by H. I. Larry
‘Jump!’ he yelled to the passengers.
The woman jumped into the water.
But the man was shaking his head. ‘No, you come here!’ the man yelled desperately. ‘I can’t swim!’
‘I can’t come any closer! You’ll have to jump!’ cried Zac.
Behind him, the angry orange flames roared. They licked their way up both wings, higher and higher! They’d be at the fuel tank any second now.
‘Now!’ yelled Zac.
The man screwed up his face. With a terrified yell, he jumped into the sea.
Zac snatched up the gun and the bottle of RescueBubble.
Zac hoped that the RescueBubble worked a bit like the bubble blowers he’d had as a kid. He poured the RescueBubble liquid into a hole on the top of the gun and aimed it at the people. He squeezed the trigger.
Just as he thought! A great big bubble formed. It shot towards the couple, who were thrashing about in the sea. The man looked like he was about to drown. The bubble drifted down and swallowed up the people. Instantly, the bubble hardened.
A fireball shot hundreds of metres into the air. The plane exploded!
But inside their giant rescue bubble, both the passengers were safe.
The force of the explosion sent the bubble flying towards Zac, who was hanging out of the hatch on top of the amphibious submersible. Expertly, he caught the bubble.
Zac switched his SpyPad to laser mode and a bright red beam shot out. With one swift movement, Zac sliced the bubble open and freed the people inside. With all his strength, he dragged the man and woman through the hatch and into the amphibious submersible.
‘You saved our lives!’ said the man, panting. ‘And we don’t even know who you are.’
‘I’m Power. Zac Power,’ said Zac, putting out his hand.
CHAPTER FIVE
‘Angela Blythe-Jones,’ said the woman. ‘And this is my husband, Charles.’
‘We were flying from our country estate to our beach estate,’ said Angela.
‘And doing some squid-spotting on the way,’ said Charles. ‘It’s a little hobby of ours. There are quite a few giant squid in the area, you see.’
Angela looked at the wrecked, burning plane. ‘Next time we go squid-spotting, we’ll charter a Learjet,’ she said.
In all his time as a spy, Zac had never met anyone like the Blythe-Joneses. They must be millionaires.
Or maybe even billionaires!
‘How can we repay you for saving us?’ asked Angela, her huge diamond ring catching the light as she smoothed her shiny blonde hair.
‘You don’t need to repay me,’ said Zac.
All the same, he wondered what kind of awesome present the Blythe-Joneses might give him.
A dune buggy? A trip into outer space? A personal robot?
Zac was too busy thinking to notice Charles taking something out of his pocket and writing on it.
‘At least let us take a photograph of us all together,’ said Charles. He took his top-of-the-range digital camera from its waterproof case.
Zac posed as the Blythe-Joneses stood around him. Charles slipped something into Zac’s pocket as they smiled for the camera. Zac didn’t notice.
Then Zac got his SpyPad out and switched it to Digital Camera mode.
‘Take one on mine?’ he said, handing the SpyPad to Charles.
Charles snapped away. ‘I should send these into the newspaper,’ he said. ‘You’ll be a hero, Zac.’
A hero!
The words rang in Zac’s ears. He’d always hoped that one day he’d be famous for his spying exploits. But he couldn’t allow his photograph to be published. He’d never be able to go under cover again.
‘Thanks, Mr Blythe-Jones, but I can’t,’ Zac said. Really, he wanted to say the opposite.
Zac caught sight of the clock in the dashboard.
The rescue operation had taken hours!
‘I should drop you off somewhere. You need to rest,’ said Zac. And I need to find the Sea Devil in a hurry, he thought to himself.
Zac scanned his GPS navigation screen for the nearest populated land. There was an Eden Island nearby. Zac punched in the coordinates.
Half an hour later, Zac sighted land through the periscope. He headed for shore.
‘Come in, Eden Island,’ said Zac into the radio. ‘Requesting permission to land.’
