Spilling Secrets Read online

21/10/11 9:45 AM

  ‘I don’t see any aliens in there, do you?’

  Addie asked, leaning over with her hands on her knees and puffing.

  ‘It’s hard to know,’ Aziza said. ‘I don’t think so but it’s moving pretty fast. What is going on here?’

  ‘I think I know,’ Addie answered. ‘I learnt about these things at my old school when we studied the Gold Rush. It’s a kind of mining where water is blasted at high pressure onto mountainsides and hills that have gold in them. It’s really bad for the environment. All the dirt and gravel gets blasted down onto those sluices that you thought were train tracks. The sluice channels are designed to catch the gold but the rest gets washed away.

  57

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 57

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  It goes down the hills into rivers or in this case into the valleys where the aliens live.’

  Aziza’s eyes were wide with excitement.

  ‘Gold!’ she exclaimed. ‘You mean there’s going to be gold in that thing when the water drains away?’

  58

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 58

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  ‘Probably not this time, Aziza,’ Addie

  said. ‘We’ve already completed part of our mission without knowing it. When we set the earth hard again it set in the sluice channel too. It’s like it’s filled with concrete now. It’ll take more than one blast of water to soften the earth again. And any gold or whatever it is that is being mined here will be set in the sluice too.’ Addie made her way down the hill towards the sluice channel. ‘And once I set this newly washed down water and mud, this channel will be destroyed for good.’

  Aziza ran past Addie and snatched the

  Molecule Mover from her hand as she whizzed by. She aimed it at the rushing mud and shot rays into it. ‘Hard as cement,’ she smiled.

  59

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 59

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  ‘I rather like this gadget!’

  ‘Now that you’re finished playing hero, can we get going before another blast of water comes?’ Addie began to climb the hill following the sluice channel as she went.

  ‘Whoever is doing this will be up over this big hill I’d say.’

  ‘Not anymore they’re not,’ Aziza said, her voice trembling. ‘Look up there.’

  On the crest of the hill not far from the agents stood a row of technoborgs. They were looking down at the ruined sluice channel and at the agents.

  Both agents ran for cover in the thick

  plant growth on the side of the hill.

  6O

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 60

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  ‘I vote we teleport,’ Aziza said. ‘We’ve wrecked their operation. The sluice thing is useless.’

  ‘We need to stop their water source if

  we’re going to do this job properly,’ Addie said, trying to think. ‘We trapped borgs in hardened lava on Planet Molteyser but we can’t do that here. Head for the plants.’

  She ran and slid in under some thick

  catberry plants, Aziza arrived a moment later.

  ‘Addie, they must have seen us. This is crazy,’ said Aziza, panting.

  61

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 61

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  ‘Let’s move closer,’ Addie said. She started to creep as quietly as she could through the plants towards the borgs.

  ‘Stop,’ said Aziza, grabbing Addie’s arm.

  ‘Listen. Someone’s speaking.’

  ‘What do you want me to do with the

  borgs?’ they heard the person say.

  Addie and Aziza peered out from where

  they crouched among the plants.

  ‘Oh my gosh!’ Aziza whispered. ‘That’s

  Electra Caldez! Valentina’s cousin.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Electra,’ Aziza said again. ‘Don’t you remember her? She was one of SEAS’s best students. She left for Easter holidays when she was in third year and never came back.

  62

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 62

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  Oh, that was about the time you came to the school, wasn’t it?’

  So Valentina wasn’t joking when she said that she knew someone who’d left SEAS to join the GDC, Addie thought.

  Aziza whispered again. ‘She’s joined the GDC. She looks great in that uniform.’

  ‘Shhh!’ Addie snapped, glaring at Aziza.

  ‘We need to hear what she’s saying.’

  ‘Okay, I’ll deactivate the borgs and head back to the spacecraft then,’ Electra said speaking into some sort of communication device that the agents couldn’t see properly.

  There was a pause as she listened and then she spoke again. ‘Yes, I’ve shut down the ground water pumps and I’m heading out now.’

  63

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 63

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  Another pause and then, ‘Yes, definitely two SEAS agents. Right. Over and out.’

