Sky Pirates, Act Two and Three

[telerib]

Act Two Finale

When last we left our heroes, they were in a cave slowly filling with water...

Dr. Olsson noticed that Max's chain was a bit rusty. The muscleman used the iron ball to smash the chain, freeing himself! Thinking ahead, he tried to batter the door to the cave down with the ball and chain, but the iron orb mostly bounced off the thick wood.

Reginald, thanks to an old ballet injury (I swear, that's what the player came up with), contorted his foot until he was able to slip it out of the ankle shackle. Then he searched the beach until he came up with a bit of wire. Jamming it into Dr. Olsson's lock didn't do any good, but Phineas "Magic Fingers" Long delicately took it from him and proceeded to unlock his own shackles, Dr. Olsson's, Adam Archer's, Sam Satan's, and the door lock. The group headed up the stairs, with Dr. Olsson and Phineas pausing to soak their clothes in the now calf-deep water.

All ran through the fire now engulfing the house without incident, except Max Carnent, whose hair caught fire. This didn't trouble him overmuch. The tennis court had opened to raise up an aircraft, in which Don Bruno and Marie Deschamps were even now escaping. The hapless thugs were making for some cars parked around back, but were intercepted by MI2 agents who'd seen the smoke from the housefire and arrived early to investigate.

Sam Satan was officially removed from the case, as his high profile and constant media whoring had led to this situation. The group was instead introduced to Miss Greta Skohl, a German-American investigative reporter. Miss Skohl was very "hands on" in her information acquisition, and had certain stealthy skills that would undoubtedly be useful on the next leg of their journey.

Which, Max informed them, was a certain secret island base in the Aegean...

Act Three: The Aegean Base

The group traveled by seaplane to Greece, landing at a small populated island near the secret base. The place was quickly dubbed "Mook City" as it became obvious that it was serving as an R&R center for thugs from the secret base. A local guide assumed they were with the rest of the crowd and negotiated a pleasure cruise on a rental yacht for them.

There was a close call inbound to the island when some patrolling guards caught sight of the yacht, but the party kept their cool. The guards recognized the yacht as the one their bosses favored when they took their breaks, and assumed that the party were VIPS being entertained by Someone Important.

Dr. Olsson otherwise piloted the boat without incident to a handy cove around one side of the island. This island was rather higher than topographical maps of it showed, and the reason soon became clear - the whole thing had been roofed over! The u-shaped island was now a sheltered harbor for something - something big. But the silver dirigible would not fit inside...

Max determined that patrols did walk the island perimeter, so the group moved fast. Maybe too fast! Finding an air vent, they decided to enter it. Dr. Olsson went first but slipped! She slid down, barely catching the bottom edge with her fingers and hanging on - danging 40 feet in the air! Below, she saw a mighty ship with a huge, flat deck, crewed by dozens of men.

Before anyone could move to stop him, Reginald gallantly dove into the air vent. He stopped just above Dr. Olsson, but, when bracing himself to offer her a hand up, slipped! The good doctor saw him coming and tried to swing and drop so that she'd hit the water near the ship. But no! Her fingers slipped at just the wrong time, and she hurtled straight for the deck! Luckily, she landed atop a pile of netting and canvas, unhurt. Unluckily, two goons saw her dramatic entrance and trained guns on her, demanding that she descend.

Max was the next down the vent. None of this "controlled descent" for him! The ironman flew past Reg, rocketing toward the ship and bowling over the two goons menacing the doctor! Reg, wanting in on the action, swung himself onto the same pile of netting which had cushioned Dr. Olsson. Which was good, as a dozen or so men had now noticed the interlopers!

Up top, Adam Archer took charge and prevented any more foolhardy dives down the vent. He, Phineas and Greta returned to the ship. Adam gingerly took the controls and rather adeptly steered the craft around to the front of the island. There, he browbeat the three guards on duty into believing that he was an invited guest of Don Bruno.

By the time they got ashore, however, the guards had recalled that Don Bruno was not on the island! But their suspicions were allayed when Greta adeptly assumed the persona of a young female relative of the Mafioso. They were to meet him here, and they simply arrived first, you dunderheads! Cowed again, the guards escorted the new arrivals inside - where all hell was breaking loose on the deck of the great ship!

Reginald, upon landing, had flourished the German grenades he was carrying and threatened to blow everyone in the general vicinity to hell. This pulled the thugs on deck up short, and they lowered their weapons hesitantly. Then a shot rang out and Reg jerked, hit by a slug from an overhead sniper! Reg took cover, the deck thugs dropped flat, Dr. Olsson loudly demanded that they throw their weapons aside, and Max Carnent was suddenly sailing through the air on a rope. Also at about this time, a man in a white suit appeared out of one of the offices and began loudly asking questions and giving orders. Adam shouldered past Phineas and Greta to speak to him, again introducing himself as Vladimir, an associate of Don Bruno's. The white-suited man didn't know of any Vladimir, but apparently it was the custom of the big men around here to keep each other in the dark - knowledge of Bruno's name and the base's location seemed to be ID enough for now.

Reg, thinking he had a perfect shot lined up, stood up to take it - and his gun misfired. Out in the open, he was an easy target for the sniper, who knocked him down with another shot. One more and Reg would've been done for - but that's when Max let go his rope and went sailing for the sniper's nest.

He didn't land *in* the nest as desired, but rather hit the edge and held on. Still, this intrusion was enough for the sniper to stand up to reach over the edge with the butt of his gun, intending to club Max in the head. That was all Reginald needed to put a slug of lead in the man's chest. He slumped back, dead.

Carina Olsson, who had been similarly drawing a bead on the sniper, suddenly switched her aim to the white-suited man giving orders. Her Atlantean Pistol turned his white suit crimson instantly! Adam quickly dragged the barely conscious man back to the relative safety of his office.

Phineas and Greta, meanwhile, had discreetly killed or subdued the men escorting them. They were now free to move around the base unchecked!

But Reginald was still gravely wounded, and Dr. Olsson's exotic pistol only has a few shots. How long can they and Max Carnent stand against a ship full of hardened criminals carrying deadly guns?