Aquamaxitor (3 page)

Kai and BC flew into blinding golden light. ‘Where are we?' asked BC. ‘I've never seen anything like this before.'

‘We're in the mud land,' answered Kai. ‘The brown sludge has turned toxic. It's all yellow now. Just like the mud that was on your eye lenses.'

‘But how has it happened?' asked BC.

‘I don't know,' answered Kai. ‘But the beasts are tagged by the BMC. My watch picks up those tags so we can track these two beasts down quickly. We need to get them back behind the Outlands' gates before they can do any more damage.'

‘Oh-oh,' said BC wagging his tail. ‘Trouble on the way.'

‘Where?' asked Kai. ‘I can't see anything?'

And then he heard it.

‘It's a massive bunch of flying toxic jellyfish!' yelled Kai. ‘And they're coming
straight at us.'

‘And something else,' said BC. ‘Can you hear it?'

‘Rock-bombing hawks,' said Kai. ‘It's a full-on pest attack!

You zap the birds with your eye lasers when I open the cockpit. I'll get the flying jellyfish with the Heat-Zap Combo.'

Kai opened the cockpit. BC flew straight out towards the birds and began zapping.

Kai blasted the jellyfish one by one and watched them drop away.
The heat-blaster is melting them,
thought Kai.
Good, only a few to go and then I can help BC with the birds.

‘More birds coming,' called BC. ‘Too many to handle! They're dropping something. Something is making more birds!'

All of a sudden the Super Sludgebot was hit by a flying rock-attack.
These pests are big trouble,
thought Kai as he steadied the Sludgebot.

 

‘One jellyfish to go and then I can help you BC. Hang in there!'

A text message suddenly flashed on Kai's cockpit computer.

All at once a terrible screeching noise broke out.

‘Aaagh!' cried Kai. He hit the button for his ear plugs. Then he looked out the window. All of the birds had folded their wings around their heads.
The birds are falling away,
thought Kai.

Then Kai looked at the flying jellyfish he'd zapped.
They were lying in melted blobs on the mud.

Oh no. They're turning yellow. Like the yellow toxic mud. What does that mean?

Then Kai saw Ying Li's catbot. It flew past BC and over the top of Kai's Super Sludgebot. And its mouth was wide open.
So that's where the terrible noise is coming from,
thought Kai.

‘Border Guard Ying Li,' Kai said into the mouthpiece. ‘Report in for duty.'

‘Ying Li and BF reporting for duty Captain Kai,' Li's voice said over the sludgebot's speakers.

Kai stared at the speakers in shock. He could hardly believe his ears.
It's a girl Border Guard,
he thought.

The battle team hovered above the yellow toxic mud. ‘You did a good job with those pests, Li,' said Kai. ‘Your catbot packs a powerful screech.'

‘She's very handy in battle,' said Li.

‘My watch tells me that these two beasts are not very
far away,' said Kai. ‘Follow me, team.'

Kai and Li flew deeper into the mud land. ‘Beasts just ahead on the right,' Kai said into the mouthpiece. ‘Let's fly a bit closer and then hover.'

‘Three beasts!' said BC once they were close enough to see them. ‘The BMC said that there were only two on the loose.'

‘The third doesn't have a tag,' said Kai. ‘How is that?'

‘There are two of my combo beasts and one of yours,' said Li.

‘And our two are battling yours and winning,' said BF. ‘We can't let them win! If we do they will both change.'

Without warning, the two beasts launched a huge mud and wind attack and sent the
team flying.

‘Whoa!' cried Li as she flipped over and over.

‘Are you okay Li?' Kai asked as he steadied his bot.

‘I am now,' answered Li. ‘That was a double attack from those two beasts.'

‘Yes,' said Kai. ‘We must stop them before any of them can change. Battle team, go!'

But the team was too late.

By the time they reached the battle all that was left of Kai's combo beast was a pile of dust. Glowing yellow dust.

‘One looks exactly the same but the other one has changed,' said Kai. He quickly took a photo of the changed beast with his orb. An image popped onto the screen. ‘This one's now a mega-mutant,' he said quietly.

‘But they both beat the mud beast. Why did only one change?'

‘Something strange has happened,' said BC. ‘How did the mud beast come back? And why did only one combo beast change into a mega-mutant?'

Kai looked down at the two beasts. Then he looked again at all that was left of the mud beast.

‘Sneak down and get some of that glowing yellow dust in your hatch, BC,' said Kai. ‘Quick, before the beasts see us.'

BC flew quietly down behind the beasts. He landed softly in the mud beside the glowing pile of dust. Kai hit a button on his orb and BC's hatch popped open.
Hurry,
thought Kai.
The dust is sinking into the mud and will be lost forever.

‘Look at the dogbot,' BF said to Li. ‘He's rolling in the mud just like an ordinary dog.'

‘I heard that,' said Kai. ‘BC is getting samples for me to test. You two bots must buddy up …'

‘If we are to beat these beasts,' Li added.

Then, without warning, both beasts turned on the battle team. Their huge wings opened and their mouths drew breath.

‘Look out!' shouted BC from below.