Chapter 1:

Bobbing lightly on the waves moves the SS. Hushpuppy. In mid-morning of a near cloudless sky. Out on the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of South Carolina. The boat is small, but that fact doesn't seem to bother it's occupants. It is just the right size for a small family, the one that owns it. A father named Preston, a mother named Skye, and a daughter named Penny. All tied together by the last name of Bianchi. But through the mother and daughter, maiden & blood, the name Heyward.

This outing on their boat is just a normal Saturday morning event for them. A gathering away from work and school. One they've done countless times. That isn't to say it's lost it's enjoyment at being common place in their lives. Far from that as Penny smiles. While her dad checks with her to insure she's ready to dive into the water of the ocean with him. These checks being over their diving gear, clothes & gadgets meant to keep them alive underwater. Skye as a good mom watches both her daughter and husband at a short distance. Making sure on her own, neither future diver forgets about safety. Then reminds them that if they find something interesting like sunken treasure. That they are to return with it to the boat for her to have.

Preston taking his normal lead into the ocean. Once all his gear is fixed in proper place. Then signaling for Penny to follow him. Watches as moments later she dives in close by to him. That closeness being another normal thing in this routine, of the Saturday morning diving excursion. Her nearly aiming her jump almost on top of him. An act only achieved once, and long ago, to her grateful father. When her idea of a cannonball was new, and she herself was nearly the size. Preston considered to be a real cannonball.

Knowing where he considers a choice location to be under the waves. He prompts the young, eight year old girl to follow him yet again. This time to a wrecked catamaran that as both of them approach it. Realize it's wait for them to explore it has been going on for a good number of years. Sea life of plants and primitive animals have taken hold of massive swaths of it's hull.

If the pair cared for beauty in sea transportation, this would have been a disappointment. Luckily for them it wasn't the saltwater life shown age of the beast. What inspired their awe in it. But it's interior that got their attention with what surprises it might hold. A vessel as large as a cat surely before sinking. Likely had not had all it's possessions removed. Before it's owners or travelers & staff abandoned it.

As the father and daughter started their exploration of it's interior. Taking in it's sights which told how long it had been sitting on the ocean's bottom. By way of markings which had dates on them. Magazines, newspapers, and what had been the most recent maps available at the time. The boat had been launched on it's fatal journey. They both also took in what was left behind of value in it. Which much to both their disappointment. Could not be brought back to the surface again to be turned over to others for money. Sights of things like an old radio, stereo equipment, and a beautiful lamp, that once had value, now had lost it. Useless machines now, even if the lamp's art at least to the eye was pleasing to it's appearance.

Feeling bummed, and not knowing what to do next in salvaging the journey's purpose. Penny seated herself in a chair she could only guess that once upon a time. Most likely had been the ship captain's chair. Leather, and very elaborate looking in it's wooden framing. It too wasn't as pretty a sight as she was sure it had been long ago. Although as she sulked, she got surprise from her dad that changed her mood.

After he spun around the chair she was sitting in to face him. He presented her with his latest find. A bracelet that after all the neglect it had suffered for years. Still had it's metal shining yellow, and it's gemstones reflecting in shades of green & blue. A fine emerald and topaz piece of jewelry. Penny squealed with joy at it's sight, forgetting her mood from just a moment before. The current feelings of joy at her dad's discovery, soon changed. When a visitor to their expedition entered the cabin with them. A shark. A big shark, and it matched nothing Penny had ever read about.

Knowing his daughter was in danger, Preston swung at the creature to hit it. A price got paid for the motion of defense, but not the wanted one. A bite from the shark to the man. Not a big one, but enough to rip through his diving suit, and mark his skin. The monster shark then froze in place after the attack, and watched the man. It watched Penny too as she looked back and forth from it to her father. It made no move what so ever as she and her father, looked at the bleeding wound.

