Chapter One

Chapter 1

“Everyone knows that container ships are easy prey.”

Alex grinned at her surly companion. Kel-lai had been on almost twice as many raids as her, but somehow he always seemed to need to psych himself up. He shifted on the seat of the speedboat, and continued his pronouncement.

“They're practically offering their cargo. I mean, really, no weapons, practically no crew. It's like they want us to take their stuff.”

“I'm sure that's what they want,” Alex teased, grinning broadly. She couldn't help it. He was being absurd. “They should have a sign. Pirates welcome.”

Kel-lai frowned. “Don't make fun of me. I'm serious.”

“So am I. Next time, I'll have the sign ready.” She shifted her pack, light now, ready to be stuffed full of whatever cargo they might find. Currently, all it contained was a coil of rope attached to a small grappling hook, a small device that looked like a crochet hook, a flashlight and a bottle of liquid detergent. On her hip, the girl wore a knife and walkie talkie.

            It was probably the last raid of the voyage. They were just about out of their hunting waters, headed home with a good haul. Alex looked forward to getting back to Hidden Isle. They'd been gone for weeks.

Despite their hold full of loot, this last ship was too alluring to skip. Container ships could be a gold mine with food and valuables. Of course, other times you’d get computer chips and cheap shoes, so the pirates always sent out scouts before launching a full raid. Alex was pleased to be selected for the initial foray. She liked the thrill of climbing over the containers in the dark, avoiding the crew and breaking into the massive metal crates.

Clearly irritated, Kel-lai turned away from Alex and towards the front of the speedboat where Selden, their first mate, was gamely trying to engage the attention of his rowdy crew. Alex almost felt sorry for the stocky old mate. He didn't have the innate leadership that Captain Anna achieved without even trying. Reigning back her enthusiasm, and deprived of her partner's attention, Alex tried to listen respectfully.

Though the six other members of scouting crew knew what they were doing, Selden felt it was necessary to brief them anyway. They were not to go anywhere aft of midships, they would be boarding as close to the bow as was safe, they’d be searching in pairs and must alert the group if any of them were spotted. The crew nodded dutifully. They could do this kind of raid in their sleep. When their mate was done, the pirates took bets on what kind of bounty they might find, suggesting everything from fine jewelry and tea to bicycles and Kleenex. Regardless of whether the loot was useful, there was always entertainment in store when the pirates raided container ships.

 

They drew up beside the massive vessel, a tiny dark shadow in the presence of a lumbering beast of the sea. This was by far the most dangerous part of their raid. To tarry was to risk getting washed down the slipstream and capsized by the huge boat’s wake or getting knocked over and sucked into the monstrous propellers. As Selden passed out the boarding gear Alex claimed one of the harpoons and took careful aim before firing. The grappling hook flew up into the night air, trailing a lightweight cable, and snagged neatly on the rail some thirty feet overhead. Two other cables quickly joined the first, and the three raiders holding the ends pulled them tight, testing to make sure they’d hold. Kel-lai, Selden, and two others fastened rope ladders to the ends of the cables and hoisted them up, completing the climbing rig. It was time to head up.

A member of each pair grabbed a pry bar before scurrying up the grappling hook ladder, leaving the seventh and final member of the crew behind to guard their boat. Kel-lai came up last, carrying the escape line. The last pirate to leave would slide down the doubled line after releasing their grappling hooks so they didn’t have to leave any gear behind.

The area they boarded was a catwalk that circled the entire boat, and lay below the level of the exposed shipping containers. They spread out, did a quick scan of the deck, and then returned to huddle. Selden pointed each group in a different direction and set a rendezvous time. Kel-lai and Alex were sent aft, Alex's favorite direction since it was certainly the most dangerous. Clad all in black and soft-footed as predatory cats, they snuck to a row of containers and headed for the center, where they would be least exposed. There, Alex hurled her grappling hook aloft to catch on the lip of the top container and hoisted herself up to the first available door while Kel-lai did the same beside her. The girl then brandished the iron bar and proceeded to pry open the shipping container like a can of sardines. She grabbed a cardboard box and passed it over to her companion who cut through the shipping tape and flicked on his flashlight. A moment later the man snorted in contempt. “Definitely not.”

Alex glanced at their prize and laughed. The box was full of individually wrapped pacifiers. The labels on the rest of the boxes they could access indicated the same cargo, so after pocketing a few as souvenirs, the pirates replaced the box and wetted down the rubber seal with detergent so they could slip the door back into place. Then they moved up a container and repeated the process. This one contained Tupperware. The next- contact solution. It wasn’t until their fourth container that the pair found anything of interest, and even then, it was a massive shipment of canned hearts of palm. After a quick and whispered consultation with Selden over the radio, they decided to keep a box and move on.

