Authors: Deborah Abela
âYes, yes.' Tetu snapped back to attention. âWe found a message dropped onto Monsieur Marceau's chair.' Tetu nodded at Steinberger and a photo of a scribbled note appeared on the screen.
âWhat does it say?' Max asked.
â
Gardez la fille
,' Toby spoke out unexpectedly.
âWhich means?'
âWatch out for the girl.'
âHow do you know that?' Max asked.
Toby shrugged. âI've been studying French. It came in handy for my last mission.'
âAs well as French, Toby has been taking cryptography and cryptanalysis classes in Austria after school,' Steinberger explained.
âThe study of message secrecy and code breaking,' Linden said.
âYes.' Steinberger smiled. âAnd he has quite a flair for it. Topped his class in all his exams so far.'
âCan't hold back true genius, I guess.' Toby shrugged. âIf you stay close, some of it might rub off on you, Max.'
âAlong with your arrogance and over-inflated ego? No thanks!' Max shot back.
âAnd Linden,' Steinberger continued, âhas
been studying computer analysis and infiltration by correspondence class. And may I say, he took to it like â¦'
âIf I can finish?' Tetu sneered the room into an awkward quiet. âWe believe ze 12-year-old daughter of Monsieur Marceau is ze girl ze message is referring to and zat she may be in terrible danger. Your mission is to mind ze girl and make sure nozing 'appens to 'er.'
Max's eyes widened. âThe Louvre has been broken into, an old man beaten up and dumped in a gutter, a top archaeologist has been kidnapped and ⦠you're asking us to babysit a kid? We're top agents who have stopped evil geniuses from making zombies of the world's kids.
5
We've saved Venice and Malta from being destroyed.
6
We've rescued â¦'
Max was silenced by Tetu's slow, quiet steps. He stood over her. âIf you don't like it, you can go.' The comment hung in the air like a sharpened guillotine hovering directly above her.
Harrison spoke up to break the tension. âThis mission is to remain top secret, Max. If we were
to place adult agents around Veronique, it would attract unwanted attention. Being the same age as her, you can be more discreet.'
A smug smile slithered across Tetu's colourless lips.
Max turned to her boss. âYes, sir.'
Tetu swaggered in front of the three young agents. âUndercover police will be discreetly placed around you, but you are to stay wiz Veronique at all times. No-one is to know zat you are agents. Ze moment you give your cover away, you will be taken off ze case. As far as anyone is to know, you are friends 'oo 'ave come to visit from England.'
âWe're from Australia,' Max pointed out.
âWherever.' Tetu waved his hand. âJust make zure you do not mess up.'
âWe've completed eight missions so far.' Max held Tetu's half-smiling stare. âWe have no intention of messing up.'
âWe shall see.' One of Tetu's eyebrows arched into the shape of a question mark. âIt 'az been arranged zat Monsieur Sleek will fly you to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris in ze Invisible Jet. You will be escorted into a secret entrance and taken through ze arrivals terminal as if you 'ad flown in on a regular plane. You will be met by an undercover
police officer posing as your driver and taken directly to Monsieur Marceau's home. I will be in touch via zis palm computer that Chief 'Arrison 'as kindly given me so we can communicate in a zecure way. Is zat clear?'
âZat is clear.' It was out before Max could stop it.
A cruel edge circled Tetu's eyes. His body loomed over Max, casting her in his shadow. âDo not mess wiz me,' he said quietly. âOzers 'ave done so before and regretted zat day forever.'
He snapped his pointer closed. âI will see you in Paris after you 'ave been equipped. Au revoir, Chief 'Arrison. Monsieur Stain-berr-gerr.' Tetu nodded and, with his two officers, left the room.
âThat man has
got
to find his funny bone,' Max said. âAnd when he does, I'll be the first to hit him with it.'
Toby and Linden sniggered.
âWhat?' Max asked.
Toby braved an answer. âMaybe he'll find it where you left yours.'
âI can be just as funny as the next person. Funnier, even.' Max threw it out as a challenge. Toby opened his mouth, but a quick shake of the head from Linden warned him against it.
