The Pirates of Cyber Island

The Pirates of Cyber Island is the third book in The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest book series.

The novel is credited to "Brad Quentin", the pseudonym used for all the books in the series. The actual author is unconfirmed.

Premise
Official synopsis from the back cover: "BLACK HEART AND BLUE EYES

They are two of the most bloodthirsty pirates who ever lived. And instead of sailing the Caribbean, they surf the electric sea of cyberspace.

Jonny and Hadji have discovered a gang of outlaw hackers planning to ransack the entire Internet! And to prove they are serious, they have kidnapped Jessie!

Don't miss this new nonstop action adventure, as Jonny Quest fights a Virtual Reality duel to the death with the wickedest cutthroats of the World Wide Web!"

Plot summary
Jonny and Jessie battle in QuestWorld. Jonny begins altering the programming, and Hadji intervenes as referee, turning troops into dinosaurs and making them dance, calling an end to it. With the reset, they load up a game of Super Destroyer, but something else interrupts them as they begin to play. A pirate ship appears, and Hadji confirms it's an invading virus program. It begins pulling their data, and Jonny fires a virtual harpoon at the ship. The virtual reality scenario unravels and Hadji shouts for Jonny to log out. Jonny does so, and he tells Hadji and Jessie that he got them with a "tracer bug", a "Net engine that will seek their signal out". They review what the intruders did to QuestWorld, and find a large portion of it gone, stolen by the pirating invaders.

The team informs Dr. Quest. Race comes in with a report of actual high-seas piracy sent to them from the U.N. Dr. Quest tells Jonny that he did good work with the tracer, and he needs him to go back into QuestWorld to find the cyber-pirates.

Back in the lighthouse, Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji log onto QuestWorld with Dr. Quest monitoring, while Race talks to heads of state. Just for show, Dr. Quest and Hadji have created British-empire style ship and clothes for them to wear on their mission. Dr. Quest gets a reading on Jonny's tracer that the cyber-pirates are in the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology (P.I.T.) computer system, which has one of the world's best virtual reality systems. The team goes there in virtual reality to investigate, and confronts the cyber-pirates that attacked QuestWorld. After some barbs, the pirates introduce themselves as Morgan and Blackheart, and they proclaim that they're just taking information which should be free. They were aware of Jonny's tracer harpoon and were expecting them, but they pry it out now. After the Quest Team announces they'll stop them, the cyber-pirates fire canons on their ship. The Quest Team returns fire, and as Hadji goes to run computer analysis, their ship is boarded. Blackbeard's heard of "the famous Jonny Quest", and Jonny says that the games are fun but they shouldn't be used to steal things. Morgan tries to get the Quest Team to join them, saying that "the seas of cyberspace should be free" and they can "concoct a reality in cyberspace far beyond the wildest dreams of the feeble moralists of this Dark Age". But they don't agree, and Jonny and Jessie begin sword-fighting Blackheart and Morgan. During the fight, they realize what Hadji's doing, and Blackheart aims a pistol at Hadji. Blackheart pulls the trigger and hits the controls in front of Hadji. He and Morgan swing back to their own ship and leave.

As Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji recover and prepare to return, a man appears on the deck of their ship. He identifies himself as Jacob Givens, the security officer of VR Research at PIT. Givens accuses the three of them to blame for the security breach, but Dr. Quest speaks to him, recognizing him as Dr. Givens. They share some information, and the nature of the programs stolen from P.I.T. were related to artificial intelligence. Dr. Quest says that they have some leads and Race has an assignment, and the Quest Team heads home.

In the New York harbor, Jonny is almost struck when a loading cable snaps. Captain Frietag questions his new first mate Bobby Jenkins about it. The freighter ships Dawkins is shipping some important computer equipment, and the Quest Team hopes the pirates will strike again. The incident will delay them an hour, and Dr. Quest radios Race about it, who's with Jessie and Bandit. Their conversation is overheard by a man in another part of the ship. The man reports to his superior that the "accident" didn't take out any of the Quest Team, and his superior orders him to kill them. Aboard the Quester catamaran, Jessie and Race see a storm coming. Jessie wonders if pirates will avoid the bait in a storm. Then Jonny radios, telling them someone's attacked Dr. Quest.

