by Max Chase
A trickle of cold sweat ran down his back. A blue-and-green planet was now clearly visible on the monitor. Earth. Behind it shone the bright yellow sun. Peri needed to know what the Phoenix wanted him to do right now. He tried to clear his mind, but the image of the red blur just wouldn’t shift. It was stuck in his head like a stubborn stain. Peri wished he had a button that could make the image go away.
Peri tried not to gasp. A button! The Phoenix was telling him that the time to press the Red Helix was now!
He raised his hand to his neck, but before he could press the Body Duplication button, a guard’s head swivelled towards him suspiciously. Peri swallowed and slowly lifted his hand to his head. He scratched behind his ears as the guard turned away. Without wasting another nanosecond, Peri pressed the Body Duplication button underneath his pulsing artery.
Imagine secondary location, the voice in his head instructed.
Peri pictured himself on the Bridge of the Phoenix. In an internal flash of light as bright as the supernova, he was split into two bodies again. His energy-shell body was trapped on the MezzStar.
His duplicated body was back on the Phoenix!
There wasn’t much time. Peri checked through the eyes of his energy-shell body and saw Daxx arguing with Tonka about which coordinates to use in order to attack the Milky Way. As they argued, Peri raced to the Phoenix’s control panel. His fingers were a blur as he opened up a com-channel.
‘Emergency message to IF Command!’ he yelled. ‘Peri reporting. Sending location of the MezzStar. Tonka Mezzoka has a deadly weapon that could destroy the entire Milky Way. Mobilise all active ships for attack and rescue. Mega priority – Code Alpha-Omega-One!’
Then Peri flipped a switch allowing him to activate an emergency com-channel to his crew. ‘I’ve split into two,’ he told them. ‘I’m going to activate the Red Helix, even though I have absolutely no idea what it’s going to do! We might be able to overpower Tonka in the chaos!’
Peri glanced back through the eyes of his energy-shell body. In the Mezzanator room, Tonka had just pressed the button to initiate the countdown. ‘Five . . .’ the Mezzoka boss shouted. ‘Four . . . three . . .’
On the Bridge, the Red Helix button was now glowing with urgency. As Tonka yelled, ‘Fire!’, Peri slammed his hand down on it.
Kaa-boom! A bullet of cold light shot from the Mezzanator, crackling with destructive energy. At the same time the Phoenix belched a huge bubble of liquid lead. Buuurrrpptt!
Kaaa-splosh! The giant lead blob swallowed the bullet of light.
Peri leaned forward, peering through the 360-monitor, feeling his heart beating hard and fast in his chest. This had to work – if it didn’t, the Milky Way was doomed!
The giant blob expanded and contracted, ripples of lightning flashing through it. Peri hoped the lead would absorb the energy. It had to. He held his breath.
Fffffffurrrrrrrrrrrpppppp! The lead ball grew still, drifting like a balloon on a breeze. The bullet of light inside it flickered and went out.
It had been disarmed! Peri punched the air.
‘You!’ Peri heard Tonka scream in the Mezzanator control room.
He looked through the eyes of his energy-shell body and saw Tonka storming towards him. There was no time to lose. His energy shell wouldn’t be able to defend itself. Peri raised his hand to his neck and pressed the button beneath his skin.
Instantly, he was back in his body. Selene and Diesel stood beside him.
Tonka was waving his four hands in the air and yelling at him. ‘Tell me how you did it, you space-rat!’
Peri grinned, but his legs were trembling. Activating the Body Duplication powers had drained his bionic batteries. ‘I’ve been here the whole time,’ he replied, doing his best to hold Tonka’s gaze.
Tonka’s eyes narrowed. ‘I know you did something.’
‘I can’t believe it,’ Daxx groaned. He hit the control panel with his fist. ‘The bullet is useless now!’
Peri looked up through the dome. The shiny silver blob of metal was taking on a dull grey colour as the lead hardened around the bullet of light. Soon it would be safely trapped.
Peri shared a smile with Selene and Diesel. They had saved the galaxy – again!
Tonka started laughing. ‘You think you’re so smart. But the lead won’t hold that amount of destructive energy for very long. As soon as it cracks the whole thing will explode. Everything around you will be destroyed – not just the MezzStar, but your friends and your precious ship.’
