by Jonny Zucker
And then Max’s gaze fell on the ground. He spotted a tiny crab with very short human legs and a gold crown resting on his head.
Surely this little critter isn’t the all-powerful king!
For a creature so small, King Flago had an impressively loud voice. “I apologize for the actions of my police force, young man.” King Flago advanced to Max’s side and looked up at him. “They do a marvelous job down here. But they can get … how shall I put this … a bit over excited. This Human boy means no harm,” he declared. He gazed around at the Shark Corps. They all still had their heads bowed.
“Our loyalties are to you, oh mighty King,” whispered Captain Dreydor.
“Our loyalties are to you, oh mighty King,” chorused the others.
“Excellent,” smiled King Flago. “But you can leave him in my care now.”
Dreydor lifted his head. “Whatever you command,” he stated.
‘Yes,” chimed the others. “Whatever you com—”
“STOP REPEATING EVERYTHING I SAY!” roared Dreydor.
“Sorry, boss,” a few of them muttered.
King Flago rolled his eyes. “You will accompany me to my palace,” he said to Max.
Max took a deep breath. He was sure that time was running out. But faced with a choice between the king and the Shark Corps, he’d take the king any day.
“Of course, King Flago,” Max nodded. He grinned at Dreydor. “Nice to have met you.”
Dreydor snarled but said nothing.
King Flago strode off toward the end of the street. He had to go very slowly because of his size. He headed around the corner to where a tiny black stretch limo was parked.
“I would invite you in for a ride,” said the king, “but I think there would be a passenger size issue. However, my palace is big enough to house even the largest of beings. It isn’t far.”
A door slid open. Flago disappeared inside the limo. Its engine sprang to life, and it pulled away. Max walked behind. He looked over his shoulder. Dreydor and his band of thugs were staring furiously at him.
The limo turned a corner and pulled up in front of a massive gold palace. The limo door opened and the king emerged. Flago walked briskly across a gravel concourse. Max followed at the king’s side and took a quick peek behind him. There was no sign of the Shark Corps. For the moment, at least.
“We’ll go straight to the banquet room,” said the king.
I need to get back to the Crystal. But a few minutes in here should be OK. And maybe Flago will fill me in on Ray Day.
Max and the king marched inside the building and across a huge red-carpeted lobby. They went down a long corridor, up a set of sweeping stairs, and through a set of double doors.
Max stopped for a second on entering the Royal Banquet Suite. It was majorly impressive. The Suite was as good as any of the pictures he’d seen of rooms in Buckingham Palace. A huge table was set with gleaming silver cutlery and covered with a white linen tablecloth.
“I hope this will be comfortable enough for you,” declared the king.
“Yeah … great,” agreed Max.
King Flago seated himself on a minuscule marble throne. Max sat down on a normal-sized gold dining chair. A large group of servant Slithers with human heads and trout bottom halves swept into the room. They carried an array of covered silver dishes. The servants bowed low to Flago as they deposited the trays on the table.
Wow, what a feast! There must be fifty dishes here!
Max’s eyes bulged. And his stomach rumbled. A quick bite to eat to give him energy for the rest of his mission would be a good idea …
King Flago nodded at the servants. They glided out of the room as silently and smoothly as they had entered.
“Please,” said the king with a nod, “try as many as you like.”
Max pulled off the lid of the silver tray nearest him. It revealed a small plate of seaweed fritters.
OK, OK. Not a great first choice. I’ll be luckier with my second choice.
Max pried off a second lid and discovered … seaweed cakes. The third revealed … seaweed kebabs. He pulled off lid after lid. Max’s expectations faded away, as did his appetite. Every single dish offered a different type
of seaweed.
“Disappointing, isn’t it?” remarked King Flago. He fixed two very beady eyes on Max. “Unfortunately, that’s all we have left down here,” he explained. “The years of plenty are long gone.”
“Your diet does seem a bit … limited,” agreed Max.
“And it’s not only the food,” sighed the king. “It’s all of our resources. We’ve run dry. Oh, the irony!”
