Astrid Maxxim and Her Amazing Hoverbike (13 page)

“
Awesome
!”
shouted Toby.
 “
Will it work with us on it
?
”

“
Ther
e’
s only one way to find out
,”
said Astrid, climbing up into the seat. 

The bike remained aloft.

“
Get on behind me
,”
she said.

Toby climbed on, sitting on the little trunk behind the seat and, to Astri
d’
s delight, wrapping his arms around her waist.  The bike continued to hover.  Pressing the throttle, Astrid slowly moved the little vehicle past the workbenches and into an open area.  Giving it a little more power, she flew in a tight little circle around the room.

“
Awesome
,”
said Toby again.
 “
You know what you need
?
”

“
What
?
”

“
A plug for your MX-360.  That way you could play your music.  Maybe a cup holder too
.
”

“
MX-360
?”
said Astrid.
 “
Of course.  Tha
t’
s it
.
”

Astrid powered down the hoverbike and climbed off.  She whipped her cell phone from her pocket and called Austi
n’
s house as she ran over her workbench.

“
Hello
?”
said a very tired and worried voice on the phone.

“
Mrs. Tretower?  This is Astrid Maxxim
.
”

“
Hello Astrid.  No word yet on Austin.  I ca
n’
t talk because
I’
m waiting for the police to call.  I ca
n’
t tell you how sick I am with worry
.
”

“
I have an idea where he might be
,”
said Astrid.
 “
The school gave Austin an MX-360.  Do you have the paperwork for it
?
”

“
MX?  Oh yes, the electronic thingy.  Let me see.  I have it here somewhere.  Yes, here it is
.
”

“
Can you read off the serial number for me
?
”

“
Hold on.  Let me get my glasses
.
”
 
There was a pause.
 “
Here it is.  MGAG-1720001
.
”

“
Okay, thanks Mrs. Tretower
,”
said Astrid.
 “I’
ll be in touch
.
”

She sat down in front of the computer station and logged onto the company website.  Then she clicked o
n“
find my MX
,”
entered the serial number, and watched as the GPS map was displayed on the monitor.

“
What the heck is it doing there
?”
wondered Toby, looking over her shoulder.
 “
You do
n’
t suppose h
e’
s there too, do you
?
”

“
I guess w
e’
d better find out
,”
said Astrid.
 “
Help me get the hoverbike downstairs
.
”

Astrid mounted the bike and Toby climbed into his same spot behind.  She drove to the lab entrance and he hopped down to hold the door open as she drove through.  He did the same thing at the elevator, and again downstairs.  They had to use the side entrance, since the hoverbike would
n’
t fit through the revolving door in the front.

“
Making another break for it
?”
asked Mr. Toulson, intercepting them just outside.

“
Charles, get your van and follow us
,”
said Astrid.
 “
We may need your help
.
”

Minutes later, they were shooting across the Maxxim campus, Astrid and Toby cruising over the desert on the hoverbike and Toulson on the road that ran in the same general direction they were traveling.  Toby looked down to gauge their height and then over Astri
d’
s shoulder to check their speed.

“
I’
d say w
e’
re about two feet high and w
e’
re going twenty-five
,”
he pointed out.
 “
Tha
t’
s a bit more than you expected was
n’
t it
?
”

“
Yes
,”
replied Astrid.
 “I’
m not giving it full power either
.
”

“
Well, open it up and le
t’
s see what it can do
,”
said Toby. 

Astrid pressed her foot down all the way on the throttle and pulled back on the controls.  The hoverbike rose up into the air about twenty feet before leveling off and the speedometer moved slowly up until it wobbled around the 40 mph mark.

“
And this is with two people on it
!”
said Toby excitedly.
 “
I am definitely getting one of these
!
”

“
Do
n’
t tell any of the others
,”
said Astrid
,“
but
I’
m having them made for all seven of us
.
”

“
Seven
?
”

“
Yes, Austin is one of the gang now
.
”

“
That makes si
x…
oh yeah.  I keep forgetting there are two Valeries now.  They seem so much alike
.
”

They flew above the desert floor.  Toulson was sometimes closer and other times farther away as the road wound in and around the dry rivers and rocky hills, but with the va
n’
s superior speed he managed to keep up with them.  Some forty minutes after they had left the R&D parking lot, they arrived at the Saguaro Cactus Garden, the site of the school field trip.  This was, according to the website, the location of Austi
n’
s MX-360.  Starting at the monorail platform, Astrid began spiraling out in an every widening circle as both she and Toby looked for their friend.  At last, Toby tapped Astrid on the shoulder and pointed down toward the ground.  Slumped against a boulder was a body.

