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that.
    Think! Think! I ordered myself desperately. There’s got to be some way to
escape. There’s got to be.
    I glanced around, searching for something, anything. Maybe a life
jacket! Didn’t they have life jackets on the boat? Or a floating ring?
    If I could grab some kind of float, at least we’d have a chance.
    But I didn’t see anything on the deck. I craned my neck to look back at the
stern.
    My heart beat faster. Yes! A rubber lifeboat.
    “What are you looking at, kid?” Mel growled. “You looking for the coast guard
or something? Believe me, there’s no one around to rescue you so forget about
it.”
    “I—I wasn’t looking at anything,” I stammered. I was so scared, I could
hardly breathe.
    “Enough of this stalling around,” Dr. Ritter interrupted. “You’re wasting my
time. And you’re wasting your breath. And you’re going to need all the breath
you’ve got. It’s time for a swim.”
    Sheena let out a scream.
    “Let her go,” Dr. D. shouted.
    Two strong hands gripped my shoulders.
    “Help!” I shrieked. “Please—no!”
    But screaming did no good.
    They pushed me over the side.

 
 
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    I shut my eyes and prepared for the cold shock of the water.
    But I didn’t fall.
    The strong hands didn’t let go.
    I felt myself pulled back into the boat—as a dark shadow swept overhead.
    “Huh?” I blinked several times. Was it a shadow—or my eyes?
    I heard a deafening noise. A clattering. A beating sound.
    I turned to Dr. D. He and the others all had their eyes on the sky.
    A helicopter? I thought. Is it a helicopter? Someone to rescue us?
    No. That clapping, pounding sound couldn’t be a helicopter’s roar.
    Another shadow swooped over the boat.
    And then an ugly cry ripped through the air.
    RRRAAAAAK! RRAAAAAAK!
    “Oh, no!” Dr. D. cried. “Here they come!”
    I shielded my eyes with one hand. And I saw them.
    Swooping low. Two enormous birds. Seagulls. Seagulls as big as my golden Lab
back home!
    RRRAAAAAK! RRAAAAAK! Their sharp cries were so shrill, they hurt my ears.
    “Here come two more victims of your great experiments, Ritter,” my uncle
shouted over the pounding of their wings.
    “They must have eaten the plankton too!” Dr. Ritter exclaimed.
    The birds circled the boat. They cast huge shadows over us, their wings
stretched out like sails.
    As I squinted up at them, they stopped circling.
    And lowered their talons.
    Are they hunting for food? I wondered, staring up at the sharp bird claws,
gleaming in the sunlight.
    Are we the food?
    Before we could duck or try to hide, the two huge birds soared toward us.
    Talons raised. Ready to clutch their prey.
    Screeching all the way down.

 
 
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    I froze in panic.
    The screeching rang in my ears. Filled my brain. Made me feel as if my head
would burst.
    I stared up at the raised talons.
    The shadows of the screeching birds washed over me.
    And then I felt a strong hand pushing me down. Down to the deck. I turned
back and saw my uncle, his jaw set, his eyes on the sky.
    He pushed Sheena and me down. Then moved over us. Protecting us.
    I couldn’t see them. But I felt the heavy thud as the two heavy gulls
landed on the boat.
    And then I heard the shouts of Dr. Ritter and his men. Angry shouts, over the
shrill squawks of the birds.
    I twisted my head. Tried to see. But my uncle pushed my head down again.
Holding his arms over Sheena and me.
    I heard a struggle behind us. More squawks. More frantic cries.
    I heard the heavy pounding of wings.
    A table fell over. Dishes crashed to the floor.
    A cry of pain.
    “Quick, kids—now’s our chance!” Dr. D. whispered. He pulled us to our feet.
Then, protecting us with his back, he shoved us across the deck to the lifeboat.
    “Billy! Help me untie this thing!” Dr. D. ordered.
    The three of us struggled with the knots that held the lifeboat to the deck.
    “Hurry!” Dr. D. urged us. “Before they see what we’re up to!”
    “ RRRAAAAK! ” I turned and saw