Gladys Pinchot (aka Morgan Blue-Eyes) tells Howard Nervin (aka Blackheart) that she's worried about the guy they're working with. She thinks he really hates the Quests and that someone's going to die. Howie tries to reassure her that no one's going to get hurt. They receive a message from their associate that the Dawkins will be attacked that night.

Earlier, while Jonny, Hadji, and Dr. Quest were walking the deck of the ship, someone shot at them and Dr. Quest fell down a ladder. Hadji sees to him and reports that he's alive, but knocked unconscious. Jonny pursues the shooter. They fight in the dark, and Jonny can only see that the man is wearing a ski mask, before the man gets away, slipping back into the ship among the crew.

Over the radio, Race asks Jonny if Dr. Quest is all right, and Jonny reports he has a slight concussion. Race is concerned that there may be more than one person on the ship out to get them, but there isn't anything they can do at the moment.

On the Dawkins, Jonny and Hadji watch over their sedated father as he rests, and agree to take turns watching him in case there's another attempt on his life. As they play a game of chess over their laptops, there's a commotion outside their cabin, and gunfire. Hadji tries to make radio contact with the Quester, but something's jamming the radio signal. Jonny wakes his father, but Dr. Quest is too sedated to help investigate the situation, so Jonny and Hadji go to get pictures. They see a helicopter has landed on the ship and Captain Frietag is speaking with them, but not fighting. First mate Bobby Jenkins finds the boys and tells them his real name is Steve Roberts and he's an agent with International Commerce Insurance Investigations. He tells the boys that their best chance is for them and their father to hide until the pirates have to leave, but as they start to head back, they're spotted. Roberts tells them to run and he jumps down into the fight.

The boys run to the radio room, but there's someone already in there. The man holds a gun on them and introduces himself as Sven Larson, a self-proclaimed "cyber-pirate", and he tells them he intends to kill them and Dr. Quest. Captain Frietag joins them and tells them where Dr. Quest is, and reveals that he's working with the pirates. Just as Larson is about to march the boys outside and kill them, a radio message comes through for codename "Fireball", telling Larson to keep the Quest Team alive. The next morning, Captain Frietag tells Race that pirates boarded their ship the night before, stole equipment, and kidnapped Dr. Quest, Jonny, and Hadji. Race asks Captain Frietag to send a report to the authorities, and Race gives him the coordinates of an island he suspects is where the pirates are based. Race and Jessie intend to go rescue their team.

Sven, who's in charge of security of the pirate operation, wants to kill the prisoners, but Howard and Gladys disagree. Sven used to be in the Navy S.E.A.L.s with Race and knows he'll come for the prisoners. Gladys and Howard plan to use Dr. Quest to help with their work. They call in Dr. Nagasaki. Meanwhile, in their prison cell, Jonny is trying to come up with a way out. Howard speaks to them through an intercom. Hadji meditates and projects his spirit.

Race and Jessie have found the island, and Race left Jessie on the Quester to keep in touch with the authorities. After being chased by guard dogs on the island, Race gets over a wall into the compound. Jesus reports to him that she has half-access to QuestWorld and someone is trying to talk to her. The authorities are ready to storm the island but they need Race to get proof before they move in. Race moves closer to the compound but is stopped by a man holding a gun in him.

Using meditation and shortish protection, Hadji is able to communicate with Jessie through QuestWorld. He can help her access the pirate's network and possibly open their cell, so they head in. Meanwhile, Dr. Nagasaki is prepared for surgery and looking forward to working on Dr. Quest. They intend to surgically "graft on a cyberconnection" to Dr. Quest, Jonny, and Hadji to create their supercomputer. Howard leaves to retrieve them for the operation.

Race draws his own weapons against Sven but knows he might get taken out anyway, so he baits Sven into hand to hand combat instead. As they fight, Sven taunts Race by telling him what's going to happen to Dr. Quest, Jonny, and Hadji: "They're going to pull their brains out and put them into an interface fluid structure connected to a supercomputer. The computer can use their superior neural pathways to become immensely powerful" and even artificially intelligent. Race knocks him out and heads on to save the others.

Hadji and Jessie continue to navigate in QuestWorld through the island security system. They find the controls for the locked cells, but the Quester is boarded and Jessie is pulled from QuestWorld. As Hadji goes to override the lock, a security system in the firm of a dragon appears.

