Astrosaurs 3 (6 page)

He quickly sorted through more of the pictures. They showed the monster grinning wildly, and then tearing through the metal of the diving bell. It seemed dead set on getting to Gipsy and Teggs.

“It should pick on someone its own size,” said Iggy fiercely.

Cripes gulped. “There
is
no one else its own size!”

The second-to-last picture showed Teggs and Gipsy standing on the sea bed in their diving gear. They were looking up at the fearsome creature.

“No!” groaned Iggy. “I don't want to see what happened next!”

“I'm afraid we must,” said Arx quietly.

But the last of the pictures showed only the empty sea bed.

“Where did they go?” demanded Iggy. “It's like they just vanished!”

“At least there's no sign that they were hurt,” said Cripes.

Arx nodded slowly. “And at least now we know that a
liopleurodon
is hiding down there in the deeps,” he said.

Iggy frowned. “A what?”

“Back on Earth it was the biggest, nastiest killing machine in the water!” Arx went on. “You're looking at one hundred tons of swimming death!”

“It . . . it can't be true!” stammered Cripes. “The liopleurodon rule those huge water worlds on the edge of the Jurassic Quadrant. No one has visited them for hundreds of years – they wouldn't dare!”

“Maybe not,” said Arx darkly. “But it seems the liopleurodon have dared to visit Aqua Minor!”

“If it
is
just a visit,” growled Iggy. “This could be the start of an invasion!”

“But I don't understand!” Cripes started shivering. “A liopleurodon ship couldn't land here without us knowing about it. And we've been fishing on Aqua Minor for five years without any trouble!”

“Oh, come on! Wakey-wakey!” cried Iggy. He waved the pictures in Cripes's face. “What more proof do you need? There's a liopleurodon out there! It's been smashing up your factories, eating your subs and scaring everyone silly – and now it's got Teggs and Gipsy!”

Back at the bottom of the sea, Teggs and Gipsy were facing up to the massive monster with the bandaged head.

Once the liopleurodon had ripped apart the diving bell, he floated in the water, watching them closely. Teggs had pulled his scariest face and swished his armoured tail through the water. Gipsy was ready to jab their attacker on the nose if he came any closer.

But they were both surprised to find that the liopleurodon had no plans to eat them alive.

In fact, he was very polite.

“Right then!” he said brightly. Bubbles streamed out of his mouth as he spoke. “I've got you out of that horrible prison. Now you can come home with me!

Teggs and Gipsy stared at each other in amazement through their diving helmets.

“What do you mean?” Gipsy cried. “That wasn't a prison!”

“Of course it was!” said the liopleurodon. “You were both squished up inside! Trapped by those flipper-flappers! Locked up and hanging from a chain! But now you're free!”

The sea monster smiled happily. He was clearly very pleased with himself.

Teggs turned to Gipsy. “What's a flipper-flapper?”

“It must be his word for the cryptoclidus,” Gipsy whispered back.

Teggs cleared his throat. “Well, thanks for trying to help,” he said. But without that, er,
prison
as you call it, we can't get back up to the surface!” “Why would you want to do that?” asked the liopleurodon, baffled. “The flipper-flappers would only lock you up again. No, no, the likes of us should stick together”

“What do you mean?” asked Gipsy.

“Well,
you're
not flipper-flappers.
I'm
not a flipper-flapper. But everyone else on the planet
is!”

Teggs looked at him thoughtfully. “Who are you?”

“I think my name must be Mira,” said the liopleurodon. “That's what is written
on my outfit, anyway!” He spun round to show them a torn scrap of blue uniform that clung to his middle. The word MIRA was spelled out in gold thread.

“You mean you don't even know your own name?” asked Teggs.

“Nope!” said Mira cheerfully. “I must have been bumped on the head at some point. I'm sure I'm not just wearing this bandage because it looks pretty.”