Jack Canyon and The Superweapon of Atlantis | CHAPTER FIVE

Words: 1903

Rallis looked out the front glass at the incoming vessels.
There were only three that they could see for the moment. He
continued to watch them with his binoculars as they sped
toward his boat. "I don't like this."

"Oh, come on," Jack said as he slapped the Captain on the
back. "You know you want to test out your toys."

"Captain, she's within weapons range," the first mate spoke.

"Hold your fire," the Captain replied as he continued to watch
the Baroness's small fleet.

"But sir. . ."

"Wait for them to fire first," Rallis ordered. "I don't want
to be wrong about this."

"Aye, aye."

A small burst of fire was spat from the turrets on Johanna
Mahler's boats shot at the Poseidon. Several bullets ripped
through the armored plating like a hot knife through butter.

"APRs," the first mate announced.

"What?" Erin asked.

"Armor-piercing rounds," Jack interpreted. "Which means
Johanna likes the big guns."

"No wonder she's after our boy, Jack, here," Erin joked and
gave him a devious grin. "It's no secret that Jack's well
en--"

"Erin! Not now," Jack cried as more bullets tore through the
ship.

A loud siren began to blare and the Captain called all hands
to their battle stations.

"Fire all batteries," Rallis shouted through the intercom.

The Mediterranean was now a war zone with bullets and
explosions galore. The Poseidon made a direct hit with the
fuel tanks on one of Mahler's boats, destroying it when it was
engulfed with fire and a billow of smoke.

"Things never get boring around you, do they, son?" His
mother asked from behind him as she hid between two sailors.

"Like I've always said, I learned from the best," Jack replied
as he watched the other two boats closing in. "Though you
can't enjoy those exciting moments if you get killed."

Rallis shot Jack an angry look. "I'm not going to let anyone
die. Not today." He stared through his binoculars once more
at the two boats.

Bullets ripped through the Poseidon again causing some fuel
drums on the top deck to explode. One was hurtling at the
bridge.

Jack caught sight of the horrid scene and put his arms around
Erin and forced her to the ground, since she was the closest
to him. He covered her body with his just as the barrel burst
through the bridge's windshield. Quickly responding, Jack's
head shot up as he scanned the area to see if anyone was hurt.

Atawhai helped Katelyn Canyon to her feet and dusted glass off
her shoulder. He looked at her head for injuries, where he
found a small cut on her forehead. "Where is the medical
kit?"

"Over there," Rallis pointed. Then he spun around the smoky
bridge examining the damage. He spotted a man in the corner
who was not moving. He walked to the sailor and checked his
pulse, not detecting one. He sighed and rose back to his feet
from his crouching position. "Anyone hurt?"

"I think you can get up now," Erin told the heavy man on top
of her.

"But I like being on top," Jack joked.

Erin elbowed him in the ribcage, forcing him to roll off her.
She jumped to her feet and saw Mrs. Canyon bleeding. "Oh,
no."

Jack shifted himself around and finally rose to see the damage
around him. It was awful. Smoke and glass was everywhere.
He dusted himself off and checked his own body. The only
damage was to his Carhartt work pants, which had a small cut,
but it did not penetrate completely. He toyed with the
fraying tear. "Let's avoid such incidents again, Captain
Rallis."

Rallis nodded at Jack and then motioned to his first mate to
come to him. "Lock on and concentrate all fire onto one of
the boats. The one on the left. Take it out."

"Aye, sir."

"Get my mom down to the infirmary," Jack said to the big Kiwi
man. "I'll be down there when this is over." He turned and
bumped into Erin. "You go with her."

Erin breathed heavily through her nostrils and looked from
Kate to Jack. "Be careful up here."

Jack nodded slightly and was about to turn to watch the
fireworks, but Erin grabbed him and jerked him around. He
suddenly felt the warmth of a wet kiss on his lips. When she
pulled away and left, Jack stood in silence, in confusion.

"Jack," Macario Rallis called out to the stunned man.

Jack shook his head and turned to Rallis.

"Never been kissed before?" He asked with a chuckle.

"I actually thought if she and I ever had contact like that
again, she would be slapping me," Jack answered.

"Well, the day isn't over, yet," Rallis told him. "Take a
look."

The boat they had been firing at had taking heavy damage to
the hull and had sunken halfway into the sea.

"That leaves just one," Jack told him as he handed the
binoculars back. "That one must be Johanna. She's going to
be hard to beat."

"My men can handle her," Rallis stated boldly as he ordered
for them to concentrate all fire on the last boat.

Jack watched as it dodged the mortar fire and bullets. "She's
a slippery one."

"That she is," Rallis agreed as he continued to watch the boat
progress toward them. "She's almost on top of us."

"Take her out!" Jack cried, but it was too late.

There was an explosion on the starboard side of the vessel
that rocked it throughout.

"Damage report!" Rallis shouted.

Jack looked out the back view ports for Johanna's boat. "Where
is she?"

