The Dark World Read online

  ‘Let’s find that plant,’ Kip said shortly.

  He thought he saw a flicker of a triumphant smile on the passed-out alien’s face. But then it was gone.

  Finbar’s ears twitched in relief. ‘We’ll get to the Lake District faster if we use our E-Zee-Flights.’

  Nodding, Kip unzipped the front pocket of his backpack. At once, WorldCorp’s newest gadget popped out.

  E-Zee-Flights were light but strong carbon-steel chopper blades. The blades were stored inside the front pocket of Kip’s and Finbar’s backpacks. Powerful mini engines and fuel cells were built into the base of the packs.

  Putting his backpack on, Kip yanked the ripcord dangling from the bottom. The blades jumped into life. Kip lifted smoothly off his feet and tipped forward. Finbar activated his E-Zee-Flight and lifted off too.

  Kip turned to Finbar. He knew that Finbar’s nose was so skilled, it could detect changes in the air’s moisture levels. The air would get wetter the closer they got to the lake district.

  ‘My nose says it’s this way,’ said Finbar, sniffing the air carefully.

  With Finbar’s nose leading the way, they quickly left the gleaming cube city behind.

  Under their feet, Kip could just make out small ponds, their banks bare and dusty. If any water plants ever grew there, he thought, they haven’t been there for a long time.

  The further they flew, the more nervous Kip became. A strong wind had whipped up, and it was getting harder to stay on course.

  ‘There!’ Finbar yelled, pointing. A huge black lake spread out beneath them.

  Kip tried to steer his E-Zee-Flight down to the bank of the lake, but the winds were practically cyclone-strength by now.

  Kip’s chopper blades were no match for the full force of Neron’s winds. They groaned dangerously as they tried to spin against the wind.

  I’ve got a bad feeling about –

  RIIIIIP!

  ‘Aaaargh!’ Kip screamed. With a sickening wrench, his blades tore off and spun away into the darkness. He was plunging towards the black lake, face-first!

  Kip hurtled towards the surface, bracing himself for the icy water.

  SPROOOOIING!

  It should have been the bomb of the twenty-fourth century. But there was no splash at all. Even weirder, Kip didn’t sink beneath the water.

  He bounced off the surface!

  Instead of water, the alien lake was filled with black, rubbery goo. It’s like bouncing on a custard trampoline! Kip thought, relieved and thrilled at the same time. Not that I’ve ever actually done that…

  Kip jumped quickly up and down. ‘This stuff is awesome!’ he yelled.

  He waved at Finbar to come in. Finbar had managed to steer his E-Zee-Flight down to the dry ground at the edge of the lake. He walked slowly into the water to meet Kip. Almost immediately, he began to sink beneath the goo.

  GLOP GLOP GLOP

  It sounded like boiling mud.

  ‘Keep moving!’ Kip called to Finbar. He’d quickly discovered that when he was running or jumping fast, he could move across the lake’s surface. But if he slowed down for even a second, he sank.

  Finbar kicked his legs wildly. Panting, he managed to pull himself back up to the surface. He started bouncing madly.

  ‘Check out my double backward somersault with a twisting half pike!’ Kip whooped. He sprang into the air and pulled off the trick perfectly.

  ‘I wish Alien Lake Bouncing was an official sport in the Interplanetary Games,’ Kip called, spinning in mid-air.

  But Finbar was busy scanning for anything that looked like the miracle plant. His wolfish eyesight was sharp, even in the gloom.

  ‘There’s nothing growing here,’ Finbar said after a good look around. He and Kip were jogging across the lake side-by-side.

  Kip saw Finbar was right. The lake’s banks were eroded. There were rough holes where it looked like plants had been pulled out, and twigs and squashed berries littered the ground. But any living plants were long gone.

  ‘Why would they need so much of the miracle cure?’ Kip wondered aloud, his suspicions about the aliens returning.

  Finbar shrugged. He was too soft-hearted to be suspicious.

  Those aliens can’t have deadly allergies every day, Kip thought to himself. So maybe they’re using this ‘miracle cure’ for something else…

  ‘Check out that big rock!’ Finbar called, interrupting Kip’s thoughts. ‘There’s something growing on it.’

