Oscar N

As Sam walked home from another horrific day at work, he began to ponder his life. Maybe it’s time for a change, he thought. He kicked the twig which laid on the path in frustration and snarled, “my boss is such a jerk.” He turned to his father, George. “Why does he always have to push me around?”

They kept walking along the frosted fields in the park. “Sometimes,” George said, shuffling slowly, “your destiny is right in front of you without even knowing it.” Suddenly, Sam went flying. His foot was jammed on a rock and he crushed to the ground. His heart was beating rapidly. He stood and his legs were like wobbling noodles. He could see a deep dark hole which looked like a sewer and he had fallen straight into it. He had butterflies in his belly and he felt a wave of cold shudder through his entire body. When he looked around his father was nowhere to be seen.

There was not a noise to be heard. The room he had fallen into was dark and scary and he appeared to be all alone. FLASH! Lights turned on in a millisecond. Sam could hear a mysterious voice coming from a distance away. “Come closer,” whispered the voice. As Sam moved towards the voice, he could see a shadow in the corner of the room. The voice speaking to him sounded like that of Sam’s father. Sam was feeling very confused and frightened. Had he hit his head on the way down the hole? Was he now hearing things? He stood there for what seemed like an eternity and then the figure from the shadows moved towards him and it became clearer that it was in fact Sam’s father. “Sam,” George said. “I have been wanting to tell you for quite some time but haven’t found the right moment until today. I know you have been having a hard time at work and this might just be the opportunity you have been waiting for to make a change in your life. Our family come from a long line of secret spies. Your Grandfather and his Father before that have all been in charge of looking after our city and the people in it.” Sam could not believe what he was hearing, this could be exactly what Sam needed to give his life purpose. Was it possible for Sam to become a spy like his Father and Grandfather?

Sam’s father explained to him that he would like him to join the agency and help keep the city and the people in it safe. He informed Sam that there were many evil masterminds in Emerald City and that it was their duty to keep them under control and watch their movements at all times. George took him for a walk around the agency to show him the ins and outs of how it all worked and to introduce him to his fellow spies. As they were walking around the agency, Sam noticed several TVs on the wall. George said, “these televisions enable the agency to keep an eye on the city. We have cameras located all over the streets which helps us locate anything bad that might be happening or anyone who may need our help.” One of the televisions was running the news and on it was a man who was dressed in a green suit covered in tiny clocks. “Who’s that?” said Sam.

“He’s the most evil mastermind on the entire planet - his name is Tick Tock. We’ve been trying to track him down ever since I joined the agency. He is a very dangerous man as he is able to manipulate time and has access to weapons such as - bombs, explosives, guns and knives. He is always surrounded by bodyguards and we are yet to find his lair which makes it very hard to get to him. Every time I get close he plays with the time and makes a swift escape. It would take our entire agency of men to take him down and I don’t want to risk my people’s lives for this.” Sam’s Dad said.

As Sam continued to walk around the agency, things began to become clearer to him. He could see other agents that were wearing suits made out of light titanium, guns slotted into their socks and a shoe which had a phone in the middle of it. In the corner of Sam’s eye he saw tiny fighting babies that had poison ninja blades that kill people in one shot. “This baby is yours,” said George.

“Really?” said Sam.

“Yes” said George. “He will go with you on all your missions and back you up when you need it.” Sam could hardly believe that his was going to become his new life, was he really cut out to be a secret agent? He had so many questions that he wanted to ask his father running through his mind, but just as he was about to launch into them his father turned towards him. “Sam you must start your training immediately if you are to follow in my footsteps and become the best agent you can be.” With that, he disappeared down the corridor and the master trainer, Chang entered the room.

