Chapter 5-

Warning: This story may contain material that is disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.

Skipper and Kowalski,

I had a feeling you wouldn't give in so easily. I decided to get ahead of the game and maybe this little offering will change your mind. I know how fond of those kits you are and certainly you wouldn't want to see anything bad happen to them. Now that you see things our way, I expect you will cooperate. If you don't give me the information I want then I will personally take out these two kits and hang their pelts with the others over the mast of my ship.

Steak Knife

"They're going to kill my kits," Elise cried. "I don't care about the plan anymore. Just tell them what you know."

"We can't," Skipper replied fearfully. "We don't know anything. We haven't seen them since the shipwreck. Steak Knife is demanding information I cannot give."

"You have to know something!" wailed Elise.

"I…I have an idea," Kowalski said and started writing something down. "We can try to rescue the kits ourselves."

"It's dangerous, but doable," Skipper contemplated. "We can head towards Atlantis just like Steak Knife wants and he won't stop us. When we get there, we will break into the Red October and rescue the kits."

"That is very brave of you," meowed Elise. "You really are going to risk your lives to save my kits?"

"That's what we soldiers do," Skipper said loyally and saluted her. "You trained us for this, remember? To get to Atlantis, we will need a boat."

Elise pounced up on the rocks, her tail swishing ambitiously. "Follow me. I think I have a perfect ship for you two."

Elise was taking the two of them to a place on the island they had never been to before. She was obviously taking them to a ship. She exited a clump of bushes and trees and entered the open.

"Meet your new ship," she introduced.

Kowalski and Skipper glanced at the giant black and silver ship parked on a peninsula that they never saw before. The ship was fairly huge, but nowhere near as big as the Well Deserved. The Well Deserved was a huge cruise ship and this was a…fishing boat. It had attachments on it to catch fish.

"This is my ship, the Time Bandit," Elise meowed. "I keep this ship for special occasions and now I am giving it to you. You need to leave this island forever AND save my kits so here it is. Find you team and be the best soldiers our military has ever seen. Good luck to you."

She hugged each one before sending them off. They entered the ship with fascination. They climbed up the ladder and on to the deck. It was pretty small, but they would be less noticeable this way. The Time Bandit was the perfect ship for them. They searched around and found a steering wheel and only a few switches up front. There wasn't a control room with computers and everything else. There was a lever for each propeller and a steering wheel, that was it. There was a huge sail that needed put up and they were ready to go. Skipper tried to figure out how they worked. He yanked the two levers back and the ship vibrated under their weight. It creaked and then pushed itself off into the water. Elise watched them from shore.

"Farewell, brave soldiers!" she called to them. "Bring my kits with you!"

"Thanks for everything, Elise!" Kowalski shouted back.

Skipper reversed the switches and the ship moved forwards. He steered away from Clevelantis and headed West according to the built in compass. Elise got farther away until she was just a little dot along with the island. Finally she was out of sight. She meant more to them than anyone and they hoped they would see her again. They were moving fairly slow towards their destination.

"Kowalski, put that sail up," he commanded. "We're going to need it."

"Yes, Captain."

Kowalski wrestled with the tarp and hauled it up the mast. Those cinder block exercises did some help after all. Clevelantis was completely out of sight now. After Kowalski set up the sail, they moved at a quicker speed.

"What are we going to do when we get there?" Kowalski asked. "The odds are definitely against us. We are forging into enemy territory with a simple minded plan. What if we don't get Elise's kits back? What if they catch us?"

"Don't say that. We will make it."

They had to be extra careful not to venture into shallow waters. The ship didn't have a radar that measured water depth or even lights for that matter. They sailed on for about an hour. Skipper felt sea sick and worried sick at the same time. They had to reach Atlantis soon. They were getting nearer and nearer with every passing minute. He hoped this moment would never come, but they were getting closer. After a life of happiness, they were about to lose it all. He had been a private for five months and never thought he would have to be a captain so soon. He stared at the steering wheel and just thought about the meaning of life.

"Skipper!" Kowalski exclaimed. "I see the mountains! Atlantis is up ahead."

