Hot & Cold (4 page)

After another trip on the Mission Tube, EJ was at
SHINE HQ.
And, as always, A1 was standing there ready to greet her.

‘Good to see you, EJ12. Things are really hotting up. The message we intercepted—and the code you have just cracked—is an important breakthrough.'

‘What do you mean, A1?'

‘For the last few months, we have suspected that something was happening at a polar ice cap. But up until now we didn't know
what,
we didn't know
which
polar cap—the south or the north—and we didn't know
who.
Now, thanks to you, we know all of those things.'

‘Um,
what
do we know?' asked EJ, feeling slightly bewildered by A1's whats, whichs and whos.

‘Ah, it's more a case of
what
we still don't know,' sighed A1. ‘We know
where
and
who
but not
what
or
why.
And now I think of it, we don't know
when
either!'

‘I'm not sure I know
what
you're talking about,' replied EJ.

‘But of course, I'm rushing ahead,' smiled A1. ‘Let's go back to the decoded message.' A1 turned to look at the ceiling. ‘Light Screen lower. Show code.'

EJ loved the Light Screen. It was kind of like the
SHINE
brain—a giant, voice-activated plasma screen that accessed the Internet, all
SHINE'
s classified files, radio and television channels and GPS technology too.
If only I could have a light screen at home,
thought EJ.
It's so much better than any ordinary computer. Very cool.
The decoded message that EJ had just cracked flashed on to the screen.

‘Okay, so what do we know now?' said A1.

‘We know someone likes the letter P?' said EJ.

‘Yes, indeed EJ, but we also know that there is some kind of pipe called something like Velpil or Volpal Pipe and it is connected to something called Polar Tap. We know Dr C Hill is behind it and, because we intercepted this message on its way to
SHADOW,
we also know that
SHADOW
is the customer.'

‘But who is Dr C Hill?' asked EJ.

‘Ah, Dr C Hill, we know her well,' said A1 quietly. ‘Profile Caterina Hill.'

A picture of a woman appeared on the Light Screen. She was beautiful but in a pointy, cold, unsmiling kind of way. With straight blonde, almost white hair, Dr Hill had a long, narrow face and small lips with a slash of blood-red lipstick across them. Her eyes were black and her eyebrows arched in a thin jet-black line. She was wearing a white laboratory coat with a foxtail cape draped over her shoulders, and EJ was fairly sure it was not fake fur. Her fingers were long with black painted nails.

‘Meet Dr C Hill,' said A1.

‘I think I'd rather not,' said EJ.

‘She does look a bit threatening, doesn't she?' agreed A1. ‘Glamorous I suppose, but I can't imagine how she gets anything done with nails like that.'

EJ glanced at A1's nails and they were exactly as she expected—short, neat, clean, no polish. Nononsense nails.

‘However,' A1 continued, ‘Dr Hill is one of the world's cleverest scientists and inventors. In fact, she
used to work here at
SHINE,
leading the way in temperature control and inventing ingenious ways to use natural hot and cold power sources. Indeed, she had been working on a number of top-secret projects that could have done wonderful things for the world. She was experimenting with using the heat in volcanoes to make energy and was testing ways to freeze water. These things could help slow the effects of global warming. Can you imagine how that could have changed things, EJ? But then, just as it seemed she had made an important breakthrough, she disappeared.'

‘Where? Why?' asked EJ, enthralled by the story of this fierce-looking woman. ‘What went wrong?'

‘She became greedy, I think,' sighed A1. ‘She wanted more and more money and more and more control. She was becoming impossible to work with, always needing to be the one in charge, and would not listen to anyone else. She insisted on working alone, never sharing any results or information. You're too young to know this, but there are some very mean people in this world.'

‘Oh, I think I'm old enough to understand,' said EJ.

‘Caterina spiralled out of control,' continued A1. ‘She demanded ten million dollars for her latest invention. We had to say no and she was furious. You could say she had a complete meltdown.' A1 paused and chuckled at her own joke. ‘The next day, she simply disappeared—taking her entire laboratory with her.'

‘Where did she go?'

‘Up until now we weren't sure, but this message solves that little mystery. She's invented the Pipe, which has something to do with a Polar Tap—and
SHADOW
wants to buy it. And I see the price has now doubled—she's asking for twenty million dollars! And if
SHADOW
is in the market for it, then you can bet it is not good.'

EJ nodded in agreement.

‘This message also makes sense of other information we have been collecting in the area. Watch the screen, EJ.' A1 turned to look at the screen again. ‘Show charts,' she said. A whole lot of
graphs appeared on the Light Screen, many of them flashing red. ‘As you can see EJ, in the region of the South Pole, where she is, we have been recording very strange temperatures and water level increases lately. They are much, much hotter and much, much higher than they should be, even allowing for global warming. Something or someone is causing the polar temperatures to rise and, if I'm not mistaken, that someone is Dr Caterina Hill.'

‘But how do you know she's at the
South
Pole?' said EJ.

‘Penguins'

‘Pardon?'

‘Penguins.' A1 smiled. ‘Emperor Penguin Point. Emperor penguins are only found at the South Pole. So she has to be there.'

EJ knew her geography pretty well—well enough to know that the South Pole was huge. Searching for someone there would be like trying to find a snowflake in a blizzard.

‘I know what you're thinking, EJ. How will we ever find Caterina in all that white wilderness?'

