American security agents, suspecting Dr Zhang is hacking into U.S. computers, try to abduct him. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service is also interested.
And Murga is back in town with a proposition. I agree to tests of my super normal flyi...
'As soon as I have read page 21,' Dr Zhang replied. 'I have to find out where the clutch is. Ah-um, it doesn't have a clutch. Here it is. To stop the motion, simply apply the brake and select drive, neutral or reverse.'
'Where're the barf bags?' Licia asked.
'The compartment in front of you,' Dr Zhang said as he moved the shift to NEUTRAL. We stopped rotating in front of a mountain of dirt-encrusted ice leftover from snow clearing.
'The front wheels will automatically elevate when the sensors detect a steep obstacle,' Dr Zhang read. 'This permits the Terramax to surmount obstacles such as anti tank barriers.'
He waved a finger in a circle above his head. ' Yo! Let's roll.'
The front wheels extended as they rose above the level of the cab and we lurched up the steep incline, rocked over the mound of ice and slid back down into the street. 'Yahoo!' Dr Zhang exulted. 'Now, ah-um, let's see what it will do on the highway.'
He twisted the control column and gunned the engine. We dodged between the melting, but still substantial, piles of snow that filled half of Sumac Street. There was not much traffic at first but then we turned onto a road where City crews were clearing snow, and got stuck behind a slow moving truck loaded with snow. Dr Zhang became increasingly impatient as we followed the truck along the Rideau river road. He finally pulled out to overtake but, unfortunately, he had selected a low gear range intended for towing not speed. The big electric engine was screaming at full speed as we very slowly overtook the truck.
I watched with growing dread as we approach a concrete barrier intended to keep traffic from falling into the river. As we pulled slowing alongside the truck's cab, Licia looked out of the window. The driver's face was only centimetres from hers. It was dead white and the bulging eyes signalled impending doom.
The truck driver turned his terrified face to the front and threw up his arms. I turned to look where he was pointing. An even bigger truck was coming straight toward us. I yanked my seat belt tighter and pulled my knees up to my chin, hoping we had air bags.
Dr Zhang swung hard left toward the barrier and, just before I closed my eyes, I saw the front wheel lifting off the road.
We pitched over the barrier and, when I opened my eyes again, we were heading down the river bank at high speed, sideway. Dr Zhang was wrestling frantically with the controls as we skidded toward the river ice which was probably too thin to support the weight of the Terramax.
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Gradually, the big knobby wheels got a grip in the soft, melting snow and we climbed back up the bank and back over the barrier. A tiny car swerved around us as we crossed back into our lane and I started breathing again.
I looked in the wing mirror. Behind us both trucks were stopped and the drivers were leaning out of their cabs waving their fists at us.
'Well, I must say,' Dr Zhang said indignantly, 'some drivers should learn the rules of the road!'
'What rules?' I whispered.
'Ah-um, well that was interesting. These fly-by-wire controls provide impressive handling, eh?'
Licia lifted her face out of her barf bag. 'I was thinking of another adjective.'
'Now, where are we?' Dr Zhang asked. 'Ah-um, rhetorical question. We are not lost! We've got satellite navigation.'
A small screen on the console lit up with a map. 'I programmed it to take us back to Silverwood School,' he said.
We watched, fascinated, as a tiny dot of light, representing us, traced a path through the streets while a staccato voice kept up a running commentary, 'Turn, left, at second, traffic light . . . Next left onto Hoomalu Street . . . Stop for flashing red light.'
'Dr Zhang,' Miguel pointed out, 'the satellite navigation is not showing Ottawa. It says we are in O'ahu . . . Hawaii. '
'Whoops . . . Ah-um. I'll just reprogram it . . . There it is . . . Bank street.'
The ride back to Silverwood School was uneventful except we had to put up with a sermon from Dr Zhang about drivers who didn't know how to drive.
He dropped us off at Silverwood School and immediately took off for the meeting with the accountants.
'I think he got the name wrong,' Licia grumbled. 'It should be called a Terror-Max!'
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