Spy Dog: Rocket Rider

by Andrew Cope

  Contents

  0. Space Trivia

  1. Family Tree

  2. Gadget Heaven

  3. Secret Files

  4. Action Plan

  5. The Silent Legend

  6. Decision Time

  7. Stowaway

  8. Contact!

  9. Much Farther to Father?

  10. Leo the Lyin’

  11. Dangerous Dogs Act

  12. Space Age

  13. Rendezvous

  14. Stowaway Kids

  15. Climbing Solo

  16. Proud

  17. Tug of Life

  18. Lift-off!

  19. ‘Make My Day!’

  20. Serious Condition

  21. A New Beginning?

  PUFFIN BOOKS

  Place your finger in the middle of a map of Great Britain. That’s exactly where Andrew Cope lives with his wife, children and pet dog Lara. Andrew’s family adopted Lara from the RSPCA when she was a tiny pup. They kept feeding her and she grew into something a bit unusual. In fact, Andrew used to call Lara ‘ugly’ until it was pointed out to him that owners look like their dogs. Andrew has since changed his mind. He now describes Lara as completely gorgeous, super-sophisticated and highly intelligent. There’s even a chance that she could be undercover as the world’s one and only spy dog.

  If you want Lara or her puppy to visit your school, please email her at lara@artofbrilliance.co.uk. They’ll probably have to bring Andrew Cope along too, but don’t let that put you off. Or you can find out more about the Spy Dog and Spy Pups books online at www.spydog451.co.uk, where there are pictures, videos and competitions too!

  Books by Andrew Cope

  Spy Dog

  Spy Dog Captured!

  Spy Dog Unleashed!

  Spy Dog Superbrain

  Spy Dog Rocket Rider

  Spy Dog Secret Santa

  Spy Dog Teacher’s Pet

  Spy Dog Rollercoaster!

  Spy Dog Brainwashed

  Spy Dog Mummy Madness

  Spy Pups Treasure Quest

  Spy Pups Prison Break

  Spy Pups Circus Act

  Spy Pups Danger Island

  Spy Pups Survival Camp

  Spy Pups Training School

  Spy Cat Summer Shocker

  Spy Dog Joke Book

  For my favourite nephews and nieces:

  Marconi, The Great Lorenzo, Hayles, Spud,

  Jimmy Jango, Mog and Mel

  0. Space Trivia

  Definitely true …

  Neil Armstrong was the first person to set foot on the moon. This was a major step for Neil and a giant leap for humankind. All this happened way before you were born.

  Still 100% true …

  A lesser-known fact is that Neil Armstrong was beaten in the space race … by a dog. The Russians and the Americans were competing to see which nation would be the first to reach the moon. Nobody was quite sure what space was like. Would it be safe for humans? Would aliens shoot down our spaceships? Was the moon really made of cheese?

  In the early days of space exploration, it was too dangerous to send humans, so the Russians sent a dog. Three dogs made the shortlist – Albina, Mushka and Laika. A top Russian scientist was in charge of deciding which dog would be the first animal ever to venture into space.

  More facts …

  The Russians selected Laika. She was a supremely intelligent stray dog with silly-looking ears. Laika was three years old when they strapped her into her seat in the Russian rocket Sputnik 2 and she took off into space. It was a serious leap for doggie-kind!

  Laika the space dog

  And one more fact …

  Laika’s body went through enormous pressure as the rocket blasted off. Her pulse rate nearly trebled but she reached orbit and the stray from Moscow became the first ever living creature in space. She ate her dinner as she circled 2,000 miles above the Earth! Imagine the view. That’s one awesome mutt!

  So what happened to Laika the ‘Space Dog’?

  It was more than twenty years before Russia decided to tell the world what happened to the first animal that orbited the Earth. The official story is that poor Laika died in space. But after so long how do we know that’s the truth? What if she didn’t?

  What if she’s still up there?

  What if aliens got her?

  And here’s an even bigger ‘what if?’… We know Laika, the Russian stray with funny ears, had enough food to last several days. What if she circled the Earth a few times before following her training and landing her spacecraft in the Atlantic Ocean? What if she was picked up by a Russian ship? Everything was top secret so the scientist and Laika could have slipped out of the country and retired somewhere else in the world. What if the scientist continued to work with Laika, attempting to produce dogs with supreme intelligence? Laika’s descendants could still be alive today!

