Danger Dan Confronts the Merlion Mastermind

by Monica Lim

  The Fly zipped across the office before hovering over the secretary’s desk. On it was an open black book.

  “There it is! Bat woman’s appointment book,” whispered Danny. “Go closer.” Before Melody could adjust the Fly, the children heard the clackety-clack of high heels coming up the steps.

  “She’s coming back!” hissed Melody in alarm. “Quick, hide!” The two of them ran towards the nearest door opposite Fraser-Brunner’s office. Thankfully, it was unlocked and they found themselves in a dark storage room. Leaving the door open just a crack, they saw the secretary unlock Fraser-Brunner’s office and enter it.

  “Phew! That was close,” said Danny as the children cautiously came out of the storage room. Melody re-projected the hologram with her hair clip and continued controlling the Fly. Unfortunately, the secretary was now seated at her desk and no matter where Melody moved the Fly, its view was blocked by the secretary’s poufy hair.

  “Ooohh…I hate her hair,” muttered Melody. She shifted the Fly closer to the secretary and zoomed in with the Fly-Cam, hoping to get a good look at Fraser-Brunner’s appointment book. Just then, the hologram showed the image of a massive hand approaching them.

  The Fly-Cam was sent reeling. “Yikes!” Melody fumbled over the controls but it was no use. The out-of-control Fly continued to somersault through the air before spiralling downwards. Danny watched in alarm. He was afraid the delicate Fly would break when it hit the hard tiled floor.

  “Don’t you ever play computer games?” asked Danny agitatedly. He snatched the hair clip from Melody and started to work the controls. The Fly swerved upwards just in time. It spun around once before flying back towards the secretary. Melody was secretly quite impressed.

  Danger Dan expertly circles the Fly around the evil Bat woman. He tilts the Fly and its wings brush against the Bat woman’s scowling face. The Bat woman is angry and she takes a huge swipe at the Fly. “Engaging evasive manoeuvres!” Danger Dan works furiously at the controls and the Fly accurately swoops in between the Bat woman’s fingers, escaping unharmed. “Haha! You can’t catch me!” teases Danger Dan, as he twists and turns the Fly to avoid all of Bat woman’s swats.

  By now, the secretary was completely obsessed with trying to shoo the fly away but her efforts were in vain. Melody stifled her laughter as she watched the secretary flail her arms around randomly. The secretary soon gave up. Looking very flustered, she left her desk to make herself a cup of coffee.

  Now was their chance! Danny positioned the Fly above the open page of the appointment book and zoomed in on it. The Fly-Cam perfectly captured the handwritten entry: Thursday, 3.30pm: Queen Elizabeth Walk.

  “I’ve got it!” trumpeted Danny. “Take that, you evil Bat woman! You’re no match for Danger Dan!” He turned the Fly around and flew it back out from underneath the door.

  Melody re-attached the Fly to her chain. “Qwintastic!” she said. “Now let’s get out of here.”

  “Drats!” exclaimed Melody, looking at her watch. “It’s already 3.30pm! We’ve got to hurry or we may miss him.” Melody and Danny hurried down the stairs and out of the building.

  “Is Queen Elizabeth Walk close by?” asked Danny, running to keep up with Melody. Not for the first time, he wished he had longer legs.

  “It’s further up from RI. We have to go back to where we came from,” replied Melody, to which Danny groaned. “What? We have to take another trishaw? It’s so hot! Don’t you have a Hoverjet or something?”

  “Stop complaining!” said Melody crossly. “A trishaw is cheap and easy. I don’t have enough 1960s money for a taxi.” They walked across the park towards the road where there was no shortage of trishaws. Melody hailed one with a beige top and red checkered seat. The two children climbed on board.

  Even though the shade was up, it didn’t totally shield Danny from the afternoon sun and he grew unbearably warm. The exhaust from the passing cars and heat rising from the roads didn’t help. Danny’s T-shirt was soaked with perspiration and it stuck uncomfortably to his skin.

  “I’m hot. Sooooo hot,” moaned Danny. “Hot. Hot-hot-hot-hot-hot.” Melody ignored him. He began to sing mournfully under his breath:

  “If you’re hot and you know it, clap your hands. If you’re hot and you know it, clap your hands. If you’re hot and you know it, your sweaty face will surely show it. If you’re hot and you know it, clap your hands.”

