Zac Power Mega Missions
published in 2009 by
Hardie Grant Egmont
Ground Floor, Building 1, 658 Church Street
Richmond, Victoria 3121, Australia
www.hardiegrantegmont.com.au
EISBN 978 1 742733 33 3
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means without
the prior permission of the publishers and copyright owner.
A CiP record for this title is available from the National Library of Australia
Text, illustration and design copyright 2009 Hardie Grant Egmont
Cover and illustrations by Andy Hook
CONTENTS
Ha! Youre out, Power!
It was lunchtime, and Zac Power was playing handball with his school friends.
He walked out of the square, pretending to be disappointed. Pretending he hadnt just got out on purpose.
If hed wanted to, Zac could have beaten all his friends with a blindfold on and one hand tied behind his back.
But none of them were allowed to know that. None of Zacs friends could ever find out that he was really a highly trained secret agent for the Government Investigation Bureau, or GIB for short.
So Zac left the court and walked to the end of the line to wait for his next turn. He looked up and saw his teacher, Ms Tran, walking towards them.
Zac, she said. Mrs De Souza wants to see you in her office.
Mrs De Souza was the principal of Zacs school.
It wasnt me! said Zac, without thinking. He hated getting in trouble.
Ms Tran raised an eyebrow.
I mean, Zac said quickly, what does she want to see me about?
Your uncle is with her, said Ms Tran. Hes picking you up early today. Go and get your things.
Oh, OK, said Zac, dashing off to get his bag.
But there was something a bit odd about all of this. For one thing, Zac didnt have an uncle.
Moments later, Zac was outside the principals office, wondering what was going on. He knocked.
Come in, Mrs De Souza said from inside the office.
Zac pushed open the door and froze.
Sitting in a chair across from Mrs De Souza was the last person Zac ever expected to see at his school.
Agent Big Boss. The head of GIB.
Sir! said Zac. What are you
Well, said Agent Big Boss loudly, cutting Zac short. If it isnt my favourite nephew! He winked at Zac.
Oh, uh, yeah! said Zac, playing along. Hi, Uncle! What are you doing here?
What was Agent Big Boss doing there?
Your uncle has come to pick you up early today, said Mrs De Souza, not looking very happy. A family matter, is it?
Agent Big Boss nodded.
For a second, Zac was worried.
Are Mum and Dad OK? he asked.
Zacs parents and his brother Leon worked for GIB, too.
Theyre fine, said Agent Big Boss quickly. Leon, too. But I have something to discuss with you.
I hope this is important, said Mrs De Souza. We dont like pulling our students out of school unless its absolutely necessary.
Mrs De Souza, Agent Big Boss said firmly, this is more important than you could possibly imagine. Come on, Zac, the cars waiting.
And with that, Agent Big Boss stood up and walked out of the principals office.
With an awkward look back at Mrs De Souza, Zac followed him.
What is it? said Zac as soon as the office door closed behind them. Whats going on?
Not yet, said Agent Big Boss in a low voice. Wait until we get into the car.
Zac nodded.
Agent Big Boss stopped at the side of the road and stuck out his hand. A black limousine with tinted windows pulled up from around the corner.
The door opened automatically and Zac and Agent Big Boss climbed inside.
Zac was amazed. This limo had everything! A popcorn-maker, a mini-fridge, a stereo system and an enormous flatscreen TV! There was even a metal door in the floor labelled Foot Spa.
This is better than my house! thought Zac, getting comfy in the plush leather seat.
He wished he had time to test it all out. But Agent Big Boss was staring at him with a strange look in his eye.
Time to focus, Zac told himself. Popcorncan wait.
Agent Rock Star, Ive got a mission for you, began Agent Big Boss, putting on his seatbelt. BIG is planning something, and I need you to stop them.
BIG was the most evil spy organisation in the business, and GIBs greatest enemy. But Zac wasnt worried. Thwarting BIGs plans was what he did best.
No worries, he said coolly. The usual, right? 24 hours to save the world, and
No, said Agent Big Boss, shaking his head. Not this time. This time were dealing with something much, much bigger.
So what is it? Zac asked. Whats BIG doing thats so, er, big?
The head of BIG has just received a powerful new weapon, said Agent Big Boss. Its the most dangerous piece of technology theyve ever gotten their hands on.
What kind of weapon is it? Zac asked.
Well, were a bit short on details, Agent Big Boss admitted. But it appears to be a highly advanced Tech Blaster.
Zac had heard about Tech Blasters. They were high-tech weapons that were harmless to humans, but would fry any nearby electrical devices. So BIG wants to destroy some of our gadgets? he asked.
No, said Agent Big Boss. BIG wants to destroy all of our gadgets. If this weapon is activated, it will set off a chain reaction powerful enough to wipe out every single piece of GIB technology in the world.
When you say every piece, Zac began, do you mean Everything, Agent Big Boss finished.
Every gadget, every vehicle, every SpyPad, every computer. All of it, everywhere. Gone. GIB would be completely shut down in less than three minutes.
Zac stared at Agent Big Boss. How much time have we got?
Our sources tell us that BIG plans to activate the Tech Blaster this Sunday at midnight, Agent Big Boss answered.
Zac did a quick calculation in his head. It was Wednesday today, so that gave him about four and a half days.
OK, he said. Whats the plan?
Well, we still dont know where the weapon is being kept or what it looks like, Agent Big Boss said.But we do know whos going to activate it.
Who?
Someone weve never met before. From what we can tell, hes new to BIG.
Whats his name? Zac asked.
Its a bit strange, said Agent Big Boss, but he doesnt seem to have one.
Zac blinked. A mystery weapon and an enemy agent with no name. GIB wasnt exactly giving him a lot to work with here. #8216;So where is this mystery agent now?
Ill show you, said Agent Big Boss, handing Zac a small electronic earpiece. Here, put this on.
Zac slipped the earpiece over his ear.
Six hours ago, Agent Big Boss went on, we received this message from our remote base camp in the Black Jungle.
GIB 'EAR' Electronic Audio Receiver
He hit a button on his armrest and the recording began to play through Zacs EAR. It was full of static and kept breaking up.
This is Agent SHHHH calling Headquarters! said a man, sounding scared.We are under attack by SHHHH enemy agent! We tried SHHHH but he was too powerful! Situation critical!
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