  As for the truth? Sometimes it is stranger than fiction.

  1. Family Tree

  The animal neighbourhood watch team was shaping up well. Lara had recruited fourteen dogs, five cats, two guinea pigs and a tortoise. There hadn’t been a single reported crime in the last six months.

  Scottie could now bounce on the trampoline and get through upstairs windows, so Lara had put him in charge of search and rescue. Rex had been transformed from a wagging machine to a fighting machine. As the biggest dog, he’d been taught to growl and bare his teeth at the first sign of trouble.

  ‘I know you’re a big softie on the inside,’ woofed Lara, ‘but sometimes you can fool people into thinking you’re hard by looking tough on the outside.’

  Patch had the loudest bark, so he was in charge of emergency signalling. Three Patch barks was the signal for danger. A Patch howl was the call for a meeting. A Patch ‘howl, bark, bark, howl’ meant he needed a wee! Cindy was the fastest, so she was allocated the role of chief fetcher and carrier. If there were any long-distance messages to get to the other side of town, Cindy was proud to take them.

  The animals had been transformed from a ramshackle bunch of pets to a highly trained neighbourhood watch unit. And Lara, their leader, watched proudly over them.

  Their commander-in-chief was officially retired from active service as a spy dog, but old habits die hard. She’d shared a few daring stories with the neighbourhood pets and they were desperate to learn some of the techniques she’d used at spy school.

  ‘The Secret Service still call me by my code name, GM451,’ she’d told her wide-eyed audience. In their eyes, Lara was a super-sophisticated highly trained multi-talented hero. A pet that could understand several languages (English, Italian, Russian, Cat and even basic Dolphin!), send emails and drive a car. They’d marvelled when Lara had organized the annual animal neighbourhood watch summer party and she’d been in charge of the barbecue. A while back they’d seen her driving a car through the village and they knew she’d caught several baddies, including an evil dog smuggler and a dastardly diamond robber. To top it all off, their leader had been summoned to Buckingham Palace to receive an honour from the Queen. And now, here she was, Dame Lara, passing on some of her skills to the pet security team.

  ‘OK,’ barked Lara, ‘inspection parade before we learn a new skill.’

  ‘Cor, a new skill,’ woofed Tigger, bouncing with excitement. ‘I wonder what she’ll teach us today?’

  The pets lined up and Lara barked a command of ‘Sit!’. Twenty-two animal bottoms hit the grass. The commander watched while George the tortoise took his time, balancing carefully on the bottom of his shell.

  One false move and he’ll be over on to his back, legs kicking helplessly in the air again, thought Lara.

  Lara wandered along the line, noddi
ng in appreciation. ‘Nice, Felix,’ she said, noting the tabby cat sitting with tummy in and chest out. She raised an eyebrow at Spot, who breathed in and filled his lungs to capacity. ‘Excellent,’ she nodded. ‘And chin up, old fella.’

  Lara reached the end of the line and nodded again approvingly. ‘At ease,’ she commanded as a few tummies sagged in relief. ‘Today’s lesson,’ she woofed, ‘is bike riding.’

  George was so shocked that he toppled backwards and his scaly legs started to pump in slow motion. Patch nosed the reptile back up and George’s head disappeared indoors in shame.

  ‘George, you’re excused,’ Lara woofed reassuringly. ‘I have something extra special lined up for you.’ A grey head appeared from the shell and a tail at the other end. Lara could almost see it wagging in excitement.

  ‘You never know when you’ll need extra speed and this represents a possible solution,’ said Lara, pointing to one of the bikes she’d brought to the meeting. ‘And for those with shorter legs you might like to try this model,’ she suggested, jabbing her paw towards a three-wheeled one. ‘Now … who’s up first?’ she barked. ‘How about you, Jake? You’re the same size as me so I can hold you while you get going.’

  Jake’s eye twitched, part in excitement and part in fear. Lara had nominated him because the slightly mad Labrador was always full of beans. I need a risk taker, she thought.

