(Reformatted)
Second chapter down and it's quite a bit longer than the first. In the future I don't think i'll follow the story this closely, but i wanted to set up the world Jim, Wren, and Silver live in. Still kind of new at this, so bear with me. If you're unfamiliar with the movie Treasure Planet you might get a little confused, so a little summary... Some random turtle named Billy Bones crashes in Jim's front yard, gives him a bronze ball with weird crop-circle looking things on it, warns him about a cyborg and promptly dies. Then the assumed pirate cyborg looking for this unassuming circular map comes and burns down the inn with Jim, Sarah (his awesome mother) and Dr. Doppler barely escaping in a cart maned by a hopping frog horse named Deliah. Jim finds a way to unlock the map, randomly using up twenty years of luck all at once, and they discover the map leads to Treasure Planet, Dr. Doppler geeks out and hires a crew and ship for the voyage, turns out this guy, dog, thing, is loaded. Skip forward with movie magic and we have out story.
I hope you enjoy the story and feel free to comment and slander my work. I love all my readers.
P.S. The writing get's better later, trust me, so this sorry excuse of a chapter will hopefully be forgotten if you have a little faith and keep on reading. I think the story get's more interesting, but that's for you to decide if you read past this chapter. Thanks again!
Clank! Clink. Clank! Clink. Pause… Clank! Clink, squeal! Rattle! Rattle. Clumpclumpclump.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!"
"Sorry!" Sigh. Clank! Clink. Rattle. Pause. Clunk!
"Do you know the way to the 67th pier?" Clunk! Rattle.
"Circuit 8 on your right." Rattle, clink.
"You can't miss it." Clack, chink! Clump, clump. Clank! Stare, stare, stare.
"Thanks." Rub face, and sigh. Rattle, Clank! Clink. Thud. Pause. Clump, thud. Pause. Clink, Long pause…
"It's the suit isn't it?" Jim stopped mid sigh and looked up at Dr. Doppler, "no…" he trailed off unsure on how to continue since, yes, it was definitely the suit.
"I never should've listened to that two headed sales man!" clunkity Clank! "This one said it fit, that one said it was my color!" The doctor flailed his arms about looking even more ridiculous, if that was possible moaning to his young companion about his strange problems.
"I didn't know what to do!"
Jim had long since tuned out the rambling doctor. Looking around at the people he searched for a ship that couldn't be missed. Stepping carefully around a stall of bouncing melons, Jim looked back and forth seeing many things that couldn't be missed, a giant man comprised entirely of whirling grains of sand, small beaked creatures wobbling around underfoot, six legged tribesmen from the Planet Erram, their leathery skin hanging in loose folds from their long protruding necks attached to small heads that swiveled around strangely staring at everything with large vacant eyes. He heard conversations about death and life and about things in between. Some conversations brushing past his sharp ears never to trigger a meaning, the bear people of Solomga gargling harsh sounding words to each other, the hissing language of the lizard people crawling around on their stubby legs, sinister black eyes shifting from side to side, red tongues darting in and out tasting the dusty air, a language comprised entirely of pips and squeaks the users bouncing up and down out of a jewelry store. Jim saw a quick fingered runt brush past a man and come away with a wallet, dirty face and hollow cheeks grinning from ear to ear, he saw store clerks sell blue pendants and hot sandwiches, hollering at the top of their lungs eager to get some buyers for their over-priced goods, the tourists drawn to flashy ornaments sparkling in the sun, their bright floral shirts practically screaming, someone come and swindle me. Jim watched and observed listening and learning. The city embracing him a blanket of anonymity, folded hidden in its folds. He turned and was suddenly faced with the most beautiful think he ever saw. His mouth opened slightly and he stood gazing in amazement, blue eyes widening a slow smile spreading across his face. He was enraptured by her beauty sitting serenely at the dock. He stood rooted to the spot people passing by him, of no importance anymore.
Clank, clunk, "…and I just get so flustered!" Crash! Jim stumbled forward bumped by the doctor's metal belly.
