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At
170 miles per hour, the wind blows your hair straight back and pins your ears
flat against the sides of your head. Zach felt the wind slam against him as he
lifted himself out of the sport car’s window. He was ready to make his move.
He
knew he didn’t have much time. In just seconds, the Lear jet would pick up
even more speed. Then it would pull away from his uncle’s car, and start to
lift off from the runway.
Zach
looked over at the jet. It was no more than a foot or two away. Carefully, he
gauged his trajectory. He took a deep breath.
Then
he leapt out of the car — onto the wing of the speeding plane!
The
wind slammed into his face as Zach grabbed onto the end of the wing. The force was so fierce that he lowered his head and dropped to his knees. Then, on all
fours, he started crawling along the wing. He was feeling his way, inch-by-inch,
to the jet’s rear door.
Zach
reached the door. Then he felt the airplane start to rise. He looked over his
shoulder, and saw the ground fall away, fast.
The
jet was in the air!
Zach
held on for dear life as the nose of the jet pulled upwards. The plane was
climbing steeply, trying to gain altitude as fast as possible. If he fell off
now, he’d be runway pizza – for sure!
Zach
could barely breathe as the plane continued to climb. The rushing wind tore at
his skin and clothing. He tightened his grip, and saw that his fingers were
turning white. Somehow, he managed to hold on.
When
the plane finally began to level off, Zach forced his eyes open. He rose to his
feet, balancing himself carefully. Then he tried the door handle.
It
turned!
Zach
breathed a sigh of relief. He’d been afraid that the door might be locked.
That he’d be stranded out on the wing, to freeze to death in the high-altitude
cold.
He took
a deep breath and focused every last bit of his strength. Zach knew he had to fight the tremendous pressure
of the outside air. He grasped the handle hard, and pulled – and flung the
door wide open!
Zach
threw himself inside the plane. He landed on the cabin floor and rolled down the
aisle towards the cockpit.
He
came to a stop halfway down the aisle. Then he jumped to his feet, and looked
around him.
The
inside of the plane had been turned into a giant command console. The walls were
covered with controls and monitor screens. And, just feet away, Mr. Raven was
busy pushing buttons and turning dials.
“You’re
too late, Mr. Taylor!” Mr. Raven exclaimed. He rose to face Zach. “I’ve
just activated the network! The zombies are prepared to act on my command!”
“Then
I won’t let you make that command!” Zach responded.
He
reached inside his utility belt and removed the plastic card-like device that
the Assistant had given him.
“This
ought to shut down your network!”
Zach
held the card in front of him and pressed the two upraised buttons. Then he
watched as all the lights on the control panels went dark.
The
electro-magnetic impulse had shut down the entire command center!
“No!”
screamed Mr. Raven. “You can’t do this to me!”
Zach
braced himself as Mr. Raven lunged across the cabin. He dodged to the right and
Raven dove past him. But then the plane lurched sideways – and threw them both
to the floor!
“We’ve
lost all power!” Raven’s chauffer shouted from the cockpit. “We’re going
down!”
Zach
realized that the Assistant’s gadget had also affected the electronics in the
cockpit. Without power, the Lear jet was going to crash!
“You
will pay for your meddling, Mr. Taylor!”
Raven
lay on the floor at the front of the cabin. He was laughing like a maniac.
“Now
we will die together!”
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