Back in Lorenzo the next morning, Bryan had already assembled a gang for Viper. They stood in an abandoned parking lot, anxiously waiting to get their trip underway.

"You're all in the gang as long as you've got something to drive and the ability to do so. Is anyone here lacking one of those two things?" Viper asked. A thirteen-year-old boy raised his hand. "Yes, the little dude with the tattoo of the spider web covering half his face."

"Matt," the boy said.

"Well, 'Matt' then. What's your question?"

"I don't have anything to drive."

"Then, pal, you are SOL unless you can come up with something in the next five minutes."

"Be right back." Matt took off running.

Viper looked to Bryan for an explanation. "Just wait for it," Bryan assured him.

Viper shook his head in an "I'm surrounded by freaks" kind of way, then proceeded to tell his new gang about his mission. "We're going after Jacob's girl, who was kidnaped by the Black Widow. Most likely, they'll be heading to La Flor de Mal, so we'll check there first. Any loot we happen across, or happen to steal, will be divided equally between everyone. Fair?" He noticed that during his speech, many people had left, leaving only ten. He turned to Bryan. "They're not coming back, are they?"

"Well, you have earned yourself a reputation," Bryan replied.

"Okay, so we rescue this chick from Blake," said a female voice with a slight Jamaican accent that Viper recognized. "We don't know for sure that there's money involved! What's in it for us?"

Viper turned around. There stood a girl with chocolate skin, eyes that matched, and long black hair. "Jenni," Viper said, approaching her. She slapped him across the face.

"I suppose you didn't deserve that one either?" Jacob asked.

"No, that's one that I deserve," said Viper.

"You stole my bike!" Jenni accused.

"Actually –" Viper started, but was cut off when Jenni slapped him again. He rubbed his face and said, "Borrowed! Borrowed without permission. But I had every intention of bringing it back."

"You didn't!"

"This is true. But . . . " Viper thought a moment, then said brightly, "You'll get another one!"

"A better one," Jacob added.

"Yeah! A better one," Viper agreed.

"That one," Jacob said, pointing to the motorcycle Viper had stolen from Max.

"What one?" Viper asked quickly, turning around. Jacob motioned to the motorcycle. "That one?!" Viper whispered loudly. Jacob nodded. Viper thought out his circumstances, then confirmed, "Right! That one. How 'bout it?"

Jenni looked at the motorcycle, then at Viper, and said, "I'm in."

"And the rest of you?" Viper asked. They all agreed with an "I'm in." Suddenly, there was the sound of squealing tires, and Matt came speeding back into the parking lot in a black '69 Mustang.

When he arrived back with the group, Matt leaned out the window and said to Viper, "We should get on the road as soon as possible. For one thing, there's a storm coming. . . . For another, the guy I stole this car from is not happy . . . "

"A'right! Let's ride!" Viper called. The gang got ready to leave.

"Um, Viper?" Bryan said quietly, "About Jenni. It's sorta . . . bad luck to have girls in gangs."

"Well, it'll be worse luck for me if I leave her out," Viper told him. He glanced up at the dark clouds on the horizon. "C'mon. We better hurry." He opened his compass and studied it as he started his motorcycle.

Viper was leading his gang through a terrible storm. The rain almost blinded him. But he kept the course his compass provided him with, and drove on.

Behind him, Jacob pulled up alongside Bryan and shouted, "How can we get to an island that nobody can find with a compass that doesn't work?!"

"You're right!" Bryan called back. "The compass doesn't point north! But we're not trying to find north, are we?" Bryan grinned and looked up to the sky. Then he sped up and caught up to Viper. "There's a funnel cloud forming, Viper! We'd better pull over somewhere!"

Viper glanced up at the sky. "We can outrun it!" He called back.

"What are you thinking that has you in such a good mood?"

Viper looked at his compass and a devilish smile spread across his face. "We're catching up."