"Sorry!" Dr. Doppler adjusted his glasses shaking his head. Jim ignored his apology and continued to stare at the new love of his life. Dr. Doppler did a double take and caught his stare, "Oh Jim!" he grinned, "This is our ship!" He said proudly, "The R.L.S Legacy!" He announcing gesturing grandly.
Jim stared at the elegant space ship in awe. Cranes lifting wooden crates on board, ropes and beams moving in an ever changing beautifully messy pattern as the crew clambered around loading the magnificent vessel. There was shouting and ordering on the ship the general noise making a very pleasant sound. She herself was tall and shining. Glowing in a beautiful golden light, blue accents lighting her sides, pulsing with power. Her solar sails tied tightly to the mast. The Legacy was beautiful and Jim fell instantly and madly in love with her.
Clunk, squeal! Jim cringed. The creaking sound of Dr. Doppler's suit was really starting to grate on his ears. But despite the constant rattling and clanking that accompanied Dr. Doppler and therefore Jim everywhere, Jim couldn't smother the smile that broke out across his face. He let out a quiet laugh looking up at the soaring masts and couldn't believe he was really here. He turned in slow circles trying to take everything in. The joy on his face a long missed sight that recently could only be placed there by breaking the law and doing death defying tricks. He never meant for it to go this far. It's not like he wanted to get in trouble, it's not like he wanted to make his mother cry. He just wanted to be free, to live, to have a little excitement. He wanted to get out of the inn, out from under everyone's judging eyes and from under his mother's disappointed gaze. He just wanted to escape the prison he was trapped in for so long that when he finally did get out he just… just… Jim sighed, he felt awful for being so happy when his mother was probably worrying herself to death, it wasn't fair to her, it wasn't fair that he got stuck isolated on that hill top, stuck in that inn, it wasn't fair that somebody burned down that inn and his only home and took away everything he ever knew. It wasn't fair, but the world wasn't fair, life wasn't fair and here he was laughing in the light of the sun despite the odds that said he never ever would. Jim was a sailor, it ran in his blood and those born riding the light of the stars will return to them. Yes, here he was laughing in the face of fate, the happiness ready to burst from his chest. Laughing from the insurmountable hope of anticipation and excitement that might be misleading but Jim couldn't bring himself to care, because finally. Finally, in what felt like a thousand years he felt like he was alive. He felt like he was home.
Giddy, was the only word to describe it, giddy. Jim wasn't giddy. Jim was never giddy. Yet here he was twirling around like a school girl in a shoe store. Giddy, the word tasted bad in Jim's mouth, and it felt so wrong, he was supposed to be the stoic, calm, couldn't-care-less, solar surfing boy. Not some bumbling absentminded geek. He tried to fix a stern expression on his face but was failing miserably. With the way this was going he was going to end up like Dr. Doppler.
Clank, clump, rattle. "Wow! Look at the trajectory of those spacegulls! Fascinating." The doctor ran to the side of the boat trying to lean out and see them, but finding it difficult with the metal belly that protruded three times too large from his suit.
Jim shook his head, no, he'd never end up like Dr. Doppler at least he hoped to god he never would. The doctor ran past him rattling and clanking all the way, clink, rattle, rattle, clink, "look! Look! There they go!" He pointed excitedly. Jim laughed nervously watching the doctor and suddenly felt he had to make it official, god please don't let me end up like him, he prayed up to some sort of higher being. Not that there was anything wrong with Dr. Doppler. Jim just had an aversion to looking like a complete and utter fool.
The doctor was shouting something about wingspan and aviation when Jim caught sight of a crate sailing over the side of the ship clattering loudly on board. Jim leapt back, surprised if nothing else, he looked around confused where the heck did that come from? Then a girl followed the crate, launching herself over the ship's wooden railing. Loose billowing white shirt flapping in the wind, hair swirling around her, vaulting in a serene smooth arc alongside the crate. She lands firmly on the deck, flying hair settling around her shoulders, booted feet casually resting on the ship's wooden planks.
