Hey, how are y'all?

Sorry it took so long, but if it's any consolation, this chapter was a labor of love!

Thanks heaps for the site reviews so far! I checked my stat page last week and found that the fic has had over 500 hits since it began, more than any of my other fic's Wow, I'm kinda excited about that.

Please continue to review, as I love to read them. Thanks also to those reviewing on the Yahoo CPC: Chesney, Diana and Ruthie.

I found it quite funny that Ruthie will be on the same cruise company/route as Linka found herself last chapter. In answer to her question posted on the CPC several weeks ago:

If I saw Looten Plunder on the ship, what would I do? Hmmm...riducule that dodgy eighties ponytail, and ask if he and Dr Blight are 'mixing business with pleasure.' Ew.

I don't own Captain Planet- but you already knew that.

This chapter is rated for a little bit of bad language. Nothing serious.

Alternate Destination

Chapter Six

The disgruntled passengers of the hijacked Pacific Sky experienced a break in the monotony of sea life on the fifth day of their 'revised' itinerary. Usually a horn sounded to alert people when breakfast was being served. The morning before, Aloha Deck had been startled by loud gunfire at sunrise, courtesy of Plunder's trigger-happy but bored henchmen.

Linka blearily opened her eyes on this particular morning when the cabin loud-speaker crackled to life, followed by the sound of a woman loudly clearing her voice. The Planeteer blinked several times and sat up against the pillows. Shuffling noises and cursing indicated that her new room-mates were also awake and unhappy about the sudden interruption.

Linka stared blindly in the direction of the speaker above the door in disbelief as Dr 'Bab's' Blight broke into song at the ungodly hour of 5:20am.

"Just call me angel, of a morning, angel,

Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby,"

Blight's warbling tones continued serenading the unlucky inhabitants of Deck Seven for several minutes. Matt groaned and sandwiched his head between the mattress and his pillow, as his wife Amy launched into a furious tirade at the devious eco-villain and her horrendous melodies.

"Who the hell does she think she is? Someone oughta' throw her of the side of the boat, that egotistical, psychotic cow! How dare she think..."

Rubbing her eyes, Linka lay back down on the bed and tried to tune out both Blight and Amy. No daylight was issuing through the two port-holes in their small cabin yet, so the room was pitch black and decidedly eerie. A nearby bedside lamp blinked several times, before flooding the room in bright light as Mary jumped out of bed and lurched into the bathroom. Over two weeks at sea had led to chronic motion sickness for many of the hostages, Mary included. Linka buried her face in her hands as the sounds of her friend dry-retching were now matched by Blight's rendition of Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory". A second voice joined in, one that Linka immediately recognized as Duke Nukem.

Where has Nukem been hiding? Bozhe moi, this is ridiculous!

Linka closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the absurdity of her situation.

Stuck in the future on a luxury cruise liner with nearly every eco-villain the she had ever encountered, not to mention being forced to listen to them sing woefully out-of-tune karaoke.

Wheeler would find this hilarious...

The thought brought a smile to her face. She missed them so much. The tears began to well up again as she silently chided herself for being so weak. Many years of self-reliance and independence in her native Russia had hardened her. She tried to be rational and in control at all times: she simply couldn't afford to be vulnerable- her beloved Nonna had taught her that. Unfortunately, Linka had realized too late that she had also sacrificed her ability to trust those around her.

Thankfully, the amateur performance didn't continue for too much longer. Midway through the second verse, Blight appeared to be fighting for control of the microphone. Linka heard static over the loudspeaker, followed by a loud 'whack'. A calm silence descended over the cabin as Mary returned to her bed, looking pale and clammy.

"Are you alright?" Linka inquired, concerned about the girl's health. Mary nodded in reply and bundled underneath the covers again. The light stayed on however, as Linka toyed with the thought of confessing her true identity to her new cabin-mates.

Linka, Mary, Matt and Amy had struck up an immediate friendship. This had influenced their mutual decision to lodge together until the ship docked in Manila in 36 hours time. The Russian was thankful for the company: in truth, she was so anxious about the other Planeteers that she appreciated their comforting presence.

