Tropical Tangle

by Adrian C. Bott

  ‘Hold it right there, kid!’ yelled a voice.

  Axel froze.

  Scrambling towards him were two figures in guard uniforms. ‘You ain’t meant to be here!’ yelled the nearest. ‘Everyone’s supposed to be up top, welcoming Mister Grabbem!’

  ‘Everyone except us,’ said the second figure, punching the first in the arm. ‘We got demoted down to full-time guard duty, because someone kept blowing all our pilot missions.’

  ‘Yeah, and that someone was you!’

  Axel only just managed to keep from face-palming on the spot.

  Of all the people Grabbem could have left to guard the Plunderer, they had to pick these two idiots: Alpha One and Alpha Gold!

  Axel had crossed paths with the two Alpha boys before. They were as mean as rattlesnakes, as treacherous as cobras, and about as smart as gummy worms. This was the closest he’d ever been to them, though. Most times they had been chasing him in some kind of vehicle, while he’d been in BEAST. Seeing them in the flesh like this was a shock. One was pale and scrawny, with beady, scowling little eyes, like a shaved weasel with a moustache. The other was hefty and grumpy.

  ‘Who are ya?’ demanded Alpha One.

  ‘What are you doin’ here?’ demanded Alpha Gold.

  ‘Answer my question first,’ Alpha One said.

  Alpha Gold stepped forward. ‘Don’t pay any attention to him. You’re my prisoner. I saw you first. Answer my question.’

  ‘Like heck you saw him first!’

  Axel kept his mouth tightly shut, thinking: How am I going to get out of this one?

  While the Alpha boys yelled at one another about whose prisoner Axel was, he quickly darted away and ran towards the water. If BEAST was still waiting for him under the surface, he might be able to escape.

  ‘No you don’t,’ hollered Alpha One, and dashed after him. He caught Axel around the waist and slammed him to the ground.

  ‘Stupid kid,’ sneered Alpha Gold. ‘Where did ya think you’d run to?’

  ‘Let’s take him up to the mansion,’ Alpha One said. ‘Reckon the boss is going to want to have words with him.’

  ‘Now that’s the first sensible thing you’ve said all day!’

  Axel struggled, but the two Alpha boys were already dragging him towards the elevator. They wrestled him inside. The double doors hissed shut and the elevator began to climb.

  Axel thought: Uh-oh. No way back to BEAST now!

  The elevator trundled upwards in awkward silence.

  ‘Still not talkin’, huh?’ said Alpha One.

  ‘You boys don’t seem worth talking to,’ said Axel.

  Alpha One frowned at him. ‘You seem kind of familiar. Have we ever run into you before?’

  ‘Oh, I’m sure I’d remember coming across a pair of guards as tough as you. I think it would stick in my mind forever.’

  The elevator doors opened.

  ‘This way, smart-mouth,’ grunted Alpha Gold.

  ‘Where we gonna keep him?’ mused Alpha One. ‘This place don’t have no holding cells.’

  ‘I know just the place,’ said Alpha Gold with a smirk. ‘Little bitty storeroom with a keypad lock. He couldn’t guess the combination, not in a million years!’

  It took Axel a lot of effort to keep the smile off his face.

  The Alpha boys frogmarched him down empty corridors until they reached the storeroom. It was piled high with cleaning products. They pushed Axel in and slammed the door.

  ‘Listen,’ said Alpha One. Thumping music was coming from above. ‘The Grabbems are havin’ a party.’

  ‘Let’s go join ’em!’ crowed Alpha Gold. ‘We caught us an intruder. We’re bound to get fat promotions now!’

  Axel waited until the sound of their footsteps had died away completely.

  Time to go to work, he thought. He adjusted his smart visor and looked at the keypad until the combination popped up. A few quick key presses, and the door lock clicked open.

  He ran out into the main corridor. There was nobody around.

  ‘Now what?’ he whispered to himself. ‘Find the bomb, and stop it going off. Okay. But where in heck is it?’

  He knuckled his forehead in frustration. Things still didn’t add up. Omega had thought the atomic bomb had something to do with powering the Plunderer, but now Axel knew the Plunderer used magma as a power source. There was no way for both things to be true. Nothing made sense. There wasn’t even any magma anywhere nearby for it to use …

  Axel froze.

  Agent Omega had mentioned an atoll near the island.

  What was an atoll?

  The remains of a volcano.