  Kip bent his knees and launched himself into the air. With one almighty bounce, he landed next to the rock Finbar was pointing at.

  Sticking out from a hole in the rock was a big, ugly plant with sharp thorns on the woody stem. Unlike Earth’s green plants, this one was completely white, since it grew in the dark. Thick purple goo oozed around the stem.

  Kip squinted closer. He saw lots of milky-white berries clustered all over the plant. They had to be the ones the aliens had described.

  Kip just needed to pick the berries. Then they could get back to the aliens and cure them. Or find out what’s really going on, Kip added silently.

  Kip bounced once and launched himself onto the rock to pick the berries.

  Feels kinda warm and squishy for a rock…

  NNNNNNNNNNAAA ARRRRGH!

  There was a horrible, gut-churning roar, and Kip was thrown into the air.

  ‘Whoa!’ he yelled as he landed on the rubbery water.

  He was almost paralysed with shock! It took him a second to realise there wasn’t a rock in the middle of the rubbery lake.It was actually the tip of something’s nose. And that something was…

  ‘A lake beast!’ shrieked Finbar.

  ‘Stay back!’ Kip called to Finbar, who was bouncing over to help. If Kip was injured, he wanted Finbar in one piece to rescue him.

  Kip was furious. The aliens hadn’t mentioned that a horrible, raging beast lived in the lake.

  Now Kip knew for sure the aliens weren’t to be trusted. He still didn’t know why they wanted the plant, or whether they really were sick. But a decent alien would have mentioned this monstrous beast!

  Again the creature roared, louder than twenty asteroids colliding.

  It bared its rotten brown fangs at Kip. The beast was huge, with cruel eyes, leathery skin and spikes down its back like a dinosaur.

  I’d be angry too, if I looked like that, Kip thought.

  ‘Duck!’ yelled Finbar as the beast swiped its claws at Kip. He bounced out of the way just in time.

  The beast gave a chilling cry. It thrashed around looking for Kip, sending tidal waves of rubbery water across the lake.

  It can’t see me properly, Kip guessed, as the beast’s claws whistled past his ear.

  The beast lived in near darkness, so it probably had terrible eyesight. Still, its hearing and sense of smell probably make up for that, thought Kip. He knew it would catch him eventually.

  The more Kip dodged the lake beast, the angrier it got. Its beady eyes rolled back in its head. Drool dripped from its fangs.

  ‘RUN!’ Finbar yelled.

  Kip shook his head. The aliens had sent him here for that plant, surely knowing about the lake beast. They must want that plant badly.

  If he got it, Kip knew he’d have power over them. That could be useful in finding out what the devious Neron aliens were up to.

  The beast lunged towards him. Kip gasped, exhausted. As well as dodging the beast, he still had to move fast enough to keep from sinking into the gloop.

  I can’t take this much longer, he thought.

  Mentally, he ran through the contents of his backpack. There had to be something in there that could help!

  Ration pack with retractable toothpicks… useless right now.

  Finbar’s fur clippers…why had he brought those?

  Then…

  Of course! My Sooth-a-Torch! Why hadn’t he thought of it before?

  The Sooth-a-Torch had been developed for the first ever mission to the planet Sookilala, where the aliens
looked like giant, constantly crying babies.

  It shot out a beam of light like any normal torch. But the light-waves were at a special soothing frequency, and the torch also played a lullaby that tamed even the most restless aliens.

  Kip wrenched his backpack open and grabbed the torch from inside.

  Let’s hope it works on lake beasts too! he thought.

  The rubbery surface of the lake rocked violently. The beast lumbered towards Kip, sniffing him out with its gaping nostrils. Globs of purple snot rained down everywhere.

  But this time, Kip stayed put. He bounced on the spot, just enough to keep from sinking.

  ‘Move, Kip!’ yelled Finbar. ‘It’s almost on top of you!’

  Closer and closer the beast came. Kip felt its warm, stinky breath on his skin. The beast raised its claws, and…

  With one swift move, Kip engaged his Sooth-a-Torch.

  A soft beam of light hit the lake beast’s eyes and a gentle tune filled the air. Kip felt his own hammering heart slow down a few beats.

  The lake beast blinked.

  It stopped roaring.

