Flashpoint (Korman novel) facts for kids
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| Author | Gordon Korman |
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| Series | Unstoppable |
| Published | August 26, 2014 |
| Preceded by | Countdown |
| Followed by | Mission Titanic |
Flashpoint is the fourth and final book in the exciting Unstoppable series. It was written by the popular author Gordon Korman and came out on August 26, 2014. This book brings the thrilling events of the Unstoppable series to an end. In Flashpoint, the main characters finally find the last part of a special antidote. They also work to defeat the villain, J. Rutherford Pierce, once and for all. However, the story hints at new adventures in the next series, Doublecross, where a new challenge awaits the Cahill family.
Contents
The Story of Flashpoint
Chapters 1-10: The Search for the Antidote
The book starts with Dan Cahill. He has been taken by Cara and Galt Pierce, who are the children of the villain, J. Rutherford Pierce. Dan thinks about the scary things that happened recently. Pierce is close to becoming a powerful leader. Also, Amy, Dan's sister, is very sick. She took a strong serum to save Dan, and now she doesn't have much time left.
Galt and Cara Pierce start asking Dan questions. They give him a "truth serum" to make him tell them about the antidote. The Pierces know that the last ingredient for the antidote is in Angkor, Cambodia. Angkor was a very advanced ancient society. Dan tries to trick them with jokes, but they still figure out the location. Dan then pretends to pass out. Galt wants to get rid of Dan, but Cara wants to keep him. They plan to fly to Cambodia to stop the Cahills.
Meanwhile, in Guatemala, Amy is driving super fast. She uses her special powers to avoid a huge truck. In the car with Amy are Ian Kabra and the Rosenbloom brothers. They are talking about the venom from a Tonle Sap snake. This snake venom is the final ingredient for the antidote. They fly to Cambodia on Jonah's private jet. Jonah had arranged a fake autograph session to keep Pierce's helpers away.
In New York City, J. Rutherford Pierce is giving a speech to a huge crowd. He plans to become the US President and then control the whole world. He wants to cause chaos in cities globally to become a dictator. On Jonah's jet, Amy feels her powers growing stronger, but also her sickness getting worse. They find out they are tracking the Pierces' location.
The Pierce jet lands on Midway Atoll, a famous World War 2 battle site. Cara secretly helps Dan escape from the plane. Jonah's plane arrives, almost hitting Dan. Dan soon realizes it's Amy and his friends. He tells them about his capture, and they all get on Jonah's plane to go to Cambodia.
At Trilon Labs in Delaware, Nellie Gomez and Sammy Mourad are caught. They are supposed to be making a special serum for Pierce. But their real goal is to destroy Trilon Labs. Nellie tries to win over her guards by cooking for them. They plan to "sterilize the test tubes," which is their secret code for blowing up the lab.
Finally, the Cahills arrive in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital. Hamilton Holt is waiting for them with a small boat. He plans to find a Tonle Sap snake on their way to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. The boat trip is long and hot. They pass a village and enter the Tonle Sap, Cambodia's largest lake. Amy thinks it looks like a giant mirror. The lake is very important for many people in Cambodia.
After reaching Siem Reap, they check into a guesthouse. The owner, Mrs. Bopha, speaks a language no one understands. Meanwhile, on an island called Pierce Landing, Pierce is giving an interview. Debi Ann finds Olivia Cahill's old book and realizes Pierce is still obsessed with Hope Cahill.
In Cambodia, the group reaches Angkor Wat, a huge ancient temple. It's a monument made of stone with five tall towers. Jonah and Hamilton visit a crocodile farm, where the snakes used to be food for crocodiles. Hamilton bravely jumps into a crocodile pen to get a snake, almost getting eaten! Back at Angkor Wat, Ian Kabra discovers that April May, a hacker they knew, is actually Cara Pierce. Cara is scared of her father's evil plans and wants to help the Cahills. Amy and Dan have to decide if they can trust her.
While searching for snakes, the Rosenblooms and Cahills are chased by Galt and his thugs. Atticus leads them into Ta Keo, an unfinished temple, to hide. They realize they are trapped. But Amy, using her serum-enhanced powers, finds a hidden room underground.
Chapters 11-20: Trust and Explosions
The group agrees with Amy and moves some stones to enter the hidden room. Galt and his thugs easily find their hiding spot. Amy smells gunpowder in the room. Atticus discovers ancient fireworks. The ancient Khmer people used these fireworks for celebrations. When Galt and his thugs enter the room, the Cahills set off the fireworks, knocking them out. The group escapes Ta Keo and tells the Cambodian police where to find the thugs.
Back at Trilon Labs in Delaware, Nellie and Sammy are pretending to create a "Franken-serum." This serum is supposed to give powers without side effects. But they are actually trying to destroy the lab. They are making a lot of nitroglycerin to blow up the entire building. Nellie almost gets caught by Dr. Benoit, a senior scientist, but she manages to get the nitroglycerin to storeroom 117A.
The next morning, the Cahills try to find the Tonle Sap snake venom. They decide to look for snakes in the Tonle Sap lake itself. Hamilton says the police are looking for him because of his boat. Ian tells the group about Cara Pierce wanting to help. They debate whether to trust her. Dan, who is now the leader, trusts her because she helped him escape. Amy is more hesitant. Dan thinks about how much he fears losing Amy.
They enter the Tonle Sap lake, which gets very big during monsoon season. Atticus sees a snake, causing a bit of a panic, but they don't catch it. Suddenly, Amy passes out and almost drowns. Hamilton helps her get the water out of her lungs.
Soon, Galt and his five thugs appear again. Galt is very angry because he was questioned by the police for hours. Pierce had to bribe the police to free him. As the two groups fight, Jake yells for them to stop because a thug is holding Atticus underwater. The Cahills surrender. But Jonah spots something that looks like a log and throws a rock at it. A huge crocodile bursts out in front of Galt! The Cahills use the chaos to escape. Their boat is gone, but a black Humvee with a masked driver arrives. The Cahills get in and discover the driver is Cara Pierce.
Cara explains that if Pierce is defeated, everything else will get better. Suddenly, Ian finds a Tonle Sap snake in his bag, and it bites him on the nose! After putting the snake in a water jug, they agree to let Cara stay at their guesthouse. She has to give up her phone, be blindfolded until she's inside, and be handcuffed. Cara agrees to everything.
As everyone sleeps, Cara thinks about betraying her family. But she believes it's the right thing to do. She remembers her father looking at nuclear bomb triggers. When Jake wakes up, Cara and the snake are gone. He finds out Cara bought an aquarium for the snake and checked in with her brother. She came back to earn their trust. Cara starts telling the Cahills about Pierce's big "All-American Clambake." Meanwhile, Nellie and Sammy successfully blow up Trilon Labs and escape.
In Cambodia, Galt Pierce tries to stop Jonah's plane from landing, but he fails. Sammy and Nellie escape to Harvard University in Massachusetts. The Cahills also arrive there and make a lot of the antidote. They decide to test it on Fiske Cahill, who is very sick.
Chapters 21-32: The Final Showdown
The antidote works on Fiske, saving him! Amy practices flying, and Jake worries about her. Finally, the big moment arrives. The Cahills go to Pierce Landing for Pierce's "All-American Clambake." Amy and Jake fly over the landing and deliver the antidote. They also make sure that Pierce's dangerous weapons don't go off. The book ends with the Cahills winning against Pierce.
