Nadia

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Nadia Vol 2,2:
Fortress on a Remote Island

"The Secret of Blue Water" is the adventures of Nadia, a mysterious circus girl, and Jean, an inventive boy, with jewel thieves, Captain Nemo of the Nautilus, a world-domination-seeking secret society, and more. I have a set of color manga that was made from the anime series which I will be translating here bit-by-bit. This is part 2 of volume 2, "Fortress on a Remote Island".

You may prefer the version with Japanese.

Part 2
Fortress on a Remote Island

Chapter introduction, narrated by Jean.

Jean: I made a map of the island based on what Marie told me and went out scouting...

Jean sneaks around the island in the dark eluding the guards, guided by the map.

Jean: What I found out was that the enemy has advanced technology...

He sees an enemy base and ships in the harbor. Floodlights come on suddenly as the guards spot someone and begin shooting.

Soldier: A prisoner has escaped!

Jean: and that they were nothing but a ruthless gang...

The next morning, the day is bright and clear. Marie plays with King near the mouth of the cave. Nadia and Jean are arguing.

Nadia: What are you saying!?

Jean: There must still be other people in hiding.

Nadia: And just where are these people?

Jean: Well, what do you expect me to do about it!?

Nadia: Think about it more.

Marie: Hey... are you having a husband-and-wife quarrel?

Jean: No way!
Nadia: No way!

Marie: Wuh-- (starting to cry).

Nadia: Uuh... I'm sorry, but that's not the case...

Jean: (resuming the argument with Nadia) Anyway, there's nothing we can do on our own.

Nadia: I already knew that.

Nadia sees Marie heading for the mouth of the cave with King.

Nadia: Marie, don't go out there!

Marie: ...Uh-huh. (not really paying attention)

Nadia: (to Jean) Don't do it! It's dangerous! The idea of going into the base of those terrible people...

Jean: It can't be helped. I think the captured people are there, too. I have to get into the base to gather information. I'll be fine. I've already figured out a way to get in without being caught.

Nadia: But...

Meanwhile, Marie has gone outside the cave, unnoticed by Jean and Nadia. She is looking at wildflowers in a meadow near a cliff. King is with her.

Marie: Oooh, what a pretty field of flowers! Aren't they pretty, King?

She sees one that is a little ways down from the edge of the cliff.

Marie: Oh. Oooh! That's a pretty flower.

As she stretches down for it, a voice comes from behind her.

Soldier: May I help you get that, little girl?

Marie: Ok...

Then she looks and sees it is one of the masked soldiers. The man reaches for her!

Marie: EEEEEE!!

Jean and Nadia hear Marie's scream and rush out of the cave. Looking down, they see Marie and King in the metallic clutches of an armored robot vehicle!

Marie: Mama, mama! Help, mama!

Nadia starts to call out to her, but Jean covers her mouth.

Nadia: Ma...

Jean: Don't! If we go out now we'll all get caught. They're just waiting to see if anyone comes to help her. The cruel bastards.

Soldier 1: It looks like there's no-one else around.

Soldier 2: Back to base.

Nadia: Hang on, Marie.... because we'll rescue you for sure!

Jean shows Nadia a path leading into a mountain.

Jean: That's it. Look, where you can see the smoke.. Their secret base is probably under there...

Nadia: I wonder if Marie and King are safe...

Jean: We'll get them out of this somehow...

They enter the underground passage.

Jean: Hey - are they using this old mining tunnel?

He turns on a flashlight.

Nadia: That light's pretty bright, isn't it...?

Jean: Heh-heh. Actually, I borrowed it from the Nautilus...

Nadia: Oooh.

Jean: This electric line must continue up to their base.

Nadia: Hey... Then this line is full of electricity? (She is about to touch it).

Jean: Watch out! There's a huge voltage on that! If you touch it you'll get burned to a crisp.

They see a ladder leading up.

Jean: Hmm? I wonder... is that the exit? This is the inner base, at last! Be careful.

They climb the ladder and look down on an interior lake.
Jean: A lake!

Nadia: Is that the secret base?

Jean: Probably... Could that be the steam-driven power plant?... That's a huge number of smokestacks, isn't it....

Nadia: What could that tower in the middle be?

Jean: It isn't an antenna. The tower's probably made of glass...

Nadia: What could they use it for?

Nadia and Jean find a large pipe leading to an area where digging is going on.

Jean: They put in pipes there, too. It's some kind of factory. That's a conveyer belt.

They sneak down, hiding behind the pipe. Grandis, Sanson, and Hanson are being forced to work as a digging crew. Then Grandis abruptly sits down near the pipe.