  Melody sat next to him, stone-faced. After a moment of silence, Danny continued, “If you’re hot and you know it, stamp your fee—”

  “WILL YOU STOP THAT!” screeched Melody, startling the trishaw man who swerved to avoid the kerb.

  “But I’m HAAWWT…” complained Danny. “I know! Can I borrow your air-con jacket?” Danny showed Melody his most innocent, puppy dog eyes but it didn’t work.

  “NO! Just keep quiet!”

  Danny sighed. Suddenly, he grabbed Melody’s sleeve and lifted it to his face.

  “What on earth are you doing now?”

  “Trying to get some of the Kool air.” Danny spotted the temperature control cuff on Melody’s sleeve. “Hey! What does this do?” Before she could stop him, Danny had pressed the button that said ‘Maximum Kool Blast’.

  Melody’s air-con jacket inflated due to the sudden rush of cold air. It made her look rather ridiculous. She jerked her arm back and adjusted the temperature back to “Medium Kool”. She glared at Danny. “I should have picked a monkey to help me! I’m sure a monkey would have been less annoying than you.”

  To appease her, Danny changed the subject. “You never told me how old you are,” he asked. “Which year in the future are you from?”

  “I’m 14. And I’m from the year 2135.”

  Danny’s mind was blown. “Whoa! That must mean you’re like 1,000 years old!”

  Melody raised an eyebrow. “First of all, your Maths is terrible. Secondly, you’ve got it upside down. I’m young and you are the one who’s old. You’ll be long dead by the time I’m born.”

  “Whaatt?” Danny looked stunned. “I’ll be DEAD?”

  Melody was lost for words. She cupped her face as if she had a headache. Thankfully, they soon arrived at their destination. They got out of the trishaw and Melody paid the trishaw man.

  Queen Elizabeth Walk was a pretty and peaceful stretch. People were strolling down the wide brick path which was lined with trees and flowers. Over the railing, Danny could see many bumboats on the Singapore River.

  “It’s already 4pm,” said Melody anxiously, checking her watch. “I hope he hasn’t left!” Danny and Melody ran down the path, keeping their eyes peeled for anyone who might be Fraser-Brunner. They finally came to a grey-haired Caucasian man with glasses, standing by the railing. He was drawing in his sketchbook. “That must be him!” said Melody.

  They went up to him and Melody enquired, “Hi there, Mr Alec Fraser-Brunner?” The man turned around and looked at the two children. “Yes?” he asked, puzzled. Finally! They had found him!

  Melody beamed. “Mr Fraser-Brunner, we know you work at the Van Kleef Aquarium and understand that you do design as well. We’re great admirers of your work and were wondering if you could share with us what you’re sketching.”

  “Oh!” Fraser-Brunner looked surprised. “I didn’t know I had fans. It’s so nice to meet students interested in design. Since you both like my work, I’ll share a secret with you. I’m working on a new design for a logo. Maybe in time, it will come to represent Singapore. Want to see it?”

  Danny and Melody nodded. Fraser-Brunner turned his sketchbook to face them and proudly displayed his masterpiece. “Here it is—the Orchid de Lionhead!”

  The two children stared at the drawing of a lion with a mane of gigantic bright purple orchid petals. The lion had an open mouth and flared nostrils. Its slightly surprised expression made it look like it was about to sneeze. It also had one raised paw as if trying to swat an imaginary fly. To top it all off, the lion’s tail stood straight up like a flag pole.

&nb
sp; Danny couldn’t take his eyes off the drawing. He blurted out, “Ohhh! That’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen!”

  Fraser-Brunner was terribly offended. If looks could kill, Danny would have dropped dead on the spot. Fraser-Brunner slammed his sketchbook shut and stuffed it in his satchel.

  “Mr Fraser-Brunner, wait!” said Melody desperately, glaring daggers at Danny. Fraser-Brunner ignored her and slung his satchel over his shoulder. He turned to leave.

  Everything that happened next occurred so quickly that it caught both Melody and Danny by surprise. A bicycle whizzed past them and they saw Fraser-Brunner lurch backwards. He lost his balance and tumbled to the ground, sprawled on his back like an overturned turtle. Danny and Melody stood there dazed. It took them several seconds to realise what had just taken place. The man on the bicycle had snatched Fraser-Brunner’s satchel!

