The Mystery of the Emerald Stone: Australia (A Secret SPY Agent adventure Book 2) Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One - S.P.Y. Headquarters

  Chapter Two - Melbourne Cup

  Chapter Three - The Emerald Stone

  Chapter Four - Runaways

  Chapter Five - Great Barrier Reef

  Chapter Six - Underwater Fight

  Chapter Seven - Hospital

  Chapter Eight - Sydney Opera House

  Chapter Nine - Circular Quay

  Chapter Ten - Sydney Harbour Bridge

  Chapter Eleven - Rushcutters Bay

  Chapter Twelve - Sydney Airport

  The Mystery of the Lost Treasure

  Your choice!

  About the authors

  The Mystery of the Emerald Stone

  by Gabrielle & Isabelle Michael

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  ISLANDREAMZ Publishing

  A division of Islandreamz Innovation Inc.

  Copyright © 2014 by Gabrielle & Isabelle Michael

  All rights reserved.

  Book cover photo credits: filitova / Shutterstock.com and Andy Tam / Shutterstock.com

  A Secret S.P.Y. Agent Adventure series:

  # 1 The Mystery of the Missing Device

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HRFHK2C/

  # 2 The Mystery of the Emerald Stone

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JFBCK1W

  #3 The Mystery of the Lost Treasure

  To my awesome sister - couldn’t have done this without you

  &

  To our super duper editor for her support and opinions.

  Chapter One

  S.P.Y. Headquarters

  “Father will speak with you now,” said Mona.

  Isabelle Jones and her sister, Kathryn were at S.P.Y. Headquarters, waiting for instructions on their next assignment from the new head of S.P.Y., (“Sisters Protecting You”), a top secret agency dedicated to protecting the world from super villains. Code-named “Father”, he had taken over the agency recently. No one had ever seen Father before. He gave instructions to all agents over the phone. It was rumoured that Father was an extremely dangerous top secret agent who had come out of retirement just to lead S.P.Y.

  Mona was Father’s assistant, a sixty-three-year old mother of two former S.P.Y. agents and now a grandmother of four teenage boys. She was probably the only one who knew Father’s real identity.

  The sisters went into the meeting room and sat next to the phone.

  “Good morning, girls,” came a deep voice over the phone’s speaker.

  “Good morning, Father,” the girls greeted their new leader.

  “Are you ready for your next mission?” he asked.

  “Of course!” they replied enthusiastically.

  The sisters had been contacted earlier by Jack and Don, villains they put in jail a few months ago, who wanted to help them capture “Ivan The Claw” — a super evil villain who was causing trouble in the world — in exchange for protection from him.

  The Claw had kidnapped Oprah, a famous TV star and was asking for a ransom of US$100 million. He was also looking for the two villains because they had stolen something very important from him a long time ago. They took it, broke it and threw it into the sea never to be found again. No one except for The Claw, Jack and Don ever knew what it was. Now, Ivan wanted revenge on them.

  “We want you to capture The Claw,” Father instructed them. “Jack and Don are the only ones who know what he looks like. No one else has ever seen him before. Take them with you and leave on the next flight to Australia.”

  “Australia?” Kathryn squealed. “That is so awesome! I have never been to Australia before.”

  Isabelle gave her younger sister a warning glance, signalling her to calm down. Although they looked almost identical with their emerald green eyes and thick, black silky hair, they were as different in their character and temperament as night and day. Isabelle was often serious and very focused on her work, whereas Kathryn was more cheerful, loved to crack jokes and got excited very easily. They had joined S.P.Y. after graduating from university at the top of their class. Their family still had no idea that they were secret agents!

  “We are sorry for the interruption, Father,” apologized Isabelle. “Please go on.”

  “We heard that The Claw is planning to kidnap an Australian scientist, Dr. Peter,” explained Father. “Normally, he would not be able to reach Dr. Peter, who hides in his secret floating home on water which is protected by a special transparent bubble cover. However, Dr. Peter will be attending the Melbourne Cup in a few days time. We suspect that this is when The Claw will strike. We don’t know why he wants Dr. Peter but it is important you protect the target and catch Ivan. He is planning to attack S.P.Y. and steal the secret F-143 device once he gets the money from Oprah’s ransom. It is all part of his evil master plan to destroy the world!”

  “We will get him, Father,” promised Isabelle.

  “Mona will pass the case files to you. It has all the information you need inside,” said Father before he ended the call. “Good luck, girls!”

  “Thank you, Father!" chorused the girls.

  Chapter Two

  Melbourne Cup

  “We are in Australia!” Kathryn squealed as she grabbed Isabelle’s arm excitedly, “and attending the Melbourne Cup! I have only seen this on television — I never thought I would actually get to attend this event!”

  “Can you please calm down?” Isabelle scolded her sister as she shook her head. “You need to chill. Remember — we are here on a mission and not a vacation. Plus, we have to babysit those two bad guys in front of us. I don’t trust them at all. They would probably try to double-cross us and make a run for it the first chance they get. We have to keep a close eye on them!”