She shifts her weight smoothly from front to back and turns, "hey! Everything's loaded!" She shouts over her shoulder tapping the crate. Jim stared at the girl, did she just throw that crate onto the ship? How the heck did she throw that onto the ship? The think was easily as big as she was and probably heavier. How in the world did she get that onto the ship? Jim looked at the girl who was talking to someone to his right, she didn't have any extra arms, she didn't have pink skin or a third eye, she looked like a regular good old-fashioned human, with two hands, two feet, and no extra elbows. Actually for a human, the girl was beautiful, in a terrifying exotic kind of way, piercing golden eyes shone fiercely from underneath express eyebrows. Black hair swirling around her, high cheekbones and a stubborn chin framing a face comprised of full lips and a small nose. She paused settling her weight on her heels looking at someone, listening while they shout something at her and a grin breaks out on her face.
"Well do it yourself then!" she says, a smile playing on her lips. While the recipient yelled something she crossed her arms leaning against the railing, listening with a confident grin on her face. She lifted her chin at the sailor's remarks and shouted, "go ahead and try!" The man shouted something and the girl laughed as the speaker continued. Jim was enraptured by the girl's animated face. The harsh smile seemed to be a permanent fixture on her lips, one side pulled up farther than the other, flashing brilliant white teeth, natural, charming, and horrible for the recipient's heart. It gave her a dangerous aura, telling of exiting adventures and mysteries in faraway lands, unspoken dangers and years of life threatening experiences that her grin had stuck on for. She was the very image of any romanticized sailor depicted in a million story books. Charming, confident, and charismatic. Dangerous smile playing across a deceptively relaxed face. A wicked glint in her eye told of her spunky personality. She looked the part, open collared white shirt tucked into dark pants, and dark pants tucked into black leather boots, very clean leather boots. Several belts looped around her small waist, hung with an assortment of various pouches and several knives. Mesmerizing, strong, and independent. And she was a girl, which made her all the more appealing to an equally daring and independent boy.
The golden eyed girl continued to joke around with the sailor, comfortably seated against the rail. She fell silent still grinning and nodding sticking a toothpick between her brilliant white teeth. Her eyes drifted away from the speaker, not really listening any more, sliding to land, quite by accident and statistically a certainty, on Jim.
The boy never stood a chance. Because the cosmos decided today, the biggest day of Jim's life, to tack on another complication it had owed him since he entered that awkward faze between child and adult; it decided to throw in the downfall of every man to ever grace the earth and otherwise. Jim didn't know yet that the universe had decided to royally screw him over, give him the cosmic middle finger, to have fate put a proverbial road block to any emotional contentment for the rest of his life. The universe threw in the one thing that would, with complete certainty and impunity, destroy any young man. The universe, gave him a girl.
Jim's eyes widened embarrassed to be caught staring, but the girl's grin didn't falter.
She turned to him and raised a hand in greeting, "hey."
Jim turned red against his will, feeling his face heat up and for once unable to say or do anything, his usually snarky comebacks sadly lagging. He felt like he wanted to run away.
"Hey…." He said awkwardly and taking a step back. His backwards step was met by an outraged "Phbtttttt!" The girl's eyebrows shot up in surprise as Jim turned around to be faced with an infuriated pink flabby slug looking thing.
"sorry! Sorry."
The slug looked down at the shoe print embedded in what Jim assumed was part of its foot, and back up angrily, "Phbbt, Fuppt, Derepth! Thibbit!" it indignantly phbted. Jim could hear muffled giggling behind him and turned even redder.
"Furp! Furp! Bwep! Thbit!' The slug blew at him and Jim looked faintly confused and even more annoyed as he blew away one of his strands of hair displaced by the enraged rear end noises.
Clank, clank! "Don't worry Jim, I'll handle this!" Dr. Doppler said, and Jim nearly sighed knowing the doctor could only make this worse since embarrassing was practically stamped across his metal forehead. The doctor stuck out his tongue and inflated his cheeks.
"Thbbbbbbbbtttt. Theemph, squirt squeak, thmbbbg, ththththththtttt. Fupt, thibbit."
