nothing through Cabbie’s windscreen but blue sky. His stomach seemed to be in his throat. He didn’t dare breathe. Then Cabbie began to tip forward
...
forward
...
forward ... and landed with a skidding thump, kicking up a mountain of dust behind them.

“Amazing!” screamed Jimmy. “Genius!”

“Thank you,” said Cabbie calmly. “I’ve been looking forward to using the VelociRamp.”

“Drat!” they heard Missy shout as they roared away over the brow of the hill. “Monster, you great big dingo, why do you have to be such a lardy boot?”

Leaving the red-haired girl and her racer far behind, Cabbie and Jimmy flew over the top of the hill and tore down the other side.

“Now, let’s find the others and get past them,” Jimmy said. He hit the windscreen zoom-in button. It showed Horace Pelly and Zoom in the lead, Sammy and Maximus just behind them, and Princess Kako on Lightning bringing up the rear of the group.

“I’m at top speed,” said Cabbie, soaring round a bend on two wheels. “We’ll catch them in the next five minutes.”

“Excellent,” said Jimmy as Cabbie continued to eat up the miles.

Zoom was now in the lead with Maximus and Lightning right behind him, dodging left and right, looking for space to overtake. The road narrowed and the cliff face crumbled as Maximus slid dangerously close to the edge. All three robot racers were now bumping and jostling each other, swerving wildly and taking risks to get the upper hand.

Maximus made another dart towards the left, but before he could drag himself alongside the sleek black shape of Zoom, there was a deafening noise that made Jimmy’s stomach wobble and his ears throb. Suddenly the giant hovercraft seemed to hit an invisible wall. It flew high into the air, spinning back over the roof of Cabbie as if it were a paper bag being tossed around in the wind.

“What the...” Jimmy whispered.

“He’s going over the edge too,” Cabbie said.

But Cabbie was wrong. Maximus was swept into a vicious-looking clump of cacti. As Jimmy sped past he heard a long, loud
RRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPP!
The cacti tore a deep hole into the bottom of the racer’s air cushion and the gas inside came whooshing out, making a low hissing noise.

Sammy climbed out awkwardly, trying to avoid the nasty spikes on the nearest cactus. When he saw the tear in the side of his racer, he scowled and stamped his foot. There was no way he could carry on today. Sammy and Maximus were out.

“Wow!” breathed Jimmy, forcing his eyes back onto the road in time to see something glowing above Zoom’s rear bumper: a coil of pulsing blue light.

“What’s that?” he shouted.

“It looks like Zoom’s using some kind of EMP,” replied Cabbie. “That’s short for Electromagnetic Pulse. A kind of force field. It burns out electrical circuits on anything that comes near it. That’s what threw Maximus off the track. The moment anyone tries to overtake Zoom, he’ll fry their circuits!”

Cabbie and Lightning raced side by side, both keeping a safe distance from Zoom and his deadly EMP.

“There’s no way we can win if we’re stuck behind Zoom,” said Jimmy impatiently. “We’ve got to do something.”

“The pogo-thruster!” cried Cabbie. “We can be up and over him before you can say—”

“No,” said Jimmy. “We’ll jump straight off the cliff. I’ve got another plan. You get as close as you dare. Pull to the right like you’re going to overtake. He’ll swerve right to block us. So we dart left. The track’s wider here. If we can get past Zoom on the inside fast enough, we might get through without getting fried.”

“That sounds dangerous,” said Cabbie. “I like it!”

As they hurtled towards Zoom, all Jimmy could focus on was the pulsing blue coil above the black racer’s rear bumper. It buzzed and growled like the noise made by a hundred microwaves all working at once. He could feel the air crackling with electricity as the EMP reached full charge again.

“Here we go,” said Cabbie, his voice shaking with the speed.

“Go, Cabbie, go!” Jimmy cried, squashing the accelerator as hard as he could, and swerving first one way then darting to the other, just as they’d planned. The taxi’s engine roared and they began to pull alongside Zoom. “Yes. We’re doing it,” Jimmy yelled. “We’re going to make it!”

