Base Camp

by H. I. Larry

  The trees were growing so close together that Zac couldn’t see anything below him but a blur of green leaves. He used the jet’s navigation system to scan for the base camp.

  Nothing.

  I should have known they’d hide it better than that, thought Zac.

  He’d have to land the Sunraker and find the base camp on foot.

  He wasn’t worried about finding the captured GIB agents. That would be the easy part of this mission. The tricky part would be dealing with the mysterious BIG agent who was holding them all hostage.

  Zac checked his watch.

  It was getting dark. Zac didn’t like the idea of finding his way through the jungle at night. But he didn’t have time to wait around until the morning.

  Right, thought Zac, it’s time to find a place to set down the Sunraker, and –

  TSEEEWWW!

  Without warning, a huge beam of blue light exploded from out of the jungle.

  Zac swerved the jet out of the way, sending the Sunraker into a barrel roll. The blue beam shot past, missing the jet by centimetres.

  TSEEEWWW!

  Another blue blast lit up the sky, but this time Zac was too late. The beam had struck the underside of the Sunraker, and blue sparks flashed across the jet’s control panel.

  Seconds later, the jet shuddered and everything flickered off. Zac pulled at the steering controls, but it was no good. His stomach lurched. He was going down.

  Zac had one chance to save himself. He needed to engage the Sunraker’s drag chute. It was meant to help the jet land safely in an emergency.

  Zac jumped out of his seat and made his way to the tail end of the jet. He reached out and yanked hard on the metal lever marked ‘Manual Drag Chute Release’.

  WHOOOMPH!

  There was a massive jolt as the chute flew open behind the jet. Zac was thrown back against the cabin wall.

  SMASH!

  With an enormous shudder, the Sunraker crashed through the tree line. Luckily, the chute had done its job, and slowed down the jet. Still, it flew through the jungle, snapping vines and knocking down trees, before finally coming to a stop on the ground.

  Zac groaned and slowly got to his feet. Not my best landing, he thought to himself.

  Still, he wasn’t going to let a little thing like a jet crash slow him down.

  Time to find that base camp.

  CHAPTER

  FIVE

  Zac grabbed his backpack and clambered out of the crashed aircraft.

  As soon as he opened the jet’s door, he was hit by a wave of hot, sticky jungle air.

  A ray of moonlight shone down through the hole that the Sunraker had torn in the canopy. Everywhere else was dark.

  Zac pulled out his SpyPad and activated its Torch function.

  He waved the SpyPad around, lighting up the jungle in front of him. Nothing but tall trees and tangled vines in every direction.

  All right, Zac thought. Time to track down this –

  He froze. He could have sworn he just heard footsteps in the distance. What was that?

  Zac shone his torch in the direction of the sound. Nothing.

  Don’t get paranoid, he told himself sternly. You’re just –

  Then there was a rustle of leaves and suddenly someone big and heavy came crashing down on top of Zac.

  Zac was knocked to the ground and his SpyPad went flying. He was being attacked!

  Must be the mystery BIG agent! Zac thought as he rolled backwards and kicked up his legs, throwing the attacker off him.

  Wheeling around, Zac had only a split second to take in the BIG agent’s appearance.

  Boy. My age. Black clothes. Wearing a mask.

  Hey, cool hair!

  Then the kid came flying at him again.

  Zac tried to dive out of the way, but the BIG agent was too quick. He jumped on top of Zac again, and they both fell to the ground.

  Zac struggled free, and leapt back from the other boy. The BIG agent was on his feet again in less than a second. He jumped up, incredibly high, and launched himself at Zac.

  Zac dropped to the ground just in time. The BIG agent sailed over him.Then he hit the ground, rolled, and sprung back up to his feet, all in one perfect motion.

  Whoa, thought Zac, despite himself. I have to learn how to do that!

  He took a run at the BIG agent, but the kid dodged left and stuck a leg out in Zac’s path.

  Zac tripped on the outstretched leg and went flying. He landed with a crash at the top of a steep hill, and started rolling down, head over heels.

  THUD!

  Zac smacked into the base of a huge tree and stopped rolling. He jumped to his feet.