There was a moment of silence as the slug creature looked at the doctor incredulously and Jim smacked his forehead. Then it burst out into a series of squeaks that could only be described as laughter. The doctor took his hand out from his armpit and smiled, clonk.
"I'm fluent in Flatulla Jim, took two years of it in high school." He saluted the slug, "thbttt." And walked away.
Clunk, clink, rattle. Jim patted his hair back in place still confused but slightly impressed, flatulla, cool.
"Actually its theewpt."
Jim turned around surprise etched on his face one hair sticking straight up. He came face to face with a brilliant smile nearly blinded by it unable to speak for a moment.
"Uh…" She looked at the surprised boy nearly laughing at his wide eyed shock and a hair sticking straight up like a spire.
"He called both of you lumbering qumquats." Jim was still unable to say anything and the girl flashes another sympathetic smile, "make sure your friend gets it right next time." she pats down his hair and winks. With one last impish grin she turns and walks away leaving a stunned Jim Hawkins behind in her wake.
Let it not be said that the universe didn't get back at people who laughed at fate, because the universe truly and utterly did get Jim Hawkins that day. The boy who dared laugh in the face of fate got completely and absolutely obliterated, and all the universe had to do was send a certain golden eyed, rebellious girl with a complicated past to conquer the offender. But she was another story, the universe didn't know what it was signing up for when they sent her, because she had defied the universe for years and years, and had gotten quite good at it. The Universe made a mistake pairing the two together, somewhere in the grand scheme of things its logic was flawed, because anyone could see putting two rebellious teenagers together would only make Jim even more stubborn. It had made the problem worse. The universe was trying to bend a queen of defiance and it was by no means ready. Wren was the universe's nightmare, or a nightmare for any matchmaking force great or small, because Wren new that love boats don't exist.
"Come on men! Heave together now!" The MountainMan stood erect looking smart in his tailcoat that strained at his broad shoulders, his stony skin contrasting with the red velvet. His loud stern voice echoed out to shout orders at the crew. Dr. Doppler walked over to him, clanking along unsteadily.
"Good morning captain!" he saluted, "everything ship shape?"
The MountainMan turned and answered flatly, "Ship shape indeed." He smiled. "But I am not the captain."
Dr. Doppler's eyebrows shot up, "huh?"
The stone skinned man pointed up, "The captains aloft."
Jim and Dr. Doppler looked up to see the feline captain flip off the mast and swing on a rope to somersault and land at attention on her feet. Dr. Doppler's visor banged shut. The captain paced on her high heeled boots talking at rapid pace.
"Mr. Arrow I've checked this miserable ship from stem to stern and as usual, it's spot on, can you get nothing wrong?"
The man smiled, tipping his hat, "You flatter me captain."
She waved him away and turned to the out of place looking pair, one more out of place than the other.
"Oh! Doctor Doppler I assume."
The doctor was tongue tied stuttering unsure what to say. Jim smiled, cat got your tongue?
"Uhh… I uh, uhh, yes!"
The captain stepped in, "hello!" she knocked on his helmet, "can you hear me?"
That got the doctor back into sorts, "yes I can hear you! Stop that banging!" He shook his head and tried to pull off the helmet.
The captain looked at his strange suit and put her claws on the rectangle protruding from his stomach, "If I may doctor this works so much better when it's right way up" she twisted and pulls out a wire whirling the doctor around, "and plugged in." she sticks it in the back sparks running through the suit. "Lovely, there you go."
He angrily turned to face her finally managing to pop his helmet off, "thank you!" he grabs the plug from his back, "but I think I can manage my own plugging!" he shakes the end of the plug at her offended.
She ignores his outraged cry and grabs his outstretched hand and shaking, the plug spinning back into his suit.
"I'm Captain Amelia, lately had a few run ins with the Pearson armada, nasty business but I won't bore you with the details if you must ask." She spouts out quickly with a no nonsense tone, Jim and the doctor barely keeping up.
She turns to her friend, "You've met the first officer Mr. Arrow. Sterling! Tough, Dependable! Honest, brave and true." She said rapidly punctuating each word with a gesture. He bows slightly blushing, a strange thing to do for a man with stony skin, "please captain…"
"Oh shut up harry, you know I don't mean a word of it." She says offhandedly.