Astrid dropped the hoverbike so quickly to the ground that it smacked into a small sand dune.  When she and Toby jumped off, it rose back up to hover a foot in the air.  They ran to the side of the crumpled form and found that it was indeed Austin.  His clothing was covered with sand, his face and arms were sunburned, and his lips were chapped.

“
Austin
,”
said Astrid, brushing the sand off his face.
 “
Austin, are you okay
?
”

“
I do
n’
t want to go to school, Mom
,”
he said, dreamily.

“
Austin, wake up
.
”

The boy opened his eyes.

“
It bit me
,”
he said lifting up his right arm.
 “
A snake bit me
.
”

Austi
n’
s arm was swollen to almost twice its normal size, and there just above his thumb were two puncture marks indicative of a rattlesnake bite.

“
Holy mackerel
,”
said Toby.
 “
Your thumb looks like a mini football
.
”

Astrid jumped up and waved her arms just in case Toulson, who was that moment driving over the nearby dirt road, had
n’
t seen them.  He turned towards them, stopping just beyond where she had set down the hoverbike.  Hopping out of the van, he ran to the fallen bo
y’
s side, felt his pulse, and then quickly checked him for any other bites.  Finally he scooped Austin up and hurried toward the van.

“
We need to get him to hospital
,”
he said.

“
The infirmary is closer and they have antivenom
,”
said Astrid.

“
Alright.  Astrid, I need you with this boy in the van
.
”
 
Toulson pointed to Toby.
 “
Can you follow in that flying machine, or do we need to leave it here
?
”

“
No,
I’
ve got it
.
”

Toulson lay Austin down across several seats in the back.

“
Try to keep his arm from flopping around too much
,”
he said.
 “
And keep it below his heart
.
”

Astrid sat on the floor beside Austin and gently cradled his arm.

“
I found my MX
,”
he said drowsily.
 “
I got some good pictures of a snake for you too
.
”

“
Oh Austin
,”
said Astrid, tears forming in her eyes.
 “
Why did
n’
t you tell me your MX was lost
?
”

“
I’
m not hungry
,”
he replied.

The van began moving and Astrid bounced up each time it hit a rock or went over a desert bush.  She did her best to keep her friend comfortable and his arm from moving about.  Once when they went over a particularly nasty bump, she could
n’
t hold on.  His arm flopped over and Austin cried out.  Soon though, they were shooting down the dirt road, and minutes later they were on the pavement.  Toulson gunned the engine.

“
Astrid, do you have the infirmar
y’
s number in your cell
?”
he called back.

“
Oh, yeah
.
”

“
Call them and tell them w
e’
re on our way
.
”

“
On it
,”
she called back, the speed dial already connecting her.  By now, her tears were making it difficult to see and she seemed to have something caught in her throat.

When they arrived, Dr. Martinez and two medical technicians were waiting with a gurney.  They grabbed Austin and rushed him into the building.  Astrid started to follow, but Toulson stopped her.

“I’
ll go in and fill them in on everything.  You wait here for your other friend
.
”

Though torn, Astrid nodded and waited for Toby to arrive on the hoverbike.  He was about ten minutes behind them.  By the time he brought the bike down to an expert landing, she felt much more in control of herself.  She helped Toby put her invention in the back of Toulso
n’
s van, and then locked the doors and the two of them went inside to the infirmary waiting room.  They sat down next to Toulson and none of them said anything for the next twenty minutes.

“
Why do
n’
t you two go get a candy bar and a soda from the comfort station down the hall
?
”
 
Toulson finally broke the silence.
 “I’
ll keep watch here.  You can get me a Heath Bar, if they have one
.
”

They had just come back, when Dr. Martinez stepped out to see them.  His face was grim.

“I’
m not going to lie to you
,”
he said.
 “
The boy is in bad shape.  I think he was bit twenty-four hours ago, so ther
e’
s not a lot we can do except push fluids and watch for signs of anaphylaxis
.
”

“
I thought you had antivenom
,”
said Astrid.

“
We do keep Crofab on hand
,”
replied Dr. Martinez
,“
but unless i
t’
s administered within about eighteen hours, i
t’
s not worth the risk.  We have a helicopter on the way to take him to the hospital in Phoenix. 
I’
ve contacted the police and the
y’
re going to see that his grandmother is taken there to meet him.  With luck, h
e’
ll recover with no lasting tissue damage, but w
e’
ll just have to wait and see
.
”