Drone Racer
Page 17
Carson had missed it all as he hung for his life. He could just hear Vanta’s voice from his phone issuing instructions, which he carried out one-handed on the controller by stretching his index and little fingers across the joysticks. One slip and it would easily fall from his hand.
“Hard left – straighten up … down a little. Right. Left – faster!”
He didn’t have to look at a screen, not that he could, to imagine how Vanta was cutting through the air. They had become the perfect team, so much so he could fly blindfold and single-handed … while dangling for his life.
“Give me your hand, kid!” Agent Anders lay flat on the roof, reaching for him. Her stern expression had melted to one of genuine concern. “This has gone too far! Drop the controller and give me your hand.”
Vanta’s instructions kept coming. “Right … down, quick! Up! That’s it Carson – we’re almost there!”
“Kid! Drop it or you’ll fall!”
Carson could feel his fingers sliding … but then the image of his smiling mum came into sharp focus. It was the last time she had ever sat on the end of his bed and read Around the World in Eighty Days to him. She adored the fact that the hero, Phileas Fogg, was convinced he had been defeated, but then had pulled victory from the jaws of defeat.
“Let that be a lesson,” she had told him. “Do what you love and try your best. Because best wins every time.”
“Almost there…” he heard Vanta say, although her voice now sounded far away. Even Agent Anders’ voice now sounded distant, drowned out by the blood pounding in his ears.
Then his fingers gave way, and Carson was suddenly falling.
And all around him the stadium erupted with screams…
Chapter 33
REUNION
Trix, Eddie and Kay had been running back around the stadium with one eye on the giant screens. Trix had stopped in her tracks, the others bumping into her, when she saw Carson tumble from the edge of the roof opposite them and hang from one arm.
She pointed, words refusing to escape her dry throat.
“Vanta! Carson’s in big trouble!”
Trix flinched as enormous explosions erupted across the stadium. Marcus Nation bellowed that the race had finished and the Constructor League had its first world champion. Trix gathered her senses, realizing that the explosions were celebratory fireworks detonating across the racetrack and high above the stadium.
But she didn’t care about that. Her gaze was drawn back to Carson falling to his death!
She blinked against the dazzling pyrotechnics as something shot through them to intercept Carson. A stream of fireworks forced Trix to look away. When she turned back, Carson had disappeared.
Carson must have blacked out. When he woke up he was lying flat on Vanta, who was now the size of a small car. With a screech from her engines she was rapidly plummeting into the stadium car park.
“You caught me…” Carson said weakly.
Vanta didn’t respond. She banked between rows of parked cars and, a metre from the ground, she suddenly snapped back to her small size and dropped the rest of the way – along with Carson, tumbling several metres along the concrete ground.
For a moment, Carson didn’t have the strength to move. He only opened his eyes when the roaring clatter from the helicopter drew closer. Without moving, he watched it land in a set of empty parking bays. He crawled over to Vanta, who was motionless; only a faint light was barely visible in her tail orb.
“Vanta? Vanta … are you damaged?”
He scooped up the little drone as Agent Anders rushed from the chopper.
“Kid? Are you OK?”
Carson hugged Vanta protectively. “Get away from me! You can’t have her!”
Anders stopped and regarded him with pity.
“She doesn’t belong to you, kid. She’s dangerous.”
“No, she’s not. She’s my friend.”
“—Carson?”
Carson thought he was imagining the new voice. Tears were stinging his eyes as he looked past Anders and, to his astonishment, saw his dad climbing from the helicopter.
“Son…”
“Dad? What are you doing here?”
His dad wiped his own tears away. “When I found out my son was in Korea, what do you think I did?” He hesitated as the next words came out as husky croak. He cocked a finger at Agent Anders. “I had to ask the military for a free ride, though.” He sniffed away more tears.
“We had to call him,” said Anders, almost apologetically. “You fled the country, after all.”
“You can’t let them have her, Dad.” Carson hugged the drone tighter.
Another man exited the chopper and stepped forward.
“Hello, Vanta.”
Carson felt the drone tremble in his arms and Vanta illuminated with a weak flickering light. Carson angled her around so she could see the Indian man.
“Father?”
Jira Zushi moved closer, then knelt down so he was level to Carson.
“Hello, Vanta. I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
“You have to come back. But this world –” he gestured to the stadium “– it’s not for you.”
“It is!” snapped Carson. “It’s perfect for her! You can’t delete her. She’s not just a computer … she’s real.”
“Things are not so simple, Carson. But I want to thank you for looking after her.” Jira reached out his hands for Vanta, but Carson held Vanta tighter.
“He’s right.” Vanta used the last of her power to wriggle to look up at Carson. “I have to go now. All good things come to an end.” Her voice weakened. “I’m running on empty… I calculate that I’m not going to make it.” Even as he watched, the lights within Vanta’s orb began to dim. “You can’t save me this time, Carson. It’s been fun. The best time of my life.”
Between his tears and dribbling nose, Carson couldn’t find his words. But he didn’t resist when Jira gently took Vanta out of his hands.
“I’ll never forget you, Carson. Thanks for being my friend.”
“Don’t go…”
The lights in Vanta dimmed … then extinguished.
Jira carried the drone back towards the helicopter. Carson’s body shook as he sobbed. Then a pair of strong arms embraced him. It was his dad. They hugged for the first time in a long time, and nothing needed to be said.
Eddie, Trix and Kay sprinted across the car park, shouting at the top of their lungs. “Hey! Carson!”