EJ's eyes widened.
How does A1 always do that?
She seemed to be able to read EJ's mind.

‘But look closely at the message, there's another clue,' A1 explained.

‘Emperor Penguin Point?'

‘Exactly,' nodded A1. ‘Emperor penguins are only found in a few areas on Antarctica and one of their largest breeding grounds is on a small island off the ice shelf and off the mainland of Antarctica. Our satellite photos show there is also an abandoned research hut there. That means there's a pretty good chance it's the drop off point for the payment. However, if you do your job, EJ, it will be
Caterina
who is caught out in the cold when you, and not a
SHADOW
agent, make the payment and turn up as the special guest.'

Great,
thought EJ.
Now I have two invitations to parties I really don't want to go to.

EJ thought hard. There was so much information to absorb. ‘But A1,' she said. ‘Surely we're not going to give Dr Hill twenty million dollars?'

‘Only temporarily EJ, don't worry,' explained A1. ‘We will freeze the account once you have located Caterina and shut down her operation.'

‘And what do I do if I run into Dr Hill?' asked EJ.

‘We're hoping you
do
run into her, EJ12. We need to put a stop to all her evil plotting. You will know what to do,' said A1 mysteriously. ‘Our agents always do. And don't forget one of our favourite mottoes: “We stand up when others let you down.” And you, EJ12, you can stand up to anyone.' A1 smiled.

If only you knew,
thought EJ sadly. She had already let down Elle this week. What if she let down A1 and
SHINE
as well?

‘No time for day-dreaming, EJ. We need to get you on your way.'

A1 was right of course. The clock was already ticking.

‘You are going to the coldest and windiest region on Earth, so your gear is very important,' continued A1.

EJ looked towards the briefing table where all her mission gear was laid out waiting for her: thick waterproof ski pants, a padded jacket with a furry hood (fake fur of course), ski goggles, gloves and boots.

‘Take special note of your boots, EJ. They might look like ordinary mission boots, but the soles can change to allow you to travel on any surface. Simply click the heels together to activate them. There are
several different options, so click through until you find the one you need.'

That was smart—and very spy-like. But EJ had also seen something else very cool at the end of the table. It was a bracelet with charms attached: a little silver penguin, an ice pick, a heart, a boat and a little key. She was hoping the bracelet was part of her kit, but could not see how it was going to be.

A1 must have been reading her mind, again!

‘Yes, it's yours EJ, but this is no ordinary bracelet. We have been trying to develop a way for our agents to carry their tools without attracting attention, and we think we may have succeeded with this little item. Each charm is actually a piece of equipment—you twist it to activate its special properties. The key is a standard
SHINE
skeleton key. Twist it and it will extend to fit any lock. There's no time now to go through them all, but they may prove useful.'

Suddenly EJ spied a metallic aqua touch-screen phone on the bench next to her clothes. ‘Um, is that for this mission as well?' she asked hopefully, pointing at the phone.

‘Well spotted, EJ. I nearly forgot,' replied A1. ‘Your phone needs an upgrade. You need a model that has satellite reception—there's no mobile phone reception where you're heading. This one also works as a games console in case you need to disguise the phone. There are lots of other applications, or apps, that may come in handy, and I think we got the colour right as well, didn't we?'

‘Yes, thanks A1,' smiled EJ, handing over her old phone and pocketing the new one.

‘Okay then,' finished A1. ‘Now we need to make that payment deadline. Agent X1 is waiting for you at
SHINE
docks with
Microlight.
She will take you out to the icebreaker where you will receive your full mission briefing. Good luck EJ12, and smooth sailing—or should that be smooth speeding.'

Speeding was definitely the better word.
Microlight
was one of
SHINE'
s supersonic speedboats. While
it was small—just big enough for two people—its special engine made it super fast, which was just as well because they were speeding towards the polar ice cap, a journey that would normally take days. It also made it super fun—EJ had to admit there were definite advantages to being a
SHINE
agent.

As the little boat jumped wave after wave, the wind raced through EJ's hair and salt spray sprinkled her face. After a while, EJ noticed that little chunks of ice were starting to appear in the water.

‘Not long now,' shouted X1 as she jumped the boat into another wave. ‘In fact, look over there to your left!'

As EJ turned, she saw an enormous shape appear on the horizon. As
Microlight
sped closer, she could see huge letters on the side—SHINING LIGHT. It was
SHINE'
s polar research ship, an icebreaker that could cut through the polar ice and travel deep into Antarctica. It was also a floating laboratory with
SHINE
scientists living on board and conducting important environmental research.
Shining Light
was the perfect front for
SHINE'
s Antarctic surveillance work—agents could monitor activity in the area without drawing attention to themselves and
SHINE
was helping to protect the environment. It was the
SHINE
scientists on board
Shining Light
who had detected the disturbing changes in polar temperatures and intercepted the message EJ had decoded.

As
Microlight
came up alongside the icebreaker, like a little fish swimming next to a giant whale, a rope ladder was thrown over the side. A woman's voice boomed out through a loudspeaker on the ship's bridge.

‘Welcome
Microlight
and EJ12! We can take things from here. Hold on tight EJ12, and climb on up.'

‘Thanks for the ride,' EJ told X1 as she grabbed the rope ladder. Agent X1 smiled and spun
Microlight
around—in next to no time, she would be back at
SHINE
docks and sipping on a hot chocolate.