The Tigress lay in her bunk absentmindedly staring off into space. Her sharp feline senses told the heroine that the Jade Princess had arrived at its destination. Her superior sense of smell had picked up the odor of land: the fragrance of flowers and the scent of tropical birds.
Her sense of hearing was also sharper than a normal person's. She could make out bits and pieces of conversations through her porthole. The snatches of conversation were vague, but did support the idea that they had reached their destination. The Jade Princes had come to a complete stop and dropped anchor.
Rising from her bunk, the Tigress stepped up to the porthole and looked out. She could just make out part of a nearby island. What she could glimpse was primarily rock and jungle. The feline heroine caught a glimpse of Tempest flying through the air before she dove into the clear tropical waters.
"Let the games begin," Tigress muttered to herself.
Tempest was off in search of some underwater cave drawings for her employer Howler. It was this task that had caused the sonic villainess to seek out Tempest in the first place. No harm had come to Tigress or Tempest since the blow up with Daigon three days past. But once Tempest completed her task she and Tigress became expendable. There was no reason to trust Howler or Daigon the least bit.
This was the moment the Tigress had been preparing for. This was where all her thoughts and efforts had been focusing. A plan had formulated itself in Erica's mind. While she wasn't too keen on taking on four supervillains alone, soon there would be only as many as three. The Tigress liked those odds.
This whole adventure had been one trying situation after another. She had been held prisoner twice so far and Erica was sick of it. The time for Tigress to take control of the situation was rapidly approaching and she was going to savor every last moment of it.
"Payback time," the Tigress thought to herself as she began to stretch and loosen up for what was to come.
Panda and Raccoon had departed the bridge a while back. Since the Jade Princess was at anchor Raccoon's presence at the controls was not required. Only Howler's trusted assistant Akeem and her enforcer, the demonic Daigon had remained.
"She comes!", Akeem announced in an excited voice. The swarthy skinned man had only a slight grasp of English. Howler's assistant pointed overhead. Sure enough Tempest was flying back towards the Jade Princess.
"Finally," Howler sighed in her incredibly seductive voice. Howler made her way to the on deck area of the Jade Princess, Akeem and Daigon following after her. Raccoon and Panda noticed the activity from the lounge and joined them. They arrived a moment before Tempest touched down.
"I've found a bunch of those things that you showed me," Tempest started to report as she landed. "I can't be sure that they're the ones you're looking for though."
With Akeem's assistance, Howler was busy slipping into her scuba equipment. She took an experimental breath from her scuba tank. "That is why I shall accompany you this time. Show me what you've found. If they are the correct ones, then they shall lead us to what we seek."
"Do you want to move the ship?" The question came from Raccoon, who had returned upon hearing of Tempest's arrival. "Get closer to these caves?"
Howler considered and then looked towards Tempest for her comments.
"You don't need to," Tempest stated. "They're not that far away by air and there are a lot of submerged rocks in the area."
"No sense in risking damage to the Jade Princess," Howler decided as she turned back to Raccoon. "Stay right here. We shall return as soon as possible."
Howler rose up into the air, Tempest following a moment later. Tempest quickly took the lead and both women were soon lost from sight.
"Looks like we get to take it easy a bit longer," Panda offered in her slight British accent.
Raccoon headed back towards the Yacht's lounge. Panda followed a beat later. Akeem seemed content to wait on deck for his mistress to return. Daigon stood there for a few moments as well. Then the armored mercenary turned on her heel and headed down below.
Daigon had been preparing for the last several days, planning her revenge for what had transpired with Tigress a few days back. Now that Tempest was taking Howler to the clues they needed, the Tigress had become a liability that could finally be dealt with. Everything was ready. All she needed was her victim.
Daigon moved through the lower deck of the Jade Princess and headed towards the door to Tigress' cabin. It was locked of course, but Daigon had a key. She opened the door and stepped inside.
"Judgment day is at hand, Stripes," Daigon caustically announced. "And I've found you to be lacking."
However, the room was currently dark. The lights were off and something had been placed over the portholes blocking any daylight that could seep in. Daigon had not been expecting anything like this.
"This will do you no good, cat-bitch," Daigon stated. "No one can save you. You're now mine to do with as I please. Your fate has been sealed." The darkness was of no great concern to Daigon. All she had to do was lower her night sight lenses into place.
