Star League 5 Read Online Free Page B

taste out of his mouth. ‘That was beyond disgusting!’
    By this point the guard has recovered and is looking around for his dropped club. I spot it next to my foot and pick it up.
    â€˜Are you looking for this?’ I ask. The guard looks up and glares, then his eyes widen as he spots something behind me.
    â€˜Fetch?’ asks an excited voice. I turn to see one of the dogs we released before, an enormous Great Dane. He cocks his head at the club, wanting to play.
    â€˜Sure, doggy, I’ll play with you. Fetch!’ I throw the club right at the guard’s head, and he has no choice but to catch it. The moment he does, the Great Dane barrels into the guard, knocking him to the ground.
    â€˜This isn’t over yet, not by a long shot!’ shouts another one of the guards. She whips out a remote control and points it at the cages, which swing open. The animals inside pour out into the shed, confused looks on their faces. Then the guard presses another button on the remote control and their collars start to beep.
    â€˜Attack the intruders!’ shrieks the guard.
    The animals snarl and hiss, glaring at us with rage in their eyes. The rest of the Star League get ready to defend themselves with their powers, but I put out a hand to stop them.
    â€˜No, don’t hurt them! They don’t know what they’re doing!’
    â€˜What are we supposed to do, let ourselvesbecome chew toys?’ asks Roger.
    I look around desperately for some way out of this situation, but it seems pretty hopeless. Chu senses my despair and grips my shoulder.
    â€˜Don’t give up, Leigh. I know you can think of something,’ he chirps softly.
    Chu’s words fill me with hope and I nod. I look at the pack of animals and my eyes fall on one huge, mean-looking bull terrier at the front of the pack. I realise he’s the pack leader and the rest of the animals will follow him wherever he goes.
    â€˜Please,’ I say, ‘you don’t have to do this, you’re being controlled!’ But the bull terrier just snarls at me.
    â€˜It’s not working!’ says Chu. ‘Got any other ideas?’
    I look at the pack of animals as they round up the other Star League members. If only I could get them to focus on me and leave the others alone, my plan might work. Then I get another idea.
    â€˜Hey, ugly!’ I shout at the bull terrier. He turns. ‘Yeah, that’s right, I’m talking to you! You’re the ugliest dog I’ve ever seen!’
    He snarls at me and starts to advance, ignoring the others. I back towards the open door.
    â€˜I hope this works,’ says Chu. ‘Or we’re dog food!’

I glance behind me at the shed’s enormous double doors. ‘Hey, Connor, can you rip one of those things off its hinges?’
    â€˜You bet!’ He runs over and grips one of the doors with his clawed hands. The muscles in his arms bulge until they look like they’re about to burst through his skin. Then he rips the door clean off the door frame.
    â€˜Great!’ I yell. ‘Now lay it flat on the floor.’
    Connor positions the big sheet of metal and I back towards it, followed by the snarling pack of dogs, cats, and everything in between. My foot clangs against the metal sheet as I step onto it, but the animals don’t stop, and soon they’re all positioned on the enormous door.
    â€˜Sam! I need your help!’ He runs over and I tell him my plan. ‘I need you to create an electric force field around the metal sheet but not enough to hurt the animals!’
    Sam looks confused at first, then he realises what I plan to do. He bends down and touches the edge of the metal, and I feel a low hum of electricity ripple through the door.
    Unfortunately the animals feel it too, and they start to panic. The bull terrier leaps forward to attack me and knocks me to the ground. I raise my hands up to push him away, but he’s much too strong for me.