The OK Team 2
Praise for
The OK Team
âHilarious, action-packed reading about kids who
think they're freaks but really they're superheroes.'
KIDSLIFE
âA great adventure that used original ideas in its plot.'
CAMERON
, 11
âI liked it because it's an idea no one has used
before . . . It is a book about superheroes but has been
twisted to make it funny. Say congratulations to the
author for writing such a good book. 9/10.'
MATEUS
, 11
âIt was really good! Very creative characters and
plots . . . an exciting story that held my attention.
5 stars! 10 out of 10!'
AINSLEY
, 10
âMind-boggling action [and] psychedelic
characters . . . I couldn't stop laughing.'
GEORGINA
, 14
âEven adults would secretly enjoy it.'
ALEX
, 14
First published in 2008
Copyright © Text, Nick Place 2008
Copyright © Heath McKenzie 2008
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The
Australian Copyright Act 1968
(the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or ten per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.
Allen & Unwin
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Crows Nest NSW 2065
Australia
Phone: Â Â Â Â Â Â (61 2) 8425 0100
Fax: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â (61 2) 9906 2218
Email: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â [email protected]
Web: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
www.allenandunwin.com
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:
Place, Nick, 1965â .
The ok team 2 .
For children.
ISBN 978 1 74175 187 1 (pbk.).
1. Heroes - Australia - Juvenile fiction.
A823.4
Cover and text design by Josh Durham, Design by Committee
Cover and text illustrations by Heath McKenzie
Cover and text hero photographs from
bigstockphoto.com
and
istockphoto.com
Chapter opening photographs by Nick Place
Set in 11.5/14.8pt Baskerville by Midland Typesetters, Australia
Printed in Australia by McPherson's Printing Group
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To all the cape-worthy people in my world.
You know who you are.
And to Stan Lee, Bob Kane, Robert Mayer, Frank Miller,
Michael Chabon and other Hero-creating inspirations.
CONTENTS
MIDNIGHT IN A NURSERY, OUTER MELBOURNE
4 COOL HERO HANGOUTS IN MELBOURNE
7 THE BATTLE OF FITZROY GARDENS
RL-STARS!14 A QUIET NIGHT IN FRONT OF THE TV
17 THAT'S RIGHT! 3,973,642 CAMERAS CAN'T BE WRONG
18 GOODBYE SOUTHERN CROSS. GOODBYE CAPE
MIDNIGHT IN A NURSERY,
OUTER MELBOURNE ...
T
he man in black is spooked by the plants, standing silent in the deep darkness. He creeps through the nursery, listening for unusual sounds.
âWhere are you?' he whispers, and even his quiet tone carries like a trumpet through the empty nursery.
An enormous figure steps in front of him. The man in black recoils.
The figure's head is square.
âMmmphh mmmmhh ffhmmmm?' it says.
âWha-what?' the man in black stammers.
The huge figure lifts its arms and grabs both sides of its neck. Somehow, the square head appears to rise.
âDid you bring it?' the giant's voice says.
âYeah. Of course.'
âHand it over. Now.'
The man in black shakily pulls a small bottle from his pocket. There is a creamy liquid inside. He shoves it into the giant figure's outstretched glove.
âWith this, I can rule the world!' the giant says. âFor your sake, it had better work.'
The giant turns and starts to walk away.
âHey, what about my money?' says the man in black.
âMmmffffhhh mmmmnnn mmmhhhn.'
âPardon?'
A voice right next to his ear says, âMy boss says you'll be paid if it works.'
The man in black gasps and swings around, but there is nobody there.
And the giant is gone.
CHAPTER 1
DEEP IN THE LAST
QUARTER
T
here could only be minutes left. Maybe only seconds.
The scoreboard shows a tight five-point margin. Ivanhoe High is leading. Northcote High is running out of time. Worse, the team runner, a Year Seven kid called Troy, is coming my way with a message from our coach, Mr Eggsmear. Or maybe even to tell me I'm being dragged to the interchange bench for a rest. That would be truly humiliating with moments to go.
âHazy,' Troy pants. âThe coach says to lift.'
âLift? What does that mean?'
âI dunno. He just said, “Tell Retina to lift,” so . . . LIFT!'
âLift what? My opponent?'
We sneak a glance at the kid playing on me, possibly the largest half-back flanker in the history of the world.
âI don't think so,' says Troy. âI think he meant generally, as in “Do Something”.'
âOh, right.'
âHe said to remind you that you're the vice-captain.'
âOkay, I get it. Thanks, Troy.'
âAnd that the other players look to the leadership group for a strong example when less than a goal behind deep in the last quarter.'
I give him what I hope is an icy glare. His pimply face doesn't seem to register it. For a moment I feel my visibility waver, with anger, but he doesn't notice that either.
âFine. Thanks, Troy. Message received and understood.' â. . . especially when you've only had about two kicks for the whole game and otherwise have stood around getting cold while others do all the work.'