âCommandant Tetu can be a little ⦠stern,' Steinberger said. âHe's never worked with young agents before. Once he sees you in action, though, he'll change his mind.'
âAnd until then we have to babysit some spoilt brat.' Max sulked.
Harrison's gaze lowered. âShe is very much more than that and may be in terrible danger. Minding her is your mission.' His voice was firm.
âTetu is aware of your work with the Force,' Steinberger added. âHe has studied your missions thoroughly, in fact, but he has made up his mind about your role in this one and isn't prepared to budge.'
âI'll budge him if I ever â'
âMax,' Harrison warned. His eyes met each spy before returning to her. âI have staked the reputation of Spyforce on your involvement, and I know you will do your job and allow nothing to bring that reputation into disrepute, will you, Max?'
âNo, sir.'
âNow hurry. Quimby needs to equip you so you can leave for Paris as soon as possible.' He nodded once. âGood luck.'
âAow!' Max cradled her head, which felt as if it had been slammed by a cricket bat.
âSorry, Max.' Steinberger rushed over to where Max was standing in the VART and handed her one of his many hankies. He believed that wherever you went, you couldn't go without your hanky â it somehow made everything better. âSince our renovations to the Force last month, we have rearranged the parking of some of our vehicles ⦠including the Invisible Jet.'
The VART, or Vehicular All-Response Tower, was a large cave-like hangar where Spyforce kept all its high-tech vehicles. There was the Sleek Machine, all-terrain trucks, one-seater mini choppers, hovercrafts and, of course, the Hyper-Fast Invisible Jet, which Max had, until today, known where it was parked. Max grabbed the hanky and dabbed at a small trickle of blood on her forehead. âI thought we were going to be equipped by Quimby?'
âWe are,' Steinberger explained, âbut due to our tight schedule, we're going to do it in the jet.'
A large hatch lowered towards them, revealing the plush interior of the jet.
âAnd it looks as if Sleek is ready for us.'
âI love this thing.' Toby hurried up the stairs.
âAre you okay?' Linden whispered to Max.
âI'm fine, I just â¦' Max felt her heart flip a little as Linden went to touch her brow. She pulled away and shoved the hanky in her pocket. âIt's only a little cut. We'd better get going.'
They climbed inside the jet and settled into the large fluffy seats before Sleek's voice floated above them. âWelcome aboard the Invisible Jet. This is your captain speaking. We are about to commence take-off, so please fasten your seatbelts, stow all tray tables and Digital Think Amajigs, and get ready to enjoy your ride to Paris.'
âHe sounds happy,' Max said.
âThe Social Orienteering classes he's been taking are really working,' Steinberger replied. âHe even received an award for “most improved”.'
After the door closed and locked automatically, the jet lifted into the air and glided towards the opening hangar doors of the VART. At the lip of the exit, the gently hovering machine catapulted into a high-velocity vehicle, well on its way to Paris.
They'd reached cruising altitude in seconds and Steinberger began the orientation. âWe'll be in Paris in a jiffy, so let us get Quimby in here, shall we?'
Steinberger pressed a button on the control panel in his armrest. A large screen descended from the roof and, after a bleep and some static, Professor Quimby, chief inventor of Spyforce, appeared before them. She was in her newly upgraded lab, filled with shiny chrome benches lined with microscopes, lasers and vices. In the background were new machines still covered with cloth. In the centre of it all, Professor Quimby was bent over the flying sparks of a welder. After a few seconds, she stopped.
âProfessor Quimby,' Steinberger announced, âyour agents are assembled.'
Quimby looked up. âAh, hello there, everyone.' She took off her safety helmet. âWelcome to another mission. I was just putting the finishing touches on a new robot I'm working on.'
âA robot?' Toby's eyes brightened. âCould I have one when you're finished?'
âThere's a lot of testing to do before I can unleash her on the public, but I'll let you know when she's ready.' Quimby laid the welder and gloves on the bench. A long wisp of dark hair escaped from her bright pink scarf. âIf you reach beneath your seats you'll find your packs, which are fully equipped with the gadgets you will need for your mission in Paris.'