Amy seemed to have given up on the idea of getting back to sleep. Instead, she eyed her Russian room mate in the dull glow of the lamplight, her expression a combination of curiosity and familiarity. Linka could tell that the girl had been on the verge of discovering the truth several days ago. Linka's visit to the beauty salon had been fortunately timed, as the hairdresser had colored Linka's hair a light brown and had cut about 5 inches off the length. This had staved off any chance of recognition from afar, but Amy still appeared to have her doubts.

The ship continued to lurch over the rough tide for the next ten minutes, before Mary stood and staggered unsteadily to the door, clutching her stomach.

"I'm going for a walk," she whimpered, closing the door softly behind her.

Matt's snoring continued to emanate from the bed above Linka. Daylight slowly began filtering in through the port holes as Amy stood and crossed the room abruptly, sitting on the end of Linka's bed. The girl propped herself up against the wall and turned to face the Russian, who instinctively knew what was coming.

"Where did you say you were from again, Maria?"

"St Petersburg. Why is that?"

"I...I just don't remember seeing you around the ship prior to...well, you know."

"You are...how do you say...'not knowing' of me?"

"No, not suspicious or anything...Oh, damn it! You bear a very striking resemblance to Linka Ivanova. You know, the Planeteer, but that's impossible, cuz' she's dead, so why would she be here on a cruise ship in the middle of nowhere four years later?"

"Da, that is a good..."

"No seriously, I'm so sorry I even brought it up." Amy shook her head violently. "I mean, c'mon! If you were her, you would have blasted those idiots upstairs right off the ship when they first boarded."

Linka returned her frustrated stare in silence for several moments before glancing down at her own noticeably bare ring finger. Her mind was frantically working overtime. Would Amy believe her story? Would any of them? Even if they did, how would this new-found knowledge assist her in finding the rest of the Planeteers?

"Seriously, I'm sorry, Maria. You must think I'm totally nuts..."

"Do not worry about it. Trust me, I have heard much worse."

"Yeah, well those bozo's upstairs are certifiably insane. I watched that really obese jerk knock some poor skinny guy flying yesterday."

"Rigger."

"Huh?"

"Rigger.I believe his name is Rigger. Hoggish Greedly threw him over the bar to get to the buffet first. Rigger works for Looten Plunder."

"Geez, aren't you a fountain of information!"

Linka's reply was laced with quiet sarcasm. "Da, well I have nothing better to do with my time than read the weekly tabloids. It is amazing what you can learn..."

"Wow, anything else you'd like to share with me?"

"What do you want to know?"

Amy squinted, getting accustomed to the light pouring in through the port hole now. The girl drummed her fingers lightly on the bedspread as Matt changed position in the bed above their heads, resuming his steady breathing.

"I don't know. I don't suppose you read about any new Planeteer people who are ready and able to come and rescue us?"

"Nyet. No, unfortunately."

"Oh well, the originals can't really be replaced, can they..." Linka smiled at the irony of this particular statement.

"Nyet."

"Hmmm, I cried when I heard about Linka. I was only about 17 at the time, I think. Up until that point I'd been insanely jealous of her. She was going out with Wheeler, ya know."

"Nyet, I don't think that they..."

"My friend said that she knew someone who saw them together a few times in New York. All over each other, apparently. It was always in the magazines. God, I had a crush on him. Lucky girl..."

Linka's control was rapidly wearing thin. "Your friend was obviously mistaken, I...she never would..."

"Hey, that's just what I heard. No wonder he took off after she died, they must have been..."

"I never went out with him. Bozhe moy!" she exclaimed, turning her face away from Amy's startled expression in embarrassment.

Linka had by now turned beetroot red and was becoming unusually flustered. She had spent the last year constantly denying it to the other Planeteers. Kwame, in particular had a fondness for teasing her about their supposed relationship, even going so far as to stick 'factual' articles to the fridge to get a reaction. Wheeler would just laugh it off, but Linka hated being confronted with the sensational headlines every time she fetched something to eat from the kitchen.

