Andy Roid and the Turbine Runaways Read online

  When I was a kid I was invincible – or so I imagined. My brother and I would combine all the powers of our favourite comic and TV superheroes and have the most epic battles in our backyard. We would zap at each other with our awesome laser fingers, run faster than a cheetah riding a Ducati (now that’s fast!), and jump over buildings (more like the swing set) in a single bound.

  With Andy Roid, I’ve been able to let my imagination play like never before. It’s been so much fun to create this series and I hope you enjoy it as much as I loved writing it!

  Felice Arena is the bestselling author and creator of many popular and award-winning children’s books including the Specky Magee series. For more information about Felice and his books visit his website at:

  felicearena.com

  Contents

  PREVIOUSLY…

  1. BAD BOY

  2. MASTERPIECE

  3. CALL ME BEV!

  4. SIRENS

  5. HICCUP!

  6. GRANNY KICK

  7. PARTY ON!

  8. HOME INVASION

  FROM THE AUTHOR

  …WHEN YOU’RE HALF BOY, HALF MACHINE,

  IT’S HARD NOT TO BE A HERO…

  Andy’s not a regular kid, but he’s trying his best to act like one. His parents are government scientists, specialising in robotics. After a terrible accident, they rebuilt him using their latest, untested research, giving him superhuman powers. His parents nicknamed him Andy Roid, but it’s more than just a nickname: it’s his government code name. And he’s being hunted by a dangerous enemy – Dr Baffi and the Triple S – who want to capture him and use him as a human lab rat.

  At his old school Andy used his powers to save his friend Molly’s life, and he and his family had to go on the run. But the Triple S kidnapped their boss to flush them out of hiding. Now Andy’s parents are in safe houses in separate parts of the country and Andy is laying low at Renfrew High, living with Judd, a teen agent employed to protect him, and ‘Agent Granny’, his decoy guardian.

  But the Triple S have tracked Andy down once and they could do it again. He’s turning thirteen and for the first time he’s on his own, making his own decisions. Will they be the right ones? Or will this be the last birthday he’ll live to see?

  As Andy walked through the gates of his school he noticed something weird. It was hard to miss. Everyone was staring at him, whispering as he walked past.

  He glanced down to see if his fly was open. It wasn’t. Maybe they know it’s my birthday, he thought. No, that can’t be it, he decided. Andy walked quickly down the busy corridor towards his locker.

  ‘Seriously, it’s true!’ Andy overheard a girl say to her friend as he brushed past them. Another girl shushed them both. ‘I’m surprised he’s back so soon!’ he heard her say under her breath.

  Now he was really starting to worry. Do they know my secret? He wondered. Has my cover been blown? If even his classmates knew about his real identity, was the crazed scientist who was after him about to crash through the classroom door and grab him?

  ‘There he is! Hey, Masters!’ shouted a couple of boys from his class.

  Andy still wasn’t completely used to responding to his alias. For a moment he didn’t realise they were talking to him. He wondered if he’d ever hear his real surname, Reid, again.

  ‘Dude! I can’t believe you’re back!’ said Pete, a tall, lanky boy Andy didn’t know that well.

  ‘Yeah, everyone’s saying that you and Judd Shoemaker ran Mr Presticott’s jocks up the flagpole,’ added Parker. ‘You must have a death wish!’

  Andy relaxed – no one knew his secret. Everyone just wanted to talk about how he’d been sent home from camp.

  ‘We thought you’d been expelled,’ said Parker. ‘What are you doing back? Where’s Judd?’

  ‘Judd’s been suspended,’ Andy said. ‘I’ve just got lunchtime detentions until I graduate.’

  ‘Masters! What are you doing here!’ a voice boomed from behind them. It was Mr Presticott.

  ‘You boys go get ready for class,’ he growled, pushing Pete and Parker aside. ‘I want to talk to Masters.’

  Andy’s classmates raced off as Mr Presticott stepped up to him.

  ‘If I were in charge of this school, you and Judd Shoemaker would have been kicked out of here for good,’ he snarled, just inches from Andy’s face. ‘You think you’re pretty smart, don’t ya?’ Mr Presticott poked his finger into Andy’s chest.

  Andy decided it was best not to answer.

  ‘I’m keeping my eye on you, Masters,’ Mr Presticott said, forking his fingers and motioning to his eyes and back at Andy. ‘Watching you like a snake!’

