"Fuel pressure, normal." "Temperature, 79.6." "Report hull pressure, please, doctor." "Hull pressure remaining constant at 1 000 per sector, Race." "Let me talk to him, Race." "Hey, Dad, any deep-sea monsters to report?" "I sure have, Jonny." "He'd make your hair stand right up on end." "What's he like?" "Well, let's see." "He's like a dragon from his neck to his tail." "He's got a long muzzle, very much like a horse's." "What about his teeth, sir?" "How big are they?" "I can't tell, Hadji." "His mouth's closed." "How big is this monster?" "Oh, about 6 inches from head to tail." "Six inches?" "About." "Ask your father the scientific name of the monster, Jonny." "Hey, Dad, what's the scientific name for it?" "Lophobranchiate." "A Lophobranchiate?" "What's that?" "What's so funny?" "Nothing." "That 6-inch monster..." "...is nothing more than a sea horse." "Sea horse?" "Sea horse?" "Sea horse about this big." "Lophobranchiate." "His name is bigger than he is." "Trouble, doctor?" "l've got a squid stuck over my view screen." "How do you tell a squid to get lost?" "I can't navigate with him there." "Now would be a time to test the remote-control arms." "Good idea, Race. lf they can pull this thing off, they'll be able to do anything." "They handle perfectly." "The control is so sensitive I bet I could tie my shoelaces with them." "Well, I'm finished here." "Test run 1 4, a success." "I'm bringing her up." "Good, they have finished their test and appear to be returning to base." "Turn to Control Center One's frequency." "Yes, sir." "Have you a report on the Quest operation?" "Svedri here, sir." "We have observed the probe in action." "Well?" "All phases of the operation appear successful." "Good." "You know what to do, then?" "Yes, sir." "Excellent." "I hold you responsible for seeing to it that the takeover attracts no attention." "That is all." "Here comes Dad." "How did it go, doctor?" "A-okay." "A few more test runs and adjustments, we'll have it licked." "Race, would you check the emergency ejector system?" "There's something wrong with the circuits." "Will do, sir." "Good." "I have an appointment." "Anybody care to join me?" "Sorry, Bandit, you can't go this time." "What's up, Dad?" "Meeting a scientific delegation from Calcutta." "l'll take a rain check." "l thought so." "l would like to go." "Fine." "Meet me at the pier in a half-hour." "How come you're going?" "It's been a long time since I spoke with anyone from my land." "Maybe someone in the delegation will teach me another trick of the Orient." "Like this." "On, no, not the levitation trick again." "Hadji, that's enough." "Let me down." "Would you like to come down slow or fast?" "Oh, slow, please." "Real slow." "Boy, how come an 1 1 -year-old knows so many tricks?" "I don't know, just smart, I guess." "Anything you need from town, Race?" "Can't think of a thing." "See you later." "So long." "Have a good trip." "Hang on, Hadji. I'm going to open her up." "Mainland, next stop." "I have something to tell Jonny." "Still have your communicators?" "Yes, sir." "Here's mine." "Fine." "Hydrofoil to Jonny." "Come in, please." "Over." "That hydrofoil really moves." "Jonny here." "Over to you, Haj." "It's not Hadji, son." "I forgot to remind you." "You've got homework to do, haven't you?" "Yes, sir." "Make sure you do it." "Yes, sir." "Good boy." "This is hydrofoil, over and out." "You know what the world's trouble is?" "No." "Suppose you tell me." "lt's gotten too scientific." "I know just how you feel." "Tell you what you can help me with the ejector system..." "...and then do your homework." "How's that?" "lt's just darn near perfect." "Bandit thinks so too." "Good, we are in position." "Are you in contact with Control One?" "Yes, sir." "Control One, Svedri here." "Report." "Preparing to move in on objective." "Excellent." "Discontinue radio communication." "Contact Control when mission is accomplished." "Yes, sir." "Start the engine." "Slow ahead." "Good, no guards have been posted." "We will move in now." "Surface." "How's it coming, Race?" "Well, let's give it a try." "Now, turn the dial real slow." "Right." "It's a lot smoother-sounding." "Yeah, but not smooth enough." "Needs more adjustments." "Let's see, now." "The lever bolt's connected to the toggle bolt toggle bolt to the barton bolt, the barton bolt's connected to the elbow bolts." "What about the anchor bolt?" "Looks like you missed that one." "Race, what happened?" "Down the ladder, quickly." "Shoot the dog too." "No!" "Bandit!" "Race!" "They will be none the worse." "We have only put them to sleep." "Valnir, tie the one he calls "Race" to the seat of the master controls." "What's on your minds?" "You'll