Drone Racer

by Andy Briggs

  The passage led back to the workshop, which was now filled with the first-heat teams dismantling their drones. Trix led the way back to their bench and almost punched the person who leapt in front of her path.

  “Whoa! It’s me!” exclaimed India as Trix raised her arm.

  “Sorry!” Luckily Trix pulled her punch in time. “You just startled me.”

  India looked around. “Is Carson with you?”

  “He’s busy.” Trix tried to step past her, but India moved to block her path.

  “Did you hear? I was second! That means I will be flying against you in the final heat!”

  Trix patted her on the shoulder and then pushed past. “Well done.”

  India looked bewildered as Eddie nudged past, giving her the thumbs up. “We look forward to you making second again!”

  Trix slid to a halt at their bench. Her bag was still there. A quick check assured her that the remote control unit and her iPad were safely inside. She slung the bag around her shoulder as Eddie caught up. He was staring at his phone.

  She patted the bag. “Let’s go!”

  Eddie’s eyes didn’t move from his phone. Trix nudged him.

  “Will you look at that later? We need to go. Edward?”

  Eddie looked up, his eyes as wide as saucers. “Things just got more complicated.” He held up his phone for Trix to see. In disbelief she snatched it off him for a better look.

  “Oh, this is bad…” she muttered.

  “And it’s going to get a lot worse,” came a voice from behind.

  They spun around to see Agent Anders pointing her Taser straight at them.

  Chapter 29

  HOSTAGE

  Running along the walkway made Carson an open target, so he shuffled up several more steps and lost himself in the crowd as Bevan and the others finally resumed the chase.

  “And they’re off!” yelled Marcus Nation as the second-heat drones began to race.

  Carson hunkered down next to a tunnel opening leading inside the grandstand. Vanta sat on his shoulder. From there they could look down on the agents as they searched for them, fruitlessly. The stands were plunged into darkness, save the occasional searchlight artistically drifting over them, so it was unlikely they’d be spotted.

  Vanta gave a little hacker face. “I’ve found the plans for the stadium.” She took to the air. “Follow me!” She zipped into the tunnel. Carson gave the agents one last look before following her.

  The warren of whitewashed concrete tunnels formed a continuous loop around the stadium, past numerous toilets and snack stands and exits to the car park. A few stragglers were hurrying back to their seats while others impatiently bought drinks, desperate to get back to watch the race. A few of the merchants and spectators watched quizzically as a small drone whizzed past, with Carson sprinting after it – shouting to each other.

  “This way,” Vanta encouraged him. “We’re almost at the bottom of the light tower.”

  “Do you think the others are there yet?”

  “They won’t be too far behind, I’m sure.”

  Like a ripple in a pond, the racers in the workshop all began to take notice of what was happening with Agent Anders. They could all see the Taser pointing at Trix and Eddie. Another two agents, dressed in matching black bomber jackets and caps, joined her.

  “Agent Bevan is pursuing the boy,” one reported.

  Anders shot a thin smile at Eddie and Trix. “See? You’re not getting away from us this time.” She became aware of the sudden silence around them. Everybody was watching closely. “Go back about your business,” she snapped at them. “This doesn’t concern you.”

  None of the racers moved.

  “I don’t think you’re going to shoot us in front of all these people.” Trix sounded more confident than she felt. She defiantly pulled her bag further up her shoulder.

  “Don’t test me, young lady.” Agent Anders was rapidly losing patience.

  Trix turned to address the racers. “These people are trying to clip our wings. Trying to stop us from racing. Are we going to let them?” She was encouraged by the murmurs of defiance around the room. Trix was warming to her speech and raised her fist high. “The skies belong to us, not them!” The crowd cheered their approval.

  As Eddie watched he leaned against the workbench in apparent defeat while his arm slowly stretched for a box of spanners.

  Trix looked around, encouraged by the support. She gave a half-smile and raised an eyebrow. “See you later, Special Agent Loser.”