"Uh… Kowalski, wheel…"

Kowalski quickly took control of the ship as Skipper puked again. He wanted to feint and just pretend this wasn't happening. The mountains were in sight. They were dark mountains and it was a wonder why this was called the hidden city. He thought Atlantis was utopia though, not an enemy base of traitors that were against the world. Kowalski turned the ship so they traveled by the side of the mountains. Then they reached their destination. There was a narrow gap between the mountains that allowed entry. The entrance to their deaths. Skipper felt like jelly when he saw smoke rising from the trees that obviously came from a very ancient ship like the Red October.

"Skipper, drop anchor here."

Skipper raced to the back of the ship and pulled on the anchor. It crashed in the water and the ship slowed down dramatically. Skipper had to grab on to the rail for support when the ship scraped the land. The ship came to a complete stop. A dark mountain loomed ahead with a dark forest. It was so uninviting. Hopefully they cam unseen. The Time Bandit was as black as night and it had no lights AND it was small. This mission was simple if they didn't think of all the obstacles up ahead. They had to get into the Red October and escape with the kits without any of the Southern Raiders knowing. Luckily, the ancient ship ran on coal so it left a smoke trail that brightened the sky.

"Let's travel by tree," Kowalski decided. "It will make us less noticeable."

They leaped swiftly into the trees and balanced along. They went through the area and every step got them closer to the smoke. Finally, they could see lights though the trees. Kowalski parted aside the leaves and they watched the still scene ahead of them.

There is was: The dreaded ship of the Southern Raiders. It was arched up on a hill of land with its front end out of the water. They could make out its scarlet color through the dark and it's white stripe near the deck. The whole railing was complete rust along with the sides of the ship. It had dents and rough repairs. That ship had to be as old as time itself. Written in dark paint was Red October. It was almost as big as the Well Deserved, but much more scary looking. That wasn't the worst part. Draped over the edge of the bow was a collection of animals pelts. Their eyes glittered like they were still alive and they hung over the railing and draped down over the boat. Animal pelts of all kind were hanging there, Pole Cats, dogs, birds, and worst of all, penguins. All of them were once helpless victims of Steak Knife. They could very much be up there too, warning others for all eternity to stay away from the Southern Raiders. They couldn't think about that though.

"I see the way inside," Skipper whispered to Kowalski and pointed to a rope ladder near the anchor. "Once we climb up the ladder we can hide behind the anchor rope crank. Then we need to get inside the ship somehow."

Skipper was about to spring out of the tree when Kowalski held him back with the voice of reason. "That is your plan? That is your genius plan? We have no idea what is even inside the ship. For all we know there could be a whole party of Southern Raiders in there."

"You have a better plan? We don't know what we're up against until we get there."

They climbed down and walked up to that huge haunted ship. They were almost there when Skipper stepped on something cold and hard. He jumped quickly just in case it was a dead body. He saw the silver of a knife glitter in the starlight. He picked it up and stared at. It must belong to a Southern Raider. It was so old that it was rusted over. Rust or dried blood…There was no telling how many poor creatures that blade killed. Kowalski looked back and examined it.

"We better take it with us," Skipper decided. "We might need it if anything gets too ugly."

"But…I have never killed anyone before," Kowalski whimpered helplessly. "Let's just leave it. Please leave it."

"I don't know where you have been, soldier, but this is the military. Trust me, I will do anything to protect myself and do the right thing."

Kowalski seemed very scared to see his best friend holding such a terrible thing, possessing it like it was part of him. Skipper knew Kowalski was weak, but not like this. Where was he all this time? He imagined himself defending himself against a Southern Raider, Steak Knife even. He could imagine passing this blade though the body of another living and could see the scarlet blood everywhere…He liked it. This was what he was trained for and he would gladly protect his friends that way.

Skipper led the way up the ladder. It wasn't very sturdy. He paused silently and listened for the Southern Raiders, but heard nothing. He signaled Kowalski to follow. They got high enough until they were surrounded by the animals pelts that hung from the railing. Kowalski looked like he was about to be sick while Skipper thought about this as an advantage. They could use the pelts for cover when they climbed off the ladder. They were hidden behind the pelt of some strange black creature. Its fangs were still bared into a snarl and it must of died fighting. Skipper clutched his knife tightly and peeked outside. The deck was about as sorry as the rest of the ship. There was no one in sight. Where were all the Southern Raiders? Perhaps they were inside the ship torturing the kits because Skipper and Kowalski never showed up.

