The Alien Brainwash by H. Badger

CHAPTER 1
    Kip Kirby couldn’t believe it. His parents were kissing . In public! How embarrassing.
    Gross! I wish I’d skipped this family outing, Kip thought to himself.
    The Kirbys were visiting the Inner Eight Zoo. The zoo had native animals from all of the Milky Way’s eight planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
    Except for when his parents were being disgusting, Kip loved the zoo. He was really into unusual animals. At home, Kip had a pet minisaur called Duke, a mini brontosaurus bred from fossil DNA. Dogs and cats hadn’t been popular since 2200.
    Kip didn’t get much time to muck around with Duke. Firstly, he had school. Then there was Kip’s job as a Space Scout.
    Space Scouts explored deep space for another planet like Earth. The first Earth was running out of room, and so another one was needed quickly. The Milky Way’s other planets were too hot, too cold or too gassy for humans.

    Inner Eight Zoo
    Kip followed his parents through the Inner Eight Zoo. The zoo was massive – it took up 400 floors of a building called the Titanium Tower. Instead of cages, the animals were inside huge, climate-controlled bubbles. Each had an atmosphere exactly like the animals’ home planet.
    â€˜Oh, how gorgeous!’ Kip’s mum squealed. ‘A little milk-weasel!’
    Gorgeous? Try gross! Kip thought.
    He wanted to go and check out the awesome fire panthers from Mercury. Six-legged fire panthers were hairless, with skin the colour of burnt sausages.
    â€˜The ring runners are on the 304th floor,’ Kip’s dad said, checking his holo-graphic zoo guide. ‘Let’s have a look.’
    Ring runners lived on Saturn’s icy rings. They had tiny round bodies and long legs with four pairs of knees. Their top speed was over 250 kilometres per hour.
    A ring runner’s legs would be useful on Space Scout missions, Kip thought.
    â€˜How about we go and see the Insects On Uranus display first?’ said Kip’s mum.
    â€˜Sure,’ Kip’s dad replied cheerfully. ‘There’s a section about Killer Bug Flu, isn’t there?’
    Kip groaned silently. The insects from Uranus were great, but why did his parents have to make everything like school?
    Kip’s Teacherbot had been teaching his class about the Killer Bug Flu. Heaps of insect species in the outer galaxies had been wiped out, especially the bigger insects. Plants were at risk too. They needed insects to feed them and spread their seeds around.

    Kip and his parents made their way through the crowded zoo. But just as they neared the insect display, Kip felt something on his wrist.
    His SpaceCuff was buzzing!
    The SpaceCuff was a thick silver band. It was an essential piece of scouting equipment. During missions, Kip used his SpaceCuff to communicate with his starship, MoNa 4000. When Kip got a message on Earth, it usually meant he had a new mission!
    He grinned and checked his SpaceCuff.
    CLASSIFIED
    SPACE SCOUT
KIP KIRBY
MISSION BRIEF

    URGENT: RESCUE MISSION RECEIVED
    Four days ago, Space Scout Zara Zadora went through a wormhole to a planet called Botanicus-1. All contact was suddenly lost when Zara entered Botanicus-1’s orbit, and she hasn’t been heard from since.
    WorldCorp believes Zara’s starship might have broken down. Even worse, foul play could be involved.
    Your mission:
    Go immediately to Botanicus-1 and find Zara.
    A WorldCorp HandlerBot is waiting for you on the roof of the Zoo.
    According to gossip, Zara was one of the top Space Scouts. It was an honour to be sent to rescue her. After all, Kip was only 12 years old – the youngest ever scout. He’d been chosen after scoring super high on tests of bravery, intelligence and physical strength.
    Kip felt proud, but he was also a little disappointed. This time my mission isn’t exploring a planet , he thought. My ranking on the Planetary Points Leader Board will slip. And