Irene's mouth dropped open while Harry's opened and closed like a fish. Lillibulero merely smiled and took a sip of wine before picking up a cigar and twiddling with it. Harry sat down in the chair opposite him.

"Sure, you get to sit in luxury while the two of us were cramped up in the engine room. How kind of you to send your big louts to retrieve us," said Harry in a hushed but angry voice.

"It took a little while to get his voice, right, Harriman, I didn't exactly listen to him for very long," said Lillibulero in his own voice, equally as hushed.

"Will someone please explain what's going on?" asked Irene. Harry and Lillibulero both shushed her.

"Mr. Lillibulero is great at mimicking other voices," said Harry. He turned to Lillibulero and glared. "So good it nearly gives you a heart attack."

"Wow, you really are amazing," whispered Irene.

"Now's not the time to be gushing at how great Mr. Lillibulero is," hissed Harry.

"Maybe not," said Lillibularo in Vandal's voice, "but Miss Marshall here seems to have the right idea." He glanced at Harriman and said in his own voice, "Namely, don't let your emotions get the best of you."

Harry rolled his eyes, but sat back in the chair and took a deep breath. "Fine, what's the plan? We've officially been captured."

"Well, that is now part of the plan," said Lillibulero as he stood up. He walked over to a desk at the far side of the room and opened a drawer silently. He took something out and closed it just as quietly before returning to his seat. He opened his hand and handed Harry a key. "I'm sending you to the brig. This will open all the cell doors and the brig as well. But be careful, Harriman."

Harry blinked as he put the key in his pocket. "Why?"

"I was looking through his files. He has someone on the inside at ICS."

Harry shifted his eyes. "Uh, OK, we kind of figured as much, but weren't quite sure."

"Then now you know," said Lillibulero. "Just be careful."

"Wait, do you know who's the inside man?" asked Harry.

Lillibulero shook his head. "No, he didn't mention any names, but he mentions information from ICS that only someone on the inside would have. Who did you suspect was giving information?"

"Maggie, to protect Jack," said Harry. "We couldn't think of anyone else doing it, and the Marshalls and Dr. Von Hoffer are automatically exempt."

Lillibulero gave a quick nod. "That is the likeliest." He glanced at the door. "I will send you to the brig now, but I want you to wait ten minutes before unlocking the doors."

"Why ten minutes?" asked Irene.

"So you can take out the rest of the crew?" muttered Harry.

Lillibulero grinned and spoke in Vandal's voice loudly. "I think that's enough talk for now. Time for the brig!" Harry quickly stood up and stepped to the side of the chair. The two guards entered the room and grabbed their arms.

"Any particular cell?" asked Huxley.

"Just put them with their friend," came Vandal's voice from the chair and a hand was waved.

"And stick to the plan with Finski?" asked Crowley.

"Yes."

"Aye Captain!" said the two before taking Harry and Irene out the door. They took them down several corridors and a couple of staircases before they got to the brig.

"Irene!" said Billy and Jack as the four walked past.

"Oh, Uncle Billy! Jack Storm! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, lass."

"I'm pretty good," said Jack. He glanced at Billy. "But I'm not so sure about the mental health of some here."

Robby let out a joyous yell as the guards opened his cell and shoved Harry and Irene in. "Harry! You're alive!"

"Told you she would save him," said Billy with a cheeky grin.

Harry scoffed as he rubbed his shoulder. "At least she was gentler." Huxley and Crowley closed the door and left the brig.

Robby gave his friend a hug."I'm just glad you're alright. I didn't like the idea of nearly losing my best friend." He sighed. "My only human friend."

Harry patted his back. "Takes a little more than that to kill me. Also, it definitely helps to have a mermaid nearby."

Jack groaned. "You too?"

Harry and Irene blinked before glancing at Robby. Robby chuckled nervously. "He takes Dad's philosophy to heart. He needs to see the proof."

Irene sighed and sat down. "Alright. Sorry we kept this from all of you, but we have our reasons." Her legs shifted into a tail.

Jack's mouth dropped. "No way."

"And the reason why you couldn't find the treasure, Mr. Storm, was because a mermaid hid it," said Robby. "Mermaids know how to camouflage things at the bottom of the ocean better than even an octopus."

Irene nodded as she shifted her tail back into her legs and stood up. "Yup."

"And I've been using it as a cover to visit my family every week," said Billy.

Harry's and Robby's mouths dropped. "You have a family?!"

Irene chuckled nervously. "Oh right, we didn't tell you that either. Sorry."

Harry glanced at her. "Don't be, these past couple of hours have been nuts. There hasn't been enough time to tell us everything."

"So, have you seen Lillibulero recently?" asked Billy.

Harry and Irene nodded. "We got on board with him."

"So then, how come you got captured and he didn't?" asked Billy.

Harry rolled his eyes. "It's all part of the plan, the plan he didn't fully explain." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the key. "But, our part was to get into the brig and bust you out. We have to wait ten minutes, though."

