The Armoured Ghost (8 page)

‘That was brilliant,’ Rake said. ‘You’re a genius.’

‘Thanks,’ Oddball replied. ‘It was just a bit of fun, really. It’s amazing what you can do with just junk – two old instructors’ earphones and some spare machine parts. I love blowing stuff up.’

‘Pity you had to blow up that cute little robot,’ Snow said to him. ‘But I’d give a month of dinners to see that look on Stamper’s face again. He’s going to be a complete demon in training now, though. Rake, don’t go volunteering for anything, OK?’

‘I don’t have training today,’ Hoax told them. ‘I have some work to finish off. We’re making a jacket for the Princess of Jupiter’s pet dinosaur.’

‘Jupiter doesn’t have any princesses or dinosaurs,’ Snow pointed out. ‘The whole planet’s made of gas.’

‘Right,’ Hoax muttered, as he walked off down a
different
corridor. ‘Well, maybe I’m just scrubbing the wardrobe floors then. Meet you for the Games when I’m done, yeah?’

The cadets were normally allowed to watch the Games from the windows of one of the empty changing rooms. They got to stay up late too, because the fights were on past lights-out in the Academy. There was the usual Saturday rumble of excitement in the huge complex as the spectators started to arrive. Singers and dancers put on a show while the crowd waited for the competition to begin.

But tonight, Rake was happy to miss the fights. Careful to avoid Hoax and the other cadets, he joined Salt, Oddball and Snow down in the Old School. There, they got on with their Armouron training. It was still a bit strange for them, after life in the Academy. No electric light, no simulators or holograms or robotic opponents. They were forbidden to bring any kind of technology down there – even an earphone or a torch.

The Perfect Corporation monitored the whole planet for illegal power sources. The smallest battery could be detected. Oddball was shocked
to
discover that even things like his little remote-controlled robot could be picked up.

And Oddball wasn’t the only one making robots. Everyone thought the White Knights were humans in armour, but they were actually androids. So were some of the ‘humans’ wandering around Nu-Topia – androids designed to spy on the people of Earth. They were all connected to satellites that could detect an illegal power source almost anywhere on Earth.

The only electrical power allowed down in the Armouron base was the natural electricity flowing through their bodies. Anything else could give them away. The same would be true when they got their armour and began their missions out in the real world. They couldn’t take anything that generated electricity.

Oddball was bitterly disappointed by this. He was keen to start designing gadgets that he could use on their missions. Snow looked happier. She found this new type of training suited her very well. She liked the way everything had to be kept simple. Of all of them, she was improving the fastest.

Above the underground base, in the Arena, tens
of
thousands of people were roaring and stamping and cheering for their favourite Gladiators. The stands were nearly full. Stamper was the most exciting new Gladiator people had seen in years. The rematch with Mad Jack was drawing crowds. The warm-up matches were due to start first – less important competitions that got the crowds worked up.

Sitting in a box in the centre of one side of the oval-shaped battleground, the Chairman looked down at it all. A small, slightly round figure, he always dressed well. He was becoming quite vain, but he had a big appetite and little time for exercise. His designer clothes did their best to cover up his pudgy figure. His dark hair was slicked back and his skin was pale. Except for the hard intelligence in his eyes, he did not look like one of the most powerful men in the galaxy.

Hologram displays near his feet showed close-ups of the Gladiators. Sometimes, though, he changed the display to look at the people. They were his people, in the same way that the Arena, the city, the whole planet were his. He owned them all. Then he spoke the words the massive crowd was waiting to hear. His voice was carried
over
the whole Arena by speakers. It sounded like he was speaking from the sky itself.

‘Let the Games begin!’

Down in their deep underground base, the lone Armouron Knight and his three students heard nothing. There was no sound from the huge competition going on above. It was the most important event in the city – and the three cadets no longer cared about any of it.

Chapter 11

Alone in the City

RAKE WAS EXHAUSTED
when he finished training, but he was concerned about Hoax. Part of him was starting to believe that his friend might be serious about trying to escape. Rake made his way over to his old dorm to talk to Hoax. The other boys were already asleep in bed. Hoax wasn’t there. His jacket was gone. Rake could tell by the covers of the bed that his friend had not slept in it. Maybe he had really intended to escape after all. There were only four hours until wake-up call – some of the instructors would be up soon.

Worried now, Rake started searching quietly around his friend’s bed. Hoax’s belt was hidden under the mattress.

Seconds later, Rake was out of the dorm and sprinting down the corridor.

