by Zac Harrison
John tried to make out what he was seeing. He could hear the crowds roaring below. But above, where the roof usually was, he saw an immense circular opening out onto space. Thousands of brilliant stars shone above him, taking his breath away.
The roof’s open! How have they DONE that? The atmosphere should be rushing out of the ship, taking everyone with it! It must be some sort of force field or artificial gravity!
As he drew nearer, he got a better look at the platform. It was the size of a skating rink, but with no barriers or walls – no sides at all, in fact. Almost invisible, it hung in the air below the open roof, with no physical struts or girders supporting it. It glowed faintly, pulsing with blue, and violet luminescence – like it was made simply of light and nothing else, like a digital platform in a computer game.
John noticed a beam of foggy reddish light thrumming up from below, the platform seeming to balance on it like a plate on a juggler’s stick. I get it! That must be a manipulator beam, like a giant version of the ones the Examiners use!
Two more coloured flaming globes were approaching the platform, glowing bright against the darkness. The roar of the crowd grew louder and louder.
There, in a green globe wreathed in emerald and turquoise flames, was Kaal. He was clutching Laserdon, whose wings gleamed with new silver fittings.
Mordant was in the other globe, which was a deep blue. Violet and indigo flames hissed and raged over it, like the eye of some mythical space dragon. They lit Mordant’s face from below, making it look skull-like and sinister.
The closer the three globes came to one another, the more fiercely their flames burned. Emmie was right, John thought to himself. This was the most spectacular entrance he’d ever made!
The globes drew up to the edges of the platform. As his eyes grew accustomed to the dark, John realized the cheering audience was packed into the balconies around the Centre. He could just make out Holo-Placards glowing dimly in the dark below, waving madly.
John took his cue from Kaal and Mordant, and stepped out onto the platform, holding his robot. The cheers were deafening now, bearing them up on an ocean of noise.
Walking on the near-invisible platform was like walking on thin air, and the length of the manipulator beam holding it in place made it clear just how far there was to fall.
Don’t think about it, John warned himself. There’s a battle to fight.
“Welcome, one and all, to the grand final of Robot Warriors! I’m sure this will be a contest you will remember for the rest of your lives...”
Lorem’s voice boomed out from all around, but John couldn’t see the headmaster himself anywhere. In fact, it was almost impossible to see anything, apart from the platform and his fellow finalists. This reminded John of the time he performed in the school production of Oliver last year, before he’d come to Hyperspace High. He hadn’t been able to see his mum and dad in the audience, nor anyone else. The bright spotlights shining on the stage cast everything else in complete shadow.
He quickly snapped back to reality. Lorem had just said his name. He forced himself to listen.
“For young John Riley, reaching the final has been a formidable challenge. He is from Earth, a planet few of you will have heard of, though after today I think you may want to find out more about it!”
A ripple of applause ran around the Centre. John grinned, feeling proud of his home.
“John has never designed a robot before. Few on his home planet have ever owned one. And yet, his unique creation, Super-Rover, has reached the final. As if this were not enough, I remind you all that John has been with us for less than a full term, making his achievement all the more remarkable.”
A tremendous wave of applause roared up. John felt a mix of emotion. Lorem’s words had left him feeling immensely proud, but he also felt confused. He couldn’t help thinking that if he’d listened to the headmaster’s grave doubts earlier on, he wouldn’t even be here now.
“As for Kaal,” Lorem continued, “he has been a credit to this school in many ways. In his first year at Hyperspace High, he has amazed his teachers with his technological ability. However, I would not be surprised if most of you had no idea of this. Not everyone who scores top marks likes to boast about it.”
There was a meaningful pause.
“Kaal is one of the most polite, modest students it has ever been my pleasure to have on this ship. I am sure his family is very proud of him. I know I am.”
Once again, there was a surge of applause and cheers.
“Meanwhile, in our final contestant, Mordant Talliver, we see the continuation of a proud family tradition.”
