Crossover by Jack Heath Page A

would be afraid to let go of the cylinders.
    The timer read 24
seconds.
    'I have a rule,' Six
said. He had to shout over the roaring of the magnet. 'I don't kill
people.'
    Byre's eyes narrowed.
'Conveniently, killing me wouldn't stop the explosion.'
    'But if you die because
of your machine, and I didn't warn you, then that counts.'
    Byre said nothing.
    'So this is me,' Six
said, 'warning you. You're not going back in time. Kyntak says it's
impossible. We're both about to be blown to pieces.'
    'The machine will
work.' There was no doubt in Byre's voice.
    11 seconds.
    Something snarled. Six
whirled around. The Taur had appeared in the doorway.
    'Kill him,' Byre
said.
    The Taur's molten eyes
fixed on Six's. It squeezed through the door and reached out for
him–
    Six ducked under its
grabbing arms and twisted one of the dials on the console. The
readout changed from 81 years to 22 years to ten months to two
months.
    'What did you just do?'
Byre shrieked.
    Six couldn't reply. The
Taur had grabbed him by the throat and was lifting him up. He heard
the cartelage in his Adam's apple creak. Everything was getting
dark.
    The Taur had turned
away from Byre. Away from the machine. With his last shred of
strength, Six hugged the monster, using it a a giant inhuman
shield, burying his face in its tough flesh–
    And
then – KABOOM –
the air was painted white.
     
    * * *
     
    Soren Byre landed in a
heap. She was somewhere dark and loud. The floor was metallic. It
shook under her fingers.
    She stood, swaying
unsteadily. She had felt the first fraction of a second of the
explosion, but then it had disappeared – or rather, she had. The
explosion hadn't happened yet. She was in the past.
    Things fell from the
ceiling around her. Objects skittered across the floor. She had
transported herself into the midst of an earthquake. Somewhere,
somewhen.
    She turned, looking for
a way out, and saw a figure running toward her. Fleeing, perhaps.
Did that mean the way out was behind her?
    The boy's face came
into view. It was Agent Six of Hearts. His clothes were different,
and the holes in his head were gone, but it was definitely him.
Somehow, he had travelled through time with her.
    'It works,' she hissed,
delighted to have proven him wrong. 'It works!'
    And then something
plunged into the back of her head, and she knew nothing more.

 
     
     
     
     
    Acknowledgements
     
     
     
    I'd
like to thank fellow writer Sam McGregor, whose enthusiasm
for Crossover was
a huge driving force without which it might still be
unfinished.
    I'd also like to
thank Dean C Moore, MJ Levitt, Charlene Mei Abad, Holden Marceaux,
Jezieboo, Rheann33, Zuzuthezombie and all the other Wattpad users
who provided encouragement and feedback.
    I asked Jeremy
Gallant a bunch of dumb physics questions, and he was kind enough
to give me some smart answers. Mistakes and implausibilities are
mine alone.
    As always,
thanks are due to Venetia Major, Barbara Davidson, Ian Heath and
Tom Heath. Your support keeps me going.

 
     
     
     
     
    About The Author
     
     
     
    Jack Heath is
the award-winning author of six novels for young adults. He lives
in Canberra with his wife, their dog and several
chickens.
    His
Agent Six books include The
Lab , Remote
Control and Third
Transmission . For more adventures starring
Ashley Arthur, check out Money Run and Hit
List .
    These books are
available from Pan Macmillan in Australasia, Scholastic in North
America and Usborne in the United Kingdom.
     
    Keep
reading for a sneak peak of Hit
List !
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
    Hit
List
     
     
     
    Practice. It
would take practice, but it could be done.
    He moved around
the empty room in circles, aerosol can in his hand, dodging
invisible bystanders. Occasionally he paused, and stepped back with
his head bowed, as if to allow someone to walk past.
    The motions were
easy. The more difficult part was maintaining an expression of
faint surprise and curiosity – eyebrows up, head slightly tilted,
lips