Corrine and the Secret Mountain Colony: Book 2 - Corrine's Secret Powers Grow

By Jason Colpitts

     Corrine's world is frozen over.  After escaping the Underground Province, Corrine faces her hardest challenge yet.  She and her friends brave hundreds of miles of snow in search of her creator's laboratory, buried beneath a decades l

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jason Colpitts
• Release date: Jul 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088181782

Book preview

Corrine and the Secret Mountain Colony

by Jason Colpitts

magnolia blossoms

flourish above the streets of

a concrete jungle

                  ∽ June Sargent - Poet

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Finding Strength – Taking a Stand

Chapter 2 - Remembering the Red War

Chapter 3 - The Creepy Wayward Pass

Chapter 4 - A Forgotten Battle

Chapter 5 - Corrine’s Fancy Pants Stance

Chapter 6 - Black Drones Attack!

Chapter 7 - Another Snow Dream

Chapter 8 - The Dark Mountain Door

Chapter 9 - Into a Giant Hydroponics Room

Chapter 10 - The Secret Mountain Colony

Chapter 11 - A Super Spy Investigation

Chapter 12 - Mama

Chapter 13 - History Repeating Itself

Chapter 14 - Journey to the Brain Room

Chapter 15 - The Mystery of the Two Brains

Chapter 16 - Empty People

Chapter 17 - Battle Against Alpha Wing

Chapter 18 - Enslaved!

Chapter 19 - Road to Harper’s Bazaar

Chapter 20 - An Eight-Legged Bully

Chapter 21 - Audrey Learns the Truth

Chapter 22 - The People Washing Machine

Chapter 23 - Losing A Best Friend

Chapter 24 - Meeting the Regal Queen

Chapter 25 - Meeting the Spooky Brain

Chapter 26 - The Milky White Fight

Chapter 27 - Settler’s Notch

Chapter 28 - Gone

Chapter 29 - A Change of Heart

Chapter 30 - Welcoming Help

Chapter 31 - Corrine’s Final Stand

Chapter 32 - Starlight

Chapter 33 - Tyranny Defeated

1

Finding Strength - Taking a Stand

12-year-old Corrine was a slave, a dark history repeating itself.

Corrine clawed her way up a gigantic pile of rocks, closer to an opening in the mountain and its sharp stones. Corrine was inside a huge stone cavity, looking out toward freedom. She reached toward sunbeams streaming in. If she could just make it there!

Everything had become so awful!

Both of Corrine’s legs were destroyed. Pieces of her metal robot bones dragged along behind her. She screamed in pain. Tears fell from her eyes like the gushing water which tumbled down the Falls back home.

Corrine’s bottom lip was stretched as high as it could go! Her determined pout wavered, but she refused to let it down! She reached with her one good arm and managed to pull her body upward, another couple inches. Her whole body hurt so bad. Corrine’s left arm dangled at her side.

A bright morning sun was just beginning to rise above the open cavity. The opening on the side of the mountain looked like the mouth of a gigantic fish with razor sharp teeth. If Corrine tried to climb out, she worried that the gaping maw would snap shut! Of course, the teeth were really incredibly sharp stones.

Corrine felt so broken. She felt so defeated. She felt sadder and more worried than she ever had before.

Many of her new friends from the Iron Mines stood off to the side, watching. They were helpless. They were all slaves too.

Corrine pulled herself up even higher despite heavy rusted chains around her neck.

A terrible man, with rotten and crooked-y teeth, held an electric whip tight. He grinned a sick-looking smile.

Corrine hated the man with the whip. He was such a nasty person!

Are you trying to flee, robot? the man asked, sneering. Are you crawling away?

I’m not running from you! I won’t let you beat me down! I won’t be a slave anymore! Corrine thought, but then she worried. How did this happen? How did I get here? How am I supposed to save everyone now?

During all of Corrine’s adventures back home – winning the Tryouts, catching the Blast Stick’s green fire, sneaking with Audrey to the Column, and sailing over Daggers Hollow – she had never faced anything like this.