It took a few minutes to get Oddball and Snow out of their beds and a few more to get down to the Old School. Salt was still there, in the lounge, reading an old book made of real paper. He raised his head as they stumbled to a halt in the doorway. As soon as he saw the looks on their faces, the way they were breathing hard from running, he jumped to his feet.

‘What is it?’ he asked.

In hurried, blurted sentences, Rake told their teacher about his friend. Salt’s face darkened as he listened. He swore under his breath.

‘Hoax has made a terrible mistake,’ he said. ‘If they find out that he’s made a run for it, they’ll hunt him down. They’ll know something’s wrong. If he tries to tell people about the Games, he could disappear right along with all the others who’ve stood up to Chairman. I’ve been keeping an eye on Hoax. I thought he might be the fourth member of your team. They’ll catch him now, and if he’s lucky he’ll end up in one of the secret underground prisons – if he’s unlucky . . . well, he won’t even make it that far.’

Salt pushed them back out of the doorway. He began limping towards the workshop that lay off to one side of the training area. They normally weren’t allowed in there.

‘You aren’t ready for the outside world yet,’ he told them. ‘You’re not even
close
to being ready. But we don’t have a choice. We have to find Hoax and bring him back before they discover he’s missing. But if you run into the White Knights, you won’t stand a chance unless you’re ready for a fight.’

He turned back to them, waving them towards the workshop.

‘I didn’t want to do this yet, but if you’re going to go out there, you’re going to need your armour.’

As they went in, Oddball nudged Rake and pointed. In one corner of the workshop, on a workbench covered in electronics parts, was a box labelled “High Explosives”. Rake elbowed him back and shook his head, afraid Oddball might start getting ideas.

In the centre of the workshop, held up on stands, were three suits of armour. One was red and black, the second one was blue and grey, and
the
third was yellow and black. Their polished surfaces gleamed in the lamplight. Compared to flashy Gladiator armour, these suits truly looked as if they were built for the serious business of close combat.

The three cadets stared at them, their hearts pounding. They could guess from the sizes which suit was meant for each of them. This was it. For the first time, they began to feel like they really could be Armouron Knights.

‘These are nothing like the cheap manufactured clack the Gladiators wear,’ Salt said, as he pulled Rake up beside the red and black armour and started helping him into it. ‘They are crafted from layers of plastallic, a material that bends like plastic but is tougher than steel. This is how real Armouron suits are made. They are lighter, more flexible and tougher than any armour you’ve seen before. I’ve made each suit to match your talents. It will take time to learn how each one works – but we don’t
have
time.’

Rake was sweating, but he was relieved to find that even though he felt himself trembling through his body, his hands were still not shaking.

‘And don’t think for a minute that this makes
you
Armouron Knights!’ Salt read their thoughts. ‘You haven’t earned that title yet. This is a one-off mission. We’re being rushed into this and you’ll need every advantage you can get tonight. For now, I’ll be happy if you don’t get yourselves caught or killed.’

Once he had Rake dressed in his armour, he shoved the helmet on the boy’s head and snapped the visor down. Then he took Rake’s totem and pressed it into place on the armour’s breastplate. Rake felt the Flow, the totem’s power, surging through his body.

There was a battle hammer and shield to go with the yellow and black armour that Salt had made for Oddball. He picked up the hammer and, without warning, swung it into Rake’s chest. The blow knocked the boy off his feet. But as he sat up, Rake was amazed to discover he felt no pain. In fact, the only reason he’d fallen over was that he had been knocked off balance. His chest felt fine.

‘Like I said,’ Salt grunted. ‘This is how real Armouron suits are made. Pick yourself up.’

He handed Rake a sword and shield. With a flick of his wrist, he showed the boy how the
handle
could extend out to turn the sword into a lance.

‘Now, let’s get you two suited up,’ Salt said to Oddball and Snow. As they rushed to their suits, handling each piece with awe, he added: ‘Rake, practise your weapons moves while you’re waiting.’

‘Come on,’ he said to the others. ‘Hoax is out there, alone in the city. Every second counts now.’

Chapter 12

Armoured Combat

WHEN THE THREE
cadets were all suited up, Salt led them down a corridor they had never seen before. He was still dressed in his Academy uniform. The corridor led to a stairwell, which took them up to another secret door into the Academy. This one opened into the Armour Department’s shuttle bay. The department’s supply shuttle stood on its launch platform. They climbed on board and took their seats.