Cephalox the Cyber Squid

by Adam Blade

  Max was astonished. Was King Salinus really asking him, a human boy, to save Sumara single-handed? It was true that he had defeated one of the Professor’s Robobeasts — with Lia’s help, of course. But could he do that again, three times? He didn’t know what to say.

  “Wait, Father!” Lia called out. “We cannot send him on such a dangerous quest alone. He’ll need a guide. Let me go with him!”

  The king frowned, but then his brow smoothed. “It is fitting for children of royal blood to prove themselves willing to face peril. What do you say, Max?”

  Max’s burning desire was to find his father. If that meant going up against the Professor, he was prepared to do so. If it meant he helped the Merryn, too, so much the better. He knew this challenge would be dangerous. But he would feel a lot safer with Lia to guide him. “Yes — I accept the quest. And I would be glad to have Lia at my side.”

  The crowd cheered, even louder than before.

  Lia’s father turned to her. “Our champion must be equipped. Will you take him to the graveyard?”

  “The graveyard?” said Max.

  With a flick of her finlike feet, Lia rose high above the square. She beckoned to Max to follow. He swam up to her, but no sooner had he reached her than she was off again, glancing back once to check that he was following.

  “Not so fast!” he called. “I can’t keep up!”

  “Do you call this fast?” Lia said. “I was going especially slowly for you!”

  They swam on, Max going as fast as he was able, Lia slowing now and again to let him catch up. Soon they had left the city behind. A deep canyon appeared in the ocean bed.

  Lia dove into it, and Max followed. It was dark inside, almost pitch black. Even with his improved Merryn eyesight, Max found it hard to see much. Lia’s limbs were a pale glimmer in the water ahead of him. He tried not to imagine the strange creatures that might live down here in the blackness, waiting to lunge at him.

  Lia came to rest on the ocean bed. Max noticed that she was making a clicking noise with her tongue. Suddenly, a host of white lights appeared from cracks in the canyon walls. They were jellyfish, glowing with an eerie light.

  “Wow!” said Max. The ghostly light revealed vast heaps of equipment, piled against the canyon walls. Some of it looked antique, some new and practically unused. There were submersibles, diving suits, weapons … Max spotted the hull of a Barracuda submarine yacht, and a Mark III Frogsuit with a twenty-four-hour breathing tank. Back on Aquora he’d have done anything to get his hands on a frogsuit like that! It was strange to think that with his Merryn powers, he no longer needed one. “Where did all this stuff come from?”

  “From Breather explorers who’ve tried to find Sumara — and died in the attempt. We gather it and bring it here, to the graveyard. It’s no use to us. But perhaps you could use some of it?”

  “Oh, yeah!” Max foraged around eagerly. “Wow!” He picked up a curved, gleaming piece of metal, turning it in his hand. It was so fine and sharp that from a side view it looked like it almost disappeared. “A hyperblade — only the military are allowed these on Aquora. It’s practically unbreakable — pure vernium. It’ll cut through anything!”

  He rummaged around a bit more and dug out a Lightning aquabike. It was sleek, green, and nearly weightless — clearly built for speed. On this, he’d be able to keep up with Lia, no trouble!

  “What do you think?”

  “What’s it for?”

  “It’s for going through the water, really fast!”

  “I can do that already,” Lia said. “I don’t need a machine to help me.”

  Max found a pair of infrared goggles and tried them on. “They help you see in the dark,” he told Lia.

  “Why not just call the jellyfish?”

  “You can use these even when there aren’t any jellyfish,” Max explained.

  Lia rolled her eyes. “You Breathers — you’re obsessed with machines! I’d rather just use my aqua powers any day.”

  “Fine if you have them,” Max said. He felt a lot more confident about the quest now that he was properly equipped.

  There was one last thing he needed — something to repair Rivet’s leg. He dug around in a pile of scrap metal and pounced on a chunky metal rod. “Perfect. I can replace the damaged part with this.”

  Then he noticed something under the rod. A square of silver metal with ragged edges and a picture painted on it. He picked it up.

