by Andy Briggs
“All you have to do is ask him.”
Carson wiped away the tears using his sleeve. Now something else was bothering him. “I should have warned him not to go home. They’ve probably thrown him in a cell. Asking him questions about you…” He stared guiltily at his feet. “Maybe I should have told him?” he whispered almost to himself.
Vanta nervously shuffled on his knee. “This has gone too far. I’ve put you all in danger. That’s why I’m going to turn myself in.”
“No.”
“Unlike your toaster, I care about you, Carson. You can’t live a life on the run because of me.”
“They’ll erase you!”
“That’s the way it must be.”
Again, tears welled in the corners of Carson’s eyes. “I don’t want that. You’re all I have left. I don’t want you to go!”
“And I don’t want you to suffer.”
Carson’s throat was dry. He shook his head, refusing to accept what she said. Vanta alighted back on the oil drum and Carson stood, anxiously shifting from one foot to the other, but with nowhere to go.
“But before I go, there is one thing I want to do.” She hovered in front of him. “I want to race, one last time.”
“You want to what?” Carson didn’t understand.
“When we flew from the shopping centre this evening, your heart rate was elevated, and adrenaline was pumping through your body. You felt good, right?”
Carson couldn’t deny it. Clinging to Vanta and soaring over the rooftops … that had been magical.
“And that’s how I feel when I race,” Vanta said, performing a little figure of eight in the air. “It feels like that’s what I was built for.”
Now he understood. “You want to go to Seoul? And you want to win.”
“The prize money would save your father. He wouldn’t have to work himself to death… You could both start living properly again.”
“Ha!” Carson kicked a can into the darkness. “Great. Well, in case you forgot, I don’t have a team any more. And there’s no way I could convince them to give me all the prize money.”
“Well, if you ask nicely…” came a voice from the shadows.
Carson spun around as Eddie and Trix stepped from the shadows. He couldn’t hide the relief he felt. “You’re OK! What are you doing here?”
Trix had her phone in her hand. “We received anonymous messages about what had happened.”
“Can’t they track that?” Carson looked at Vanta, who managed to angle her blades into a nonchalant shrug.
“I sent a heavily encrypted message that will take them weeks to work out.”
Eddie continued. “So we managed to get out before the cavalry arrived.”
“The cavalry are the good guys,” Trix pointed out. “I hung back to spy on them. They didn’t go in the house so they probably think we’re still home.”
“And I got Kay to cover for us again,” Eddie added with a grin. He held out his fist to Carson. “So how about it? Shall the Carsonators fly one last time?”
Despite himself, Carson couldn’t stop the smile pulling at his cheeks. He fist-bumped Eddie. They kept their knuckles pressed together as Trix joined in with a bump, the trio now locked together.
“Let’s do this,” Trix smiled. “Let’s race!”
Chapter 25
KOREA PATH
The Carsonators were buzzing with so much nervous energy that they knew sleep was out of the question. Instead they used the time around the fire to charge Vanta as much as they could – Trix had thought to bring along a portable phone charger – and plan their trip to Seoul.
Trix was convinced that the last thing the government agents would expect was them to actually turn up to the world championship, but she was pretty sure they would be watching the airports just in case their tickets were used. That was no problem for Vanta, who, in just a few minutes of shimmying with her hacker face – which had everybody crying with laughter, as the little drone looked as if she was wriggling her bum – had booked them new flights under fake names.
“We don’t have passports in those names,” Carson pointed out. Vanta assured him that she had a plan, and the money to buy the tickets wouldn’t be easily traced back to their bank account. All they had to do was turn up for their new flight.
However, there was a wrinkle which Vanta couldn’t help them with.
“We can’t travel without an adult,” Trix pointed out. “At least somebody who can hand us over to the airline. That’s the law,” she added knowingly, although she didn’t admit it was something she had only seen on TV.
Everybody looked expectantly at Eddie. It took him a moment to realize what the silent question was.
“My sister? No way! She may technically be an adult, but she won’t help us again.”
“She’s not as bad as you think,” Carson pointed out. “And we’ll give her more money.”
“We’re talking about several days and going halfway around the planet. She might be an idiot, but she’s not stupid!”
Carson was watching Vanta closely. She was moving slowly and in small bursts, clearly on the last dregs of power. When Carson tried to ask her about it, she changed the subject. Vanta had sucked the phone charger’s power dry in minutes, but Carson doubted it was enough.
He lowered his voice. “If we don’t get her charged up very soon then we’re going to lose her. I mean, for ever.”
Eddie nodded solemnly and stared at his phone as he summoned the courage to call his sister. She answered on the first ring.
“Where the heck are you?” she hissed before he could say anything.
“I can’t really tell you right now—”
“Tracy’s parents have been calling and Carson’s dad has been around asking if they know anything about you lot racing drones.”
“What did you tell them?”
“What do you think? I lied.”
“You are a brilliant, sis,” he said, and he was surprised to feel he meant it. “Carson’s dad doesn’t approve of him racing.”
“But then these guys in black suits turned up and now everybody is going crazy wanting to know where you are!”
