Captain Amelia finished tucking her son in as Delbert kissed his daughters on the foreheads. The soft sound of each breath signifying they were fast asleep. They both exited and closed the door as Amelia rubbed her arm.

"It's terrible to think that Jim was taken the very night he was to head to the Academy." Amelia said as they walked down the dim hall.

"Jim is very resourceful I highly doubt that anyone would try to hurt him, well not saying that anyone was trying to hurt him, well of course unless..." Amelia stopped her husbands rambling with a gentle touch on the hand.

Earlier that morning Sarah Hawkins had stopped at Delbert's lab in a frantic rush crying uncontrolably. She had seen Jim's room in a mess and the window open so she knew that he'd been taken but had no idea who would have possibly wanted him. Amelia had tried to comfort her but knew that nothing could console the heart of a worried mother.

"I'm sure that any minute now Jim will come rushing through that door and..." Delbert was stopped by the door which slammed hard onto the ground and three hulking aliens came in through the smoke.

"Which one of you's is Dr. Doppler?" The foremost of the aliens asked

Delbert got in front of his wife and slowly they backed away, "Gentlemen, please... come in, well seeing that you're already in I guess that pleasantry is wasted, not saying that it is truly wasted..."

The foremost of the aliens reached forward and grabbed Delbert's arm and hoisted him onto his shoulder as though he were a throw pillow.

"DELBERT!" Amelia called out as they rushed out the door

"Not to worry my dear I'm sure they just want to talk." He naively called back to her

Amelia rushed to the phone, "Get me the police!..."

Meanwhile Delbert was loaded onto a skiff which raised upwards and flew out of sight of his lab. He looked around as the three aliens watched him closely and chuckled nervously. Up through the clouds they rose and as they met the sun Delbert saw before him one of the largest space vessels he'd ever seen. It was the Donovan, a fully rigged super ship built for long voyages into deep space. Four masts held what seemed like an hundred solar sails and it must have had at least five deck levels.

They flew up right to the side of it and stopped off as some of the spacers from the ship threw lines down to the skiff and pulled them in.

He was grabbed by the spacers and pulled by both arms to the front of the ship the captains cabin doors were opened wide and he was thrown inside. As he lifted his head off the ground he came face to face with Silver's golden mechanical eye.

"Nice to see ya doc!" Silver stated with a smile and Delbert clambered backwards

Jim came and pushed Silver back, "Come on..., Are you okay?" he asked Delbert.

"Jim!" Dr. Doppler stated and got up and gave Jim a hug, "Jim we've all been worried sick about you!" He said letting Jim go to see if any harm was done

"Hiya doc!" Came the voice of Ben from the side

"What!? And they've kidnapped you too! These Barbarians!" Delbert said

"Well actually we wanted to go with them I mean after all wherever Jimmy goes I go isn't that right Jimmy?" Ben said looking to Jim who didn't respond but looked at Delbert and started to try and explain the situation.

"Doc we need your help." Jim said and showed him the Orb.

"Is that...?" Delbert said looking closely at the Orb.

"We think there might be a clue in here to find the Fountain of Life." Jim explained

"THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE!" Delbert yelled, "Jim have you lost your mind, Hundreds of ships, thousands of spacers have disappeared in the quest for that place. You have your future to think about what about Sarah and the Academy?" Delbert asked

"What have Jim 'ere squanderin his days learnin' to be a spacer or to be one here on the ol' Donovan." Silver said pretending to be occupied with his hands, "No better learnin' to be had than what you learn on the job now ain't that the truth doc?"

Delbert cowered a little before turning back to Jim, "And what about Sarah? What will happen to your mother?" Jim looked to the side

"That don't matter!" Silver said turning around, "Jim is stayin' with us and if you don't start helpin' I'll be sure your stay is... cut short!"

Jim cast a glance at Silver that caused him to shrug and continue to be occupied with his hands.

Jim looked at the doctor, "I'm sorry." Jim said, "this is where I need to be right now doc."

Delbert looked flabbergasted as Jim took the orb over to the holo-screen. He pushed a few buttons and turned the orb this way and that and soon a small circle opened on the bottom he took a cord from the side of the circular holo-screen and plugged it in to the base.

The center sparked to life as the figure of a tall man with a white mustache that locked onto his sideburns appeared. He had a blue spacing coat with white pants and knee-high black polished boots.

"Why that's...!" Delbert started, "That's Captain Amadeus of the ship Candice! He was one of the foremost space explorers in Flint's time. He's one of the ones who disappeared in his search for the Fountain." Delbert explained not taking his eyes off the projection.