  And what’s inside a volcano?

  Magma.

  The Grabbems were planning to blow up the atoll and restart the volcano, so they could use it as a power source for the Plunderer. That was what the bomb was for! They’d have their own magma supply. Free energy for the machine that would chew up the ocean floor for hundreds of kilometres all around!

  Axel had to keep moving or he’d be discovered for sure. He found the elevator and thumbed the top button, which was marked Executive Suites.

  The elevator doors opened onto luxurious corridors carpeted in red, and decked out with chandeliers and golden ornaments. As he tried to figure out which way to go, a guard turned the corner and came right towards him. Axel shoved open the nearest door and dived inside.

  The smell hit him first: sweaty socks, old pizza crusts and unwashed underpants. Then the sound: a long, snotty rattle. It was a snore.

  Axel looked around the room in awe and horror. It must have been a lovely room once. Now, posters covered every part of the walls, showing thrash metal bands covered in face makeup and fake blood. The floor was ankle-deep in pizza boxes and crumpled comics. One of the walls was taken up with an enormous TV, under which lay at least five different game consoles and an assortment of games.

  In the double bed was a humped figure. That was where the snoring – and much of the smell – was coming from.

  It was Gus Grabbem Junior, Axel’s archenemy. Of all the places he could have chosen to hide, he’d picked Gus’s personal room.

  There was a knock on the door. ‘Gussie? Sweetums? Are you coming out any time soon?’

  That must be his mum, Axel thought.

  The knock came again, louder. ‘Honey, it’s nearly time! We’re going to take the yacht over to the atoll, have some lunch, then you get to push the big red button!’

  Gus mumbled something and stirred.

  Axel had to do something, and fast.

  He tried to do an imitation of Gus’s drawl. ‘I ain’t feelin’ too good, Mum,’ he croaked, and added a cough for effect.

  ‘Oh, darling, you sound terrible! I told you not to eat all that caviar. I’m coming in.’

  ‘No!’ gasped Axel. ‘Just let me rest awhile … I’ll be fine. I’ll be up soon.’

  ‘Well, we all can’t wait to see you,’ purred Gus’s mother. ‘Oh, your dad says you and he could maybe go scuba diving and shoot a few fish for the barbecue before the big kaboom. But I’ll tell him to wait until your tummy and your bummy settle down.’

  As Gus’s mother moved away, the stirrings of a desperate idea took shape in Axel’s mind. It meant digging through the disgusting rubbish that lay all around this room, but he’d just have to hold his nose and hope his stomach could stand it.

  He rummaged around until he found Gus’s scuba outfit. While Gus snored, he quickly changed into it. The tight material covered his entire body, except for his face. He used some athlete’s foot powder to make his skin look paler, pulled the diving mask on and hoped that would be enough to disguise him.

  ‘Should work, if nobody looks too close,’ he muttered. ‘Geez. The things I have to do to save the world!’

  Crossing his fingers, he headed out and took the elevator down to the ground floor of the mansion.

  The hallway was crowded with Grabbem staff. Guards stood on every corner. Nobody stopped him as he walked past.
Some of them even saluted.

  His heartbeat thumped in his ears. They all think I’m Gus. So far, so good. He felt very exposed without BEAST’s comforting, armoured body covering him.

  He continued down the path and out over the sandy beach.

  The Grabbem yacht was moored just off the shore. On the deck, Gus Grabbem Senior and his wife were lounging in deckchairs, wearing sunglasses, looking out over the sea as if they were about to enjoy a pleasure cruise. Captain Fenton loomed over them.

  ‘Gussie! Take a seat. Nearly time for the big kaboom!’ called Gus Grabbem Senior. He waved a handheld device. There was a big red button on it.

  ‘You should be grateful. Your dad spent a lot of money on this atom bomb,’ said Captain Fenton.

  ‘And we’ve only got the one,’ added Gus Grabbem Senior. ‘So let’s make the most of it, eh?’

  Axel glanced nervously at the sea’s surface. There was no sign of BEAST.

  Next moment a shout rang out from the mansion. ‘Mum? Dad? Where’s my scuba gear?’

  Axel spun around to see a very angry Gus Grabbem Junior striding down the beach. He saw Axel and his eyes grew wide. ‘What – who the heck are you?’

  ‘We thought that was you, Gussie!’ his mother frowned.

  ‘Of course it’s not me, you dozy old bat! I’m me. That guy there is an impostor, and he’s wearing my stuff!’ Gus was practically hopping on the spot with rage.

