58 The Rainbow Lake

58 The Rainbow Lake The wooden bridge led straight on to a wide expanse of featureless white concrete which surrounded the most extraordinary thing that the children had ever seen in their lives: a perfectly circular body of multicoloured water, about a mile in diameter. The Rainbow Lake. 'Whoa!' said all three children as they approached the edge. It was a breathtaking sight, so beautiful that it almost didn't seem real. The lake was made up of seven concentric circles of colour, each clearly defined and not blending with the one next to it. The outside ring was red, the next orange, then yellow, then green, then blue, then indigo and finally violet. It looked like a multicoloured running track made of water.

'Incredible,' purred Peanut. In the middle of the lake was a small island, ringed by a tall fence made out of giant crayons. The majority of the fence was painted white, but there were large sections where the crayons' colour was still visible. Peanut assumed it was in the process of being whitewashed. Dotted all around the fence were more watchtowers, similar to those on the bridge, each with a window containing the glowing green eyes of a RAZER. Directly opposite where the children were standing, on

the other side of the water, reaching high into the air, was what looked like a vertical section of the bridge they'd just walked across. At its base was a huge wheel connected by a series of cogs to a handle. 'Look at all those drawbridges,' said Rockwell. Sure enough, there were several that ran around the perimeter of the crayon fence. 'One for each district, I bet.' Just beyond the crayon fence, however, was the main event. The soaring, white tower that was the Spire. It was studded with a spiral of small black windows that followed the taper of the massive spike to a perfect point 500 metres above their heads. From this close, it seemed even bigger than Peanut had imagined. And the task of finding Mr M seemed more daunting than ever. 'So, what's the problem?' whispered Peanut. 72 made a strange clicking noise. 'We might have to revise our plan to walk into the Spire,' it said quietly. 'It is impossible. Security has been tightened and the drawbridges have been raised, therefore we are unable to make our way across the Rainbow Lake via the drawbridges.' 'So, what do we do?' said Rockwell, a note of panic in his voice. 'We must revert to Plan B,' said 72 softly 'Peanut Jones. Listen very carefully. When I say "go" I want you to push me

into the Rainbow Lake and then all of you must dive in after me. 'Dive in?' spluttered Rockwell, clearly alarmed. 'But I hate swimming!' 'Sssshhhhh!' said both Peanut and Little-Bit. 'B-but the thing is, I can't actually swim,' he said quietly. Doodle looked up at Rockwell, wagged his tail and barked. Don't worry. I think he's saying that he'll help you,' said Peanut. 'Just hold on to Doodle once you've jumped in. 'Oh, well that's all right then,' said Rockwell, still not looking convinced. 'I'll just cling on to the drawing of the dog and everything will be fine.' 72 spoke quickly and precisely. 'Once you are in the lake, you will need to swim underwater directly across to the island. On the concrete wall, approximately two metres below the surface, you will see an opening. It is an access point for a colour- correction filter. It has not been used for a long time but the infrastructure is still intact. Swim through the opening and it will lead to a disused facility room. From there you will be able to use the computer terminal to locate the right cell and access the main part of the building via the elevator. To find which cell you require you will need to unscramble the code I have given you. 'Can't you help us do that?' asked Peanut. I'm afraid not. My programming doesn't cover code work. Does that all make sense, Peanut Jones?'

'Er, yes. I-I think so,' she replied. 'And what will happen to you?' A RAZER is not designed to be submerged in water. My circuits will be flooded and I will cease to function. ' You'll... you'll die?' 'Affirmative.' 'What?' said Little-Bit. 'But I don't want you to die!' 'There must be another way,' said Peanut. 'There is no other way,' said the robot. 'The other RAZERs will be distracted by my falling into the Rainbow Lake and it will give you the time to make it to the filter opening. It must be done. 'But it's so unfair!' sobbed Little-Bit. 'Little girl. You must remember that I have lived my whole life for this moment. For me, it is an honour. If my final act can help to save the city of Chroma, then I will die a happy robot.' Its eyes flashed to green as it looked at her. 'Now. Are you all ready?' 'Can you shield me from view for one minute?' said Peanut. She reached inside her farmer's shirt and pulled out the pencil. She sketched four diving-masks and plucked them out of the air. She handed one each to Rockwell and Little-Bit, and pulled a mask over Doodle's eyes. Rockwell looked terrified. 'So we're actually doing this?' 'Yes,' said Peanut. 'Little-Bit, when we jump in the water, put your arms around my shoulders. OK?'