In the Underground Province she learned the meaning of words like loyalty, love, and endurance, which means to be extra strong for a long time. Corrine cried when her friends were in pain, and they cried for her. During all that time, she had never heard words like these: prejudism, hatred, slavery. Corrine did not like these words, not at all!

She knew what she needed to do.

As she strained to climb even higher, her mind raced backward.

Corrine knew where all of this began, and her journey held a clue to solving this whole problem…

2

Remembering the Red War

The whole thing started with a dream she had, of a time when she was much younger. Corrine had the dream just three days after leaving the Province...

***

Little Corrine neither knew that there were nightmares coming up the road, nor did she know who created them.

Unaware, she danced and skipped toward the top of the nearby hill.

She had daisies, lilies, and honeysuckle flowers on both sides of her head. She had just turned six, and she was sooooo happy. She also had clusters of wildflowers in each hand.

She imagined that she was a female dolphin with long and graceful fins. She swam through a tropical ocean as a happy song played in her mind. Little Corrine was the cute-i-est of all the patoodies!

Her wildflowers, her imaginary fins, were long, light grey, and beautiful! They stretched far and wide, and swam up and down! She felt like turquoise ocean water was brushing by her cheeks and lifting her to the top of the waves.

Then, she jumped for real. Her little body flew, as she leapt off the top of the hill. When her body hit the ground, she rolled into a somersault.

She giggled and then squealed! She wiggled and then kneeled. Even her flowers jiggled on the field.

Soon I’ll be old enough to join a jumping team! little six-year-old Corrine thought. I'll show those older kids what leaping is really about! I’ll leap as if my life depends on it!

Little Corrine lay on the grass staring at the sky. Before she knew it, she started to fall asleep.

She wandered through many happy dreams.

Suddenly, a terrible sound came rushing over the hill. There was a loud boom, and it was followed by another, and another.

Something was happening to her home!

She awoke and rolled over. Corrine’s tiny eyes peeked over the hill.

Robots were attacking with firebombs!!!

Large explosions erupted from the homes. People were running everywhere! No one had any weapons, and nobody could fight back. It was terrible!

Corrine! her mother screamed.

Corrine ran from the hill toward her house, the second grey home with the Dolphin symbol on it. Her tiny legs couldn't move very fast. Corrine tried anyway! She ran and ran! Her house was on fire too. Their homes were in a tiny village, down the road from the Circle of Science, the place where her mother and father worked.

Many robots swarmed their village. Some of the robots were huge and had large arms. Others were small, with giant jaws and big hands. Still more could fly and spit fire. They were called Crushers, Chomp Monsters, and Flying Vultures. They hated humans.

When they were finished and everything was burning, the Red Robot came through. He was very large. His giant head moved back and forth. Evil eyes studied the village.

Corrine, run! Corrine’s mother screamed. She dragged herself across the ground.

Then the Red Robot pointed, and the last of the Crushers threw their bombs. It was terrible! The whole village exploded. Corrine flew backward, back onto the hill. She lay on the ground. Her lungs were choking, and it was hard to breathe. She looked at the homes. Everything was destroyed.

Mama?! she yelled. Mama?!

I love you, her mother whispered from somewhere within the smoke. I love you, Corrine.

Corrine wiped tears from her eyes.

She stood up and grabbed her side. It hurt really bad. A piece of wood was stuck in her, but she was very stubborn!

She gritted her teeth and wandered toward the village.

Red flame covered the night sky. Corrine looked around. She couldn't see her mother anywhere.

Squinting her eyes, she could hardly see past the smoke. The group of robots were moving away. They wanted to destroy the whole Dome and the Circle of Science, the group of buildings where all the scientists worked. The robots would likely ruin everything! That would be just awful!

As Corrine hobbled over, a last Flying Vulture spotted her. She didn't know what to do.

It came speeding back. The creature had no life in its single eye. The Vulture drew close and hovered above her.