  Is this guy for real? thought Andy. Is that supposed to scare me? Andy had faced down a rampaging gorilla, a pack of wild dogs and a brutal bounty hunter. He’d foiled a bank robbery, swung from a flying helicopter, even taken a bullet in the leg. Mr Presticott was the least of his problems.

  ‘And that snake is a cobra…’ continued the teacher, ‘ready to pounce any second. Got that, Masters?’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ said Andy, trying not to laugh.

  ‘Mr Presticott! Don’t you have a class to go to?’ It was the Principal, Miss Thompson.

  ‘Yes, on my way now,’ said Mr Presticott, stepping away from Andy. ‘I’m, um, just surprised to see Masters back so soon.’ Even though Mr Presticott was twice the size of Miss Thompson, he was seriously intimidated by her. It was fun to watch him squirm.

  ‘The matter has been dealt with,’ said Miss Thompson severely. ‘It’s time for us to move on. Now if you can please excuse us, I need to speak to Andy privately.’

  Mr Presticott glared at Andy and mouthed, Like a cobra, before stomping off.

  Miss Thompson looked serious. ‘Be careful, Andy, and not just for your sake – I’ll keep an eye out for you, but I’ve told the General if there’s any hint of danger I’m pulling out of this entire operation. It’s good to have you back, though,’ she added, her voice softening. ‘I’m glad you could make it back for your birthday. It must be hard for you, turning thirteen without your parents around.’

  Miss Thompson stopped as she saw Andy’s friend Reggie coming towards them. ‘Hello, Reginald,’ she said. ‘I’ll let you two catch up.’ She smiled and headed back to her office.

  ‘So, anything you’d like to tell me, Andy?’ said Reggie, frowning at him.

  ‘Um, hello to you too, Reggie,’ Andy said, deadpan.

  ‘Yeah, whatever. Look, it’s killing me! You’ve told Judd your secret, Miss Taylor obviously knows something and so does Miss Thompson. You have to tell me!’

  Andy slammed his locker door shut and starting walking off to class. Reggie marched alongside him.

  ‘So?’ he pressed.

  ‘Reggie, I can’t tell you here, in the corridor.’

  ‘Hey! Andy!’ It was Gabriella Lopez, one of the prettiest girls at Renfrew High. She had a huge crush on Andy, although he didn’t feel the same way.

  Reggie coughed nervously. ‘Gabriella! Hi! Is that scent your perfume? Is it lilac? Am I right?’

  ‘Maybe,’ said Gabriella, shrugging and brushing straight past Reggie.

  Andy felt really bad about Gabriella paying so much attention to him. It didn’t help that Judd was seriously interested in her and Reggie got nervy around her. Judd had even handed Andy a gift for Gabriella at breakfast.

  ‘Hi, Gabriella,’ Andy said. ‘Judd wanted me to give you this.’ He gave her a small package.

  She unwrapped it – it was a stone. Gabriella’s father was a geologist, and Judd knew she was interested in rocks.

  ‘It’s a halite,’ said Gabriella, smiling.

  ‘Rock salt,’ Reggie sai
d at the same time, leaning over her shoulder.

  ‘Halite and rock salt are the same thing,’ said Gabriella, obviously impressed. ‘How did you know that?’

  ‘W-well, who doesn’t?’ Reggie stuttered. ‘But for a moment there I thought it could’ve been an oolite.’

  ‘No way! At first I thought the same thing!’ Gabriella’s face lit up as she put the stone in her pocket.

  ‘Yeah, but now it’s out-a-sight!’ joked Reggie. ‘Get it! Ha-lite…oo-lite…out-a-sight…’

  Andy rolled his eyes, but Gabriella laughed. Andy shook his head in disbelief. What was going on here? Were these two actually getting on? Gabriella was nice, but she didn’t normally hang out with nerds like Reggie.

  Suddenly Reggie remembered that he was joking around with the most popular girl in school. He blushed bright red and looked at the ground.

  Gabriella turned back to Andy. ‘I was going to ask if you were around after school today, maybe we could work on some homework together.’

  ‘Um, sorry, I can’t…I mean, I’m staying with my…um, with Judd and his granny because my parents are out of town,’ Andy said, trying to make his cover story sound natural.