Dr. Doppler interjects feeling left out. "I hate to interrupt this, lovely banter but may I introduce to you. Jim Hawkins, you see Jimmy is the boy who found the treasure…"
"Doctor!" The captain squeezed his mouth shut with her claws, she looks around cat eyes sliding left and right. "May I have a word with you in my office?"
Jim turns the metal map around in his pocket feeling the bumps and ridges that made up its surface. The map had been the cause of all the recent strange events in his life, a turtle man named billy bones, dying in his living room, pirates burning down the Benboe Inn. It was a lot of trouble for a tiny bronze sphere, but considering the fact that it lead to a planet full of treasure, really he was expecting more trouble. Just thinking about holding all that treasure in his hands was exciting, and also, strangely terrifying what would he do with all that money? He couldn't use all of it in his lifetime or the next ten lifetimes.
"…Imbecilic and I mean that in a very caring way."
People would kill for that type of money, people have killed for that kind of money, bringing home that treasure could endanger his mother. Someone could kidnap her for ransom, or even Dr. Doppler, as kooky as he was, Jim still loved him for taking care if his mother so well. He had wanted freedom but was money really going to give him that? For instance standing in the captain's office was oppressing enough.
"May I see the map?"
Jim's head jerked up. The feline stared at him, tail twitching. She wanted the map. But it was his map, he found it. Jim glared back at her, this is why he hated adults, they always expected him to comply with everything they said. He grit his teeth hand clenching around the map protectively. The captain starred down at him imperiously knowing she was in the right as they glared at each other. Finally Jim looked away and tossed her the map. Instantly feeling the loss as she locked it away, missing its comforting weight in his pocket.
"From now on you will address me as captain or ma'am understood?"
Jim clenched his jaw, really not wanting to say anything just to be spiteful.
"Mr. Hawkins?"
Jim finally ground out, "yes ma'am."
She frowned "That'll do."
She addressed Dr. Doppler and Jim turned away hating himself for giving her that much power, but what could he do? She could toss him off the ship and his journey would've ended before it even began, Jim was reckless, but he wasn't stupid.
The captain paused in her relentless slew of back handed insults at the doctor, "What did I say? I said something rather good this morning before coffee." She turned to her first mate.
He supplied, "a ludicrous parcel of driveling galoots, ma'am" he bowed.
"There you are! Poetry."
Jim sighed, now he didn't have to worry about turning into the doctor but he did have to worry about turning into the captain's lapdog.
"Doctor, I'd love to chat, tea, cakes, the whole shebang, but I have a ship to launch and you have an outfit to buff up."
Jim turned away to smile, Dr. Doppler's unfortunate fashion choice was giving him all sorts of grief today.
"Mr. Hawkins will be working for our cook! Mr. Silver."
Jim looked up, "wait. What?!"
Clank. "That woman! That feline! Who does she think is working for whom?" The doctor clumped down the stairs indignantly.
"It's my map and she's got me busting tables!" Jim said angrily.
He was learning all the noises that heap of metal could make, now including clattering down stairs.
The first mate laid a heavy hand on their shoulders, "I will not tolerate a cross word about out captain, there's not a finer one in this, or any, galaxy."
He put his hands behind his back again. Jim's attention was drawn away from the imposing first mate by whistling coming from a figure silhouetted by a stove fire.
"Mr. Silver!"
The silhouette moved, "Why, Mr. Arrow sir!" he stepped out into the light, "bringing such distinguished guest to grace me humble galley," he turned placing a mechanical arm against his chest his right side coming into view to reveal a mechanical leg, arm and eye. "If I had known I would've tucked in me shirt." He jokingly tucks his apron into his trousers.
The doctor was staring and Jim was glaring. The leg hissed and clanked as the arm whirred, the glowing eye roaming around in its socket. The cook was a cyborg, a cyborg! He could be the same cyborg that had burned down his home! The same cyborg that had killed a man.
