Chapter 29

THE FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR THE TUNA RUN were being made

when Velenka returned from her meeting with Kilo and his most trusted

bull sharks. Goblin thought she went to make sure everything go as

planned. Well, all would go as planned all right. Just not his plan, Velenka

thought. Mine.

After sending Razor to the Sparkle Blue, Kilo and his followers would

then turn on Goblin. Ripper and Thrash would be dealt with also. She had

convinced Streak to join her, and the blue would help in the fight if needed.

Kilo thought he would be Valenka's first, but he too was in for a surprise. A

giant megalodon of a surprise! If she could just control Gray, and making

him her first was her preferred way of doing this, she would be fine. But if

Gray placed a fin out of line, he'd swim the Sparkle Blue with the others!

Velenka would combine both Razor and Goblin shivers into a new,

improved Riptide Shiver. She wouldn't be merely a shiver leader, but queen

of the entire North Atlantis!

Velenka was so excited that she could hardly keep a toothy smile from

stretching across her lips. Her plan was a thing of beauty. Machiakelpi

himself would be proud! Unfortunately, she hadn't noticed when the

bruised Thrash swam into the homewaters and began blubbering to Goblin

until it was too late.

"WHAT?!" Goblin roared, which got Velenka's attention. She swam

over as fast as possible. Ripper and Streak were already there. They were all

in uproar but none more so than Goblin. "I'll eat them all!"

"What's going on?" she yelled, trying to get the furious great white to

focus on her.

"I'll deal with them if it's the last thing I do!" Goblin shouted.

Velenka looked around for answers and noticed that Thrash looked

battered as if from a recent fight. She went cold even before he spoke to her.

"Gray jumped us. He freed the Rogue flippers."

"I told you we should have killed them!" Goblin yelled at her. "This

was your idea!"

Of course it was her idea. Everything was her idea! But now Gray was a

liability. Her plan could still work, but she'd have to deal with Kilo on her

own. Velenka couldn't show weakness in front of Goblin, especially when

everyone she would eventually rule over was watching. No one would

follow a turtle.

Velenka steeled herself and looked Goblin right in the eyes. "This

changes nothing!" she said. "Nothing!" She swam up close to—but not on

—the Speakers Rock. "Everything you planned is finally in place! It would

be nice to deal with those traitors, but if they run, which they most likely

will, they're still gone for good."

Goblin calmed. "And if they show up at the Tuna Run looking for their

families?"

"Or trouble?" added Thrash.

"Then you eat them," Velenka told the huge great white coldly. "But

focus on what's important and get that done first. We're—I mean, you're so

close!"

Goblin nodded, then yelled at the sharks who were watching and

listening, "What are you looking at? Get ready to swim for the Tuna Run!"

Activity started up immediately, no one wanting to arouse the shiver

leader's temper by being anywhere near him. Goblin took out his temper on

Thrash with a tremendous tail slap to the head. "And you! You're demoted

to fifth! Ripper, Streak—come with me!" Streak gave Velenka a subtle nod

and swam away with the others. But before they left, Goblin told her in a

low, menacing tone, "When this is over, you and I will talk."

Velenka exhaled. She was in control of the situation. Everything was

still moving forward with the current. Slowly, the warm excited feeling in

her stomach returned.

"When this is over, you'll be dead," she whispered at the great white's

receding figure.