Cut by many teeth marks in one strangely shaped bite mark. It didn't look as bad as it could have been Preston noted. The shark not moving now helped the matter. To his thoughts given he knew this wasn't normal behavior for them. One bite, and at that not very deep into him. He knew this could have been much worse. That if it had acted like a normal shark it would have kept on biting him.

Handing Penny the prized find of the trip, he motioned to her it was time to go. The man looking around the cabin as he did so. First to his daughter, then to the ocean out beyond them, and then to the strange shark. After Penny nodded her acknowledgment, and started to swim out from where they'd entered the cabin from. That is when things took a turn for the worse.

As Preston started swimming behind Penny. He noticed something new about his injured arm. The puncture marks from the shark bite were starting to grow on him and deepen. New marks of sunken in teeth were appearing on him. Plus drawing out blood from him as they did so. The new pain they were causing him. Becoming more unbearable as tooth marks spread out on him. It made him lose sight of the moment and panic.

Noticing the streaming of blood starting to pass by her from behind. Penny looked behind her to it's source. The sight she got was of her father flailing in the water. As more and more of the marks appeared on him. The blood flow from his body to the ocean, as it became greater by the moment. Made it look like the man was being enveloped by a cloud of crimson smoke.

Penny panicked at the sight, and tears in her eyes, rushed to his aid. The result in that came as an horrific shock to both father & daughter as she made it to him. That in reaching out to him to take hold of him, she couldn't. She, her hand passed right through him as he waved about in pain and distress at his predicament. She couldn't touch him. A ghost is all the consistency he seemed to have at the moment. But the pain on his face was very real. His flesh seemed very real even though she couldn't touch it. His expression as the tooth marks entered on to his face. Was one of utter sadness for everything that was upon not only him, but her too.

In a panic of her own in not knowing what to do next. Penny motioned to him, she was about to surface. Her goal in not abandonment of him truly, but getting help. Her mother and his wife, she knew there was extra snorkeling gear on board the SS. Hushpuppy with her. She, Penny's mom would know what to do. would know how to fix this, and make her father well again.

Once surfacing from the water, and climbing back on board the ship. Penny looked about for Skye, but the woman was not where she had once been. Exploring in further on the Hushpuppy, in trying to find her, she did. Skye was laying on the deck of the boat, and not moving. The reason for the lack of movement wasn't a matter of choice. Penny noted with more fear and anxiety building in her. Her reason, her mother's reason for being still was because she was dead. Shot in the chest, and bleeding in a red pool growing on the wooden surface she lay upon. Skye's eyes watched her name sake. With no contemplation at all as the sky rolled onwards with it's clouds uncaring to her.

Penny screamed then, and ran to her, with her discovery. The child in grief not knowing what to do at all, bent over her mom. Although unknown to her at first, something she had not noticed it's existence until making it's presents known. Did in fact know how to handle this situation. A wolf watching her attempt to hold her mom, and getting only failure with passing through her, as if Skye were nothing more than a phantom. The animal went through a doorway to the girl and parent, from the boat's only hold. It's intent clear, it's target in range and ever so close.

Penny finally noticed the wolf through her tear filled eyes, when it growled. It looked to be a creature of nightmares to her. Flickering red eyes that glowed. Fur mashed this way and that, with all sorts of color variations. That for either wolf or dog, made it impossible to judge what type of K-9 it was exactly. Pointed ears, and metal claws, it snapped at her. Before it lunged at her.

Penny screamed again now, but out loud, and in her bedroom. Brain jumped off the freshly awoken 16 year old. Startled not only the bed he was lying on with her. Being suddenly put under it's covers, put in motion. But also the shriek of his master's voice near, in his ears. He barked at her in a whimper once standing on all fours, on the ground by her.

Crying she sat in the bed, and just looked at him for a while before decided action was needed. Slowly she reached over to her pet. To stroke one of his paws which he sat on the bed's rim for her. The first pet of him being assurance he was there, and could be touched, the following pets she gave him. Those were for a different reasoning. Comfort for not only her, but also for the curious dog. Who knew nothing of the dream she just woke up from.

