[Swordfish941]

Katie silently entered her cabin, trying not to wake Lynn. Lynn was one of the ship's three engineers, the other two being Rocco and Todd. She placed her Walther on her nightstand next to a larger handgun, a Sig Sauer .45. Katie began to dress, putting on fresh undergarments, followed by a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of tennis shoes. She laid down on her bed and picked up a book. It was Less Than Zero. She felt a connection to the book's characters. She was once a party girl like them. She would go to the "it's happening" place, get drunk, smoke a joint or two, and usually pass out. That was before she had meet Greg. She was a medical school graduate and in a relationship with a man name Paul Dieter. At first he seemed like a nice guy, but he was a cocaine addict and would beat her while he was all strung out.

She had meet Greg while they were both living in Pretoria. The night they had met was a dark one, but rather humid. She was walking home, her mind a million miles away. She was suddenly grabbed by the collarbone and thrusted back into an alley. She felt cold metal on her neck.

"You fucking shut your mouth bitch, or I'll slit your throat." said a gruff voice. The man placed her against a wall and she got a better view of him. The man The man was an albino with a shaved head and dilated eyes. Another man was behind him. The second man had his nose, eyebrows, ears, and lips pierced, and his eyes where also dialated. "You give us your money and we'll let you go. If you make a peep, we'll cut your belly open. Do you understand?" Katie was too scared to answer. "Do you fucking understand, you fuckin' bitch?"

"Now is that any way to treat a lady?" a third voice said. The skinhead turned around and got jabbed in the face. The man grabbed the knife, stabbed the skinhead in the back, and delivered a second punch to the face, this time leaving it bloody. The man with piercings grabbed a wooden board and attempted to hit the man, but the man grabbed it from his hands, bashed him over his head, and delivered a heel kick to the chest, knocking him into a row of trash bins.

The man approached Katie. She could see a better view of him, with his dark brown hair and seductive hazel eyes that seemed to twinkle at her. "You're lucky that you don't live in Johannesburg." he said. "Compared to Joburg, this place is basically Pleasentville. Anyway, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gregory, but I prefer to be called Greg. You have a name?"

"My . . . my name is Katie."

"Is there anything I can do for you, Katie? Do you want something to eat? Something to drink?"

"A drink would be nice."

"Good. I know a bar where they serve first rate drinks. I'll buy."