Dive! Dive!” Neil yelled. The submarine captain threw the engines into full gear just as Neil slammed the hatch shut. Neil could hear the ping of metal ninja stars ricocheting off the hull. The submarine eased out of the yacht’s hold and into open water.
They’d gotten inside just in time. As Neil ran to use the periscope, he replayed the last few minutes in his head. What the heck happened? he thought.
Nori had begrudgingly escorted Neil down to the interior boat launch. He’d called for someone to come pilot the sub.
“You have one hour,” Nori said. “If you’re not done by then, the captain has orders to shoot you out of the ballast holes. You can try swimming to safety from wherever you happen to be at that moment, and I hope it’s at the bottom of the sea with your cousin!”
Nori had given another wave and the giant doors of the yacht’s hull had begun to swing open on their enormous hinges, letting in the sea breeze.
Neil had smelled cherry blossoms, and then everything had gone crazy.
Another ship was floating just outside the yacht with a band of people in ninja outfits standing on the deck. They stormed into the hull. Neil had noticed with shock that they seemed to actually be walking on the water and jumping from ship to ship. “How can they do that?” Neil said, but his curiosity was quickly replaced by panic as a ninja star lodged into the wooden pier by his right foot.
The captain had already climbed into the submarine and was reaching up to close the hatch. Neil rushed over and angled himself to climb in. The captain tried to pull it closed. Neil had to yank with all his might to keep him from succeeding.
There was a loud whooshing noise and a series of small arrows fell all around them. Neil’s baggy chef’s coat was nicked and torn but the arrowheads missed his skin. He could smell the poison. It was made from the liver of the puffer fish. It was probably just enough to knock you out, but get hit by a half dozen and you were done for.
Neil opened the hatch and started down the ladder. The captain had fallen down the hatchway, an arrow lodged in his arm. He got up and shook his head and then, seeing that Neil was blocking his exit, he rushed to the bridge and started the engine.
More arrows flew at the sub. Neil’s only thought was escape and that’s when he’d yelled, “Dive! Dive!”
Neil hadn’t realized how large the sub was inside. It was like Dr. Who’s TARDIS. He passed through sleeping quarters, a dining room, and a lounge with a pool table bolted to the floor, before finally arriving in the cockpit. The sub was almost free of the yacht now and the front window just looked out on open water.
Neil found the periscope and thrust it up. He held the arms and looked into the viewfinder, turning it to face the inside of Nori’s boat.
“Ahh!” Neil yelped, falling backward in shock. There was a face!
He got back up and cautiously leaned his face toward the lens.
It was Koko. She was mouthing something into the lens. It looked to Neil like I will get you, or something equally threatening, judging by the look on her face. Then the submarine began to dive underwater. Neil watched as Koko jumped off the top of the sub. Then the sub submerged and all Neil could see was water and what Neil was sure were Nori’s sharks, circling the open doors to the harbor.
Out of the frying pan, Neil thought.
The sub kept diving. Neil turned to tell the captain the coast was clear, but the captain was now slumped over the control panel.
And into the fire. Neil ran to the captain and tried to shake him. He wasn’t dead but he was so drugged by the fugu toxins that he was practically in a coma. His breaths were deep and slow. Neil was going to have to learn to drive the sub and in a hurry. It was heading straight for the bottom.
A crash course, Larry would have called it.
Neil carefully laid the captain down on the floor where he began to slide toward the nose of the cockpit. Neil stared at the array of dials and buttons, and decided to ignore them. He spun the wheel and pulled it back.
The sub groaned but leveled out. “Whew,” Neil said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. The sub was still going at top speed. He pulled and pushed the wheel and even tried spinning it from side to side. Each effort sent the sub lurching and reeling but none of them slowed it down. Neil could see fish scrambling to get out of the way of the careening vessel. Neil suspected he’d be heading for something a lot harder than a tuna, like the shoreline, and smashing into that was not going to end well.
