Page 56 of Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm

He pulled Oliver into a crushing hug, then grinned at the rest of them. “Good luck, all of you,” he told them as a gasping Oliver dropped through the hatch into the pilot seat. “Miss Mystic, I’m not too proud to say I was wrong about you. In the future, you are welcome aboard my ship anytime. Shinji…” He gave Shinji a nod and a grin. “Until we meet again. Don’t let Ocean get you intotoomuch trouble.”

TheSeabeetle’s hatch was sealed, and with a shuddering whine, the crane began lowering them into the roiling water. The waves sloshing against the glass were much stronger than before. Shinji gritted his teeth as the sub rocked from side to side, theSeabeetlecreaking a bit in protest. But then

they were below the surface of the ocean, and the darkness of the sea closed around them like a shroud.

“No lights this time kids, sorry,” Oliver said as they descended into the pitch-black water. “The water in the cove isn’t very deep, and we don’t want Hightower to see spotlights gliding underneath them, so we’re going to have to do this in the dark.”

“Tinker,” Lucy whispered, holding out her hand as the mouse crawled into her palm. “Light.”

Tinker gave a soft squeak, and then his entire tiny body began to glow, the metal becoming brighter and brighter, until he resembled a mouse-shaped lightbulb in the center of Lucy’s palm. Oliver looked down with a wince and shielded his eyes.

“A little too bright there, mouse. Could you turn it down a few notches?”

Another squeak, and Tinker’s light dimmed to a softer, less blinding output. Roux shook his head with a rueful smile.

“I really need to get one of those,” he muttered.

They traveled across the ocean floor in near silence. Tinker and the glowing luminescence of theSeabeetle’s console were the only light within the sub, and it lit everyone’s faces with an eerie glow. Outside the glass, Shinji couldn’t see anything but darkness, and his pulse hammered in his ears. “We’re coming up on the ships now,” Oliver murmured,

staring at a circular radar screen. Two white dots blipped into view each time the radar pulsed. “At the depth we’re at, they shouldn’t see us, but just in case, I’m turning everything off until we’re past.”

“Tinker,” Lucy whispered, and the mouse immediately dimmed to a barely noticeable glow. They crept along without speaking, in near pitch-darkness, the soft beeps from the radar the only sounds in what felt like an endless void.

“Almost there,” Oliver whispered. “Just a few…more…steps…”

Suddenly, without warning, the inside of theSeabeetleflashed with light. All the screens lit up, and outside, the spotlight flashed on, cutting through the darkness. A school of silvery fish zipped away in the sudden illumination, and Oliver let out a startled curse.

“What the heck?” Quickly he and Lucy hit several switches, shutting everything down. The headlights vanished, the screens turned off, and theSeabeetlewas plunged into darkness again. It only took a few seconds, but to Shinji, it felt like a spotlight was shining directly on them for entirely too long.

When it was dark once more, everyone froze, holding their breath. Waiting to find out if Hightower had seen them. But as the seconds ticked by, no alarms were raised. The ships above them didn’t move, and Shinji’s muscles began to unclench.

“All right,” Oliver said at last. “I think we’re in the clear. I don’t think they saw anything.”

“Then let’s get out of here,” Roux hissed, “before anything else happens.”

Oliver nodded, and theSeabeetlecrept forward again, scuttling over the sand and continuing into the dark.

“Well, that was unfortunate,” Phoebe commented. For the first time, she seemed nervous, staring back the way they had come, a slight frown on her face. “That couldn’t possibly have happened at a worse time, could it? Maybe…” She paused, biting her lip. “Maybe I should stay behind for this mission. There are enough capable hands here to get the job done, and you certainly don’t need anything unlucky or unexpected happening again; this mission is too important.”

“Stay behind?” Lucy echoed. “Where? We can’t turn around and go back.”

“Oh, just leave me with theSeabeetle.” Phoebe waved her hand airily, though her expression seemed sad. “Don’t worry, I’ll find my way back somehow. I always do.”

“No.” Shinji shook his head. He saw Oliver, watching him in the reflection of the glass, and set his jaw. Mystic curse or not, Phoebe had been the one who had helped him with his magic. If it hadn’t been for her, he would still be struggling to control his power. It was weird that she knew so much about magic and had been stuck with a curse that made things go haywire around her, but that wasn’t her fault.

“We’re a team,” he said. “None of us can do this alone. We need everyone here to make it work.”

“Kid’s right, Phoebe,” Oliver added, surprising Shinji. In the glass, the ex-pirate’s reflection was somber, but he gave Phoebe a faint smile. “We’re up against Hightower, a hurricane, and a giant mythological Storm Boar. We’re gonna need all the help we can get.”

Waves sloshed over theSeabeetleas it finally crawled out of the ocean onto the beach.

“Well, here we are,” Oliver said, pushing the hatch open. A rush of wind blew into the sub, tugging at Shinji’s hair as he peered through the glass. The beach they had landed on was tiny, barely a strip of sand at the base of a rocky coastline. Shinji gazed up the jagged outcroppings, and his heart started to race. At the top of those cliffs was the Hightower Campus, where, locked inside a warehouse and surrounded by security, the Storm Boar’s artifact waited.

Oliver stared up the rocky slope as well. “Hope you guys are ready for a climb. And, kiddo…” He turned to glare at

Shinji with a faint smile. “If you could refrain from falling or sliding back down the cliff, that would be great. I know you enjoy those near-death experiences, but there’s no Maya and no safety harnesses this time.”

Shinji rolled his eyes. “Geez, fall down a cliff once and they never let you forget it.”

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