It was several minutes before Linka was able to compose herself. The first thing Linka noticed was Amy's shocked expression: wide eyes and a hand clapped over her mouth in utter bewilderment and surprise.

Realization flooded her senses as she processed what had just happened.

She had just blown her cover.

Dismayed, Linka buried her head in her hands and drew her knees up to her chest, feeling the full weight of Amy's stare. The Russian woman felt sick with worry: she had now lost control of the situation. Would these people inadvertently give up her identity to Plunder and co?

Linka was furious with herself, mortified beyond belief at her mistake. She felt the mattress give way as her room mate shuffled up the bed towards her. Small hands prised her own away from her face as Amy exhaled shakily and knelt in front of her.

"Oh God, it really is you? Why are you...how did..." Amy seemed lost for words, unable to construct a meaningful sentence from the flurry of questions currently circulating around her head.

Linka opened her mouth in reply, but was interrupted by the door opening and closing loudly. Mary stumbled inside and eyed the girls suspiciously, before falling heavily onto her unmade bed.

"Hey, I ran into the boys down the corridor. They were ready to storm the bridge with knives and forks if they had to. Um, what's going on?" Sensing that she had walked in on a tense moment, Amy beckoned her over and threw a pillow at her sleeping husband.

As the four settled into a comfortable position, Amy glanced at Linka, eyebrows raised.

"I do not even know where to begin."

Amy smiled at her encouragingly. "From the beginning, I guess."

The four youngsters spent the next two hours holed up inside their cabin, with the door closed and locked. The breakfast signal was eventually sounded, but no-one seemed remotely interested in eating. Their full attention was now focused on Linka and her experiences prior to arriving on the ship. No-one interrupted, and Linka felt a overwhelming sense of relief as she unburdened her story to a captive audience.

At last, she took a deep breath and sat back, watching the stunned reactions of those around her. As the implications of her story settled in, she was bombarded with questions from all directions. Linka did her best to answer them, but felt frustrated that her knowledge at times was as limited as their own.

An uncomfortable silence soon pervaded as the conversation was exhausted. Linka's voice was starting to crack from the strain, and Matt was experiencing difficulties sitting still. The cabin seemed to be acquiring a claustrophobic feel. Finally, Matt jumped to his feet and stretched for a minute, before looking down at the girls on the floor.

"C'mon, lets get the hell out of here. We're gonna' miss lunch if we stay here any longer. We can talk about this later."

The girls agreed. Linka beckoned for the others to go on ahead of her as she gathered up her things and gave the room a quick tidy-up. Some things never change, she thought with a smile. Gi had always called her a 'neat freak'. A place for everything and everything in it's place, her Nonna used to tell her. Nonna was gone, now. So was her dear brother. Mishka had developed the same cancer that had afflicted their father after both had worked tirelessly in the mines for several years. The Planeteers were her family now, and they were fiercely protective over her (especially Wheeler).

As the lunch horn sounded, Linka peered out of the porthole and studied the vast stretch of ocean. She wondered (not for the first time that week) where her closest friends were, and what they were doing now. Linka felt restless and impatient- she was desperate to leave the boat and find the others before Zarm and his 'crew' did.

She closed the latch on the circular window and headed towards the Outback Grill Buffet, complete with mouldy bread and over-ripened fruit.

Annoyed at the lack of food and water available, Linka's resolve strengthened. She was more determined than ever to wreck havoc with Zarm's meticulously-laid plans.

"So, how many have we got on board?" Matt asked in a low voice, absent-mindedly picking at the three-day old bread on his lunch plate. His attention (like the others) remained focused intently on Linka.

" Zarm, Dr Blight, Greedly, and Rigger boarded with me. Plunder, Argos Bleak and Duke Nukem are all on board as well. Sly Sludge is eating breakfast over there. That is eight, by my count." Linka frowned, a little perturbed by this calculation.