find out soon enough." "Start the prober." "Negative, chum." "I'm not letting you walk off with five years' research." "You laugh at bullets, American?" "Not at bullets, at you." "Who's going to operate the prober if you shoot me?" "Who mentioned shooting you?" "But your young friend, that is a different matter." "Now would you reconsider your decision?" "Don't give in to him, Race." "I have to." "Your dad expects me to take care of you." "Can't let him down, can we?" "l guess not." "All right, where to?" "Submerge." "You will receive further instructions then." "Cheer up, Jonny, this is just the first inning." "This ball game's got a long way to go." "Almost home, Hadji." "Yes, but look." "What is it, Hadji?" "The underwater prober is gone." "Maybe Race is giving it a test run." "Not a sign of it, sir." "So I see." "Why would Race take the prober down?" "It doesn't make sense." "I don't like the looks of this, Hadji." "That's right, admiral, no sign of Bannon or my son, Jonny." "And as for the underwater prober, it has disappeared completely." "Thank you." "We appreciate your cooperation." "Dr. Quest, maybe I can contact Jonny and Race." "I still have my portable communicator." "Good thinking. lt's surely worth a try." "Hadji to Jonny, on scrambler circuit number one." "Come in, Jonny." "Come in." "Any picture yet?" "Not yet, sir." "Come in, Jonny Quest." "Come in, Hadji speaking." "Come in, Jonny Quest." "Come in, Jonny Quest." "I'm here, Hadji." "Keep it down." "Race and I are prisoners." "Repeat, Race and I are prisoners." "May I have that, Hadji?" "Jonny, it's Dad." "Are you all right?" "Sure, Dad." "But like I said-- -l know, son." "Are you close enough to see your course?" "Hold on." "It's above the view window." "Oh, yeah." "Near as I can make out it's 3-2-5 degrees." "Does that make sense?" "1 00-percent sense, Jonny." "With the lab at point zero that would give the underwater prober a direction of south-southeast." "All right, son, now sneak a look at the panel just to the right..." "...and give me the bearing number." "Roger." "Bearing, 1- 1-7." "Good." "Leave your communicator open." "We'll try to maintain contact." "Right, Dad." "1 -1 -7." "They're right about here." "They have a head start, but we can catch up." "I hope so." "But who could have taken it?" "The only way we'll find out is to track them down." "Come on." "All secure, Hadji?" "Yes, sir." "What is that?" "That's the oven timer." "The cake is baked." "He thinks to make fools of us, colonel." "Negative again, bub, nature beat me to it." "That's our sonar scope." "Means we're in range of something other than fish." "Exactly, American." "We approach our base." "Svedri to commander." "Come in, sir." "Give your position, colonel." "We are within sonar range." "Mission accomplished." "Excellent." "Proceed to base." "Yes, sir." "Keep on course." "Within the hour, we shall have finished our journey." "Still in contact with them?" "Yes, sir." "Their course is still 1 -1 -7." "You jokers want to keep going, or doesn't that net up ahead bother you?" "Continue on." "We are expected." "It will be raised." "Where to from here?" "Straight ahead." "No streetlights?" "lt will get lighter." "We are entering the outer cave now." "Stop as soon as we clear the water." "What, no reception committee?" "Oh, my gosh." "Looks like a gigantic submarine pen." "But where, Race?" "Where are we?" "Quiet." "The commander is waiting." "Move." "Wow, this is the most modern hovercraft I've ever seen." "Yeah, I've got to hand them that." "What are we gonna do, Race?" "We're up against some bigtime heavies." "All we can hope for is a lucky break, and this might be it." "Look up ahead." "That water pipe, think you can grab it?" "lt's worth a try." "Get ready." "Go." "See you later." "Hey, you goons, boy overboard." "Valnir, reverse the craft, quickly." "Hi, fellas." "Going my way?" "There he is." "Take him." "Okay, everybody into the pool." "Jump, Jonny!" "Good boy, Bandit." "Keep them off." "Okay, Bandit." "Come on, boy." "Hang on." "That was slick." "Good work, Race." "You mean good teamwork." "Right, Bandit?" "What now?" "Back to the prober?" "No, we've gotta get help." "But first, we gotta get past the guards." "Everybody down." "Maybe they'll think this is a runaway hovercraft." "Bandit, down!" "Down!" "Keep your heads down, fellas." "There's an exit ahead." "Maybe we can lose them in the dark." "Hovercraft escaping by west exit." "Let your dad know what's going on." "Right." "Company." "Duck." "Race, look what I found down here, one of the guard's guns." "Great." "You drive, I'll try to knock out their searchlights." "Now, hold her steady." "Roger, admiral." "Nice