touch of the eel the squid jerked back and then whirled about, beak snapping furiously. The pointed, daggerlike teeth of the eel raked the squid’s tentacle, and soon the water was turned to a froth of blood and squid-ink.
Tom’s eyes were glued to the sonarscope. "Hang on, Bud," he called. He adjusted the gyros and the deck of the Nemo took on an extreme slant, tilting more and more until the jetmarine was almost vertical, nose toward the sky. Tom and Bud were forced to stand on the handrail supports.
Suddenly the sonarscope showed that the battle of the monsters had taken them off to the side for a moment; there was now a clear path through the other squid up to the surface.
Tom gunned the hydraulic jets. "We’re outta here!"
CHAPTER 13
AN UNEXPECTED MEETING
THE JETMARINE took off like a rocket—literally! She roared upward through the momentary gap in the "squid squad" line, turning the rock face of the undersea channel to a blur. Through the observation dome the glimmering surface above seemed like a crystalline wall which the Nemo was approaching at race-car speed.
The craft broke the surface like a leaping dolphin, jetting a full twenty feet into the sunlight before sliding back down, tail first, into the waters of the Gulf. If not for the gyros and the automatic guidance program Tom had punched in, the jetmarine might have landed in a belly-flop that could have broken it apart.
As it was, the shock was powerful and Tom and Bud almost lost their grip. But the sub reentered the waters smoothly and leveled itself. Tom hove about, speeding out of the Spaniel Island subsurface channel, and in moments the Nemo was again cleaving the waves—from beneath them!
The two submariners caught their breaths, exchanging glances but no words. But presently Bud said, "Tom, that eel—do you suppose—?"
"The same one," Tom declared, "the one from the Vostok . It must have followed along in our wake."
"It must’ve liked you, pal!"
"Sure," responded Tom, "as a snack."
Amazingly, only a few hours had yet passed since the launching of the sub at Key West. Before leaving, Tom had told the others at SONRC that he would be maintaining radio silence for security purposes, not wishing to give away his position. Now, however, he saw no harm in surfacing and radioing that all was well and the jetmarine’s shakedown cruise a success.
"Tom, that’s just fantastic!" came the radioed response from Kaye . "Any sign of… anything?"
"Just a lot of water," replied Tom evasively. "But listen, Graham, I think I’ll spend a few more days testing out the Nemo in this area before we head back up north. Could you relay the message to my father? I’ll contact him directly later in the day."
"Sure will," Kaye responded. "You won’t have any trouble reaching him when you do—he’s flying down on the jet that was to bring your remaining workers back to Shopton."
This news surprised Tom, as it hadn’t been a part of their original plans. Was there a new development?
"Where to now, squid kid?" asked Bud after Tom had signed off.
"Except for Guantanamo in Cuba, the nearest U.S. military presence in these waters is in Puerto Rico," said Tom. "I think it would be safest to berth the jetmarine there for the night. It’d also make it easier to give the details of what we’ve found to the authorities without broadcasting them openly."
"I know," Bud commented. "And you don’t want to leave the area and miss a chance to rescue Hank Sterling."
Tom nodded; his best friend knew him well. "But I wonder if Dad intends for me to meet him at Key West?" he added.
Tom piloted the jetmarine south through the Yucatan Channel, southeast past the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, then almost due west, skirting Haiti and the Dominican Republic en route to Puerto Rico. Nearing the southwestern coast of the American island, the Nemo surfaced again and Tom radioed his father, who had arrived at SONRC.
"I’ve invited the Enterprises employees who remained
Tom’s eyes were glued to the sonarscope. "Hang on, Bud," he called. He adjusted the gyros and the deck of the Nemo took on an extreme slant, tilting more and more until the jetmarine was almost vertical, nose toward the sky. Tom and Bud were forced to stand on the handrail supports.
Suddenly the sonarscope showed that the battle of the monsters had taken them off to the side for a moment; there was now a clear path through the other squid up to the surface.
Tom gunned the hydraulic jets. "We’re outta here!"
CHAPTER 13
AN UNEXPECTED MEETING
THE JETMARINE took off like a rocket—literally! She roared upward through the momentary gap in the "squid squad" line, turning the rock face of the undersea channel to a blur. Through the observation dome the glimmering surface above seemed like a crystalline wall which the Nemo was approaching at race-car speed.
The craft broke the surface like a leaping dolphin, jetting a full twenty feet into the sunlight before sliding back down, tail first, into the waters of the Gulf. If not for the gyros and the automatic guidance program Tom had punched in, the jetmarine might have landed in a belly-flop that could have broken it apart.
As it was, the shock was powerful and Tom and Bud almost lost their grip. But the sub reentered the waters smoothly and leveled itself. Tom hove about, speeding out of the Spaniel Island subsurface channel, and in moments the Nemo was again cleaving the waves—from beneath them!
The two submariners caught their breaths, exchanging glances but no words. But presently Bud said, "Tom, that eel—do you suppose—?"
"The same one," Tom declared, "the one from the Vostok . It must have followed along in our wake."
"It must’ve liked you, pal!"
"Sure," responded Tom, "as a snack."
Amazingly, only a few hours had yet passed since the launching of the sub at Key West. Before leaving, Tom had told the others at SONRC that he would be maintaining radio silence for security purposes, not wishing to give away his position. Now, however, he saw no harm in surfacing and radioing that all was well and the jetmarine’s shakedown cruise a success.
"Tom, that’s just fantastic!" came the radioed response from Kaye . "Any sign of… anything?"
"Just a lot of water," replied Tom evasively. "But listen, Graham, I think I’ll spend a few more days testing out the Nemo in this area before we head back up north. Could you relay the message to my father? I’ll contact him directly later in the day."
"Sure will," Kaye responded. "You won’t have any trouble reaching him when you do—he’s flying down on the jet that was to bring your remaining workers back to Shopton."
This news surprised Tom, as it hadn’t been a part of their original plans. Was there a new development?
"Where to now, squid kid?" asked Bud after Tom had signed off.
"Except for Guantanamo in Cuba, the nearest U.S. military presence in these waters is in Puerto Rico," said Tom. "I think it would be safest to berth the jetmarine there for the night. It’d also make it easier to give the details of what we’ve found to the authorities without broadcasting them openly."
"I know," Bud commented. "And you don’t want to leave the area and miss a chance to rescue Hank Sterling."
Tom nodded; his best friend knew him well. "But I wonder if Dad intends for me to meet him at Key West?" he added.
Tom piloted the jetmarine south through the Yucatan Channel, southeast past the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, then almost due west, skirting Haiti and the Dominican Republic en route to Puerto Rico. Nearing the southwestern coast of the American island, the Nemo surfaced again and Tom radioed his father, who had arrived at SONRC.
"I’ve invited the Enterprises employees who remained
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