Each of the agents pulled out their packs, which also doubled as a Personal Flying Device.
âI have checked them all and added a no-tamper security system, so this time you should all fly without a hitch.' Quimby's smile fell a little. âAfter careful examination, Max, we found your pack had been tampered with in Malta. We're only happy you landed from a relatively low height into water, otherwise your fall could have been very serious indeed.'
Max felt a strange tingle of fear run through her as she recalled her PDF stalling mid-flight and her spiralling into the Grand Harbour in Valletta, the capital of Malta.
7
âWe're also lucky Linden was there to pull you out and give you mouth-to-mouth,' Quimby added.
âYou kissed her?' Toby sprang forward into Linden's face.
âI attempted mouth-to-mouth, but â'
âHe didn't kiss me,' Max interrupted. âThere was no mouth-to-mouth. I woke up just in time.'
âOh,' Quimby said. âMy mistake.'
âI can't believe you were going to kiss her,' Toby said.
âI can't believe you don't understand that if you say that one more time, I'm going to wrap you in that fluffy seat cover and slingshot you into outer space.' Max's eyes were wild. Toby stayed quiet.
âIn your packs you will find an old favourite.' Quimby's smile returned with new vigour as she held out a small, red rubber cube. âThe Foldaway Inflatable Vehicle.'
âThat's a vehicle?' Toby asked.
âNot yet, but watch this.' Quimby moved back from the camera, which followed her every move. âAll you do is give the cube a shake like this, throw it to the ground and you have ⦠the Felani!'
A sleek red car materialised as if from nowhere.
â
That
is going to be a dream to drive.' Toby imagined himself comfortably seated at the wheel.
âI don't think so,' Max said. âI don't plan on my life ending that quickly.'
âMax and Linden have been properly trained to use the vehicles,' Steinberger explained to Toby. âSo you are to leave the driving to them.'
âAll right,' Toby sighed. âBut they've just missed out on their first ride through the sound barrier.'
Quimby smirked and continued. âIts wheels contain fibres from the Venus flytrap for super-grip and, even though she looks like a flash city car,
she's very sturdy for those occasions when you need to tackle harder terrain, but still look good.'
âIt's always good to know â' Toby began.
âThat the gadgets will match the good looks of their agent?' Max guessed.
âNow you're starting to get it.'
âMaybe you're just getting predictable.'
The camera followed Quimby, who moved closer to her desk. She held up a transparent, button-shaped device. âYou each have a Tracer Bug that, as Max and Linden will remember, is linked to the virtual search engine on your Time and Space Machine. You simply enter the code number of the Tracer Bug you're looking for and the search engine will track that person down. The code numbers are on your computer and each bug displays in different colours. Toby is blue, Linden is green and, Max, you're red.'
âAnd this,' she picked up a small plastic curved object, âis your Descrambler. It fits inconspicuously behind your ear and will translate any language into English. I'd like you to wear them now and keep them turned on at all times while you are in France.'
Each of the agents slipped the device behind an ear.
âI'd also like you to wear your infrared video/radio watches with built-in laser and torch. They've been updated to include texting capability. I've also included your danger meters. Wear them close to your chests and at the threat of even the slightest danger, they will send out a pulsing vibration.' The three agents slipped on their watches and danger meters.
âI've packed your MP3 recorders, which can hear and record voices up to three hundred metres away, and Night Vision Sunglasses that allow you to detect humans in the dark by built-in heat sensors. In your bags you'll find your palm computers with translation software installed, as well as detailed maps of France and a Global Positioning System, or GPS, that will direct you to any destination you need.'
âExcellent as usual, Quimby.' Steinberger looked at his watch. âBy my calculation, we should almost be in Paris. Is there anything else you'd like to tell the agents?'
âJust one more thing, which should happen any second now.'
âHello! Oh, I hope I'm not too late.' A voice rose from the maze of bookshelves, benches and machinery of the lab. âAh, there you are. Thank
goodness. I thought I might have missed you.'
Steinberger's face turned a deathly shade of old sport sock and his mouth opened and closed like a beached fish.