Grandis: Phew...I can't keep this up anymore...

Jean: It's Grandis...

Nadia: So she wound up here.

A soldier/overseer comes up to Grandis.

Soldier: You, woman over there. What do you think you're doing? Back to work, on the double!

Grandis: Hah! If you're in such a hurry, why not do it yourself?...

The man raises his whip.

Soldier: Why, y-you...

Sanson grabs his wrist and forces him to drop the whip. Then he effortlessly lifts the man over his head with one hand and throws him to the ground.

Sanson: Hah. Well, that ought to do it.

Hanson begins to strip the mask from the unconscious man.

Hanson: Let's just borrow this and run!

But before he can finish putting on the mask they are surrounded by armed soldiers!

Soldier: If you hate to work that much, we'll escort you to a nice place... Take them!

Jean: Let's sneak in though that pipe! OK, now! Be careful.

A worker dumps coal down the pipe, knocking them both out of the pipe.

Nadia: Ouch...

Jean: Ow ow ow... that was one way to move quickly, wasn't it...

Nadia: Jean! Look over there. That's a sea monster!

They see a large submarine parked at a dock, with two long rows of soldiers lined up in front of it.

Jean: Just as I thought, it was a submarine. They attacked my father's ship... Huh? Someone's coming out of it.

Gargoyle, dressed in a similar mask to the soldiers, with a black hood and red suit, emerges from the submarine. He shouts to the soldiers, and they echo back as they salute him:

Gargoyle: Neo-Atlantis!

Jean: Who could that be?...

Officer: We've been waiting for you, Gargoyle, sir...

Gargoyle: What happened about that girl?

Officer: Yes sir! We have taken hostages, so very soon...

Suddenly, the machines below start, and Jean and Nadia find themselves being pulled down to a coal crusher!

Jean: Yaah! This is a blast furnace! (They start running). If we fall in
we'll be crushed to bits!

Nadia leaps up and grabs onto a pillar. She reaches out for Jean.

Jean: Yaah!

Nadia: Jean! Here! (She grabs his hand and pulls him up). Ooof!

Jean: It's an amazingly modernized automatic factory. There's not a single person working it.

Nadia: But there are guards.

Nadia and Jean hide behind some crates.

Nadia: What shall we do now?

Jean: I think there will be less guards after dark...

Nadia nods, but looks worried.

Nearby, Gargoyle is examining a huge blue plate covered with strange symbols. A scientist next to him is describing it.

Scientist: This artificial orichalcum is the result of the concentration of our latest scientific technology. I should think it will show an efficiency just as we planned, theoretically.

[Note: orichalcum was a mythical copper alloy supposed to have been used in Atlantis. It was supposed to be highly reflective and indestructable.]

Gargoyle: Don't speak to me about mere theory. You must make it useful in practice.

He presses on the symbols, and the block suddenly lights up. At the same moment, Nadia's Blue Water glows brilliantly.

Jean: Huh!?

Scientist: I-it's never done anything like this before...

Gargoyle: Investigate it! Possibly it's reacting to something. It couldn't be to Nadia's Blue Water, could it?

Though Nadia tries to hide the Blue Water in her fist, its brilliant glow reveals their position to the guards!

Guard: There they are. Hurry-- (Jean and Nadia run out the door). It was them! There they are! Stop! Stop or we'll shoot!

The guards fire at them, and Jean is hit in the leg.

Jean: Uggh!

Nadia: Jean.

Jean: I'm all right. It just grazed me.

Nadia pulls out a handkerchief and binds his wound.

Jean: Thanks...

Soldier: We know you're there! We've got you completely surrounded!

Officer:Come out quietly with your hands up.

Nadia: (points to a cave above them ) Jean, up there!

Jean: It looks like it leads somewhere.

Nadia: Please... (She takes off the Blue Water and gives it to Jean)

Nadia: When I go out, take this through that hole.

Jean: Huh? I'm going to go! While I do that, you can...

Nadia: I'm the one they're looking for.

Jean: All right, but for sure ...for sure I'll come and rescue you...

Nadia: ...Yes. I'll be waiting...

She gives him a kiss on the forehead.

Nadia: That's a motherly kiss.

She starts running away from Jean. One of the soldiers aims a gun, but the commander stops him.

Commander: Wait! Don't shoot. It's that girl. Take her alive!

They all begin to chase Nadia.

Commander: After her! Don't let her escape!

Jean looks at the Blue Water around his neck. He grips it tightly.

Jean: ...Nadia...!

End of Volume 2 Part 2

On to Part 3: The Tower of Babel