  Its gaping mouth seemed to smile. And in the back of its throat, the lake beast made a sweet cooing sound.

  The Sooth-a-Torch had worked perfectly!

  The lake beast blinked and cocked its head at Kip. Aw, it’s kinda cute, he thought. As far as hideous monsters go.

  Obviously, Finbar thought the same thing. Kip’s 2iC was already digging in his backpack for treats to feed the beast.

  Finbar held out a paw to it. ‘Try these chips,’ he said kindly. ‘They’re Flamin’ Asteroid flavour. My flavourite.’

  Kip tried not to laugh. Finbar was such a softie!

  ‘You’re not so bad, are you, boy?’ Finbar added. ‘You just needed someone to treat you nicely.’

  Finbar’s words stuck in Kip’s head.

  Of course! he thought. If the aliens wanted those berries so badly, they probably did all kinds of cruel things to the lake beast to get them. No wonder it was suspicious of everyone who came to its lake.

  Now that Kip and Finbar had shown the beast some kindness, it seemed to be eating out of their hands. Literally!

  The beast waded through the rubbery lake towards Finbar. It was too heavy to bounce across the surface like Kip and Finbar.

  With a soft snuffle, the beast sucked up the chips in Finbar’s paw. When all the chips were gone, the beast nuzzled its purple snotty snout into the crook of Finbar’s arm.

  ‘Can we harvest those berries now, eh, boy?’ said Finbar, offering the beast more chips.

  Happily munching, the beast didn’t seem to mind Finbar and Kip plucking the berries from the plant in its nose. Kip stored them safely in the side pocket of his backpack and zipped it closed. Finbar went on stroking the beast’s nose.

  Kip was determined to find out exactly what the aliens were up to. Why were they really so desperate to get their hands on the berries? Something told him that whatever the reason, it wouldn’t be good.

  No way am I letting the aliens get away with something dodgy! he thought firmly.

  There was just one problem. Kip had crashed his E-Zee-Flight when they arrived at the lake. Finbar’s wasn’t strong enough to carry both of them.

  After all that bouncing around, walking all the way back to the city wouldn’t be much fun. Unless, Kip thought suddenly, the beast wouldn’t mind doing his new best friends a favour?

  ‘Do you think the lake beast is amphibious?’ Kip asked Finbar.

  Finbar nodded. ‘Possibly. A lot of Earth’s reptiles are.’ He paused. ‘Kip, you’re not thinking…’

  But Kip had already bounced over to the lake beast. After a friendly pat on the beast’s slimy chest, Kip hauled himself up onto its back.

  ‘Giddy up!’ Kip yelled, offering Finbar a hand up. The beast seemed to like having passengers.

  ‘Take us to the city, boy,’ Finbar said. He guided the beast by throwing Flamin’ Asteroid chips on the ground.

  The beast began to trot, and then picked up pace. It was heavy, so every step was bone-rattling. Its gigantic feet sprayed dust as it galloped across the eroded ponds on the way back to the city.

  ‘Wooooo-hoooo!’ Kip shouted, holding on tight. He hardly even noticed how slimy it was to ride an alien lake beast bareback.

  He couldn’t wait to tell Jett when he got home!

  When the beast arrived in the cube city, there was no sign of the aliens.

  ‘Hello?’ Kip yelled up at the nearby gleaming towers.

  ‘We’ve found the miracle cure!’ Kip yelled. He waved the backpack full of berries in the air.

  ‘Good job, Earthling,’ screeched a chillingly familiar voice. It was the lead alien, alone this time. And he looked to be in tip-top health.

  The lake beast gave a horrible grunt. Its beady eyes rolled in its head. With one almighty move, it bucked Kip and Finbar from its back. It thundered away, roaring in terror.

  Kip landed with a thump on the ground. Poor lake beast! he thought. Looks like I was right about the aliens treating him badly. He’s terrified of them!

  Kip and Finbar picked themselves up.

  ‘I see you met Tiny,’ the alien smirked.

  ‘Why didn’t you warn us about him?’ Kip snapped.

  ‘Oh, Tiny’s normally so friendly,’ the alien chuckled. ‘We didn’t think you’d have any problems getting the berries from him.’

  Kip rolled his eyes. It was obvious the alien was lying. It seemed there was no point in asking the aliens directly what they were up to. Kip would have to be cleverer.