The air suddenly fizzed and a wave of hot energy rolled over Cabbie as Horace fired the EMP.

“If I can just—” began Cabbie. “I think—” he went on, “engine what magnet...” He mumbled as he started to lose power, “...fried magnet monster.”

“Cabbie?” Jimmy cried in alarm. “What’s wrong?”

A large orange triangle started flashing and blinking on Cabbie’s control panel.

“Error. Error. Error...” said Cabbie repeatedly, his voice fading into silence. They were slowing down, dropping back from Zoom, now level with Lightning.

“Ha, ha! You’re finished now, Roberts,” Jimmy heard Horace shout over the noise of the racers. “Your old rustbucket never stood a chance against Zoom.”

But Jimmy didn’t care about Horace Pelly at that moment. He was too worried about his friend. “Cabbie?” he said urgently. “Cabbie? Talk to me.” He stamped on the accelerator.

Nothing happened. The roar of Cabbie’s engines fell to a sickly whirr, and then silence. Lightning was thirty metres ahead of them and Zoom a hundred metres ahead of Lightning. Soon Cabbie would come to a standstill.

Jimmy started frantically pushing buttons but nothing happened. “Don’t give up, Cabbie. We’re so close to the finish.”

Suddenly there was a loud
beep
and every light and button on Cabbie’s huge control panel started flashing, randomly at first, and then in sequence.

At the same time, Zoom began to lose speed and the blue coil of pulsing light dimmed. The grinding noise faded and Jimmy could feel cold, fresh air on his face once again, as Cabbie’s cooling systems returned.

The orange triangle on the control panel stopped flashing and the hum of Cabbie’s power returned, from a whirr, to a purr, to a growl, to a roar.

“Hah!” shouted Cabbie. “That EMP uses thousands of volts a second. Using it twice in a row has sapped Zoom’s power. Let’s go!”

“Are you feeling OK?” asked Jimmy.

“Much better,” said Cabbie. “There’s nothing like a total re-boot and self-repair to set you up for the day.” He shot back up to full speed, and within seconds he had drawn level with Zoom.

From the corner of one eye, Jimmy caught a glimpse of Horace shouting and spitting in fury and pounding at Zoom’s controls with his fists. “Come on, you hunk of junk,” he was shouting. “I won’t be beaten by that rubbish excuse for a robot racer.”

Cabbie edged ahead, but Zoom was quickly getting back to full power himself. As the road widened and the finish line got nearer, three racers – Cabbie, Lightning and Zoom – were side by side, neck and neck.

Jimmy glanced across at Princess Kako in her silver motorcycle leathers and helmet, her face hidden behind a smoked black visor. Then he fixed his eyes back on the road, concentrating on every bend, every rock, every millimetre of the racetrack.

Without warning, a thundering blaze of flame exploded from Lightning’s exhaust pipe and Princess Kako shot ahead at an incredible speed.

“Time for the rocket-boosters, Jimmy!” said Cabbie. “The red button’s flashing.”

“Not yet, Cabbie,” said Jimmy, his voice calm and steady as Lightning sailed into the distance. “We only have ten seconds of rocket fuel left in the tank because we used some up earlier. We’ve only got one chance, so we’ve got to get it right.”

He glanced across at Zoom. For a moment, his eyes met Horace’s and Jimmy saw the other boy’s gritted teeth, his face creased with anger.

Not looking so smug now, is he?
Jimmy thought.

“Come on, come on, we need rocket-boosters now!” Cabbie yelled again.

“Not yet, Cabbie,” shouted back Jimmy above the roar of the engine. “Not yet.”

“But look!” shouted Cabbie. “The finish line! Just over one kilometre.”

Ahead, a huge crowd had gathered at the finish line and the black and white chequered flags were flapping in the Nevada wind.