Suddenly Max understood. This must be the Slithers’ motivation for an assault on the earth above. They have no resources left, so they need to steal more. And the only way they can think of doing this is to flood the place using the Tasmine Crystal and the Azulin Filter. They want to drown humankind. Then they can step in and bag up the necessary resources! Bingo!
“Anyway,” said the king, “tell me all about you. How did you get down here? How did you find out about us? I’m fascinated.”
Max shuffled uncomfortably in his seat and eyed the room’s only exit. I need to make a move, and soon.
“I’ve always loved diving,” he lied. “This time I thought I’d go much deeper than usual.”
“But you knew we existed?”
“No,” answered Max. He shook his head and glanced at the exit again. “I just … chanced on it. You know, a lucky break.”
“And who sent you?” inquired King Flago with a smiling nod of encouragement.
“No one,” lied Max again. “I mean, no one official. I was on a
diving trip with my family.”
The king looked puzzled. “But you have no diving gear!”
“It’s been lovely talking to you,” said Max. He stood up quickly.
Metal clamps sprang out from under Max’s chair and wrapped themselves around his wrists and ankles. The chair tilted backward. Max found himself lying flat on his back, his wrists and ankles tightly bound.
“I gave you a chance to speak the truth, Human boy,” yelled King Flago. He hopped onto Max’s chest and pointed a claw at him. “But you told me lies!”
Max flicked his wrists. The clamps held tight. “I’m telling you the truth,” he protested.
“No you are NOT!” shrieked King Flago. “I realized that trouble was afoot as soon as I heard there was an earth intruder down here. The coincidence is too great to believe!”
“Coincidence?” asked Max.
“Don’t play the innocent with me!” snapped the king. “Ray Day has arrived. And you just happen to chance upon us? I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous! The waters will be rising shortly. Our great mission will be under way!”
The waters will be rising shortly! I was right! The Slithers are going to flood Earth!
“Hang on a minute,” cut in Max. “Ray Day is today?”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t know,” snarled the king. “You’ve seen the crowds. You’ve seen the Tasmine Crystal. You’ve even managed to get inside our laboratory!”
“OK. OK, I didn’t chance on your city,” said Max. “I was sent here to explore. But I swear I didn’t know anything about Ray and his famous Day.”
The king leaned forward. “You are not a very convincing liar!” he declared. “Making out that you think Ray is a creature! You think you’re being clever don’t you? Think you can fool the Mighty King Flago!”
Max’s brain had gone into overdrive. Ray isn’t a creature? What have I missed? If it doesn’t refer to a creature, what is it?
“Hang on a second,” said Max. He tried to make sense of all of these new facts. “If you hate me so much, why didn’t you just let the Shark Corps eat me?”
“And say goodbye to potentially crucial information?” sneered the king. “Not a chance! We’re all ready down here. But you may have vital news about what’s happening above the surface. You know whether or not our Human
‘friends’ are expecting our calling card.”
“I told you,” said Max firmly. “Neither I nor any other humans are expecting anything. We didn’t even know you existed.”
Max twisted his wrists and ankles under the metal clamps.
“Is that why you sent that ship and those divers here recently?” demanded the king.
Max recalled the DFEA diving team who’d been attacked.
“We spotted them crawling all over the island,” said the king darkly. “When they dived in, we had to stop them. It was too risky. They might have found us and spoiled everything. So we sent them packing. We hoped we’d heard the last of any reckless Human explorers. And then you show up.”
Why are the Slithers so concerned about the DFEA finding something on Decca Island? Think, Max, think!
“Look,” said Max, “I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about. So just let me go. I won’t trouble you again and then—”
“Let you go?” roared the king with an evil glint in his eyes. “Oh no, no, no, no! I will get information out of you. If it’s the last thing you do.”
Max looked up at the weedy little crab man. Flago could pinch him a bit. But that would hardly hurt. It certainly wouldn’t make him spill any beans on the DFEA and his mission.
