ithout hesitating, Katana ditched the jetpack midair and plunged headfirst into the ocean. She was glad that years of swimming and surfing back home had prepared her for this.

The rain was relentless. Hawkgirl caught the jetpack before it hit the water and secured it around her waist. Then she readied a rescue rope and harness and got into position.

Over and over, Katana dived under the water in search of Parasite. At first the cold sea seemed murky, but soon her eyes adjusted. Above the surface the storm was unrelenting; however, there was a calm under the waves. The serene silence was at odds with the tumult each time Katana shot up and broke through to the surface to catch her breath.

“Do you have him?” Hawkgirl would call out above the thunder.

Katana just shook her head.

She dived deeper and deeper. She was glad that not being too far from the coast, the water was not as deep as it might have been farther out. At one point Katana finally touched the bottom of the ocean. The sand was soft, and she thought she saw a Ghost Crab scampering to safety under a colorful coral reef.

But where was Parasite?

On her fourth dive down, Katana heard a confusing sound wafting toward her. It was coming from a conch shell floating peacefully past. She reached for it and rose from the waves to listen.

These Samurai swords

Entrusted to Katana

Prepare for battle.

What battle? Katana wondered. The battle to save Parasite?

As she listened to it again, she thought it said, “Over there, I see him over there!”

The familiar voice knocked Katana back to her senses. It wasn’t the conch shell speaking—it was Hawkgirl. She was pointing toward the bobbing purple head of Parasite, who was waving frantically. Katana tucked the shell into her pocket and with strong determined strokes swam to the janitor just as he went under. When he didn’t reappear, Katana took a deep breath and dived down for a final time.

Parasite looked unusually calm. Katana swam over to him and grabbed his hand. She motioned for him to follow her and swim to safety. He shook his head. That was when she realized…Parasite couldn’t swim!

Katana tightened her grip on the panicked janitor, who now began thrashing. She held him tight and then, using all her strength, kicked upward. Crashing to the surface, both gasped as they ravenously inhaled the air. The rain continued to pound, but at least they could breathe. Hawkgirl tossed the rope down to Katana, who secured it around Parasite’s waist and then gave her partner a thumbs-up.

Though the jetpack was drenched, it still worked. Thank you, Batgirl, Katana thought as they flew out of the storm and back to Super Hero High with Parasite in tow.

“Don’t tell anyone,” Parasite said as they passed back over the mountains. Though he didn’t elaborate, Katana knew what he meant: that he couldn’t swim.

“Your secret is safe with me,” she assured him.

“What are you talking about?” Hawkgirl asked as they neared Super Hero High.

“Nothing,” Parasite said. He wasn’t happy to be dragged through the sky by two super hero girls. But the sun was shining and the ocean was far, far away. By now, everyone had dried off.

“I’m just glad you’re safe,” Katana said to him. “I doubt when you were sent on this Save the Day drill anyone knew that the weather would turn on us.”

Parasite grumbled, but then added, “Thank you, Katana.”

Everyone was talking about their Save the Day drills.

“Raven and I saved Ms. Moone from the jaws of a giant snake,” Beast Boy bragged.

“I saved Wildcat from a crack in the earth’s tectonic plates that were about to crush him,” Star Sapphire announced.

“I was there, too,” Miss Martian said quietly.

“Starfire and I unearthed Crazy Quilt from several tons of boulders,” Supergirl added as the two high-fived. “He was not happy about the dirt that got on his blazer.”

Though the weird change of weather and Parasite’s rescue were foremost in her mind, Katana’s thoughts kept straying back to the Ghost Crabs. Had she really seen one under the water?

That night, as Katana slept, she dreamt of the turbulent ocean, and of Parasite. Well, it looked like Parasite, but somehow she knew it wasn’t really him. He was beckoning her to follow him under the sea. When she did, Katana saw the Ghost Crabs. As they stood on the coral reef, they welcomed her with their claws waving as she began to swim toward them, but before she could get near them, they scattered until not a single one could be seen.

In that instant, the warm water turned cold, and the dream turned into a nightmare. Katana tried to swim to the surface. But something was holding her back. She tried in vain to escape. Something or someone was after her again….