“What are you dressed as?” she said.
“Just trying to fit in.” Duncan looked down at his outfit. He had on a red polo shirt with blue jeans and high-top sneakers. His shirt fit and his pants went all the way down to his shoes. He looked like nearly every kid at his school. He smiled and padded down the hall into the kitchen, where his father was fighting with the toaster and his mother was enjoying some coffee. The Creature followed him.
Avery and Aiah stared at Duncan in disbelief.
“What?” Duncan said, defensively.
Aiah stammered. “You look . . . handsome.”
“Yes, Halloween has come early,” the Creature said.
Avery frowned at his daughter. “You know, when you open your mouth, sometimes very terrible things come out. We don’t talk to family this way.”
Tanisha stared at her father, then broke into tears and raced out of the room.
“Was I too hard on her?” Avery asked his wife.
Aiah shook her head. “She’s going through something. I’ll talk to her later.”
Suddenly, there was a buzz in Duncan’s nose and he sneezed.
“Is that a cold or a mission?” Aiah asked.
“I need a ride to school,” Duncan said. “As fast as we can get there.”
Two hours later Duncan stood shivering in his short-sleeved polo on the deck of the S.S. Julia Child staring at a submersible. He had seen similar crafts in documentaries about seafloor exploration, but had never seen one up close. The podlike submersible had a half-globe window made from superstrong transparent plastic and two circulating fins that moved the machine through the water. There were dozens of high-powered lights attached to the outside, as well as half a dozen cameras that could catch images in every direction.
“Hello, agents,” a tall, thin man said as he stepped onto the deck. His bald head and skin like charcoal made him an intimidating figure, and everyone stopped what they were doing and gave him their full attention.
Agent Brand greeted the man with a handshake. “It’s an honor to meet you, Captain Blancard, or may I call you Agent Fishhead?”
Captain Blancard smiled. “It’s been a long time since anyone has called me that.” He laughed. “I think Adrian will do just fine.”
Ruby was sporting a rare smile. “He was a member of NERDS back in the 1970s,” she informed her team. It was clear she felt she was in the presence of a rock star. “Fishhead was an amazing spy.”
“Why is he here?” Jackson asked. “I thought they retired us when we turn eighteen.”
“We keep a few agents on retainer when they go into a line of business that can be helpful,” Ms. Holiday explained. “Captain Blancard has gone on to be one of the world’s preeminent deep-sea explorers.”
“Let’s be honest, children. I’m a treasure hunter, and a very good one at that,” Blancard said as he smiled at Ms. Holiday.
He turned and gestured at the submersible. “Some might even call me a pirate. But, I ask you, did a pirate ever have such wonderful machines?”
“Sir, I’ve never seen a submersible with arms,” Jackson said.
Ruby cocked an eyebrow. “You know about submersibles?”
“I’m not just a pretty face, you know,” Jackson said.
Blancard laughed. “You are right, my friend. Not a lot of submersibles have robotic limbs, but they are useful for picking things up off the ocean floor, and I have found that in the briny deep there are things lurking that might enjoy taking a bite out of you. Some of those things are very, very big. I had these arms designed so I could fight back. Allow me to introduce you all to your vessel, the Muhammad Ali. Floats like a butterfly but stings like a bee.”
He pushed a button on a control pad and the two mechanical arms went into action, shadowboxing the air, until coming to a rest.
“Awesome sauce!” Flinch cried.
“I call dibs on the fighting arms,” Matilda said.
“Yes, the Ali’s a fighter, and strong. Has a shell made from titanium and a Plexiglas window shield that can resist nearly a hundred times the pressure of the surface.”
“What’s the plan, boss?” Ruby asked Brand.
“I’ll leave that to our information specialist,” Brand said as he gestured to Ms. Holiday.
“We’re three miles above the wreck of the Bom Jesus, a Portuguese trading ship that is rumored to have sunk here two hundred and fifty years ago. Among its cargo were silk, spices, and three tons of Portuguese gold. We also believe that the hold contains the Azreal Diamond Cache. Legend has it that the ship was hauling crates of enormous diamonds—some of the biggest the world had ever seen. Miners discovered them on the Ivory Coast and it took a hundred men to get the entire haul aboard the ship,” Ms. Holiday said, then turned to Captain Blancard. “Most people believe the diamonds are a myth.”
“Most people have no imagination, Lisa,” Blancard said with a mighty laugh. “Which is exactly how my men and I have gotten so rich.”
Blancard’s sailors let out a loud “Boo-yah!”
Agent Brand turned to the children. “The idea here is to take the diamonds before Simon can. No diamonds, no doomsday device. The mission is a little different than most, but all of you have been trained in underwater combat, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. Take the Ali down to the ocean floor and find the shipwreck.”
“Do you think the diamonds are really down there?” Matilda asked.
“Eyewitness reports claim the ship was too heavy to maneuver,” Ms. Holiday noted. “It’s very likely that the extra weight of the jewels led to its sinking.”
“If they are down there, use the submersible to bring them to the surface,” Blancard said. “And keep the cameras running at all times. My crew’s eyes can spot things of value that you might overlook. That’s how we make our living.”
“So where are our packs?” Duncan asked the librarian.
“Kids, everything you need for this mission is up here,” she said as she tapped her finger against her skull.
“You’ve got to be—” Duncan cried, but caught Ruby’s stern expression reminding him that he was supposed to “man up.”
“None of your abilities would do you much good underwater, anyway, bro,” Flinch said.
“Blancard will use the radio to guide you in steering the submersible, but I’m told it’s quite simple.” Ms. Holiday turned her attention to Duncan. “Just remember, you are the best secret agents the world has ever seen. Isn’t that right, Alexander?”
Mr. Brand grunted but nodded.
The captain’s men helped the children into their seats. Then the vessel was raised off the deck of the Julia Child.
“Take care of my sub!” the captain called over the radio.
The Muhammad Ali swung over the side of the ship and lowered into the water. Soon, the chains that held the little submersible aloft released and it plopped into the water with a jolt. Not that the team noticed. They were already leaping to their responsibilities. Ruby took control of the onboard computer and the radar device, which was currently tracking a school of dolphins directly below them. Matilda was in charge of the mechanical arms and immediately began throwing practice haymakers and uppercuts. Jackson was getting a feel for the sub’s harpoon gun. Flinch was in charge of cameras and spotlights. He rarely blinked and wouldn’t miss anything. It was up to Duncan to steer the submersible. He sat in the captain’s chair, watching as the waves swallowed the craft.
“So that guy was once in NERDS?” Jackson said.
“Well, he’s a total hottie now,” Matilda said.
“Gross!” Ruby cried. “He’s so old.”
“I’m just saying, if he turned out that good-looking, there might be hope for us all.”
“Fishhead was on the team from 1973 to 1983,” Ruby said. “They called him Fishhead because he was a naturally great swimmer.”