Max felt reassured by this. Then Flago looked to the door and shouted, “Poison 8. I want you in here, NOW!”
Max gulped nervously. Poison 8? That doesn’t sound like the name of a sweet and gentle creature who is going to tickle the information out of me.
Seconds later he heard a squelching sound. A giant monster slunk into the room. Its top half was squidlike, with eight long, blue tentacles. Each tentacle ended in a glowing orange tip. Its bottom half was human and wearing combat trousers and army boots.
“Allow me to introduce Poison 8,” grinned King Flago. “See the orange points at the ends of his tentacles? These sacs are filled with some of the most powerful poison ever. Just one touch will send tremors of agony through your body. But it won’t kill you. My beautiful pet can inflict endless pain on his victims. As you can imagine, he is very skilled at loosening people’s tongues.”
Poison 8 glared at Max. He let out a large burp. “I’m ready, Your Majesty,” he announced. “Just give me the word.”
“Soon I will let you loose on him,” cried the king. “But first, a few words of instruction.”
The king beckoned to Poison 8. The two of them walked to the far side of the room and started whispering. Max got straight to work. His all-time hero was Harry Houdini. Houdini was the world’s greatest escapologist. He had specialized in handcuff escapes. Max had studied his methods in great detail. Max had pushed his hands and feet toward the clamps when they had snapped down on him. That way, the clamps had secured themselves on his forearms and shins instead. Max kept one eye on the huddled conversation in the corner. He pulled his wrists and ankles toward him. He silently wriggled out of the clamps.
He stared at Poison 8’s tentacles. Neutralizing their poisonous threat would be tricky. Flago turned and stared at Max. “I suggest you talk quickly,” he snapped. “That way you will avoid a marathon of pain!”
And with that, the tiny crab king bustled out of the room. Max gulped. Poison 8 would see that Max was free from the clamps if he took even the quickest look.
I have to keep his eyes on mine.
“Poison 8,” said Max. He stared deep into the squid man’s eyes. “Perhaps we could come to some sort of arrangement?”
Poison 8 belched. “I shouldn’t have had those seaweed burgers,” he muttered.
“Poison 8, your tentacles really are impressive.”
“Don’t try to flatter me,” replied Poison 8. He moved closer. He did seem to like the compliment, though. “The Mighty King Flago has told me what he needs from you. I will follow his commands.”
“Sure,” smiled Max. “I understand. But there is something you ought to know about the Mighty King Flago. He told me a couple of mean things about you.”
“I don’t believe you,” replied the giant squid. But he was beginning to look confused.
It was the break Max needed. He leaped off the chair. With incredible speed, he grabbed one of Poison 8’s tentacles just above the orange tip. In a maze of swirling arm movements, he tied the tentacle up with the seven others. Max stood back to admire his handiwork.
Poison 8 tried to scream. But all that came out was a tiny whimper.
“Hopefully I won’t be seeing you around,” said Max. He hurried across the room to the door. “But if I see the king, I’ll send him your kindest regards.”
Max sped out into the corridor. He saw a servant up ahead. She turned left and disappeared through a doorway. Max set off and was thankful that he’d memorized the way he’d come in. He made it back to the stairs leading down to the lobby without seeing anyone. Two servants were standing in the lobby entrance. They were deep in conversation.
Max looked around. He spotted a large vase of pink flowers. He grabbed it and threw it over the railing to the far side of the lobby. Max ducked out of sight. The vase crashed onto the red carpet, sending shards of glass and pink flowers everywhere. The servants spun around. They saw no one and hurried over to clean up the mess. Max ran down the stairs. He scurried across the lobby and out of the palace.
The street outside was chaotic. There were alarms sounding. Slithers were running in every direction. A huge searchlight beamed out over the whole of Aquatropolis to hunt him down. So much for being undercover!
As Max watched the light, he suddenly realized something.
That’s it! Ray Day must refer to a ray of LIGHT. That’s why the Slithers were worried about humans snooping around Decca Island. Because of its lighthouse! They must have used it in the initial flooding experiment. That means the Tasmine Crystal and Azulin Filter must be on their way there now. I must hurry!