shooting, Race." "Bandit!" "Jonny!" "Jonny!" "Keep going, Race." "Sorry, Jonny, no can do." "Okay, I give up." "Don't hurt the boy." "Once again, Mr. Bannon, where is Dr. Quest?" "He went to the ball game." "Very well. lf you will not cooperate, the boy will." "You won't get me to talk." "You misunderstand." "After we begin to work on you, your companion will be only too glad to talk." "Leave the boy alone." "What have we here?" "Why were these prisoners not searched?" "Most ingenious." "A portable communicator." "And who does it communicate with?" "Jonny, is that you?" "I do not read you." "Jonny." "Come in, Jonny." "You will answer him and ask him where your father is." "Sure, I'll answer him." "Guard shoot the big one if instructions are not followed." "All right." "Hi, Hadji." "ls my father with you?" "Of course." "You must be close by." "You're coming in loud and clear." "That is all I need to know." "Intercept them and take them prisoner." "Did you lose contact, Hadji?" "The radio just went dead, sir, but we must be very close to them." "Halt!" "Stop your motor!" "There's someone behind us, doctor." "And in front." "Hands over head, or we shoot!" "Do as they say, Hadji." "May I congratulate you on the perfect performance of your prober." "lt will bring a tremendous price." "From whom?" "Who knows?" "Any number of groups would pay for your invention." "Why, your own Navy might pay the ransom just to keep the machine from falling into unfriendly hands." "Guard them closely." "What will we do, Dad?" "l wish I knew, son." "We're in a tight spot." "If we're in that bad a spot, I will not need this fabulous priceless jewel any longer." "Would you like it?" "It is literally priceless." "Observe the red highlights, the way it flashes." "That is the way you can tell how expensive it really is, by the flashes." "See?" "You have to look close." "If your gun is too heavy, you may drop it." "ls he hypnotized?" "l would say so." "How about it?" "My friends wish to know if you are hypnotized." "Yes." "Untie us, Jonny." "Your dearest wish is to serve us well, is it not?" "Yes." "You can show us the way out, can't you?" "l can." "To our machine, the underwater prober?" "Yes, to your machine." "Pick me up." "Yes, sir." "You're pretty smart for an 1 1 -year-old." "Yes, I know." "To the machine, James." "Sorry I can't give you gentlemen a lift." "You'll just have to rough it." "So far, our luck's holding." "Let's get aboard." "You may put me down now, my good man." "Yes, sir." "Come on, we're shoving off." "I won't be needing you anymore today, James." "There's the steel net up ahead I was telling you about, sir." "These remote-control arms worked fine on the squid." "Let's see how they work on steel." "Wow, as easy as cutting hot butter." "Svedri to commander, they have cut through the submarine net." "Svedri to commander, what are your instructions?" "Your instructions are to attack at once." "They must not escape." "Repeat, attack." "Attack!" "How much of a head start do we have?" "I don't know, and I wonder how we've managed to get this far." "Look, two subs!" "They're after us." "Our armor plate can hold them off, but for how long?" "Can't we do anything?" "Maybe." "What are we going to do, Dad?" "Fight back the only way we can." "Good work, doctor." "lt's not over yet." "We're free!" "Somehow I have a feeling we aren't." "Not yet anyway." "We lost contact with our submarines." "Call off direct assaults." "What is needed now is guile." "Valnir, you will attach this mine to the side of their prober." "l will try to distract them." "Understood?" "Yes, sir." "Then, go." "Dr. Quest?" "We are turned into your sonar wavelength." "I wish to bargain." "There is no purpose in expending our energies playing hide-and-seek in the ocean." "Surely we can arrive at a sensible solution." "We have nothing to discuss." "But you will when our Navy reaches you." "Long before that time, you will be dead." "Unless you surrender now." "I shall give you 1 0 minutes, then I shall attack with all my forces." "You mean you haven't been?" "Remember, 1 0 minutes." "Listen." "Quiet, boy." "Something's going on, and I've got a pretty good idea what it is." "I'm going out there." "Successful?" "Successful." "Their time is up." "It is just a matter of seconds." "That explosion, Race, what was it?" "Oh, nothing much, just our late host saying, "So long."" "Well, there it is, captain." "I turn her over to the Navy now, although there still may be a few bugs in it." "And a small dog and a small boy and another small boy." "Jonny!" "Hadji!" "Bring Bandit and come on down." "With a crew like that, anything could happen." "Here's Bandit." "See what I mean."