Read Online 20,000 Nerds Under the Sea by Jeff Miller - Free Book Online Page B

she’s not very eager to talk games.
    Neil was cramped. He felt like he was in a cage. Even the headsets they wore were too small, and the metal wires of the mouthpiece kept rubbing at Neil’s chin. The floors were metal grates, and Neil could hear the inner workings of the prehistoric mecha shark below.
    â€œAnd safety bars down,” said Jolly.
    Fabien and Pierre pulled them down, covering their chests and shoulders and making sure all three made an intimidating click.
    â€œExtra tight—don’t want anybody thinking they can get up,” said the captain.
    Neil pushed up on the bar, which didn’t budge. He was trapped in Jolly’s real-life shark hunt.
    â€œEt voilà,” said Fabien.
    â€œWe can’t get up? What if something goes wrong? Or this thing fills with water?” Sam said.
    â€œThere are emergency procedures, but they won’t be needed.”
    â€œWhat about bathroom breaks?” added Biggs.
    â€œWe’ll handle bathroom breaks on a case-by-case basis,” said Jolly, leaning her head toward the only exit. “No more questions.”
    She clicked the remote in her hand, and the gills of the ship closed tight.
    â€œThat’s possibly the worst restroom strategy I’ve ever heard,” said Biggs, examining the set of controls in front of him.
    He was on Neil’s right, with Sam on the other side. A homemade console of gauges was laid out in front of them. The nose of the megalodon must’ve been high-tech one-way glass, because Neil was looking straight into the ocean.
    The ceiling was metal grating as well, with a few electrical cords and wires slipping through its cracks. It reminded Neil a bit of a NASA-designed craft. Nothing was pretty, but it all combined to make something special.
    â€œCan you guys hear me?” asked Jolly through the headsets.
    â€œLoud and clear,” said Neil.
    â€œI’ll be with you over the radio, and don’t worry, it’s a closed line. Don’t get any ideas of calling your precious parents or anything.”
    Neil thought back to his family back home, probably hanging out watching Janey practice her karate moves. Part of him wished he’d just stayed home, instead of getting into this mess.
    â€œI will be watching every move on the video feed. So no funny business,” continued Jolly. “Everything functioning properly?”
    They tested the ship’s controls. They were nearly identical to the game they’d played the day before. Sam controlled diving and rising to the surface, while Neil controlled steering via the pectoral fins. Biggs commanded the speed of Magda , too, by gauging the force from the tail fin.
    Biggs accelerated and the shark lurched forward. They were now in open water, swimming ahead of Jolly’s yacht.
    They found their bearings with the craft, gently guiding the shark down and then back up to the surfaceof the water. Neil watched a pack of curious dolphins swim alongside them.
    â€œCool,” said Neil. “They’re probably wondering where this thing has been for millions of years.”
    Biggs pushed them faster, leaving two rippling waves in Magda ’s wake.
    Without seeing the rest of the huge mechanical megalodon behind him, Neil could’ve believed this was an actual video game.
    â€œLet’s try a barrel roll!” said Sam as she jerked her controls hard to the left.
    The shark twisted in the water with grace.
    â€œAll right, good to see you’re already enjoying it,” said Jolly over the radio frequency. “It looks like radar is showing a school of sharks a bit west of here. Let’s start heading there.”
    While Neil still didn’t like the idea of going after sharks, getting to let loose on the controls was exhilarating. Biggs pushed forward on the metal acceleration lever. Magda instantly thrashed its tail fin, swimming like an actual shark.
    â€œIt’s like flying a jet, only the water is