His thoughts were just going into overdrive. Then he heard a deafening roar.
“SEIZE HIM!”
Max spun around. He was horrified to see the Shark Corps and Dreydor a short way down the street. And this time they had wheels. Each of them was on a huge silver motorbike. They were gunning straight for him. Dreydor was at the head of the pack.
Dreydor’s bike was almost upon him when Max dived to the side. The bike swerved violently and threw Dreydor into the middle of the road. He thudded to the ground. Dreydor’s bike crashed onto the road beside him.
Max didn’t waste a second. He ran over and picked up the bike. Max leaped onto it. He twisted the throttle to activate the jet propulsion. The bike lunged forward. Max performed an unplanned but spectacular wheelie. He looked up to see a row of sharks. They revved their engines and snarled in fury.
The chase was on!
Max urged the bike forward. He made a beeline for the surface. Beneath the roar of the bike’s engine he could hear the spluttering roars of the engines behind him. Max took a quick look over his shoulder. He had about twenty meters on them.
He had to make it to the surface and stop their Tasmine Crystal plan, whatever it was. Up and up through the water he sped. Max was relieved to see that he was keeping his lead. He kept on giving the bike nudges and making turns to try to shove the Shark Corps off his tail. They were rock steady in their pursuit. They meant business.
Max rode higher, and sights of fish and plant life rushed past him. He sped past a giant yellow-and-red coral and a school of silver fish.
I must be getting near to the surface.
But there was still no sign of the waterline. Then Max heard an engine roar unlike the others. This one sounded like a massive speedboat. Max looked back. His heart leaped with fear. It was Dreydor! This time he was riding an enormous orange-and-silver quad bike. It was much more powerful and speedy than the Shark Corps’s bikes. And Dreydor was catching up to Max.
Max hit the throttle again. His bike lunged forward, but it made no difference. Dreydor was still closing the gap. By the look on his face, he hadn’t quit
e forgiven Max for not becoming a tasty snack.
Max weaved left and right. He darted here and there, trying to shake off Dreydor. But he was no match for the captain’s high-speed bike. He felt a sickening thud as the front of Dreydor’s bike nudged the back of his …
NO!
Max’s bike spun and nearly threw him off. As he righted himself, Dreydor drew up beside him. There was a huge grin plastered across his face. Max panicked and kicked out. His leg smashed against the side of the captain’s bike. But it had as much effect as a butterfly wing. Dreydor howled with laughter, showing his terrifying set of teeth.
Come on, come on. Think of a plan or you’ll be fish food!
Max suddenly spotted a large rock formation up ahead. He gunned the throttle and rode straight toward it. At the last minute, he turned his bike to the right. He missed the rocks by millimeters. The rocks took Dreydor by surprise. But instead of smashing into them, he veered to the other side.
Max emerged at the far end of the rocks. Dreydor appeared on the other side. Dreydor grinned with the scent of victory. Max racked his brains. What would Houdini do in a situation like this? It was a stupid question. Houdini had never been on an underwater motorbike being chased by a gruesome half-shark, half-human madman.
Max began to despair. Then he looked up and spotted it. The surface! It was still some way off. But he was getting close. Max was full of excitement and relief. He took his eye off Dreydor for a couple of seconds. This left him open to attack. Dreydor reached out and grabbed Max’s right shoulder. Max pulled to the left. His bike skimmed off in the other direction. Max broke away from Dreydor’s grasp. But as he did so he heard a strange ripping sound.
He looked down at his shoulder. To his horror, he saw a large tear in his Second Skin Suit. Max had just started to assess the full extent of the damage when water suddenly gushed into his nose.
Disaster! The rip had broken the breathing mechanism of the Suit. He had no oxygen! Immediately he closed his mouth and nose. He swallowed a fair amount of water in the process. In the madness of the moment, Dreydor struck again. He leaped off his bike and grabbed Max by the throat. A thin smile appeared on his face.