In the prison cell, Hadji collapses. As Jonny and Dr. Quest try to wake him, the locks on their cell open. They carry Hadji out of the cell. Guards look for then and they hide in a janitor's closet. Hadji wakes and informs them that Jessie's been taken. He's mapped their computers and guides them to the central computer. It's clear that the pirates intend to connect human brains to the computer, and Dr. Quest decides to put an end to it. Howard and Gladys walk in, talking about their plans to dominate the entire internet and take control of nuclear weapons. Jonny realizes that can use the VR equipment there to fight them virtually and stop them.

In virtual reality, Blackheart/Howard and Morgan/Gladys prepare the neutral link to begin, when the Quests strike. Jonny and Hadji knock them down and destroy their virtual ship, their method of creating the neural link. Joint and Hadji log out and learn that Dr. Quest used the system to knock out Howard and Gladys, but they'll live. Race enters the room holding a gun on the security team. Jonny and Dr. Quest step out to meet him. Sven comes in holding Jessie at gun point with a team of security with him.

As Sven threatens, they're interrupted by sirens. The United States military is coming in. As Sven is distracted, Jessie fights back and disarms him. Race kicks Sven out of the room to fall into the yard. The security team surrenders, but Sven has gets away in the Bell helicopter. One of them informs them that the Bell hasn't been refueled, so Sven won't get far. Jonny informs them that Captain Frietag is also working with the pirates and needs to be arrested. Dr. Quest makes plans to use the computers on the island for good such as teaching.

Characters
Main:
 * Jonny Quest
 * Hadji Bingh
 * Jessie Bannon
 * Dr. Benton Quest
 * Race Bannon
 * Bandit

Antagonists:
 * Gladys Pinchot, aka Morgan Blue-Eyes, the Terror of the High Virtual Seas
 * Howard "Howie" Nervin, aka Blackheart the Pirate
 * Sven Larson, a cyber-pirate, in charge of security
 * Dr. Nagasaki, surgeon who intends to perform a cyberconnection graft
 * Jeremiah Surd

Other characters:
 * Dr. Jacob Givens, security officer of VR Research at P.I.T.
 * Donald Frietag, Captain of the Dawkins
 * Steve Roberts aka Bobby Jenkins, First Mate of the Dawkins

Locations

 * Maine
 * Quest Compound
 * Lighthouse
 * Dr. Quest's library
 * Questworld
 * Pennsylvania Institute of Technology
 * New York
 * New York City
 * Manhattan
 * New York harbor
 * Caribbean
 * Unnamed Caribbean Island used by the pirates
 * Disneyland
 * Puerto Rico
 * Sunnyvale
 * Panama
 * Los Angeles

Objects

 * VR headset
 * Fantasky, CD-ROM video game that spawned a franchise

Vehicles

 * Virtual pirate ship
 * Virtual British man-of-war ship
 * Dawkins, a freighter
 * Quester catamaran
 * Bell helicopter

Notes/trivia

 * North America edition ISBN-10: ISBN 0-06-105717-7 / ISBN-13: ISBN 978-0-06-105717-5
 * UK editions ISBN-10: ISBN 0-00-675266-7 / ISBN-13: ISBN 978-0-00-675266-0
 * The book consists of twenty chapters plus a scientific afterword. It's 119 pages.
 * Jonny is 14 years old, Jessie is 15 years old, and Hadji is 16 years old. Dr. Quest is 52 years old. Race is 38 years old.
 * Dr. Quest puts a pipe in his mouth, but doesn't light it.
 * Hadji is able to project his mind into Quest World and fully interact with Jessie there.
 * Jessie is able to half-access QuestWorld while still being present and aware in the real world, which is the first time this is done in the series.

Goofs and inconsistencies:
 * Hadji is named Hadji Bingh in the novel, but he's named Hadji Singh in the main series.
 * Jessie is stated to have brunette hair, but her hair is red in the TV series. The previous novel stated that her hair is jet black.
 * Dr. Quest is stated to have gray eyes, but he has brown eyes in the TV series.
 * Race is stated to be a former Marine, and is later stated to be a former Navy SEAL, but the Marines and the Navy are separate branches; however, it's possible for Race to have been both if he left either the Marines or the Navy to enlist in the other branch. He's a former Intelligence One agent in the TV series, and a former Navy SEAL in the first novel.
 * Typo: On page 57 it has "that" instead of "than" for the line: "I mean, he was fiercer that Bill Gates cornered by government antitrust people."