9 Doodle and the Wagon

Chapter 9 Doodle and the Wagon DOODLE!' shouted Little-Bit, before splashing out across the water and flinging her arms around the dog she'd waited so long to see. Doodle had been the gang's constant companion throughout their first adventure in Chroma and belonged to the Markmakers. He raced back and forth between Little-Bit, Rockwell and Peanut, as if he couldn't decide who he was most happy to see. 'Hello, boy!' said Peanut, ruffling the soft charcoal fur around the dog's neck as he wagged his tail excitedly. 'It's great to see you too!' 'If Doodle's here, that must mean the Markmakers aren't far away,' said Rockwell, trying to avoid the dog's enthusiastic

attempts to lick his face. 'Maybe that old mill over there is their new HQ?' Peanut looked over at the building and shook her head. 'Too conspicuous for a secret bunker,' she said. 'My gut tells me we're looking for something a bit more subtle.' 'Maybe there's a door in one of those tree trunks,' said Little-Bit, pointing to the large oaks on the far bank beyond the mill. 'Or under one of those hay-bales in the field.' 'What about that?' said Rockwell, pointing. Right in the middle of the cart, bolted to the platform, was a backplate holding a heavy-looking metal ring. 'It looks just like the handle of the hatch that led to the Bunker back in the North Draw.' 'I think Rocky is right,' said Little-Bit. All three of them climbed up on to the cart and grabbed the ring. They pulled as hard as they could, and, sure enough, a section of the wagon's floor started to lift up like a trapdoor. When it reached a vertical position, something clicked and it stayed upright. The children looked down through the opening, and where they might have expected to see water flowing beneath the cart, they saw instead a staircase which seemed to lead deep into the river. 'Cool!' exclaimed Little-Bit, as Doodle jumped through the opening. 'Looks like we're going underwater!'