Free Canyon Chaos by Axel Lewis Page A

side?” asked Jimmy. “What if it rockets us into the sky and we’re blown down into the Canyon?”
    “Good point,” said Cabbie.
    “So can we get round it?” asked Jimmy.
    “There’s a ledge about thirty centimetres wide at the edge of the landslide,” said Cabbie. “We reverse, get up to 150 k.p.h., go up on two wheels and—”
    “And crash over the edge,” finished Jimmy. “Or crash into the landslide. Have you got any suggestions that don’t involve us crashing?”
    Cabbie thought for a moment. “No,” he said.
    “Let’s back up and get a proper look at it,” said Jimmy.
    Cabbie quickly reversed. But as he did so, Lightning appeared from nowhere and zipped round him, heading straight for the landslide. At the last moment, steel ropes and grappling hooks flew from Lightning’s front shield, grabbed hold of the rock face and pulled Princess Kako and her robobike up and over the mound of fallen rocks like a giant spider.
    “We need to do something. Here comes Monster!” said Jimmy, looking in the rear-view display screen. But it was too late. Missy and her enormous monster-truck racer swerved round them. The truck’s front grille dropped down and out came a vast drill bit the size of a robo-rocket, spinning into a blur. Dust and rocks and splinters flew up as the drill burrowed into the ground and Monster disappeared down the tunnel she had dug beneath the landslide.
    “Now’s our chance,” cried Jimmy, stamping on the accelerator. “Let’s follow them!”
    Cabbie’s engine roared, and they flew backwards.
    “Oops,” said Cabbie. “Still in reverse!”
    Jimmy flicked the gear paddle into first gear, but before he could power forwards, Sammy and his hoverbot Maximus had barged in front of them and skimmed into the darkness of the tunnel.
    “Come on!” cried Jimmy as Zoom, then Dug, hurtled past and headed for the opening.
    “Fire the jet-thrusters and let’s get going!” yelled Cabbie.
    Jimmy was reaching for the flashing green button when they heard a screech of tyres at the entrance to the tunnel.
    Zoom had stopped and Jimmy could see Horace pressing all sorts of buttons on the roof of the sports car.
    “What’s he doing?” Jimmy cried. “He’s blocking the way!”
    “Even Horace Pelly can’t be that stupid,” said Cabbie. “He won’t win sitting there!”
    “And neither will we,” groaned Jimmy.
    But a nasty grin had spread across Horace’s face. “Dig your way out of this one, Chippy,” he yelled over the roar of his engine.
    Two pipes shot out from beneath Zoom’s bumper. One sprayed water all over the racetrack. The other sent clouds of white smoke billowing across it. When it cleared, the water had frozen and turned the track into a dangerous ice rink!
    Dug was racing towards the tunnel at top speed and when he hit the ice, he had no hope of controlling the racer. The caterpillar tracks tried desperately to grip the path, but they just spun and spun. Dug’s pincer arm flailed and grabbed at the ice, helplessly trying to steady himself as he skidded towards the cliff edge.
    Jimmy watched Chip’s mouth open in a silent, terrified scream as he plunged backwards and disappeared over the side of the cliff...

Chapter 12 - Over the Edge
    Jimmy sat frozen for a moment – long enough to see Horace and Zoom shooting off through the tunnel.Then he jumped out of Cabbie and ran to the cliff edge, inching forward slowly to peer over the edge.
    All Jimmy could think about was what he would see when he looked over the edge: the twisted and gashed metal of the broken robot, and Chip...?
    Hardly daring to open his eyes, he looked out over the cliff edge. The floor of the Canyon was about a kilometre below them. Jimmy screwed up his eyes in the blazing heat of the sun, but all he could see was dust and sand and rocks. There was no sign at all of Dug or Chip at the bottom of the canyon.
    “ Help! ” cried a voice. It sounded American...like Chip.
    “ Help! Help! Help! ”