“Of course! You’re 94! 49 is 94 backwards! I should have known the instant I saw the two monocles!”
“What does that mean?” Blossom said.
“Obvious, isn’t it?” Max said. “He’s an agent for both sides-94 for us, and 49 for them, In other words, two monocles-a double agent!”
“Gee,” she said disappointedly, “and I thought he was just a nice guy that might be willing to dump his three wives if he had the right incentive.”
“You are very clever, Smart,” 49 said. “It will be a pleasure to joust wits with you. But now, come aboard. We are about to submerge.”
Max, Blossom and Fang followed 49 through the hatchway. Inside, Max said, “You’re pretty clever yourself, 49. Hiding a submarine in the East River is a neat trick. Especially when you consider that it’s impossible.”
“Coming from a man with your brains, I consider that a compliment indeed,” 49 smiled.
“Rorff!”
“What did he say?”
“He said that if we’re going to submerge somebody better close the hatch cover,” Max translated.
“Oh, yes… I keep forgetting that,” 49 said, closing the hatch cover.
“I suppose you intend to torture us now,” Max said.
“I hadn’t thought of it,” Captain 49 replied. “But that’s an excellent idea. First however, I must give the order to submerge.” He picked up the transmitter of an intercom system and spoke into it. “This is the Captain. Submerge!”
From a speaker overhead came a reply. “What, Captain?”
“Submerge! Submerge!”
Again, a reply. “Is that up or down, Captain?”
“Down, you idiot! Take it down!”
“Okay, okay,” replied the voice. “You don’t have to get in a tizzy about it!”
“Aiiiii!” Captain 49 groaned. “I’m surrounded by incompetents!” To Max, he said, “It’s nice to have a fellow brain aboard-even if not for long.”
“Meaning?” Max said.
“Meaning, of course, that I must destroy you,” Captain 49 replied. “With you alive, there is a possibility that you might abort our mission. Consequently… well, it is self-explanatory.”
“Your mission,” Max said. “If you mean robotnapping Fred, your mission has already been accomplished. He’s in the hands of Boris.”
“Oh… that,” Captain 49 smiled. “That is only a bit of moonlighting that Boris is doing. Actually, we are here to destroy the U.N. Building. But, since We were here anyway, Boris said, ‘Why not robotnap Fred, and make a full day’s work of it?’ Naturally, I gave in to his little whim. That is how one keeps one’s comrades happy. All work and no play makes Boris a dull agent, you know.”
Max eyed him narrowly. “You say you intend to destroy the U.N. Building… just how do you intend to do it, may I ask?”
“Simple. With one torpedo.”
“You’ll never get away with it!” Max snapped.
“And why not?”
“Because you’re a Bad Guy, and Bad Guys never win!”
“Ho-ho!” Captain 49 laughed. “We shall see about that! Come. I will show you my torpedo tube. Perhaps then you will change your mind.”
Captain 49 led them through the submarine to a forward compartment. “This is my torpedo tube,” he said, reaching there. “And this,” he said, pointing to a torpedo-like object, “is my torpedo.”
“I see,” Max said reflectively. “And what time is Zero Hour?”
“Seventeen-hundred hours,” Captain 49 replied. “Exactly what time is that?”
“Oh… around five-ish.”
“That gives me only fifteen minutes to abort your mission,” Max said. “You were right-this will truly be a test of wits!”
“Yes,” Captain 49 smiled, “since you will now be bound and gagged and locked in my cabin.” He spoke into the intercom again. “This is the captain speaking. Send a guard forward to pick up three prisoners.”
The voice replied. “Where is ‘forward,’ Captain?”
“Up front, you numbskull!”
“Yah, yah, yah! I suppose you know everything!” the voice sneered.
“Aiiiiiii-yi-yi!”
A seaman appeared a few moments later. He led Max, Blossom and Fang to the Captain’s cabin, then bound them with rope and gagged them.
The minute he was gone, Max said, “Mmmmmmph!”
“Blfgplemlph!” Blossom answered irritably.
“Rorff!” Fang barked. The seaman had neglected to gag him.
“Prgaphooft!” Max said to Fang.
Instantly, Fang began chewing on the knot at his paws. A second later, he had it undone. Next, he removed the gag from Max’s mouth.
“I knew that knot would be a cinch,” Max said, struggling against his ropes.
Fang removed Blossom’s gag. “How? How did you know?” she said.
“The efficiency of the seamen aboard this junk is appalling,” Max said. “I knew they wouldn’t be very good at knots. Now,” he said to Fang, “Come over here and untie me.”
In less than a minute, both Max and Blossom were free again.
Max rushed to the cabin door. But it was locked.
“Stand back!” he said. “I’m going to break it down!”
“But Max-”
Blossom’s protest was too late. Max was already hurtling toward the door. He hit it! And bounced back a good ten feet, landing in a sprawled position on the floor.
“That door is made of steel!” Blossom said. “That’s what I was trying to tell you!”
“Hard steel, too,” Max said painfully, rising.
“We’re lost!” Blossom cried.
“Not yet, we aren’t,” Max said. “I still have my wits.” He picked up the intercom transmitter and spoke into it. “Attention! Captain 49 is wanted in his cabin! The prisoners are ready to talk!”
“Talk what?” Blossom said. “He didn’t even ask us anything.”
“If I know my FLAG agents, he’ll be in here like a shot,” Max said. “They’re nosy, the whole lot of them. Just let them hear that somebody somewhere is ready to talk, and you couldn’t keep them away with a team of horses. Curiosity, I guess.”
There was a sound at the door, then suddenly it flew open.
Captain 49 rushed in. “Who? Who? Who?” he said. “Who said what?”
“I said it,” Max replied. “I said, ‘Your number’s up, 49!’ ”
And, so saying, Max grasped 49 by the wrist, and, using his favorite jujitsu grip, flung him back over his shoulder. Captain 49 struck the wall, and slid to the floor, unconscious.
“Quick-to the torpedo room,” Max said. “We’ve only minutes to spare!”
They dashed from the Captain’s cabin, rushed through the tunnel-like corridors of the sub, and, minutes later, reached the torpedo room. Fortunately, there was no guard at the hatch.
“Inside,” Max said, beckoning to Blossom and Fang.
“Now what?” Blossom said.
“That torpedo!” Max said. “First, we’ll behead it!”
“Behead it?”
“I’m not sure what the technical term is,” Max said. “What I mean is, we’ll take the explosive charge off the front end.”
“Oh… disarm it, you mean.”
“Which just goes to show how little you know about it,” Max said. “Whoever heard of putting the explosive in