But before she could do so, the Tigress stepped out from behind the door, grasped Daigon by her left arm, and tossed the armored mercenary over her hip! The whole thing happened so fast that Daigon never even had to time to react. One moment she was standing in the doorway, the next she was flying through the air.
"Let me correct you on something there, Miss Creepy," the Tigress explained. "Now I can do what I want with YOU."
Daigon collided with the side of the bunk beds back first and then hit the floor headfirst. She fell over on to her stomach upon impact and struggled to rise to her feet.
Tigress gave Daigon just enough time to barely get to her feet before attacking again. She kicked Daigon in the back, violently causing her armored helmet to slam into the side of the bunk beds once more. This time the bed was smashed under the assault and Daigon collapsed onto the lower bunk as the remains of the upper bunk landed on top of her. Daigon did not stir after that.
"I trust I've made my point perfectly clear?"
The Tigress didn't wait for a response. Instead, she peered out into the hallway and found it to be empty. Tigress glanced back into the cabin at the dozing Daigon. "I find you to be lacking," the Tigress mumbled as she attempted to mimic what Daigon had said. "My tiger-striped behind!"
The Young Champion now turned her attention back out to the hallway. If she had overheard the on deck conversation correctly, that left only the husband and wife mutants of Raccoon and Panda on the ship. Erica didn't consider Akeem to be a threat. Quietly, the Tigress scampered out of the room and rushed down the hallway. The first step in her plan had been completed.
"Awful quiet down there," Panda noted. The black and white clad mutant was curled up on one of the couches in the lounge area of the Jade Princess. She was half-heartedly munching on one of the sandwiches she had made for herself and Raccoon. Both had seen Daigon go down below. "Maybe too quiet."
"You worry too much, Ginger." Raccoon casually dismissed his wife's concern as he took another bite out of his sandwich. They had both heard a couple of crashes from the living quarters down below. After that, there was only silence.
"I don't trust that, bird. Not one wee bit."
"The girl's locked up in a cabin and hasn't caused any trouble so far, Raccoon countered. "You heard the boss lady, once we finish up this job she's free to go."
"I meant Daigon, luv. She scares me more than anyone else here. She's an evil one, she is. She enjoys hurting people."
"Oh, her. She's trouble all right. At least she's on our side."
"Can you be so sure?"
Raccoon stopped in mid-bite and stared at his wife. "You know, it is a bit quiet down there. How about I pop down and take a look?"
"Capitol suggestion, Robin."
Raccoon cautiously entered the lower deck hallway. His tail swished back and forth in agitation. Maybe Daigon had gone after the prisoner for retaliation, for what had happened several days ago. Raccoon knew little about the armored woman calling herself Daigon. Other than her being a malevolent person who reveled in her own evilness.
Still, it was a bad idea to disobey Howler's orders at this stage of the game. Panda and Raccoon were in this for the money, nothing more. The mutant had no particular feelings towards Tigress one way or the other. As long as she stayed out of the way then there would be no problems. However, it seemed like Daigon was the one who wanted to rock the boat and aggravate the situation.
Everyone knew that Tempest was vital for this mission, at least until they were finished with finding whatever it was Howler was looking for. After that, it didn't matter what happened. But as long as Tempest held the key to complete this mission, doing anything to annoy her, like hurting her friend, was a bad idea.
"I hope she hasn't done anything rash...", Raccoon muttered to himself.
The door to Tigress' cabin stood open. Cautiously, Raccoon peeked in to discover Daigon still unconscious on the bunk beds. Raccoon sighed deeply and shook his head upon seeing that sight.
"'Bloody marvelous," he said to himself.
If Daigon was here, then were was Tigress? Raccoon looked one way down the corridor and then the other. He could have sworn he saw movement from out of the corner of his eye at the far end of the hallway. Raccoon slowly made his way down the hallway, expecting an attack at any moment.
"Come on, girl. Don't make this any harder than it has to be," Raccoon stated aloud. "I'm not gonna hurt you, but I can't have you messing things up. At least not until we get paid."
There was no answer. Not that Raccoon was expecting one. He hugged one side of the hallway as he slowly advanced. Up ahead a door was slightly ajar. If he recalled correctly, that was the radio room of the Jade Princess. Maybe the Tigress had contacted the authorities and alerted them to their current position? That would certainly complicate things even further.
Raccoon eased up beside the radio room door and listened. He could make out no noise coming from inside the small chamber. Either Tigress was hiding inside, or had already moved on.