  Fraser-Brunner struggled to his feet, rubbing his sore shoulder. “Oi! He took my satchel! Quick, my satchel! Quick, quick!” he babbled and stumbled after the thief. Danny and Melody quickly ran after Fraser-Brunner even though they were rather bewildered. “What just happened?” Danny shouted to Melody who was running next to him. “Why are we running? Where? What? Huh?”

  Melody yelled in reply, “We can’t lose Fraser-Brunner again! Just follow him!” Queen Elizabeth Walk didn’t seem quite so peaceful any more. Fraser-Brunner was surprisingly fast for an elderly man. But even he was no match for a bicycle.

  The thief increased his lead. At the end of Queen Elizabeth Walk, he sped into an underpass. Sweating and panting, the pursuers followed suit. Their heavy footsteps clanged loudly on the metal sheeting and echoed off the walls of the tunnel.

  By the time they emerged from the underpass, the thief was nowhere to be seen.

  “Where did he go?” asked Danny, looking around wildly.

  “He must have gone that way!” cried Fraser-Brunner, running towards Victoria Theatre ahead.

  “Wait! But…what if he went over there…?” Melody spluttered. Determined not to let Fraser-Brunner slip away from them, she made an instant decision. “Never mind! Danny, you follow him! I’ll check out the building on this side!”

  Danny began to protest but Melody had already dashed off. “Aarrrggh! Why do you get to tell me what to do?” he muttered as he ran after Fraser-Brunner. “Fine, here I come.”

  Danger Dan is on the prowl! The hunt is on for the briefcase of secret documents. Danger Dan glares at Agent Orchid de Lionhead for having the top secret documents snatched from right under his nose. If they don’t retrieve the documents, the Sinister Spy will be able use the codes to blow up the world!

  The bronze statue of Sir Stamford Raffles caught Danny’s eye. He paused and imagined it was a statue of Danger Dan, built by the city in his honour. Folding his arms, he struck the same pose as the statue.

  The city clock tower strikes five. Time is running out! Admiring the statue will have to wait. For now, Danger Dan must track down the Sinister Spy who may be hiding in the old, abandoned theatre.

  Danger Dan and Agent Orchid de Lionhead scale the decrepit wooden staircase leading to the theatre. The wood is rotting and every step creaks. Moving like an elephant, Agent Orchid de Lionhead heavily lumbers to the top of the stairs. Danger Dan stumbles as the entire staircase shudders.

  Halfway up Victoria Theatre’s grand staircase, Danny’s shoelace came undone, causing him to trip and bump his knee painfully on the stairs. Pulling himself up on the smooth banister, he limped after Fraser-Brunner. On the second floor, Fraser-Brunner stopped in front of a pair of large doors. “Maybe he is hiding inside,” he said. Danny gave the heavy door a push. It wasn’t locked and they entered the main auditorium.

  Agent Orchid de Lionhead searches in between the theatre’s rows of dusty seats for the Sinister Spy. “Agent Orchid de Lionhead, this place is deserted. Are you sure the Sinister Spy is here?” asks Danger Dan doubtfully. Just then, Danger Dan’s supersonic hearing picks up on some strange music. It is very faint and seems to be coming from backstage. He signals to Agent Orchid de Lionhead to follow him.

  It is dark backstage except for a faint light coming from a dressing room. Danger Dan puts on his night vision goggles and is surprised by what he sees. A musician is playing a mournful song on a tuba. This must be the performer that was kidnapped by the Sinister Spy!

  The musician starts to play a rhythmic tune. Danger Dan suspects that the musician may be trying to communicate in code. But Danger Dan has no time to decipher codes. He has to find the Sinister Spy first.

  Just then, a large hand grips Danger Dan’s shoulder.

  Danger Dan spins around and comes face to face with the Malicious Minion, the Sinister Spy’s henchman. “You have no right to be here!” he bellows. The Malicious Minion is very fast and strong. He skilfully has Agent Orchid de Lionhead and Danger Dan in a stronghold. He drags them back downstairs and with a violent shove, throws them out of the theatre.

  A stagehand escorted Danny and Fraser-Brunner out of the theatre. Danny looked at Fraser-Brunner and asked accusingly, “Why did we even go into the theatre? The thief was on a bicycle! How could he have hidden there?”

  Fraser-Brunner looked thoughtful. “You know, I didn’t think of that…”

  Drats! Foiled by the Sinister Spy! Now all hopes rest on Gadget Girl!