  Without pausing for even a second, the BIG agent raced down the hill after him.

  He dived at Zac like a pouncing tiger, his arms reaching out. The enemy agent grabbed Zac around the waist, knocking the wind out of him. Together they tumbled towards a cliff.

  Zac shot out a hand and grabbed a nearby tree root. His shoulder jolted painfully, but at least he’d stopped rolling.

  His sudden stop took the BIG agent by surprise.The kid lost his grip on Zac and kept rolling. He tumbled away down the steep hill and over the cliff, into the darkness.

  Zac held his breath. The BIG agent was gone. For now.

  Zac slowly rolled over and got to his feet.

  He staggered back up the hill, grabbed his SpyPad, and ran off into the jungle.

  CHAPTER

  SIX

  Now Zac understood how one BIG agent could have single-handedly taken over a small GIB facility.

  This kid was incredible! Zac was a karate pro, but the kid had matched him move for move, and made it all look easy. It was like he wasn’t even trying.

  Was this why Big Boss had been worried about sending Zac on this mission? Because he didn’t think Zac could beat the BIG agent?

  No, Zac told himself. That kid just took me by surprise, that’s all.

  But Zac could worry about that later. Right now he had to find the secret GIB base camp.

  Zac tapped at his SpyPad, bringing up the Global Positioning System.

  Zac’s SpyPad screen was lit up with a map of the jungle. It was a bird’s-eye view of every tree, hill and rock in the area.

  All except for a small grey blur in the top-left corner of the screen.

  That was strange. For some reason, the GPS couldn’t make a map of that part of the jungle. Something was hiding it from the satellite.

  Looks like the perfect place for a secret GIB base camp, Zac thought to himself.

  He decided to follow the hunch. Shining his SpyPad’s torch out in front of him, Zac set off in the direction of the grey blur on the map.

  It wasn’t easy going. Branches and vines scratched at him from all sides. Enormous insects buzzed around his head.

  After a while, he came to a little clearing in the jungle where a huge tree had fallen down.

  Leaning against the fallen tree, Zac pulled out a water bottle and stopped for a minute to catch his breath.

  He pressed a button on the side of his watch, lighting it up.

  He had been running through the jungle for about 20 minutes now. But according to the GPS, he still had a long way to go before he reached the base camp.

  Zac drank half his water in one go then stashed the bottle back in his bag.

  Then, out of the corner of his eye, Zac saw something move. He looked up.

  There were two eyes in the jungle. Was it the BIG agent again?

  ‘Come out!’ Zac demanded.

  There was silence. Zac went into an attack stance, ready for anything.

  ‘All right,’ he said. ‘If you won’t come out, I’m coming in!’ He stomped in the direction of the eyes, trying to look scary.

  ‘Whoa! Easy there, kid!’ said a gruff voice from the jungle.

  A bearded man stepped out of the bushes, his hands raised above his head. He looked about the same age as Zac’s dad and was wearing a dirty white jumpsuit that was torn in
several places.

  ‘I’m a GIB agent!’ he said. He pointed to the logo stitched onto his top. It was a black eye with ‘GIB’ underneath. ‘See?’

  Zac lowered his hands.

  ‘Sorry if I scared you,’ the man said. ‘For a minute there, I thought you were that crazy BIG agent.’ He laughed nervously.

  ‘No worries,’ said Zac. ‘Are you from the base camp?’

  The man nodded. ‘Agent Cougar,’ he said, extending a hand.

  ‘Agent Rock Star,’ Zac replied, shaking Cougar’s hand. ‘I’m here to rescue you.’

  A strange look flickered across the man’s face. ‘Rock Star, huh?’

  ‘What?’ Zac asked.

  ‘Nothing,’ said Cougar, a little too quickly. ‘You got the beacon?’

  ‘Right here,’ said Zac.

  He opened up his pack and showed Agent Cougar the emergency beacon.

  Cougar breathed a sigh of relief.

  Zac pointed to the GPS map on his SpyPad. ‘This grey bit here that the GPS won’t pick up – that’s where your base camp is, right?’

  ‘Smart kid,’ Cougar smiled. ‘Yeah, that’s it. Come on, let’s go.’