"I am afraid I don't have much time. My pursuit of knowledge has led me down a path I cannot possibly return from. I having wanted to reap the secrets sown in the Fountain of Life am now falling victim to its many dangers. To those who wish to pursue this endeavor I warn you.. Turn back! Turn back before you suffer such a fate as I. I leave this will to those who seek the Fountain in hopes that one day someone may find it and forever stop their quest. I..." and at that moment it cut out abruptly

"Did you see that doc?" Jim asked with a smile

"See what?" Delbert responded continuing to stare at the blackened projection

Jim rewound the projection and paused it, "Look at the background."

Delbert looked and saw hundreds of tiny lights and a redish black stain that made it's way across the background. "Why that's...!" Delbert started to say when the vessel shook.

"What now!" Silver yelled angrily and rushed out on deck to see three Police Cruisers had latched on to the sides of the ship.

"Halt and Prepare to be boarded!" one of the cruisers called down

The crew prepared to attack as they headed for their weapon stores but Silver whistled and told them to stand down. He ran into the cabin and grabbed Jim and Delbert and threw them into the broom closet and then moved his stool to the front.

On the outside Three policemen were on deck, two officers and another who stood in front with his hands behind his back. The man was tall and painfully thin with a white face that had whiskers and a long chin that nearly reached his chest. He were a blue frock coat and white pants with black polished shoes and paid very little attention to the scowls he got from the surrounding crew.

He walked up to Silver who bowed courteously, "Chief Commissioner Hanz I never taught in all me days I'd have the pleasure of welcomin' you my vessel."

"Captain Uris I assume?" Commissioner Hanz said in a low and demeaning voice

"Aye that be me!" Silver said

"Are you aware that since your vessel has been here there have been a number of disappearances?" He said looking wryly at the crew

"And it's fer that exact reason that we be shippin' off this very day sir!" Silver said with a smile as the Commissioner walked past

"So you are saying that you had nothing to do with these... Disappearances?"

"Why the very thought! Banish it from your mind ol' Uris ain't never done wrong by nobody!" Silver said and the commissioner turned to him and walked right up to his face.

"That is another matter entirely Mr. Uris I intend to run a full sweep of this ship from stem to stern and let me warn you if I find a trace of our missing persons I will not hesitate to sink this ship faster than you or your crew could even think about life boats!"

At that moment Alia Ran up from the stairs that led to the kitchen with a large rod in her hand and was about to strike the back of the Commissioner when one of the other officers came in and kicked her to the ground.

"I suggest you keep your crew in order Captain," commissioner Hanz stated without turning around, "It would be a shame to think you'd be hiding something from me. He then turned only to get knocked to the ground with a single punch to the face. He looked up to see a young man in a white academy uniform, "You're..." He began to say but was quickly knocked cold by Silver while the other two police officers were surrounded and bound by the rest of the crew.

"JIM!" Delbert said having followed him from the closet, "Do you realize what you've done? You can't return from something like that!"

"DOC!" Jim yelled, "I know." He said softly looking at the tied up men in uniform. "I told you this is where I need to be right now."

Delbert looked somewhat ashamed at Jim and then shook his head, "Jim I cannot condone your choice... but it is yours to make." He gave Jim a hug

"Please help my mother!" Jim said quietly

"The outer ring." Delbert whispered

"What?"

"That's where the transmission was sent from, the outer ring near the planet Thados. Take care Jim I can't come with you nor can I stop the police from pursuing you. Are you sure this is what you want?" Delbert asked as a skiff approached

Jim nodded.

"Hold on a sec Doc you ain't..." Silver was interrupted by Jims arm.

"Where we need to go He can't help us any more I suggest we let him go to delay the police enough time to get out of here."

Silver was about to argue but then decided against it as the police and Delbert were loaded into the skiff and the auto-pilot was set to return to Delbert's lab.

Delbert watched slowly as Jim waved his final farewell to his friend.

"Set a course for Thados!" Jim said as the skiff disappeared from below the clouds. The crew cut the lines that tethered the cruisers to the ship and set sail through the stars.

(Later at Sarah's inn)

"But sir surely you can't just..." Delbert started to yell

"As far as I'm concerned your son," Commissioner Hanz said turning to Sarah, "Is in collaboration with pirates and as such if he fires on us we will take him down without any second thought! Is that understood!"

Sarah just put her head in her hands and began to cry as Delbert put his arm around her in consolation.

"Your son will rue the day he ever decided to sail with Captain Silver!"

Thanks for reading everyone I hope it was an enjoyable chapter. I hope someday to work for Disney after seeing their new movie Frozen it has become an anchor for most of the choices that I am making right now. Anyways I have work to do so I will continue to write tomorrow after I fix a few things. I have recieved several messages and reviews about this Chapter and yes I do know that Jim would not normally follow Silver under such circumstances let me say that the confusion is part of the effect I am trying to portray it isn't supposed to make sense to you (the reader) just yet but it will eventually so just keep reading. Ultima S. Next, On the way to Thados!