  Gus Grabbem Senior stood up, casting a broad, threatening shadow over the water. ‘Guards, get him!’

  Six or seven guards immediately charged down from the house, running right at Axel.

  Gus Grabbem Junior came running at him too. ‘Get that mask off,’ he yelled. ‘I want a good look at you!’

  With the Grabbems and their guards closing in, Axel had only one move left.

  He sprinted down towards the beach and waded into the water.

  ‘Don’t worry, son!’ bellowed Gus Grabbem Senior. ‘I’ll get the little blighter for you!’ He ran to the railing and dived over the edge, still holding the big red button.

  But the splash never came. A metal tentacle shot up from the water and caught Gus Grabbem Senior around the ankle. He dangled in the air, howling and flailing his arms about.

  Axel saw two familiar-looking blue eyes shining dimly under the water. It was BEAST – and he was in OCTO form!

  ‘BEAST! Good to see you. We need to stop that bomb!’

  BEAST shook Gus Grabbem Senior like a bottle of tomato sauce. The big red button fell out of his hands. BEAST caught it deftly with another tentacle and flung it far out to sea.

  ‘Nooooo!’ screamed Gus Grabbem Junior. ‘My bomb!’

  BEAST struck out with two more of his tentacles, knocking the oncoming Grabbem guards off their feet. They floundered in the shallows.

  He dropped Gus Grabbem Senior into the water, then picked up Axel, gently lowered him into his cockpit, and sealed the canopy. They dived back under the surface.

  ‘Get us to the atoll,’ Axel gasped. ‘The moment they find that big red button, the bomb’s going to go off!’

  They went powering through the water as fast as BEAST could travel.

  ‘AXEL?’ said BEAST. ‘I AM SORRY.’

  ‘Me, too. Let’s never fight like that again, okay?’

  ‘OKAY.’

  They roared along just under the surface. The atoll appeared on the horizon.

  Next moment, a torpedo shot past them and exploded. Axel checked behind. Three mini-submarines were in pursuit, and the one in the front was a shiny black model bristling with weapons.

  ‘Gus and the Alpha boys,’ he said. ‘I knew they wouldn’t let us go that easily.’

  BEAST spun around in the water. He raised all eight of his metal tentacles. Another torpedo came whizzing towards them, but BEAST struck out with a tentacle like a whiplash and knocked it off course.

  Gus Grabbem Junior’s voice came hissing over the radio. ‘I should have figured it was you, fart-boy! How does my scuba gear feel, huh? Just can’t resist stealing my stuff, can you?’

  ‘Those subs are powerful,’ Axel said. ‘One hit and we’re finished.’

  ‘WE CAN FIGHT THEM, AXEL,’ BEAST said bravely. ‘TOGETHER.’

  ‘But it’s three against one!’

  ‘THREE AGAINST TWO.’

  The subs closed in. Axel gripped the controls and got ready to fight. If a battle royale was what Gus wanted, they’d give him one …

  ‘No!’ he heard himself saying. ‘No, this is wrong. We don’t need to fight. We need to get rid of that bomb!’

  ‘AXEL?’

  ‘BEAST, get out of the water. Shift to HARPY form. Hurry!’

  Inside his lethal mini-sub, Gus Grabbem Junior licked his lips and grinned in anticipation. The boy who’d stolen his robot had gotten away too many times. Now, at last, they could settle this.

  Then he saw BEAST had turned around again and was speeding towards the surface.

  ‘Chicken!’ he screeched. ‘I see you, running away! What’s wrong? Ain’t got the guts to fight? Well, I win this one! I win and you lose! YOU LOSE!’

  The words stung Axel’s pride, but he forced himself to ignore them. They could have a rematch another time. He had bigger fish to fry right now.

  BEAST shifted form as he broke the water’s surface. His arms expanded out into wide metal wings. His feet sprouted long claws. He looked like a winged dinosaur, or a harpy out of the ancient myths.

  ‘There’s the atoll,’ Axel said. ‘And I see the bomb. BEAST, use your claws. Try to grab it.’

  BEAST swooped in towards the silver cylinder that lay in the atoll’s lagoon. His claws caught hold of it. Then they were rising back up through the air, hauling the deadly cargo with them.

  ‘WHERE SHALL I PUT IT?’ BEAST asked.