Reaching out, Raccoon pushed the door slowly open and peered inside. The radio room appeared to be empty. A quick check confirmed this. Raccoon relaxed and took a closer look at the radio equipment. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The equipment had been used sparingly since Carlson and his men had been exiled onto the crippled Jade Prince. Raccoon ran his hand across the top of the radio and found it to be warm.
"So, it has been used," Raccoon mused to himself.
The mutant stood thoughtfully in front of the radio equipment for a few moments. Suddenly, he sensed movement and ducked. Had he not, the Tigress would have almost taken his head off with a flying kick!
"Hey, you weren't supposed to move!" The Tigress gracefully landed just past Raccoon.
"You've just made a big mistake," Raccoon threatened as he spun to face Tigress. He stepped forward and took a swing at the nimble heroine. "Now you're going to pay!"
"Not as big a one as you just made, fuzzy!" The Tigress dropped underneath the attack. She braced her hands on the floor and then shot both of her legs up and into Raccoon's chest. The force of the blow threw Raccoon across the radio room and into a table filled with equipment. It all hit the deck with a crash along with Raccoon.
"See?"
Raccoon had the wind knocked out of him from the Tigress' attack. Before he could recover the Tigress landed a chop across the back of his neck. Raccoon's head bounced off the deck and he didn't stir after that.
"Well on my way to the hat trick," Tigress muttered to herself as she eyed the unconscious Raccoon. "Boy, am I ever glad that I didn't grow a tail."
Grabbing a handful of communications cable from a small storage closet, Tigress securely tied Raccoon. She had spotted it earlier when she was snooping around. Tigress grabbed extra, intent on going back and securing Daigon as well. That would just leave Panda to deal with. The Tigress wouldn't make it any further with her plan as she heard a noise from out in the hallway.
"Robin?", Panda called out as she slowly descended the gangway into the lower decks area of the Jade Princess. A few minutes after Raccoon had left, Panda had heard a loud crash. Concerned, she went to investigate.
The hallway was eerily quiet and empty. It made Panda nervous. Her steps were small and tentative. She was expecting to be ambushed at any moment.
"This is like something out of one of those Yank horror movies," she muttered to herself. People disappearing mysteriously one by one was a typical story line. Panda hated those types of movies.
Panda reached the cabin where Tigress was being held. The door was open and it was dark inside the room. As Panda drew closer, she slowed her pace and eased down the hallway, her back hugging the wall. Suddenly, Panda heard a noise coming from the cabin and came to a complete stop just a few feet away from the door.
Her nerves were on edge; her heart beating a mile a minute. Panda always had a nose for danger. Right now, she knew she was in trouble. Panda ducked and rolled to the other side of the hallway. A split second later, an armored fist exploded through the wall right where her head had been! Panda couldn't help but scream.
The fist pulled back through the wall and Daigon stepped through the doorway and out in the hall. "Where the hell is she?", Daigon demanded.
"I-- I don't know," Panda managed to stammer out.
Daigon glanced both ways down the hallway. There was no sign of Tigress. "Find her and fast!" Without waiting for a response, Daigon stalked down the hallway, back towards where Panda had come from.
Panda breathed deeply, trying to regain her composure. "Blimey!", she cursed to herself as got to her feet once Daigon was gone. "That creepy bird had to go and get me wind up."
Regaining her composure, Panda continued on the way she had been going. She'd just as soon avoid Daigon and was more concerned about finding Raccoon than the Tigress. Robin had to be around here somewhere!
Reaching the radio room, Panda stepped inside and came to a complete stop. On the floor before her was Raccoon, unconscious and tightly bound! "Robin!"
Without thinking, Panda went to free her husband. Her nose for danger quickly made her realize that she was not alone with Raccoon in the radio room! Panda spotted the approaching Tigress and raised her hands to protect herself.
"Hold on there, scout," Panda quickly said. "I've got no quarrel with you."
"Too bad. I do!" The Tigress moved closer and appeared that she would pounce at any moment. Her eyes never wavered from her prey.
"Look, you leave me and Raccoon alone; we'll leave you alone. Deal?" Panda continued to maintain a non-aggressive posture.
The Tigress looked on skeptically. "And why should I trust you?"
Panda considered for a few moments. "You strike me as a bird who goes with the tide."
"Well, I should strike you as a feline who's really teed off!" The Tigress made her move, sending her fist towards Panda.