  Kathryn stared at Jack and Don, who were walking ahead of them. All four of them had landed in Melbourne yesterday. They were now secretly following Dr. Peter around the Melbourne Cup Carnival with the two villains keeping an eye out for The Claw. Dr. Peter had no idea that the Jones sisters were watching over him.

  “You worry too much,” Kathryn replied happily as she pulled out her phone and waved it at her sister. “We put the tracking devices on them and they can’t get them off. Even if we lost those two bad guys in this crowd, we would still be able to find them. The best part is, these two villains don’t even know that they are being tracked.”

  Isabelle rolled her eyes. Kathryn loved her new S.P.Y. gadgets.

  “Come on, Issy! It’s the Melbourne Cup, one of the most famous horse races in the whole wide world!” Kathryn said. “You have to admit, it is pretty exciting!”

  Isabelle couldn’t help but smile. Her younger sister’s enthusiasm had always been infectious.

  “Did you know that ‘Fashions On The Field' is a major focus of today? They give out prizes to the best-dressed man and woman. We are perfectly qualified to win!” exclaimed Kathryn. She released Isabelle’s arm and twirled around on her pretty pink high-heeled shoes, her skirt flaring out as she laughed and held on to her hat to keep it from falling off. They had both gotten dressed up — it was part of their disguise to blend in with the c
rowd. Kathryn wore a light pink dress and a beautiful matching pink hat with yellow flowers. Isabelle had on a black dress with a stylish black and white hat. Everyone admired their awesome outfits!

  “We are supposed to be working, not winning fashion competitions,” Isabelle scolded Kathryn.

  “You are telling me you don’t like wearing those gorgeous black high-heel stiletto shoes, a super-cool dress and that stylish hat?” Kathryn teased Isabelle. “You look amazing!”

  Isabelle did like dressing up but she wasn’t about to admit that to Kathryn. Her sister would never let her forget it!

  Suddenly, they heard a loud cry. It was Dr. Peter.

  “He’s here!” Jack shouted as he looked back at the Jones sisters. Don was pointing at The Claw, a tall man with his long black hair tied back in a ponytail who was grappling with Dr. Peter.

  The Claw looked up when Jack shouted and gave an evil grin. His search for Jack and Don was over.

  “What a pleasant surprise,” he said.

  The girls ran towards the two men — only awesome S.P.Y. agents are trained to run in high heels! — and reached them just as The Claw knocked Dr. Peter out. Both girls attacked him with well-coordinated moves but he managed to block all their kicks and punches. He was very powerful and good at fighting.

  Isabelle finally saw an opening in his defences and went for it. She launched a roundhouse kick to his head that was designed to knock him out but he suddenly disappeared into thin air!

  She caught herself and fell to the ground, landing gracefully. She looked around but saw no sign of him. Kathryn shook her head at Isabelle — she couldn’t find him too.

  The Claw was gone!

  Chapter Three

  The Emerald Stone

  “I don’t understand it,” grumbled Kathryn. “He was just in front of us! How could he disappear like that?”

  Isabelle was busy trying to revive Dr. Peter but it also made no sense to her, even after she reviewed every blow and every block.

  A slight cough distracted her. It was Dr. Peter.

  “Are you all right?” asked Kathryn in a concerned voice, as she helped him sit up. “That was a pretty hard blow to your head.”

  “My head is spinning but I will survive,” replied Dr. Peter. “What happened?”

  “You were attacked by a villain known as Ivan The Claw. He was trying to kidnap you,” Isabelle told him.

  “You rescued me.” It was more of a statement than a question.

  Kathryn nodded.

  “Thank you, both of you,” said Dr. Peter gratefully. “I don’t even know your names.”

  “I am Isabelle Jones,” replied the older girl. “That is my sister, Kathryn. We have been assigned to protect you.”

  “It is a good thing you got here in time!” exclaimed Dr. Peter.

  “Do you have any idea why The Claw was after you?” Isabelle questioned him.

  “He must have been after my research on the Emerald Stone.”

  “What’s that?” Kathryn asked.

  Dr. Peter ran his hand through his wavy, brown hair. “The Emerald Stone? It is the key to unlocking an ancient legend. According to the legend, every 10,000 years, someone would be born with the power to vanish into thin air.”

  “That is what The Claw did!” Kathryn interrupted him.

  Dr. Peter frowned. “What terrible news! If he is the one, then it is a villain who has this power.” He hesitated, as if searching for the right words to continue.

  “Please go on,” Isabelle urged him.

  “He can reappear wherever he wants as long as he knows where he is going but he cannot make other people disappear with him. Legends say there is nothing in this world that can stop him from disappearing,” paused Dr. Peter dramatically, “except for the Emerald Stone.”

  “Then, that is what we need!” declared Kathryn. “Where can we find it?”