Skipper tobogganed on to the deck and dived behind the anchor rope crank. He signaled Kowalski silently to follow. Kowalski did what he did and then they pressed themselves to the smoke stack which was burning hot with smoke and coal. They moved along carefully until they were traveling along side the entrance. The door was part way open. It was open, but it looked creaky. It was so old that is had a dial on it that you had to turn to open. They waited where they were. A light shown from inside.

"Wait here," Skipper whispered to Kowalski.

He jumped and started climbing the wall. He climbed on top of the door and then hesitantly peeked in upside down. There was no one there. Skipper signaled Kowalski to follow again and then jumped inside. A land based mission would be much too risky. The ceiling had ancient light bulbs on strings for light. He clutched on to the ropes and used them like monkey bars to get across. Kowalski was right behind him. The hallway split up into two directions. At the end of the hallway was a wall of taxidermy heads. Skipper was so glad that the Well Deserved didn't look like this. There were pelts and animals remains all over the place! They froze when they heard a sound. It sounded like someone was talking. Then he heard the familiar yowl of a Pole Cat.

Chase! Skipper thought with horror. They're torturing Chase!

Safety didn't matter much anymore. They turned left and pressed themselves to the thin walls by the door. There was only one penguin in the room. He expected this ship to be crawling with Southern Raiders, but there was only one. They silently slipped into the room. Two little Pole Cat kits cowered in the corner. The penguin watched them with a relaxed expression and supported himself on an ancient counter with one wing. He was even more scarred that TJ. His ratty black and white feathers were missing in lots of places where dozens of scars were. He was a penguin from lots of fights that was for sure. Skipper was just relieved to see the kits were alive.

"Perhaps you didn't have enough time to…think over my offer, yes?" the penguin asked smoothly and with absolutely no aggression. "The two didn't tell you anything worth telling me?"

"No," Chase squeaked.

"How very nice."

Skipper and Kowalski recognized this penguin immediately. This had to be Steak Knife. They could tell because he talked with the same laid-back personality as the letters. He had this relaxed mood that just made the fear of his victims feed on itself. Anneleise was crying while Chase was just watching with fear.

An old clock hanging on the wall bonged exactly twelve times. Steak Knife looked at the clock and then slowly back to the kits. They clearly knew something about midnight that Skipper and Kowalski didn't.

"Well, would you look at that? Twelve o' clock," Steak Knife purred. "Such a beautiful time of night, yes? Well, I have waited long enough. You said Skipper and Kowalski would be here to save you two. Well, they're not here, are they now?"

I am here! We're going to save you.

"They don't have a ship," whined Chase. "They couldn't of got here anyway."

"No matter. A threat is a threat. Well, I have no other plans tonight because my team is out looking for your friends. I am a penguin of my word and it is only fair to dispose of you little rats right now."

Out of nowhere, there was a whistle and Steak Knife pulled out a broad sword. He twirled it around and then it turned into two of them. They were so sharp that they could impale the life out of whatever it desired. The kits screamed and huddled as far as they could against the wall. Steak Knife did a few tricks with them and then hovered it over them over each cat so the icy cold blade touched each one. There was nothing Steak Knife loved more than to torture animals before killing them. He would get what he wanted in more ways than one.

Skipper on the other hand was watching the whole thing from up above. He was not going to let Steak Knife do this. Gripping his handy knife, he aimed it down at Steak Knife. Kowalski grabbed his shoulder with a look of horror and he shook his head no. Skipper glared at Kowalski menacingly and wanted to slap him more than anything. He waited until Steak Knife was just about to slash Chase's throat before throwing it. He shrieked with surprise when the knife passed right through Steak Knife's left wing and then landed like a dart right into the wall. Skipper jumped down as fast as he could and before Steak Knife could pull it out, he thrust it into the wall as hard as he could and stole the broad swords. They were so sharp that he could obliviate Steak Knife in a matter of seconds. He didn't dare look away from this victim. Steak Knife was capable of doing anything.

"Follow me, kits," Kowalski ordered. Kowalski tobogganed to the doorway and then stopped when he forgot Skipper.

"Hurry, Skipper," he begged. "You've done enough."

"No." Skipper didn't once look away from Steak Knife's icy green eyes. "I'm not finished here."

Kowalski was smart enough to know that Skipper would not leave. He was too vengeful to leave now.

"I know I can't stop you…" he said shakily.

Skipper nodded.

"But I want you to remember something. Think about your actions before you let ambition be your first regret."