Free Danger Guys by Tony Abbott Page B

were set up everywhere around the shiny stage.
    â€œNoodle, this is incredible. Look!” Zeek pointed to the end of the set.
    There, sparkling in the light, stood the famous transport pods. Each Vulcan movie ended with the crew beaming back into the pods.
    â€œUnbelievable,” whispered Zeek. “I want to live here.” He pulled out his camera and started taping again.
    â€œIt’s pretty cool, all right,” I said. “But look at this.” I was standing at a table near the set. “There are tons of future props here. Space suits, communicators, scanners, fazer guns, flashlights …”
    â€œFlashlights? Ennnh! ” Zeek made a sound like a game show buzzer. “Wrong! We don’t use flashlights in the future. We wear personal ultra-laser-halo-visor things. Nobody uses flashlights anymore! Those are way—”
    Ka-blam! More thunder blasted overhead.
    The lights on the set flickered and went out. We were in the dark. Totally.
    â€œOh, man,” Zeek groaned. “We should be raccoons, we’re in the dark so often. I guess I’ll take one of those flashlights …”
    I felt around in the dark and grabbed two of the flashlights from the table in front of me. I was about to turn one on. Then I heard something.
    Tap-tap-tap.
    I froze.
    â€œZeek? Was that you?” I whispered. “Say yes. Please.”
    â€œI thought it was you.”
    Tap. Tap. Tap.
    It sounded like metal against metal.
    Zeek stumbled over to me. “Just before the lights went out, I spotted a door across the room.”
    â€œSomeone’s trying to get in,” I whispered.
    â€œYeah, someone. Or some thing !”
    â€œI’m going to open it, Zeek. Maybe they’ll show us a way out.” Zeek grabbed my arm. “No way, Nood.” He held me back. “Did you forget the movie we saw last summer?”
    I thought for a minute. “We saw tons of movies last summer.”
    â€œThe one with the door. The kid opens it and—” Zeek slipped into his movie voice again. “ They tried to destroy it. But it kept coming back! It’s— ”
    Blam! A glowing iron fist punched a hole in the door.
    â€œ It’s— ”
    Blam! Another fist blasted through.
    â€œ It’s— ”
    BLAM! The door blew off its hinges, and a seven-foot monster robot stepped into the room.

THREE
    â€œ It’s — Metalhead!”
    Steel skull for a head. Blinking red eye. It was Metalhead, all right.
    And right now that eyeball was scanning the room for human life.
    â€œHit the deck!” I yelled. We dove across the set and slid under a navigational scanner desk.
    â€œZeek!” I gasped. “I remember this dude. He’s from the future. He’s programmed to destroy. That’s all he does. I mean, this guy doesn’t pump iron. He is iron!”
    Boom-boom-boom. Metalhead stomped to the center of the room. His eye panned from side to side. Then he started to speak.
    â€œTwo humans. Boys. Destroy them.”
    â€œHey,” Zeek whispered. “He can’t do that. He’s an actor!”
    â€œUnh-uh, Zeek. A robot. Remember what the tour guide said. All their monsters are computerized.”
    Suddenly— voom! The desk we were hiding under disappeared. And there was that ugly red eye pulsing down at us.
    â€œOkay, Nood. Be cool. Don’t make him mad.”
    But I had a feeling this dude was born mad.
    A second later he proved it. He grabbed Zeek, lifted him off the floor, and shook him like a baby rattle.
    â€œNoo-oo-oo-dle!”
    â€œLet go of my pal, Bucket Brain!” I screamed.
    I couldn’t believe what happened next.
    Before I knew it, I jumped up, my leg flew out, and— wump! —I gave the big guy a perfect karate kick straight to his knee.
    â€œYeooow!” My whole body throbbed. But the creep dropped Zeek with a thud.
    â€œBig mistake, human boy.” The iron jaw on