CHAPTER TWELVE: Submerged.
Clanker's eyes were welded shut as he faced the mole family and others. The shark groaned in the shimmering water, "Murrrg..."
"How could you possibly HELP the witch?" asked Bottles, with little breath in his voice.
The fish responded, "Klunty make me kidnap, not want to..." Clanker was obviously punished for deceiving Klunty when he befriended the bear and bird, and was robbed of his eyesight.
Mumbo scratched his skull. "Who big metal fish?"
"Oh," mumbled the bird, "that's Clanker, the mechanical garbage grinder. He was in some sewer system before..."
"Silence!" said Squinty. "Now Clanker, move forward to the edge so we can board."
"Board?" yelled Mrs. Bottles. "You want us to ride in this beast? Well I never...!"
"That tears it!" exclaimed the breegull. She snatched Mumbo's zapping stick and held it at wings length directly at Squinty. "I'm not afraid to use this... er, thing!"
Squinty did a double take. "Wha??"
The mole siblings suddenly pleaded, "NO! Not cousin squinty!" Their mother held them back.
"Will you stop that!!!" yelled the bird. "Squinty is not quite himself! He's being controlled by the witch -- you know the witch, right?"
Goggles and Speccy both nodded.
"You see, I'm protecting you against him..." Her eyes diverted for a split second. The perfect chance for Squinty.
The evil mole pounced. "GAHHH!!!" yelped Kazooie as the mole frantically tried to yank the zapping stick from the bird's feathers. Mr. and Mrs. Bottles yelled to stop the fighting. Mumbo jumped on the both of them to reclaim his stick. Clanker moaned. But it was too late. A sudden burst of energy shot out.
The beam ricocheted off the reflective walls of the cavern and finally landed Clanker right between the eyes.
"MUUURG!!!"
The shark's eyes were blasted open, and Clanker regained his vision. "Clanker see," he declared.
Mumbo pulled to get his zapping stick so strongly that when it was let go of he flew into the water, the stick itself flying off in the other direction.
Kazooie really let Squinty have it. She poked at each of the mole's eyes and did a swift Talon Kick into his chest. "This is MY house!" she said instinctively. She then felt a hard THUD against the back of her head.
"You fiend!" yelled Mrs. Bottles when she whacked the bird with her purse. "How could you hurt a child???"
Squinty lay sprawled on the floor. Mrs. Bottles began to reach for him, but was insisted by Bottles to stay back.
"Hey now!" said Kazooie, "that was totally uncalled for! Don't you know that Squinty has Klunty's influence and powers? Where have you been?"
"Calm down now honey," said Bottles, looking into his wife's eyes. "You may not have realized it, but Kazooie might just have saved us all."
Everyone at that moment realized that Mumbo was drowning.
The shaman gurgled and sputtered as he struggled to stay above the surface of the water. "Mumbo need help!" he gasped.
There were so many things happening, the bird didn't know where to begin. Kazooie quickly rushed over to help the witch doctor. "Grab my wing!" she yelled. She managed to get him up on shore.
Mumbo wheezed and coughed as he spat out the water from his lungs, his feathers matted down onto his skull. He groped for his stick blindly through his soaked eyes.
"Mumbo, what happened?" asked Kazooie almost stupidly.
"Nothing. Where stick?" he pleaded amidst coughs.
She passed it over to him. "Here you go."
Mumbo slowly got up, straightening out his grass skirt. The bird and mole stared at him. Something strange was going on.
"I thought you could swim," said Kazooie. "You even swam when you helped us in Banjo-Tooie. What's up?"
"Nothing up. Leave alone." demanded the shaman.
At that second, Squinty began to stir.
"We'd better tie that kid up before he wakes up," said Kazooie, her mind still on Mumbo.
"Don't tie him up too tight," said Mrs. Bottles, "or he'll suffocate."
Kazooie looked to the mole mother. "Yeah, and we sure don't want that," she said with sarcasm.
"Clanker?" Bottles called. "Hey Clanker, can you help us escape?"
"Clanker be happy to help friends," he said in a slightly happier yet murrgy tone.
"You'd better," said the bird. "Banjo and I freed you, fixed your teeth, and got your vision back. You owe us a bucketload."
The mechanical fish opened his large jaws.
"I guess we got a free ride. All right, let's go," the Breegull said to the group.
Bottles and Kazooie boarded quickly carrying Squinty in their limbs, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Bottles with their children on their backs, and then followed by a rather reluctant Mumbo.
"C'mon bone boy," said the bird, "what's the problem?"
Mumbo gripped his zapping stick tightly. He slowly stepped over the teeth and past the gums. "Here Mumbo come..."
Clanker shut his mouth gently and slid down beneath the water, diving deep into the sea, away from danger.