The radio crackled. ‘State your business. Over.’
How rude! The Eden Island Coast Guard must be very overworked.
‘Some passengers of mine need to come ashore,’ said Zac. ‘There’s been a plane crash. Over.’
‘I read you,’ came the response, even less friendly than before. ‘You are cleared to land, but on the north side of the island only.’
‘Roger that,’ said Zac, puzzled.
Why wasn’t he allowed to land anywhere but on the north side? There was something very suspicious going on. But Eden Island was so close now. He had to drop off the Blythe-Joneses and get on with the mission.
Zac lowered the wheels on the bottom of the amphibious submersible. He turned the hydraulic steering column sharply. The amphibious submersible burst through the surface of the water. The next second, Zac was driving up the beach!
Straight away, a man ran over to them. He was dressed in a parka with a large Eden Island crest on the back.
‘Are these the people from the plane crash?’ the man asked Zac, narrowing his eyes and looking the Blythe-Joneses up and down.
Zac nodded.
‘This way,’ snapped the official. ‘There are showers and hot soup waiting for you,’ he went on, herding the couple away.
‘And you,’ he said, turning to Zac. ‘I suggest you be on your way. But don’t go near the south side of the island, will you?’
Out of the corner of his eye, Zac noticed the huge, craggy mountain towering over the island.
His spy senses were tingling.
‘I swear I won’t go anywhere near it,’ he said.
He waved a casual goodbye to the Blythe-Joneses with his left hand. His right hand was in his pocket, fingers firmly crossed.
CHAPTER SIX
Zac raced back to the amphibious submersible. He had a hunch about Eden Island. Sure, it was most likely that Marine Tech’s sub testing station was in very deep water. But that craggy island was so big, it could easily hide an entire submarine.
What if Marine Tech were building their subs on Eden Island, then towing them out to deeper water and testing them there?
Following this hunch would be risky. He was a long way off mission already, and stopping to check out Eden Island would use up even more time. All the same, Zac was a top spy. And taking risks is what top spies do.
Zac was going to investigate Eden Island!
Back in the amphibious submersible, Zac steered down beneath the water. He set a course for half a kilometre from the spot he’d dropped the Blythe-Joneses.
A hundred metres away from shore, Zac killed his engines. He needed to be as quiet as possible.
Silently, he landed and crept up the south side of the island. He looked around. It was nearly dark, and no-one had seen him. Or, at least he didn’t think they had.
Just ahead of him, the mountain rose steeply out of the sand. He tapped his belt. Yes, there was his new electronic grappling hook, called the AutoHook. He leant back and pressed the ‘release’ button. The AutoHook shot out high above his head.
Zac heard a clunk as the grappling hook caught on a rock. He gave the rope a tug. The AutoHook held tight.
He hit the ‘winch’ button. Instantly, he was pulled at top speed through the air towards the hook. When he reached the hook, he held onto the rock as he shot it out high above his head again.
Zac kept doing this all the way to the top of the mountain.
At last, Zac was at the top. He switched his SpyPad to telescopic night-vision. He could see hundreds of metres ahead now, even though it was dark.
He twiddled the focus knob, trying to get the sharpest
possible image.
Then he heard it…
A twig snapping!
Zac spun around. Maybe the official had seen him land on the beach, and had followed him up the mountain.
Yes, there was that sound again. But this time, it was followed by the soft pitter-patter of an animal’s paws.
Sweat beaded on Zac’s forehead. He wiped it away. It’s only a fox.
Zac turned his attention back to his SpyPad. The image was crisp now. Time to check out what was really hidden on the south side of Eden Island.
It was unbelievable!
Through the SpyPad’s powerful telescope, Zac saw people parading up and down the beach. There was no sign of the Sea Devil. In fact, it looked more like there was a party going on. Everyone was holding cocktails and dancing.
He looked closer.