After many months of training in the dojo, Sam was ready to put everything he had learnt into action. His first assignment was with his father and it involved the evil mastermind Tick Tock. “Tonight Sam, we must visit the underground Sumo world where we believe that Tick Tock is running his operations from.” Sam had learnt so much about Tick Tock and his ways of destruction during his training that even the mention of his name gave him a rush of nerves that moved through his entire body and made his heart feel like it was about to jump out of his chest. He was certainly feeling unsure about this mission and what may happen if they came face to face with Tick Tock. As his eyes got wider from breathing in and out, he could see water emerging from the floor. There was some sort of submarine in a glass tube that was appearing from a hole in the middle of the room. He knew in an instant that this was their transportation to the underground Sumo World.

Sam arrived at the Sumo wrestling stadium with his father. The first thing he noticed was all the people were incredibly fat. He turned to his father and said, “how on earth are we going to fit in here?” Just as he had finished his sentence, George handed him a package and instructed him to put the outfit on before they entered the stadium. Sam could hardly believe it. A bullet proof Sumo suit that inflated with air the minute you put it on. Once they were both dressed, Sam and his father entered the arena scanning every corner for a glimpse of the infamous Tick Tock. As they stood there looking around the stadium they started to hear a faint ticking sound followed by a loud bang! The noise was deafening, Sam turned to his father and realised that there was a hole in the middle of George’s suit. Tick Tock had recognised Sam and George when they entered the arena and had fired a single shot aiming for his father. Knowing that their suits would be bulletproof, he had made special bullets that were able to penetrate through the fabric. George hit the floor so quickly and with such force that even though Sam tried to catch him didn’t have time.

Sam crouched down beside him and took his hand, “Dad can you hear me? Please Dad, say something.” Sam’s Dad, clearly in pain, slowly opened his eyes and said, “Sam my son, there is something I need to tell you. You have the ability and strength to fight Tick Tock and save our beloved Emerald City and its people from the evil mastermind. Under our secret agency you will find all that you need to stop him from destroying and taking over our city. For the past few months I have been following him closely and I know he has something sinister planned. It is up to you to find out what it is and stop it from happening.”

“Dad,” said Sam, tears were streaming down Sam’s eyes and making small wet patches on his suit “please don’t go Dad, I need you, I can’t do this without you.” But it was too late, Sam’s Dad was gone. In that moment Sam knew it was up to him to find out what Tick Tock had planned and to make sure that he did everything in his power to stop it.

He was determined to make his father proud and to carry on his legacy within the agency. That day he spent time with the other agents looking into the details of George’s findings and trying to work out what it was that Tick Tock had planned for the city. From what they could see, it seemed as though Tick Tock was planning to set off a series of bombs at several different locations and it was up to the agency to find out when this was going to happen. The agents and Sam spent many weeks training at the dojo and keeping an eye on Tick Tock’s comings and goings. Sam was feeling very anxious that they didn’t have anything solid relating to these attacks and the days kept passing with nothing turning up, so he decided that he was going to head back to Sumo World to see what he could find out. Sam was certain that the stadium held all the answers to his questions and that’s why his father had taken him there the night he died. He needed to find out when and where Tick Tock was planning to set off these bombs!

As Sam headed back to Sumo World, thoughts of his father flooded his mind. He had so many questions that he wanted to ask him, he would give anything for just a little more time with his father. Time, thought Sam, that’s just it. What if he could find Tick Tock and make him turn back time to the night that his father died? Sam was certain that this was the answer. He was going to find Tick Tock, make him turn back time, save his father and then together they could defeat Tick Tock once and for all.

Arriving at Sumo World, Sam was filled with apprehension. He wasn’t sure how he was going to face walking into that stadium without his father by his side. A voice from deep inside him said, “pull yourself together Sam. You have to do this for both your father and for the people of Emerald city.” He once again put on his Sumo suit, puffed out his chest and headed through the doors into Sumo World. Once inside, Sam did a scan of the room and then decided to walk around the stadium to see if he could find anything that looked out of place. As he walked around, he noticed a long line of large sumo wrestlers waiting to have their chance to fight in the arena. Sam tried to pass the wrestlers but in doing so he drew their attention towards him and one of them said, “hey you, you need to line up here with the rest of us, and wait for your turn in the arena. Every Sumo who is here tonight must fight.” Goodness me, thought Sam, am I really going to have to fight one of these ginormous Sumo’s? Out of nowhere, Sam seemed to be moved up the line and soon it was his turn to fight. He looked at his opponent and took a deep breath. Sam had never seen a man that large before and he was hoping that all his training with Master Chang had paid off.