  Trix turned to walk away. With a snarl of anger, Anders aimed her Taser.

  Eddie hurled the spanners at Agent Anders – knocking the Taser aside as she squeezed the trigger. The Taser darts shot out and electrocuted the grinning agent next to her.

  “Why you little—” She didn’t get to the end of her sentence as a large drone swooped over the crowd and struck her on the side of the head. It was Sixtus!

  “Don’t just stand there! Run!” India yelled at them.

  The racers all burst into a wild cheer, parting as Trix and Eddie sprinted through them, only to bunch back together to hamper Agent Anders and her remaining sidekick.

  Carson and Vanta looked around the foot of the support pole. There was no sign of his friends. The crowd around them burst into applause and got to their feet to celebrate the violent destruction of three drones in a spectacular collision. Carson glanced at the replay on the screen but couldn’t tell who had been knocked out, but the lap count caught his eye.

  “Carson!” He spun around to see Eddie and Trix sprinting towards him like their lives depended on it.

  “Did you get it? We don’t have much time before our heat starts.”

  Eddie waved his hand to shut him up. “They’ve got… They’ve got…” He was too out of breath to form words.

  Trix snatched Eddie’s phone and passed it to Carson. It was open on a message: Give up, or else… and beneath it was a photograph of Kay, held by a menacing-looking agent. Carson couldn’t tell where it had been taken, exactly, but it must have been somewhere inside the stadium, as they could just see the racetrack behind her.

  “Oh no … she was sent to the VIP booth. Anybody know which one? I haven’t seen Hyo around…”

  Vanta hovered over his shoulder to see the picture. “I can triangulate her position using the stadium map … got it.” She spun to face the grandstand opposite. “That picture was taken from the booths over there. Although it’s too difficult to identify exactly which one.”

  “As long as they don’t have Vanta, they won’t harm her,” said Trix slowly. “If she’s racing, they’ll think we’re all in the racing paddock.” She glanced at Eddie. “Which means they’ll rush over, while Eddie and I can go and rescue Kay while they’re distracted.”

  Eddie looked confused. “But if they find Carson standing down there –” he pointed to the pitch “– they’ll just arrest him on sight. Then it’s game over anyway!”

  Carson nodded. “You’re right. So I won’t stand down there. I’ll get a bird’s-eye view of the race instead, and give them a real distraction.”

  They followed his gaze up the support column. A metal ladder was bolted all the way up to an access hatch in the angular roof above them.

  “Aren’t you supposed to pilot the drone from the paddock?” Eddie asked.

  Carson shrugged. “I don’t remember reading that in the rules.”

  Trix shook her head as she peered upwards. “It’s a long way up. We could just let Vanta race on her own…”

  Carson shook his head and smiled. “That’s not really the point, is it? Kay is being held hostage and that’s our fault. All we’re racing for now is to cause a distraction, so I’ll keep them busy trying to reach me while you two save her.”

  Trix nodded. “We better get a move on if we’re going to do this. Stay in touch using our phones.”

  “I’ll patch us together on a shared call,” said Vanta. Moments later their phones all gave a short ring, th
en automatically connected. “There.”

  Eddie was impressed. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

  “I’ve always wanted to juggle.”

  As if on cue, the stadium burst into wild cheering: the second heat had just finished.

  “Let’s go, team!” With that, Vanta zoomed over the spectators and headed for the pitch.

  Trix gave Carson a hug. “Try not to fall.”

  Eddie offered a fist bump. “Try not to lose.”

  Trix and Eddie hurried into the darkness of the grandstand.

  Carson took a deep breath, checked nobody was watching, then began to climb the narrow ladder. He judged he had already climbed the equivalent of two storeys and his arms when his legs started trembling from exhaustion. He had at least five more to go.

  “Don’t look down,” he mumbled to himself. He wasn’t afraid of heights, but clinging to a ladder at the top of a stadium was probably something he thought he should be afraid of. He stopped and caught his breath, looping his forearm through the rung for extra security.

