Barbie and the Spy Squad: The Start of Something New

Chapter Five: First Strike

"Three... two... one... ready!"

Barbie and Ken nodded and smiled to each other before flipping backwards over the boat and splashing into the bright aqua water.

As their bodies adjusted underneath the surface to the water pressure, they twisted and righted themselves. They looked at each other to confirm they were both ready, grinned, and swam forward.

Scuba diving was always something they loved doing together. Whether it was back home in Malibu or out on a neighboring island, they cherished the pastime and valued every second. It was always so much fun: discovering new wildlife, experiencing the views. Plus, it was a sentimental time for them to really spend time together. No one else in their friend group went scuba diving, so it was something they were able to sneak off and do, just the two of them.

Even Teresa and Renee haven't been scuba diving on any of our missions... yet...

Barbie reached forward slowly and caressed a nearby rock but was pleasantly surprised when a school of yellow Garibaldi fish swam by. She giggled as they circled her to inspect her presence.

Ken, on the other hand, swam a bit further to her left and came face to face with a Leopard Shark behind a large stone arch.... Make that two Leopard Sharks... he knew they were harmless to humans through his marine biology passion on the side, so he just floated in his spot and observed their majestic migration through the waves. He mouthed 'wow' to himself beneath his mask. When he turned away after their graceful departure, he saw his best friend coming near him, just as in awe of their surroundings.

The duo swam for a bit more, thoroughly at peace under the water as their real-life worries floated away and dissolved into the current... until Barbie noticed a large blob off to the side of her. A mass of unrecognizable something caught her eye.

She rotated her head to try to figure out what snuck into her peripheral enough to warrant her new attention. It was a flash of darkness, at first, but it didn't look like another marine animal...

It looked human.

Barbie scanned the area... she thought maybe there was another diver down there.

But there aren't any more boats in the nearby area and Ken and I were the only ones on ours...

She saw nothing...

Huh... weird...

A tap on her shoulder spun her face back towards her other side and saw Ken's grinning face as he gestured for her to come along. Barbie inspected once more over her shoulder, so when she figured whatever it was either was part of her imagination or swam out of view, she decided to continue to follow her best friend on their scuba excursion.

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"I swear, this gets cooler every time! There's no way I could ever get used to that view! I would live underwater if I could! Think about it: maybe we could find some magical... something, I dunno... to turn me into a merman! How sweet would that be? I could actually live with these animals!"

Barbie giggled at Ken's exuberance. He absolutely loved everything about the water. Loved snorkeling... scuba diving... surfing... everything! She did, too, but he took it to a whole other level. His future dream career was to be a marine biologist, so he was completely enthralled with all things ocean. It made her so happy to see him happy...

"I know, right? It's so incredible! Honestly, we're so lucky to have this practically in our backyard", she pointed out as she finished undressing from her scuba gear on the boat.

Ken laughed and nodded and stood to his full towering 6' 1'' height, back in his regular swimsuit trunks.

"Seriously! I couldn't live anywhere that didn't have an ocean nearby. I love the mountains, but there's something about swimming with animals that makes you feel alive, ya know?"