The Time Hunters and the Box of Eternity (29 page)

Blind Hugh nodded glumly
‘
And I believe it to be a fine word, sir. I don
’
t know what kind of
magic man you are, Mr Halifax, but I knows deep down yer can give our Jim the
kinda life he deserves.
’

‘
But Mr Livesey
–’
Jim pleaded.

‘
Please … that be my
final word on the matter, Jim,
’
Blind Hugh replied firmly.
‘
The boys and me be right on this. If ye were
us, yeh
’
d
do the same.
’

‘
Talk it through once
more,
’
Uncle Percy said.
‘
If I take Jim, there really is no going back.
’

‘
Agreed,
’
Blind Hugh said.

‘
Very well,
’
Uncle Percy replied.
‘
Anyway, could I ask
you all to take three steps back?
’

Everyone did, creating a wide circle in the middle of the deck. Then
he raised his key fob to his mouth and said,
‘
Taxi!
’

Just then, Beryl materialized to a chorus of disbelieving gasps. Will
Turnip fainted again. Uncle Percy opened her doors.

With Mr Flint chattering merrily in his ear, Joe clambered into the
taxi, followed by Becky, Will, Bruce and finally Uncle Percy.

As Becky settled into her seat, something occurred to her.
‘
Uncle Percy, we don
’
t know which one of
these islands is Mary Island. We don
’
t know where to materialise?
’

Uncle Percy grinned mischievously.
‘
Oh, didn
’
t I mention it? We
’
re not time travelling
there. We
’
re
taking the scenic route.
’

Confused, Becky looked out at the surrounding ocean.
‘
What do you mean?
’

‘
Watch!
’
Uncle Percy turned
the key and Beryl roared into life.
 

‘
What are you doing?
’
Becky asked in a
panic.

‘
I
’
d
really
prefer
you didn
’
t
mention this to your mother!
’
Uncle Percy said. Then he placed his foot on the accelerator.

Becky didn
’
t have time to respond as Beryl powered across the deck, Joe
’
s whoops ringing in
her ears, before crashing through the balustrade and plunging headlong into the
sea, hitting the water like a battering ram.

Terrified, Becky glanced around, fully expecting seawater to gush in
through any gaps. It didn
’
t happen.

Uncle Percy pressed a purple button on the dashboard and,
immediately, dials flipped about, knobs flashed various colours and a device
that resembled a pair of binoculars lowered from the roof. He began to hum
merrily as he steered Beryl parallel. Soon, they were gliding through the
crystal clear water like a bird in flight. It was then Becky knew Beryl wasn
’
t just a time machine …
she was also a submarine.

Chapter 27

Hammer Time

‘
A submarine?
’
Joe spluttered.
‘
Beryl
’
s a submarine!
’

‘
She certainly is, Joe,
’
Uncle Percy replied
with a chuckle.
‘
Do you remember I mentioned she may come in useful given the right
circumstances. This is one of those instances, don
’
t you think?
’

‘
You are such a legend!
’
Joe replied.

‘
You
’
re not wrong, kid,
’
Bruce said.
‘
Perce, you
’
ve more surprises up
your sleeve than Bat Masterson
’
s got bristles…
’

Becky smiled. Now the shock of travelling underwater in a taxi had
subsided, she allowed the aquatic spectacle to unfold before her. Huge shoals
of angelfish swam in formation, stone crabs scuttled along fat slabs of coral,
and a giant manta ray soared above them like a flying carpet. However, what
surprised her most were the dozens of shipwrecks lying twisted and broken on
the ocean bed, their detritus strewing as far as the eye could see.

For ten minutes, they pushed gently on, absorbing every last detail
of the strange, colorful world. But then, all of a sudden, the crystal clear
waters turned muddy grey.

‘
What the
–’
Uncle Percy said,
perplexed.

Then Becky
’
s blood turned cold. A fish torso drifted past, its head missing.
Then, all at once, fish corpses were everywhere - some large, some small - all
of them headless. Her stomach lurched. Through the gloom, she saw a gigantic
whale carcass, stripped of flesh, propped against the seabed.

‘
What the hell
’
s happened here?
’
Joe asked.

‘
I
’
m not sure,
’
Uncle Percy said,
‘
but judging by our
luck one can only surmise we
’
re approaching Mary Island.
’

Then -
BAM
- something struck the time machine from behind.

‘
What
’
s that?
’
Becky spluttered, her
head twisting round.

No one answered. Just as Uncle Percy regained control of the car, it
happened again.

This time, Joe was thrown headfirst into Bruce, nearly squashing Mr
Flint, whose wings flapped as he screeched in panic. Joe didn
’
t have time to pick
himself up when two more collisions came from beneath.

‘
What going on?
’
Becky cried. Then she
stiffened with horror. From nowhere, the outline of a huge creature hurtled
towards them.

The shark
’
s conical head smashed into Beryl
’
s windscreen, its jaws snapping wildly, before
snaking left, revealing a wide, ragged hole in its underbelly where its abdomen
should have been.

‘
Impossible!
’
Uncle Percy mouthed.

Then Joe remembered Bruce
’
s story.
‘
ZOMBIE SHARKS!
’
he yelled.

And, from nowhere, zombie sharks surged from the shadows -
bloodstained teeth bared, their black, frenzied eyes fixed on the taxi with
deadly intent. Great Whites, Tigers, Hammerheads, some barely more than
skeletons, slammed into the time machine again and again, in a relentless
maelstrom of fury.

