A/N: As always, I don't own anything except Captain Jack. Also rating might change due to suggestive content and how many times I can drop the f-bomb in one chapter. Captain Jack has been the star of several other stories, so hopefully I filled any gaps (or will in the very near future) without boring myself! So, enjoy!

Chapter 1- Always getting kidnapped

I prefer the term treasure seeker or even cargo runner to pirate. Unfortunately, I end up lumped in with pirates. My dad was a fisherman and part time treasure hunter. He spent his whole life trying to figure out the map on a palm-sized locket he found in his younger years. I inherited the locket and found it's mate and figured out the lockets weren't a map but rather a key to reading a book that led to treasure. That and things like the Bermuda triangle, which believe me, whoever said that place wasn't cursed was an idiot. My ship almost got pulled down to the depths and I still have no idea what got us.

I suppose what makes me look like a pirate, aside from the occasional pillage and plunder thing, is my ship, the Sunset Ambrosia. I found her when I was about sixteen years old half sticking up out of the water off the coast of Africa. She's an eighteen century sailing ship refitted with engines and solar fuel cells. I left the gray sails just for effect and a boost from the wind. Now I know what you're thinking when I say pirate. You've seen the news and all those bad men who take whole cruise ships hostage and shit. I have never, and will never take any one hostage. My own best friend, Ellie, former medical student and now actress, sort of, was taken by a man I'd royally pissed with my lockets and book. Okay, now I'll admit my reaction did sort of make me look like a pirate. I may have blown up his house, a little. The point is, I only steal from those who steal from others. I don't ask about the cargo I haul other than to make sure I'm not running drugs or guns. Granted I do work for some of those dealers. Mostly I just haul fenced things and black market items mixed with things that are just plain hard to get through security.

Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I'll just hang here in silence and boredom. My crew should have been here a few minutes ago but as usual, they're late. We're always late. Why not be late in rescuing the captain? They're probably off having a party right now anyways. I probably should explain how I ended up in my current predicament. It's Joey's fault of course. A few hours ago, I was asleep in my cabin curled around my pillow in the nice warm, soft black comforter when I got woke up. "Jack, there's a ship comin up on us hard and fast."

"What?" I mumbled mostly still asleep.

"There a ship," Joey said rubbing his eyes. "Come from that way." He pointed out on the horizon where the sun was beginning to rise.

"Seriously?" I asked him sitting up in bed.

"I would have told you sooner but I fell asleep." He said with a yawn.

"You fell asleep?" I repeated falling back into the sheets. Of course he fell asleep. He didn't trust the night navigator I'd hired. He was leery of all the new crew members I'd hired. He said these were new people, guys who didn't know about me or my father or even what it's like to be loyal to a captain. The past two weeks now, Joey would relieve the new navigator of his duties and take over both all day and night. "Do you know who it is at least?" I asked him staring up and the dark wood planks above my bed.

"I don't know," He said with another yawn. "It looks like that goon Jeff Smithson." That's great. He's one of the most notorious robbers in the pacific. He also caught wind of the fact that the Ambrosia had currently been dealing a lot in the antiques business. He was under the impression I had recently gained fifteen million dollars. It's less than that in case you were wondering, much less. I usually ended up donating most of the stuff I found. As long as I got the credit for the find.

"Great," I said up pulling my linen gray cargo pants on. "Give me a sticky," I said pulling the side of my tank top up long enough for him to put a small sticker on my ribcage. "Track me, then come get me with the crew." I said pulling a gun out of the cabinet nailed to the wall and shoved it in the back of my pants.

Of course Joey had been right about who was trailing us. They threw a net over me and pulled me right in the water. I'm sure if Johnny had seen that one he would be laughing all the way into next week for my graceless yank in the water. When I told them I didn't have anything on the ship other than plants, I got strung upside down by my ankles in the hull of this crappy speed boat. I was lying about not having anything of value but of course they didn't know that. If they searched the ship, they would never in a million years find all that gold. They would never get onto the ship anyways. Hopefully by now Joey had woken the crew and they were on their way to rescue the captain. Any minute now. Yup, they'll be here.

I saw a pair of legs coming down the stairs but of course that wasn't any of my crew. Instead it was Jeff grinning at me. "We seem to have lost the Ambrosia." He leaned down to look at my face.