Only Panda's nose for danger saved her, as the white and black clad mutant just barely ducked. "Leave it to a scout to take the hard way!"
Panda retaliated with a mind bolt that struck Tigress. The mental assault nearly overwhelmed the feline heroine, but she managed to remain in control of her faculties. "That was nasty! I better not mess around any more."
The Tigress went on the offensive once more with a spinning kick. Panda's nose for danger caused her to move in a direction of safety, but this time she wasn't fast enough. The kick caught Panda in the side of the head and sent her flying into the radio room wall. The villainess collapsed to the floor without making a sound.
"And that completes my collection. Now if I can just get Miss Creepy to stay put."
The Tigress leaned against the wall for a few moments, trying to clear her head. Panda's attack still had her a bit dazed, but the disorientation passed quickly. Using the communications cable she had grabbed earlier, Tigress tied Panda up. Then she moved the husband and wife mutants into the cabin across the hall. They would be out of her way there.
That task complete, the Tigress moved on. Daigon was looking for her somewhere else on the Jade Princess. And Tigress wasn't about to disappoint her.
Daigon stalked out onto the rear deck area of the Jade Princess. So far there had been no trace of that annoying feline. The equipment bag that Daigon had gathered earlier was still here. Inside it were various lengths of chain and padlocks. One of the spare anchors lay close by.
"You can't hide from me forever!", Daigon shouted in anger. "I'll find you and then I'll rip you apart! You've earned a far worse death than drowning. Now I'm going break every bone in your body first!"
Daigon's plan had been to chain the Tigress and toss her overboard. The anchor would hold her underwater and she would drown in a few minutes. Daigon would be down there watching her victim futility struggle to free herself. The demoness would find that most amusing and would take great delight as the light slowly faded from the Tigress' eyes.
"They always want to do it the hard way," Daigon muttered to herself. "No matter, the Demoness will enjoy the suffering that is to come."
Her search of the rear deck complete, Daigon turned around. Tigress must be hiding somewhere else. Suddenly, Daigon came to a complete stop. Standing on top of the deck above looking down at her was the Tigress!
"Has anyone ever told you before that you're a sick and twisted bitch?", the Tigress taunted. She had located Daigon a few minutes earlier and had been stalking her prey, sizing her up. The hunter had now become the hunted.
"You!"
"Good guess, Miss Creepy! You win the grand prize! A kick in the head!" As she spoke, the Tigress pounced on the still startled Daigon. A flying kick connected into the armored breastplate and sent the Demoness tumbling backwards. The Tigress flipped and landed lightly on the balls of her bare feet. "Or was it a chop to the throat? I get them confused sometimes."
"I'll crush you like a bug!", Daigon roared as she scrambled to her feet. The cold and calculating demoness was gone. Daigon's emotions were now getting the best of her. She trembled with rage. "I'll rip your head off!"
"Typical bully," the Tigress taunted. "Big and tough when they've got the advantage, but they fall to pieces when someone stands up to them. Are you just all talk or do you have some fight left, butt ugly?"
Daigon screamed in rage and ran at the Tigress. The nimble feline easily sidestepped the anger-driven attack and casually tossed the armored mercenary over her hip. Daigon hit the deck with a loud thud.
"Gee, I thought you were some kind of professional thug," the Tigress continued. She could see that her taunting was getting to Daigon and she had no intention of letting up. "All I see is a pathetic little psycho in over her head. Seeing you in action, I'm amazed you're actually capable of getting a job. You're pathetic."
Enraged beyond coherent speech, Daigon rose once more and rushed at the Tigress. Daigon swung wildly and the Tigress simply leaped over the armored mercenary to avoid the blow.
Daigon turned to follow her foe and was greeted with a drop kick in the chest. It sent Daigon flying back once more and down to the deck again. The demoness landed within reach of the spare anchor. Dazed and disoriented, Daigon reached for the anchor.
"Hands off there, Miss Creepy!" The Tigress covered the distance in a graceful leap. She tumbled and came up with the anchor in hand a moment before Daigon could reach it. "But I like the idea!"
The Tigress spun and slammed the anchor across the helmet of Daigon with a resounding clang. The self-styled demoness went down without a whimper. Daigon lay unmoving on the deck.
"Home run," the Tigress announced as she tossed her makeshift weapon aside. "Now to wrap this up."
The Tigress examined the contents of the bag and pulled out several lengths of chain. "Nice." She casually wrapped them around the unconscious Daigon and locked them into place. "You're just lucky I don't throw you overboard like you were planning to do to me."
