Open Fire Read online

  But then Napoleon remembered that the sailor probably couldn’t spell. Nobody stayed at school for too long in the old days.

  ‘Please,’ the ugly sailor begged.

  ‘Pleeeeaaaassse!’

  ‘Deactivating SupaGrip,’ Skin said. ‘Maximum capacity reached.’

  Napoleon felt his grip released. The bully crumpled in a blubbering heap and the rest of the crew cheered. They rushed forward, crowding around Napoleon.

  ‘Thanks,’ said the boy who’d been sweeping the deck. ‘That Crowley has been bullying me ever since we left Plymouth.’

  Some of the crew slapped Napoleon on the back. Others shook his hand. But then the cheering stopped.

  ‘What’s the matter here?’ said a deep voice from the back of the crowd.

  The sailors parted at once, and Napoleon was face to face with a man he immediately recognised from paintings he’d seen in his history books.

  ‘It’s you,’ he spluttered. ‘Sir Francis Drake!’

  ‘Of course it is,’ Drake said. ‘But who are you?’

  ‘He’s just taught Crowley a lesson he’ll never forget, sir,’ one of the officers said. ‘It was a real treat.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear it,’ said Drake. ‘There’s no place for bullies on my ship. But that doesn’t answer my question.’

  ‘My name is Will, sir,’ Napoleon replied. Skin was whispering the information to him. ‘Will Smythe, from Cornwall. And I’m here to serve my queen.’

  ‘Capital reply!’ Drake laughed. ‘Spoken like a true Englishman.’ He stepped up to Napoleon. ‘Give me your hand, lad.’

  Napoleon held out his hand and the sea captain shook it firmly.

  ‘Quality sample,’ Skin said. ‘DNA collected and stored.’

  Napoleon didn’t even hear Skin. He was too excited. He was shaking the hand of one of the greatest seafarers of all time.

  ‘This is your lucky day, Will Smythe,’ Drake said. ‘Any moment now we’ll be charging into the harbour of Cadiz for the fight of our lives. And you can be part of it.’

  A real battle. He was about to be in a real battle! It was true. The Battle Book really worked.

  He was so excited he barely heard Professor Perdu.

  ‘Mission accomplished, BB005,’ her voice crackled in his ear. ‘DNA collected. Time to leave. Your Exit Beam is now activated at the stern of the ship.’

  Napoleon could see the shaft of light at the back of the ship, and knew he was meant to make a run for it. But he couldn’t leave now. Not when there was about to be a real battle.

  ‘Exit, BB005,’ the professor repeated more loudly. ‘Now.’

  Skin was talking to him as well. ‘Exit recommended, BB. ASAP.’

  But the loudest voice of all was Sir Francis Drake’s. ‘This is your chance to serve the queen, Will Smythe. What do you say, lad?’

  Napoleon didn’t hesitate. ‘Aye, aye, Captain,’ he replied, and saluted Drake.

  Drake called to his crew, gathering them around.

  ‘Listen, men,’ he cried. ‘The enemy won’t be ready for us. It’s their siesta time. They’ll be sleeping, full of food and wine. Let’s give them a right royal wake-up!’

  The men cheered and headed for their positions.

  ‘Will,’ Sir Francis called to Napoleon. ‘You go with Sam.’ He pointed to the boy who’d been sweeping the deck. ‘Go up front and hang off the bow. Watch for sea traps, but most important of all, give the signal to open fire.’

  Drake threw his arms around both boys. ‘And lads,’ he said with a grin, drawing them close. ‘Wait until we’re right on top of the scoundrels. Let’s frighten their pantaloons off!’

  Drake slapped both boys on the back and sent them off.

  ‘He knows how to fight, does our captain,’ Sam said as they headed for the bow. ‘He be a real sea dog with plenty of bite. He says he’ll singe the king of Spain’s beard today.’

  It was a mad scramble aboard the ship as the crew prepared for attack. Cannons were primed, weapons handed out, and sails set for full speed.

  ‘Excellent images,’ Skin said, collecting all the sights and sounds as they moved down the deck. ‘Triple-A rating. Best data we have ever collected.’

  Professor Perdu, however, wasn’t so happy. ‘This is most irregular, BB005!’ she hissed. ‘When I say exit, I mean —’

  ‘I know,’ Napoleon whispered into his hand so Sam wouldn’t hear. ‘Soon. I’ll leave soon, I promise. But I can’t go just now!’

  ‘Your mission is to observe,’ the professor said in a steely voice. ‘And collect data. You must not interfere with events.’

  But Napoleon wasn’t listening. He and Sam had reached the front of the ship and were climbing out on the long high prow.

  The Bonaventure was cutting through the water at top speed. Napoleon felt the sea spray hitting his face. He tasted the salt and wanted to laugh out loud. But then they rounded the bend into the harbour of Cadiz, and the sight took his breath away.

  The harbour was packed with ships of all shapes and sizes, from barques and frigates to galleys and mighty galleons.

  ‘Ships identified as part of the great Spanish Armada,’ said Skin, still recording as much as possible. ‘There are no images of these in existence. This is a first, BB.’

  Sam nudged Napoleon. ‘These ships plan to attack England, ye know?’ He laughed. ‘But we’ll put an end to that, eh, Will?’

  Napoleon would’ve replied, but they were travelling so fast that they were almost upon the first of the ships, a line of galleons.

  ‘Get ready to give the signal,’ Sam said.

  Napoleon drew himself up until he was standing on the prow, leaning out, gripping the stay rope. Sam joined him, and the boys hung on either side of the prow, skimming over the water towards the warships.