  Melody ran to a massive white building to the left of Sir Stamford Raffles’ statue but saw only a couple of passers-by. She walked the length of the building’s front façade before she had a thought: Maybe he’s hiding behind the building. She decided to check it out.

  As Melody turned the corner towards the back of the building, she suddenly stopped in her tracks. The thief was just a few steps ahead of her! He had gotten off his bicycle to examine the contents of the stolen satchel. A cap partially hid his face and his metal watch glinted in the sunlight. Each of them spotted the other at the same time. Melody and the thief stared at each other. Both were equally taken aback.

  “You!” yelled Melody when she had recovered from her surprise, starting towards the thief. Regaining his composure, the thief scrambled back onto his bicycle to make his getaway.

  “NOOOOO!” screamed Melody in frustration. She knew she would never be able to catch him on his bicycle and she was already starting to feel tired. Without thinking, she grabbed a rock from the ground and flung it at the bicycle with all her might. Melody had never been a good shot but to her utter amazement, the rock hit its mark, striking the bicycle’s rear wheel. The bicycle veered out of control and the thief crashed to the ground.

  Much to Melody’s annoyance, the thief nimbly got to his feet, grabbed the satchel and dashed off on foot. “Man, this guy never gives up!” grumbled Melody, sprinting after him. She lost sight of him again when he turned the next corner. She was certain he was hiding behind one of the building’s many pillars. As she ran about checking behind the pillars, she saw, from the corner of her eye, a bicycle zipping past her. The thief had somehow eluded her and gone back to retrieve his bike!

  Melody gave chase. The thief rode onto Cavenagh Bridge. Exhausted, Melody shouted desperately, “STOP! Police! Stop right there!”

  To her horror, instead of stopping, the thief unslung the satchel with one hand and threw it over the bridge. He then sped away.

  “HELP! NEED HELP! H-E-L-P!!” Melody’s loud appeals caught the attention of Danny and Fraser-Brunner who were wandering around outside Victoria Theatre, searching for the thief. She waved madly at them. Seeing Melody, they rushed over and peered over the railing to the spot where she was pointing. The strap of Fraser-Brunner’s satchel was caught on a wooden beam protruding out from the edge of the bridge. It dangled dangerously over the Singapore River.

  “Oh no! My bag! My precious drawings!” yelped Fraser-Brunner.

  “Can’t you do something?” Danny urged Melody.

  “Qwigglepuff! What am I supposed to do?” retorted Melody. “Do you think my arms are that long?”

  “But you’r
e Gadget Girl!” cried Danny. “Don’t you have anything that can make you fly? Like Silver Wing?”

  “No! Do you expect me to just magically swoop down and get the bag?”

  “What about something long and stretchy?” persisted Danny. “Can you make your arm elastic like Flex Rex? Then you can just reach down and grab the bag!”

  “NO! I told you I’m not a superhe…Wait a minute! You may be right. I do have something stretchy.”

  Melody rolled up her right sleeve. On her wrist was what looked like an ordinary, black digital watch. She pressed a small, triangular purple button and the watch’s screen opened up. Melody aimed the watch downwards at the satchel and pressed the purple button again. A sleek, silver grappling hook shot out of the watch but missed the satchel completely.

  “More to the left!” directed Danny. Melody retracted the wire and took aim once again. This time, the grappling hook latched onto the satchel. “That’s great!” said Danny. “Now pull it up!”

  Melody pressed the purple button again to retract the wire. Unfortunately, the hook did not have a secure grip on the bag. When the wire recoiled, the satchel slipped off the grappling hook and slid further out onto the edge of the beam. Fraser-Brunner turned pale. “No!” gasped the elderly man.

  “Yikes! It’s going to drop!” said Danny anxiously. “Give it to me! Let me try.” Nervously, Melody removed her watch and handed it to Danny.

  Danger Dan has only 10 seconds left to retrieve the codes! He stands at the summit of Courage Cliff. From here, he can see everything. He spots the bag containing the secret codes at the cliff’s edge! Danger Dan grasps his compact cannon. Five seconds left! He squints through the cannon’s scope and takes aim. Three…two…one…FIRE! He launches a piercing retrieval arrow into the entrance of the lair. The arrow shoots through the air with an elastic line attached to it.