  The ladder was mounted at the back of the concrete support, which meant the crowd couldn’t see him, but it also meant he couldn’t see the pitch.

  Marcus Nation’s voice washed over him. “Spain’s Conquistadors won that heat, so they will join our champions in the grand final. And second place, almost making it through by the narrowest of margins … it’s the UK’s Logan46! Check them out, they look like they’ve had a bit of a shock recently!”

  The very mention of their name washed away any fatigue Carson was feeling. With a grunt of effort, he continued his climb…

  Chapter 30

  SEARCH AND DESTORY

  Eddie was out of breath as he jogged behind Trix. They had decided there was little point in hiding in the shadows, so took to running around the walkway, confident that they were unlikely to be seen in the dark, shadowy lighting scheme.

  “Let’s cut down here,” said Trix. She turned into the tunnel that led under the grandstand – then suddenly shuffled to a halt and pushed Eddie to the side. “I don’t think he saw us!” she hissed.

  Eddie craned around her to see what the problem was. At the end of the tunnel was a hot dog stall with a black-jacketed agent leaning on the counter making an order. He had his back to them for the moment, but all he had to do was turn around and they would be found.

  “Maybe we could go the other way around?” Eddie glanced across the arena: it was a long way, and they might still face the same problem.

  “And we’re on to the final race!” boomed Marcus Nation’s voice. “Champions from across the world will be joined by our gold star winners from heats one and two!”

  Trix looked up at the video screens as Nation started to list the competitors, accompanied by pounding rock music. Pictures of the teams and their drones appeared in succession, with each nation’s flag draped in the corner. She saw the Carsonators up there, the photos taken from outside the hotel, showing them looking confused.

  “We don’t have much choice,” she said. Eddie followed her gaze across the section of the racetrack that lay ahead of them. “We’re going to have to go over that…”

  Carson shouldered the roof hatch as hard as he could, but it remained stubbornly closed.

  Reaching the top of the ladder, his arms and legs were numb from the effort. He wrapped both arms around the top rung and peered down. The darkness of the grandstand disguised how far he was above the people. About eight stories, he guessed. He doubted he had the strength to hold on for the climb down; falling was a terminal option.

  He closed his eyes and held on as Marcus Nation drew the crowd’s attention to the racers gathering at the launch pad.

  “And there’s the Carsonators’ drone ready for action … but wait! I don’t see the team at all. Where’s the pilot?”

  “Stuck up a stupid ladder,” grumbled Carson. He heard the reaction from the audience and could imagine the spotlights moving over the stadium to try and find him.

  Nation faltered as he continued. “Well … they’re not where they should be … but they’re obviously flying the drone from somewhere. There’s no rule saying they must pilot it from there…” There was a loud thump as Nation’s hand covered the microphone, but his obscured voice could still be heard across the stadium as he consulted with his officials. “There isn’t, is there?” He received his answer and uncovered the mic, speaking with renewed enthusiasm. “No, there’s apparently not! So wherever the camera-shy Carsonators are hiding … get ready!”

  Carson could hear the drones take flight for the hot lap. If he couldn’t take control of Vanta before the race began properly then he knew she would launch herself; he didn’t mind for the hot lap, but he wanted control once the race began. He wanted to win fair and square. He wanted to win it for his mum.

  And now for his dad.

  With a grunt he pushed against the metal hatch with all his might. The rusty hinges gave a squeal and it flipped open. Carson lost no time scrambling through, then closed it, looping his belt through a hook to prevent it from being opened from below. The roof circled the stadium in a series of crested waves made from white metal panels that were covered in a thick layer of city grime. Not that he cared. He lay on his back to catch his breath, while turning on the VR visor hanging around his neck.

  “Can you all hear me?”

  “Carson! Where are you?” asked Vanta. “We’re almost halfway around the hot lap!”

  “Give me a second and I’ll be in position.” He rolled over and moved on his hands and knees towards the edge of the roof. He had a breathtaking view of the arena. He sat on the edge, feet dangling over the crowd far below, and slipped the headset on. “Visor’s on.”