Her next action once having petted the dog. For some time before he decided he'd had enough distance petting, and needed it more close up. She grabbed her cell phone, and dialed it. To the one person she knew could comfort her more than Brain in her times of need. As she sat in her bed's covers. She petted the dog more as it tried to climb on to her lap. As the phone rang and rang, while the pet moved around on her. She worried why her uncle wasn't answering his phone fast as he would normally to her calling him.

Outside a barn in the town of Zillah, Libya, the call went unanswered for a time. That is until it dawned on the man receiving the call. It is what he knows has to be a very personal call given its coming though on his pinkie finger, personal phone. Some things can't firmly be put off, and even with knowing his attention is needed else where at the moment. Just to satisfy the caller, his niece. He's sure since surly work wouldn't call him while already on a job. Inspector John Heyward, some times called Inspector Gadget, finally lifted the nail on his left pinkie finger to answer the call.

"Penny, I'm at work right now!" He half shouted into the receiver under the lifted nail face. Then listening to the speaker in his thumb, to hear her reply.

That despite how it sounded, that of her being emotionally distraught. He knew that even thought he had taken this time to heed her reaching out to him. He still couldn't really help her.

She needed his time right now, and it felt like the matter was urgent. But that didn't hold a candle to what he knew was taking place where he was right then. A person that was such a rapscallion of a character. Was in the barn, and he had committed such a crime. One so upside down as that John, and his co-worker, Alan Engenis, who was some times called Corporal Capeman. Both men saw it as a matter that while seeming strange. Had to be dealt with fast as a matter of pride. Plus to that also the reputation of HAPPY. To the party they knew had to be sore about the upside down crime. The person they once thought to be it's victim, now known not to be so.

Feeling truly like a bad person for his actions. Plus attempting to lighten the sorrow filled heart of his niece. John replied to her in brief about needing to part from her at that moment. "Penny, we will talk about this in depth when I get back home. I know you had an awful dream. But a very bad man is about to be dealt with by Alan and I. We're about to enter a barn where we're told he'll be. Honey, camel stealing in this country is a very serous thing, and these wrong doers must be brought to justice."

From the other end of the phone he heard her laugh before querying about what the crime really was. "Camels, Penny. Two, three humped camels. Listen I really need to go right now. I can hear them neighing in the barn. That criminal, Alan and I need to deal with is one nasty piece of work. Love you, bye." John replied to her before ending the call abruptly, by closing down the nail of his personal phone.

Alan dropped the smile he'd taken on when listening to his friend slash co-worker's silly explanation for the serious situation they where in. Now as they where about to enter it, he saw the inspector had started to slowly open the door to the barn which contained it. The slowness being a matter the engineer had learned to expect with John in times like these. When the Inspector was wearing his personal computer over his head with it's semitransparent panels. He was always afraid of bumping into things head long. A wise caution he thought, but one he felt sometimes unwarranted. Now was one of them, because the man they were about to deal with, an archaeologist named Earl Hancock. Wasn't dangerous at all. No, this man as just to a good degree dumb. Alan knew right now John's slowness wasn't needed when going in to confront him for his crime. Nothing, but air to bump into but hot air.

When they entered the barn they saw that the archaeologist had been brought to his victim's idea of justice to some sort of degree. Wrong, very wrong both HAPPY agents realized. But at the same time it kept the man from running. Hancock was bound, and on the floor of the barn, face near the result of a real camel's brown color given leftovers. Looking like he was awaiting something worse then what fate had befallen him already.

Moving to untie the man to then as John knew with supreme irony, was about to be handcuffed. The inspector got stopped fast from taking the action to free the man from his rope knotted bonds. The victim, a native man gaining in his years, and owner to the place where the crime was committed. Was ready to shoot John. As the HAPPY agent noted with the sound of a shout and click of a gun being pulled back on for firing.

