Perilous Plunder of Pirate's Park II

Vince had decided that the first problem would be finding Dr. Dred.

'The problem,' he said. 'Lies in what he's looking for here.'

'Isn't there supposed to be a pirate's plunder somewhere around here?' Howard asked.

Vince clicked. 'That's it! He must be after the Pirate's Plunder!'

'Okay,' Frank said. 'And what are we supposed to do about that? We don't know where it is.'

'No,' Vince agreed, 'but it's clearly why Toad is swimming around down there.'

'In the aquarium?' Howard asked. 'I doubt it's there!'

'Right. But where would it be?' Vince let his eyes wander around the park.

'Didn't Big D say pirates anchored here?' Frank asked.

Vince clicked. 'The pier! That's it, Frank! Let's go!'

The three boys ran to the pier in their human forms. Vince and Howard came to a stop right on the edge. But Frank didn't. Big and clumsy Frank tried to stop, but he toppled right over the edge. Vince and Howard both winced as Frank tumbled down into the seal enclosure. One of the seals suddenly lifted up and looked at it. It started barking and started clapping.

'Oh, look,' Vince said. 'Frank's made a new friend.'

'We better go get him,' Howard said.

Vince and Howard both jumped the barrier. Drak and Howler landed.

Frank looked at them and immediately transformed himself.

The seal looked at them, and promptly barked and clapped again.

'Let's pull ourselves together, Pack,' Drak said. 'We either have to find that Plunder or stop Dred from finding it.'

'What's the idea, Drak?' Frankie asked.

'Wait here.' Drak ran over and dived, pulling his cape around himself before he hit the water.

Frankie and Howler saw him transform into a swordfish before he hit the water.

:[

Toad carried the jackhammer over his back. 'Why do I always have to do Dr. Dred's dirty work?'

Dr. Dred's voice suddenly came through the receiver on his belt. 'Complaining again, Toad?'

Toad jerked his head into his collar.

Upon realising his boss wasn't actually around, he pulled his head out again. 'Oh, no, Dr. Dred! I was just saying what a pleasure it is to work for you.'

'Good,' Dr. Dred said. 'Now get drilling. We've got to find the secret passage to the Pirate's Plunder!'

'Yes, Dr. Dred!' Toad pulled the jackhammer off of his back.

Turning it on, he rammed it into the ground. The force he was hit back by, Toad was not prepared for. He found himself being flung high into the air. Dr. Dred yelled out his name angrily. But then Toad saw something. And he saw something he wished he hadn't seen. Because now he had to report it.

'Dr. Dred!' he yelled. 'Dr. Dred!' He pointed even as he flew through the air. 'It's the Drak Pack!'

'What?' Dr. Dred demanded. He was silent for a moment. 'Yes…with Clack just climbing out of the water. They must be looking for the Pirate's Plunder too.'

'What are you going to do, Master?' Toad asked.

'Don't worry about them, Toad,' Dr. Dred said. 'I'm going to give them a case of "high anxiety".'

:[

Drak had found nothing under the water.

He returned to Howler and Frankie. The three of them then climbed out of the seal enclosure and climbed up onto a building. One thing Big D had taught them from an early age: monsters never wanted to be seen in public. There were a number of locations they could hide though. The tops of buildings being one of them.

The three of them looked over the park.

'So, we're either looking for the Pirate's Plunder,' Howler said, 'or we're looking for Dr. Dred.'

'I'm not fussy about which,' Drak added.

'Hey,' Frankie said, 'look!'

Drak and Howler looked to where Frankie was pointing.

'What is that idiot doing up on that tower?' Frankie asked.

'Let's find out,' Drak said.

'I'll go with you,' Frankie told him. 'Every other time you went to meet the guy alone, he pulled some kind of dirty trick.'

'Fine,' Drak said.

Howler nodded. 'I'll stay here and keep watch.'

Drak nodded and he and Frankie headed to the tower. They elected to take the lift, given that Frankie couldn't fly. They both climbed into the lift. Drak glanced up. The Pirate's Plunder hadn't been seen since the 1600s. Stopping Dred was more likely than finding it. Drak's attention was pulled back as Frankie made a remark.

'What a situation!'

'Let's rise above it, Frankie.' Drak hit the button for the top of the tower.

'All right,' Frankie said. 'One no-good, rotten villain coming up.'

The lift came to the top quicker than expecting. Dred was waiting, complete with a fake beard and a pirate outfit. Drak immediately didn't like the look on his face.

'No good, rotten villain?' he asked. 'Yeah, you're right, Frankie. And I didn't get my reputation by being a nice guy.' He lifted a pole and the next thing Drak knew, they were being plunged downwards way too fast.

'Hit the brakes, Frankie!' Even Drak's stomach felt like it was in his throat.

