The Loch Ness Syndrome: Zed's Fishing Trip

Part 5: Tourists

The day was quiet and the loch was still and a little eerie as the agents departed on the tour boat. Their guide, who afterwards would be neuralyzed, explained to them about the loch and the legends of the creature that supposedly lurked beneath.

"An' here is where she attacked tha' other boat of unlucky tourists." the guide said as the boat came to a stop.

"He," Kay corrected. The guide seemed to pay him no notice.

The agents looked over the side of the boat and into the murky water. "Wow, this is giving me the creeps." Delia admitted, shivering involuntarily.

"Well," Zed stood behind them tapping his foot impatiently, "suit up and dive in. We haven't got all day."

Jay, R, and Delia looked nervously at each other. Kay came up behind Jay and shoved a diving mask into his hand. "What's wrong Slick? Afraid of a little water?"

"No!" Jay defensively replied. "Just not so sure this is a good idea. I mean, how are we supposed down there? That water isn't exactly crystal clear."

"Ah but these suits come equipped with high voltage lights on the masks that will shine right through all that nasty muck and allow you to see up to fifteen meters ahead of yourselves." Zeeltor happily remarked.

"Have they been tested?" Jay asked skeptically.

"Well," Zeeltor chuckled while Jay slipped on his suit, "as soon as you return from your little swim, they will have been."

"What?!" Jay gasped after zipping up the back of his wetsuit. "No way, uh-uh, not this agent! I'm not diving in there and playing lab rat for some lame brained experimental gear that might not even work!"

"Haven't got much of a choice in the matter," Kay informed Jay, pulling him over to the side of the boat.

Delia wasn't happy about the thought of her gear 'malfunctioning' either but she knew it was useless to argue, especially after the temper Zed had built up during the flight.

"Now I want you to stay close to the boat at all times, don't go wandering off or you might just wind up as Flippy's lunch." Zed instructed.

"Thanks for the thought." Delia muttered, turning her back to R she sighed, "Will you zip this darn thing?"

R's eyes got large, with a gulp he nodded, "Sure."

Delia's eyes rolled as the nervous JeeDangian carefully zipped up her wetsuit. "Don't have heart failure back there R." she laughed.

R laughed nervously as the zipper reached the nape of Delia's neck. "I'm fine, don't worry. Um, I think that's got it."

"Thanks." Delia spun around and headed past him towards the other end of the boat where Jay and Kay were standing."

Yazmine and Zeeltor worked to set up the monitors for the radar equipment that had been lowered down into the water, "This one will give us the sound wave readings, this one is infrared, and this one is visual." Zeeltor explained to Zed.

"It all looks fine to me Doctor, just make sure that you can tell what's going on the whole time the agents are down there. I don't want them caught off guard, understand?"

Zeeltor nodded.

"Good." Zed baited the hook on his fishing line and cast out into the loch. "Happy hunting agents."

Yazmine twisted some knobs on the control panel for the sound.

"AAAIIIIEEEEEEYYYY!!!!"

"Goodness!" she exclaimed and quickly turned the volume down. Four ticked off agents glared over at her, "Sorry." she smiled, "Just adjusting some dials."

"Alright," Kay turned toward the others, "let's dive in."

Kay and R were the first to dive, that left a nervous Delia and Jay on deck. "Uh, ladies first." Jay gestured for Delia to go.

"Oh no, I couldn't." Delia waved her hands, did the water just get darker?

"Oh but I insist," Jay persisted.

"Well I'm not going until you go." Delia crossed her arms.

"Just dive!" Jay gave her a shove.

"Make me!" Delia pushed back.

"Make me make you!"

Zed looked up from what he was doing and saw the two headaches at the end of the boat shoving each other like five-year-olds. With a sigh he started to get up and stop them but the boat was being rocked to badly by the fuss. Suddenly both agents lost their footing and slid off into the water.

"That's better," Zed grinned, turning back to his fishing, "Peace and quiet at last."

******

Beneath the surface of the murky loch waters the agents were searching for the creature. "I give up man," Jay said through his communicator (which was built in to his mask). "We've been down her two hours and we haven't seen a thing!"

"Hold up Sport," Kay motioned as he talked, "Flippy's a big alien, there are only so many places he can hide."

Delia and R were swimming on the other side of the boat. "Seen anything yet?" R asked as he swam passed Delia another time.

"Not since you asked me last time R," Delia groaned, "Which was FIVE MINUTES AGO!"

"Just checking," he grinned. The little human certainly got irritable when there was nothing to do. Maybe he'd get lucky and she wouldn't try to entertain herself at his expense. R cringed at all the pranks she could probably think to pull down here.

Delia had had it too, this was WAY too boring for her. At least back in New York she'd be chasing down alien scum right now, instead of playing hide and seek with it.

Sighing she leaned against a rock formation at the bottom of the loch. This was hopeless, Nessie or Flippy or whatever it wanted to be called was probably miles from the spot where they were swimming!

Up on the boat the scientist worked furiously with the equipment, trying to get some sort of a reading. "Nothing on sonar." Yazmine sighed.

She looked over at Zeeltor when he didn't respond. He was supposed to be checking the visual but when Yazmine glanced over at him he was intently watching a school of fish. He seemed fascinated by the small creatures. "Uh, Dr. Zeeltor?"

