After 30 minutes of waiting on the roof of Cooter’s van,
Cooter and Sara walked out of the back door, propped it open then went back inside the building.
Inside Airship 3, Hazel and Melvin saw the door that stayed open.
“We have our opportunity,” Hazel said while she flipped some switches and the rear engine started up. “Show time,” she said while she raised the airship off the roof of the van.
Melvin swallowed hard, as this was the final moment where he could become a hero with Hazel or end up lost forever in Air Alien land.
Airship 3 hovered a foot off the roof of the van while the landing struts retracted back inside the airship then the four doors closed.
The airship slowly flew toward the opened door of Cooter’s store.
Cooter and Sara slowly walked out of the opened door and carried an empty aquarium in their hands.
Airship 3 quickly ascended up and hovered four feet above the door.
Cooter and Sara were too preoccupied with being cautious about dropping the aquarium that they didn’t notice the airship hovering in the air.
Billy ran out of the door all excited to be riding in Uncle Cooter’s van that he didn’t notice the airship in the air.
Airship 3 quickly dove down, flew through the opened door and went inside the store.
Inside Airship 3, Hazel slowly flew into the backroom of the office. From the windows they saw a desk, and shelves with hundreds of supplies for their store.
Then they heard the back door being closed and locked.
Hazel turned the airship around and they saw that the backdoor was closed.
“They closed the entrance to the cave. I think we’re safe for now. Let’s go find Stephanie,” she told Melvin.
Suddenly Melvin felt a little brave. “Can I fly the airship?” he asked.
“Sure,” Hazel replied.
Melvin gave her a warm smile while he took over the controls.
He flew Airship through the backroom and headed to the opened door that led into the store.
When Airship 3 flew into the dark store, they saw four rows of numerous aquariums with plastic tops.
“Look at all those tiny water worlds,” Melvin replied while he slowly flew Airship 3 deeper into to the store.
“I don’t see any other Air Aliens,” Hazel said while she looked relieved.
Melvin banked the airship to the right and saw the counter and cash register to the right.
“That’s a strange looking device,” she said while she looked at the cash register.
“Yep,” he replied while he banked the airship to the left and headed down the first row of aquariums up against the wall.
There were four shelves of aquariums and Melvin flew the airship down the middle shelf.
Melvin checked out the aquariums on the left side of the aisle while Hazel checked the aquariums on the right side of the aisle while he slowly flew the airship.
“So many of our fish are in there,” Melvin said.
“It might be hard finding Stephanie,” Hazel replied.
Melvin flew down the end of that aisle, banked and made a 180 degree turn to the left and flew down another aisle.
This time Melvin flew dear the top of the aquariums while he flew down that aisle.
Melvin looked at the aquariums on the left while Hazel looked at the aquariums on the right.
“She’s not down this path,” Melvin said when they reached the end of the aisle.
“I couldn’t see her,” Hazel replied while Melvin banked and made a 180 degree turn to the right and flew down another aisle.
He flew by the bottom shelves and he looked at the aquariums to the left and Hazel looked at the aquariums to the right.
She’s not down this path,” Melvin said when they reached the end of the aisle.
“I couldn’t see her either,” Hazel replied while Melvin hovered the airship and they faced the door into the backroom.
Melvin pondered their situation.
“We can’t leave this cave since the entrance is closed,” Hazel said.
“You’re right,” he answered then pondered a decision. “Let’s make some more rounds by those water worlds. Maybe she was on the other side,” he replied.
Hazel wasn’t too thrilled about that idea nodded in agreed. “Maybe we should call the mission a bust and go home. We can wait for the cave entrance to open,” she offered to Melvin since she still wanted him all to herself.
“Home? I don't have a home anymore. Your father wants to put me in prison,” he replied.
“Don't worry, we can find a new home together. I’ll stay by your side forever,” Hazel said with love in her eyes.
Melvin ignored her while he moved the airship and banked to the left and flew down to the nearest aisle to mix it up a bit.
He flew down that aisle near the bottom shelf.
Melvin again looked to the left and Hazel looked to the left while they flew down that aisle.
Meanwhile in Stephanie’s aquarium, she looked so sad while she swam over from the other side of the aquarium and stopped by the glass facing the aisle.
Carlos swam over and placed a fin around her. “Please don't be so sad my beauty.”
“I miss home!” she said while her eyes welled up.
Then her eyes widened when she saw the airship slowly flying over the aquarium in another aisle. “I don't believe it! There's one of our airships. They must be coming to rescue me!” she called out then she banged on the glass. “I'm in here! Help me!”
Carlos looked upset while he covered his gills with his fins. “Don't bang on the glass!” he yelled at her.
Kathy, Timmy and Mitch swam up to Stephanie mad that she was banging on the glass.
“Quiet please!” Kathy yelled out.
Stephanie pointed to the aisle to the other side of the room where the airship was visible flying above the aquariums.