  ‘Oh, okay. Well, maybe when they get back. See you in class,’ she said, running ahead to join some of her friends. They all glanced back at Andy and giggled as they walked down the hall.

  Andy sighed and turned to Reggie. ‘Can you believe that?’ he said.

  ‘No, I can’t,’ Reggie said. ‘She laughed at my joke. She’s…she’s amazing.’

  ‘Aw, man, not you as well,’ said Andy, shaking his head. ‘I just don’t get what’s going on today.’

  ‘She likes you. She doesn’t like Judd. She barely knows I exist.’ Reggie shrugged. ‘Simple as that.’

  ‘No. I mean, why is everyone looking at me, all goofy, especially those girls?’ Andy said as they approached their classroom.

  ‘It’s classic defiant-hero infatuation,’ said Reggie. ‘You’re an anti-hero. We’re seeing a basic Jungian archetype being actualised within the context of a school environment –’

  ‘Stop! Could you please repeat that in English, and not in Geek-a-nese,’ said Andy.

  ‘You were sent home from camp,’ said Reggie. ‘But you weren’t just sent home for being a jerk. You were mysterious and confident, and you defied authority. Some girls like that. Which I totally don’t understand, by the way. So you, my friend, are now officially cool.’

  ‘Hey, Masters! My buddy!’ Hunter Wilson, the school bully, called out to Andy as he and Reggie entered the classroom.

  ‘Did he just call me buddy?’ Andy said.

  ‘It has to be a trap,’ said Reggie. ‘There are a couple of spare seats up front.’

  ‘Andy!’ Hunter called out again. ‘Sit with us.’

  Andy waved, ‘Nah, it’s cool. Just gonna sit here.’

  ‘With me – his friend,’ Reggie tagged on.

  ‘Okay. Catch ya at recess then,’ Hunter replied, ignoring Reggie’s remark.

  ‘Hello, everyone!’ It was Mr Delaware, the Art teacher. He was a total modern-day hippy, with long blond shaggy hair and a bushy beard.

  ‘Okay, everyone. Please relax. Just chill,’ he said. ‘I know this is English. I’m filling in for Miss Taylor.’

  Andy wondered if Miss Taylor was okay. He could still barely believe that she was an undercover agent. He hoped she was on a well-deserved break after saving their lives at camp.

  ‘Since Miss Taylor hasn’t left any notes, I thought I’d give you the option of finishing the pencil portraits you started in Art class last week. The portrait of someone who means a great deal to you. I have pencils and I don’t want to hear a squeak out of any of you. Got it?’

  As Mr Delaware turned to pick up everyone’s half-finished portraits, Andy began to feel very odd. It was difficult to breathe and flecks of brightly coloured light clouded his vision. It felt a lot like it did when his robotic powers were activated, but something was different – and not in a good way.

  He looked down at his palms. They were both glowing with a fluorescent blue light, as if he had switched himself on. But he hadn’t! Andy quickly shoved his hands under the desk.

  ‘Are you okay?’ asked Reggie.

  ‘Yeah, it’s nothing,’ said Andy, trying to act calm.

  Just as Reggie said, ‘Well, you don’t look okay,’ a double bolt of electricity surged up and down Andy’s spine. He began to feel a pins-and-needles sensation along his arms, and his lower back felt as if someone had just placed a giant clamp around it.

  ‘Um, are those sparks coming out your ears?’ Reggie whispered in an alarmed voice.

  ‘What?’ gasped Andy, cupping his ears.

  ‘Whoa!’ Reggie said, looking at Andy’s glowing hands.

  Andy put his hands in his pockets and stood up. ‘Excuse me, Mr Delaware. But I’m feeling really sick. I’ve gotta go to the bathroom.’

  Andy stood over the sink and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He leaned forward. Close up it looked as if his eyeballs were vibrating slightly.

  ‘What’s happening to me?’ he muttered, turning on the tap and splashing his face with cold water.

  ‘You okay?’

  Andy saw Reggie in the reflection.

  ‘Yeah, it’s nothing,’ Andy said. ‘We should get back to class.’

  ‘Not before you tell me the truth,’ Reggie said, blocking the exit. ‘Maybe I can help you. Whatever that was, the entire class nearly saw it.’

  Andy paused. There was no other way of getting around this. He couldn’t hide his secret from Reggie any longer.

