ZAK RAVEN
CODE BETA
Darren G. Davis
Zak Raven: Code Beta © 2020 Darren G. Davis & Markosia Enterprises, Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this work by any means without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden. All names, characters and events in this publication are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Published by Markosia Enterprises, PO BOX 3477, Barnet, Hertfordshire, EN5 9HN.
FIRST PRINTING, May 2020.
Harry Markos, Director.
Paperback: ISBN 978-1-913359-54-6
eBook: ISBN 978-1-913359-55-3
Written and created by Darren G. Davis
Cover illustration by Alex Julian
Book design by: Ian Sharman
www.markosia.com
First Edition
ALSO PUBLISHED BY
MARKOSIA
DORIAN GRAY
DORIAN GRAY: BENEATH THE CANVAS
DORIAN GRAY: BIRTHRIGHT
THE DUCK POND INCIDENT
INSANE JANE
JUSTICE IS SERVED
THE ROOM NEXT DOOR
SINBAD: ROGUE OF MARS
STORIES FROM THE CHICKEN SHED HOUSE
SWANSONG
THERMOPYLUNG
THE THRONE ETERNAL
WORDS ON A WALL
WRATH OF THE TITANS:
THE BATTLE FOR ARGOS
ZAK RAVEN: CODE ALPHA
PROLOGUE
Dr. Raine sits at his kitchen table slurping down a smoothie in one hand while twirling a pen in the other hand. In front of him is a note pad with a stick figure with the name ‘Zak Raven’ under it. Around this ‘Zak Raven’ stick figure is a whole series of bubbles. One bubble is labelled ‘gadgets’ another is labelled ‘mentor’ and yet another is labelled ‘friends’. Lines stretch out from the various bubbles and link back into the stick figure labelled ‘Zak Raven’.
To date ‘Zak’ has foiled all of his attempts to take over the city. On top of that Zak has eluded all of his attempts to get rid of him! Can you believe the nerve of that boy, if not the sheer luck of it all! But today is different!
Today Dr. Raine has figured out exactly how to ‘get rid’ of Zak. It was so simple he actually should’ve seen it early on! He has deduced that Zak technically isn’t ‘lucky’ nor is he ‘skilled’! He does however, have every single ‘resource’ in this town needed to defeat him time and time again. In other words, Zak’s advantage lied in a combination of his ‘friends’ and his ‘gadgets’. If he were to be isolated away from either one of these precious resources then getting rid of him would be a cinch!
The question that remains now is ‘how’? How would he go about separating him from his ‘resources!’ Dr. Raine scratches out the stick figure of Zak and laughs manically at his own master plan as he shreds the paper with the Zak Raven stick figure on it!
Suddenly the front door to his house opens and the voice of his daughter breaks his train of thought.
“Dad?”
Dr. Raine quickly regains his composure and answers his daughter in a fatherly voice.
“I’m in the kitchen! Why don’t you come join me for a smoothie?”
Torrance Raine walks into the kitchen with her backpack slung over her shoulder. She looks absolutely exhausted.
“What’s wrong dear? I haven’t seen you this exhausted since your midterms!”
“Well dad, it’s just that I’ve just joined the winter retreat committee.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“Well, it gets better. Loren Gilbert put me in charge of finding a place for this year’s winter retreat!”
“Oh? Really?” Dr. Raine sips his smoothie and smiles inwardly; this was what he was looking for! He couldn’t have done it better if he had planned it himself!
“Yeah, and she wants it to be not only ‘memorable’ but in a place where no other winter retreat has ever been before!”
“Hmmm.” Dr. Raine sips his smoothie as his mind reels in anticipation as he hopes against hope that his daughter will ask him for help!
“I think it’s pretty much due to fact that Loren is graduating this year and wants ‘her’ winter retreat to be the most spectacular winter retreat ever! Can you believe it!
The nerve of her, but that still doesn’t change the fact that I have to find a place. ”
“So, have you picked out any place in particular?” “Are you kidding? With the budget Principal
Montal gave us we’ll be lucky if it’ll be held at the ball park!”
“That bad eh?”
“Yeah..” And the colour washes out of Torrance’s face as she pulls up a chair next to her dad.
Dr. Raine decides to seize the opportunity and capitalize on this moment.
“Well, I’m not going to let some snot-nosed senior ruin my daughter’s day!”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Well, since your father has been busy making millions of dollars for the company; you might say the president of the company and I are on very good terms.”
“How is that going to help me?”
“Well, for starters he also holds a sixty-four percent stake in the Wyden ski resort located conveniently an hours drive from town. And since I’ve made his company quite a considerable fortune I’m sure he would be more than willing to help me out.”
“Daddy you’re the best! This is going to work out perfectly!”
And Torrance hugs her father, who inwardly thinks: “How right you are…This is going to work out perfectly..”
CHAPTER ONE
The bell has just rung and Tyler and myself make our way out of Dr. Brady’s class. Funny thing was that Dr. Brady wasn’t here today. In fact, he hasn’t been here all week long!
“Zak? You okay man? You look pretty down, and by that I mean a lot more than your usual ‘down’.”
“Well, it’s weird don’t you think?”
“About what?”
“Dr. Brady hasn’t been here all week! It’s really not like him to miss school!”
“And you’re complaining? Think about it. This is a blessing in disguise! For the first time as far as I can remember, you’re actually caught up in all of your classes!”
“You do have a point there. I mean, I even had time to go and chat with Torrance in the bleachers while Colton was at football practice.”
“See! And you’re concerned about Dr. Brady!”
“Yeah, but you know, all good things must come to an end.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you know what day today is?” Tyler ponders this for a moment.
“Friday?”
“Yep, and you know what that means?”
“Oh, It’s the once