“My father sent an airship from Aquaticville to rescue me!” she said while she pointed at the glass.
They all looked and Airship 3 wasn’t visible because it was turning down this aisle.
Carlos looked worried that Stephanie might have caused some brain damage when she smacked into the glass.
“Come my darling, let's go to the other side,” Carlos said while he grabbed one of her fins.
“I know I saw it. It was one of our newer airships,” she said then looked depressed that maybe she was hallucinating.
She started to swim away with Carlos, Kathy, Timmy, and Mitch while she looked back at the aisle.
Then her eyes lit up when she saw Airship 3 approach their aquarium from the direction of the backroom.
She forced Carlos’s fin away then she raced back to the glass. “I’m here!” she yelled out and waved at the approaching airship.
Timmy, Kathy and Mitch swam away thinking Stephanie was loony.
Carlos swam over to Stephanie.
Inside Airship 3, Melvin and Hazel watched their sides of the aisle.
Then Melvin saw Stephanie waving at them from her aquarium but it didn’t sink in that it was her.
He flew the airship by her aquarium.
In her aquarium, Stephanie looked like she was going to break down and start sobbing when Airship 3 flew away.
“I guess they don’t want to rescue you my fair lady. But don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you,” he said then started to move her away from the glass.
Inside Airship 3, it dawned on Melvin that he saw Stephanie and he flew the airship into a loop.
“What are you doing?” Hazel said while she was tossed out of her seat.
“I saw Stephanie!” he cried out in joy while he flew the airship back to her aquarium.
Hazel looked a little disappointed while he stopped the airship by her aquarium.
They both looked out the bubble and saw Stephanie while she waved at them from inside the small water world.
Inside her aquarium, Stephanie saw Airship 3 while it hovered outside and she saw Hazel and Melvin.
“It’s Melvin and my sister, Hazel,” she cried out so happy to see familiar faces. “And Melvin’s a hero after all and came to rescue me,” she said with love in her eyes.
She blew Melvin a kiss with her fin and that made Carlos jealous.
“How are they going to get inside this world? They have to go into outer air and that’s too dangerous,” Carlos said to quench her hopes of being rescue.
“We've developed an airsuit,” she said while she watched Melvin blow her a kiss back with his fin.
Carlos didn't like her answer.
Stephanie watched while Airship 3 ascended to the top of the aquarium where there was an air hole.
Carlos looked unhappy while he watched the airship ascend, as he didn’t want to lose Stephanie.
Inside Airship 3, Hazel looked the aquarium over and noticed the plastic top.
“Land it up on the top and there must be an access hole into the water,” she told Melvin.
“Okay,” he replied.
“I’ll get dressed in the airsuit while you land on the top,” she said then got up and swam to the back wall where the airsuits hung.
Melvin started to configure the console to fly to the top but something to his left caught his attention. He looked to his left and his eyes widened in fear. “There's a small Air Alien approaching!” he called out to Hazel.
She had her airsuit in her fins and stood perfectly still.
Melvin froze at the controls while he looked at Billy while he stood at the entrance of the backroom.
“Hurry up and get us to the top of the water world!” she yelled when she noticed he froze at the controls.
Melvin looked at Hazel then realized she was correct and worked the controls.
Billy stood in the doorway leading to the backroom.
He spotted Airship 3 while it flew up to the top of Stephanie’s aquarium and his eyes lit up at the sight of the airship. “What a cool toy!” he cried out then ran down the aisle.
Billy ran over while Airship 3 extended its landing struts. He watched while the airship landed on the top of Stephanie’s aquarium.
Inside Airship 3, Hazel and Melvin looked around and couldn’t see Billy the Air Alien.
“We lost him,” Melvin told Hazel.
“Good,” she said while she started to dress in her airsuit.
Inside her aquarium, Stephanie looked scared to death while Billy stopped at their aquarium and looked upward at the top. She watched while he rose upward on his tippy toes and reached to grab the top of the aquarium.
Stephanie got scared to death and cuddled next to Carlos for protection. He placed a fin around Stephanie and loved this moment.
Then all of a sudden, their aquarium tilted toward Billy and Kathy, Timmy and Mitch all screamed from the other side.
From inside Airship 3, Hazel and Melvin were tossed around while their airship tilted and suddenly fell downward toward the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Hazel said while she was tossed around in the water while the airship fell to the floor.
“I think that Air Alien has our ship,” Melvin asked then he looked scared. “Do you think he’s going to eat the airship?” he asked.
“No, I our data indicated they eat larger fish and other creatures but not our airship,” she replied.
“I hope your data is correct,” he replied while they watched the airship fall down to the floor.
In the store, Billy caught the airship in his hand and released the aquarium.
Inside Stephanie’s aquarium, waves splashed against the glass and caused everybody to slam into each other.
Inside Airship 3, Hazel and Melvin sat in fright while Billy’s eyeballs looked at the cockpit bubble.
