Cyberlink Cove

Chapter 15

*THREE WEEKS LATER*

CYBERLINK COVE (SKYHOOK ISLE)-2078

(Dedicated to LarryStylinsonHome for the cover on the right!)

 

Mina pulled on a loose-fitting shirt and stretchy pants, grabbing a lightweight backpack and slipping on a pair of thin gloves. She tucked a gun into a holster at her hip, slipping a few small daggers into the sheaths at her belt. Finally, Mina pulled on a form-fitting cotton jacket, concealing the weapons at her waist.

 

She stuck a few hairpins into her loose bun and affixed a comm link behind her ear, obscuring it from view with a few wisps of her inky black hair. For good measure, Mina perched a cheery sunhat on her head to blend in with the masses of tourists.

 

“Ready?” Jared asked, poking his head into the basement.

 

“Ready,” Mina responded, clomping up the creaky wooden steps. She joined her group upstairs. Glenn was the boat captain, Mina and Es were the thieves, Isla and Philip were backup, and Danny the techie.

 

Glenn grinned when he saw Mina. “Long time no see,” he chuckled, and Mina smiled amiably at him.

 

“Long time no see,” she echoed.

 

“Everyone here?” Isla asked as Danny joined them.

 

“Looks like it,” Es told her. The six people tromped out to the Middle Finger, where ten motorboats had been moored.

 

Pirates of all shapes and sizes had converged on the rocky shore. There was porcelain-skinned Daria (who happened to be a techie like Tina, which explained her overly-pale skin) and coffee-colored Albert; tiny, petite Mina to tough, muscular Primrose (her name was not a good indicator of her appearance, nor was it an especially accurate indicator of her talents).You had coolheaded Danny and feisty Isla; happy-go-lucky Glenn and pragmatic Eli. The pirates were essentially a melting pot of all ethnicities and ages (ranging from just fifteen to around forty or fifty, though Dalton Tomilson, a relative of Eli's, was considerably older), a hodgepodge of accents and skill sets.

 

Outside, the sky was the color of freshly fallen snow, drained of all color. The day appeared just slightly overcast with the no signs at all of the golden sun showing through the cloud blanket. There was a crisp bite to the air, a chilly breeze that somewhat cut through the pirates’ light clothing-a product of the gloomy, wet afternoon from the day before.

 

Tina, as usual, would be staying behind on Skyhook with a few other pirates to monitor all things technological. Comm links, button cams, you name it-Tina knew how to operate it. She had somehow, by a magical twist of fate, been offered a scholarship in computer and technology sciences at an university on Haven. This shocked rich and poor alike, as usually only powerful, influential families managed to acquire scholarships for their children. The wealthy were outraged; the poverty stricken were overjoyed. Needless to say, Tina Aritza was head of anything to do with communications and overriding security.