"How come?" asked Billy.

Harry shrugged. "So he could take out the rest of the guys? See, he didn't tell us that part."

Robby glanced at Jack. "Oh, um, guys?" The others glanced at him. He pointed at Jack. "I think Irene just broke his brain." They looked at Jack. His eyes and mouth were wide open.

Billy rattled his cell bars. "Pull yourself together, lad, this isn't the time to freak out."

"B-but mermaids . . . are real!"

Irene sighed. "And that's why we wanted to spread the idea that we were real before we revealed ourselves."

Harry glanced at Robby. "Yeah, and it was your grandpa who planted that seed in our heads."

Irene smiled. "Good! Ilithyia has been dropping hints around him and Dr. Cho. I'm glad he caught on. I just don't know if Dr. Cho did."

"Have you been dropping hints around Stan?"

Irene nodded. "Every now and then."

"This, this just isn't possible!" exclaimed Jack. "But then if mermaids are real, is everything else real too? Like vampires, elves, dwarves . . ."

Irene held up her hand. "Some are, some aren't, and there's some we don't know about. But maybe once we've revealed ourselves, maybe others will do the same."

"So which ones are real that you know of?" asked Robby.

"Obviously menehune" quipped Harry.

Irene glared at him. "Yes, they're a kind of gnome or dwarf."

"Any others?" asked Robby.

"Well, dwarves and gnomes, obviously, we know that fairies and elves exist as well as wizards. We especially know that wizards are real, they're the ones who have helped us with our shifting abilities."

"Speaking of, I mean, if you don't mind my asking, but, what happened to Ianthe? Why can't she shift?" asked Robby.

Irene crossed her arms, leaned against the wall, and let out a breath. "There's this organ that mermaids have in their backs that allows for the transformation to take place. Wizards made changes to it so we could still be wearing our clothes when we shifted. However, if that organ is damaged, you can't shift. Ianthe's was damaged while she was out swimming. She got hit by a boat. It was an accident. She hasn't been able to shift since."

"I'm, I'm sorry to hear that," said Robby softly.

"It's fine. Thanks to the wonderful invention of the wheelchair, we've been able to cope." She smiled. "Besides, it helped us to prove to you two that we existed. So there's some good. And it's not like she can't swim."

"So you guys have been able to keep yourselves secret despite all the technology we've produced?" asked Jack.

Irene nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Then, how did Uncle Billy and Vandal find out about you?"

Billy chuckled. "I had the fortunate luck of falling in love with a mermaid while she worked on land. She revealed all the secrets to me before needing to return home to take care of her people."

Irene rolled her eyes. "He means he fell in love with a princess, who's our queen right now."

"Dang!" said Harry, looking at Billy in awe. "A real fairy tale!"

"And that's why you're an honorary member of the council!" said Robby.

Billy grinned. "Yup."

Harry and Robby glanced at Irene. "Why didn't your dad just say that?" asked Robby.

Irene shrugged. "Uncle Billy's family didn't come up. That's only when we mention that. And we usually let Uncle Billy start that conversation, if he feels comfortable sharing that information."

Billy shrugged. "Which I do with these lads."

"But that doesn't explain how Vandal knows," said Harry.

"You're right, it doesn't," said Billy.

"Maybe, maybe I do," whispered Jack. The others looked at him in shock.

"How would you know that?" asked Harry.

"The same way I actually knew about mermaids myself, but I just made myself forget," whispered Jack, looking down in shame.

"What?" asked Irene.

He glanced up at them. "My great-grandfather was Hank Mobley." The others gasped. "That's the real reason why I was searching for the treasure. I-I wanted to find it and return the jewels to their proper owners, the museums. Honestly. I grew up with the stories about his exploits and his romance with a mermaid. But I wanted to distance myself from him. I didn't want to be related to him at all. I hated him. When I told Maggie about it, well, that's when I came up with the idea to try and find it and return it. Not only would it make me feel like I had crawled out from under the shadow of my great-grandfather, but it would also help ICS get rid of the treasure-hunters that came here constantly in search of it. Two birds with one stone, right?" He sighed. "So, I think, maybe Vandal had the same thing, one of his ancestors had dealings with a mermaid and the stories were passed down."

"That actually makes the most sense," said Billy.

"But dude, that also means you're part mermaid," said Harry. "That's so cool."

"It explains a lot too," said Irene.

Jack tilted his head. "Yeah, yeah, it kinda does."

"Man, who knew ten minutes in the brig would help us figure out a whole lot," said Harry.

"Actually," said Robby, glancing at his watch, "it's only been six minutes. Four minutes left to go."

"Ugh!" said Harry with a roll of his eyes.

"But those six minutes really flew by," said Billy. "Maybe we can talk about something else and those last four minutes will fly by just as quickly."

"But what can we talk about?" asked Harry.