  Max felt a prickling of excitement deep inside. The picture was of a dolphin leaping from the waves. It looked strangely familiar, like something he’d see long, long ago. His mother’s sub — that had been called the Leaping Dolphin! And now that he thought hard, he had a dreamlike memory of being held in his father’s arms, saying good-bye to his mother as she left on her voyage. The sun glinted on the plaque on the hull of her submarine. A plaque that showed a leaping dolphin …

  Max realized he was holding his breath. Maybe his mother had made it to Sumara after all? Maybe, if she’d made it this far, she could even be — he hardly dared to think it — still alive somewhere?

  “Have you seen this?” he asked Lia. “Where’s it from?”

  Lia peered at the metal plaque and shook her head. “Sorry, Max. I’ve never seen it before. It could have come from anywhere in the ocean.”

  Max swallowed his disappointment and curled his fingers around the plaque. As soon as he found his dad, he would show it to him. Then he’d know for sure.

  “We should get going,” he said to Lia. “I’ll fix Rivet up and we can leave right away. The sooner we start, the sooner I’ll find my dad!”

  HOW’S IT FEEL, RIVET?”

  They had returned to the palace so Max could fix his dogbot’s leg. Rivet rotated his new leg experimentally. “Good,” he barked.

  “Then we’re ready!” Max said.

  “Come, Spike.” The swordfish swam up to Lia and rubbed against her hip.

  “Spike’s coming with us, too?” Max asked.

  “Of course — if Rivet can come, why not Spike?”

  “Fine,” Max said. “No problem.”

  King Salinus appeared in the palace doorway. “The people are waiting to wish you good-bye.”

  He led them from the palace, down Treaty Avenue, past the ruins of the Arch of Peace. People lined the street, cheering and waving. When they reached Thallos Square, Max was taken aback by the size of the crowd. It looked as if all of Sumara had turned out to wish them well. A huge roar greeted their appearance.

  Max grinned and waved, hoping he looked worthy of their trust.

  “You are embarking on a dangerous quest,” King Salinus said. “We salute your bravery. Remember, without the Skull of Thallos, the Merryn have no control over the seas. The waters may be unruly and treacherous, and so are the creatures that live in them. You must be on your guard at all times. Not all will be as it seems.”

  “We’ll be careful,” Max said. “But how will we find the other skull pieces? They could be anywhere in the whole ocean!”

  “The skull will guide you,” said the king. He took out the jawbone from the folds of his robe and released it. It floated in front of him, and then slowly turned, pointing to the far end of the square.

  “Thanks,” Max said. He opened the storage compartment in Rivet’s back and put the jawbone inside, next to the plaque with the leaping dolphin. “Ready, Rivet?”

  Rivet barked excitedly. “Ready!”

  Max climbed onto his new Lightning aquabike and checked his hyperblade and infrared goggles were safely stored onboard. He twisted the throttle and the engine roared.

  “Good-bye, Lia,” said the king. “And good luck.” He hugged his daughter. “Look after each other.”

  “We will!” Lia said. She sat astride Spike and patted his head. “Let’s go!”

  Spike plunged forward. Max soon caught up on the aquabike. Together they sped in the direction the jawbone had pointed, with Rivet motoring along beside them. As they left the square, Max cast a glan
ce over his shoulder. The king stood next to the statue of Thallos, his face smiling but his eyes sad. Tiers of Merryn floated all around the square, watching and waving.

  I hope I don’t let them down, Max thought.

  Soon, the city was just a distant glimmer of lights in the darkness behind them. Max felt nervous, but also excited. He had no idea of what dangers lay ahead, but he felt ready to face them. He would reclaim the Skull of Thallos and destroy the Professor’s power. He would rescue his father. And perhaps — who knew — he would solve the mystery of his mother’s disappearance.

  He looked across at Lia and smiled. She smiled back at him.

  Together, they headed out into the vast, mysterious ocean, ready to face whatever was waiting for them.

  I’ve been waiting all my life for an adventure, Max thought as the aquabike sliced through the water. And now I’ve found one.