"Hmm?" he turned from the screen and then went back to watching it as Yazmine only made a baffled face.

Zed was snoozing too, his line in the water. He hadn't had so much as a nibble all day. But that was fine by him. He hadn't heard boo out of Delia or Jay either. For once, his almost constant headache was gone.

Delia laid back against the rock. 'Odd, it doesn't feel hard at all.' she puzzled. 'And if I didn't know any better I'd swear this rock was moving a little bit.' she laughed at the thought. That was impossible, unless…

ROAR!

Delia turned around reluctantly as the rock formation shifted beneath her, "Flippy I presume?"

The massive creature stared at Delia with eyes that were twice as large as her head. 'Oh great,' she gulped.

R had heard the noise and swam back over to where he'd last seen his partner. His jaw dropped inside the mask as he beheld the massive alien---with his partner on it's back!

"Agent Kay, Agent Jay!"

The two agents swam towards the alien's trembling voice.

"I've got something on radar." Yazmine announced. Zed was dozing and didn't hear her. Zeeltor was happily staring at the fish on his screen when they quickly swam out of view.

Agents Kay and Jay stared as the monstrous alien came into view. Delia was clinging to it's back. "Delia!" Jay shouted, "Let go!"

Delia forced her eyes open just long enough to spot the agent, "Why? So it can EAT ME?!"

Kay used his communicator to come in contact with the boat, "Zed, Zeeltor, Yazmine?"

Yazmine was fiddling around with the equipment, Zeeltor had finally managed to pry himself away from the screen and help her. "We've gotta hurry and get the agents back up here," Yazmine gasped, "That alien's right under us!"

Zed was snoring away while the scientists worked, "Hold on," Yazmine held her headset tightly, "It's Kay. He says Flippy's making a break for the surface!"

"Oh dear," Zeeltor mumbled, "he's probably coming to attack the boat."

Zed was dreaming away as the guide flipped through a boat catalog. Suddenly something gave Zed's line a tug. He stirred in his sleep. He was dreaming about a life where there were no agents to worry about, no alien menace ready to destroy or try to take over the planet, and no stack of paperwork on his desk. He was simply out enjoying a fishing trip. In his dream he hooked a huge fish, the largest one he'd ever seen in his life, and he was determined to reel it in.

Kay and Jay frantically swam for the surface, dragging R behind them since he was reluctant to leave his partner down there alone.

Zed wondered where he would hang his prize. Maybe in the den over the fireplace?

Yazmine and Zeeltor sprang to the side of the boat and quickly pulled the agents out of the water.

Zed was reeling in his catch. He was certain that this would put him on the cover of the 'Catch of the Day' magazine.

"Where's Delia?" Yazmine gasped.

"She's swimming with the fishes," Jay choked.

"To be more specific," Kay added, "Flippy the alien fish."

Zed was jolted awake when the line was tugged so hard it was nearly jerked out of his hands. The memory of his dream still fresh in his mind he hopped out of his seat and started reeling the large 'fish' in.

"Hey," Jay exclaimed, "Zed caught a fish."

"Don't think so," Kay muttered.

"Uh, perhaps he should let it go." Zeeltor suggested nervously.

Too late, Zed had reeled the line in so far that it Flippy had no where to go but up. Of course, he was jerk Zed down first. With a quick pull Zed found himself jerked off the boat and into the water.

"Z-Man!" Jay shouted.

Before anyone could dive in after him the surface of the water burst and Flippy lunged up, his large body towering over the agents and the terrified tour guide. "Ahh! Nessie!"

"That's Flippy." the creature corrected in a booming voice.

"Delia!" R could see his partner clinging to the back of the gigantic alien.

Zed surfaced and spat out a mouthful of none too clean loch water. "Agent Delia? What are you doing up there?!"

"Holding on for dear life Sir." Delia shouted.

Kay took aim at the giant alien and shout, "Let the agent go and back away from the boat by the count of three or I'll shot!"

The beast seemed to laugh at the tiny human's command.

"One."

Flippy wasn't phased.

"Two."

Delia noticed that the creature's attention was off her for a moment so she dove off into the loch beside Zed, "Cannon ball!"

"Three."

Kay fired but the creature dove under.

"Dude," Jay exclaimed, scratching the back of his head, "where'd he go?"

Kay was silent. Yazmine gave Delia and Zed a hand back onto the boat.

"What happened to our guide?" Delia asked.

"It appears he took the lifeboat and paddled back to shore." Zeeltor smiled.

"Oh what a fearless captain." Delia remarked sarcastically.

"DELIA!" R rejoiced, grabbing his partner and hugging her tightly, "You're all right!"

"Ack!" Delia wheezed, "I won't be if you keep squeezing me like this!"

R let her drop to her feet just as Flippy sprang out of the water, overturning the boat, and sending the agents and scientists toppling overboard.

"Zeeltor!" Yazmine screamed as she crashed into the water.

A few minutes later the loch was calm again and everyone kicked to the surface for air.

Zeeltor surfaced and found the other agents were all present and accounted for. Splashing around and coughing up water. But where was Yazmine? Then the terrible thought hit him, "Oh my stars---she can't swim!"

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