Hi folks, how are ya?
700 hits! WOO HOO! (Where are the bloody reviews though, people?)
I'll be throwing chapters at you more frequently for the next few weeks (don't ya love school holidays!) Hope you're all enjoying reading the fic as much as I am writing it.
Nina542: Thanks so much for reviewing every chapter...you are very diligent! I appreciate the constructive criticism, and am very chuffed that you take the time to review :-)
Rated for a little more bad language. Sorry, I can't help myself.
I don't own Captain Planet.
Alternate Destination
Chapter Seven
Seemingly under duress, the long-absent captain was the final person to use the loudspeaker system on board the Pacific Sky. The announcement came at 6pm as the coastline of Manila appeared on the horizon to those with access to cabin port-holes. The captain's voice was slightly high and shaky, as if he was under mounting pressure from certain individuals to maintain an atmosphere of calm.
"Ladies and gentleman; this is your final reminder regarding the movie and disembarkation procedures that will be occurring in the theater, on deck one in five minutes time. This viewing is compulsory for all passengers and crew, as we will be arriving in Manila within the hour. I've been asked to remind you that the cabins will be searched, and any passengers not complying with these instructions will apparently be dealt with."
The remaining crew and passengers slowly filtered through the corridors and into the plush, comfortable theater. They knew nothing of what was in store for them, however many had arrived regardless with feelings of mistrust and foreboding, thereby clutching the majority of their belongings to their chests in small bags and back-packs. Expressions of fear and uncertainty were evident on many faces. Nervous conversations were held in muted tones as they waited with trepidation for information.
Mark and Billy sat in the second row with some of the entertainment staff as the theater doors were closed behind them. They all looked around warily as the lights were dimmed and the rear-projector screen began flickering. Small bursts of light danced across the gray material, accompanied by the sound of static. Mark watched as those standing found seats either within the rows or the lit walkway, as if the lights and sounds present had encouraged an automatic reflex to sit and watch the screen.
Mark frowned slightly in the darkness, still watching the lights arc and weave their way across the front of the theater. The static had increased in intensity, however no movie had started. Confused, Mark stood and pushed his way through the mass of bodies, searching for the doors.
His confusion turned to horror as a new realization assaulted his senses. Adrenaline surged through the backpacker's body as he sprinted towards the heavy metal doors, dodging the sparks that were reflecting against the walls of the room.
Mark ran and threw himself bodily against the doors, hoping to dislodge them somewhat. His behavior drew the attention of the back row as they watched him repeat this strange spectacle. Barbara called out to him from the left aisle, a tremor evident in her voice.
"What's going..."
"THEY'RE SEALING THE DOORS! THE BASTARDS ARE SEALING US IN!"
Shouts of anger and protest soon filled the air as a dozen men immediately jumped to their feet and moved to the back of the theater, joining Mark and frantically throwing themselves against the doors. They made no impact whatsoever. Panic began to set in as the passengers frantically clawed at the walls, looking for an escape or exit. A child was knocked to the floor during the turmoil and began wailing hysterically, barely perceptible over the noise.
Their screams were easily heard by their captor. Wearing his typical Hawaiian shirt and board-shorts, Duke Nukem finished sealing the doors and stood back, admiring his handy-work. Grinning, he tauntingly knocked three times on the metal with his gnarled, cracked yellow hands.
"Holiday's over, ya freeloaders!" he bellowed, enjoying the terrified reaction he received. Chuckling heartily, he turned and trudged back up the stairs, leaving a trail of black scorch marks in his wake.
"You sure that everyone is accounted for?" No one answered as Looten Plunder paced the captain's quarters nervously. He was almost expecting one of those former Planet-Pukes to come barging into the room and ruin their meticulously-laid-out plans. Of course, he was worrying over nothing: Zarm had taken care of that. The Planeteers had now disbanded and Gaia was believed to have fled the earth in shame: perfect conditions for a world take-over.
Plunder had wanted to participate in the time jump with his comrades, but Zarm had refused. Still, it was an honor to have been entrusted with the task of keeping tabs on the remaining Planeteers, and organizing transport off Hope Island for the intrepid time-travellers.
Looten Plunder had built himself quite an empire in the four years since the brats had run home to their mommies. He was now considered to be one of the largest publishing magnates in the western world. He owned two television stations, countless magazines and had been in the process of expanding his computer software empire around the time that Zarm, Dr Blight and co had arrived at their new 'destination'..