‘Ooof!?’
Peri turned and saw that Jaxx had pushed over a guard and then dodged past another Mezzoka on his way towards the door.
‘Dad!’ Selene yelled. She tried to run after Jaxx, but some guards grabbed her.
Jaxx glanced at Selene over his shoulder, then disappeared through the open door.
Jaxx must have a plan to save us, Peri told himself. He wouldn’t abandon us like this . . . would he?
‘Don’t just stand there,’ shouted Daxx. ‘After him!’
‘Quiet, Daxx,’ Tonka yelled. ‘He won’t escape the MezzStar blowing up. We already knew your brother was a coward.’
‘Look!’ Otto boomed, pointing to someone running out into the landing bay.
Peri’s circuits tingled as he willed Jaxx to head for the Phoenix. But instead Jaxx pulled an alien out of the nearest dump-jet and scrambled inside.
‘He really is abandoning us!’ Peri gasped.
After all they had done to try to prove Jaxx’s innocence, this was how he repaid them?
Chapter 9
Peri’s mouth fell open as he watched Jaxx start up the stolen dump-jet. But rather than head out into the Astro-Void, Selene’s father spun round and opened the rubbish-truck’s gigantic pincers. Then he grabbed hold of the massive ball of solid lead.
‘He’s not fleeing!’ Selene said. ‘He’s trying to save us all!’
Peri’s body felt numb as Jaxx started to drag the ball away from the MezzStar. How far will he get before the lead ball cracks and allows the bullet trapped inside to explode?
‘My dad’s risking his life!’ Selene yelled at Tonka and Daxx. ‘And it’s all your fault!’
Peri gasped as the dump-jet and the lead ball began spinning, whirling faster and faster, as if out of control. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst. Then the pincers on the dump-jet flew open and the giant lead blob was pitched away from the planet like a cosmic bowling ball.
The massive jaws of the dark-matter trapdoor opened up and swallowed the blob whole.
Crrraaacckkk-BRRAAAMMMB!
Peri and the others were thrown to the ground as a shock wave ripped through the MezzStar. The dark-matter trapdoor was torn apart by the explosion – it had absorbed most of the bullet’s deadly force. Peri looked around for Jaxx’s dump-jet and saw it heading back unharmed.
Neeeee-neeee. Neeee-neee. Sirens sprang into life in the Mezzanator room.
‘Ultraviolet cloaks down!’ a voice shouted over the tannoy. ‘Hostile detected. Protect Tonka and the MezzStar at all costs. Action stations!’
Across the Astro-Void, Peri could see IF ships swarming towards the Mezzokan space-base. His message had got through!
‘Peace in space!’ he yelled as he crouched in the cosmic-combat position.
Diesel and Otto leapt next to him.
‘You’re surrounded, Tonka. Surrender,’ Otto boomed.
‘Never!’ Tonka shouted.
Ka-ka-ka! The sounds of explosions filled the air as the IF ships came within firing range of the MezzStar.
Mezzoka Clan guards sprinted into the room. ‘Kill the intruders!’ Tonka yelled. ‘Daxx, secure the Heart of Mars and come with me!’
Peri ducked under a rushing guard’s four flailing arms and chased Tonka, who was pushing his way towards the door.
Six more guards surrounded Peri, each of them levelling electro-prods. Peri panicked. The only way he could come out on top was if he somehow outnumbered them
.
And then he had a crazy idea.
Peri pressed the button in his neck and imagined himself standing away from the guards.
In a flash of light, he was behind them. His energy shell was trapped by the circle of guards, but Peri kept his finger to his neck. There was another flash – and another, and another. Within seconds, a dozen Peris filled the room. If any of the guards had challenged the main energy shell they might have figured out that it was no more dangerous than a statue, but the guards were too confused by the dozen Peris surrounding them. They dropped their weapons and ran away, crying out that the ‘Milky Way boy’ had magical powers.
Peri scanned the chaos, searching for Tonka and Daxx. The space pirate was climbing down off the Mezzanator, while the alien crime boss was battling his way towards the door.
