Chapter 10

The Tortuga Rides Again

"Ok, Aviva!" Koki called across the room from the entrance. "I got the last of the replacement solar panels installed."

The burnt-out pizza mess had been cleaned up, but there was still a bug in the works. Some connection wasn't linking up properly or some infinitesimal set of wires was crossed deep inside the ship's intricate circuitry. The crew had nearly gutted the entire place looking for it and still hadn't found anything.

Aviva looked up from the mess of wires spilling out onto the floor from a gaping hole in one of the walls. "That's great, Koki," she sighed unenthusiastically. "Let's try the main power again."

They both knew it probably wouldn't work, just like the sixty-something times they'd tried before, but what could one more go hurt? Koki positioned herself at the electrical panel in the wall as Aviva resumed her usual spot by the giant computer consol.

"Alright," Koki sighed. "Here goes nothing." She started throwing switches and pushing buttons.

"Power restart commencing in ten…nine…eight…" Aviva prepared to fire up the Tortuga even though she still harbored major doubts this would actually work.

Just then, Jimmy came into the room, fresh off a snack break and feeling ready for anything—that is until he tripped over the wires stretched out across the floor.

"Whoa! How'd all this get out here?" He sat up to take a look. Sifting through the wires to untangle himself, he happened across a couple large cables with plugs on the end that didn't seem to be connected to anything else. He picked them up. "Well, this can't be good. Uh, girls?"

"…five…four…three…" Aviva continued, not paying attention to anything behind her. Koki was also absorbed with priming the charge.

"Wait!" Jimmy stood up, still holding on to the cables, "I don't think these things should…uh-oh."

"…two…one…GO!"

Before he could drop the cables, Koki threw the last switch and pulled down a red lever. A sizzling, electric buzz could be heard as a surge of power pulsed through the ship—and right through Jimmy.

"AAAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEAAAA!" he shrieked.

Aviva and Koki whipped around to see Jimmy enveloped in what looked like a massive bolt of blinding blue lightning. The lights, computers, and other equipment hummed at the same time signaling that the ship had come back to life. But that didn't exactly matter at the moment.

"Shut it off!" Aviva screamed frantically. "Shut it off NOW!"

Koki spun back to the panel, yanking the red lever up to its former position. The hum died down, causing the room to fade into the familiar darkness.

"Jimmy!" Koki cried as she and Aviva rushed to his side.

"Are you ok?!" Aviva waved a hand in front of his wide eyes. "C'mon, JZ, say something!"

The pilot continued to stare straight ahead for a moment, jaws clenched together in a surprised, electrified grimace, red hair sticking straight out in every direction, reminiscent of Koki's Afro. Tiny puffs of smoke curled up from this new hairdo and his hat was nowhere to be seen. He opened his mouth and coughed once or twice.

"I…I th-think I f-f-found the b-bug."

The girls exchanged relieved glances, then each threw their arms around him.

"Jimmy, you did it!" Aviva exclaimed, taking the cables out of his hands. "You found the problem!"

"You're w-welcome."

"How did we miss this?!" Koki asked, eyeing the cables as Aviva hooked them together. "These things are huge!"

"They must've been buried under all this wiring the whole time. We just didn't think to look for a problem this big!"

"Alright, Jimster!" Koki slapped him on the back. "We'll start the sequence again. Think you can fly after all that?"

Jimmy nodded, eyes still as wide as tennis balls. "Yeah, yeah. That was a bigger jolt than I've ever gotten from one of those energy drinks." He turned his huge eyes to the cables—which were being stuffed back into the wall by Aviva—and grinned. "I could fly for five days straight like this!"

"That's great Jimmy," said Aviva. "You're going to need a lot of energy to get there and save Chris and Martin before they get into any more trouble. Just don't make it a habit." She closed the hole in the wall with a snap.

"Yeah," Koki agreed. "I'd stick to those energy drinks if I were you. All things considered, I think caffeine is a little less hazardous than thousands of volts of electricity. Nice hair, by the way." Smiling, she ruffled the poofy orange frizz on top of Jimmy's head. "I approve."

Jimmy turned, rushing for the cockpit. "Ladies, fasten your seatbelts and get ready for the fastest flight from Africa to North America you've ever experienced! This trip's gonna blow your minds!"

"Eesh," said Koki, smacking her forehead.

"I think someone's mind is a little blown already," Aviva agreed.