"Well, began Billy, but he was interrupted by the opening of the brig door. Everyone jumped as the door swung open with a clang and Huxley dragged in Dr. Finski. He shoved him into Jack's cell before closing the door and leaving the brig.

"Jerry!" Jack helped him up. "Are you alright?"

Finski rubbed his head. "I'll be fine. I'm afraid I was a little too enthusiastic upon hearing Vandal's plans in finding mermaids. He let me walk around a bit while he took care of other matters. At least, that's what he told me. Just a little while ago he came back and asked me to join his crew. I wasn't sure, and that's when I found out his real intentions behind finding mermaids, to keep them as monsters!" Finski crossed his arms. "That is not why I was looking for them!"

"You've been using ICS research funds to search for mermaids?" asked Jack incredulously. "I would have thought by now that you would have noticed if they wanted to be found or not."

Finski blinked at him before looking at Billy. "Wait, you managed to convince him mermaids are real?"

Harry chuckled. "Easy to do when there's a mermaid here."

Finski glanced at the trio, blinking in surprise. "Wait, when did you two get here?" Robby blinked.

Harry grabbed Robby's arm and looked at his watch. "Uh, about seven minutes ago." He grinned. "You're just in time. Only three minutes left."

"Harry, sh!" said Robby. Harry looked at him, blinking.

"Three minutes till what? What's going on guys?"

"Don't say a word," said Robby in a commanding tone.

"What not? Jerry's the last of our party!" said Jack.

"Is he?" asked Robby. The others looked between him and Finski.

"Uh, yeah, he is," said Jack.

"But he hasn't been in the brig since I've been here," said Robby. "So why did you ask about the two of them? Why not the three of us?"

"Oh, yeah, the guards mentioned to Vandal that they had put you in the brig. I mean, they didn't mention you by name, they just said the boy, so I kinda knew there was someone else here."

"But that didn't stop you from questioning Vandal's motives?" asked Robby.

Finski grinned sheepishly as he ran his fingers through his hair. "You would think that would have, but like I said, I was so enthusiastic about finding mermaids I didn't pay that close attention to the red flags."

"How did you know mermaids were real?" asked Robby.

"My grandma, she often told people that they were just stories so she wouldn't get locked up. But since I believed her, she could tell me the truth. Mermaids were real. She never told me how she knew, she just knew."

"And you made it your life's work to find them and reveal them to the world?" asked Jack.

Finski nodded. "For my grandma." He turned to the others. "So, what's happening in a couple of minutes?"

"Well," began Harry.

"Did Vandal tell you how he found out about mermaids?" Robby asked quickly.

"Funny thing is, it was his grandma who told him about them too, but she told him he had to keep it a secret and that apparently she was half mermaid." Finski glanced at Jack. The others gasped at learning this new information. But alarms went off in Robby's head.

"Just like Jack Storm," whispered Robby.

Finski glanced at him. "So, what's going to happen?"

"Before we tell you," said Robby, "I have one more question."

"OK."

"Where did you hide the harpoon?"

"What?" exclaimed the others, looking at Robby like he was crazy.

"What? What harpoon?"

"The one you shot at Jack and later at me. The one you hurt Poipu with."

"What? I've never had a harpoon."

"You're suggesting Jerry is working for Vandal?" said Jack. "That's crazy!"

"When your boat was found tied to his?" There was a brief moment of silence.

Harry leaned on the cell bars. "Yeah, yeah that was odd, seeing that boat. You know we found Poipu's blood on it? Care to explain, Dr. Finski?"

"His kidnapper probably left it there," said Finski.

Jack blinked and slowly turned to Finski. "The guy who kidnapped me took me to the sub and left it in my boat. Why would he leave it tied at your boat?"

"What even makes you think anyone at ICS is working for Vandal?" asked Billy.

"Vandal's got information only someone who works at ICS would have access to," said Harry.

"And Vandal told me he wants one of his men to take over as head of ICS. Only someone who has the doctorates needed can do that. Which I bet you do have them, right, Dr. Finski?"

"And you were the only other person out there when Jack was kidnapped and when Robby was attacked," said Irene. She too leaned on the cell bars next to the boys. "Maybe it wasn't that the fishing was going to get harder, but that the MacAllisters sensed something off about you."

Robby and Finski locked eyes. Robby gritted his teeth. He was glad he listened to his instinct, because that look told him he hit the bull's eye. Finski was working for Vandal.

(Author's Note: lol, yes, Lillibulero was pretending to be Vandal to get Harry and Irene into the captain's cabin and then into the brig. We've gotta get that key to them somehow. And to get this information. Did you figure out who Vandal's inside man was? Was I keeping it too close, or did I give enough clues? Seeing as how I'm breaking out and writing my own mysteries inspired by Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys using characters from other books, I want to be sure I'm writing mysteries well. I could give out for too much information at once or not enough. It's a constant balancing act to say the least. Only three chapters left! I hope you like this chapter and I hope you have a wonderful day! God bless!)