  ‘Steady,’ Sam said, as they drew closer, holding up his hand. Closer still. Only when they were so close they could see the men sleeping on the deck did he bring his hand down.

  ‘OPEN FIRE!’

  Both boys shouted at the top of their lungs, and in the next instant the cannons exploded.

  The noise was deafening.

  Cannonballs whistled, cannons blasted, hulls cracked open, and masts split.

  And then came the yelling and the shouting and the smoke as one Spanish ship after another burst into flames. Napoleon stared with a mix of amazement and horror. It was like being caught in a huge but fascinating nightmare.

  ‘Zooks!’ he shouted, gripped by the action exploding around him.

  ‘Care essential, BB,’ Skin reminded him. ‘Random events can be dangerous. Keep body movements under control at all times. Cannonball approaching. Velocity estimated at …

  DUCK!’

  Napoleon only heard half of Skin’s warning as the Spanish cannonball whizzed overhead. He let go of the stay rope, and in that instant he lost his balance.

  Sam grabbed at him but missed and Napoleon fell backwards, off the prow and into the water far below.

  ‘Don’t worry, Will,’ Sam shouted. ‘I’ll be gettin’ thee a rope in no time.’ He scrambled back along the prow and disappeared.

  ‘Flotation device activated,’ Skin said as Napoleon’s sleeves blew up into water wings.

  ‘And so is the Exit Beam,’ Professor Perdu added, her voice angrier than ever. ‘You will exit now, BB005. This instant! If you stay any longer, I cannot guarantee your safety. We are in Omega Phase.’

  A beam of light had appeared on the water in front of Napoleon. He swam towards it, moving slowly through a sea churning with battle.

  But as he reached the beam he heard Sam shouting from the ship.

  ‘Where ye be going, Will? Here’s the rope.’

  Napoleon looked back. ‘Don’t thee worry, Sam,’ he called, treading water.

  He was sucked up at once.

  Like an eagle, he could see the battle raging below – cannons blasting, ships burning, men fighting with hard faces and flashing swords.

  He could see
Drake, too. He was shouting orders, with one hand pointing and a sword in the other. And Sam was there as well, staring up into the sky, searching for his stowaway mate.

  And then everything was swallowed by the mist. Transmission speed took a quantum leap and Napoleon rocketed away.

  A minute later he was bouncing off the padded walls of the Tome Tower.

  Professor Perdu’s face loomed over him from a flickering screen above. She didn’t look pleased.

  ‘Transmission successful,’ she said. ‘Change out of your gear and report for debriefing.’ In fact, she looked decidedly displeased.

  Will the professor drop me from the operation for not obeying her immediately? Napoleon wondered as he stood in the change room. Had he failed in his very first mission?

  ‘Cease worry, BB,’ said Skin. ‘Quality data collected. I estimate Battle Boy status is secure.’ There was a long beep. ‘Sleep mode activated,’ Skin said, and fell silent.

  Napoleon sighed. He couldn’t wait to get into another Battle Book. But first he had to face one angry professor.

  He peeled Skin off, pulled on his own clothes and stepped into the main chamber.

  Professor Perdu was drumming her fingers on the control panel. ‘Let’s get this clear right now, BB!’ She wasn’t just angry. She was furious. ‘When I say —’

  ‘I know.’ Napoleon held up his hands. ‘I’m sorry. I’ll obey the exit order next time. I really will. I promise.’

  ‘Who said there’ll be a next time? Given your behaviour today …’

  ‘But —’ Napoleon panicked. Surely she didn’t mean it. He couldn’t lose this now.

  ‘You have no idea how dangerous it can be in a Battle Energy Bundle. If you delay when I tell you to exit, you could be lost in there forever.’ The professor fixed him with her icy stare.

  ‘Forever?’

  ‘Yes! Forever! It’s an unpredictable world inside a Battle Book, with its own rules – rules we don’t fully understand yet. Next time, BB005, make sure you’re much more attentive to my orders. That’s all. You can go.’

  ‘So there will be a next time?’ Napoleon grinned.

  The professor took a while to reply. ‘I suppose we’ll give you another chance.’

  ‘Yes!’ Napoleon punched at the air. ‘When?’

  ‘Who knows? Tomorrow. Next week. You have the Battle Watch. I’ll call you.’ She hesitated. ‘It was a good mission by the way. One of the b —.’

  Professor Perdu cut herself short and pressed a button on the control panel. A door opened out of the main chamber. ‘Now, I have work to do archiving the data Skin recorded. You know the way out.’

  Napoleon didn’t want to go, but knew he had to. He stepped out of the main chamber. The steel panel clanged shut behind him.

  ‘Log out, please,’ the speaker next to the door said. Napoleon pressed his hand against the palm pad. ‘See you next time, BB005.’

  When Napoleon arrived home, his family was talking excitedly about the military parade. It was the biggest yet, his older brother told him as he walked into the sitting room.

  ‘And guess what?’ Caesar said. ‘Monty and I have been chosen to lead the charge in next month’s war game! Howzat?’

  ‘It’s a real honour, boys,’ their father said proudly.

  ‘And all while you were stuck in some musty old book, Nappy,’ Monty added. The two brothers laughed.

  Napoleon laughed too. He didn’t care anymore. They could laugh as much as they wanted to. If they only knew what he’d really been up to, they’d be green with envy. Their war games and parades were nothing. He had the real thing.

  ‘Must’ve been a good book,’ his mother said with a smile and a wink.

  ‘Sure was, Mum.’ Napoleon grinned back. ‘One of the best! I can’t wait to get into another one like it.’

  ‘You must tell me about it later,’ his mother said.

  Napoleon nodded, and smiled.

  She would never believe him.