Martin King and the Space Angels (Martin King Series) Read Free

very hard to obtain.’
    ‘It is time for us to leave, Falcon,’ said his father.
    ‘You must wait,’ insisted Falcon, ‘this is part of my last request.’
    His father sighed, but it seemed he could do nothing.
    ‘What does it do?’ said Martin.
    ‘To put it simply, Axis Dust enriches the DNA of any living organism. Its effects are hard to predict, but it essentially improves the genetic make-up of any creature.’
    Tommy frowned. ‘I don’t understand.’
    ‘How do I put this simply? The Axis Dust will... change you. It will give you special powers.’
    Darcy’s eyes lit up. ‘Special powers?’
    ‘What kind of powers?’ said Tommy.
    ‘In truth, its effects are quite erratic and almost impossible to predict.’
    ‘I’m not sure about this,’ said Martin, starting to back away from Falcon.
    The alien reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.
    ‘Trust me, Martin. I promise that you will come to no harm. But it really is essential that you allow me to administer the Axis Dust. The lives of everyone on this planet may depend on it.’
    Martin sighed. If everything Falcon said was true—if the world really was in so much danger—then they needed as much help as they could get.
    ‘All right,’ said Martin.
    ‘Do you also agree?’ said Falcon, turning to Tommy and Darcy.
    Darcy nodded. Tommy hesitated, but Martin knew that he wouldn’t be able to resist the idea of having a special power. Tommy grinned.
    ‘OK,’ he said.
    ‘Then all gather round,’ said Falcon.
    Martin, Tommy and Darcy stood together in front of Falcon. The Axis Lord lifted the golden dust above their heads.
    ‘Prepare yourselves. Three, two, one…’
    Falcon let the Axis Dust fall from his fingertips and it showered over them. Martin felt strangely warm, and his vision was filled with a bright light. Then the light faded.
    ‘I… I don’t feel any different,’ said Tommy.
    ‘The Axis Dust will take some time to have an effect,’ said Falcon. ‘You must be patient.’
    ‘Come, we must leave,’ said Falcon’s father.
    Falcon ignored him and turned to the teenagers.
    ‘Now, you will face many difficulties, and many dangers. But always remember that I chose you—all three of you. I chose you from among billions.’
    ‘But why us?’ said Martin.
    Falcon paused. ‘I have a machine. A clockwork calculating device. I fed in all of the available data about the impending destruction of your world, and each time the machine returned precisely the same solution—that it must be the three of you who will stop XO5.’
    ‘But what if the machine made a mistake?’
    Falcon smiled. ‘Only people make mistakes, Martin.’
    ‘Enough,’ said his father. ‘We are leaving.’
    ‘But… he was just trying to help us,’ shouted Martin.
    ‘We must obey the Charter ,’ said Falcon’s father. ‘It’s all we have. The Charter is the only thing keeping our society from crumbling into dust and anarchy.’
    The chief Axis Lord ripped away Falcon’s cloak to reveal a pair of clockwork wings. He activated a switch and the wings began to beat.
    ‘Find the magician,’ said Falcon. ‘It is imperative that you find the magician. And remember that the Truthful Eye is the only eye that never lies.’
    The Axis Lords took hold of Falcon, and they began to rise into the sky together. They gradually became smaller until they were but shining stars in the sky, and then they were gone. The dark rain began to fall again.
    Martin turned to Darcy.
    ‘What do we do, Darcy?’
    Darcy pulled out the brass monocle and handed it to Martin.
    ‘What do we do, Martin?’

 
    Chapter 3: The Immaterial Voice
     
     
    Spit bubbled up in the corner of Martin’s dad’s mouth. The drop grew bigger and heavier, and trickled down his chin. Another bubble began to form.
    ‘Morning, dad,’ said Martin.
    ‘What?’
    His dad opened his bloodshot eyes. He was slumped over the battered sofa; a bottle of vodka lay partially concealed by the table beside him.