“Hey! We won!” gasped Eddie, breathless with excitement. He pulled the agent’s stolen earpiece from his ear. “I heard the chopper landed here on this thing…” He stopped and took in the situation. “What did we miss?”
Chapter 34
THE END OF A SUMMER
Carson hadn’t counted the days since they returned. It had helped to take his mind off Vanta that a new school term had started. Eddie had been right: they’d won. The Carsonators were the world champions, Shuriken taking second and the Australians a surprise third, after just pipping Sixtus to the post. India didn’t seem to mind, though; she was delighted with fourth.
But the victory didn’t mean anything to Carson Lox. Not without Vanta. He couldn’t recall a single word from Marcus Nation’s rousing speech, and felt no elation when he hoisted the trophy up to the rapturous applause from the stadium.
That night in the hotel, Trix, Eddie and Kay finally called their parents to explain what had happened. Fortunately the agents had done most of that for them, so it only remained for them to apologize and accept the fact they would be grounded for the rest of the summer, if not for ever.
That done, they all gathered in Carson’s room. His dad told them that Jira had insisted the military would take no further action against them if they all remained quiet about what had happened with Vanta. Then he insisted they tell him their side of the story. All the way through he nodded encouragingly and never once butted in.
“I don’t get it,” Carson said, staring at the
trophy on the table of the hotel room.
“Don’t get what?” his dad asked, picking the trophy up and admiring the way the lights reflected from it.
“Why you’re being so … calm about all of this. Especially as their parents went bonkers.” He nodded towards his friends.
“It’s completely understandable that they did. But they’re not here.” His dad put the award down and stared levelly at his son. His low tone gave nothing away. “Are you all safe and well?” There was a chorus of muted yeses from everybody. “Then what’s the problem?” Carson opened his mouth to answer, but his dad continued, “And if you want to know the truth, I’m so proud of you.”
Carson didn’t quite believe what he was hearing.
“You won the world championship. But even that means nothing.” He rubbed his stubbled chin as he mustered his thoughts. “When I was your age I always dreamed that I’d get to have such amazing escapades. And you know what? They never happened. But you lot –” he looked at each of them, and they noticed a tear quivering in the corner of his eye “– all of you had the opportunity to be part of something magical. I’m so proud of you all. And a little jealous too,” he added with a smile.
To all their surprise, he suddenly burst into laughter. “Your mum and me always got up to high jinks before you were born, of course.” He lapsed into silence, shaking his head, lost in memories.
Carson disrupted his musings. “Like…?”
“Oh, like the time we drove out to Area 51 in Nevada. You know, the super-secret air force base that everybody knows about? We camped out trying to spot flying saucers.”
“And did you see any?” Eddie asked breathlessly.
“Nothing!” Carson’s dad burst into laughter so infectious they all started chuckling. “But it was a great night. We managed to scare each other senseless, and security chased us. It was brilliant,” he added fondly. “Your mother had a wonderful thirst for adventure.” He saw Carson’s surprise. “That’s why Around the World in Eighty Days was her favourite book. That’s what I see when I look at you. I see your mum.”
Carson blinked a tear away. He was shocked to discover that his dad was so interesting. The rest of the night and the whole flight back home was spent with his dad happily recounting tales of how he and Carson’s mum had travelled all over when they were younger. Carson listened with rapt attention; he’d never heard any of the stories before. Nor had he seen his dad so happy.
True to their word, Trix and Eddie donated their share of the prize money to Carson’s dad. During Carson’s last week of his summer holidays his dad took some rare time off and they went on days out, watched movies together, played computer games and his dad had even started to cook meals – but they were so terrible that Carson pleaded they eat out.
The only thing missing from his life was Vanta.
While it was wonderful to spend time with his dad, he missed Vanta’s company, especially the reading of stories before bedtime. She had been a friend he had trusted with his life, and she was just as easy to talk to as his mother had been.
The nights now seemed just as lonely as they had been before.
Returning home from school, Carson wasn’t surprised that his dad was still at work. But at least his dad now only had one job, so he would come home earlier than he used to.
Carson sat on his bed and stared at the new racing drone on his desk. It was a top-of-the-line model his dad had bought for him, insisting the Carsonators defend their world title for the next games. Carson knew they’d have to start practising again eventually, but these days he hadn’t been able to drum up the enthusiasm; the drone had remained on his desk, un-flown.
There was a clatter from downstairs, and Carson rose to investigate. A courier had crammed a parcel through the letter box. Carson was surprised to discover that it was addressed to him. He took the battered package back up to his room.
Inside the box was a glass sphere. It looked just like the orb that had powered Vanta.
With trembling hands he held it up to the window and examined the fine lines and connectors inside, but it lacked power. Maybe Jira had sent it to him as a keepsake?
No … that didn’t feel right. Even looking at it brought back a wave of painful memories. Why would Jira want to do that to him? There had to be another reason … but what?
Curious, he held the orb close to the drone on his desk. The glass suddenly lit up as it drew nearer. He could feel the surface of the orb quiver as part of it changed shape, tendrils that looked like chewing gum reached out and bonded with the drone. Then the orb glowed brightly.
Carson took a step back as a noise echoed around his room.
BEE-BOP!
The drone’s blades suddenly gave an experimental spin. Then he heard a familiar voice.
“Hello, Carson. Miss me?”
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First published in the UK by Scholastic Ltd, 2018
This electronic edition published by Scholastic Ltd, 2018
Text copyright © Andy Briggs, 2018
Beetle illustrations copyright © Matteo Cuccato, 2018
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