"I'd help you, but all the blood has rushed to my head and I can't think properly." I said forcing a smile.

"I wouldn't have to hang you by your ankles if you'd just tell me where the gold is." Jeff told me standing up. He gave a quick jab into my ribs.

I took a deep breath and glared at him as best I could. "And that didn't help me think any better." I probably should have mentioned sooner that as soon as they had me off the Ambrosia, they took my gun and hung me upside-down. I've been hanging here for probably close to two hours now. "Not that I would tell you were the ship is." I said. He was standing up again, walking around me in a circle, spinning my legs occasionally.

"I think you're bluffing Jack," He leaned down to my face again, his stank breath hitting my cheek. Jeff wasn't a tall man, but he was beefy. He was American by trade, but last I heard he resided in Somalia to avoid any and all governments after him. "I don't think you know where you're ship is." Well, he has me there but there's one thing that he doesn't quite understand. The Sunset Ambrosia is outfitted with the latest in equipment. I don't know how any of it works but it does have one wonderful piece of technology that jams all sonar radios in the area. They won't see my ship coming.

"I know exactly where it is." I said looking at him. My head was really starting to ache at this point. At least he hadn't hit me much, just a few punches to the gut.

"Well it's certainly not here." Jeff said with a hearty laugh. He was still missing his front two teeth. I had knocked one of those out last year when he tried to sneak aboard my ship and steal some cargo I had been running. I had heard the other one was knocked out in some bar fight in a Russian bar. Dumbass always had to mess with the Russians. Even I knew better than that.

"If it was, do you think I'd be dumb enough to tell you they were here?" I asked rolling my eyes.

"Stupid little girl," He shook his head. "Now you can either tell me where you're hiding all that gold, or we can do this the hard way," He leaned down once again next to my ear. "And that doesn't end so pretty for you."

I looked past him and in the small portion of blue skies I could see, the tip of a gray sail moved in until it was blocking the sky. I turned my head to face Jeff's ugly mug, our eyes meeting as my mouth curled into a smile. "Would you like to know where my ship is?" I said as one of his crew members hollered down into the galley. "Its right here, about to blow your pathetic boat into a million pieces." I told him softly before I rammed my forehead right into his in a rough headbutt. He slid down to the floor as the sound of gunfire played out above me and a mass of feet went scurrying about.

"And I suppose none of them are going to help me," I mumbled to myself as I wiggled around, my hands still tied behind my back until the razorblade I had hide in the waistband of my cargo pants came loose. The cords binding my hands were easy to get off, the ones around my ankles weren't so much. I had to swing up until I could catch hold of the beam where my feet were bound.

I got free falling gracefully onto my butt and sat there for a moment trying to get my bearings. The sudden rush of blood to my brain was a whole new pain, particularly right in the middle of my forehead. I shook it off and stood up, another moment of waiting to get my balance back and I was off again grabbing my revolver on the way out. Sheer chaos was the only word to describe the scene on deck of the yacht-like boat. Jeff's crew was shooting frantically at the Ambrosia while my crew was preparing the cannons.

Wait, preparing the cannons. That thought reminded my now was a good time to get the hell away from here. "Where do you think you're going girlie?" A grimy hand grabbed hold of my wrist as I turned to face a man, face half hidden behind a scruffy dark beard.

"Decidedly not here," I said punching him square in the nose with my free arm. I ran to the side and yelled over to the Ambrosia getting a rope swung over in return. "You know this only works in movies!" I yelled back to Joey.

"Just swing over, I'll catch you." He yelled back. I could see two of the six cannons below deck being rolled out. It was either swing over and pray I land softly or wait for the explosion to send my fifty feet into the air.

"This better work," I shook my head, held my breath, and wrapped the rope as tight as I could around my wrist and let go of the boat. The Ambrosia came upon me pretty fast, faster than Joey was expecting as he stood on the deck with his arms out waiting to grab hold of me. Instead I bowled him over landing square on top of him. "I told you it only works in movies."

"I think you broke my ribs," He wheezed as he sat up after I rolled off him.

"You're fine you big baby," I said standing up and shoving my gun back into my pants. I held my hand out for him to take and hauled him back to his feet. "Call it payback for the two hours I spend hanging by my ankles upside down." He just shrugged at me.

"You said wake the crew and come after you." He reminded me.