“Finish line in 0.7 kilometres,” said Cabbie.

Jimmy rested his finger on the flashing red rocket-booster button.

“Finish line in 0.5 kilometres,” warned Cabbie, his voice getting higher and more urgent. Zoom and Cabbie hurtled towards it, getting every last ounce of speed out of their engines.

Jimmy wiped his sweating hand on his jeans, and rested his finger on the flashing button once more.

“Finish line in 0.3 kilometres. At current speed, that’s in
ten seconds
,” Cabbie cried.

Princess Kako and Lightning were getting further away and nearly across the finish line.
We can’t catch Princess Kako
, Jimmy said to himself.
But there’s no way I’m letting a spoilt brat like Horace Pelly beat me.

He locked eyes with Horace as the two racers touched wheels. Sparks flew off their bodywork and Horace gnashed his teeth in frustration. As the princess crossed the line, punching a fist into the air and saluting the screaming crowd, Jimmy took a deep breath
...
and pressed the flashing button!

The world blurred for a second as the rocket-boosters fired up. Jimmy was forced back into his seat as Cabbie went from fast to super-fast in a single second.

“Nooooooo!” shrieked Horace as Jimmy and Cabbie hit the line, just 10 centimetres ahead of Zoom.

The crowd roared and the chequered flag waved. As Cabbie fired his retro-rockets to slow them to a stop, Jimmy looked out of the window at thousands of smiling faces looking down on him from the stands.

He stuck his head out of Cabbie’s window, raised his hands in the air to salute the fans and shouted, “Yeeeeesss!”

“We did it, Cabbie!” Jimmy whooped in delight.

“Well done, Jimmy,” said Cabbie.

“Me?” said Jimmy, grinning broadly. “Well done, Cabbie, I think you mean!”

“We
were
a pretty good team, weren’t we?” the taxi replied.

“I didn’t think we’d finish the race, let alone come second!” Jimmy laughed. “And we beat Horace Pelly!”

Jimmy watched in disbelief as one by one the other racers crossed the line.

“Come on,” said Cabbie, firing up his engines again, “let’s have a look at the results boards.” They headed for the main grandstand, where a huge hovering display board was just about to show the final results.

“What are we waiting for?” Jimmy wondered aloud, climbing out of Cabbie. “Everyone knows Princess Kako came first and we came second.”

The display boards flashed, numbers whirring, and high above them sailed Lord Leadpipe’s airship, his grinning face projected on its side once more.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” boomed Lord Leadpipe’s voice from the loudspeakers, “the results of this thrilling first leg of the Robot Races Championship are as follows...”

“In first place, with ten points,” boomed Lord Leadpipe, “it’s
...
Princess Kako and Lightning.” The crowd cheered and the newspaper reporters swarmed around the princess and her robobike, their cameras flashing.

“In second place, with eight points,” said Lord Leadpipe, “it’s
...
Jimmy Roberts and Cabbie!”

Jimmy felt his heart swell in his chest until he thought it would explode.

“In third place,” said Lord Leadpipe, “it’s Horace Pelly and Zoom. But,” continued Lord Leadpipe, “Horace Pelly will have two points deducted – repeat two points deducted – following the use of unauthorized gadgetry and suspicious conduct.”

“What!” screeched Horace Pelly. “Unauthorized? Suspicious? Is he calling me a cheat? Dad!” he shrieked, stamping his foot. “Dad! Get over here! And bring those NASA idiots with you!”

“So Horace Pelly and Zoom,” continued Lord Leadpipe, “are in equal third place on four points with Chip Travers and Dug. Missy McGovern and Monster have two points. Samir Bahur and Maximus did not complete the course and so are yet to score.”

Jimmy watched as Horace bellowed at his father and kicked dents in Zoom’s doors, but he soon lost sight of them as he and Cabbie were swamped by reporters with cameras and notebooks asking them all kinds of questions.

“How did you feel, knowing you were favourite to come last?”

“How do you feel about coming second?”

