“Tip!” Max cried.
“After him, Max!”
Max and 99 plunged into the darkness.
“Von BOOM!” Max called.
“You don’t have to shout!” the smuggler shouted after them.
Hurrying, Max and 99 followed the shoreline. They raced on and on, calling out to the Professor every few minutes, but getting no reply.
“Oh, Max, he’s lost!” 99 wailed.
“Then he must be somewhere in this vicinity,” Max replied, “because we’re lost, too.” He shouted again. “Von BOOM!”
“It’s no use, Max.”
“I think I see our mistake, 99,” Max said. “When he heard the word tip, he headed for a restaurant. And all the restaurants are probably back in town. That’s where we should be.”
“Which way is it, Max?”
“According to my calculations, 99, it should be directly to the. . yes, to the left. Hurry-we’ve lost a lot of time.”
Again, Max and 99 plunged into the darkness.
A few moments later, 99 said, “Max. . I’m getting water in my shoes.”
“So am I, 99.”
“Water in my shoes up to my knees, Max.”
“Yes, well, apparently we should have gone to the right, 99. This way, I think we’re going to reach Alaska before we ever reach that Russian town. Let’s try the other direction.”
They waded ashore, then plunged into the darkness again.
“Max. . I hear something.”
“That’s my shoes squishing, 99.”
“No, Max, this is-”
“Yes, I hear it, too, 99. Shh!” Max listened for a second. Then he called out. “Hello, there! Is that you?”
A voice answered from the darkness. “No. He’s about a mile back. Are you looking for some smuggled rock ’n’ roll records?”
“We’re looking for a dumpy little man who looks like he needs a keeper,” Max replied.
“What label is it on?”
“Not a record-a real man!” 99 said.
“Hey-that’s good!” How do you change your voice like that?”
“Max,” 99 said, “this may be the submarine.”
“You’re right, 99.” Again, he called out. “Where is the dock?”
“If you’re from a Congressional Investigating Committee, what dock?” the voice replied. “If not, it’s a little bit to the left.”
Max and 99 steered to the left and proceeded.
“Max. . I’m getting water in my shoes again. .”
“Sorry about that,” the voice from the darkness said. “I meant my left, not your left.”
Max and 99 backed up, then, steering to the right, moved forward again. After a moment, they felt metal underfoot.
“We’re on the sub, Max,” 99 said.
“Where are you?” Max called out.
“Part of me is right beneath you,” the voice replied. It seemed to be no more than an inch or so away.
“You mean you went below?”
“No, you’re standing on my foot.”
“Oh. Sorry. I’m 86,” he said. “And this young lady with me is 99.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” the voice replied. “But neither one of you sounds to me like you’re a day over thirty-five. Voices sound younger in the dark, I guess.”
“Agent 86 and Agent 99,” Max explained.
“Oh. Good. I’ve been expecting you. I’m Captain Jinx. I’m sorry I didn’t identify myself right away. But there are a lot of Russian spies wandering around out here tonight, and I didn’t want to take any chances.”
“Really? Russian spies?” 99 said.
“I caught one,” Captain Jinx replied. “He claimed to be looking for a restaurant. Likely story, eh?”
“Is he a little dumpy fellow who looks as if he needs a keeper?” Max asked.
“I wouldn’t know. I haven’t seen him. We’re keeping the lights off so we won’t be spotted by Russian spies.”
“Could you bring him upstairs?” Max said. “I’d like to get a look at him in the moonlight. He may be Professor von BOOM.”
“Shh! Don’t shout! The whole area is crawling with Russian spies.”
The Captain disappeared-below presumably-then returned a few minutes later. He was accompanied by a small dumpy man who, in the moonlight, looked as if he needed a keeper.
“Professor!” 99 cried happily.
“Can’t you two leave well enough alone?” von BOOM grumbled. “I was having mess. The first good American French fries I’ve had in weeks.”
“Well, Captain, I guess we can set sail,” Max said. “We’re all aboard, it seems.”
“Good, good,” the Captain replied. He shouted into the darkness. “Cast off that line!”
“What?” a different voice replied.
“Untie the rope, you landlubber!” the Captain yelled. Then he explained to Max. “I use the local peasants to act as my shore crew,” he said. “It makes for good relations. I pay them union rates.”
“And they let you dock here to pick up spies?”
“Money can do anything,” Captain Jinx replied.
The Captain led the way and they climbed down through a hatch. When they were below and the hatch-cover was in place, the Captain switched on a light.
“Well, here we are, all cozy and-”
“Max!” 99 cried. “Von BOOM! He’s gone!”
“Line!” Max groaned. “The Captain mentioned ‘line!’ He’s on his way to the post office!”
Captain Jinx laughed loudly. “There’s nothing to worry about,” he said. “Relax!”
“But von BOOM is gone.”
“I know, I know. But it’s all right. He’ll never get into the post office. It closed about an hour ago.”
“You don’t understand,” Max began. “He-”
“Max! There isn’t time!”
“You’re right, 99. After him!”
Max scrambled up the ladder. 99 scrambled up right behind him. Max threw open the hatchcover and climbed out on deck. 99 climbed out right behind him.
Max jumped for the dock.
“How deep is it down there, Max?” 99 called from the deck.
“Only up to my chin, 99.”
99 jumped after him.
They swam to the shore, climbed out, then plunged into the darkness, racing along the beach.
“Max. .” 99 panted “. . we should be heading for town. That’s where the post office is. .”
Max stopped. “You’re right, 99. Now, let’s see, the last time, we turned left-and ended up in the water. But then, we were heading in the other direction. Which means that this time we would be right to head left.”
“What, Max?”
“I said left is right.”
“That’s what I was afraid you said.”
“But even if it works out that left is right, 99, you and I know it will turn out to be wrong. So, actually, right is right. Right?”
