H.I. Larry - Zac Power Special Files #2: The Rockstar Files

BY H. I. LARRY

The Rock Star Files
published in 2011 by
Hardie Grant Egmont
85 High Street
Prahran, Victoria 3181, Australia
www.hardiegrantegmont.com.au

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 copyright 2007 H.I. Larry
Illustration and design copyright 2007 Hardie Grant Egmont

Cover design by Stephanie Spartels
Cover illustration by Andy Hook and Cal Bennett
Illustrations by Andy Hook and Cal Bennett
Typeset by Ektavo

Printed in Australia by Griffin Press

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

BLOCKBUSTER
BYH. I. LARRY

ILLUSTRATIONS BYANDY HOOK

CONTENTS

It was 4.30pm. School was officially over for the day. So why was Zac Power still stuck in a classroom, pretending to look interested in fractions?

Stupid Homework Club, he huffed to himself. Kids whose parents worked late went to Homework Club and finished their homework while they waited to be picked up. But really, Zac didnt need any teacher watching him while his parents were working. After all, he was a top international spy whod been on heaps of missions by himself.

Zacs brother Leon and their parents were spies, too. They worked for the Government Investigation Bureau, or GIB for short. Zacs parents were taking an advanced code-breaking course. So Zac had to attend Homework Club all week, even though he was twelve years old.

Ms Tran, Zacs teacher, was supervising Homework Club that day. Zac heaved a gusty sigh and flicked open his maths book. Ms Tran looked over at him and smiled. Isnt learning maths fun? her eyes seemed to twinkle.

Zac tried to keep his eyes open, but it was so hot in the classroom. The air stank of ripe bananas and other peoples feet.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and it swung open to a stern figure in a skirt and suit jacket. Mrs De Souza, the school principal!

Zachary Power, said Mrs De Souza. Please step outside for a moment.

Zac sat bolt upright. Zachary? This must be serious. Only his parents called him Zachary, and even then, only when he was in big trouble.

The other kids stared as Zac leapt up.

Zac racked his brains for what he could have done. Hed missed a lot of school lately. Hed been so busy on important international missions! But he didnt think he was failing or anything.

Well, Zac, said Mrs De Souza, closing the classroom door. I dont usually interrupt Homework Club, but the young girl who delivered this insisted that I give it to you straight away.

Phew! He wasnt in trouble after all but what was she giving him?

What was her name again? It started with C said the principal, vaguely. Never mind, she finished, handing Zac a glittering gold envelope.

Splashed across the front in curly black letters were the words:

For the urgent attention of
Mr Zachary Power.

His next mission from GIB? It had to be! Although it was weird that everyone was calling him Zachary all of a sudden

Zac didnt think about it too long. A mission would get him out of Homework Club, and right now that was all that mattered.

Zac tore open the envelope. But it wasnt a new mission. It was something even better.

Awesome! Zac was getting out of school, and he didnt even have to stress over any difficult spy work. This time, things would be strictly Mission: Fun.

Zac looked at his watch. He had to get a move on if he wanted to get to Hollywood. The premiere was in 24 hours!

Mrs De Souza asked him how the Homework Club was going, and Zac smiled politely. But he wasnt listening. Zac had noticed a strange sound a kind of low hum unlike anything hed heard before.

It was a bit like an engine, but it didnt growl like the fighter jet Zac had trained on. It wasnt an ordinary passenger plane either.

I should probably get going, Zac said, waggling the gold envelope at Mrs De Souza. She nodded and stalked away.

Zac fished around in his pocket for his SpyPad, the mini-computer that all GIB spies carried. It had heaps of cool functions, including a powerful mini-telescope. If there was some weird aircraft in the sky, Zac was easily be able to spot it.

Zac raced outside. He looked up, SpyPad at the ready. But Zac didnt need a telescope to see what hovered in the sky above him.

It was an enormous, shiny gold blimp. Across the side, in giant black letters, were the words, Covert Operations. This bling-covered blimp must be Zacs transportation to Hollywood!

How am I going to get up there, though? he wondered. But before he could blink, a red velvet rope swung down from the blimps cabin.

Zac grabbed the rope. His feet lifted off the ground.

He was headed for Hollywood!

It seemed slightly weird to Zac that GIB would send a flashy gold blimp to pick him up. Normally GIB was paranoid about being noticed.

But Zac didnt dwell on his doubts for too long. The blimp was even cooler inside than it looked from the outside!

The cabin was carpeted with white fluffy rugs. Chocolate frogs were heaped into crystal bowls dotted around the cabin.

And although the blimp could have carried lots of people, it looked like Zac was the only passenger.

A woman in a long, white apron appeared. Zac had never seen her before. Strange, he thought. He knew pretty much all the local GIB staff. Maybe shes from theHollywood office?

Please make yourself comfortable, Mr Power, she said smoothly.

Zacs reclining seat was soft and wide. He had never travelled in such comfort!

You can access all the latest movies here, explained the woman, pointing to a massive plasma screen. And this, she continued, as a machine sprang out of Zacs armrest, is your personal popcorn popper.

The trip was ten hours, which wasnt long enough to enjoy everything on the blimp. First, Zac watched a movie. Then he had a foot massage and head rub. Then he discovered the in-seat virtual reality roller-coaster rides.

He was still riding Iron Gutz, the worlds first virtual reality roller-coaster, when suddenly he felt a bump for real.