Rallis paused when he heard Jack's words. He scanned the
Mediterranean for her, but could not even find her wake.
"Find her on RADAR!"

An abrupt burst of gunfire rang out.

Jack ducked behind the door as the bullets landed inside the
bridge. "I think I know where she is." Jack's head popped
out briefly to find Johanna and her men. He then jumped out
and rushed down the steel staircase to the lower deck. He
ducked behind some crates to hide from them.

Johanna progressed across the deck in a march, as if she were
on a mission.

Jack looked up momentarily to spot her with only two men, who
seemed to be well trained. He watched as the two men gunned
down any hostile in their way. His mind played on what Emily
had always asked him. Why didn't he carry a gun? Of course,
his reply was to make things more fun and interesting. He
laughed at himself. Now would be a good time for a gun.

Rallis unlocked a safe at the back of the bridge which held
four shotguns. He tossed one at a time to his top men before
giving the navigator orders to continue their current course.

Before the first two men could move out, Johanna's men gunned
them down. They were getting close.

Jack pulled a broken board free of a crate that had been shot
to pieces. He smashed it across the skull of the closest
German scumbag and used it to block the bullets of another.
He jumped back behind a large crate for cover.

Rallis blasted away at the second man, who took cover.

Johanna crept along the crate to get to Jack Canyon, but he
was gone. "Come out, Jack. I want to play."

Rallis hid to the left of the door while his first mate stayed
on the right. The Captain motioned for his first mate to move
out quick. Just as he stepped out, he caught a bullet in his
shoulder, which knocked him down. Rallis moved quick to check
on him and pull him free from the open door.

Johanna turned weaved through a maze of stacked crates on her
quest for the evasive archaeologist. She turned and met
Jack's right hook. Without hesitation, she punched him back
and kicked him. She shoved him into the side railing of the
port side.

Jack grimaced in pain as his ribs smashed into the rail. He
even grunted, much to Johanna's delight.

"I'm so glad to see you again, Jack," she said as she gripped
his hair and thrust his head into the rail.

Jack lost his footing and slipped, falling to the deck.

"I lost you once, but not again." She kicked him hard. A
shotgun spray hit the box near her, forcing her to duck down
near Jack's level.

Jack kicked his leg toward her, sweeping it underneath her and
taking her feet out from under her. When she was down, Jack
jumped to his feet and jerked her up. Without much effort,
Jack tossed her off the side before completely collapsing on
the deck.

Rallis took down the last man standing and made his way down
to Jack. He slapped the archaeologist's face lightly. "Jack,
buddy."

He only groaned without even opening his eyes.

"Where is the girl?" Rallis asked.

Jack simply pointed over the rail, which made Rallis look over
and check.

"I don't see anything," Rallis spoke.

***

Jack leaned his back against a control console of the bridge
and he held his head. He took the cup of coffee someone had
brought to him as they entered. "Thanks."

"You look like hell," Atawhai stated with a grin.

"I've had worse," Jack replied.

"So, Ms. Mahler took a plunge, eh?" Erin asked.

"She'll be back," Jack said as he moved forward. "What's our
heading?"

"We've breached the Strait," Rallis announced. "I think
within the next few hours we could reach Azores. No
problems."

Jack nodded and looked at Tangaroa. "How's my mother?"

"She just has a cut, mate," Tanga told him. "She's gonna be
alright. She's a tough old woman."

"Yeah," Erin said with a smile. "Too bad Jackie isn't." She
gave the beaten up Jack a wicked grin. "I mean, a girl kicked
his ass."

"Hey!" Jack said in reply. "She caught me off guard!"

"Right," Erin laughed.

Kate entered the bridge with a small bandage on her head.

"Mom, you shouldn't be here," Jack argued.

"I'm staying," she said sternly. "It won't be long before we
reach Azores. How do we locate the right island there?"

"I have the whole translation from Talus's armor here," Jack
said as he pulled his mom's journal from the back pocket of
his pants. He set it down on the center console with the page
open for everyone to see.

"Nothing," Erin said as she scanned over it.

"It's hidden within," Kate announced.

"There!" Jack cried out as he pointed at the journal. "There
are some words that are capitol."

"These words come in the middle of sentences," Erin pointed
out. "M-O-A-L G-I-M-S."

"No," Kate said. "They were smarter than I thought. They
didn't add all the letters of what they called this place.
They wanted to keep it hidden."

"Then what is it?" Atawhai asked.

"Sao Miguel," Kate told them. She looked up to see their
confusion. "If you arrange them different. I've done massive
research on these islands and their names. It means Saint
Michael."

"Saint Michael?" Atawhai asked.

"Yeah, what about it?" Kate looked at him in wonder.

Tangaroa pointed at Jack's etching of the shield. "That is
Latin for Michael. It's on a small corner. Here."

"Good eye," Jack said in awe. "Captain, you have your destination. Let's roll!"