8 Getting Crabby

Chapter 8 GETTING CRABBY Thudd pulled himself out of Andrew's pocket. With his little rubbery, jellybean-shaped feet, he climbed up to Andrew's shoulder. meep… "New kind of giant electric eel!" said Thudd. Andrew pressed the Octo-Tool button. "Catch eel!" he yelled. The Water Bug's hood sprang open. The Octo- Tool flung its tentacles at the eel! They missed. The eel was too fast. Then the tentacles stopped moving. They stayed very still. The eel stopped circling the Water Bug. It went over to the Octo-Tool and opened its

mouth wide. It was about to chomp down on a juicy tentacle! The Octo-Tool sprang into action. The tentacles latched on to the eel, spun it around, and sent it zooming back toward the Crab-Mobile. The Water Bug stopped sizzling. The metal crab crept closer. The dome lit up with a greenish glow. Inside the dome, Andrew and Judy could see a man with a curly black mustache and a head as bald as a light bulb. The muscles of his arms bulged under his T-shirt like grapefruits. He sat in a big chair covered in zebra stripes. Perched on the back of the chair was an enormous blue parrot. meep… "Soggy Bob got Burpp with him," said Thudd. "'Burpp' short for Bob's Ultra-Robot Parrot Partner." Soggy Bob pushed his face close to the glass dome of the Crab-Mobile. Kkk… kkkkk… kkkkkkk crackled the speaker on the dashboard. "Well, lookee here, Burpp," came

the growly voice of Soggy Bob Sloggins. He poked Burpp on his wing. "A surprise! "Heh! Heh! Heh!" laughed Soggy Bob. "Ah was expectin' that shaggy-haired, fuzzy-brained Professor Dubble feller! But it's just two skinny kids! Hi, kiddies! Thanks to my eel buddy, ah can talk to ya whenever ah want to!" Andrew pushed out his chin like he always did when he was trying not to look afraid. Judy just folded her arms and frowned. Soggy Bob laughed. "Ya look scared as mice in a litter box! No chance of ya babies findin' them

there giant squids!" Awwwwwk! Burpp flapped his wings. "You betcha, boss!" squawked Burpp. "Nobody knows the ocean like we do." Soggy Bob frowned. "But let's make real sure ya little critters won't do nothin' that messes up my plan," he said. Clack! Clack! Clack! "And don't bother screamin'," said Soggy Bob, "cuz ah can't hear ya. This conversation is one- way only! Heh! Heh! Heh!" The Crab-Mobile snapped its huge steel claws. It began to creep closer and closer to the Water Bug. "Oh no!" said Judy. "What can we do?" "Not much," said Andrew, "since we can't steer the Water Bug." Judy touched her lip with her tongue. "I have an idea," she said. Judy picked the destination dial up off the floor. She pulled a hairpin from her long frizzy hair and

straightened it out. She poked one end of the hairpin through the bottom of the destination dial. She poked the other end of the hairpin into the hole in the dashboard where the dial had been. She gave the destination dial a twist. "Now try the steering wheel," said Judy. Andrew turned the steering wheel. The Water Bug turned, too! "Way to go, Judy!" Andrew cheered. He pushed the Octo-Tool button. "Start Escape Jet!" he yelled.

A fat black tube popped out from under the hood of the Water Bug. "What's that goofy thing?" asked Judy. meep… "To escape, Water Bug move like octopus," said Thudd. "Suck in water through tube. Then push water out fast, fast, fast! Like garden hose!" Andrew pulled the steering wheel up, looked in the rearview mirror, and slammed his foot on the gas pedal. The Water Bug jiggled. Then… Sloooooosh! The Water Bug shot backward like an underwater spitball! It jetted away from the Crab- Mobile! "Super-duper pooper scooper!" yelled Andrew. He steered the Water Bug out of the dark cave and