"Mr. Silver, meet the financier of our voyage, Dr. Doppler."
The first man shoved the doctor forward to stumble clanging and banging up to the cyborg. He looked over him with his mechanical eye a laser following his sight.
"Lovely outfit doc."
The doctor tried, unsuccessfully, to cover himself from the roaming laser, "thank you! Lovely eye."
He awkwardly looked for help, eager to get out from under the spotlight he grabbed Jim's elbow to place him between him and the creepy cook desperate enough to throw the young man under the bus.
"This young man is Jim Hawkins!" he supplied and retreated.
"Jimbo!" the cyborg thrusted a manic hand under Jim's nose, "whoops!" he changed it to a more normal looking hand, the other swiveling back into his metal arm disappearing to be stored there until the cook needed it again.
Jim glared at the cook. Who narrowed his eyes at the teenager for a split second before pulling his wide mouth into a smile.
"Don't be put off by this hunk of hardware," he turns away taking a handful of prawns, "it takes some getting used to but," he chops the crustacean's heads off tossing them into a skillet, "it comes in mighty handy from time to time."
In a dazzling display off flipping and switching he chopped, cooked and stirred all with the use of his mechanical right hand. It was flashy and showy and impressive. But Jim frowned, he was not impressed, he kept his eyes narrowed at the mechanical man, suspicion marking the cook red in his mind. It could be him, but the cook's personality didn't exactly match that of a greedy bloodthirsty killer's, but Jim was smart, he knew the cook's jolly personality was as fake and phony as the his smile, Jim didn't know what kind of personality he would reveal if he peeled that mask away, but he was sure it wasn't that of a humble cook and Jim was almost afraid to know. Maybe it would be like lifting a rock to see all the creepy crawly things slithering around underneath it, squirming in a huge disgusting mass trying to hide from the light. And the child who lifts the rock often learns, sometimes it's better to never look under the rock even if you'll never know what's underneath. Maybe he wasn't a bad cyborg, everyone had something to hide, what was the chance that the cook was the pirate who burned down their inn? Jim only let that thought grace his mind for a moment, he wasn't that squeamish child, he was always the one who wasn't afraid to get dirty who needed to satisfied his curiosity, for better or for worse.
"Hey…" he was interrupted by a loud cry.
"Silver!"
Jim turned just in time to see the golden eyed girl launch herself from the stairs and fly past him to tackle the cook he was scrutinizing. Tackle wasn't really the word for it. The sturdy cook didn't even sway when the girl nearly bounced off him, she wrapped her arms around his meaty neck clinging to his chest. The cook looked extremely surprised, his fleshy face open in shock.
"What? Wren?! What are you doing here?"
She jumped down off his chest, happily smiling the very picture of an excited teenager, rather different from the tough sailor Jim had seen outside.
"I just got back from the Jinorian galaxy when I heard you were working this ship! I just had to go with you just like old times! So I got in touch with Dr. Doppler, hi there doc!" she waved and turned back to silver. "And I got hired and here I am! I've been looking everywhere for you! I had no idea you were the cook! I remember when you wouldn't be caught dead cooking!"
She laughed grasping his one good hand as Silver looked slightly flustered but happy none the less.
"Well it's good to see you again too girlie," he smiled a genuine smile, "you've grown quite a bit in the last year."
The girl put her hand on her hip and rolled her eyes, "Silver, I'm not growing anymore."
Silver laughed, "of course not! With the way you eat!" The girl grin that lopsided grin and Jim could still see that fiery girl from earlier.
"I'm not gonna eat any better with your cooking."
"My cooking is great! And who taught you to talk to me that way? I hope you've been hanging with the right company."
She sits on the counter leaning back against the cabinets, "a lot can happen in a year, and apparently you learned to cook in one so who says a girl can't change?"
He frowns, "It ain't all that bad!" he turns to the three spectators of the strange pairing, "seriously, she's exaggerating! One bad rabbit stew and she goes and tells everyone I'm a bad cook!"
"silver."
"and after we've known each other for so long."
"silver!"
"What is it!?" he says turning to her,
"Your stew's burning."