" I think we can make that nine... I'm sure I passed that guy who has the face of a rodent this morning... what's his name... 'venomous' something." Mary shuddered at the recollection. "The rat man?"

Linka immediately recognized the description: it was one she would rather forget.

"Verminous Scumm?"

"Yeah, that's him."

Linka sighed heavily. "I know that they are up to no good. Zarm brought something onto the ship when we boarded. I must find out what it is!"

"This is a massive ship! It could be hidden anywhere on the..." Amy's voice trailed off as Barbara and Jim waved and approached their table. The others glanced questioningly at Linka, but she shook her head warningly. They nodded and ate their stale bread and muffins with limited enthusiasm as the couple found seats at the same table.

Linka smiled in greeting and sat back in her chair, not really listening to the hushed gossip and conversation now surrounding her. Instead, she observed the deck and it's wary and disgruntled inhabitants. Her glance settled on Sly Sludge as he stood and stretched leisurely, grinning wickedly like a hyena. He was soon joined by Hoggish Greedly (a regular fixture at buffet time). They stood and glared at everyone on the deck with contempt, occasionally muttering to each other.

Linka stood suddenly and excused herself, before moving towards the drink bar that the pair were leaning against. She weaved her way around the tables, acknowledging familiar faces with a shy smile (including the English back-packers; one of whom was showering her with enough attention to make her distinctly uncomfortable in his presence).

Linka avoided Mark's invitation to sit down as gracefully as possible, and continued to the bar. Her heart quickened as she requested a cappuccino in her best American accent, uncomfortably aware that two of her sworn enemies were standing a mere few inches from her. Linka kept her head bowed low while the stressed-out barman began frothing the milk. Sludge and Greedly continued their hushed conversation, blissfully unaware that an apparently deceased Planet-Pest was waiting quietly for her caffeine fix.

"...ahead of schedule?"

Greedly grunted in response, nodding. "Yep, we dock in Manila in three hours."

"Why are we really leaving the red-neck behind?"

Greedly cackled wildly at the notion. "Cuz' I broke his ribs! Ha! He's bleedin' internally or something. Won't make it through next week, they say. Been nothin' but a massive pain in the ass these few years, anyway..." The obese blob wheezed and wiped his eyes, obviously finding the 'red-neck's' predicament wildly entertaining.

Linka's green eyes widened at this revelation. Could they be talking about Rigger? she wondered, taking rare pity on the pathetic situation of the much-abused man.

Sludge didn't appear to react at all to the news. Instead, he changed the subject. "What's our old buddy Zarm got planned next?"

Greedly glanced at Linka suspiciously- he obviously didn't want any passengers knowing their next move. He tilted his head in the direction of the bridge, and motioned for Sludge to follow. The would-be oil tycoon eyed Linka up and down for a moment, before placing an almost fatherly hand on her shoulder.

"Enjoy your coffee, sweetheart."

With that, he turned and sauntered off after Greedly, leaving Linka standing in shock and revulsion at this latest close encounter with an eco-villain.

"He would not be saying that if he knew who I was," Linka fumed as she headed back towards her table. At least I was not recognized, she reasoned as she sat back down into her seat, ignoring the curious looks from the others.

The Planeteer sat for a moment, eyes closed and forehead creased in concentration. She pushed her thick, chocolate-colored strands behind her ears and contemplated her next move.

"How are you feeling, Mary?"

"Uh, okay, I guess. Why?"

"It is likely we will have more rough sea's tonight, da?"

"Um, probably..."

"Do you fancy a trip to the doctor?"

While the others went to their rooms to pack, Linka and Mary made their way down several decks to the infirmary. The girls checked in at the office/dispensary and sat in the waiting area, talking in hushed voices. Ten minutes later, a female doctor arrived and ushered them into a small cubicle. Mary described her motion sickness in detail, and had her blood pressure tested. The doctor gave her a prescription, with the warning that only half a tablet was necessary. As they stood to leave, Linka seized the opportunity.

"Um, one of the guards told me to come down and find a patient...the one with the broken ribs."

"Why?" The doctor looked suspicious, but Linka pressed on regardless.