Raising his shown two hands in a sign of peacefulness. The inspector decided to try, and talk with the museum owner. While Alan, unseen to the native, started to take care of the archaeologist's bonds. The personal computer while feeling like a horrendous eye sore and clunky device. At this moment John felt was a blessing. It would translate on it's front most screen in reverse view for the other man to see, English to Berber and vice versa. A program in it's software he wished he'd known about on other international missions where English wasn't the land's primary language.

"No untying him, I take it?" John asked the museum owner.

"What is going on here?! More Americans ready to thieve from me!?" The wronged man asked, still ready to strike at the inspector. His words being translated on the screen as he spoke them.

Knowing how violent this was getting, before he hoped a peaceful outcome. John put himself directly in between the museum owner's view of the archaeologist and Alan. Alan knew without words what this meant. Then continued to work on the bound man's ropes, now as fast & quietly as he could.

"Sir, this case, the quote un quote stolen by you. key artifact that proves the Egyptian and Maya cultures did interact with each other thousands of years ago? I've discovered the truth of the matter upon investigation. You never stole it. It was a ploy to get the artifact out of your hands, and into mister Hancock's hands." The Inspector answered as professionally as he could.

Not answers really to the other man's questions. John did find it insulting he was being accused of being a thief himself. Dealing with that accusation wasn't one he felt like tackling. Given how it was an underhanded American, who was to blame for all of this. Although bringing that real thief to justice? All that took was a question he hoped the dirty archaeologist would answer. That without turning to face him. John asked the now untied man, the big question of the case.

"Where is the artifact, mister Hancock? Since it's no where to be found, and clearly not with mister Tatanaki. It must be in your possession some how."

"How did you find me!?" Hancock shouted, upset he'd been discovered on more than one account.

Moving to finally see the dirty archaeologist again. The museum owner, mister Tatanaki. Saw the man was free of his tied rope bonds. Further acknowledgment at truly noticing the inspector's partner. The person he knew surely had done the act of freeing the man. Then back to looking at John. Coldly, he looked at John. Not a good sign in the HAPPY agent's book. That's when the man that was once only the victim, fired his gun.

The shot while not shattering the plastic panel of John's personal computer. Did splinter it into a webbing of rings which circled outwards from the bullet's impact. No harm done, but that. The panel now useless, made John start to internally panic more than he had been already. No translator, and no personal understanding of Berber. Plus the person he needed to settle down from having been violated. Was in fact now doing more criminal acts. Than what had been noticed of the archaeologist, once entering the barn.

"We'd been given information you'd be here. We just didn't know the why behind it." John answered before gulping in air and continuing, "till now."

The Inspector attempted not to look at the man nervously. As the other stood up, and rubbed himself where the rope had been on him. Alan watched the thief as well, but if he was nervous, he was hiding it well. The man was smiling in his normal cheshire cat way. That didn't help John when noticing it to keep himself in check. Knowing what Alan's smiles normally meant. John asked him what the other was thinking that could make things get abruptly worse.

"Alan, what are you thinking of doing?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing for my actions. Him, he is so boned!" Alan said in hooking a thumb at Hancock. To then laugh a little after saying his reply, and two cents to the moment.

The museum owner shouted, and then the engineer refrained back to looking professional. The inspector then also continued as best he could with handling the case by questioning the archaeologist. Words now spoken by the gun wielding man, in a sense fallen upon deaf ears considering neither HAPPY agent could understand him. They got the drift of his meaning none the less.

"Again mister Hancock, where is the artifact!" John questioned the dirty archaeologist again.

"I couldn't give it back to him right now even if I wanted to." Hancock glared, as he spoke his reply.

"What is that supposed to mean?" John further questioned him, feeling confused by the man's odd statement.

Looking none too happy to give a reply, and feeling lightly embarrassed by what the reply was. Earl Hancock motioned with one of his feet. To the camel dung he'd been near, when he'd been on the ground.

"Its in the camel poop?" John questioned the man, wide eyed and in shock at the thought.