Eddie hesitated. “I need you to cover for us again.”
Her voice rose in pitch so she was clearly heard by the others. “What?”
“We’re going to Korea.” There was silence from the other side of the line. “You still there?”
“You’re in a world of trouble if you do.”
“We already are. We have to go to the world championships. I don’t have time to explain over the phone…”
Tell her we’ll pay her if we win, Trix mouthed to him.
Eddie’s brow furrowed as he moved away to continue the conversation in private.
Carson and Trix strained to listen, but couldn’t hear anything except indistinct words. After almost a minute he returned, shoulders slumped and head bowed in defeat. Carson could already feel the bad news coming. If they couldn’t board the aeroplane then their last adventure was over before it had even begun. Eddie stood close to the fire, warming his hands.
“So?” asked Trix impatiently.
“She said covering for us would be too risky.” Silence fell across the group.
“Well, that’s it, then,” sighed Carson. “Thanks for trying.”
“So I said we’d give her a thousand pounds,” Eddie mumbled. He glanced at the others, who looked expectantly at him to continue. He sighed. “She said it wasn’t enough.”
“How much is enough?” snapped Trix.
“The thousand pounds … and she wants to come with us.” Eddie looked more wretched than before. “She said she’s not going to refuse a free holiday and that the airline wouldn’t let us onboard without an adult.” He was surprised when Carson and Trix whooped with delight and fist-bumped one another.
“Brilliant!” yelled Carson. “Vanta, can you fix another ticket?”
“Already on it!”
Eddie watched in despair. �
�Kay’s coming with us! Don’t you see how bad that is?”
Clearly they didn’t.
The next morning, they took a private car arranged by Vanta, who now didn’t move and barely spoke in an effort to preserve power. They all agreed that the agents were probably keeping an eye on public transport, so they would have to be as covert as possible if they were to make it to the airport.
The car had first picked Kay up at the staff entrance of a restaurant in town. She had run through the busy restaurant in a flurry of apologies, convinced the agents were on her heels. The car had then driven to the cinema, and Kay had told the baffled driver to circle the building twice to check they weren’t being followed. Only then did the others quickly bundle inside.
“The airport!” Carson urgently instructed the driver, then threw a pile of cash at him.
“Right away, sir!” snapped the driver, as he had quickly calculated the tip on his lap was four times the price of the trip.
In the car, Kay laid down her rules.
“OK. I have no intention of getting arrested or watching your stupid competition. I want to see Seoul; the city’s supposed to be amazing.” Her expression or tone never betrayed a moment of excitement as she added, “I suppose it’s fun, running from secret government spies and being a rebel.” Then she bowed her head so her hair covered her face and returned to messaging on her phone. Without looking up, she added, “And I want to sleep on the plane. Maybe watch a few movies. I don’t want to have to talk to any of you.”
“I can promise you that we all agree,” said Eddie firmly. “And if I ever grow up to be like you, feel free to throw me out of a plane.”
Kay looked sidelong at him. “If you get me arrested, you won’t have to wait that long.”
Checking in at the airport was surprisingly effortless, despite Carson, Trix and Eddie trying not to look guilty. Vanta’s last trick was to hack into the airline’s computer and momentarily change all the passenger names to match their passports. As soon as the tickets were printed, she swapped them back to the fake names. The military were undoubtedly monitoring passports, but the change was so swift it was unlikely to be noticed.
Three hours later they took off. Trix had used the time in the airport to plug Vanta into a power socket, and on board, Carson connected her to the aircraft’s USB charger. It seemed to rouse the little drone back to life as he discreetly held her up so she could look out of the window.
“I’ve never been this high,” she exclaimed. “Wow. It’s so weird flying inside a plane!”
The three of them relaxed back in their seats. Vanta had made sure Kay had been upgraded to business class so she wasn’t sitting with them. For once, Eddie didn’t complain. He was quite happy for the peace and quiet.
While the others watched films and Vanta sat recharging on his tray table, Carson stared out of the window. He felt a twinge of guilt that he hadn’t warned his dad, or somehow told him that they were headed halfway around the world. He hoped Vanta had been right about the prize money; maybe it would change things for them?
With regret, he realized he had talked more to Vanta in the last couple of weeks than to his dad in the last year. He spent another hour wrestling with what he would tell his father about his adventure. Would he be furious? Would he understand? With no answer to the question, he eventually fell into a deep sleep as the aircraft powered its way into the night sky towards Asia…
Chapter 26
HEART AND SEOUL
Arriving in Seoul was an assault on the senses. A Constructor League representative was waiting for them, holding up a CARSONATORS sign. They felt a moment of anxiety with their team name being so prominently displayed, just in case the agents had tracked them this far.
Eddie jabbed Carson in the ribs. “Told you it was a dumb name. Now everybody knows you’re here.”
The young Korean woman holding the sign breathlessly introduced herself, speaking with a slight American accent. She was more excited to see them than they were to be in Korea.
“My name is Hyo, and I will look after you while you are here. It’s so exciting to meet you all!” Before they could reply she rapidly continued. “Yes, they’ve just walked out!”