There was something a bit weird about these people…
Zac’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. They were all in the nude!
Zac’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. The south side of Eden Island was a nudist resort! That was why the official didn’t want anyone dropping in.
He might have scaled the mountain quickly, but Zac climbed down it even faster.
These people were as old as his mum and dad. And they were nude! It was just too gross to think about.
In a flash, Zac was back in the amphibious submersible. He sped out to sea. What kind of spy was he when his hunches were so very, very wrong? The clock on the dashboard read 12.34am.
He’d wasted so much time!
CHAPTER SEVEN
Zac settled down in the driver’s seat, concentrating hard. No matter how low he felt, he had to get on with the mission. Maybe persistence was really the key to being a top spy.
He re-entered the coordinates for GIB’s Safe Talker.
At last, he was on the right track.
All of a sudden –
The amphibious submersible had hit something, and it was big!
The next moment, the whole sub began rocking up and down violently.
What on earth is happening? wondered Zac.
Zac rushed to the porthole on the right-hand side of the amphibious submersible. He looked out.
Yeuch! What are those things?
Through the window, Zac could see thick, black things that were covered with massive round suckers that opened and closed. Zac counted ten in all.
Ten…
Suddenly, Zac had it.
Squids had ten tentacles. The Blythe-Joneses had said there were giant squids in the West Sea. Zac was certain. A giant squid was attacking him!
Up and down, up and down.The amphibious submersible rocked harder than ever!
The squid was so big, it could play with the amphibious submersible like a bath toy. Zac knew he had to free himself, and fast.The submersible might be snapped in half!
He raced to the pilot’s seat. He turned the speed dial up as far as it would go. The cockpit lurched as the submersible tried to leap forward. But the squid wouldn’t let go.
Angrier than ever, it shook the amphibious submersible again.
Zac flew out of his seat.
The squid had turned the amphibious submersible upside-down! Zac went flying all the way across the cockpit.
Like a bullet, Zac shot towards the hard metal wall.
Zac slammed into the wall, head first. The cabin went blurry. He was seeing double! Blood flowed from a cut on his head. He stood up. Then, like a bad guy in a computer game, he slumped to the floor.
Zac was out cold.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Zac opened one eye. There was a deep cut just above it, and a huge, painful lump on his head. He was lying on the ground, stiff and cold. He checked his watch.
How long had he been lying on the ground? He couldn’t remember.
He looked around. Nothing around him looked familiar. Where was he?
It looked like he was in some kind of mini-submarine, drifting all by itself somewhere in the middle of the sea. But why would a kid his age be all by himself in a mini-sub?
Zac thought hard for a moment. Who was he? What was his name? He realised he had absolutely no idea.
Zac had totally lost his memory!
It was the weirdest feeling, not even knowing your own name. Frantically, Zac searched the amphibious submersible for clues.
There was a jacket slung over the back of the pilot’s seat. He tried it on. It was his size! It must belong to him.
Zac looked through the pockets. In the left-hand pocket, there was an envelope. Zac tore it open.
It was stuffed with money!
Thousands of dollars.
On the front were the words, ‘To Zac. You’ll always be a son to us. With love and thanks from the Blythe-Joneses.’
His name must be Zac!
Zac Blythe-Jones.
It seemed right. Who else would give you an envelope of money except your own parents? And judging by the size of the present, his parents must be very rich. Perhaps the mini-submarine was some kind of very cool toy.
Just the sort of thing a millionaire’s son would have, Zac thought.
Zac searched the other pocket of his jacket. There he found a strange object that looked a bit like a pocket calculator, only with a much larger screen.
‘SpyPad’, he read on the front.
Some kind of expensive game or digital camera, Zac thought.
He flicked it on.
A photograph popped up. Zac saw himself standing next to a smiling man and woman. His parents!
True, he had brown hair and his mum and dad were blond. But then again, not all families look alike.
Just then, Zac heard a strange, mournful sound.
