I do not own Jimmy Neutron, JAWS or any related characters or themes used in this story.
A/N: The opening quote regarding the creature is a direct quote from the trailer for the movie JAWS which is my inspiration for this tale.
There is a creature alive today that has survived millions of years of evolution without change, without passion and without logic. It lives to kill. A mindless eating machine. It will attack and devour anything. It is as if God created the Devil and gave it JAWS. None of Man's fantasies of evil can compare with the reality that is JAWS.
This alternate scenario occurs when Jimmy is testing out a new protective skin for Goddard that makes him water proof so he can be used for jet skiing and for towing a water skier. Jimmy and the gang are celebrating having graduated from high school and they decide to test Goddard out at the beach.
Amity island:
The gang had stayed close through high school and this was the summer after graduation. Jimmy had grown taller than Sheen and had gotten quite muscular from the workout routine he did daily with Carl and Sheen. His martial art skills were formidable these days having taken up training with Cindy. Carl had bulked up and was the most muscular of the group. He had been captain of the football team in school. Sheen and Libby had been dating since they were twelve and the marriage topic had come up a few times.
Jimmy and Cindy were actually married to the pleasure of both groups of their parents. They had been engaged since they were sixteen and made it official as soon as they were both legally able. They moved into the house about three doors down from Jimmy's parents. The house was paid for from the profits made on the sale of a few of Jimmy's inventions.
They were all going to be attending the same college at the end of the summer but that would have been a tale for another time. This was summer vacation after all.
The gang spent the day swimming, skiing and body boarding. Goddard's new design was functioning perfectly and was proving to be a lot of fun.
Carl was playing fetch with his black lab Dexter. (Jimmy had created a cure for dog allergies much to Carl's enjoyment.) Jimmy noticed Goddard eying Carl and Dexter. "its OK boy go play with them. We can use the body boards for now." Goddard barked happily and swam in the direction of Carl and Dexter.
Carl threw the stick far out into the water and Dexter and Goddard ran and dove into the waves in their race to fetch the stick. The dogs happily took turns on who ran it back.
Cindy, Libby , Sheen, and Jimmy waited for the next wave and started paddling toward shore as the wave drove them forward. The water was cold but it felt good on this extremely hot sunny day.
Cindy noticed an ice cream truck had pulled up on shore. "Hey Neutron?"
"Yeah, what do you need Mrs. Neutron?" he smiled at her. She loved being called that. She missed hearing him call her Vortex but Neutron had such a nice ring to it that she couldn't complain. She giggled to herself when she thought about it. "I'm a tad thirsty. Would you be my hero and save me from dehydration by getting me a soda from the ice cream truck?" she batted her eyes and his heart melted and his mind felt fuzzy. They had been dating since they were twelve yet she still had that effect on him.
"How can I say no when you look so beautiful in your new bathing suit." He kissed her on the cheek and paddled off. She blushed and rubbed her cheek. He still makes me feel this way after all these years. He can be so cute sometimes and he doesn't even know it.
Carl looked up and down the beach. "Dexter! Goddard! Where the hell did they go?" There was no sign of either dog. The stick was floating in the water abandoned until a wave crashed on shore and it slid up between Carl's feet. He picked it up and looked around confused.
The shark cruised slowly through the water. Its gray mottled back made it invisible from the surface. The streamlined body slid through the water silently. Its primitive mind was set on searching for food. It picked up a disturbance in the water. It changed directions and headed toward the source. It stayed near the bottom as it glided along when it neared the source of the disturbance it looked up spotting a silhouette of what appeared to be a seal which was its favorite prey. One swipe of its powerful tail propelled the animal upward as its jaws opened and its eyes rolled back.
Jimmy bought a can of Purple Flurp and was heading back when he noticed a commotion on shore. People were screaming and racing out of the water, while others ran toward the shoreline pointing and screaming at the water. The water was red. People were yelling shark. The panic flooded over him. Cindy and his friends were in the water! He dropped the can of soda and ran in the direction of the water shouting for his friends.
Libby shouted out to him and he regrouped with her and Sheen. Carl ran over to them and said "guys I can't find Goddard or Dexter and everyone is claiming there is a shark in the water."
Jimmy ignored everything around him as his eyes searched around frantically. "Guys where's Cindy?" he demanded. The panic was making it hard for him to think straight.
"I thought she was with you." Libby shouted. They all started shouting for Cindy but suddenly Sheen without saying a word ran off down the beach. They all turned to watch him. "Where the hell is he going?" asked Jimmy.
Sheen stopped about twenty yards away and walked up to his knees in the surf. A wave nearly knocked him over. He managed to keep his footing and retrieved the object he had spotted. He stood on the shore and looked down at it. His face turned pale. He simply stared. He could hear his friends approaching. He didn't know what to say to them. His knees wobbled. As he tried to think of what he would say.
"What is that Sheen?" Jimmy asked the fear building over what he would see. There was still no sign of Cindy, Goddard, or Dexter.
"What is what, Jimmy?" Sheen was stalling and playing dumb but Jimmy played along.
The thing you're holding?"
"Jimmy, I'm sorry." He turned and held up what was left of Cindy's body board. There was a two and half foot jagged curve missing from the board.
to be continued...
Let me know if I should continue this story arch...