"My stew!" Silver flew over to his stew, moving much faster than a man his size with a limp should be able to move.
The girl glanced over at Jim and raised her brows. See? Silver turns off the stove and sips the bubbling mixture smacking his lips.
"oh," he ladles the gloopy stuff into two bowls and hands them to the doctor and Jim. "Here, have a taste of me famous bonzabi stew." He smiles simply oozing charm.
The girl hops off the counter and peers into the pot curiously, "interesting."
She reaches for the ladle and Silver smacks her hand, "paws off, if you can't appreciate good cooking don't eat it."
The girl pouts but settles back on her counter. Jim looks into his bowl, the gloopy lumpy mixture looking very unappetizing. The doctor sniffs the steaming bowl and laps some of it up with his tongue.
"Mhm! Delightfully tangy! Yet robust."
Silver laughs, "old family recipe."
The doctor leans down to lap up some more when an eyeball pops up to bob on the surface. He lets out a surprised scream.
"eugh!"
The cyborg laughs at the doctors cry, "and that must be part of the old family!" he laughs loudly at his own joke wrapping a meaty arm around the doctors shoulders.
The girl smiles, smirking slightly at the joke, completely returning to the hard girl Jim had met outside.
"Go ahead Jimbo! Have a swig."
Silver elbows Jim and he looks down at the stew swallowing uncomfortably at the bubbling mass making strange noises. He holds the spoon readying himself to swallow the lumpy liquid. Suddenly the spoon morphed into a mouth that swallowed the spoonful of the stew and Jim gasped. The spoon sliding out of his grip to slurp up the rest of the stew. A pink blob emerging from the bowl to burb and stare contently up at Jim with huge eyes, chirruping as it flew circles around him. Had the stew just mutated into a pink living blob? Can food really do that? Jim was really starting to rethink this trip.
"Morph! That's where you were hiding!"
The pink blob flew up to Silver to cuddle against his neck.
"I thought you was taking a nap you naughty little urchin." He admonished in a nurturing tone. Jim sighed, it seemed the gluttonous blob was just a pet, a strange pet for the large cook considering that it was rather cute and he was most definitely not.
"Hey morph!" the pink blob glanced up to see the girl sitting casually on the counter. "Remember me?"
She smiled a predatory grin and Morph's eyes widened, seeing Wren it squeaked and hid behind Silver trembling in terror.
The girl gave a short harsh laugh, "I guess you do." The doctor and Jim both stared at the harmless looking girl, reassessing if she was really harmless or not. What had she done to warrant the loving blob's fear? A horn blared above deck and everyone glanced up.
"Would you like to see the launch Doctor?" The stoic first mate finally said motioning to the stairs.
The Doctor immediately perked up, "would I? Does an active galactic nucleus have super luminal jets?" Insert awkward silence here, "I'll follow you."
Jim moved to follow him but the stone man put a fist against Jim's chest.
"Mr. Hawkin's will stay here, in your charge."
The cook spat out his mouthful of stew. "What?" he looked desperate, "but Mr. Arrow sir!"
"Captains orders!" The stone man looked at the girl sitting on the counter, "and you! Get to work! What do we pay you for?"
The girl mumbles, "you don't pay me."
"I leave Mr. Hawkin's to you Mr. Silver."
"but!"
"come on"
"I can't"
"he's just!"
They drowned out each other's pleading cries but when the first mate leaves they both sigh rubbing their foreheads. Jim and Silver both glance at each other taking on looks of nonchalance as the girl watches smiling to herself, they were similar those two, more than either would probably admit.
"So…" Jim starts, glancing at Silver's mechanical leg and casually picking up a purple perp.
He glances quickly at Wren picking up spoons and cups from the tables looking busy.
He looks at the perp in his hand, "you know back on Montresser we had perps just like these."
He tossed the fruit back in forth in his hand, testing dangerous waters. Silver knew what the boy was doing and played along.
"Really?"
Jim looked up at Silver's turned back, "yeah, you know just before I left I met this old guy looking for a cyborg buddy of his."
