Free Code Red by H. I. Larry

CHAPTER
ONE
    TSEEEWWW!
    Zac Power’s eyes flashed open. He’d been dozing, but a strange noise had woken him up.
    It took him a second to remember that he was in the rescue chopper. There were two other choppers flying alongside his.
    Zac was on the way back to GIB Headquarters with the agents he had rescued from the Black Jungle.

    He stretched his arms out and yawned. I just need five more minutes to sleep…
    TSEEEWWW!
    There was another blast. Their helicopters were under attack!
    OK, I’m definitely awake now, Zac thought, trying to peer out the window. He caught a glimpse of the BIG agent’s jet behind them.
    â€˜The BIG Agent!’ cried Agent Cougar, as their helicopter dodged left. ‘He’s behind us in his jet!’
    â€˜You think?’ said Zac, rolling his eyes.
    TSEEEWWW!
    Their helicopter rattled. Another blast from the BIG agent’s electromagnetic cannon lit up the morning sky, but it just missed them.
    TSEEEWWW!
    The BIG jet scored a direct hit on the helicopter to Zac’s right. The chopper shuddered and started to fall out of the sky, all of its systems fried.
    Zac watched it tumble down towards the ocean.

    Three spots appeared in the sky, just beyond the falling chopper. Parachutes.
    Zac breathed a sigh of relief. They got out in time, he thought. They’ll be OK.
    He looked out the rear window. The BIG jet was gaining on them.
    TSEEEWWW!
    Their pilot tried to pull away again, but this time the jet was too close. The blast of blue energy slid along Zac’s side of the helicopter. It wasn’t a direct hit, but it was enough to send them spinning off course.
    â€˜Hang on to your hats, boys!’ called the pilot. ‘This could get a little bumpy.’
    Zac could see the pilot wrestling with the steering controls.The helicopter rattled and shook as the pilot struggled to bring it down safely.
    Up ahead, Zac could see a car park that was completely empty, except for one abandoned caravan. He’d seen this particular caravan before. It was actually a decoy hologram which disguised the secret entrance to GIB HQ.
    But as Zac watched, the helicopter zoomed right over the car park.
    â€˜Hey,’ Zac said to the pilot. ‘You missed the entrance!’
    The pilot chuckled. ‘Don’t think Agent Big Boss would be too happy if I flew a chopper this big in through the front door!’ he said. ‘Just sit tight. We’ll take the heavy vehicle entrance.’
    The helicopter gave another lurch.
    â€˜Assuming we make it that far,’ the pilot added.
    Zac looked around, trying to catch sight of the BIG agent’s jet. It seemed to have disappeared, and so had the third GIB chopper.
    Zac’s helicopter swung around to the left, and a little clump of trees came into view.The pilot brought them to a stop high above the trees. He hit a button and the helicopter started dropping downwards.
    Zac held on tight as they jerked towards the ground. At the last second, the trees disappeared, revealing a wide, open tunnel.
    More holograms, Zac thought.
    Normally, the tunnel would have easily been big enough for a helicopter to fly through. But their helicopter was acting more like a bull at a rodeo than a finely tuned GIB vehicle.
    Bucking and shaking, the chopper crashed down through the tunnel. It scraped against the steel walls, sending sparks flying.
    The tunnel opened out into a massive vehicle storage area, filled with row after row of high-tech jets, cars and bikes.
    The chopper hit the ground, bounced once, twice, and then crushed a row of Lightning Strike Ultra-Bikes. Finally it skidded to a stop.
    Zac turned to the pilot. ‘No offence,’ he said, ‘but next time I think I’ll just take the bus.’

CHAPTER
TWO
    Zac and Agent Cougar climbed out of the helicopter into the storage hangar.
    The whole place was buzzing with activity, and there were agents running in every direction.
    A nervous-looking boy about Zac’s