  He felt a sudden disorientation as Vanta’s point of view filled his vision, which wasn’t a pleasant feeling, sitting on the edge of a roof. But Trix had been right: the high-definition screen made a huge difference.

  He reached into his bag and took the remote control unit out. He didn’t need to see to find the power switch.

  “Connection established,” Vanta informed him. “Welcome aboard, captain!”

  “Thank you. Now, we have a race to win. Trix, Eddie, where are you?”

  There was a pause before Eddie spoke, sounding somewhat on edge. “Er, we had a little problem we’re sorting out…”

  Lying on their bellies, Trix and Eddie commando-crawled along the end of the stadium. The seats had all been removed and replaced with a forest of metal poles that stretched different heights, up to seven metres tall. The tops of them spewed fountains of multicoloured sparks designed to confuse the racers as they weaved their way through.

  “I can’t talk right now,” said Eddie into his phone, which was poking from his pocket. He could feel the sting of hot embers as they spat down on them. Then, with a terrible whine, the drones suddenly rushed overhead like a flock of electric bats. Most stayed high, but several avoided the sparks by dropping low and narrowly passing over Trix and Eddie – forcing them to sprawl flat against the floor. The drones were moving too fast for the pilots to be able to spot two figures crawling the darkness below.

  Within seconds the racers had passed. Luckily the curtain of sparks and the safety barriers put up at the edge of the track had kept them obscured from the crowd and cameras.

  “Hurry!” shouted Trix as she resumed scrambling forward and hissing in pain as the occasional spark sizzled her scalp. “I don’t want to be here when they come around again!”

  They rushed towards the barrier that would see them back into the stadium proper. Then Eddie suddenly stopped Trix and pushed her low into the shadows. Four agents were standing just beyond the barrier, each pressing one hand to their earpieces as they searched around for any sign of the Carsonators.

  Eddie felt his heart in his mouth. They hadn’t been seen yet … but it was just a matter of time.

  Carson was experiencing an odd moment of calm despite the peril they were all in. When he guided Vanta thro
ugh the forest of sparks it felt as if he were really there and not sitting on the edge of the roof. Maybe it was the new VR goggles, or the fact he had ridden on top of Vanta and felt the wind in his face; whatever it was, he now felt as if he and Vanta had become one. Boy and machine working in perfect harmony.

  “When we passed the VIP boxes I was able to take surveillance footage,” said Vanta as a small window superimposed to the side of Carson’s main vision. The video played a frame at a time and, while it was blurry due to the speed, Carson could make out a scared-looking Kay standing at the window with a pair of agents guarding her from behind. “I’ll send this to Eddie’s phone.”

  “Eddie, did you hear that?” said Carson as he zigzagged Vanta through a series of curving pipes that ended in a dizzying helter-skelter.

  Eddie’s reply came as a subdued whisper. “Yes. But we’re a little stuck right now. We could sure do with a distraction.”

  “I’m a little busy,” said Carson as the drones emerged close to the ground where a series of giant mechanical hammers thudded from side to side. Moving at half speed in the hot lap, they were easy to avoid. Carson doubted they would be so easy at full speed.

  “Next time, remember they’ll move in the same sequence,” Vanta told him. “Just like the first race.”

  Carson recalled how the moving slabs in the race had moved in a repeated pattern as the mechanical motors turned. He could see a similar repetition here. “Got it.”

  Clear of that hazard, he lined Vanta up for the start line that was looming ahead. The moment they crossed it the hot lap would be over, and the real race would begin.

  “Eddie, get ready for your distraction,” Vanta said, as cool as ever.

  Then Marcus Nation’s voice boomed across the stadium. “Here we go! For the title of world champion… GET SET – RACE!”

  At that moment, the drones shot over the start line and one of the automated spotlights suddenly swivelled around and picked out Carson perched on the edge of the roof.