Jim knew now that he was treading on thin ice but it was too late to turn back now, if Silver really was the pirate, he would react one of two ways, lie or kill Jim on the spot, the lynch pin of it was the girl, would Silver risk killing Jim while she was there? Pressing his hand to his head in mock thought, he looked at the cook from the corner of his eye.
"What was his name?" he trailed off knowing all the people in the room knew he was pretending, "oh, Bones. Billy Bones." He said slowly watching the cook for a reaction of any sort.
Silver poured out a steaming stream of water from a pot, "Bones? Bones." He turned around shaking his head, "nope, can't say I heard of him." He put the pot down on the counter pointing to his shoulder, "but there's a slew of cyborgs these days, plenty with this part."
Jim glared at him eyes narrowed, not masking his suspicion.
"I know a Billy Bones!"
Jim swiveled his head almost giving himself whip lash to look at the girl who was grinning.
"That ancient turtle sold me a belt from the Yung planet once!"
She wiped down a bowl and cast a conspiring glance at Jim, which Silver missed.
"it was a total rip off, don't buy anything from him." She winked and Jim suddenly felt very foolish. "As they say never make a deal with a sailor." She got up stacking the bowls and cups, "well I actually I have a job to do above deck so see ya!"
Jim watched her jog up the stairs.
The cook smiled, "go ahead and watch the launch Jimbo."
The boy looked up at the cook barely concealed hope shining in his eyes warring with his suspicion and need to stay cool. Wren turned around as well waiting to see if Jim would be going up to the deck with her and when he saw her waiting his heart gave a little leap.
"Go on."
Jim didn't forget his suspicion though, just pushed it back as he followed the girl up the stairs. He didn't catch the look that passed between Silver and Wren and he didn't know how out of his depth he really was.
When the two were gone Silver turned to his pet who finally came out after Wren had left. The blob rubbed against his rough cheek.
"Hey there Morph," he sighed. Silver's plan had already hit two rough patches, "what should we do?"
He thought about his latest dilemma. Jim who had his suspicions right on the bulls eye the boy was smart, and now his charge, he wouldn't get a moment alone. And Wren who already knew at least part of Silver's plan and Silver himself, she was a loose cannon, not only did he not know how she would bounce if she figured out what he was doing, if she chose his side, the crew wouldn't like the extra member. Silver thought hard not liking where this was going.
"What should I do morph?" the blob just looked curiously at his owner and let out a questioning chirrup. The pirate sighed, petting the blob who giggled. What a silly thing morph was, loving anyone unconditionally, his love almost blinding him to any danger that approached him until it was almost too late. What a silly thing love was, Silver absentmindedly tickled the blob under its chin.
Then he smiled. Of course, it was so simple.
"It's really so easy once you think about it morph."
Silver just had to distract the both of them, and what better way to distract them, then with each other? Killing two birds with one stone. He just had to play matchmaker, he loved Wren like a daughter but no family was getting in the way of him and Flint's treasure.
He smiled, "oh that's just perfect." He nearly cackled in glee marveling in his genius.
Silver felt like he held everyone's strings in his hand. He looked at his mechanical hand and wiggled his fingers, metal joints creaking and smiled. But the puppet master didn't know he had his strings pulled. The universe unloaded its massive responsibility onto him, probably laughing as it ran away. It passed the responsibility of teaching a young irresponsible boy how to be a man and to finally love and trust again. To teach a girl's weathered heart to feel once more. To bring two of the most unloving people in the galaxy together. The universe barely, tentatively had its hook in one and had titanium hooks bouncing off the other. The Universe had fled screaming from its task already daunted by the fearsome pair.
Now Silver with no cosmic help whatsoever had to bring those fierce teenagers together, he had to bring a hurting boy to his senses and build a love boat for a girl who believed love boats don't exist.
Please keep on reading. What you read above is shoddy I understand, but give me just one or two or three... ehem, more chapters to prove myself. Or you could think I'm being petty begging you to waste your precious time and will click on another story and never look back. If you do I'll understand, I'd do the exact same thing.
But if you don't. I thank you.
Good luck.