  ‘Okay, shut the door,’ Andy said, as he checked the stalls to make sure no else was there. ‘Right…Don’t blame me if you don’t believe it.’

  Andy told Reggie about his secret, but not all of it. He told him about being rebuilt after a terrible accident, that parts of him were made of super-strength titanium, military-grade silicon and more microchips than you could count. He told him about his hardware and the applications has parents had installed, but he kept the part about Sylvester Baffi and the Triple S to himself. He didn’t know if revealing that information would put Reggie in danger, but he thought it was best not to talk about it, just in case.

  ‘I knew it! I knew it!’ Reggie said excitedly. ‘Well, I didn’t know the extent of your bionic augmentation, but I knew it had to be epic. You stopped a jeep with your legs! This is brilliant…beyond brilliant…It’s totally revolutionary!’

  It was the exact reaction Andy had expected from Reggie. And there was that term Miss Taylor had used, revolution. It made Andy feel uneasy.

  ‘So what’s going on then?’ Reggie asked. ‘With your mini-meltdown back in class?’

  ‘Honestly, I don’t know,’ said Andy. ‘But it seems to have settled down a bit.’ He wished he could contact his mum to ask for her help, but it felt good to be able to talk to someone about it anyway. ‘It’s kind of like the feeling I have when I switch on – but there’s all this other crazy stuff as well.’

  Reggie looked thoughtful. ‘Maybe something has triggered it. I’ve read that in some bionic technology – primitive compared to you, of course – the transponder chips fall out of sync with the radio-frequency identification. Have you checked to see if all your apps are still working? Hey, maybe the surge has activated some that have been dormant? This is so cool.’

  ‘Seriously, Reggie, you scare me with what you know. Are you sure you’re not bionic?’

  ‘I wish!’ Reggie grinned. ‘But we better get back to class or Mr Delaware will get worried. In the meantime, I’ll do some more research about your problem.’

  ‘I’m sure you will,’ Andy said, shaking his head, impressed.

  Back in class, Andy collected his portrait from Mr Delaware. It had been easy to decide who to draw. There was one person he hadn’t stopped thinking about since he and his parents had fled their last home. It was Molly Robinson, the only girl he’d ever really liked. But he hadn
’t drawn much so far. Art wasn’t his best subject.

  Andy glanced over at Reggie’s drawing. He was already halfway through. It was a rough-looking sketch of an old man with wild hair and a big bushy moustache.

  ‘Your grandfather?’ Andy asked.

  ‘No. It’s Einstein,’ Reggie answered, without looking up. ‘One of the greatest scientific brains ever.’

  Andy smiled and looked at Gabriella’s artwork. He couldn’t tell who she was drawing. It was kind of bad – really bad. It looked like a second-grader had sketched it.

  ‘Check this out!’ Hunter bragged, holding up his picture to his mates.

  Everyone turned to look. The drawing was of a dog biting a postman on the butt. It was actually quite good. ‘It’s my boxer, Boof! He’s a freak! I love him!’

  Andy took a deep breath and began sketching. He remembered Molly’s striking green eyes, her cute button nose, and wavy red hair. It was as if he had fallen into a deep trance. He imagined every detail of Molly’s face. His drawing hand glided across the paper. As Andy was adding the finishing touches, shading in the dark and light tones of the skin and putting in the intricate details, he realised he was being watched.

  ‘That’s awesome!’ said Pete, looking over Andy’s shoulder.

  ‘It looks like a photograph, it’s so real,’ said Parker.

  ‘You’ve got to be kidding,’ said Reggie, his jaw dropping.

  Before Andy had realised what he’d done, the entire class had gathered around him totally gobsmacked. Everyone except Gabriella, who was glaring at him. Her dagger look clearly said, ‘So who’s the other girl then?’

  At least I’ve solved the problem of Gabriella liking me, he thought.

  Mr Delaware broke through the group and picked up Andy’s portrait. ‘Oh, my!’ he gasped. ‘This is very impressive! It’s a masterpiece! Never in my teaching career have I come across such breathtaking talent. It’s Rembrandt meets Da Vinci. Where on earth did you learn to draw like this?’

  Andy sank back into his seat. Oh boy, this is awkward, he thought. He had a new power – photographic memory and the ability to reproduce images in exact detail, but he had no way to explain it away.