Kraya the Blood Shark Read online

  The Professor flicked another switch on his throne, and suddenly his voice was amplified. “If you won’t join me, I’ll have to make an example of you,” he said.

  With a clang, the metal doors at the base of Max’s dome slid open. All Max saw below was blackness. But then an enormous red shape rose from the depths. Max pressed himself against the glass in terror.

  Kraya!

  Rising toward him was the biggest shark he’d ever seen — bigger even than the largest Aquoran submarine, the X5000 Emperor Battlesub. The creature was bright scarlet from the blunt tip of its nose to its powerful tail. Only its saw-blade teeth shone white against gums the color of blood. Cabling had been embedded in its flesh, and four green eyes sat high on its head. The metal doors closed again behind Kraya. Max was alone with the Robobeast.

  The Professor chuckled and steered his throne toward the cage holding Lia and Rivet.

  “Let him go!” shouted Lia.

  The Professor hovered directly above the cage. “You’d better say your good-byes, fish girl,” he said in Merryn.

  Rivet barked in wild panic, throwing himself against the bars. “Rivet rescue Max! Coming, Max!”

  Kraya swam in a wide circle around the dome. Now Max saw the Professor had attached two huge blaster cannons beneath the creature’s side fins, and two smaller blasters near its tail. Max looked at the harpoon gun in his hands. He didn’t want to hurt Kraya. It wasn’t the shark’s fault that the Professor had captured it. But if it was a choice between that or being eaten alive, he knew he’d have to use his weapon.

  I don’t have long before it attacks, thought Max. But how can I face a Robobeast alone?

  The Blood Shark thrust its tail from side to side, driving a powerful current through the water. The force of it caught Max and slammed him into the dome’s side, rattling his teeth. He’d just steadied himself when a second wave tossed him the other way. Thankfully, he managed to keep his grip on the harpoon gun.

  It’s playing with me before the kill, Max realized.

  Suddenly, Kraya turned and swam straight at him. Max took aim, hoping the shark would veer away. It didn’t. Instead, the two big blaster cannons on its sides opened fire. Energy beams stabbed through the water, forcing Max to dodge out of the way.

  “I’m only doing this because I have to,” Max muttered. He pulled the trigger and the harpoon shot through the water, trailing bubbles. The point bounced off Kraya’s skin without leaving a scratch. The Blood Shark paused for half a second, then kept swimming toward Max, its green eyes blazing.

  Now Max had no weapon at all.

  KRAYA STREAKED THROUGH THE WATER. WHEN Max was within striking distance, the shark’s eyes rolled back in its head, turning white.

  Ready for the kill, thought Max. He kicked upward, hard. The Robobeast shot past, but its rough skin tore through Max’s clothes. Max gritted his teeth at the pain as the shark’s body scraped his back, and blood misted the water. Beyond the glass, he heard the harsh sound of the Professor’s laughter.

  Max twisted, searching Kraya’s body for any sign of a robotic harness. The shark had to be controlled somehow, just like the other three Robobeasts he’d faced.

  Kraya turned slowly in the water and came at him again. Again, the blaster cannons opened fire, scorching the metal floor of the dome. This time, Max waited until the last minute, then used the butt of the harpoon gun to bash the Blood Shark on the nose. Kraya jerked away but circled for another pass. I can’t keep up this dodging game forever, Max thought. Sooner or later, I’ll get tired, and it will get me.

  He looked up and saw Lia watching, her face full of dismay, her fingers clutching on to the glass bars. Rivet’s tail drooped between his legs. Though he couldn’t see them, Max knew hundreds of prisoners must be watching, too. He couldn’t let them all down. He hadn’t faced Cephalox, Silda, and Manak only to die now in the jaws of Kraya.

  But what hope did he have against a giant, blaster-equipped shark with razor-sharp teeth?

  Max saw the Professor was smiling, moving his throne around the dome for a better view.

  He brandished the harpoon gun again as Kraya plunged toward him. He felt like a sand castle facing a tsunami, about to be swept away. Where can the harness be? It wasn’t on the shark’s belly, or its tail. Apart from the blasters and a few small bits of robotics, Max could see nothing on the monster’s sleek red body.