Corrine screamed. She didn't know if it would spit fire at her!

Leave her alone! someone yelled.

Corrine knew that voice. He was a head scientist, Professor Franklin. He had a large shovel which he swung with all his might. The flying robot was struck hard. It spun around wildly, out-of-control. The Vulture fizzled, sparked, and squirted fiery black goo! Then it crashed on the other side of the hill.

Professor Franklin turned back to Corrine. She had fallen to the ground. Her side hurt so bad. She wanted to go to sleep forever.

The Professor covered his mouth. He looked very very worried! Then, he hurled the shovel away and scooped Corrine into his arms…

***

Corrine, Audrey, Peter, and Linda had traveled for three days. Now the Underground Province felt so far away.

It was late at night. 12-year-old Corrine stood outside, away from her camping tent.

Staring off at the distant stars, Corrine thought and thought.

She had never seen the stars before, at least not like this. In the Underground Province there was a giant tunnel leading to the outside world. It was called the Column. Sometimes she could see a few stars when the clouds broke at the top.

Since they left the Province, all her group had seen for days were icy clouds. Now they had broken, and the night sky was amazing!

Back home there was a shiny rock called quartz. The Quartz, which the silly hat-wearing Overseers traded, was shiny and extra sparkly. Corrine even had some in her keepsake box which she hid under the bed. Her special Dolphin carving was in the box too, before she put it up in the window.

The night sky looked like someone had reached into her box, took some of the quartz, and threw millions of teensy sparkling pieces all over the heavens. It was so beautiful!!!

Out of the corner of her eye Corrine could see Audrey climb out of the tent. It was freezing, so Audrey pulled her jacket tight. Corrine was far away, but Corrine knew Audrey had spotted her.

Audrey walked over. Her boots crunched and munched the snow.

Are you okay? Audrey asked.

Corrine didn't answer. She was staring up at the huge white moon now.

Did you have another dream? Audrey asked nicely.

Corrine stopped thinking about the sky. At first, she didn’t want to give thought to the dream. It was hard to face the memory, but Audrey needed to know. Corrine ran the dream through her mind again. After a moment, Corrine turned her head. Sadness dripped down both sides of her cheeks.

I had a dream about my mother, Corrine answered.

Audrey stared at her. Then Audrey looked up at the stars, then at the tent, then at Corrine, then at the dark mountain, then at the moon, and then back to Corrine again!

Audrey threw both hands up onto her head and screamed, "You’re a robot...Professor Franklin…laboratory…How do you have a mothe…

…Wha-wha-WHAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTT?!!!!!!"

3

The Creepy Wayward Pass

I can’t believe that we talked all night! Audrey remarked. I can’t believe it! All that crazy stuff, the Red Robot, your mother, even the Dolphin symbol on the houses! I can’t belieeeeeeeeeeve it!!! But I do!

Corrine laughed. Audrey was awesome! Corrine couldn’t believe it all either or understand it. How did she have these memories? Was she really a little girl? Or was her mind playing goofy games with her? She would have to wait to find out.

After the sun went down, Corrine’s party had finally reached the far mountains.

For a while, Peter and Linda left to spy out the area. Corrine and Audrey stayed behind to build their tents in a safe place. A towering mountain loomed above them!

Corrine and Audrey talked with their backs to the whole giant mountain chain.

We could talk about it all night again, but we need to rest. Corrine said. "There’s another mission at hand! We have to find two things. Where is the Dolphin Clinic and its mysterious Earth Engine? It’s like we are looking for a buried treasure, except we have no map, and the pirate beach is covered in ice."

Audrey giggled. Pirates covered in ice! she repeated. I wish your maker, Professor Franklin, gave us a map to the snow buried treasure. This is going to be hard. It would be way easier if an X marked the spot.

Audrey hammered a tent pin into the ground.

