40 Ka-Boom!

40 Ka-Boom! As they drifted through the air, Peanut and Rockwell found that they could steer their gliders by shifting their weight from side to side. 'This is FUN!' shouted Rockwell as he carved a long, curving arc through the sky. 'Look down there!' shouted Peanut. Far below them to the left, they could see a small town at the foot of the mountain range. It mainly consisted of low-rise buildings in a grid formation, but every now and then a sharp, black shard shot upwards at a dramatic angle. 'I bet that's Manga Town,' said Little-Bit. 'I noticed it on the map earlier. I really want to go there.' From this height, it was easier to appreciate the scale of

everything. The lake was huge. It wasn't particularly wide, but it stretched for miles lengthways in both directions. A feeling of despair washed over Peanut as she wondered how on earth they would find Mrs M's Resistance contact, given that she had told them so little about who or what to look out for. The words 'needle' and 'haystack' came to mind. Despair was soon replaced by steadfast resolve, however, when she pictured her dad locked up in the Spire. No matter how hard this mission was, she was determined to succeed. For him. At least there's no snow down here!' shouted Rockwell, wrenching Peanut from her daydream. 'Where shall we aim to land?' As Peanut searched for a suitable landing spot among the trees bordering the lake, something silver caught her eye. 'Did you see that?' she shouted. She needn't have asked. Flying either side of Rockwell, about a metre away, were two mechanical fish, exactly like the one they had encountered at the top of the mountain. Their telescopic eyes glowed red and were firmly trained on the boy as he flew. Peanut! What do I do?' In a panic, she had several thoughts at the same time. Was there any way she could take them out right now? What should she do when the fish sounded their alarms? How could

they escape the RAZERs that would probably be waiting for them when they landed? What happened next, however, came as a total surprise. The fishes' eyes suddenly switched from red to white and they both stopped dead in their tracks. The two gliders travelled another few metres and then... KA-BOOM! The fish exploded behind them. 'W-w-what just happened?' shrieked Rockwell. 'I have no idea.' Peanut shifted her weight forward so that her glider started to descend more sharply. 'But I think we need to land and find cover as quickly as possible.'