Neil started pushing random buttons, and succeeded in turning off the lights, making a giant TV screen appear at the back of the room, and even lowering a glittering disco ball with the song “I Will Survive” blaring away over the loudspeakers.
“Creepy,” Neil said and quickly retracted the ball and muted the music.
The sub raced on. “Okay, think, chef, think.” Nori said the sub hadn’t been out in months. For one thing, that eliminated the sub as the boat that had attacked Larry and Hiro.
It also meant that the captain was the first person to touch any controls in a long time. Neil leaned over and sniffed the captain’s fingers. He’d eaten tuna for lunch!
Neil ran to the control board and began sniffing. At the very top, right next to the switch for the disco ball, was a small latch. The cover smelled like tuna! Neil flipped it open and inside was a tiny wheel. He spun it clockwise and the ship lurched ahead even faster. “Other way, idiot!” he yelled, twirling the knob counterclockwise. The sub began to slow and slow. Within a minute it was gliding along with the fish. Neil slumped to the floor and sighed. “Now to find everybody else and then find the treasure.”
Neil pulled back on the steering wheel and the sub slowly rose to the surface. He flicked the latch again and pushed the red button in the middle of the wheel. As he’d expected, the sub engine stopped. Neil ran to the ladder and quickly climbed it and unlocked the hatch. Neil felt the sun on his face and smiled. He pulled out his phone and dialed Jones.
“I’m on the surface. Come meet me,” Neil said.
“Um, try turning around,” Jones said. Neil turned and gave a start. Nakamura, Jones, Isabella, and Larry were sitting in a boat just off to the side of the floating sub. They’d arranged to meet somewhere in the water, but Neil was completely surprised at how close they were.
“Well, that was lucky.” Neil smiled.
“Nice driving, leadfoot,” Larry said. “You almost crashed into us! We thought you were Koko and her buddies trying to run us over.”
“Yeah, I had some steering . . . difficulties. And as for Koko, she’ll be here soon enough, if Nori’s gang don’t get her first. Let’s move.”
Jones anchored their fishing boat and they all clambered into the sub. Jones tied up the sub captain, as a precaution, and Nakamura and Larry carried him back to the sleeping quarters.
“It’s a Ballast 2300,” Jones said, spying the control panel. “An idiot could drive one of these.”
“Luckily one was!” Larry called.
“Thanks,” Neil said. He closed the hatch, spinning the wheel to seal it tight. “All clear,” he called.
Jones reached over and plugged the coordinates into some computer screen that Neil assumed was the sub’s GPS, and then they were back underwater and moving fast.
Nakamura joined Jones at the front window. He seemed to be enjoying the underwater view of his hometown.
“Hey, is there a coffee machine on this tub?” Larry called, rummaging around in the back of the sub. “Tea! Is everything here tea?”
Neil and Isabella took a seat at the back of the bridge.
“I take it that you won today,” Isabella said.
“Yes. It was horrible. I meant it when I said I don’t want to duel anymore.”
“I am not happy you were in a duel, but I was happy to see this sub.” Isabella smiled.
“It’s not any consolation, but I might have saved another chef’s life.”
“The chef whose life you put in danger by agreeing to the duel in the first place?”
“Um, yeah. When you put it that way, it doesn’t sound so good.”
“No. It doesn’t.”
“Although I don’t think he was enjoying life as Nori’s chef much. And I was a little too close to joining him.” Neil suddenly felt absolutely drained. He leaned against Isabella’s shoulder. She stroked his cheek and he smiled, then dozed.
About five minutes later Neil awoke with a start. Swirling dots of light were dancing before his eyes. Had he been poisoned by the arrows? Then “I Will Survive” blared over the ship’s speakers.
“Larry, get away from that control panel!” Nakamura yelled.
“But that’s awesome!” Larry was saying.
“Fine, fine, let’s do a boring treasure hunt,” he said, and the ball and music disappeared.
“We’re here,” Jones said. Neil felt the sub slow and Jones started to steer in circles. It was getting darker and Neil could see that they were heading down.