We accomplished so much already. Corrine tried to make Audrey feel better. We’re adventuring to melt the ice and save the world! It’s only been three days, and we’re getting close to where Professor Franklin’s lab was, the Dolphin Clinic. The Clinic is on the other side of the mountains, to the north. We already reached the mountains. That’s progress! The Clinic must harbor some secret clues.

Corrine wasn’t exactly sure where the Clinic was. She wasn’t lying, of course. Everyone knew she was guessing. It was just that everything looked so different now! Corrine didn’t know how they were going to get over the mountains either. Just hiking to the mountains was hard.

Snow was everywhere. There were tall-shaped lumps, and small-shaped lumps, and teensy tiny ball-shaped lumps. There were rocky lumps, and blocky lumps, and sometimes they even stepped on mock-ey lumps! Those ones weren't lumps at all. When their boots stomped on that kind of snow, the lump went poof, right into the air! Then it was gone. They were the most fun!

Heavy ice lay like a giant blanket over everything. It covered the ground. It covered the mountains. Corrine even believed that tonight snow would cover the whole sky!

The frightful night would be dark and cold, but they were lucky!

Finally, after what felt like forever, Peter and Linda returned. They were dragging an old, dried tree which the foursome broke easily into lots of small pieces. Some dry wood was half-sticking out of the ice when Linda and Peter found it. Its branches made a wonderful fire.

Corrine was proud of her friend’s teamwork.

Under a massive rock overhang, beneath the shadow of the mountain, and encircled by many huge spikes of blue ice, Corrine and her friends warmed themselves next to the orange glow.

Nighttime surrounded them. It was very quiet and a whole lot spooky!

I'm so happy to be here with each of you! Audrey said kindly.

Corrine smiled. Audrey had a wonderful way about her. She was always so positive. She was good with people, and no fool either! Corrine knew that Audrey sometimes lacked the courage to speak up when necessary. She usually preferred to keep the peace. But Corrine also knew that when Audrey was pushed against the wall, she would fight for what was right to the bitter end, when the time was right. That’s why Corrine liked to call Audrey a diplomat, which meant to help others to make peace.

We’re happy too, Audrey! Linda answered.

Corrine smiled again.

There's an old wood forest down that way, Peter announced, pointing. We saw trees larger than any I've seen before! Some were as tall as our cavern ceilings, but they were all dead!

Whoa… Audrey whispered in awe.

I know, Peter added. They were buried in thick ice. I think this whole mountainside was once a beautiful forest. The snow we've been walking on might have covered fields of grass.

Whoa! Audrey exclaimed, using the same word again in a mischievous little game.

I wonder if the bigger snow lumps covered over old trees, bushes, and things? What would the land look like if everything melted? Linda asked.

Whoa?!! Audrey said the word again, pretending to look surprised.

Then Audrey couldn't keep a straight face anymore! She covered her mouth and turned bright pink! Corrine frowned and gave her a sour look. So did Peter and Linda. Audrey burst out laughing and rolled over on the ground!

It was an impish trick, but Corrine knew they needed a little fun. Audrey was the best!

Thankfully, as it got darker, the strong wind died down. It didn't feel as cold. For a while, no one said anything.

Help me. Help me, please… A strange voice called out, so quietly Corrine could barely hear it at all!

She thought it might be in her mind, so Corrine glanced around, wondering if anyone else had heard it.

Peter just looked tired. He announced that he might go to sleep soon.

After almost an hour, while they were sitting and talking, another odd whimper crawled slowly across the ice. The weird noise sounded long, drawn out, and incredibly sad.

Did you hear that? Corrine’s ears perked up. I heard voices a couple times, someone calling for help.

No, Peter said, listening.

I could swear I heard… Corrine trailed off.

Peter pulled on his special listening device, mounted around his ears, the ones with the cool looking dishes to hear things far away. It can't be the wind, Peter said. There isn't any. Wait! I do hear something. I think it’s getting louder.

Audrey said, I think I hear it now too.

It sounds like someone, or something is crying, Linda added. "It sounds like a sad moan, but not from a person. It