  ‘She’s leaving,’ Addie whispered. ‘What should we do?’

  ‘Let’s call the professor.’ Aziza flipped the lid of her watch up and a holograph of Professor Nebulus

  immediately appeared.

  ‘Space Agent

  Asteroid,’ the professor

  said. ‘We’ve been

  following on your tracking

  chips. Don’t try and go

  after Electra Caldez. Let her

  go and you both come

  home now.’

  64

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 64

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  ‘But Professor,’ Addie butted in. ‘She’ll get away and the water pipes are still operational.’

  ‘Electra won’t start them up again

  because they are of no use with a blocked sluice channel. Good work there, agents.

  I’ve already dispatched a team and they’ll dismantle the pumps and take everything away, including the sluice channel. By the time the GDC come back it will all be gone.’

  ‘But Professor what about . . .’

  ‘Space Agent Star Girl,’ the professor’s voice was firm but kind. ‘I believe you have a ball to go to. So do as you’re told and you might just make it back in time to get to it.’

  ‘Will do,’ Aziza said. She flipped the

  watch lid closed and then turned to Addie.

  65

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 65

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  It was then that she noticed the huge catberry dangling just above Addie’s head.

  ‘Well, I guess it’s time to go,’ Aziza said sweetly. ‘Oh and look! That must be Electra leaving the planet already.’

  ‘Where?’ Addie asked as she peered up

  into the sky from between the leaves.

  Aziza moved slightly and as she did the end of her snare-shot pierced the massive catberry. Red juice and flesh burst from the berry and covered Addie’s face.

  ‘Aagh!’ Addie screamed as she madly tried to wipe the juice and pulp from her face.

  ‘Oh dear!’ Aziza exclaimed taking Addie’s hand so they could teleport. ‘You might not be well enough to go to the ball after all.’

  66

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 66

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  Aziza hit the teleport app on her watch and within seconds the agents were in the FlyBy.

  ‘Good grief,’ the professor said as he

  rushed towards the agents on the teleporting pad. ‘Star Girl, what’s happened? Is this catberry juice?’

  67

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 67

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  Addie went to speak but let out a huge sob instead.

  ‘There, there,’ the professor said. ‘It’s not so bad. We’ll get it off. We do have an antidote.’

  The more the professor said th
e more

  Addie cried until great wracking sobs came up from her chest one after the other.

  ‘It never hurts to have a good cry every now and then,’ the professor said gently as he cleaned her hair and face with a towel.

  ‘Asteroid, run into the change rooms and see if Dr Promethius is still in there. She was helping Supernova 1 get ready for the agents’ ball.’

  ‘Sure,’ Aziza said and she raced off down corridor eight.

  Hearing that Valentina was back from

  68

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 68

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  flying the cadets on their mission and was getting ready for the ball, Addie tried to pull herself together. ‘I’m sorry, Professor,’ she said swallowing her sobs. ‘It all must have just gotten to me. I’m okay now and I don’t care about the red stains. I’m wearing a mask after all. I’ll be right to go to the ball. I’ll just go and get changed now, if that’s alright.’

  ‘It’s not that simple, I’m afraid,’ the professor said softly. ‘Oh, here comes

  Dr Promethius now. She’ll be able to . . . Oh dear, quickly bring a bucket will you, Doctor.’

  Dr Promethius held Addie as she vomited into the bucket for the third time. ‘The vomiting will get rid of the poison,’ the doctor said.

  69

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 69

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  ‘I think we should try to get her up to the infirmary now,’ the doctor then said to Professor Nebulus.

  ‘But I have to go to the ball,’ Addie said, her voice breaking. Oh no, don’t start crying again, Addie, she thought. I just can’t believe this has happened. I just can’t.

  ‘No ball for you tonight I’m afraid,

  darling,’ Dr Promethius said, patting her hand. ‘You’ll only be sick for a few more hours I’d say judging by the amount of juice you’ve had on you but we need to see to the stains as soon as possible to get them out. Then you’ll be good as new again!’