"He... apparently, he knows where the key is to one of...one of their...um..." Linka was running out of ideas, but luckily Mary was able to finish.

"A briefcase, Looten Plunder is tearing the bridge apart trying to find..."

The doctor waved them off dismissively. She didn't seem to want to know. She motioned in the direction of a closed door to their right. "I really don't think you'll get much out of him. He's not in good shape."

The girls thanked her and waited until she called the next patient. "Is it alright if you do the talking? He will probably recognize my voice." Mary nodded in reply.

"Spasiba."

"No worries, mate. I just hope he's still awake."

Unfortunately for the girls, Rigger appeared to be unconscious when they entered the cubicle. Linka gasped in shock when her eyes passed over the dark bruises covering his face and torso. Rigger was her enemy; however she couldn't help but pity the wasted figure who was about to be left behind for the authorities. Hoggish Greedly had never treated his sidekick particularly well, but even someone like Rigger didn't deserve this.

So much for my great plan, Linka thought in frustration. She had hoped to glean as much information out of Greedly's assistant as possible, but those hopes were now fading fast. Linka pounded her fist against the wall in defeat as Mary glanced briefly in Linka's direction.

"Doesn't look like there'll be any interrogation today."

"Nyet, it looks like I will be finding my friends on my own. We should go back, Mary."

"Okay. I'll meet you in the waiting room. I need to fill that prescription."

Linka nodded half-heartedly as Mary made her exit, disappointment rising to the surface of her consciousness in crashing waves. She sighed heavily and turned, the door handle in her grasp.

"Leaving so soon, Ruskie?"

Startled, Linka slammed the door shut again and spun around on her heels, her face registering surprise and shock. Rigger was awake and watching her suspiciously through one good eye- the other was swollen shut. Linka opened her mouth to speak but promptly closed it again, not sure what to say. She simply hadn't counted on being recognized.

"I thought it was you. Cept' you had green hair when I last saw you. Now it's brown. You're wondering how I knew?" His usually whiny voice had diminished somewhat, and he was barely audible.

Linka remained silent, watching him intently. She nodded, and he continued.

"You were in that vehicle back on your island. I saw you for a second hiding under the control panel after the boss and I fell through the roof."

"Why did you not tell any of them?" she asked hesitantly. Linka was sure that Zarm and his cohorts remained blissfully unaware of her presence. Otherwise, there would have been a full scale search of the ship soon after they had boarded. Rigger had obviously kept this information to himself.

Rigger shrugged, wincing in pain as he attempted to push himself into a sitting position. "Ah, the boss has done me some damage, that's for sure." He chuckled, before convulsing into a coughing fit. "Yep, you sure were a surprise, in your little yella' tin-can. Hadn't been expecting to see you crouching down there. Bet you were a little confused, too. With being dead and buried, I mean."

Linka nodded, not really knowing what to say. Rigger reached for his ever-present baseball cap from the table beside him and held it, touching the rim thoughtfully.

"Ya know, I didn't really wanna' be here. Doing this last job, I mean. Ya know what Zarm told me? I got myself a girl in this time! A nice girl and a nice house and I work in a factory..." Rigger's eyes glazed over as he imagined this domestic life, one that his future, present self was currently enjoying. "How great is that? Zarm and The Boss just laughed, nothin' unusual there. I have a life here. I amounted to something, in the end. I didn't need them after all. All they've ever done is hit me, punch me, attack me, blame me, yell at me, scream at me, kick me...I've been coughing up blood since that fat bastard fell on me back on that island. I can't breathe properly: I think I'm dyin'. They don't care. I'm nothing to them. Never have been."

"They are going to leave you behind, Rigger." Linka waited for this revelation to sink in. Rigger closed his good eye for several moments, clenching his fists as Linka pressed on. "They will leave you to die alone here. What are they up to?"