“What are your chances in the next race?”

“Who built your racer?”

“What were your tactics?”

Jimmy stood with his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish, and only one thought in his head: find Grandpa.

“I’ll answer that question,” came Cabbie’s voice from behind Jimmy. “At first,” Cabbie explained to the journalist, “we played it cool. Keeping our heads down. Not wanting to take the lead, but—”

Jimmy pushed his way through the crowd, leaving Cabbie to enjoy his moment in the spotlight. He was looking for a glimpse of Grandpa’s wild white hair. And there it was, bobbing its way towards him. He had his arms outstretched, with a smile so wide it nearly met round the back of his head. Jimmy leaped into Grandpa’s arms and they both hugged till they were gasping for breath.

“Well done, my boy,” Grandpa finally managed to splutter. “Well done!”

The crowd around them clapped and cheered.

“Thanks for your help out there,” said Chip, pushing through the crowd and shaking Jimmy by the hand until his arm ached. “I’d still be there now if you hadn’t come along and saved me.”

“No problem,” said Jimmy.

“Congratulations, Jimmy,” said a familiar voice behind him. Jimmy turned slowly to meet the twinkling eyes and rosy red cheeks of one of the richest and most powerful men on the planet – Lord Leadpipe. “You and Cabbie drove a marvellous race. Beautifully done. That’s one of the finest performances I think I’ve seen in all the years we’ve held the competition. And certainly one of the closest finishes.” His smile broadened and he leaned forward to pat Jimmy on the shoulder. “Why don’t you introduce me to the rest of your team. Is this your mechanic over here...?” Lord Leadpipe turned to Grandpa. “Good lord,” he said. “You’re
...
I mean, it’s—”

“Wilfred Roberts,” finished Grandpa coldly. “Hello, Ludwick. It’s been a long time.”

“It’s so nice to see you after all these years,” Lord Leadpipe said, a smile spreading across his very-famous face. But what are you doing here?”

“Jimmy’s my grandson,” explained Grandpa, his voice growing colder. “And I built his racer, Cabbie. You see, Ludwick, my robot might not be as flashy and shiny as some of yours, but I’ve still got a few robo-tricks up my sleeves.”

“Well,” said Lord Leadpipe, looking flustered, “it’s – it’s lovely to see you again.”

“Is it?” snapped Grandpa. “I wish I could say the same.”

“Oh dear,” said Lord Leadpipe, his monocle dropping out of his eye and his face turning an even deeper shade of red. “Well,” he went on, trying to fix a smile on his face as a swarm of newspaper reporters and photographers surrounded them, “you’ve got a grandson to be proud of. I noticed him stopping off to help one of the other competitors who had got into a spot of bother, even though he knew it would probably cost him the race. It’s not every driver that would do such a thing. Either of you,” said Lord Leadpipe turning to Jimmy and Chip, “could have won that race, you know.”

Jimmy and Chip went bright red and stared at the ground, each burning with pure pleasure. “And who knows,” added Lord Leadpipe, “one of you may well win the next leg of the Robot Races Championship. Talking of which, I have an announcement to make.”

Lord Leadpipe waved a hand in the air and Joshua Johnson, the robot co-ordinator with the enormous eyebrows, came running over with a microphone. He still had cotton wool stuffed deep in his ears.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Lord Leadpipe said into the microphone, his voice ringing out around the Grand Canyon. “I am delighted to announce that the next stage of the Robot Races Championship will take place in just one month’s time. I can’t reveal where just yet – but rest assured it will be another action-packed, adrenaline-fuelled, no-holds-barred fight to the chequered flag! We look forward to seeing you all there! And remember,
keeeeep
racing!”

Jimmy and Grandpa looked at Cabbie, and then at each other, their eyes twinkling with excitement.

“A month?” said Cabbie, revving his engines. “Grandpa, get your spanner, we’ve got work to do! Today’s race might be finished – but the championship’s only just begun!”