Plunder had shady contacts in many countries who were paid well to locate and watch the remaining four Planeteers. 'Heart' and 'Water' had been surprisingly easy to find. 'Earth' had proved more difficult, however his African contact had found Kwame through communications with his pals.
'Fire' had proved to be Plunder's only downfall. He'd enlisted the help of no less than three agents operating in North America; however all had come up empty-handed. The agents had diligently watched Wheeler's home, his old hangouts and old friends, but to no avail. The fire-bug seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth. No trail could be found of him, which Plunder found deeply unsettling. He often thought that this may have something to do with Blondie's untimely death, but who could say for sure.
Zarm had also been most displeased about this unexpected development, since all five rings were required for the transformation to work. Plunder had reasoned that Wheeler was sure to turn up if his friends lives were in danger, and Zarm had excepted this (for the moment).
Grunting to no-one in particular, Plunder sat in a brown leather recliner and watched his partners with a small measure of contempt. Argos Bleak was reading a "Gun's and Ammo" magazine, a frown of concentration deepening the lines that had recently appeared on his face. The lights from above reflected off his bald head, and his ever-present sneer was evident. Bleak had reminded Plunder of a pirate when they had first met, all those years ago. Plunder chuckled at the thought- that was probably why he had hired him. Regardless of his threatening physical appearance, Plunder trusted Argos Bleak implicitly...which is more than he could say for the rest of the 'crew'. He trusted them about as far as he could throw them.
This was especially true of Hoggish Greedly,and his swollen, grotesque bulk. The man was morbidly obese, and a prime candidate for heart failure. Plunder was surprised that the guy had even survived the time jump. Greedly exemplified everything that Plunder was not. The man with uncanny piggish features was careless, sloppy, boorish and unprofessional in every way. Plunder considered himself a gentleman: cunning, intelligent and professionally ruthless.
Sly Sludge was often his co-conspirator back in the days of the Planeteers. Unfortunately, the chemical waste enthusiast hadn't aged well. His once lustrous black hair had turned gray, and his beer belly had expanded somewhat since they had last met. His normally pale skin had turned an unhealthy shade of green, probably courtesy of the gallons of toxins he had gleefully handled over the past fifteen years. Sludge's main problem was his stubborn nature. Many schemes had unraveled over the years due to his unwillingness to listen to reason.
Duke Nukem was...Duke Nukem. What could you say about a grumpy, giant and radioactive man who dresses like he's going on a permanent vacation. Nukem was, in Plunder's opinion, quite insane. The industrial accident had obviously fried his brains, and even Zarm was careful not to get on his bad side. They all knew what had happened to the unfortunate Leadsuit last year: Plunder had heard that no trace of Nukem's late assistant had ever been found. Fortunately, the thing had seemed happy to stay below decks in the engine room with Zarm's precious cargo until they required his 'services'.
Verminous Skumm was a late addition to the team. He had turned reclusive, and Plunder had at first experienced difficulties tracking him down. Skumm hadn't aged much either, looking ever-tatty in his fraying blue suit and red scarf. The strange, wizened rat-man had agreed to join forces, however had insisted on bringing a small army of his 'subjects' along for the ride. Little did any of them know that Duke Nukem was spending much of his time below deck by using Skumm's rats as target practice.
Finally, Dr Barbara Blight, the demented scientist who was currently laying outstretched on the sofa, a T.V remote in hand. Plunder didn't mind her, she was certainly the most tolerable of the lot. Her brains certainly came in handy at times, although occasionally her ideas and thoughts could be anything but lucid. A bright pink jumpsuit framed her curvy, athletic figure, and a wave of thick blond hair hid the hideous scars that had resulted from a botched experiment. None of this mattered to the others, however: she was simply one of the boys.
Plunder's eyes moved from Blight to the space between the fridge and television. A thin black satchel was hidden comfortably inside. It contained legal documents, passports and a black, leather-bound diary with valuable information within it.
Grinning cunningly, Looten Plunder stood and retrieved it from it's hiding place. A black brief-case sat open on the bed nearby, and Plunder tossed the satchel into it.
"Oi, are we gonna get moving? We got stuff to unload." Bleak's voice resounded through Plunder's thoughts, as Dr Blight switched off the television hastily and surveyed the scene.
"I better get MAL. He's gonna' be so grumpy." She sauntered out, followed by Greedly and Sludge who were talking animatedly. Just like old times...