  MAX CALLED RIVET OVER AND TOOK OUT THE jawbone, letting it float in the water. He’d trust the Skull of Thallos with his life, he realized now. It glowed and drifted around to point to the tunnel he’d spotted on the other side of the cavern — deeper into the ancient coral caves.

  Max tucked the harpoon gun into Rivet’s compartment. Without his aquabike, he swam behind his friends. He took a deep breath as they entered the tunnel that would lead them into the heart of this coral maze.

  “All right, Robobeast!” Max muttered. “We’re coming to get you!”

  Max and Lia swam along the tunnel. Rivet switched on his headlamp, and the way ahead lit up in a faint red glow. Fish winked out of sight, and hundreds of pink shells reflected light up from the tunnel floor. Yellow weeds brushed at Max’s feet.

  By the lamplight, Max saw that the way ahead forked. A path on the left led deeper into the glowing coral. Another on the right sloped gently up toward another sparkling cave. “Which way?” he asked.

  “We should trust the power of Thallos,” Lia replied.

  Max held the jawbone loosely and it twisted in his hand, pointing to the left fork. He was about to swim ahead, when he noticed that Lia had stopped. “What is it?”

  She stared into the tunnel. “Well, we can follow the Skull into the maze, but what about finding our way out again?”

  Lia was right. Sinking to the bottom of the tunnel, he fished around for several of the pink shells, then swam back past Lia and into the left tunnel. Every few strokes, he dropped one on the ground.

  He’d scattered almost all of them when he realized Lia was laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked. “Don’t you get it? I’m laying down markers so we can find our way back.”

  “Sorry!” Lia covered her mouth with one webbed hand and pointed at Max’s feet with the other. “Look!”

  Max peered down. One by one, the pink shells sprouted crab legs and scurried off. “Fine,” he said. “But what can we use?”

  Lia swam to the tunnel floor. She plucked a flower head off one of the yellow weeds. “We call this the sunshine flower,” she said. “It only grows from this sort of coral, so it’s rare.”

  Looking closer, Max saw the petals of the flower were actually long pods. “And how’s it going to help?” he asked.

  Lia squeezed one of the pods between her fingers. It burst open, throwing out a bright yellow ink that hung like a cloud in the water. Rivet barked with surprise and drifted forward to sniff at the shiny substance.

  “Wow!” said Max.

  “The pollen lasts for a few hours,” said Lia, handing some of the pods to Max. “Let’s go.”

  They pressed on into the eerie darkness, bursting pods to leave markers in the water and dipping occasionally to pick more sunshine flowers. There were fewer fish here, and soon even the weeds ran out, too. Max felt odd currents of water pressing around him, like the pulse of a heartbeat. Spike must have sensed it, too, because each time one of the vibrations hit, his nose-sword twitched.

  “What is that?” asked Max.

  Lia shook her head. “I’ve never felt anything like it before.”

  One thing was certain — the shock waves filtering through the tunnel were getting stronger, like a drum beating even closer. Soon Max realized that the walls themselves had begun to shake. Still the dogbot’s lamp picked out nothing ahead but the twisting tunnel.

  Max felt the hairs on the back of his neck tickle as the jawbone turned in his hand. It pointed behind them.

  “Er … Lia,” he said. “Whatever that is, I don’t think it’s coming from ahead.”

  She stopped and turned. Another blast shuddered past them. Her silver hair fluttered back from her face. “You’re right,” she whispered. “Let’s keep going — if we’re going to fight properly, we can’t afford to get trapped in here.”

  They swam faster, and though Max looked back several times, he couldn’t see anything. The rumbles grew louder, echoing his own heartbeat. There was no doubt about it — something was coming after them.

  “Bad, Max,” Rivet whimpered, his microphone hushed.

  The passage narrowed, then all of a sudden emerged into another cavern. This one was enormous. Max swam closer to one of the walls, and gasped. It was made of metal. Huge sheets beaten into curves and bolted down. It was as if they were inside a giant metal ball!

  Lia ran her fingers over the metal. “This wasn’t built by Merryn,” she whispered.

  In Max’s hand, the fragment of Thallos’s Skull glowed bright blue. It tugged back toward the tunnel they’d come through.