  ‘No problem, boss,’ he yapped excitedly. ‘The least I can do is give it my best shot.’

  ‘That’s the spirit,’ encouraged Lara, fixing a cycling helmet to Jake’s bony head. Lara wheeled the bike to the far end of the garden. ‘Pedals to go. Brake to stop. And handlebars for steering,’ she woofed. ‘The bike is designed for humans so the brakes can be tricky, but I’m certain you’ll get the hang of it.’

  Jake nodded. He’d been chosen and was so proud.

  Lara held the bike while the Labrador climbed aboard. He rested his feet on the pedals and his front paws on the handlebars.

  ‘Ready?’ barked Lara.

  ‘As I’ll ever be,’ replied Jake, his back legs shaking a little.

  ‘And away we go,’ woofed Lara, standing on her hind legs and giving the saddle a little shove forward. The pet audience applauded as Jake’s legs began to pump and he wobbled his way out of the garden gate. The animals rushed out into the cul-de-sac to watch, George taking up the rear. They marvelled as Lara trotted behind Jake for a little while and then held their breath as she let go. The bike wobbled but Jake stayed aboard as he gathered pace down the hill.

  ‘I’m doing it, Lara!’ he yapped. ‘But don’t let go, will you?’

  Lara looked at the assembled crowd and shrugged. Too late for that, she thought.

  ‘How do I stop again?’ came a rather worried woof.

  ‘The brakes,’ barked Lara from afar. ‘Pull the lever and you’ll stop.’

  At this point the assembled team learnt a valuable lesson. ‘Never look backwards when you’re riding a bike,’ Lara explained as Jake’s nose pointed towards them. ‘Otherwise you’ll lose your balance.’

  All eyes went back to Jake. His legs had now left the pedals and the wobbles seemed uncontrollable. He weaved between two lamp posts and narrowly missed a wheelie bin before hitting number 27’s hedge at some speed. They heard a howl and watched Jake’s back legs disappear over the hedge and then a splash as he landed in the paddling pool.

  ‘And lesson number two,’ barked Lara, ‘don’t apply the front brakes too hard.’

  A soggy Jake emerged from number 27. A huge round of applause greeted him as he trotted back to the team. George had made it to the gate but missed all the action. ‘What happened?’ he asked, his tortoise eyes shining.

  ‘Jake here has just become the world’s second bike-riding dog,’ Lara told him. ‘He needs a bit more practice, especially at stopping, but boy has he got potential.’

  Jake shook himself dry and sat proudly.

  George was pleased for Jake but he couldn’t help feeling a bit jealous. He’d spoken to Lara about his need for speed and she’d devised a special training programme and diet to enhance his athletic ability. By tortoise standards George was a real mover but he had no chance of keeping up with the rest of the team.

  ‘And one last thing,’ woofed Lara. ‘I said I had something extra special for George.’ All eyes turned to the tortoise and he sat tall on the end of his shell. Lara opened a wooden box and produced a skateboard and harness. ‘George now has some wheels. With a bit of practice, he is about to become the fastest tortoise in the world!’

  George toppled over again, his chunky legs waving about in the air.

  Bless him, thought Lara. The excitement’s just too much.

  The meeting broke up and the animals left, many chatting excitedly. Lara smiled with pride. Sure, they’re a bit rough round the edges. But what courage. And teamwork. And enthusiasm!

  Her two-year intensive spy-dog training had secured her place as top dog … by a mile. But the best of the rest was Potter. He was her favourite. As the rest of the animals disappeared, Potter sat wagging enthusiastically. A handsome black shaggy pedigree with shining eyes, Potter was a good all-rounder with a positive attitude and Lara was grooming him to be second-in-command.

  ‘That was another great meeting,’ barked Potter. ‘I love the fact you’ve designed some wheels for George. When he gets the hang of them he’ll be the fastest tortoise ever!’

  ‘That’s just phase one,’ woofed Lara. ‘I’ve asked Professor Cortex to design an extra-special gadget,’ she explained. ‘He’ll be transformed into a supertortoise.’

  ‘Wow!’ said Potter. ‘He’ll be so excited.’