Peri spotted Otto and Diesel. He ducked under the nearest guard and sprinted towards them. ‘Daxx mustn’t escape!’
Otto seized Diesel with one arm. ‘We’ll catch the pirate!’ he boomed.
As Otto and Diesel ran off after their prey, Peri turned to the mass of guards pouring into the room around the Mezzanator. Somehow the other Peris were managing to fight.
Peri knew that securing the Heart of Mars before someone else stole it was his top priority. But he would need help. He looked around for Selene and saw her tackling two guards with a space-wrench.
Peri activated his superhuman Fight-or-Flight speed and dashed towards her. As he passed, he grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the guards.
‘What are you doing?’ she yelled as they zipped through the room towards the Mezzanator.
‘We need to get the Heart of Mars!’ he shouted. ‘You search for it, and I’ll keep the guards occupied.’ Peri stopped and kicked a guard away from the front of the weapon. ‘Climb!’ he yelled to Selene as he let her go.
Selene scrambled up the metal steps and on to the middle platform as Peri felt his limbs getting heavy.
‘I won’t be able to hold them off for much longer!’ he warned Selene.
‘Almost there!’ she shouted back.
A guard charged at him. Peri threw a one-two punch. He saw the guard fall to the floor, and felt his own legs wobble as if he had been hit over the head himself – which he had been. Countless times.
The Mezzokan guards were now attacking every version of Peri that was in the room. His ears were filled with grunts and yells, and his nose was stuffed with the smell of Mezzokan sweat and electro-prod burns. He couldn’t see straight any more and his body swayed uncontrollably.
A warning screeched in his head: Reboot system!
But I can’t stop until I know no one will be able to build another Mezzanator.
‘Peri, I’ve got it!’ Selene yelled from above.
With relief, Peri hit the button on his neck.
Snnnnaaap! Every version of himself crashed back into his body, which shook as if he was being electrocuted. He saw that Tonka had managed to escape the crowd and was about to sneak out. Peri stepped forward to go after him, but then the ground seemed to shudder. He was close to exhaustion and dangerously weak.
There were shouts from the other side of the room. Peri turned to see IF Star Fighters storming in. Within moments they had the Mezzokan guards lying face down on the ground. The Star Fighters pulled a single metal loop from their Expedition Wear. With a flick, the loop doubled into handcuffs. They flicked them again for handcuffs that would fit the Mezzokan guards’ extra wrists.
Peri fell to his knees. He was on the verge of passing out. He saw Daxx being arrested by the IF. Otto and Diesel must have reached him in time.
He saw Selene and Jaxx being arrested too. I have to explain what happened, he thought desperately. Maybe Otto can explain . . . But when Peri looked around, he noticed that the Meigwor bounty hunter was nowhere to be seen. He had somehow slipped away!
‘Wait!’ Peri croaked. ‘Selene and Jaxx . . . are on our side . . .’
But before he could say anything else, his vision blurred, and the whole room dissolved into blackness.
Chapter 10
Peri fiddled nervously with his titanium Star Fighter badge as he waited for the transport-tube to arrive. Almost a week had passed since the IF had stormed the MezzStar, but he hadn’t been allowed to leave the Med Centre until now. He’d spent the first two days in a deep sleep while his body repaired itself, then once he was awake he’d been bombarded with hundreds of questions about the mission. But he was more interested in finding out how his crew were, and getting the chance to explain that Selene and Jaxx were on their side.
This morning General Pegg had summoned him to the Command Centre. Peri was sure he was in cosmic-size trouble.
Ping! The transport-tube arrived. Shrrruuupt! The doors slid open to reveal Diesel bobbing up and down on the cushioned yellow deck of the capsule. The half-Martian’s narrow band of hair fanned out in a shade of royal purple.
‘You were asleep the whole journey back to the base-ship. For a half-bionic boy, you’re quite lazy!’
‘I still helped save the galaxy,’ Peri said, grinning and stepping into the transport-tube. The yellow padded floor pushed back, making him wobble.
Shrrruuupt! The transport-tube doors closed and the capsule started moving. Peri tried to wedge himself into a corner, but he kept bouncing against the cushioned walls towards Diesel.
‘Have you heard anything about the others? Do you know if the IF found Otto?’