  Then he looked over his shoulder nervously. ‘And turn that torch off. He could be anywhere.’

  Zac stared at the strained look in Cougar’s eyes. No need to ask who he was.

  CHAPTER

  SEVEN

  A couple of hours later, Zac and Agent Cougar were still making their way through the jungle.

  Cougar still hadn’t let Zac turn his torch back on. The man’s eyes darted around nervously and he kept jumping at small noises. But he clearly knew this jungle like the back of his hand. He led Zac through the darkness without any trouble.

  ‘What are you doing out here anyway?’ Zac asked. ‘I thought a whole lot of you were trapped at the base camp.’

  ‘The rest of my team are,’ said Cougar. ‘But I was out picking up the drop when the attack happened.’

  ‘What drop?’

  ‘The supply drop,’ Cougar explained. ‘Every month, GIB flies over and drops a big crate of food and supplies for us.’

  ‘I didn’t think GIB knew where you were,’ said Zac.

  ‘They don’t,’ said Agent Cougar. ‘Not exactly, anyway. They just drop it somewhere out in the jungle and we go and pick it up. This month was my turn to go out and bring back the crate – hey, watch out!’

  Agent Cougar grabbed Zac’s shoulder and pulled him out of the way of a giant snake hanging from a tree.The snake hissed and flickered its tongue at Zac.

  ‘Anyway,’ Cougar continued, ‘I was on my way back to base when my boss called to say that there was a BIG agent lurking around outside.’

  ‘Then what happened?’ Zac asked.

  ‘That was the last I heard from the boss,’ said Agent Cougar. ‘I’ve been out here in the jungle ever since.’

  ‘So who is this agent?’ Zac asked. ‘Why is he here? What does he want from you?’

  ‘No idea,’ said Cougar. ‘I’ve been too busy running away from him.’

  ‘You haven’t been back to the base camp to help your friends?’ Zac asked.

  ‘No,’ said Agent Cougar. He looked a little ashamed to say it. ‘The boss’s last order was to lay low and guard the drop, so that’s what I’ve been doing.’

  Not exactly the heroic type, thought Zac. He looked down at his watch.

  It was midnight on Wednesday. Exactly four days until the BIG agent set off the Tech Blaster.

  ‘Agent Cougar, how much further is–’ Zac stopped short. ‘Hey, what’s this?’

  They had just reached the edge of another little clearing. Parked in the middle of the clearing was a black jet with BIG’s logo stamped onto the tail.

  It was about twice the size of a standard BIG fighter jet, and there was a huge metal thing mounted on the top that looked a bit like a cannon. Right now, the cannon was pointed up at the sky.

  That must be what blasted the Sunraker, thought Zac.

  ‘Seen this jet before?’ he asked.

  Agent Cougar shook his head.

  ‘Let’s have a look inside,’ said Zac.

  ‘No way,’ said Cougar.‘Let’s keep moving.’

  ‘But this jet obviously belongs to the BIG agent!’ Zac protested.

  ‘Which is exactly why we need to leave right now,’ Cougar argued, ‘before he gets back.’

  ‘Come on,’ said Zac, becoming frus-trated. ‘You call yourself a GIB agent?’

  ‘Hey, I’m just a techie, kid,’ said Cougar grumpily. ‘I’m no field agent. I just want to get out of the jungle as soon as possible.’

  Zac rolled his eyes. ‘I’m just going to check it out.’ He started climbing the little stepladder up to the jet’s cockpit.

  When he reached the entrance, he was surprised to find that the jet was unlocked. With a soft click, the door hissed open.

  So much for BIG security, thought Zac.

  He stepped into the cockpit and began looking around. He need to find out who the mysterious BIG agent was, and what he was doing here.

  Suddenly, Zac’s eyes fell on a small black object, barely visible in the glow of the jet’s control panel. It was shaped like a snow globe, with a blue button on the front.

  Zac reached out and pressed the button.

  A tiny holographic figure of a man appeared out of the top of the black device. The figure turned on the spot, smiling and waving cheerfully.

  Zac gasped. It was his grandpa!