A deathly hush fell over the whole Centre.
John listened intently. Mordant’s face was a rigid mask, his jaw clenched, his eyes narrowed. John had to wonder how Lorem could possibly find anything positive to say about him.
But what Lorem did say left John amazed.
“Mordant, as some of you may know, is not the first Talliver to make it to a Robot Warriors’ final. His father won a spectacular victory before most of you were born with his famous robot Skulldozer. I am pleased to say that Skulldozer is still with us. He has spent the last twenty years in a display case in my own office, and I often enjoy taking him for a drive when nobody is looking.”
The audience laughed, though Mordant continued to glare. Lorem went on.
“Mordant’s grandmother, Skavella, destroyed her opponent’s robot in fifteen seconds, winning the final in her last year here. And the very first Robot Warriors’ contest of all was won by Asterion Talliver, Mordant’s great-grandfather!”
Murmurs of surprise ran through the crowd.
Realization came like a thunderbolt. So that’s why he wants to win so badly!
John almost felt sorry for Mordant. His whole attitude, the sabotage, the arrogance... it wasn’t about him at all. It was about his family. He had a tradition to uphold, and he couldn’t afford to fail. If Mordant’s father was anywhere near as harsh as his son, John wouldn’t like to be in his classmate’s shoes.
For the first time, John felt that he understood Mordant Talliver. The pressure he was under must be unbelievable. If he lost, he’d probably be the first Talliver ever to lose.
“Finally,” said Lorem, “I would like to draw your attention to a remarkable fact. For the first time ever in the history of Robot Warriors, our finalists are all first-years! So, special congratulations to all three of you for making school history before the final has even begun!”
The cheers that followed were the loudest yet. But when Lorem spoke again, sounding gravely serious, they quietened down.
“Contestants, set down your robots.”
John, Kaal, and Mordant obeyed. They looked at one another nervously across the glowing platform, the hopes of the entire school resting on their shoulders.
“This is the final battle,” declared Lorem. “There can be no mercy and no escape. The robots must fight each other − to the death!”
Chapter 12
Like a pair of battle cruisers opening fire on one another, lights suddenly flashed from around the arena. Diamond white, acidic yellow, ruby-laser red, nebula blue, they bombarded the stage with colour. Programmed lighting sequences kicked in, and the barrage of light became a firework display, as snakes of rainbow beams chased each other round the arena and burst into luminous fountains. Then, gradually, the cavalcade of lights slowed.
One by one, they winked out until only three spotlights were left, focusing on John, Mordant, and Kaal. Those lights went off at once, and the sudden total darkness was like reality itself being switched off.
The silence was absolute.
John could feel the entire population of the school far beneath him, waiting breathlessly for something to happen, like a single vast living thing.
In the complete silence, John could hear his own heartbeat.
/> All at once a sudden blast of electronic music sounded, like the opening chord of a mad organ solo. The stage flared with light, a ring of spotlights encircling it like a crown.
That must be the signal for us to begin! This is it – the battle’s on!
John couldn’t have believed the cheers could get any louder, but they did. They roared up from below like a tidal wave. Kaal and Mordant were already reaching for their remotes, powering up their robots.
John fired up his own remote, his hands trembling. But the cheers that were meant to support him were actually putting him off. He couldn’t concentrate with all this noise!
I don’t have to win, he reminded himself. It’s OK if Kaal wins. I just have to stop Mordant!
He forced the cheering voices out of his mind. Focus, John!
He sent Super-Rover charging towards the middle of the stage. IFI was there already, and to John’s dismay, the robot already had all eight of its spindly arms out. It span on the spot, whizzing like a circular saw. It fired a screaming hail of needler bullets at Super-Rover and Laserdon, both at the same time.
John jammed a control hard to the side, and Super-Rover rolled over to the left, dodging the stream of needlers.
