Chapters (88)
- Cover
- Title Page
- Dear Reader …
- Also by Robert Muchamore
- PART ONE
- Walter J Freeman Adolescent Mental Health Unit – East Grinstead, UK
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- PART TWO
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- PART THREE
- Walter J. Freeman Adolescent Mental Health Unit – East Grinstead, UK
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- PART FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- EPILOGUE
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- Have you read KILLER T?
- 1 SLASHED RUBBER
- 2 NOT HARRY POTTER
Georgia was third behind deep-blue as they exited the last trailer, falling back to fourth through five gates arranged in a giant arc. The quads hit 130kph on a straight run back into the warehouse through giant hangar doors, slowing for the entrance to a second laser tunnel, then whizzing in front of the pilots’ stage and across the launch line for lap two.
Georgia had found her rhythm, losing less in the opening section and gaining more through the trucks. Lap two closed with her running third out of five, a couple of metres behind deep-blue. Pink was close behind, but Georgia had seen it take a time penalty for missing the first gate, so he’d have to finish over five seconds ahead to beat her.
Flying required complete concentration, but Georgia heard a sensation. Shouts and gasps from the audience, watching the banks of screens over the stage. She didn’t know why until she exited the laser tunnel at the start of the final lap and glimpsed Van Hooten’s orange quad floundering beneath her. With a twelve-second lead and the best quad in the race, the Dutchman had made a rookie mistake and clipped the tunnel exit.
Van Hooten seemed undamaged. He launched from the ground, closing on Georgia and deep-blue. Georgia led the race briefly but lost ground over the factory roof. She could only see straight ahead, so she didn’t know who hit her rear and made her skim close to the truck wall.
Georgia was faster than deep-blue and pink through the trucks, but she couldn’t gain on Van Hooten and her quad was pulling right, probably from minor propeller damage when she’d been whacked.
Van Hooten’s orange quad started pulling away, through the wide arc gates and hangar doors. Georgia didn’t mind when deep-blue overtook on her outside to finish in second place. Third was good enough to prove her point about not being two seconds a lap slower than anyone. Her dad would spend the drive home bragging that she’d have made the final if she’d not lost time on the start, and Georgia would get to sleep in her own bed and finish the history assignment she had to hand in on Monday.
‘I love you so much,’ John shouted, jumping on stage and hugging his daughter the instant she landed the quad.
Georgia pushed up her sweaty goggles as he gave her a kiss and lifted her off the ground. Van Hooten had stormed across to the stewards’ area, in a foul mood about something.
‘Think how good she’d be if she still practised,’ Phil said, slapping his niece on the back. ‘That was amazing!’
Georgia got a voice recorder shoved in her face. The blogger who’d interviewed Van Hooten before the race.