  Casually, he unzipped his backpack. ‘It’s great to see you’re feeling so much better,’ he said to the aliens. ‘I guess you won’t be needing this anymore.’

  He tilted the bag, as if to pour the berries out.

  At once, the alien coughed loudly. ‘Oh, no. We still need the miracle cure,’ he said quickly. ‘Our illness comes and goes.’

  ‘Still, it doesn’t sound life-threatening,’ Kip continued, pretending to tip the bag even further.

  Suddenly, the alien tried to snatch the bag from Kip’s hand. But Kip was quick to pull it out of reach.

  He could tell he was driving the alien crazy.

  Suddenly, the alien snapped and began screeching furiously. ‘You’ll never be able to sell the berries, greedy Earthling. You don’t know the right people!’

  Ah-ha! Kip thought, as the alien ranted. The aliens must be trading these berries illegally!

  He quickly whispered his theory to Finbar, still holding the bag out of reach of the Neron alien.

  Finbar nodded gravely.

  ‘WorldCorp heard rumours Neron was a trading planet,’ he whispered back. ‘The spaceport looked deserted when we landed. But if the trade’s illegal, that makes sense. Everything would be hush-hush.’

  Everything Finbar said supported Kip’s theory. Now Kip needed to prove it.

  ‘I’m surprised you’re allowed to harvest those plants at all,’ Kip said to the aliens.

  The waterways of Neron were eroded. It looked as if the Neron aliens had been pulling the whole berry plant out of the ground, rather than just picking the berries. Harvesting the berries this way was clearly an environmental disaster. There were tough intergalactic laws protecting planets’ ecosystems. Kip knew all about them because of Earth’s own problems.

  The lead alien laughed scornfully, making Kip’s skin crawl.

  ‘We’re not allowed. That’s why the berries are so valuable.’

  Kip and Finbar swapped glances.

  ‘Demand for the berries is unstoppable,’ the alien screeched.

  ‘But the plant only grows when fertilised by the lake beast’s snot.

  It’s winter at the moment, though, and the beast is hibernating in the big lake.’

  Kip shuddered. Eww!

  ‘In summer, the beast leaves snot in the smaller ponds around Neron.We harvested the plants growing there ages ago,’ said the alien.

  ‘And ther
e was one last plant growing in the beast’s nostril,’ Kip finished.

  Finbar nodded with a smile on his whiskery face. ‘How interesting,’ he said encouragingly. ‘Go on.’

  Kip glared at Finbar. Why was he being nice to the aliens now?

  ‘The other aliens in our dark galaxy believe that eating the berries improves their eyesight. It’s a load of space junk, of course. But the aliens pay heaps for them.’

  The alien rubbed his spidery hands together greedily.

  Environmental vandalism. An illegal trade in a fake medicine.That’s what made the aliens rich, Kip thought, thinking of Neron’s Spinifex wind panels.

  The Intergalactic Enforcerbots would be very interested to hear about this!

  The Intergalactic Enforcerbots were space police, made up of custom-built all-terrain robots.

  But before the Enforcerbots can charge the aliens, Kip thought desperately, we have to prove what’s going on here. Otherwise it’s our word against theirs!

  Then Kip heard a surprising sound coming from Finbar’s direction. It was a hideous screech!

  For a second, Kip couldn’t work out how or why Finbar was speaking theTranslate aliens’ Mode language. He checked his SpaceCuff for the translation.

  Of course. Finbar’s WhiskerMic! It had secretly recorded everything the alien said. Finbar was simply playing it back.

  ‘Ha!’ said Kip to the alien. ‘We’ve got proof you’re breaking all kinds of intergalactic laws.’

  The lead alien laughed nastily. Then he screeched. A group of his friends appeared from inside a building.

  At once, the aliens lunged at Finbar.

  Heads down, Kip and Finbar sprinted away from them. As Kip ran, he called MoNa on his SpaceCuff.

  ‘Send two Scramblers ASAP!’ he panted, glancing over his shoulder. The aliens were right behind them.

  They’d done so much running already on this mission! Kip’s spaceboots felt like concrete.

  Plus, running through the unfamiliar alien city was difficult in the dark.