"You wanna get the lifeboat tender ready, Bleak? I'll check on the others." Bleak nodded as Plunder left the suitcase on the mattress and made his way down to the engine room, leaving the captain's quarters deserted (if only for a moment).
"Ow, you're sitting on my foot, Amy!" Matt retrieved his limb carefully and rubbed it gingerly as Amy gave him a severe look from her cramped position beside him.
"Would you shut up, for God's sake!" Amy's voice hissed in reply, already uncomfortable and unable to cope with her husband's complaints.
The remaining two crouched figures exchanged glances but remained silent. Linka sighed and shifted her body weight. Her knees and back had started aching as soon as they had hidden themselves away within the ventilation shaft, adjacent to the Captain's quarters.
They had narrowly escaped detection during the cabin inspections, since Linka had gone back to her cabin for some clothes and supplies. She had only just been able to replace the grill mesh on the shaft in time, as Hoggish Greedly had waddled his way past them and disappeared into the noisy state-room. Linka and the others had been hiding now for about twenty minutes before the Captain's door had finally re-opened. The eco-villains had filed out leisurely, seemingly eager to begin their final preparations.
As soon as Plunder had turned and rounded the corner, Linka pushed the grill open with her feet and slid out awkwardly. Her three co-conspirators followed suit, before taking it in turns to quickly hug her and say their goodbyes.
The plan was for them to alert the authorities. If the communications were out, they had decided to jump ship with Rigger and spread awareness.
"Do you have the maid's skeleton key?" Linka nodded and patted the pocket of her jeans. To be honest, she didn't think it would be needed. Plunder and his men seemed grossly overconfident of success, she was almost expecting the captains door to be unlocked.
"Don't forget, you have our cell numbers if you need any help on land," Mary whispered, worried for her new friend. Linka nodded and motioned for them to get going. Amy gave her the 'call me' sign as they turned away reluctantly. Linka smiled and waved as they sprinted down the corridor towards the Bridge, hopefully deserted.
The girl collected herself for a moment, attempting to calm the rapid beat of her heart. She reached out for the door and pushed gently. It opened a fraction as Linka gave a nervous giggle.
This is almost to easy.
With the first hurdle overcome, slipped inside the room and quietly closed the door behind her. The room appeared to be empty, with beer bottles and empty packets of food littering the floor. Linka dropped to her knees in front of the bar fridge and felt around beside the unit. Her heart began hammering again as her hands made contact with only carpet and wooden paneling.
Nyet! Where is it?
There was nothing there. She jumped to her feet and surveyed the room, cursing Rigger in Russian. Had he lied to her? She sincerely doubted it. Plunder had obviously moved the diary...but to where?
Frustrated at losing control of the situation, Linka frantically surveyed the surroundings for a glimpse of something tangible: she had hoped to be in and out of the room by now.
Bozhe moi, this is not good. I do not even know what it looks like...
Her eyes finally settled on the briefcase lying on the unmade bed, and the black folder discarded carelessly within.
Linka grinned in spite of herself. She crossed the room and retrieved the satchel, carefully analyzing the contents.
Two passports, birth certificates, trading bonds, housing deeds...oh, the diary!
She placed the items back into the folder, before spying Plunder's mobile phone and wallet underneath a pair of trousers. She briefly considered these objects for a moment, but the temptation proved to be too great. Linka grabbed both and threw them into the satchel as well before bolting from the room.
Linka grinned in spite of herself. Bet they will not see this coming!
She jogged up the staircase and out into the warm sunshine of Lido deck, which housed the emergency tenders. She hid momentarily behind a drink trolley and shoved the satchel into her back pack, before reaching the safety bars. Linka looked over and nearly gave her position away: Argos Bleak was hard at work below, unhooking and lowering a large life-boat into the water.
Nyet! This was becoming ridiculous! How was she supposed to leave the ship? Manila was so close: she could see the various boats and freight being unloaded onto the bustling dock. The sound of machinery was so tantalizingly near.
Frustrated, Linka turned and sat against the bars, hugging the back pack to her chest. Movement caught her eye and she looked up to see Matt's head peep up from behind the bar. He raised his eyebrows and she replied with the thumbs-up sign. Surprised, the girl watched as four figures ducked and weaved towards her. Matt and Mary were half-carrying, half-dragging Rigger with difficulty...
