The Octonauts and the Octopod Breakdown (complete)

Chapter Six

"Tweak, you must have something, an invention that could help us now," Captain Barnacles asked Tweak, almost pleading with her. Tweak thought for a moment.

"Well I could use my Octo Slicer to cut through the hatches and set us free, but it would take a while..."

"Hmm. No, it  would take too long. Can you fix the engine?"

"I think so, Cap, but there's no telling how long that'll take." Tweak swayed slightly on the screen as another tremor struck the Octopod. The captain looked outside and saw currents of water swooshing around them faster and faster.

"It could be our only chance Tweak. Will you try?"

"Sure thing Cap." She disappeared off his screen. The jolts in the Octopod were coming more and more often as the legs weakened. Everything suddenly tilted sideways as one of the legs gave out underneath the Octopod, then another. The captain could do nothing except wait and hope that Tweak could get the engine fixed in time.

Tweak got out a spanner from her tool belt and stepped in to the engine room. She peered over the top of the engine, to the side of it and then behind to check what the problem was. The answer came from underneath, a hole emitting steam and foul smelling green smoke. Tweak coughed violently and leant back to escape the fumes, putting her hands over her nose and mouth.

"Well there's the problem right there. But how to fix it?"

Tweak looked around the Launch Bay for inspiration, looking at her bedroom, the workshop, the abandoned Gup D in the bay. Nothing there struck out at her. Suddenly there was a crack and the radar screen went fuzzy.

"Uh oh, we've lost the radar."

Dashi came on the main screen.

"Tweak, the radars gone up here."

"Down here too. Reckon - radar dish - gone," the rabbit grunted, brushing away her bangs and coughing. The green smoke was furling out of the bottom of the engine now, beginning to fill the Launch Bay with gas. Dashi looked concerned.

"Tweak, are you all right?"

"The storm damaged the engine, there's a hole in the bottom and its emitting smoke. The storm might not be our only problem soon if I don't get this patched up."

"Can you get close to it?" Dashi asked with worry on her face for her best friend.

"Yup." The screen went blank. Tweak got a cloth from her workshop and tied it around her face, hoping to block some of the smoke from her nose and mouth. In the workshop she grabbed a hammer, a box of nails and a square of metal. Closing her eyes, she entered the engine room, now filled with green acidic smoke. Tweak held the cloth firmly over her mouth, using the other hand to place the metal square over the hole. She got out a nail and a hammer and began to nail the metal to the engine, ignoring the fact that her eyes were watering like mad from the gas. If she could just...block up the hole...

"Captain! Tweak' s fixing the engine now. But look!" Dashi's urgent voice came over the radio; her image fuzzy and unfocused. Captain Barnacles saw the large current of fast moving water coming straight towards the Octopod. "It's a direct hit! Time of impact is in five, four..."

"Brace yourselves Octonauts!" the Captain yelled into the mic. Around the ship everyone held onto something while trying to stay standing on the wildly tilted floor. Tweak kept working urgently, using her hammer hard and fast on the nail, her eyes wide and desperate.

"Three, two, one..." In the HQ Dashi suddenly lost her grip and went sliding across the floor as the current picked up the Octopod like it weighed nothing and carried it along with it, twisting and turning all the way. All the Octonauts were thrown to the side, then to the other side, stopping any helpless attempt to stay stationary. There were cries for help and of fear from all rooms. As Shellington was slammed against his table then slid towards the jammed door in his lab, the door in front of him suddenly opened and he was thrown through in the Octo Chute. His joy at being free and out of his lab was hindered by the fact they were in great danger.

"Cappttaaiiin! My door opened! I'm not trapped any more!" Shellington yelled as he was thrust out of the Octo Chute and into the HQ. Dashi, who was clinging onto her computer in terror as the ship tilted madly, looked up in confusion as Shellington landed on top of her, knocking all the breath out of them both.

"Shellington?!"

Captain Barnacles held onto his bed for dear life as he watched the Octopod' s travel through the thrashing waters all around them. As he watched the current turned a corner and ... was headed directly for a large sharp rock!!

"We're going to crash. And we can't evacuate the Octopod because we're all trapped!" The Captain looked over at the screen, upside down on the wall now, but saw only static.

"We've lost the radio."

Tweak held on as the water in the Launch Bay crashed around her. She pressed the button to activate her helmet with one wildly thrashing hand, the water was around her knees. Still she desperately nailed on the last nail onto the patch, trying to get rid of the last dregs of gas that must be affecting the bubble engine's functions to drive the Octopod. Her ears were twisted as she lost her grip on the engine, the shuddering that the Octopod was undertaking feeling like the biggest underwater tremor she'd ever experienced. She fell into the Launch Bay, thanking her lucky stars that she had her helmet on.

"Oh me oh my!" Climbing out on top of the Gup D, she ran back to the engine room and continued nailing it on. Just a few more hits, then the engine should work and she could drive them out of this. Then the ship jerked and Tweak could hear the yelling of the other Octonauts. A Vegimal tumbled into the Launch Bay from the hatch; she noticed the hatch was open again. That meant that it was working! The last nail went into place and the smoke stopped furling out from the jagged rip in the engine. All she had to do now was get the Bubble Engine working. Throwing the cloth away from her mouth, she signalled to the Vegimal watching her - Tunip it looked like - to follow her into the Launch Bay tank. She raced down to the bubble engine, going to the controls immediately and pressing the button to make it work. It started to move, slowly and jerkily, but it was working. Now she had to rely on Dashi to help her stop the ship.

"Dashi!!" The screen stayed static as Tweak got out of the Launch Bay tank and ran to the control desk. The water was lapping at her waist. Tweak knew Dashi might not be able to hear her but she had to try.

"Dashi! Drive!! The engine's fixed! Drive!" Tweak was hoarse from the smoke, Tunip had fainted from the green smoke around him. Tweak came over to Tunip and picked him up, putting a hand over his mouth to stop the smoke coming in. His eyes opened slightly.

"Bot bota?" He whispered weakly.

Up in the HQ Dashi heard something from the shattered remains of the radio.

"Dashi! Fixed...Drive!" It had to be Tweak. Shellington beside her nodded and pointed to the rocks only a few metres away now. His eyes were scared but trusting in her. Dashi took a deep breath and pressed a button on the desk. The Octopod dipped and started to fall...