Max and Linden swapped sly smiles. A woman in a bright red lab coat and matching hair, which was swept up on her head like an overloaded beehive, appeared beside Quimby.
âSorry I'm late. I had a particularly active morning trying to give medicine to a Japanese fighting fish.' She adjusted her rose-shaped glasses. âThey're stubborn little things when they want to be. Hello, agents. And Steinby. Lovely to see you as always.' Dr Frond waved. The normally in-control Steinberger giggled feverishly and his arm slipped off the armrest.
Dr Frond was the head of the Plantorium, the centre for creating new plant-based products for Spyforce, and the object of Steinberger's not-so-secret crush. âIn your packs you each have toiletry bags.' She held out a cake of soap, a packet of talcum powder and two travel-size bottles marked âshampoo' and âconditioner'.
âThey're not just to keep us clean, are they?' Linden asked.
âNo.' Frond smiled. âThey are much cleverer
than that. The soap is Professor Plomb's newly disguised Silent Bomb, which you activate by pulling this rope embedded in the end. The talcum powder is actually Snooze Powder that, when inhaled, will induce a deep sleep. The shampoo is Invisibility Cream and the conditioner is the Antidote to make you visible again. There's also a deodorant, which is really Wake-Up Spray.'
âDoes it smell better than the last one Linden used on me in Malta?' Max asked. Many of Frond's products had an unfortunate knack of smelling like dead fish.
âI'm afraid not.' Frond shrugged. âBut we're working on it.'
Quimby clapped. âAnd now you are fully equipped for your mission to Paris.'
Sleek's voice came to life above them. âLadies and gentlemen, we have begun our descent into Paris, one of the most romantic cities in the world.'
Steinberger, who had been quietly staring at Frond for her entire speech, sighed, before continuing to stare in silence.
âSteinberger?' Max waved a hand in front of his face, but he didn't move.
Quimby had a try. âYour agents are ready, Steinby. And I think you're about to land.'
âGood. Wonderful. Magnificent,' he whispered.
âThanks for the gadgets, Quimby and Frond.' Max had had enough of Steinberger's love paralysis.
âYou're welcome,' Quimby said. âAnd may the Force be with you.'
Max leant over and stopped the transmission.
âLadies and gentlemen,' Sleek announced, âplease stow all projection screens, tighten your seatbelts and get ready for one smooth landing.'
Max looked at Steinberger's love-dazed gaze and sighed. She tightened his seatbelt and pressed the button on his armrest to retract the screen.
âTime for the pact.' Linden held out his hands to Toby and Max.
âA pact?' Toby asked. âSounds good.' He took Linden's hand.
Max sighed and looked at the two outstretched hands. Holding one boy's hand was enough to make a girl want to run, but two? She also knew Linden wouldn't start the mission without it. She reached out gingerly and took their hands.
Toby slipped on his best Mr Smarm voice. âI could tell you wanted to hold my hand as soon as I arrived.'
âLinden, make it fast.' Max closed her eyes.
Linden smiled. âIf Max or Toby should come to harm or get lost or be in danger in any way, I, Linden Franklin, will do everything I can to help them and bring them to safety. Your turn, Toby.'
Toby repeated the pact and squeezed Max's hand when he'd finished. âLots of girls would kill to have me looking after them.'
âDon't you mean they
risk
being killed with you looking after them?'
âYou can try and resist me for only so long before you crack. You'll see.'
âI'll crack you if you don't â'
A gentle bump onto the tarmac told them they'd arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Max hurriedly said her pact before snapping her hands back and wiping them on her pants.
The agents slipped on their packs and stood at the exit hatch. A muttering Steinberger remained dreamily strapped in his seat.
âSteinberger?' Max said.
He kept muttering.
âSteinberger! We're here. In Paris. And we thought we should get on with the mission, if that's all right with you.'
âMission â¦' he muttered further.
âSomeone has got to do something about this,' Max mumbled before adding, âWe'll see you when we get back.' She led the other agents down the exit hatch, leaving a lovesick Steinberger wallowing in a pool of his brain-slushing crush.