That task complete, the Tigress took a good look around. She had completed all of her objectives thus far. She had made contact with Sanctuary once more and was connected to the Wave Runner. The rest of the Young Champions were on their way. Raccoon had cut her exploration of the Radio Room short. There was a piece of equipment Tigress discovered in the closet that she wanted to get a closer look at.
Tigress did, however, notice Akeem standing close by. The sounds of the combat had attracted his attention. Howler's assistant didn't know what to make of this.
"Look, I don't beat up old guys," the Tigress stated as she stared at Akeem. "So don't get in my way or get any stupid ideas about letting Miss Creepy loose. And most definitely don't pull a gun on me."
"No hurt, please," Akeem pleaded as he nodded his understanding and slowly backed away. He retreated back to where he had been waiting at the front of the yacht.
"At least someone on this tub has some common sense," the Tigress chuckled.
The Tigress quickly scampered back below decks. She had no idea how long it would be before Tempest and Howler returned. Nor could she guess how they were going to react. Right now, Tigress had the upper hand and she wanted to keep it that way.
But first she wanted to spend a bit more time in the radio room. She'd contact the Wave Runner again to update them on the situation. If the device in the closet was a homing beacon like she suspected, then they would need to know its operating frequency. Once they had the frequency, then the Wave Runner could track the Jade Princess no matter where it went. Tigress doubted that Howler and her crew were even aware of its existence. Once that task was complete, then she would prepare for the return of Howler and Tempest.
Akeem waved frantically as he saw Howler and Tempest flying towards the Jade Princess. They had been gone nearly an hour and a half. Much had happened in their absence.
"We have found it, my friend!", Howler excitedly told her aide. "The pictoglyphs contain directions showing where Azkan led his people! There are also other parts that I'm having trouble deciphering. We should be able to figure them out by the time we arrive at the proper location."
"Trouble," Akeem managed to say in his limited English. Finally, he just switched to his native Arabic to convey his message faster.
"Where is everyone?", Tempest wondered aloud while Howler and Akeem spoke in Arabic. She looked around, but no one else was here except Akeem. Could Daigon have been causing trouble while they had been gone?
"Be on guard," Howler advised Tempest. "There has been fighting in our absence. My orders have been disobeyed yet again."
"It's Daigon causing trouble again! I knew she couldn't be trusted."
Howler conferred with Akeem once more in Arabic before switching back to Tempest and English. "This way," she instructed. Together they made their way down the side of the boat, towards the rear deck area of the Jade Princess.
Reaching the rear of the ship, Howler and Tempest discovered Daigon rolling back and forth on the deck, futility trying to break the chains imprisoning her. "Release me!", Daigon hissed upon seeing the two women.
"Way to go, Tigress!", Tempest applauded. "She took that witch down a peg or two!"
Howler glared at Daigon, displeasure clearly written on her face. The hidden meaning and intent of the chains and the anchor were not lost on the sonic villainess. "You continue to disappoint me, Daigon," Howler stated. "Obviously, you are not interested in profiting from this mission."
Before Daigon could respond, Howler turned and looked towards the upper deck of the Jade Princess. "I know you are up there," she called out. Howler's hypersensitive hearing had revealed that someone else was close by. "What are your intentions?"
"Huh?" Tempest also turned to look and a moment later Tigress stepped into view.
"Your choice of friends leaves a lot to be desired," Tigress simply stated. "Besides, we felines tend to dislike taking long dips in the water."
"She attacked us," Daigon shouted out. "This is all her fault!"
"Oh, yeah, like all this equipment ended up on deck by itself," Tigress retorted. "No one's buying your sob story, Miss Creepy. You're the instigator here."
"They are business associates, not friends," Howler corrected. "This mission started out about making a profit, not acquaintances. Daigon was specifically told to leave you alone."
Tempest watched the conversation unfold, unsure of what to say.
"You don't control your thugs very well, then, do you?" Tigress taunted back.
"There she is!" Everyone turned as the sound of Raccoon's voice reached their ears. Coming up from the front of the Jade Princess was the duo of Panda and Raccoon. It was a time consuming effort, but Raccoon had managed to break the cables that had been imprisoning him. Panda was freed a moment later.
"Let's get her!" Panda urged.
"Hey! Leave her alone!", Tempest cried out.