  Axel thought quickly. ‘Where’s the safest place on Earth to detonate an atomic bomb?’

  ‘PERHAPS THE MIDDLE OF THE NEVADA DESERT, BUT WE CANNOT REACH THERE IN TIME.’

  ‘Oh, man. Talk about a hot potato. I need to come up with an idea, and fast!’

  ‘I AM SORRY, AXEL. CREATURES WILL BE AT RISK WHEREVER IT IS DETONATED. THERE IS NO TRULY SAFE PLACE ON EARTH TO EXPLODE SUCH A BOMB.’

  Axel’s mouth fell open. ‘No safe place on Earth. Of course. That’s the answer.’

  ‘EXPLAIN?’

  ‘BEAST, keep flying up. Fly as high as you can.’

  ‘AND THEN?’

  ‘Then just keep going.’

  So BEAST, trusting Axel completely, did as he was told.

  He flew up until the islands below were tiny green flecks in a mantle of blue. He flew up past the clouds, up to where the air was freezing and thin. Soon his wings began to groan and his body shook from the strain.

  ‘I CANNOT CLIMB ANY HIGHER IN THIS FORM, AXEL. I WILL BE DESTROYED.’

  ‘Change form. Shift to ORBITA.’

  BEAST began to transform. Solar panels unfolded from his back. The arm-wings vanished, to be replaced with complicated grabbers. Little rockets emerged from his thighs. Axel saw new readouts appearing, showing oxygen levels and orbital speed.

  The rockets fired. BEAST shot straight up again, heading away from Earth. Axel held his breath as the horizon steadily became more and more curved. He could make out whole continents now.

  ‘INCOMING SIGNAL. DEVICE IS ABOUT TO DETONATE,’ warned BEAST.

  ‘Looks like they found the big red button. Quick, let’s get rid of it!’

  BEAST hurled the bomb away from them. It spun silently away into space, far away from any living creature that it could harm.

  KA-BOOOOOOOM!

  For an instant, space lit up with the brightness of a second sun. Axel shielded his eyes. The atomic blast expanded out in a brilliant, colourful aurora, not the mushroom cloud Axel had expected. For something so deadly, it was strangely beautiful.

  As he watched, the firestorm slowly died away and the peaceful darkness of space closed in once again. Axel felt peaceful, too. Th
e fearsome bomb hadn’t harmed even a barnacle.

  ‘There it goes. We did it. It’s over.’ ‘WE DID IT,’ echoed BEAST.

  ‘No bomb, no volcano. No geothermal power source. The Plunderer’s useless to them now.’

  ‘BEAST FELT USELESS, TOO. BUT NOT ANYMORE.’

  ‘Good. Because you’re not. You’re amazing. And you’re my best friend.’

  ‘SHALL WE GO HOME?’

  ‘Not just yet. We’re in space! I want to make the most of it.’

  Now he could relax and enjoy the view. Axel looked out over the bright field of stars and the darkness between them, deeper even than the blackness far beneath the sea.

  He felt very small, but not in a way that made him feel scared. He knew the stars were many light years away, but he felt closer to them than ever. The universe was unthinkably big, but he and BEAST still had a place in it, and they belonged there.

  He turned to look at Earth, hanging beside them in space.

  That’s the place BEAST and I are sworn to protect, he thought. I’ve never seen her like this before. It feels like saying ‘hello’ face to face, for the first time.

  He watched the planet in silence for a few moments, thinking how lucky he was. If it hadn’t been for BEAST, he never would have had this experience.

  ‘You know, BEAST,’ he said, ‘this new smart visor is great, and it means I can do more by myself. But that doesn’t mean I need you any less.’

  ‘REALLY?’

  ‘Really! I nearly got myself killed back there – more than once! You came through for me, though. I know I can count on you.’

  BEAST thought about that. ‘PERHAPS AXEL IS NOT GOING TO OUTGROW BEAST ANYTIME SOON. PERHAPS BEAST HAS BEEN WORRYING FOR NO REASON.’

  ‘Don’t sweat it, big guy. It happens to us all now and then.’ Axel grinned. ‘Come on. Let’s go home.’

  ADRIAN C. BOTT is a gamer, writer and professional adventure-creator. He lives in Sussex, England with his family and is allowed to play video games whenever he wants.

  ANDY ISAAC lives in Melbourne, Australia. He discovered his love of illustration through comic books when he was eight years old, and has been creating his own characters ever since.