  Then it hit him. If the tech isn’t on the outside of the Robobeast, it must be inside!

  Which meant that to defeat Kraya, Max was going to have to go where he’d never gone before.

  Inside the monster.

  Kraya paused, staring emptily at Max. Max stared back. “Come and get me, you overgrown goldfish!” he shouted.

  The Professor leaned forward in his throne, knuckles white on the armrests. “Tear him to pieces, Kraya,” he hissed.

  The Blood Shark surged toward Max at breakneck speed. Max turned and kicked, swimming for the side of the dome. He could see Lia beyond, eyes widening, and he knew Kraya must be gaining fast. “Look out!” she screamed.

  “Kill him!” the Professor bellowed.

  Max felt the Robobeast like a looming shadow at his back, imagined the jaws stretching wide. He reached the dome wall, somersaulted and pushed off with his feet back the way he’d come. Sure enough, Kraya was coming straight for him, teeth bared wide and glinting. Max heard Lia yell “No!” At that instant, he jammed the harpoon gun upright in the Blood Shark’s gaping mouth and kicked himself into the black depths of the Robobeast’s throat. Foul-smelling warm water surrounded him, but ahead he saw a faint blue glow. Max felt Kraya thrashing to spit out the lodged harpoon gun, throwing Max against the fleshy walls of its throat. He fought harder, pushing on toward the blue light.

  Found it!

  The harness was fastened in a ring around the inside of Kraya’s gullet. And there, set into the robotics, was the final piece of the Skull of Thallos! Max grabbed on to the harness, feeling the muscles of Kraya’s throat trying to suck him deeper into the Blood Shark’s stomach. If he let go now, a horrible death awaited — he’d be digested slowly in a living coffin. Holding on tight, Max set to work trying to find the catches with his spare hand. The blue light glowed as he tore at complex cables and circuitry. But still Kraya’s body heaved left and right, up and down. Max could hardly see what he was doing, but he had to keep going….

  His hand pulled something loose, and suddenly the thrashing stopped. Kraya shuddered, once, twice, and made a choking grunt. The next moment, Max shot backward with tremendous force. His body spun out, hand still clutching the harness, into the open water.

  Max thumped the bottom of the dome prison, feeling dizzy. A few paces away, the fragment of Thallos’s skull came to rest. It was the final piece, the horned back portion. Max scrambled toward it and snatched it up.

  I did it! he thought. I completed my Quest….

  Kraya’s red bulk loomed over him. The Blood Shark bit down on the floating harpoon gun, shook it in its jaws, then crunched it to metal splinters. It spat out the pieces and turned its angry green gaze on Max.

  This isn’t over yet, thought Max.

  With a flick of its muscular tail, Kraya swooped toward him.

  MAX WAITED FOR KRAYA’S GREEN EYES TO ROLL back, then he pulled himself sideways. As the red giant streaked past, buffeting Max’s body, he reached out a hand and gripped the cannon on one of the shark’s fins. His arm was almost torn from his shoulder socket, but he held on. Kraya yanked him through the water as fast as his aquabike. But at least he was away from those deadly teeth!

  Cradling the skull piece against his chest, Max saw the Professor watching through the blur of water, right up against the side of the dome. His uncle’s chest was rising and falling with excitement.

  Kraya carried Max right around the edges of the prison dome. The monster’s blunt nose swayed from side to side, searching for where Max had gone. Gradually it slowed, obviously confused.

  “Good wor
k!” Lia shouted.

  “Clever, Max!” Rivet barked.

  “You stupid fish!” shouted the Professor. Max saw him stab a button on the armrest of his throne. There was a mechanical whir as the cannon’s fastenings opened and the weapon drifted free from Kraya’s fins, taking Max with it.

  Uh-oh.

  Kraya turned slowly in the water and spotted Max at last.

  “There’s nowhere to hide now,” said the Professor.

  I don’t understand, Max thought. The other Robobeasts weren’t interested in fighting after the harness was removed. So why is Kraya still attacking?

  And then Max saw that the Blood Shark’s eyes weren’t focused on him at all. They were staring right at the glowing blue horn of Thallos, tucked under Max’s arm.