It was so loud Zac thought his ears might burst. He raced to a porthole to see what had made the sound.
There, right next to him, was the most awesome, high-tech submarine ever.
It was shiny black and bullet-shaped. There was a fancy winged keel underneath. On the front were 20 torpedo launchers. On top, Zac saw two very large surface-to-air missiles.
It must be navy submarine sent especially to rescue him! That must be the kind of thing that happens when your parents are millionaires.
The radio on board crackled to life.
‘This is Captain Stewart aboard the Sea Devil. Do you read me, over?’
Zac snatched up the radio.
‘Yes, I read you! This is Zac Blythe-Jones. I was out for a joyride in my mini-submarine here, but I’ve injured myself. Can you take me home?’
‘You say your name’s Zac Blythe-Jones?
Over,’ came the reply.
‘Uh huh,’ said Zac. ‘I’m a millionaire’s son.’
There was a pause. Zac started wondering if his radio worked.
‘Come aboard then,’ finally came the voice from the radio. ‘Steer your submersible towards the rear of the Sea Devil and drive into the loading bay.’
Even as the voice said this, a large hatch was opening round the back of the impressive black submarine.
Zac leapt into the pilot’s seat. He stared at the controls for a second. He wasn’t sure exactly how, but somehow he remembered how to work the cool little mini-sub. Maybe he was getting his memory back, even just a little bit.
Zac backed into the Sea Devil’s loading bay easily. The hatch door closed behind him. He was in an airlock. Silently, an interior door slid open. It must lead right into the centre of the Sea Devil. He wondered if Captain Stewart could let him have a look around.
Probably, thought Zac. She seems friendly.
‘Zac Blythe-Jones,’ boomed a voice over the submarine’s PA system. ‘Proceed immediately to the galley.’
The galley? Wasn’t that a ship’s kitchen?
Excellent. He was just in time for breakfast.
CHAPTER NINE
The galley was full of people in boiler suits and diving gear eating breakfast. They all had the same thing written across their backs.
Marine Tech.
S
trange. Zac had never heard of it.
A woman in a suit with Marine Tech stitched on the pocket met Zac at the door.
‘I’m Captain Stewart,’ she said, sounding mean and friendly all at the same time.‘How about a bowl of Chocmallow Puffs?’
She showed Zac to a seat.
‘So, you’re a millionaire’s son,’ said Captain Stewart, casually.
‘Yup,’ said Zac, through mouthfuls of cereal.
‘Prove it,’ said Captain Stewart.
Zac dug in his jacket pocket for the envelope.
‘Here, look. My mum and dad gave me all this money. And that was just today!’ said Zac.
Captain Stewart’s eyes widened. She got up and walked over to a man who was hovering nearby.
‘Don’t think it’s him,’ she whispered to the man.
‘The kid we’ve got to watch out for is called Power, not Blythe-Jones,’ said the man. ‘Should I get HQ to email us a photo of the Power kid, just to make sure?’
‘The test dive must go off without a hitch,’ Captain Stewart said sourly. ‘Do whatever it takes.’
The man nodded and disappeared through a door. Zac caught a glimpse of the office that lay beyond.
Just then, a loud siren went off.
Everyone around him got up and rushed out the door. Zac stood up too.Was he supposed to be going somewhere?
Within seconds, the room was empty except for Zac and Captain Stewart.
‘No! Stay where you are, you little… rascal,’ she finished quickly.
The galley door opened. Someone in a diving suit rushed in.
‘Captain Stewart? There’s a problem with one of the dive mechanisms. You’d better come.’
The woman got up. ‘Don’t you move, Zac,’ she said, before rushing away.
Zac had a hunch.
Something wasn’t right about Captain Stewart. Why didn’t she believe he was who he said he was? And who was emailing his photograph?
Maybe these Marine Tech people were trying to kidnap him for his parents’ money. He needed to get a look at that email!