Frankie reached for the control panel. 'There are no brakes!'

'You're a patchwork monster!'

'Oh, yeah!'

Running to the inner edge of the lift, Frankie dropped down. He laid his hands flat on the floor. With the slightest effort, he brought his feet up and then slammed them down again. They smashed right through the floor of the lift. He continued smashing down until the lower half of his body was out.

Drak slapped his hands over his ears.

The grinding of Frankie's shoes dragging against the central pole of the tower still set his teeth on edge.

The lift slowed to a stop.

:[

'Blast!' Dr. Dred yelled down at them. 'You had some lucky breaks this time, Mack! But the Plunder will still be mine!'

Drak stepped out of the lift and looked up at him. Dr. Dred knew that while Drak could hear him just fine, he wouldn't be able to hear anything the Drak Pack said. And Frankie was out of his line of vision. That was why it took him by surprise. He was spending too much time yelling, and not paying enough attention.

'It'll be all mine!' he yelled. 'Mine! Mine!'

The lift suddenly hit him. Dr. Dred cried out as he was sent flying through the air.

Thankfully, Fly was there to catch him.

:[

Drak's attention was turned by giggling.

When he turned his head, he was a little surprised to see Jess Brenton standing with a boy about four years younger than her. She was watching Dred fly away with a scowl, while the kid with her was pointing at him and laughing. Then Jess reached over and laid a hand on the boy's head. Drak got very distinctive scent of ozone.

A transparent barrier seemed to stretch over the boy and wrap around him. It shimmered for a moment, before fading away. The boy himself didn't seem to notice. He turned to Jess. 'That was funny, Jess! Are they gonna do that again?'

Jess rolled her eyes and muttered, 'Brothers!' Then she answered him. 'God, I hope not. Come on, Ben.' She dragged him away.

'But I wanna stay and watch!' he protested.

'I thought you wanted to ride the Pirate Ships?'

As soon as they were gone, Howler remarked, 'I didn't know Jess had a brother.'

'Explains what she's doing here, at least,' Drak said. 'Now…let's find out where Dred went.'

:[

Once he got the hang of the jackhammer, Toad took it underwater.

He had a laminated piece of map he was reading from. 'According to Dr. Dred's map, I should start drilling here.' He dropped the map and grabbed the jackhammer. As soon as he turned it on though, Toad found himself losing control of it. Drilling on the surface and drilling underwater were two complete different experiences.

Toad was vaguely aware of breaking through something, but he was only aware of what it was when he broke through into sunlight.

'Bad Toad! Bad Toad!'

:[

Jess was, again, waiting for her brother to get off one of the rides.

The sound of something cracking got her attention, though. She lifted her head and was stunned to see all of the water gushing out of the aquarium. Without even a thought to it, Jess dropped her magazine and lifted her hands. The magic pulsated through her. Jess put all of her focus on the water and the animals within.

Moving her hands in a precise arc, Jess rolled the water and the sea life in it along a measured projectory.

There was, rather unfortunately, only one place to put them.

Jess rolled the water into the sea.

Once the last of the water rolled in, she looked around. People were marvelling at the spectacle, and they were asking the staff how it was done. The staff, even as they tried to explain, were glancing around a little helplessly. Jess let out a relieved breath, even as her brother ran over, excitedly chattering about "the cool water show".

No one had seen Jess do it.

:[

The move was fortuitous for Toad.

That was how he found the tunnel Dred was looking for.

:[

The Drak Pack were impressed.

They stood back in the shadows. They had seen Toad break the hole in the aquarium. They had seen the water gush out. For a moment, all three had panicked. There had seemed to be nothing they could do for the mass of people about to be washed away. But then Jess had stepped in, without anyone but them seeing.

'Do you guys think it might be a good idea to have a witch around?' Frankie asked.

'Well,' Drak mused reluctantly, 'I've got to admit, there was nothing we could have done. But, for her, it was child's play.'

The barking suddenly gained their attention. All three turned. The seal was sitting on the edge of his enclosure, clapping at them. But then it waved its head, and jumped down. He began making his way past them. The Drak Pack watched him pass. It was almost as if…and then the seal looked at them expectantly.

'What do you think he wants?' Frankie asked.

'I suppose we better find out,' Drak said. He led the others in following the seal into the now-emptied aquarium and to a hole in the bottom. 'Hm. This looks like the secret entrance to the pirates' lost underwater hideout.'

Howler picked up a particular fly swatter that had been dropped. 'I think Dr. Dred's found it first!'

'Well,' Drak turned himself into mist, 'let's get a move on then!' He went down through the hole.

Howler followed him.

Frankie paused, only to pat the seal on the head as thanks, and then he jumped down the hole.