Laserdon wasn’t so lucky. The needlers peppered the graceful robot under the wings, blasting him backward and out over the edge of the arena.
The crowd gasped. For a second, John thought Laserdon would plummet all the way down and smash to bits on the ground below. Then Laserdon quickly recovered and went back on the attack, swooping back over the rim.
Mordant didn’t miss his chance. IFI zoomed towards Laserdon, bringing all its guns to bear on the hovering robot.
Another blast like that could rip his wings clean off, John realized. I have to take the heat off Laserdon! John sent Super-Rover in a power charge, slamming into IFI’s back. The conical robot wobbled; its spray of bullets completely missing Laserdon.
Time to attack! John made Super-Rover gnash his teeth and snap at IFI, biting hard with his beronzium teeth. To John’s delight, the force field disruptor was working. Super-Rover grabbed one of IFI’s arms and ripped it off in his strong jaws. It went skittering across the platform like a broken umbrella strut.
Mordant howled in rage, and trained IFI’s guns from Laserdon to Super-Rover. But before he could fire, Kaal let rip with Laserdon’s eye-beams. He’s boosted the power on those, John thought, as the twin lances of laser light scorched IFI.
Ripples of heat clearly outlined IFI’s force field. Was it John’s imagination, or was it not as strong as before? Maybe IFI wasn’t as invincible as Mordant had thought!
Mordant snarled. IFI opened fire on Super-Rover at point-blank range. There was a noise like stones pinging off a windscreen, as bullets ripped into the robot dog’s armour.
John hastily went in for a counter-attack, controlling Super-Rover to grab another of IFI’s arms and tug at it.
But this one didn’t come off so easily! Super-Rover pulled and tore at the arm, dragging IFI like a real Jack Russell terrier playing a game with a stick.
Meanwhile, another bright stab of laser light from behind weakened IFI’s force field even more. Kaal was taking advantage of the situation!
“Fight fair!” Mordant yelled furiously. He spun IFI around, faster and faster, trying to shake off Super-Rover. But John made him bite down even harder on the arm in his jaws. Good dog! Hang on!
As IFI’s arms spun, the little robot dog whizzed around in a circle until finally, with a grotesque snap, the arm broke and Super-Rover went skidding helplessly over the platform. Now IFI was down to six arms, and its force field was beginning to fail.
Super-Rover lay on his back, his legs jerking. John tried to roll him back on to his feet, but he was hopelessly stuck.
Laserdon swooped in towards him, his eyes glowing bright. John felt his heart leap into his mouth. Game over! Kaal’s got a clear shot at my robot, and there’s nothing I can do...
The lasers fired.
And sliced right through yet another of IFI’s arms, missing Super-Rover completely. Kaal gave John a wink and a grin.
The crowd roared. Mordant looked like he was about to explode. “Fight each OTHER! Don’t just gang up on me! You’re CHEATING!”
IFI fired another volley at Laserdon, but only a few shots connected. Meanwhile, John desperately tried to get Super-Rover to stand up. Nothing was working.
Suddenly John thought, There’s only one thing for it. He fired the rocket booster – and Super-Rover did a neat flip through the air, landing on all four paws!
Mordant howled miserably. Laserdon had almost stripped IFI’s force field now. John grinned and sent Super-Rover in on a fresh attack.
This is more fun than I expected! Between them, he and Kaal harried IFI into a standstill. No matter what Mordant did, he couldn’t fight them both off at once. He settled for firing some of IFI’s guns at each of them, while Super-Rover snapped and lashed with his razor-sharp tail and Laserdon blasted away from above.
I’m not going to win this, John thought. Laserdon’s just too powerful. But at least I’m doing my best. At least my fans seem happy, John thought, as they continued to chant his name.
But Mordant was far from happy. IFI looked a mess now. The force field had gone, and the robot’s casing was scarred and dented from Super-Rover’s constant attacks. Only three needler guns were left. The others were scattered across the arena, chewed or melted off.