The rest of the hour passed in much the same manner. They found another container with canned goods including corn and pears, and they also collected a whole variety of nuts, bolts and screws from a hardware shipment. Most of what they found was useless cargo, some of the items didn’t even have a purpose on the mainland, let alone on Hidden Isle. Kel-lai was extremely amused by a box full of water guns and Alex could barely stop laughing after they found a full shipment of bobble-headed pencil toppers.

Kel-lai had just pried open another container when footsteps echoed on the deck below. Both of the pirates froze, scarcely daring to breathe, listening closely and straining their eyes to see through the darkness. One, two, three sets of steps, three people at least. Despite their dark raiding garb, they were horribly exposed, and the wide open container door would certainly give them away. The only option was to close it. Alex gestured towards the dark interior, and the two of them swung into the steel box and dragged the heavy door shut.

They were too late. A voice reverberated off the metal walls around them. “Did you see that? Someone just jumped into one of our containers!”

The footsteps moved towards the hidden pair. They were going to have to fight. Anxiously, Alex flicked on her flashlight and scanned the wall of boxes behind them, hoping for a stroke of inspiration to help them get the upper hand. She found the answer on one near the bottom of the stack. Pushing the door open a bit further so she could turn around, the girl slashed the box and pulled out handfuls of black umbrellas, piling them on the floor. Kel-lai looked at the devices skeptically.

“Just go with it, okay?” Alex said to her companion, collecting a few armfuls of umbrellas and stuffing them into her bag. “We have to get the element of surprise back.”

“And how do you suggest we do that?” he returned.

There was no time to explain. “Just follow my lead.”

Alex threw open the door to the container and pulled her partner along beside her. The approaching mainlanders stopped in surprise, then broke into shouts. Paying them little heed, Alex started dragging out heavy boxes of merchandise to crash down below. Kel-lai quickly caught on and within moments, they’d created a box avalanche and erected a makeshift-barrier.

“I’m going to hold them off while you go around and come from behind. Go!”

Kel-lai looked uncertain, but he was her partner, and in situations like this, the pirates knew to trust each other. He slid down his line to the top of the box pile, then nimbly made his way to the deck and took off, skittering out of sight within moments. For her part, Alex edged along the container until she was above the frustrated crew. Giddy with nerves and absurdity of her plan, she giggled as she popped the first large black umbrella open to float down onto the struggling crew members. Incredulous curses erupted below and spurred her on. She popped umbrella after umbrella, making a veritable floating rain of black fabric and silver spokes. Under cover of the umbrellas, she cast her grappling hook back to the top of the container stack.

Sounds of confusion and more curses chased Alex as she climbed upwards out of reach. Then she perched atop the stack of steel boxes and proceeded to drop umbrellas like snowflakes, concealing her own location while annoying the hell out of the mainlanders.

It was clear when Kel-lai rejoined the altercation. There was a sickeningly loud thud as the pirate’s foot made contact with someone’s skull. Alex hurriedly lowered herself back down, she’d finished with the umbrellas and now urgently needed to provide backup.

With a bit of maneuvering, Alex landed right behind one of the crew and grabbed him in a choke hold. They briefly grappled, but Alex's grip was tight and the man quickly ran out of air. When she was convinced her adversary was fully incapacitated, she looked up to see Kel-lai running straight at their final opponent, his head down like a charging bull. They collided, and both men crashed to the ground. Though she would have liked to watch a wrestling match, time was short. Alex settled the matter by dropping a box on the mainlander's thrashing legs and then beating him on the back of the head with her last remaining umbrella.

“Well,” said Alex, a little breathlessly, “perhaps it's time to go.”

Kel-lai rolled his eyes. “Yes, Alexandra. We should go.”

She grinned at him. This was what it was all about. The thrill, the fight, the adventure. They hadn't really hurt anyone badly, and what was life without a little risk?

Her companion sent out a call on the radio as the pair hurried back to the boarding point. Selden's voice blasted back at them, demanding they disembark as fast as possible. The rest of the pirates had heard the noise and abandoned the raid. If the pirates had heard them, then the rest of the container ship crew probably had too.

Alex and Kel-lai broke into a sprint. As they reached the grappling hook ladder, confused and angry voices echoed up the catwalk from behind them.

Kel-lai practically flew down the rig while Alex waited to pull the hooks. As soon as he hit the deck of the speedboat, she pulled the gear free and clipped it to her harness. Then she grabbed the escape line, swung over the edge and plummeted downward, the rope burning lines of fire into her hands. She landed in the boat with a loud thump and three sets of hands reached up to pull down the line.

Seconds later, they were speeding away; disappearing into the dark night as if they'd never been there at all.