‘Otto was long gone by the time the IF squad arrived,’ Diesel said. Despite himself, he looked impressed by the Meigwor’s cunning. ‘Obviously he couldn’t risk being arrested. His planet is our enemy after all.’
‘Otto is the Meigwors’ enemy too,’ Peri pointed out. ‘They think he betrayed them and sided with the Milky Way.’
‘Don’t worry about Otto,’ said Diesel. ‘He’s as slippery as a space-eel! He can look after himself. Careful!’ Diesel grunted, pushing Peri away as they collided with each other in the bouncy transport-tube.
With a low hum, the transport-tube came to a stop. The doors slid open and they tumbled out into the command deck corridor. Peri straightened up when he saw Selene being led towards them under armed guard.
She tried to smile at them, but she seemed too nervous. Her eyes widened and she nodded towards a figure being led down the corridor in front of her.
It was Jaxx.
Peri felt his circuits shiver. General Pegg had summoned all four of them to the command deck. He must have reached a decision about their mission. And, if Selene and Jaxx were still under arrest, then that decision surely included punishment.
How much trouble are Diesel and I in? he wondered.
Again Peri touched the badge that General Pegg might be about to take away from him. He didn’t regret anything he and his crew had done. They had saved the Milky Way! That had to count for something. He only hoped that the general hadn’t found out that they had harboured a Meigwor bounty hunter on their ship. If Otto had been discovered, Peri knew that he and Diesel wouldn’t just be dismissed from the IF – they’d be imprisoned.
They followed Jaxx and Selene into the packed Command Centre. The emperor was sitting with the royal family at one end, while IF Star Fighters and commanding officers filled the rest of the room. As soon as the door closed behind Peri, the room erupted into applause and cheers.
Some of the Star Fighters were cheering ‘Peace in space!’ while younger members of the royal family chanted Diesel’s real name, Diaxo. Peri spotted his parents off to the side. They were both beaming at him.
Then he noticed that some of the crowd were also chanting for Selene and Jaxx. He felt a tingle of relief. Surely no one would be cheering us if we’re in trouble?
General Pegg raised his hands and the room fell silent. ‘Selene.’ He beckoned to her.
Selene took a deep breath, straightened her tool belt and stepped forward.
‘There is a long list of charges against you,’ said the general, ‘from breaking
IF security protocol to stowing away on IF bases. In addition to this, we have found unauthorised changes to the Phoenix –’
‘I was just fixing her!’ Selene interrupted.
‘Quiet,’ the general replied. ‘I should send you to space-detention. You clearly have no respect for authority, and find it impossible to obey orders.’
‘Sir, if I might –’ Peri started.
‘No, Peri,’ the general said. ‘Nothing you will say will change my mind. After reviewing the mission reports and all available data, it is my opinion that Selene is . . .’ He paused and glanced at the serjeant-at-arms in his ceremonial uniform. ‘An essential part of the Phoenix’s crew. Despite your lack of formal training, you are one of the brightest engineers we have ever seen, and so very brave too. Selene, please repeat after me.’
As Selene recited the IF creed, warm energy flowed through Peri’s circuits. His engineer friend was now officially part of their crew! The general pulled a titanium badge from the box held by the serjeant-at-arms and pinned it to Selene.
‘You are now a Star Fighter,’ General Pegg declared.
There was a cheer of ‘Peace in space’ from the guests, before the general raised his hand for silence again.
Selene’s smile vanished as he turned to Jaxx. Peri felt the warmth drain from his circuits as he realised that her father might still be punished.
The general took a deep breath. ‘We’re very sorry to have wrongfully accused you of being a space pirate. By order of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, you are cleared of all charges. If you are happy to agree, we would like to appoint you as the IF’s chief technician.’
Jaxx smiled and nodded. ‘It would be an honour.’
‘Sir,’ Peri asked, ‘what about Daxx and Tonka?’
‘Daxx is in prison,’ said the general, ‘and will be for a long time. Unfortunately Tonka Mezzoka managed to escape. However, thanks to the Phoenix, the IF has confiscated the Mezzanator and captured most of the key leaders of the Mezzoka Clan. Tonka won’t be as powerful without them as he once was.’