  “So that’s what you want,” he muttered. Max held the skull piece at arm’s length. Sure enough, Kraya’s nose followed. Then the monster launched forward.

  Max waited until the last moment and snatched the piece of the skull back to his body. Kraya streaked past, just missing him.

  The Blood Shark was just like a dogbot…. That’s it! Max held out the skull as Kraya circled. The shark’s nose lifted, revealing its lines of teeth.

  “You want this?” said Max, shaking the bone fragment. He drew back his arm, shouted “Fetch!” and pretended to throw the horn.

  “Don’t listen to him!” roared the Professor.

  Kraya charged in the direction Max had cast his arm, and bounced right into the wall of the glass dome. The whole structure vibrated under the impact. Kraya shook its head from side to side as if dizzy.

  Cracks appeared in the dome and started to snake out. Another impact should finish the job.

  Max drew back his arm, eyes locked on the Professor. His uncle was frantically pressing buttons on his armrest.

  With a clang, the door at the base of the dome prison swished open again, and six pale, glowing shapes shot out of the darkness. There was no time to lose.

  “Hey, Kraya!” Max called, feigning another throw. “Go and get it!”

  The Robobeast streaked toward the cracked glass, pursued by the shapes. They were attack robots, each glowing white, about the size of Max, egg-shaped with pointed tips at the front so they could move fast through the water. Four arms trailed from each, ending in sharp grappling hooks. “Stop that shark!” screeched the Professor.

  Too late. Kraya smashed into the dome and glass exploded outward. The Blood Shark surged through into open water.

  Splinters of the dome scattered in glittering shards. Max swam through in the shark’s wake and dove down below a large broken section on the seabed as the deadly rain fell around him. Across the canyon, he saw the Merryn and human slaves staring openmouthed from inside their domes. When all had settled, he looked up to see the attack bots surrounding the Blood Shark outside the dome. Each time Kraya tried to move, one blocked his path, wielding its hooks. The monster circled back and forth, snapping with its jaws and batting its tail. The attack bots dodged nimbly out of reach.

  It was time to rescue his friends. Max crawled out from beneath his glass shield and shoved the horn under his belt.

  The Professor’s gaze turned from Kraya to Max. His eyes narrowed with rage.

  “This isn’t over, nephew,” he said.

  He pressed another button and four metal hooks reached from the bottom of his throne. They fastened onto the top of Lia and Rivet’s cage. The Professor pushed a pedal at his feet, and the hoverthrone shot upward in a stream of bubbles, carrying Lia and Rivet with it, straight toward the circular metal door of the cavern entrance above.

  A mechanical hum rang through the canyon as the door parted in the center. Rivet howled with fear as the Professor and the cage passed through, and the entrance began to close behind them.

  Max thought fast. If that door sealed, he might never see Lia or Rivet again. But if he could somehow keep it open … Max’s gaze fell on one of the smaller blaster cannons, which had been attached near Kraya’s tail, lying among the glass fragments. He grabbed ahold of it, heaving with all his strength, pushed off the seabed, and swam toward the closing door. One of the attack bots sank through the water next to him, wires trailing from holes punched in its metal skin. Four others were busy with Kraya. The Blood Shark had one of them in its jaws, thrashing it from side to side, but blood trailed from scratches and nicks in the monster’s fins.

  Hang on — only four? There were six attack bots a minute ago….

  Max twisted to see a pale robot stalking behind him. Its cone head snapped open and closed, revealing circular serrated teeth, spinning fast.

  MAX’S HEART THUMPED AND HE KICKED HARDER, pulling himself through the water with one hand. With the other hand he searched the blaster cannon for a trigger, but couldn’t find one. The attack bot was closing fast. Max stopped swimming and pulled off the rear section of the blaster. He fumbled at the circuit boards, switching wires around. If this didn’t work, he was dead.

  He pointed the cannon at the attack bot, closed his eyes, and connected the circuit. The blaster jolted in his hands. Max opened his eyes and saw the Professor’s robot falling toward the ocean floor, a gaping hole in its cone head.

  No time to celebrate. He had to get through those doors, find the Professor, and rescue his friends.