Noticing the pale look on the archaeologist's face. Alan voiced his thoughts over the motion they'd just witnessed. "Inspector, I think that means he swallowed it."

"Oh great." John stated, thinking about how the situation once simply bad. Had turned worse, and now felt like what his niece had said she had just gone through, a nightmare.

Again Tatanaki shouted, and hearing the additional noises. The sounds of something being lifted with the of scraping metal against the floor of the barn. This got the HAPPY agents attention back to him.

He now after having shouted, and now holding a pitchfork. Both inspector and engineer, knew without translation what he was saying, and what he intended to do waving the tool in the air before charging in their direction. But more specifically towards the archaeologist. The shout and motions & running. All meaning that the museum owner now intended to remove the artifact from the one man in the room not a HAPPY agent, by force.

That's when inspector and engineer, knew also the next action they needed to take in this case assignment. Alan grabbed Hancock by one arm. In starting to force him to run with him out of the barn. While as when John caught up to them, he took the other arm of the archaeologist, to continue forcing on the man's movement. Breaking free from both HAPPY agents, Hancock shouted at them non-directly.

"I'll go with you! Alright!?"

"You need to come with us, and you need a safe place! That, and you need to be loaded with laxatives, and if that doesn't work I know of a great surgeon!" John replied, with his some of his wording heightened in his voice, as they ran, while he spoke. The reasoning behind heightening his voice, was to make it clear to the archaeologist. That the man had done wrong, and the inspector fully intended to correct those wrongs.

As the HAPPY agents continued running to safety. The archaeologist stopped in his tracks thinking of John's words. As he saw Tatanaki starting to catch up with him.

The idea now fully sinking into his head jail was coming for him, if he continued on with the men. Added also that he would soon be being met with a very uncomfortable doctor's appointment too. Which would be worse? Dealing with the pissed off local museum owner and his pitchfork, or the protection agency he had frauded?

Alan stopped him in his train of thought, and grabbed him as the museum owner, pitchfork being carried over his head. Readied himself to strike at Hancock as he was catching up with the man. Now only a few yards away from him.

"It's people like you that give Indiana Jones a bad name!" Alan shouted at Hancock as both men. That with the engineer forcing the archaeologist. Caught up with the inspector, still in a head long run.

"Those four movies are a crock to my field of work!" Hancock snapped in reply to Alan.

"There are only three! I refuse to believe theres a fourth!" Alan replied back.

"Knock it off you two!" John shouted without turning back to look at them. As he ran with them trailing behind him. Into an open garage holding the modded 1983 Toyota Supra. That he and Alan started calling the Gadgetmobile, regularly a few missions into them working together.

Reaching the car, John quickly grabbed out his keys, and using the right one, opened the driver's door. To then from a button within the vehicle. Unlock all at once, all the other doors to the machine. Catching himself on the outside of the car with his personal computer. Before in practiced fast action, removing the gadget bit by bit from his head.

Alan reaching the car, ripped open the rear passenger door. Then threw in Hancock to the Gadgetmoblie, before he too entered the car. John then locked all the car's doors. Before ripping out of the open garage as fast as the car could move. As far as safety was considered in this. Only the dirty archaeologist in the car's backseat was concerned. That is until an automated feature of the car kicked in. At the vehicle's sensors realizing the machine's passengers were unsecured.

Moving by robotic motors, the mid-section backseat, seat belts wrapped themselves across the man. A yipe of surprise and widening eyes was his only reaction to this. The men in the front of the car thought nothing of it. But one of them knew the car needed to have at least one more of it's extra functions kick in before they'd all be safe. Well at least in his book.

"John, press the new button." Alan asked the man, grinning.

"Alan, we don't need the car to spout wings & tail, and fly! That has yet to be tested, now is not the right time for that! Plus the cargo carrier that brought us here, is already on standby for us! That is what we're doing!" The Inspector replied, smacking away Alan's reaching hand for one of the car's dashboard control panels.