  “Unfortunately for us, the Emerald Stone has been missing for several years ever since it was stolen from a museum,” said Dr. Peter. “My research has uncovered several clues but I am not sure how helpful it will be.”

  “Well, the Claw wants the information so badly, he is willing to kidnap you. So it must be helpful!” claimed Kathryn. “What do you know so far?”

  “The Emerald Stone was stolen from the museum by a group of thieves, but on their way out, they were attacked by another group of villains. The whole scene was captured on the museum’s security cameras. That is when the trail went cold. I have been trying to track it down ever since then but it hasn’t turned up anywhere else, which means either the second group still has it or they have secretly sold it.”

  “We must find it or else we won’t be able to catch The Claw!” Isabelle exclaimed. “No wonder he has avoided capture all these years. Nobody ever mentioned his disappearing act.”

  “They probably thought that people would not believe them,” concluded Dr. Peter. “They were afraid of being laughed at.”

  “Can you help us find the Emerald Stone?” Isabelle asked Dr. Peter. After a few moments, he agreed.

  “Where is Jack and Don?” Kathryn exclaimed.

  The villains had run away!

  Chapter Four

  Runaways

  “I am going after them!” Kathryn told Isabelle. “You guard Dr. Peter!”

  She used the tracker on her phone to search for the two villains. It was a good thing she planted the tracking devices on them. They wouldn’t be able to escape.

  She followed the two beeping dots on the map until she found them hiding in one of the stables.

  “Do you both realize how ridiculous you look?” she said conversationally from outside the stable door. “You are supposed to be evil villains and yet here you are, hiding in a stable together with the horses. What do you think you are doing?”

  There was no response.

  “I know that you are both in there,” Kathryn continued. “You cannot hide from me.”

  “We are not hiding from you,” hissed Don.

  “I know,” mocked Kathryn. “You are hiding from the big, bad Claw.”

  “Don’t make fun of us,” warned Jack. “You don’t know how dangerous or evil he is. He makes us look like angels from heaven.”

  Kathryn laughed, “That is pretty hard to believe.”

  “Laugh all you want, agent Jones,” said Jack, “but he saw us! He knows we identified him for you. He knows we are not in prison and he is going to come after us. We are in danger. We are all in danger and if you were half as smart as you think you are, you would be hiding in here with us.”

  “No, I am much smarter than that,” said Kathryn sarcastically. “That is why I am not hiding in there and messing up my nice new shoes. Do you really think that hiding in the stables will protect you from him?”

  There was silence.

  While Kathryn waited for an answer, she thought about Dr. Peter’s story. Something about it disturbed her. A suspicion slowly crept into her mind.

  “What did you steal from The Claw?” Kathryn asked abruptly.

  “That is none of your business!” shouted Jack.

  His over-reaction only confirmed Kathryn’s suspicion but she needed to hear it from the villains.

  “Tell me,” she threatened, “or I will leave you here for The Claw to find you. Then, he can do whatever he wants with you.”

  “Curse you!” Jack shouted.

  “Give me an answer,” Kathryn warned, “or I am going to walk away from here right now.”

  “All right, all right!” Don agreed. “We will tell you.”

  “No!” Jack protested.

  Kathryn could hear the two bad guys arguing in whispers on the other side of the door.

  “I am waiting,” said Kathryn as she tapped her high-heel shoe impatiently.

  After a few moments, Jack admitted reluctantly, “It was the Emerald Stone.”

  She wanted to shout for joy. Her job had just gotten easier. Now, if only they could recover the Emerald Stone, they would be able
to catch The Claw.

  “Where did you hide it?” Kathryn demanded.

  “The Great Barrier Reef,” said Don. “We broke it in half and threw it in the Great Barrier Reef.”

  Her joy turned to frustration. Kathryn wanted to scream. How were they going to find the Emerald Stone there? The Great Barrier Reef, which is off the Coast of Australia, was the world's largest coral reef system, with over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands. It stretched for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres. It could even be seen from outer space!

  She needed to get back to Isabelle and figure out a solution.

  “Come on, guys,” ordered Kathryn. “Let’s get the both of you back into protective custody.”

  The two villains reluctantly came out of the stable and slowly walked towards Isabelle, who was waiting with Dr. Peter.

  Kathryn was about to follow them when she noticed something peeking out from behind the opposite stable door. It was a baby kangaroo!

  He was the smallest, cutest and most adorable baby kangaroo she had ever seen. Kathryn looked around but there was no one else in sight. He looked lost. Maybe he had runaway from the zoo.

  “I had better take him into protective custody too,” Kathryn said worriedly to herself. She grabbed a nearby blanket hanging from a hook and wrapped him up. The little joey was quite curious and kept poking his head out to see what was happening around him.

  Holding him carefully, she made her way back to her sister.

  “What do you have in the blanket?” Isabelle asked suspiciously.

  Kathryn didn’t want to answer her sister but Isabelle was giving her a very stern look.

  “Well,” demanded Isabelle.