Becky was petrified. Just one crack in the window and they were
dead: the sharks would strip their bones in seconds flat. Distraught, she
looked to Will, but even he looked helpless.

‘
Can you zap us out of
here?
’
Joe
shouted above the terrible noise of the assault.

‘
The Capicium Inflexor
doesn
’
t
work underwater, Joe,
’
Uncle Percy yelled back, struggling to keep control of the wheel.

‘
Does Beryl have any
weapons?
’
Becky yelled.

‘‘
Fraid not. But next
time I promise I
’
ll make sure we
’
re armed like a tank.
’

Joe snorted.
 
‘
Next time make a time
machine
out
of a bloody tank!
’

‘
Suggestion noted, Joe,
’
Uncle Percy muttered.

Then, through the onslaught, Becky spied something that made her
heart leap.
‘
Over there,
’
she yelled, pointing.
‘
Land!
’

‘
Oh, thank goodness.
’
Uncle Percy forced
the steering wheel left.
‘
C
’
mon Beryl, my dear. You can do it!
’

Pushed to her limits and shuddering violently, Beryl battled the
weight of a dozens or so sharks and inched into the shallows. Thick beams of
sunlight sliced the water, making it considerably brighter, as a land mass
blurred before them. And then a few seconds later, a miracle happened.

‘
The sharks …
’
Becky said.
‘
They
’
re leaving.
’

And she was right. One by one, the sharks were reacting to the
sunlight, turning away and slinking back into the depths. Then Beryl
’
s tyres touched soft
sand, and they were suddenly travelling at speed. Within moments, they powered
out of the water onto a wide, sandy beach, coming to a halt beneath a palm
tree.

The taxi fell silent.

With a relieved sigh, Uncle Percy turned to the others and said,
‘
What with a storm, a
sea-serpent and zombie sharks, I think it
’
s rather nice to be back on terra firma, don
’
t you?
’

Everyone was too dazed to respond. Everyone, that was, except Mr
Flint.
‘
FLINTY
RUM …BWAAWKK … FLINTY RUM,
’
he squawked, nudging Joe
’
s leg.

‘
I think someone
’
s thirsty,
’
Uncle Percy said.

‘
THROUGH THE MOUTH!
’
Mr Flint screeched.

Joe pulled a bottle of rum and a cup from beneath his seat. Filling
the cup, he watched as Mr Flint drained it.
‘
INTO THE BOWELS …
’

Swaying slightly, Mr Flint stared out of the window, head bobbing.
‘
FLINTY HOME… FLINTY
HOME…
’
he
squawked.

And then it struck them. They had arrived at Mary Island.

An excited shiver shot up Becky
’
s spine. She opened the door and watched Mr
Flint hop onto the cool sand, clicking his beak joyfully. Slowly, she followed him
out and looked around. Mary Island seemed larger than the other Macaco Islands,
with thick jungle on all sides and a mountain range that dominated the eastern
side of the island, the peaks of which glowed like rubies in the low sun.

Uncle Percy spent the next few minutes ensuring Beryl was still in
working order.
‘
She may not look quite as pretty as she did, but other than that she
’
s fine,
’
he said to a visibly
relieved Becky and Joe. Then he bent down and kissed Beryl
’
s roof.
‘
Thank you, my dear.
You really saved our bacon...
’

‘
When you
’
ve finished snogging
the car,
’
Joe said.
‘
Can you tell us what we do now?
’

Uncle Percy looked at Joe.
‘
I
’
m hoping the coins will lead the way.
’

Joe shot him a puzzled look.

‘
Oh, yes, I haven
’
t mentioned those to
you, have I? Anyway, let
’
s just say the coins have been rather active of late…
’
Uncle Percy reached
into his jacket pocket. At once, his face creased.
‘
Oh, no!
’
He dashed over to
Beryl, exploring every inch of her interior, before emerging minutes later
looking downhearted and miserable.

‘
You
’
ve lost them, haven
’
t you?
’
Becky said.
‘
You
’
ve lost the coins.
’

Uncle Percy gave a feeble smile.
‘
I
’
m afraid at some point I must
’
ve torn my coat.
’
He poked two fingers through a hole in his
pocket.
‘
The
coins have, indeed, err, well… yes, they
’
ve gone.
’
 
He
forced a chuckle.
‘
They
’
ve probably already made it back to Pandora
’
s Box!
’

‘
What are you gabbing
on about?
’
Joe asked.
‘
What
’
s this about the coins?
’

‘
I
’
ll tell you later,
’
Becky replied, before
turning back to Uncle Percy.
‘
So how are we going to find Blackbeard
’
s treasure now?
’

Uncle Percy fell silent.
‘
I have no idea.
’
He looked at Will and Bruce.
‘
Any thoughts, gentlemen?
’
But before either
could respond, Mr Flint made a strange grumbling sound and bit Joe
’
s ankle.

‘
Oww,
’
Joe cried.
‘
Flinty, what did you
do that for?
’

Mr Flint swiveled round and toddled into the jungle, shrieking,
‘
BWARKK …
 
FLINTY GO HOME … FLINTY GO HOME.
’

Uncle Percy
’
s face ignited.
‘
That
’
s it,
’
he said breathlessly.
‘
Maybe we don
’
t need the coins.
’
He looked at Becky, who stared back at him blankly.
‘
Who
’
s the only living
creature to have seen where Blackbeard and Israel Hands stored their treasure?
’
His smile broadened.
‘
I never thought I
’
d ever say this, but …
follow that parrot!
’