  Lara smiled a doggie smile as she and Potter trotted side by side. Her thoughts turned to another subject – something that she’d been spending a lot of time thinking about in the last few days.

  ‘Potter,’ she asked, ‘can I ask you about family?

  Potter listened hard, the sound of doggie paws tapping on the pavement.

  ‘Do you know who your mum and dad are?’ woofed Lara.

  ‘Well, I don’t get to see them,’ replied Potter, ‘but I have certificates to say who they are and I know where they live.’

  ‘And aren’t you curious about seeing them?’ Lara woofed.

  The dogs stopped at the crossing and Lara pressed the button.

  ‘Not really,’ admitted Potter. ‘I have a brilliant family. My owners are the best ever and I love them to bits.’

  The green man beeped and Lara looked right and left before crossing the road. ‘I love mine too,’ she agreed. ‘Being a family pet is wonderful. It’s just that I don’t have certificates. I don’t know who my parents are or where they’re from. Or even if they’re still alive.’ The dogs walked together towards their homes. It was a chilly evening and the drizzle made it look a bit misty. ‘I’m the happiest dog in the world. It just makes me wonder, that’s all,’ thought Lara aloud.

  ‘I don’t think you should wonder too much, Lara,’ wagged Potter. ‘Dogs aren’t supposed to wonder. Have you heard the phrase “man’s best friend”? That’s what we should focus on. Find a great family and then be man’s best friend.’

  ‘And women and children,’ added Lara. ‘I know you’re right, Potter. But I don’t even have a name. The Secret Service gave me a reference number. I’m just “GM451”. OK, so it says “LARA” on my collar but that just stands for “Licensed Assault and Rescue Animal”. I sometimes wonder what my parents named me … and who they are.’

  The dogs trotted in silence for a couple of minutes. Lara’s mind was racing with thoughts of her family. She’d lived with Mr and Mrs Cook and their children – Ben, Sophie and Ollie – since they’d adopted her from the RSPCA almost a year ago.

  Well, technically it was me that chose them, she thought, but I always let them think it was the other way around. And I can’t believe how well I’ve settled in and how lucky I am to have the best family a dog could wish for. Lara cast her mind back to her spy
-dog days. Of course, working for the Secret Service was exciting, she thought. But being a family pet is so much more rewarding. And we’ve had plenty of adventures too. It’s not that I go looking for adventure … it sort of seeks me out!

  Lara and Potter arrived at the Cooks’ house. It was late and the lights were out. Lara pressed the numbers on the security pad and opened the door. Potter shook his shaggy coat and wiped his feet before padding into the house.

  ‘Can you stay a while?’ asked Lara. ‘And talk about your family?’

  ‘I’d love to,’ woofed Potter. The two dogs snuggled in Lara’s basket and chatted long into the night.

  2. Gadget Heaven

  Professor Cortex was thoroughly enjoying his break from spy school. ‘Real school is brilliant,’ he told Lara. ‘I adore teaching. And, I’ll tell you this, GM451, the children are such willing volunteers.’

  The professor was a workaholic. The school bell went at 3.15 p.m. but his science classroom was lit up most of the night as he huddled over experiments. The professor wasn’t really a teacher at all. He’d spent the last forty years working for the Secret Service, heading up the animal spy school where Lara had trained. Lara always thought that he put the ‘mad’ in ‘mad professor’.

  Not everyone understood his lessons but there was no doubting they were fun. His science classes involved a series of explosions, potions and inventions. His love of the subject came across in everything he did. When he covered a maths session he taught the children about Einstein. In geography he built a volcano that spewed out popcorn and in music the children had learnt the theme tune to Doctor Who.

  Ben, Sophie, Ollie and Lara were ushered into the science lab on a Sunday morning. Professor Cortex was very excited, rubbing his hands in anticipation and hopping about in what Sophie called the ‘mad professor dance’.

  ‘I’m sooo delighted you could make it so early,’ beamed the professor, ignoring the fact that Ben was wiping sleep from his eyes. ‘I don’t have a spy school any more, but that hasn’t stopped me experimenting. And I’ve got some wonderful inventions to show you.’