  ‘Where did Agent Asteroid get to?’ the

  professor asked the doctor.

  7O

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 70

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  ‘I don’t know,’ the doctor answered.

  ‘I just raced out of the change room in here.

  I guess she’s gone.’

  I bet I know where she is and what she’s doing, thought Addie bitterly. And with that thought another round of sobs erupted from her chest and she could feel herself going to be sick all over again.

  It was 9:30 p.m. and the infirmary was

  closed to visitors but Miya had contacted Dr Promethius and she had offered to

  meet Miya and Addie’s other friends at the hospital’s entrance.

  ‘Thanks so much, Dr Promethius,’ Miya

  said, mask in hand. ‘We really appreciate it.’

  71

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 71

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  ‘Nonsense,’ the doctor said. ‘In fact, this is just the thing Addie needs right now. Her spirits are a bit low, as you can imagine.’

  Miya, Grace, Olivia and Space Surfer

  walked through the infirmary doors and

  headed for the lift.

  ‘I’ll come too if that’s alright,’ the doctor then said. ‘I have a few things to tell Addie.’

  The group arrived at room 12 but the

  door was closed.

  ‘Knock, knock,’ the doctor called and

  opened the door a fraction. ‘You’re looking much better already, Addie!’

  Addie was lying in bed watching TV.

  When she saw who was with Dr Promethius she smiled and sat up.

  72

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 72

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  ‘Hey,’ Miya said rushing in and giving her a hug. ‘You don’t look that bad at all!’

  ‘A bit blotchy,’ Addie said. ‘So how was the ball?’

  ‘Well, I knew pretty much straight away that Aziza wasn’t you,’ Space Surfer answered.

  ‘Even in that wig and awesome black cat mask she had on. Great costume, Ads. Too bad you didn’t get to wear it. There’s always next year!’

  Addie laughed. ‘So she didn’t get away

  with it after all?’

  ‘No way!’ Grace said. ‘As soon as we saw her we knew too. And now Professor Nebulus knows as well.’

  Addie’s eyes went wide. ‘Are you for real?’

  she asked.

  73

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 73

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  ‘Absolutely, Addie Bear,’ Olivia said, opening the bar of chocolate that she’d brought for Addie. ‘You don’t mind if I have some, do you? You know how much I love

  Rocky Road Double Decker Fudge!’

  ‘Go for it.’ Addie grinned at her friend.

  ‘By the time my stomach is ready for some you’ll have eaten it all anyway!’

  Dr Promethius spoke then, sounding

  serious. ‘Addie, do you think it was an accident? The catberry breaking and covering your face, I mean?’

  ‘Er, well,’ Addie looked from face to face and then continued. ‘The thing is I didn’t see exactly what did happen. I know Aziza really wanted to go to the ball badly, though.

  74

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 74

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  And she knew I was going with Space Surfer.

  And . . . oh look, I don’t really know.’

  ‘Not to worry,’ the doctor said. ‘Aziza will be in a lot of trouble regardless, I think.

  Simply for taking your costume and trying to pass herself off as you, if not for anything else. Now, before you lot settle in for a night of popcorn and only one movie mind, let me take a photo of you all. Miya’s brought your mask, Addie. And by the way, the little catralab is doing very well in the Alienarium but he’s missing you, I think. Taken a real shine to you, I’d say. Now, photo time!’

  Everyone put their masks back on and

  gathered round Addie. As they did Addie’s SpaceBerry sounded and she flipped it open.

  75

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 75

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  It was a text message from Valentina.

  ‘Are we all ready?’ the doctor asked. ‘Say

  “berries”.’

  ‘No,’ five agents shouted back in horror.

  ‘A perfect photo,’ the doctor said with a smile. ‘It didn’t matter what your faces were doing. You all had masks on anyway!’

  Thank goodness, thought Addie, wiping away a tear as she snapped her SpaceBerry shut.

  76

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 76

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  77

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 77

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  78

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 78

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 79

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  SG13_SpillingSecrets_INT.indd 80

  21/10/11 9:45 AM

  Document Outline

  Cover

  Title

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six