Free Canyon Chaos by Axel Lewis Page B

replied the echoes, rebounding from the towering Canyon walls.
    “Did you hear that?” asked Cabbie.
    “I heard it!” said Jimmy. “Chip,” he shouted down. “It’s Jimmy. Are you all right? Where are you?”
    “Down here!” said the American voice.
    Jimmy moved along the cliff face, trying to edge closer to where the sound was coming from. When he found the spot he stretched a little further out over the Canyon. Fighting the dizzying view beneath him, he looked straight down – squinting against the glare of the sun as it bounced off the shiny surface of ... Dug!
    Jimmy cheered. There, resting about 20 metres directly below them, was the huge yellow racer. Dug appeared to be hanging in mid-air and Chip’s head was poking out of the window, looking up at Jimmy and waving.
    “Hold on!” Jimmy yelled down. The echo of his voice sent a few small stones from the rockslide showering over the cliff face. They plummeted down, down, down and then bounced!
    “It’s an invisible force field,” said Cabbie to Jimmy. “Dug’s scanners are showing a high-voltage plasma net down there.”
    “Lord Leadpipe must have had them installed for the race because he expected at least one of us to end up being knocked over the edge,” Jimmy guessed.
    He racked his brains for a way to help them up. None of the safetybots were hovering overhead. There was no sign of anyone at all who could help rescue Dug and Chip. It was up to Jimmy. He ran over to Cabbie and got in.
    “What are we doing?” said Cabbie. “Let’s fire up the engines and catch those other losers!”
    “We’re not going anywhere,” said Jimmy.
    “What?” said Cabbie.
    “We’ve got to help Chip and Dug,” said Jimmy. “We’re their only hope!” He scanned the rows of buttons on his control panel, looking for something he could use to help Chip – retro-rockets, jet-thrusters, rocket-boosters, Magnetic SuperPull...
    “Yes!” cried Jimmy excitedly, remembering the huge magnet flying out of Cabbie’s roof at the start of the race. “Cabbie, I’m firing the Magnetic SuperPull over the cliff edge. OK?”
    “I can do better than that,” replied Cabbie. “Press the green button. It’s flashing now.”
    “What is it?” asked Jimmy, punching the button.
    “The Magnetic Superpull Crane-o-matic,” replied Cabbie proudly. And before Jimmy could say ask any more questions, he felt four heavy thuds as stabilizing legs extended from Cabbie’s undercarriage.
    Jimmy opened his window and stuck his head out to get a better view. A hatch opened on Cabbie’s roof and an enormous crane arm rose high into the air, stretching out like a tape measure over the cliff edge. Then he heard a familiar click and a rush of air as the Magnetic SuperPull fired out of the roof and flew down into the Canyon.
    “Just like going fishing,” Cabbie said, a smug edge to his voice. “Not that I’ve ever been fishing before.”
    Jimmy got out of Cabbie and hurried back to the cliff edge. The huge magnet swung on its chain from the crane arm, about two metres short of Chip and his massive racer.
    “It’s not long enough!” called Chip.
    Oh, no , thought Jimmy. There’s no way of getting closer to them.
    Then suddenly he had an idea.
    “Chip, you’re going to have to reach up as far as you can. If you can get Dug’s lifting arm close enough, the magnet will do the rest.”
    Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. For a split-second it looked as if they were still too far away. The magnet swayed from side to side as Dug’s long arm stretched to breaking point to reach it.
    Come on, come on , Jimmy thought.
    Then suddenly there was a loud thunk! that echoed around the Canyon.
    “Yes! Reel them in, Cabbie!” called Jimmy.
    Cabbie braced himself on his four stabilizing legs, tightened the chain and began to heave.
    Slowly Cabbie pulled Dug up. The digger swayed to and fro in the wind as it was hauled up. Clouds of black smoke poured from Cabbie’s exhaust as he