“I hope he doesn't eat us!” Melvin cried out while he sat in his seat.
Hazel looked a little nervous while she sat back in her seat.
Inside the store, Billy shook the airship and laughed a bratty laugh.
While he shook the airship, his eyes lit up when he saw Hazel and Melvin being tossed around inside. “Cool, there’s toy fish inside this airplane!” he cried out in joy
Billy continued to shake the airship and laugh his bratty laugh.
Inside, Hazel and Melvin continued to be tossed around in the water and started to get a little green around the gills.
Inside the store area, Billy ran up and down the aisle with Airship 3 in his hand like he’s involved in a dogfight.
Sara walked out of the backroom and saw Billy. “Don't knock the aquariums over,” she called out.
“I won't, Aunt Sara,” he replied while he continued to zoom Airship 3 around in the air.
Inside Airship 3, Hazel and Melvin are slammed into each other while Billy zoomed the airship up then down, upside down, in a loop and a steep banked turn to the left.
Then Billy zoomed the airship straight up and Hazel and Melvin slam into the back wall and banged their heads.
They floated around the airship unconscious.
Billy ran up and down the aisles with Airship 3 in his hand and pretended it was in a dogfight with another airplane.
Connie, Billy’s widowed mother, entered the store from the street entrance. She was 35 years old and was Cooter’s sister.
She saw Billy while he ran up and down an aisle with the airship. “Billy, stop before you break something,” she scolded him.
Sara walked out of the backroom and saw Connie by the counter. “Hi Connie,” Sara said while she walked behind the counter.
“Thanks for watching Billy,” Connie replied.
Billy ran up to the counter with the airship in his hand.
“Can I keep this toy spaceship?” he asked Sara.
Cooter entered the store area from the backroom.
He walked up to the counter and gave Connie a little kiss on her cheek. He glanced down at Billy and saw the airship.
“Where did you get that?” he asked Billy.
“I saw it flying by one of those aquariums and then it landed on top of one,” he said while he pointed at the aisle where Stephanie’s aquarium is located.
“I don't know, a customer must have left it and might come back,” Cooter replied.
“I want it! I want it! I want it!” Billy cried out in a temper tantrum while he stomped his feet.
A customer entered from the door and Cooter didn’t want the woman to see this scene. “Sure Billy, finders keepers, losers weepers.”
Billy jumped up and down excited then he ran off down an aisle and held Airship 3 in the air.
“I'll bring more fish over when I watch Billy,” Cooter told Connie.
“Thanks. Let's go Billy,” Connie called out.
Inside Stephanie’s aquarium, she watched in horror while Billy ran past her aquarium with Airship 3 in his hand. She briefly saw Hazel and Melvin while they floated in the cockpit area.
“My rescue ship was captured by Air Aliens,” she sobbed out while Billy was no longer in sight.
Carlos swam up to her side. “Maybe it wasn't meant to be my darling,” he said.
“I'll have to live the rest of my life in this tiny water world,” she said while her eyes welled up.
Carlos placed a fin around her and she broke down and sobbed.
Meanwhile, back under the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Rocky relaxed on his couch after a hard day of yelling at his young Marine fish.
June swam over and handed him a bottle of clam juice. He took a swig of clam juice and turned on the TV with his remote.
June snuggled on the couch next to Rocky while he surfed the TV channels and he stopped on the WET news channel.
Rocky and June watched were Barbie Waters was on location in Aquaticville and stood in front of the NASA Headquarters building.
“We have a news leak from NASA. Air Captain Melvin stole the new Airship three just before it was supposed to be launched. He zoomed away with Rodney’s daughter Hazel to supposedly rescue Stephanie. It sounds like a fishy story if you ask me!” Barbie Waters told the TV audience.
Down in Aquaticville, Rodney swam out of the NASA building and Barbie saw him.
She swam over to him. “Rodney, any comment about Air Captain Melvin stealing your new Airship 3?” she asked while she shoved the microphone in his face.
Rodney looked at Barbie then at the camera that the camera fish held up. “Comment about Melvin?” he replied.
“Yes,” Barbie said.
“Yes and there’s still a sea warrant for his arrest for Air Aliens kidnapping my Stephanie. He’ll spend the rest of his life in Sand Quentin!” Rodney replied with anger in his eyes.
“Thank you Rodney,” she said then turned at the camera while Rodney swam away.
Inside his living room, Rocky fumed while he stared at the TV.
“And the saga of Melvin the liar fish turned thief fish. We’ll update you the second we receive any news. This is Barbie Waters for WET TV. Have a happy water day,” Barbie said then the station returned to the Forest Guppy movie that was in progress.
“He stole an airship and ran away? I can't believe my son is such a chicken!” Rocky said in a hoarse voice from yelling at his Marine fish all day. He placed his face in his fins. “Where did I fail?”
June sobbed thinking her boy would spend the rest of his life in San Quentin.