For now.
Clanker's eyes were welded shut as he faced the mole family and others. The shark groaned in the shimmering water, "Murrrg..."
"How could you possibly HELP the witch?" asked Bottles, with little breath in his voice.
The fish responded, "Klunty make me kidnap, not want to..." Clanker was obviously punished for deceiving Klunty when he befriended the bear and bird, and was robbed of his eyesight.
Mumbo scratched his skull. "Who big metal fish?"
"Oh," mumbled the bird, "that's Clanker, the mechanical garbage grinder. He was in some sewer system before..."
"Silence!" said Squinty. "Now Clanker, move forward to the edge so we can board."
"Board?" yelled Mrs. Bottles. "You want us to ride in this beast? Well I never...!"
"That tears it!" exclaimed the breegull. She snatched Mumbo's zapping stick and held it at wings length directly at Squinty. "I'm not afraid to use this... er, thing!"
Squinty did a double take. "Wha??"
The mole siblings suddenly pleaded, "NO! Not cousin squinty!" Their mother held them back.
"Will you stop that!!!" yelled the bird. "Squinty is not quite himself! He's being controlled by the witch -- you know the witch, right?"
Goggles and Speccy both nodded.
"You see, I'm protecting you against him..." Her eyes diverted for a split second. The perfect chance for Squinty.
The evil mole pounced. "GAHHH!!!" yelped Kazooie as the mole frantically tried to yank the zapping stick from the bird's feathers. Mr. and Mrs. Bottles yelled to stop the fighting. Mumbo jumped on the both of them to reclaim his stick. Clanker moaned. But it was too late. A sudden burst of energy shot out.
The beam ricocheted off the reflective walls of the cavern and finally landed Clanker right between the eyes.
"MUUURG!!!"
The shark's eyes were blasted open, and Clanker regained his vision. "Clanker see," he declared.
Mumbo pulled to get his zapping stick so strongly that when it was let go of he flew into the water, the stick itself flying off in the other direction.
Kazooie really let Squinty have it. She poked at each of the mole's eyes and did a swift Talon Kick into his chest. "This is MY house!" she said instinctively. She then felt a hard THUD against the back of her head.
"You fiend!" yelled Mrs. Bottles when she whacked the bird with her purse. "How could you hurt a child???"
Squinty lay sprawled on the floor. Mrs. Bottles began to reach for him, but was insisted by Bottles to stay back.
"Hey now!" said Kazooie, "that was totally uncalled for! Don't you know that Squinty has Klunty's influence and powers? Where have you been?"
"Calm down now honey," said Bottles, looking into his wife's eyes. "You may not have realized it, but Kazooie might just have saved us all."
Everyone at that moment realized that Mumbo was drowning.
The shaman gurgled and sputtered as he struggled to stay above the surface of the water. "Mumbo need help!" he gasped.
There were so many things happening, the bird didn't know where to begin. Kazooie quickly rushed over to help the witch doctor. "Grab my wing!" she yelled. She managed to get him up on shore.
Mumbo wheezed and coughed as he spat out the water from his lungs, his feathers matted down onto his skull. He groped for his stick blindly through his soaked eyes.
"Mumbo, what happened?" asked Kazooie almost stupidly.
"Nothing. Where stick?" he pleaded amidst coughs.
She passed it over to him. "Here you go."
Mumbo slowly got up, straightening out his grass skirt. The bird and mole stared at him. Something strange was going on.
"I thought you could swim," said Kazooie. "You even swam when you helped us in Banjo-Tooie. What's up?"
"Nothing up. Leave alone." demanded the shaman.
At that second, Squinty began to stir.
"We'd better tie that kid up before he wakes up," said Kazooie, her mind still on Mumbo.
"Don't tie him up too tight," said Mrs. Bottles, "or he'll suffocate."
Kazooie looked to the mole mother. "Yeah, and we sure don't want that," she said with sarcasm.
"Clanker?" Bottles called. "Hey Clanker, can you help us escape?"
"Clanker be happy to help friends," he said in a slightly happier yet murrgy tone.
"You'd better," said the bird. "Banjo and I freed you, fixed your teeth, and got your vision back. You owe us a bucketload."
The mechanical fish opened his large jaws.
"I guess we got a free ride. All right, let's go," the Breegull said to the group.
Bottles and Kazooie boarded quickly carrying Squinty in their limbs, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Bottles with their children on their backs, and then followed by a rather reluctant Mumbo.
"C'mon bone boy," said the bird, "what's the problem?"
Mumbo gripped his zapping stick tightly. He slowly stepped over the teeth and past the gums. "Here Mumbo come..."
Clanker shut his mouth gently and slid down beneath the water, diving deep into the sea, away from danger.
For now.