"Looks like Mr. and Mrs. Fuzzy are looking for some more action," Tigress observed.
Raccoon gestured and a field of darkness appeared around Tigress. It wasn't much of a hindrance as both Tigress and Tempest could still see well enough inside it.
"It's been a blast, but I'm bailing out on this pleasure cruise!" Not content to be a sitting target, the Tigress ran towards the side of the ship and dove into the tropical water. She quickly started to swim towards the nearby island.
"She's getting away!", Panda complained as she reached the railing. Both Panda & Raccoon lacked the power of flight, which limited their pursuit options.
"Let her go," Howler commanded. "She's made her choice now."
Both Panda and Raccoon looked back at Howler, unsure what to do. "Are you sure, boss?"
"Quite sure. Everything will be much smoother without her presence. I have the information we need. Prepare to get the Jade Princess underway. I'll provide you with our destination shortly."
"Whatever you say." Raccoon turned and headed towards the bridge. Panda stared at the swimming Tigress for a few more seconds. Someday she would make sure to pay the feline heroine back for what transpired this day. Her promise made, Panda followed Raccoon to the bridge.
"Release me!", Daigon commanded once more. "I'll go and teach that bitch a lesson she'll never forget. I'll bring her head back as a trophy."
Howler turned and faced her enforcer once more. At this point Howler could not be completely sure of Daigon's loyalties any longer. Not that she ever had any great trust of anyone here.
"Don't do it!", Tempest advised. "You promised me that no harm would come to Tigress. You let this happen and I am out of here!"
Howler spared Tempest a glance and then looked back at Daigon. She found it ironic that out of everyone here it was Tempest that she was beginning to trust the most. The young woman was the only one who had yet to come into conflict with Howler's plans.
Daigon, on the other hand, had repeatedly crossed Howler with her own agenda. That was something that could not be tolerated. If she released Daigon, then that would clearly upset Tempest. It was unknown what was at the location revealed in the underwater caves. Tempest's abilities might still prove useful for what lay ahead. No sense in alienating her at this point.
"No," Howler finally informed Daigon. "I shall not free you." The sonic villainess then spun on her heels and started to walk away.
A pleased look came over Tempest's face. She went to follow Howler, pausing only to stick out her tongue at the armored enforcer.
"You're making a big mistake," Daigon hissed.
Anger clearly etched on her face, Howler turned back towards Daigon. "It is you who has made the mistakes, Daigon. You have repeatedly disobeyed me. Consider this your punishment. I will free you once we are underway and well away from this island. Until then, sit back and enjoy the ride."
Daigon seethed with anger, but said nothing. There would be reckoning soon enough and Daigon would greatly enjoy it.
Epilogue:
The Tigress pulled herself out of the water and up on to the rocks. It was the island closest to the Jade Princess. In the water the Tigress' maneuverability was limited. She was a wide-open target. If she could reach the jungle, then she would be in her element again.
Glancing back, Tigress was surprised to discover that there were no signs of pursuit. Instead, the Jade Princess was raising anchor. The yacht's engines were turned on and the craft began to slowly move away. They were leaving!
"Well, that's a surprise." The Tigress was sure that Daigon would be coming after her one more time. While mildly surprised at this development, the Tigress was not about to question her good fortune. Unless it was some kind of trick. Of course, Howler was probably just happy to get Tigress out of her hair.
She scampered across the rocks and headed inland. The Tigress made her way to the highest point of the island. With her feline leaping abilities, the top of the island was rapidly reached.
Looking out, Tigress could see the Jade Princess moving away on what she would estimate to be a north by northwest course. Obviously, Howler had discovered the direction to this lost tribe she was searching for. The Jade Princess grew more and more distant until it faded over the horizon. It wasn't until that point when Tigress finally relaxed.
"Looks like I'm marooned on an island now," the Tigress muttered as she climbed down from the top of the islands. "This adventure just keeps getting better and better."
At best, the Wave Runner was about a day and a half away from her. They had the coordinates for this island, so the Tigress' stay was going to be a short one. She just hoped that she would be able to scrounge up something to eat.
"Guess I'll be able to work on my tan."
As she climbed down, Tigress spotted movement out on the ocean. Her sharp eyes picked out what appeared to be the periscope of submarine lowering into the water. It was quickly gone, but the Tigress could just barely make out a dark shape beneath the water. The shape moved away in the same direction as the Jade Princess had gone.
"Now that complicates things," the Tigress thought to herself.