Carson frowned. “Huh?”
“The car is waiting for us. Just push it sideways. And yes, make sure there’s enough noodles.”
“Either I am seriously jet-lagged, or her English is not as good as she thinks it is,” Kay muttered to Carson.
Hyo led the way, still talking to herself. It wasn’t until they were outside that Carson realized she was wearing a Bluetooth headset that covered one ear and was receiving a constant stream of requests, which meant every other sentence was directed at the voice on the other end.
Despite the sleep they had snatched on the flight, they were all quite tired as they drove into the city, which seemed to be built from countless skyscrapers, many lit up with neon strips as night began to fall. The Han River appeared to one side as they drove further into the sprawling metropolis and their guide, who seemed to know everything about the city, excitedly pointed out landmarks.
Hyo drew their attention to the Sangam Stadium, bathed in white lights that picked out its distinctive angular roof. “That is where the world championship will be held tomorrow,” she said. “Everybody is super excited that you came! There was a lot of speculation that you wouldn’t attend because you never confirmed your tickets and most competitors arrived yesterday. Many people still think you are not coming!”
“We like to maintain a sense of mystery,” grinned Eddie. “It keeps our competitors on their toes.”
They drove through wide boulevards packed with traffic across several lanes, with numerous side streets branching off in a riot of colourful signs luring visitors into shops. Hyo then began telling Kay about the best places to shop. Kay’s eyes sparkled with delight, her phone pressed against the window, taking picture after picture. The sense of danger that had been gnawing them was gradually replaced with a flutter of excitement.
Carson was relieved when they finally checked into the luxury hotel. They even had their own rooms. Hyo said that most of the teams were staying here, in case they wanted to meet the others before the competition. But Carson wasn’t tempted to leave his room: if the Logan46 team were here too, he was in no mood for a confrontation. Vanta had assured him that she had altered the hotel records, so any agents watching out for them would think they were part of the Brazilian team.
Instead, Carson sat in his room and set Vanta up for an all-night charge on the bed. She sighed, as if slipping into a hot bath.
“Ah, 220 volts. Makes a nice change from the 240 I was drinking up back home. That went straight to my head! It was just a tad too strong.”
“Glad you’re enjoying it.” He ordered a burger and fries from room service, then ate while he and Vanta watched YouTube videos of the other international racers they’d be competing against tomorrow.
“They’re good.” Carson yawned as exhaustion washed over him. “Some of them are well better than me.”
“I don’t know about that,” Vanta said. “But I know they’re not better than me.” She turned to look at Carson, expecting a laugh. But jet lag had got the better of him and he was flat-out, asleep.
The next morning, Carson left Vanta recharging, but could see she was already her usual perky self. He headed down for breakfast in the hotel restaurant with the rest of the Carsonators.
The room was packed with people from across the world – South African, German, Australian, American, and Brazilian were just a few of the accents they caught. They were all fellow racers who eyed one another with a mixture of respect and caution.
They sat in a corner booth. Kay had grunted “Morning…” without looking up from her phone. Carson, Trix and Eddie tried to keep to keep a low profile, which was not easy, as Eddie had discovered it was an all-you-can-eat buffet. He returned to their table with his third plate stacked with American pancakes smothered in maple syrup.
> “Look at that!” He indicated to his plate like a showman showing off a rare diamond. “I took them all and nobody stopped me!”
As he tucked into the food, Carson and Trix noticed people looking their way with curious expressions. They would stare, then quickly talk amongst themselves.
“I think we’ve been recognized,” Trix muttered from behind a spoonful of cereal. Her point was underlined when several teams started to take covert pictures of their table with their mobile phones.
Carson tried to ignore them, but they were fast becoming the centre of attention. Eventually four Chinese young men crossed over to them, staring in fascination.
“Excuse us,” their leader said with a smile fixed on his face. “Are you the Carsonators?”
Carson blushed, feeling uncomfortable with the attention. He gave a small nod, which only seemed to please the Chinese team, who exchanged excited comments in Mandarin.
“It’s an honour to meet you. Nobody thought you were coming! May we get a selfie?”
Before Carson could object, the team huddled around them and began taking pictures. Within moments other teams approached them asking for selfies too. Kay was edged out of the picture to the side, and watched with increasing astonishment as her brother became a celebrity before her very eyes.
Eventually a familiar face appeared from the crowd and gave a little wave. It was India.
“You finally made it. I was beginning to think getting on a plane was a little too advanced for you.”
Carson pulled a face. “Ha, ha. You’re hysterical.” He tried not to show it, but he was happy to see her. She jerked a thumb towards the other teams.
“You’ve all become something of a legend here. Not turning up on time made you all mysterious and it turns out you posted the second fastest time in all the regional finals.”
Eddie was offended. “Who beat us?”
India lowered her voice. “The Russians. By two seconds.” She tilted her head towards their table.
Carson glanced over, noticing they were one of the few teams who hadn’t come over to congratulate them. Carson lowered his voice too. “No offense, but why are you here? Didn’t you come third?”