"Yes but I meant it in a more immediate sense," I told him and leaned over the stairs to the galley below. "Blow them to kingdom come boys." I said and held my hands over my ears as the cannon blasts rang out. "And next time you people let me stew that long, I'll be loading you into the cannons." I said walking off towards my cabin. I needed aspirin. And vodka.

By the time we'd made port in New Orleans, I was good and lit. The rope burns on my wrists and ankles stung less having been covered up with gauze and I'd almost forgiven the crew for not rescuing me sooner. Almost. Besides, we had another job to do. I had to forgive them. They unloaded the flowers we'd been charged with and started in on heaps of food. My favorite Mexican gangster, Juan, had recently moved to Venezuela to avoid the federalis, or the cartels, or both, I couldn't remember, but he'd gotten a craving for some bayou food. Hence the crate of frozen shrimp, crawfish, and lobsters currently sitting in the deep freeze a level below the crew quarters. Joey had tried to apologize but I hadn't really let him. I gave the crew orders to load the rest of the cargo and then take the night off. I'd made sure they knew to be back by dawn just as punishment.

I found myself sitting in a small bar in the old French Quarter listening to blues all night waiting for the owner to realize I was there. She was Frankie, a fiery redhead that seemed to be six feet tall, granted I wasn't much more than five feet myself so everyone looked that tall to me. Her dad had been part of my dad's crew with Joey when they were fishermen and occasional treasure hunters. I had my doubts that that was all they had done, but that's the story Joey gave me. Frankie and I had grown up together. Our moms had become friends, mainly because they had something in common, the fathers of their children were slightly useless in the parenting department. We both begged to differ. Her dad had nearly died the same day mine had, boating accident. Her dad had never been the same, brain damaged. He lived in a little rest home near Biloxi where I made sure he was well taken care of.

That night in particular, her place was hopping and she hadn't had a chance to sit down until the doors were locked and the rest of her staff was cleaning. The band was finishing up packing their things when she leaned over the bar across from me. She pulled out a glass for herself and refilled mine with whiskey. "Been a long time Jack," she grinned. We'd always joked that our fathers had wanted little boys instead of girls so we'd been given boy nick-names. A running joke between the two of us. "Heard you had some trouble with Sir William not too long ago."

"Not much," I took a drag from the cigarette I'd been dangling in my left hand and propped my head up with my right arm. Drinking all day tended to make the world kinder but wobblier. "He wanted something I had and when it didn't work out in his favor, he tried to kill me so I may have blown up a few of his ships." That was an understatement. The only reason he'd gotten away was because the only boat of his not on fire had pulled him out of the water. Sir William was my arch-nemesis if I had one. He used to control just about everything in the gulf coast. Used to being the key word there. I may have torched his house too for kidnapping Ellie before that.

Frankie leaned in a little. "Is it true?" She asked nearly whispering. "You found the key to the locket." She knew the stories from her dad. Hell, my locket and it's changing map killed my dad and maimed hers.

"The locket is the key," I whispered back. "To reading a book that contains the mysteries of our world."

Frankie stood up straight and smiled at me. "Nah, your shitting me again," she laughed and took a long drink for her glass. If she only knew.

A half hour later, I decided it was time to get back to the ship. I couldn't really remember which direction the ship was so I stumbled out hoping I would find my bearings once I got out there. Frankie had offered her guest room but her roommate didn't like me much, something about me being a drunken pirate bothered her. I started down the street seeing the first tinges of light on the horizon. I thought I recognized the street I had turned on but then I wasn't sure. Nothing about it looked familiar. In fact, it looked dodgy at best and I missed the guns I had left back in my cabin. I froze in my tracks seeing someone in the corner of my eye. I stopped and looked down an alley between buildings. Newspaper scattered in the light breeze fluttering at the feet of the man standing at the end, a man wearing a bright orange Hawaiian shirt and khaki pants, Sir William. We stood staring at each other for a second before a car alarm started to go off down the street from me. In the brief second I turned my head, he vanished. I kept staring at where he used to be though, waiting for him to pop back so at least that way I knew I wasn't losing my mind.

The problem with not paying attention to the road behind me is that it's the perfect opportunity for someone else to conk me on the back of the head with, oh let's say a pipe. My world went red as pain flooded my brain and spread down my neck and into my bones before everything turned blank.