"I wasn't thinking so much about the sapphires," said Fernald. "That's a bonus if I can get them. The thing is, the man with a beard and no hair and the woman with hair and no beard loaded that enormous birdcage full of eagles into the Carmelita before they gave it to you."
"They wanted me to find Hector and the Quagmires and use the eagles to bring them down," said Olaf.
"Carrying out their mission might win me some brownie points," said Fernald. "I don't like crossing them," he said with a shudder.
"What about crossing your own sister? Aye?"" asked Fiona. "You lied to me, Fernald!"
"Sorry, Fiona," said Fernald. "You wouldn't have gone along with it if I told you the truth."
"I most certainly wouldn't!" raged Fiona. "You're all disgusting! From now on when you think of me, think of poisonous rotten apples! That's what I think of you!" She pulled back into the submarine.
Being reminded of poisonous rotten apples instead of a food he loved very much (such as custard eclairs) when he thought of Fiona was a hard blow to Klaus, just as it is to me now. Pardon me a moment, while I weep over an apple incident which brought endless woe to my life...
There, now I can resume where I left off.
"Fiona!" cried Klaus, but it was too late. The Baudelaires could hear her sobs fading away as she ran deeper into the Carmelita.
"What do you say we join forces again, Lucafont? All the troupe members you couldn't stand are gone. With my brains and your hooks, we could bring down the airship and get the sapphires in no time."
"No!" cried the Baudelaires together.
"I'd like that," said Lucafont. "Only I don't care much for the Baudelaire brats, either."
"We can deal with them later. Now tell me, have you seen any rescue missions from the rest of the V.F.D.? I heard they might try something," said Olaf.
"Quigley Quagmire came along in a helicopter with a net to catch the eagles, but I swatted him with the Carmelita's built-in giant swatter."
"You killed Quigley?" Violet cried in despair.
"He jumped for the gondola at the bottom of the airship and made it inside. Now he's in the same boat with them," said Fernald.
Violet sighed with relief, which was destined to be short-lived.
"You said you were talking to them. How are you able to communicate?" asked Olaf.
Lucafont picked up a small metal box with his hooks and showed it to Olaf. "With this ham radio and microphone."
"Very good," said Olaf. "I can use that to talk them out of the sapphires."
"You always were a great persuader, boss," said Fernald. "It's good to work with you again. I'm glad there's no hard feelings about the sub."
Olaf produced a small whistle from a chain around his neck and gave several piercing blasts. Three eagles swooped down and lifted Fernald into the air before he could react. A fourth eagle grabbed the radio and brought it to Olaf.
"Oh, of course there are hard feelings," said Olaf, his eyes glittering. "I never forgive people who steal things from me." With another blast of the whistle, he commanded the eagles to carry Fernald away. I never learned for sure what happened to him, but I fear the worst.
"Fiona!" Klaus yelled, realizing what was coming next, "Shut the hatch, fast!"
It was too late. With another series of blasts from the whistle, Olaf sent several more eagles streaking into the submarine after Fiona.
"Why the attempted betrayal, boy?" Olaf asked in a menacing tone. "You said you'd help me steal something. Now I've stolen back my submarine."
"I didn't know it would be from someone I cared about!" Klaus said.
"In this business, it doesn't pay to care too much about anyone," said Olaf.
"Now satisfied?" asked Sunny.
"No. I've just gotten back what was already mine. I still need a fortune," said Olaf.
Olaf lifted the ham radio's microphone to his mouth.
"Quagmires, this is Count Olaf. I'm in charge now."
"We heard," came the voice of Quigley Quagmire. "Fernald left the microphone open all this time. Baudelaires, how could you? Especially you, Violet."
"We did what we had to..." Violet began to explain.
"I didn't trust you when I first met you on Mount Fraught," said Quigley, "I thought you might be on Olaf's side, so I lied and pretended I wasn't a fully-trained V.F.D. agent. Later, I decided you must be noble. Now I know my first instinct was right."
"All wrong!" Sunny shouted.
"Forget the explanations and recriminations; I want the sapphires," said Olaf. "Quigley, you're the oldest triplet by one minute, so I know you have the key to the safety deposit box where they're hidden. Give me that, and I'll let you go."
"I'm not giving up the family fortune to the likes of you," said Quigley. "The self-sustaining hot-air mobile home has stood up to the eagles so far. You won't be able to keep them on the attack much longer because storm winds are rising, and the V.F.D. will send more help soon."
The winds were indeed rising, stirring the waves into whitecaps and fiercely rocking the boat. But Olaf wasn't ready to move to the sub just yet. He went to the prow of the boat and pulled the diving helmet off the figurehead. The Baudelaires gasped as they realized what he had in mind. The helmet contained the deadly spores of the Medusoid Mycelium! Before they could do anything to stop him, he called another eagle to carry the helmet up the the Deus Ex Machina.
"I don't need an opening big enough for an eagle," Olaf said. "A tiny tear will allow me to introduce the spores."
The Baudelaires could do nothing but watch in horror as the eagle flew toward the airship with its deadly cargo.