The look on Mordant’s face said it all. He’d lost and he clearly knew it. All the arrogance had gone. IFI raised its arms, shaking all over, as if to make one final attack.
John prepared Super-Rover for a dodge. He could see Kaal doing the same with Laserdon. IFI surely had enough punch left in him to take out one of them. But which one would it be? Whichever robot didn’t get taken down would immediately finish IFI. And that would make it the winner!
But no one was prepared for what happened next.
“If I don’t win,” howled Mordant, “then nobody wins!” He jabbed a button on his control pad.
IFI began to tremble. Its force field became visible, and shifted through the colour spectrum, from violet to green to fiery red. Smoke began to pour through the cracks in its casing.
Mordant threw down his control panel and ran, jumping into his blue globe, sobbing. He had his hands over his ears. The globe began to drift away from the platform.
“Mordant! What are you doing?” John yelled.
A chorus of outraged boos and yells came from the crowd.
Suddenly Emmie’s panicked voice pierced through the noise. “John! Kaal! Get back! His robot’s going to self-destruct!”
IFI was glowing all over now, as its casing grew hotter and hotter. A hissing sound was coming from it, growing louder.
Time seemed to slow down. John turned and tried to run towards his globe, towards safety. He took one step – and then the explosion came.
The shockwave flung him painfully to the ground. Kaal was sprawling, too. The entire platform lurched beneath them.
A fragment of IFI landed on his arm and stuck there, sizzling like an ember. John quickly shook it off, glad of the jumpsuit Emmie had made him.
Was the battle over? He had no idea. Then he saw Laserdon, lying on the platform next to Kaal. The force of IFI’s explosion must have smashed it out of the sky. And there was Super-Rover, battered but still intact.
Kaal’s face was twisted in horror, and John quickly understood why. Something was dreadfully wrong. The platform was still swaying beneath them. And it seemed to be getting worse.
Kaal was crouching down, hanging on as best he could. “The manipulator beam!” he shouted. “It must have destabilized from the force of the explosion!”
John saw the faint red beam flickering, and he knew that Kaal was right.
“He must have used an electr
omagnetic pulse,” gasped Kaal. “It was meant to destroy all three robots at once, but it crippled the beam, too!”
John gulped. Any second now, the platform would drop like a stone. There had to be some safety system... right? Surely the Examiners would catch them, or a force field would activate, or...
The platform lurched violently. With eyes shut tight, John braced himself for the drop.
But the drop never came. Instead, John felt strangely light.
He opened his eyes again, and to his amazement he saw that the whole platform was drifting upward. What was going on? Quickly John realized that he had been wrong about the manipulator beam – it had not been keeping the platform up, it had been holding it down.
John, Kaal, Super-Rover, and Laserdon lay sprawled on the great transparent disc. John and Kaal traded horrified looks as they began floating past the very highest of the balconies, through the wide-open roof of the Centre, and out towards the stars.
Out to the empty, infinite void of space...
Chapter 13
John and Kaal hurried towards each other across the rising platform. John realized that his steps were turning into great bounding leaps.
“We’re moving out of artificial-gravity range!” Kaal yelled. “This is really bad!”
John looked down. They were outside the ship now. Don’t scream, he told himself. It’s going to be OK. I don’t know how, but it is...
The cheering had stopped. Instead, screams and yells were coming from the shadowed crowd inside the ship.
“That idiot!” Kaal said despairingly. “I can’t believe he’s such a poor loser. They’ll expel him for sure.”
“It’s us I’m worried about!” John said, his voice catching in his throat – it was getting harder to breathe. His breath formed misty clouds in the darkness. If it weren’t for Emmie’s suits, we’d be freezing to death.
From the depths of the ship, Master Tronic’s voice rang out: “Just stay calm, boys. Help is coming. We will rescue you.”
“S-stay c-calm?” John stammered. “Easy for him to say! He’s not the one floating off into outer space!”