Rigger returned her stare, looking utterly defeated. "I was gonna be someone," he whispered, pitifully. His resolve seemed to strengthen. "They're gonna blow the water-tight doors, lock everybody inside while they escape. That was the plan, anyway. Leave you all to rot. Looks like I'm part of that plan now too, doesn't it." Rigger became racked with more desperate coughing as he struggled to clear the blood seeping slowly into his lungs.

Linka started to speak, but Rigger held up his hand. "Bout' an hour before docking, they'll announce a movie in the theater. After you're all in, Nukem's probably gonna seal the doors. You'll all be trapped on the bottom level. After they leave the ship, they're gonna find your friend with the water ring and make her contact the others. She's here in Manilla. Plunder didn't make the time jump with us cuz' it was his job to keep tabs on your friends.. When the other three Planeteers arrive, they'll take the rings and Zarm will banish Captain Planet for good. Dr Blight has the technology in this time to reprogram the rings to whatever Zarm has planned. I don't know what it is, but it's alive, in a black trunk in the engine room, and Nukem's guarding it."

"So you are saying that they are replacing Captain Planet with another being...like Captain Pollution, for example..."

"Captain Pollution was man-made, sweetheart. This thing that Zarm's got locked up is certainly not from around here."

"An alien? Supernatural?"

"Dunno'. But they're all frightened of it. They're steering clear of the engine room, that's for sure."

Linka contemplated this torrent of information as Rigger rested for a moment, exhausted from the effort of talking.

"Even with this information, I have no way of finding the others. Gi is probably married by now. A different surname, how can I possibly..."

Rigger interrupted, coughing again as red blood dribbled down his chin. His situation was dire, and he knew that needed medical attention immediately. Greedly and the others would kill him if they were aware that their plans were being divulged (to a Planeteer, of all people), but he was as good as dead if he remained here.

"I'll offer you a deal. You get me off this ship and to a hospital, and I'll help you find out where the water-baby lives."

Linka regarded this information for a moment. Time was in short supply, however Linka didn't know if she could trust him. Even in his current state, Rigger could tell that Linka had serious doubts about his authenticity.

"Look, you can find out right now. Plunder has a little black book which contains the names and addresses of most of your friends. I'll give you the location- you get me the hell out of here. You have nothing to lose. You'll never hear from me again."

Rigger's strength was fading rapidly: he offered her his hand, outstretched and shaking. Linka moved forward and shook it gently as the former eco-villain sunk back into the pillows, relieved beyond words.

"You'd better be quick, we'll be in port soon. Plunder is staying in the Captain's quarters on deck two. I saw him put the book between the mini-bar fridge and the T.V. Cabinet when we first boarded the ship.

"Spasiba. I will go now. I will come back soon."

Linka sprinted for the door, grabbing Mary who was waiting in an adjacent chair with an impatient expression on her face.

"Hey, what's going..."

"Hurry, we do not have much time. Where are the others?"

"Probably back in their room I suppose?" Mary was experiencing difficulties keeping up with Linka, who was sprinting up the stairs like a marathon runner. As they rounded the corner of Aloha Deck, their room came into view. Breathing heavily now, Mary followed her Russian friend down the hall and into the tiny cabin they shared. Matt and Amy were watching a movie when the pair burst inside, startling the couple.

"Hey, where the hell have..."

Linka shook her head, a look of urgency apparent on her pretty face.

The tense moment was interrupted by yet another announcement on the loudspeaker, this time Sly Slude.

"Ladies and gentleman. In return for your cooperation and patience, there will be a movie shown at the theater in fifteen minutes time. This will be compulsory viewing, disembarkation procedures will be shown afterwards. All quarters will be checked, so make sure you are all on time."

The other three stared at each other in horror as Linka briefly informed them about Zarm's intentions.

"We have to warn everybody!"

"Nyet! We cannot, or else they will know that something is wrong. You three must hide while they seal the doors. Try to help the people inside when Plunder's men are gone. I also need you to get Rigger off the ship and to a hospital. I promised him that I would try to help."

"What are you going to do?"

"I need to get off this boat."

Happy Easter, guys! I'm on holidays now, so next chappie will follow much sooner!

Please Read and Review.