  “There must be another way out,” said Max. “We can’t go back there.”

  He stowed the jawbone in Rivet’s compartment and led the way down toward the bottom of the cavern, searching for an opening. Even the floor was made of metal, covered in a fine layer of sand. His eyes were still adjusting to the gloom when Rivet’s headlamp caught a flash of something. Max made out the bones of a large skeleton. Then more — the ribs of some creature picked white and clean. Lia was trembling beside him.

  “This is a graveyard,” she muttered. Max suddenly remembered his infrared goggles and took them from his belt. The cavern floor was littered with the remains of dozens of sea dwellers. Some looked like they had been human, but some had the fused foot and hand bones of Merryn. There were weapons, too. Harpoons, blasters, even a handheld torpedo launcher. All were rusted or broken.

  “It’s as if they all came down here to fight something,” said Max.

  “And lost,” added Lia.

  Max thought of the empty submarine, and shuddered.

  A rumble from the tunnel rattled the bones, and the great metal walls shook. “It’s almost here,” said Max.

  Lia swept over the debris and skeletons, and plucked out a lance. “A Merryn hunting spear,” she said. “Made of pearl. An ancient weapon, but powerful. My grandfather used one.”

  Max swam up to face the dark empty mouth of the passage. “Stay behind me,” he said. “A harpoon gun will do more to keep them back than an old spear.”

  With a flick of her foot-fins, Lia was at his side. “We face this together,” she said.

  Another boom shook the water around them. Lia laid a hand on Spike’s side. “Stay brave.”

  Max patted Rivet’s back. “You’re a good boy,” he said.

  The tunnel ahead filled with a shape.

  The Robobeast had arrived.

  A head edged through the water, almost as wide as the tunnel. The creature’s skin was as smooth as a beach pebble, gleaming in the faint light.

  Max and Lia backed away.

  Two tiny unblinking eyes like dull black marbles watched them.

  The Beast’s body followed, huge lengths of snaking pale flesh spilling into the cavern.

  It’s a gigantic eel! Max realized.

  As the creature’s tail finally slid from the tunnel, the body formed into a tight coil, filling almost half the cavern. Its staring head came to rest over its back and its lipless mouth parted to reveal jagged, close-packed teeth. Max made out a robotic harness behind its neck, just li
ke the one worn by Cephalox the Cyber Squid. Metal clasps and coils of cable sat next to the eel’s pale flesh — the mechanism by which the Professor controlled his slave. Mounted on top of the harness, under a glass dome, was the second piece of the Skull of Thallos. Max peered closer — it was an eye socket and a section of cheekbone.

  Lia lifted her pearl spear and Max raised his harpoon gun.

  “Why isn’t it attacking?” he hissed.

  With a click and a whir, a panel on the harness slid open. A red orb, like the one Max had seen on Cephalox’s tentacle, swiveled around and jerked closer. It blinked like an eye.

  “Hello, Max,” said a voice, deep and distorted by electronics. “Welcome to the lair of Silda.”

  “Who are you?” shouted Max, loud enough to disguise his fear.

  “You can call me … the Professor.”

  Max felt his stomach jolt at the sound of his enemy’s voice. He could see there was no place for the Professor to hide on the eel’s body. He must be controlling it remotely, thought Max.

  “How does the Professor know your name?” whispered Lia.

  “I don’t —”

  “Your father told me you were clever,” continued the voice, “but now I’m beginning to doubt that. You walked right into my trap.”

  With special thanks to Brandon Robshaw

  #1: CEPHALOX THE CYBER SQUID

  #2: SILDA THE ELECTRIC EEL

  #3: MANAK THE MANTA RAY

  #4: KRAYA THE BLOOD SHARK

  Deep Dive series created by Beast Quest Ltd., London.

  Copyright © 2012 by Beast Quest Ltd. All rights reserved.

  Cover and interior art by Justin Wyatt for Artful Dodgers

  Cover color by Bob Wakelin for Artful Dodgers

  Cover design by Nina Goffi

  Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, by arrangement with Working Partners Ltd. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.