Star League 5 Read Free Page B

door that look like they’ve come from small claws. Then I remember that iguanas have small claws.
    â€˜Dr Fred, how big was your Super Transmitter?’ I ask.
    â€˜Oh, not very big,’ he says distractedly. ‘About the size of a battery.’
    â€˜Small enough for an iguana to carry in his mouth?’
    â€˜Are you saying that you think Fluffy took the Super Transmitter?’ asks Jay.
    I nod. ‘Think about it. Only Fluffy could have got in or out without breaking a lock.’
    Dr Fred scoffs. ‘Fluffy is no thief! He would never steal from me!’
    â€˜Then he wasn’t acting like himself,’ I say.
    â€˜Aunt Petunia said her collars help change an animal’s behaviour,’ Chu whispers in my ear. ‘What if that meant doing things they never normally would?’
    â€˜Like stealing,’ I mutter, and Chu nods.
    We all glance up at the sound of tyres squealing outside. ‘Sounds like trouble,’ says Jay. ‘We should check it out.’ We leave Dr Fred and run outside just in time to see a van driving away at top speed.
    â€˜Somebody help!’
    The others don’t seem to have heard the cry for help so it must be an animal. I race over to an alley beside Dr Fred’s house and find a small grey and white cat miaowing in distress.
    â€˜What’s wrong?’ I ask. ‘Did the people in that van hurt you?’
    The little cat stares up at me with wide yellow eyes. ‘Not me! They kidnapped my friend, Scrapper! We’ve got to follow them!’ The cat races down the street after the van. I quickly explain tothe others what has happened, and we all run off after the grey and white cat.
    The cat, who tells me her name is Lana, explains the situation on the way. She and Scrapper were minding their own business when the van pulled up and two men got out.
    â€˜I managed to get away, but they grabbed Scrapper,’ yells Lana as we chase the van. ‘He fought back but they threw a collar over his neck. After that he just gave up.’
    I’d bet a million dollars that the collar was a Le Nice Pets Collar and that the men in the van are working for Aunt Petunia.
    Soon the van pulls up to a set of gates, which open to let it in, and then slam shut behind it. We all skid to a stop except for Lana, who slips through the bars in the fence.
    â€˜Wait!’ I yell, but she has already disappeared.
    â€˜Great, what are we going to do now?’ asks Roger.
    â€˜I can climb the fence and knock out anyguards inside,’ says Asuka.
    â€˜Or I can just bust this gate right off its hinges,’ says Connor.
    â€˜No,’ I say. ‘We need to get in without raising any suspicions. Something funny is going on behind those gates, and if they think we’re onto them they might escape, or worse, hurt the animals they’ve kidnapped.’
    I stick my hands in my pockets, trying to think of a plan, and as I do my hand brushes against something flat and round. I pull it out and discover it’s a bright yellow collar – the Le Nice Pets Collar Aunt Petunia gave me back at the studio!
    â€˜I know how we can get in,’ I say with a grin.

It’s a risky plan, but if it works we’ll have full access to whatever is beyond these gates.
    â€˜Sam, can you do a scan on this collar and see if there are any electronic devices attached to it?’ I ask.
    He takes the collar and closes his eyes. There’s a faint whirring sound and then he opens them.
    â€˜Affirmative. There is an electronic device implanted within the pendant on this collar,’ he says. ‘It appears to be some kind of radio transmitter, though the frequency is too high for human ears.’
    â€˜I bet it’s not too high for animal ears, though,’ I say.
    â€˜Huh?’ ask Connor and Roger at the same time.
    â€˜I think I know what you’re saying,’ says Jay. ‘Aunt Petunia has implanted the collars with some kind of