Sam entered the arena full of confidence and looked like a genuine Sumo wrestler. Ding, Ding! The bell rang and it was time for Sam to start his fight. He took a deep breath and then launched at his counterpart with full force, giving it everything he had. As he was moving around the arena he noticed that there was something very different about the appearance of the floor, it looked very similar to that of the floor in their secret spy agency. Boom! Sam took a hit to the ground. Clearly he was paying more attention to the floor and lost his focus. As he lay there for a minute catching his breath he had a feeling that there was something hidden underneath the arena. He had to find out how to get below to see if it in fact could be Tick Tock’s lair. Sam jumped up in one swift move. He had to finish this fight so that he could get back to the job at hand. Placing his hands on his thighs, tightening his abs and propelling himself forward, he managed to knock over his opponent in one lightning quick move. Sam couldn’t believe the noise the Sumo made when he hit the ground, the whole arena shook and he could see in that very moment that his suspicions were correct, just to the right of the ropes he noticed a small panel that had several buttons on it. That’s it, Sam thought, that has to be the entrance to Tick Tock’s underground lair. As Sam left the arena the crowd cheered and clapped. He couldn’t help but feel proud of his victory.

With the crowd still going wild, Sam knew that this was his opportunity to head to the side of the arena where he saw the buttons. As he got closer he could see that the ropes were heavily guarded by several of Tick Tock’s bodyguards. Luckily for Sam, his Sumo suit was equipped with an invisibility mechanism. With one press of a button, Sam could ensure that no one would see him. Sam snuck past the bodyguards and pressed one of the buttons on the panel. Suddenly, a door underneath the arena slid open to reveal a long, steep set of steps. Nerves rose in the pit of Sam’s stomach. He had a feeling that this was going to lead him to Tick Tock and he had no one to back him up. Sam stood there for what seemed like an eternity, trying to build the courage to go down those stairs and face the man who killed his father. This was proving to be so much harder than he ever imagined. “You can do this,” the voice of Sam’s father whispered in his ear. “You have the strength and ability to face your enemy... you just have to believe in yourself.” I do have to believe in myself, thought Sam. I have to walk down these stairs and put an end to this evil mastermind once and for all.

The stairs seemed to go on forever until he finally reached the bottom. There was a large pool filled with bright green water and stepping stones leading to a large glass dome. Sam could see that every wall was covered in weapons and clocks. So many clocks, Sam could hardly believe his eyes. The glass dome held a machine, something that Sam had never seen before. He was curious as to what this was and started to make his way towards it. Sam carefully stepped on each stone as he moved towards the dome. While he walked, he scanned the room to see if Tick Tock was anywhere to be seen. Constant ticking was all that Sam could hear and it was no surprise given the amount of clocks that adorned the walls of the underground lair. As Sam entered the glass dome, he heard some footsteps coming behind him. Once again, Sam was able to hit the invisibility button on his suit and within a few seconds he was completely out of sight. Tick Tock entered the large glass structure and Sam stood still, remaining completely silent while Tick Tock played with some buttons on the machine making it spring to life. Bright lights shone out of the machine and then Tick Tock jumped right into the middle of it. Sam followed closely behind still remaining invisible.

