“Battle stations!” The Don screamed at the top of his lungs, after hammering a red button under a glass case affixed to his desk. An alarm wailed, along with red flashing lights inside his cabin, and presumably everywhere else on the vessel. It reminded me of Jack and my first encounter on the train. It felt so long ago, yet still so recent. No time to reminisce now though!

  The Don fished in his desk for a weapon of some sort. “I'm going to end you!”

  I gripped onto Jack's arm in nervous anticipation, before he patted my hand calmly and slipped past me.

  “You got the intel, right?” Jack said, looking back at me as he walked towards The Don.

  “That's right...” I started. “Sorta.”

  “Good enough for me,” Jack retorted as he reached the frantic Don. “Sorry Don, we put away all the toys, save for one, ours,” Jack continued, grabbing the oafish man by the back collar of his oversized shirt,” you're just gonna have to enjoy the sea air with a midnight swim by yourself.

  “Wait, wait, wait!” The Don struggled back mightily, before Jack tossed him through the shattered window, hollering obscenities all the way down.

  I gasped. “What if he drowns?”

  Jack spent no time admiring his work and motored back to the door. “A man with that much hot air will rise.”

  BOOM! The unmistakable sound of thunder coalesced over us and shook the cabin. We both froze and looked at each other.

  “Feeling a little bad now?”

  “He's still got a chance.”

  KACHOOM! A flash of visceral yellow lightening shot down from the heavens and illuminated the room.

  “Okay, slightly,” Jack deadpanned guiltily.

  Grabbing the doorknob, Jack opened the door ajar and peered out, before flagging me behind him. “On my lead,” he whispered. I nodded affirmatively.

  We crept down the dimly lit halls, listening for footsteps.

  “This whole siren thing is getting old,” I muttered.

  “You get accustomed to it. Every evil lair has one,” Jack whispered back, slinking further down the hallway. “It's the installations...Home Depot must make a killing.”

  Footsteps clomped down an adjacent hall, bringing about quiet from us.

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  “Won't they know we're here?” I spoke in hushed tones.

  “That's the problem...or was...until that sea beast plummeted into the water. Not focused on us now.” Jack flagged me around a corner with him, as we bumped into two armed deckhands.

  “You were saying!” I yelped.

  Jack thrust an uppercut into one man, and sent him and his large knife flying. The blade arrowed upwards and stuck right into the ceiling above us, like a pencil in of a rowdy elementary school classroom.

  The other deckhand slashed forward with his own blade, but Jack hopped back, grabbed a firm hold of the knife overhead and swung feet forward, toppling the deckhand.

  “C'mon,” Jack said, landing on his feet, “we gotta boat to catch.”

  I followed Jack, ever in awe, as we ran down the halls, kicking my shoes off along the way.

  We came upon another group of two, which Jack handled with similar ease before we found ourselves fully topside.

  “To the back,” Jack pointed, rounding the bend and coming upon steps to the ramp for water toys and vehicles in a cargo hold area.

  “There's our ride,” Jack said, motioning to a small jet ski floating in the rough dark waves.

  Jack hopped on and held out a hand for me to climb on back.

  I fumbled the grip before stumbling on awkwardly, as usual.

  Jack pulled out the keys and inserted them, turning for ignition.

  The engine sputtered.

  “What's wrong?” I said, looking over his shoulder.

  Jack tried it again and again, it clicking emptily with each attempt. “Nothing,” Jack said, cursing the cheap piece of junk under his breath.

  “Doesn't sound like nothing.”

  “There they are!” Other deckhands yelled from the main deck nearby.

  “Do you want me to try?” I asked.

  Jack twisted and turned over and over. “I don't need any backseat boating, thank you,” Jack quipped.

  The deckhands were hurtling down the stairs now.

  “Jack...!” I tapped him frantically.

  “Hold on!” Jack yelled, as the engine purred to life.

  Jack kicked it into high gear as we throttled away from the ship, while I latched on tightly around his waist.

  “Get them!” the familiar voice of The Don gargled from nearby us, as he bobbed along in a lifebuoy and was surrounded by lowering crew members from the ship.

  I couldn't help but laugh at the image of The Don stuffed into the ring, the angry little sausage he was. A sense of relief washed over me, until I looked behind us, and saw other jet skis revving up. “Uh, Jack, I think we got a problem.”

  “You got that right,” Jack said.

  I looked ahead of us to see a sheet of rain emptying from the skies, accompanying lightening bolts striking downward.

  “Oh great, where do we go now!?”

  “We'll lose them in the storm!”

  BANG! BANG! BANG! The sounds of gunfire erupted from behind us, but were almost lost in the thunder sounding from the heavens.

  “That's crazy!” I yelled.

  “Got any better ideas?”

  “I don't know,” I howled, shaking my head to try and whip the torrential rain off my face. “Why don't I just open map-quest real quick!”

  Jack whirled the jet ski in another direction, trying to shake the tailing deckhands, crashing through the rebellious waves.

  The jet skis continued in hot pursuit, but almost collided with each other at a another sharp turn of Jack's.

  “Keep doing what you're doing,” I yelled.

  “You got it!”

  Jack maneuvered the beast with ease, despite all elements attacking us.

  “I got an idea,” Jack added. “Hold on as tight as you ever have.”

  “How reassuring!”

  Jack steadied the jet ski in the direction of large crashing mounds of waves, pouncing atop each other viciously, as nightmarishly dark clouds loomed ahead of us.

  “Jack, I don't know about this!”

  “Trust me!”

  I do, and always will, I thought to myself, tightening my grip, and laying my head against his soaked back.

  Suddenly, we entered the danger zone, and I felt my grip loosen around him, as the jet ski flew uncontrollably in the air, and I lost my bearings, flying off into the water.

  “Jack!”I cried, reaching out to him, before the blackness of the sea overtook me.