  Zac’s grandpa, Agent High Pants, was the first person in Zac’s family to become a GIB spy. A long time ago, Agent High Pants had been the best of the best. But then he had disappeared without a trace many years ago, during a mission to the jungle.

  Zac’s mouth fell open. Why hadn’t he thought of this before?

  Could this be the jungle where Grandpa had disappeared? Did BIG have something to do with his disappearance?

  Zac pressed the button on the holo-projector again.

  As the figure of Grandpa continued to spin, a recording of a female voice began to play.

  ‘Agent High Pants was the first in the Power family to join the Government Investigation Bureau. He was one of the greatest threats to BIG’s survival until he disappeared seven years ago. GIB sources continue to classify Agent High Pants as Missing In Action.

  ‘However, BIG’s own intelligence reveals that the agent’s current location – agent’s current location – agent’s current location –’

  The voice skipped and then cut out. The image of Zac’s grandpa disappeared.

  ‘No!’ cried Zac. He pressed the button again, but it was no good. The device would not turn back on.

  Zac picked up the holo-projector and slipped it into his pocket. Whatever had happened to Zac’s grandpa, BIG knew something about it.

  And Zac was going to find out what they knew.

  CHAPTER

  EIGHT

  Zac climbed out of the cockpit and dropped back down to the ground.

  Agent Cougar was standing at the edge of the clearing, looking nervous.

  ‘All right,’ said Zac. ‘Let’s go.’

  ‘Finally,’ said Cougar. ‘This way.’

  Zac and Agent Cougar kept walking towards the base camp.

  Zac was breathing hard. The heat of the jungle was starting to get to him. It was like being in a sauna.

  He glanced down at his SpyPad. They were nearing the edge of the blurry grey area on the GPS map.

  ‘OK,’ said Agent Cougar under his breath. ‘Almost there.’

  Zac looked up. Something was glinting in the moonlight up ahead of them.

  It was a tall metal pole, as high as a street sign. At the top of the pole was a silver sphere as big as a beach ball.

  ‘What’s that?’ Zac asked.

  ‘It’s a Sensor Scrambler,’ Agent Cougar explained. ‘There are 24 of them in a circle all around our base camp. They send out microwave pulses that block this whole area from being seen by sate
llites and passing planes.’

  ‘So that’s why the GPS couldn’t create a map of this part of the jungle,’ said Zac.

  ‘Right,’ said Cougar. ‘Come on, not far now.’ He sounded very relieved to be getting close to the base camp.

  They kept moving, and a few minutes later they finally reached the GIB building. It was small and square, and had been camouflaged to blend in with the surrounding jungle.

  Ignoring Agent Cougar’s protests, Zac flicked the SpyPad’s torch back on and quickly circled the building.

  ‘All clear,’ Zac whispered when he’d finished. ‘Let’s head inside.’

  He walked up to the front of the building with Agent Cougar a few steps behind.

  Zac tried the door. It was unlocked. He pushed the door open and crept inside.

  The room was pitch black except for the light from a few computer screens at the far end of the room.

  Zac cautiously shone his torch around in the darkness. More computers. Filing cabinets. Desks scattered with files and coffee cups.

  Looks like a typical science lab, Zac thought. There was no-one there, and no sign of a struggle.

  ‘All clear,’ he whispered to Cougar, and then he stepped into the next room.

  There were a few couches, a little TV and a couple of laptops on a wooden table. But still there was nothing broken, nothing out of place. No sign that anything had gone wrong.

  ‘All clear,’ Zac said again. ‘I think we’re OK. Can you turn on the lights?’

  Agent Cougar flicked a switch and light flooded the room. No-one in this room either.

  ‘Where are they?’ Zac wondered out loud. ‘Where is everyone?’

  ‘Maybe they got away,’ Cougar said hopefully. ‘Maybe they –’

  THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

  ‘What was that?’ Cougar asked.

  The noise had come from behind a door on the other side of the room.

  Zac walked over to the door.

  ‘What’s that noise?’ said Cougar, looking scared.

  But Zac ignored him and swung the door open. He reached over and flicked on the light.

  Tied up on the floor of a little laundry room were four more GIB agents, all dressed in the same white uniform. Their eyes lit up at the sight of Zac.