All of a sudden, they arrived at what looked like an old fashioned laboratory. There was writing and numbers all over the walls as well as experiments of all shapes and sizes, Sam could see pots bubbling and bunsen burners burning. Tick Tock was walking around the lab muttering under his breath and adding more and more ingredients and objects to each pot. “I must find a solution,” he kept saying over and over. What on earth could he be talking about? thought Sam. A solution to what? Just at that moment, Sam lost his focus and bumped into one of the tables sending part of Tick Tock’s experiment flying. “Who’s here? What’s going on? Reveal yourself at once,” said Tick Tock. Sam was frozen with fear, but he decided that it was time to face the music. He must show himself and try to reason with Tick Tock. He needed to find out why he was doing all this and what he had planned for the city. In that moment Sam clicked the invisibility switch off, Sam and Tick Tock were now face to face.

“Who are you and what do you want?” said Tick Tock.

“My name is Sam and I’m here to make sure that you don’t destroy Emerald City. You killed my father the first night we came to Sumo World and I want you to turn back the clock to that night so that I can make sure he survives.”

“Is that so?” replied Tick Tock. “What makes you think that I would want to help you?”

“Well,” said Sam. “I heard you talking in your lab and you kept repeating the words, I must find a solution. If you agree to turn back the clock to the night you killed my father then perhaps I can help you find a solution to your problem.” Tick Tock rubbed his hands against his forehead and appeared to be weighing up the offer from Sam. “Speaking of my father,” said Sam, “why did you kill him that night at the stadium?”

Tick Tock looked at Sam and replied, “It was never my intention to kill your father Sam, I only wanted to wound him. You see your father and his team of secret spies have been following me for several years and they keep interfering with my master plans. Your secret agency have got me all wrong, I’m not the bad man that they think I am. I too have lost my father and for the last three years I have been trying to get him back. He got lost in the time machine and I’ve been playing with time ever since to try and find him.”

“That’s terrible,” replied Sam. “My father and his team thought that you had plans to set off bombs all over Emerald City.”

“They aren’t bombs that will harm anyone,” said Tick Tock. “They are small harmless explosions that I’m planning to set off to in order to open different portals which I have located around the city and I believe they may help me to find my father.” Sam felt terribly sorry for Tick Tock, as he knew how much he missed his own father. The secret agency doesn’t usually get things wrong thought Sam, but in this case they got Tick Tock very wrong.

Sam and Tick Tock quickly got to work and set about trying to find his father. Sam listened to all of Tick Tock’s instructions and he was surprised at how well they worked together as a team. After several attempts to open the correct portal and find Tick Tock’s father they still hadn’t managed to find him. Tick Tock was feeling very disheartened at their many failed attempts but Sam promised him that they would continue working together until they found the correct portal that led to his father. “Thank you for investing so much time into helping me,” said Tick Tock. “I could not have got as far as this without you. Now it’s time for me to return the favour and turn back time to the night that you were at Sumo World so that you can save your father. I am so sorry for what I did and I am glad that I am able to help you as you have helped me.” Sam could hardly believe that he was going to be able to see his father again and once he did, what a story he had to tell him. That feeling of butterflies had returned to the pit of Sam’s stomach as he was filled with excitement and anxiety at the thought of seeing his father again.

Tick Tock ushered him into the whirling machine and with the flick of a switch Sam was catapulted back through time, and before he knew it he was standing next to his father outside Sumo World. Sam grabbed Georg in a tight embrace and wouldn’t let go. “What was that for?” asked George. Sam asked his father to sit down and explained the whole story to him. “Goodness me,” his Father replied. “I can’t believe we got Tick Tock so incredibly wrong. We were certain that he was up to no good.”

“Well,” said Sam, “it just goes to show that sometimes in life people aren’t always as they seem.” Sam’s father nodded in agreement. He informed his father that he had made a promise to Tick Tock and that he was going to be working with him from now on. “Well Sam,” said George, “I feel like everything has worked out for the best. You have grown so much over these past few weeks and it seems as though you have done a better job in that time than I have done in my whole life. I am very proud of you and I will always be here for you if and when you need me.”