Evil Star (7 page)

KAAAAAA-BOOOM!
The star exploded in a burst of ultra-bright light that flooded the Mezzanator room, almost blinding Peri. Even the Mezzokan guards had to cover their three eyes.

Peri was stunned. As the initial burst of light faded, the entire fabric of the solar system was ripped apart by a swirling firestorm. The burning gases collapsed inwards, leaving no trace of any of the dozen planets.

The star went supernova!
Peri thought.

‘No one should have a weapon this powerful!’ Otto boomed. ‘It takes all the fun out of battle!’

‘Exactly,’ Tonka said. ‘Now no one will ever dare to oppose me!’ He laughed, waggling all his hands.

Peri realised they had to stop this galactic criminal – before he destroyed the entire universe!

Chapter 8

A solar system of twelve planets had been completely destroyed in seconds. Tonka watched the blazing supernova, hopping about and clapping his feet-hands together. Peri saw the eye in the back of the alien’s head narrow as it glanced towards him and Diesel.

‘Take aim at the Milky Way!’ he commanded.

‘No!’ Diesel shouted, lunging for Tonka. Before he had even got close, one of the guards grabbed him from behind with three hands. A fourth hand was slapped across Diesel’s mouth.

Peri had a vision of himself using his bionic strength to push guards out of the way and pummel the Mezzanator into pieces before throwing Tonka off the MezzStar. His limbs tingled with excitement, but he forced himself to ignore it. They couldn’t defeat the Mezzoka Clan on their own. Even with his superhuman bionic strength, they were still outnumbered. He was going to have to use his brain instead.

‘Hmmm
. . .
Arghh!’ Diesel moaned through the guard’s hand as he struggled to get free.

Tonka shook his head. ‘This is your father’s fault, Diesel, not mine. He should have swallowed his pride and paid up. Now he’s being taught a lesson none of the other galaxies will ever forget.’

Peri watched as Daxx adjusted the controls and the Mezzanator rotated.
Chugggaaa.
The image on the screen moved from the supernova across countless stars and planets. The screen filled with the swirling arms of the Milky Way.

The Mezzanator slid into place and stopped. The image came into focus. Peri caught sight of the dusty red gleam of Mars and the yellow gas giant, Jupiter.

Peri’s head began to buzz with an overwhelming need to get back on board the
Phoenix
. It had to be a message from the ship. Peri tried to focus on it, but all he could see in his mind’s eye was a red blur.

A trickle of cold sweat ran down his back. A blue-and-green planet was now clearly visible on the monitor. Earth. Behind it shone the bright yellow sun. Peri needed to know what the
Phoenix
wanted him to do right now. He tried to clear his mind, but the image of the red blur just wouldn’t shift. It was stuck in his head like a stubborn stain. Peri wished he had a button that could make the image go away.

Peri tried not to gasp.
A button!
The
Phoenix
was telling him that the time to press the Red Helix was now!

He raised his hand to his neck, but before he could press the Body Duplication button, a guard’s head swivelled towards him suspiciously. Peri swallowed and slowly lifted his hand to his head. He scratched behind his ears as the guard turned away. Without wasting another nanosecond, Peri pressed the Body Duplication button underneath his pulsing artery.

Imagine secondary location
, the voice in his head instructed.

Peri pictured himself on the Bridge of the
Phoenix
. In an internal flash of light as bright as the supernova, he was split into two bodies again. His energy-shell body was trapped on the MezzStar.

His duplicated body was back on the
Phoenix
!

There wasn’t much time. Peri checked through the eyes of his energy-shell body and saw Daxx arguing with Tonka about which coordinates to use in order to attack the Milky Way. As they argued, Peri raced to the
Phoenix
’s
control panel. His fingers were a blur as he opened up a com-channel.

‘Emergency message to IF Command!’ he yelled. ‘Peri reporting. Sending location of the MezzStar. Tonka Mezzoka has a deadly weapon that could destroy the entire Milky Way. Mobilise all active ships for attack and rescue. Mega priority – Code Alpha-Omega-One!’

Then Peri flipped a switch allowing him to activate an emergency com-channel to his crew. ‘I’ve split into two,’ he told them. ‘I’m going to activate the Red Helix, even though I have absolutely no idea what it’s going to do! We might be able to overpower Tonka in the chaos!’

Peri glanced back through the eyes of his energy-shell body. In the Mezzanator room, Tonka had just pressed the button to initiate the countdown. ‘Five . . .’ the Mezzoka boss shouted. ‘Four . . . three . . .’

On the Bridge, the Red Helix button was now glowing with urgency. As Tonka yelled, ‘Fire!’, Peri slammed his hand down on it.

K
aa-boom
!
A bullet of cold light shot from the Mezzanator, crackling with destructive energy. At the same time the
Phoenix
belched a huge bubble of liquid lead.
Buuurrrpptt!

Kaaa-splosh!
The giant lead blob swallowed the bullet of light.

Peri leaned forward, peering through the 360-monitor, feeling his heart beating hard and fast in his chest. This had to work – if it didn’t, the Milky Way was doomed!

The giant blob expanded and contracted, ripples of lightning flashing through it. Peri hoped the lead would absorb the energy. It had to. He held his breath.

Fffffffurrrrrrrrrrrpppppp!
The lead ball grew still, drifting like a balloon on a breeze. The bullet of light inside it flickered and went out.

It had been disarmed! Peri punched the air.

‘You!’ Peri heard Tonka scream in the Mezzanator control room.

He looked through the eyes of his energy-shell body and saw Tonka storming towards him. There was no time to lose. His energy shell wouldn’t be able to defend itself. Peri raised his hand to his neck and pressed the button beneath his skin.

Instantly, he was back in his body. Selene and Diesel stood beside him.

Tonka was waving his four hands in the air and yelling at him. ‘Tell me how you did it, you space-rat!’

Peri grinned, but his legs were trembling. Activating the Body Duplication powers had drained his bionic batteries. ‘I’ve been here the whole time,’ he replied, doing his best to hold Tonka’s gaze.

Tonka’s eyes narrowed. ‘I know you did something.’

‘I can’t believe it,’ Daxx groaned. He hit the control panel with his fist. ‘The bullet is useless now!’

Peri looked up through the dome. The shiny silver blob of metal was taking on a dull grey colour as the lead hardened around the bullet of light. Soon it would be safely trapped.

Peri shared a smile with Selene and Diesel. They had saved the galaxy – again!

Tonka started laughing. ‘You think you’re so smart. But the lead won’t hold that amount of destructive energy for very long. As soon as it cracks the whole thing will explode. Everything around you will be destroyed – not just the MezzStar, but your friends and your precious ship.’

‘
Ooof!?
’

Peri turned and saw that Jaxx had pushed over a guard and then dodged past another Mezzoka on his way towards the door.

‘Dad!’ Selene yelled. She tried to run after Jaxx, but some guards grabbed her.

Jaxx glanced at Selene over his shoulder, then disappeared through the open door.

Jaxx must have a plan to save us
,
Peri told himself.
He wouldn’t abandon us like this . . . would he?

‘Don’t just stand there,’ shouted Daxx. ‘After him!’

‘Quiet, Daxx,’ Tonka yelled. ‘He won’t escape the MezzStar blowing up. We already knew your brother was a coward.’

‘Look!’ Otto boomed, pointing to someone running out into the landing bay.

Peri’s circuits tingled as he willed Jaxx to head for the
Phoenix
. But instead Jaxx pulled an alien out of the nearest dump-jet and scrambled inside.

‘He really is abandoning us!’ Peri gasped.

After all they had done to try to prove Jaxx’s innocence,
this
was how he repaid them?