"The radio is totally fried, we thought we'd be better off coming with you. Did you find the address book?" Amy asked, plonking herself down next to Linka as the other three collapsed in front of her.
"Da, but Bleak is down there with the boats. Any ideas?"
"Let's just wait a minute. If he leaves, we make our move."
"What if he doesn't?"
"Hey, you're the Planeteer...you come up with some..."
Amy and Linka were interrupted by the sound of a cell phone ringing. They froze in fear as an almighty clanging sound issued from the deck below them.
"Shit, where's that coming..."
"Bleak heard! What if he's..."
Linka dove blindly into her backpack as the reason for the interruption became apparent: it was Looten Plunder's phone beeping and vibrating, an annoyingly stupid tune gaining in intensity and volume.
"Turn it off!" Mary glared in horror at the offending object. Linka hit the red button as the phone fell silent, a missed call from 'Mom' appearing on the small screen.
Linka exhaled and looked around in relief, however it was short lived. She raised her hands in startled defeat as Argos Bleak approached them, a metal wrench clutched menacingly in his right hand. Matt, Amy and Mary followed suit as Rigger rolled underneath a deck chair and out of sight.
Bleak reached their hiding spot and stood over them threateningly."Well, well, well. What do we have ere'? We got some escapees! How'd you get..."
Bleak may have been brandishing a weapon, but he was totally unprepared for the sensation of Rigger's teeth clamping down tightly on his calf muscle. Before Plunder's assistant had the chance to cry out, Linka launched her body weight against him, sending them both crashing heavily to the wooden deck. Amy jumped back in surprise as Matt and Mary joined the scuffle, limbs flying everywhere in an attempt to subdue Argos Bleak. Mary clamped her hands over Bleak's mouth as Amy ran to find something to restrain him with.
"Will this do?" She had returned with an electrical extension cord.
"Da. Tie his hands and feet. Matt, get Rigger into the boat. We are leaving."
Amy and Matt descended the stairs with the half-conscious man as Mary used a free hand to grab their bags.
"Go, I will be down in a moment." Mary nodded and fled without looking back. Linka rounded on Plunder's surprised henchman, who had been staring intently at Linka, his eyes mirroring shock and disbelief. She knew that he had probably recognized her accent first, and and put two and two together. It didn't bother her one bit. She wanted them to know...
Her voice was low and calm, but inside she was seething. How could they do this to her? To Wheeler and the others?
"Do not think for a moment that we will make this easy for you, Bleak. Tell Zarm that I will make him pay for what he has done to us."
"Mphhhh ead!" Linka brought her hand away slightly, and he repeated the statement
"You're dead!" He seethed, not wanting to believe that her presence was real. "Damn it, Zarm took care of you himself." Linka smiled as she removed her cardigan and attached it around his mouth, serving as a makeshift gag.
"Da, well you should not place so much trust in over-confident entities, Bleak. Oh, and by the way...tell your boss that his mother called." With that, Linka jumped up and ran, hearing Bleak's muffled yells echoing in the back of her head. She expertly vaulted the stair rail and lowered herself down the guide ropes, into the waiting tender. She gave Matt the thumbs-up sign as he floored the gas pedal, making his passengers lurch slightly in the rough water.
Linka couldn't contain her enthusiasm as she sat opposite the sleeping Rigger. A million happy thoughts entered her mind, only serving to heighten her mood. She was tired, hungry, and in the company of one of her prior enemies.
But she was alive, through some strange twist of fate. She had a feeling that Gaia was responsible for her presence in this reality. Was Gaia still around? Would the Earth Spirit eventually show herself? Linka wasn't sure
It was dusk now, and the sun was setting at an alarming rate. As the boat chugged closer to it's destination, the smell of rice and vegetables assaulted her senses, drawing groans of hunger from the others.
Was Gi cooking something similar tonight? Perhaps she would be joining her old friend for a meal within the hour
"Just like old times," she murmured softly to no one in-particular.
Linka leaned back and closed her eyes, relishing the memories of countless meals from so long ago, meals that she had taken for granted. Tears of joy sprang to the corners of her eyes as she recalled a meal several years ago...
Ma-Ti had undercooked the fish, and Wheeler had promptly dressed it up in his napkin and paraded it around the table in a make-shift suit and tie. The 'talking' fish had proved hilarious, and Gi eventually had to leave the table doubled-over, as she'd become short of breath from laughter.
The memory strengthened her iron-clad resolve.
It was time to make Zarm pay.