  As Max turned back, he saw that the thick metal panels of the door had almost met in the middle. Sucking water through his gills, he heaved the final few strokes and reached with the blaster, holding it out as far as he could and pushing it through the gap. The closing door clamped on either side of it, leaving a space above and below the cannon.

  The mechanism made a hideous grinding sound, and the blaster began to bend. Max didn’t stop to think what would happen if it snapped. He squeezed his body through the crack. The blaster bent double as Max pulled his feet through to safety. Finally it shattered, and with an echoing boom, the metal doors slammed together.

  Max was lost in complete darkness. The only light came from the horn of Thallos, glowing in his belt. If the other pieces were still in Rivet’s compartment, this curved piece of bone would lead him to his friends. He pulled it out and held it loosely in his hand, then watched it swivel in his grip and gently tug to the left. Thank you, Thallos! Max stowed it away and swam in that direction.

  Soon he reached another metal door, with a digit keypad at the side. Great! What could the code be? Max tapped in the date of his uncle’s birthday — the same as his mother’s. No luck. A cold chill settled on his skin. What if he was stuck in this chamber forever? He imagined his skeleton floating in the darkness. What numbers would be important to his uncle? And then he had an idea: the date of the Flying Dolphin’s departure from Aquora, which had been stamped into his head from all the holo news reports he’d read. It was the submarine voyage that was supposed to carry his mother and uncle to Sumara. With shaking fingers, he typed in the date.

  The door opened. Max let out a long sigh of relief and swam through.

  Whoosh!

  He was thrown onto the floor as water sucked past him. Then, as quickly as it had begun, it was over. Max’s limbs flailed and his throat tightened as he choked for breath. Then he realized what was wrong: He wasn’t in water anymore.

  He fought his panic down and sucked air into his lungs in steady breaths. His gills closed. A door a few feet in front of him hissed open.

  “An airlock,” he muttered to himself.

  His legs felt wobbly as he stood up, and his whole body felt heavy after the buoyancy of the water. It was only the second time since receiving the Merryn touch that he’d been out of the water.

  He passed shakily through the door and along the corridor, clothes dripping and soggy. Softly glowing blue lamps lit the way. I’m so close now, he thought. I can’t give up.

  The corridor curved upward, and Max broke into a run. He emerged at the edge of a vast circular hall, six levels high. Five tiers of metal balconies ran around the outside, swarming with humans in white coa
ts working at blinking consoles or checking screens. More prisoners, no doubt, and no Merryn here. But some of the men and women weren’t scientists. They wore black uniforms with silver belts and collars, and carried blaster rifles. All wore Amphibio masks hanging around their necks. In case of floods, Max guessed. This had to be the main control room.

  “Stubbornness must run in the family,” boomed the Professor’s voice. “You really don’t give in, do you?”

  One by one, the scientists and guards turned and noticed Max. He peered up toward the opposite end of the hall.

  On a balcony, in front of a huge viewing window, the Professor sat on his throne. Lia lay beside him. Her hands and feet were bound, and she writhed, trying to get free. Her face was covered with an old-model Amphibio mask to let her breathe out of water. Next to her stood Rivet, stationary but for his frantically wagging tail. He barked when he saw Max.

  “Stuck, Max! Stuck!”

  What’s wrong with him? Max wondered. Why doesn’t he move?

  “Max!” shouted a voice he recognized.

  Max searched the platforms and saw a man four flights up, gripping a handrail and leaning over. His face was pale with shock.

  Max felt his heart skip a beat.

  “Dad!” he yelled.

  Max hadn’t seen his dad since the moment Cephalox the Cyber Squid had snatched him over the harbor wall in Aquora. His father looked thinner than before. He still wore his Chief Engineer’s uniform, though it was torn at the shoulder and filthy.

  “Guards!” the Professor barked. Two armed men on the balcony pointed their guns at Max’s dad while two others grabbed his arms and pinned them behind his back.

  “Back to work, Callum,” snapped the Professor.

  Max ran up a set of clanging metal steps, but a guard at the top leveled her rifle at his chest.

  The Professor smiled. “You have something I want.” Max saw his uncle’s gaze fix on the piece of Thallos’s skull in his belt — it was shining bright blue.