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3: Misplaced Medallions
Just then, Barbossa walked into the encounter and noticed Jack.
"How the blazes did you get off that island?" he asked, suggesting the time when he marooned Jack ten years before.
"When you marooned me on that godforsaken spit of land, you forgot one very important thing, mate," Jack answered before continuing after seeing Barbossa's confusion. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."
"Ah, well," Barbossa responded, "I won't be making that mistake again. Gents," he then called to his crewmembers, "you all remember Captain Jack Sparrow? Kill him."
"Um, Jack?" Laura asked, grabbing a hold of her friend's arm. "The girl's blood didn't work, did it?" Jack questioned Barbossa as guns were cocked around him and his frightened companion.
"Hold your fire!" Barbossa gruffly ordered the crew.
The guns and knives were reluctantly withdrawn.
"You know whose blood we need?" the enemy half-asked and half-stated.
"I know whose blood ye need," Jack replied.
-No, he can't mean…Will. Well, I suppose he can, but I can't let that happen even if I am still mad-
Sparrow and Lark were then roughly herded onto the boats, where Laura began whispering to Jack,
"I know I usually don't question your actions, Jack, but right now I'm a little worried about what you're planning to do."
"What do you mean?" Jack carelessly asked.
"Oh, now come on, Jack," Laura continued to whisper. "This hasn't gone exactly as you planned, and now, to get out of your snag, you're going to use Will as leverage."
"You of all people should know that I am perfectly capable of easily improvising," Jack answered.
"Fine," Laura gave in, "but I hope, for your sake, that your new plan doesn't hurt Mr. Turner.
As Jack opened his mouth to make a comment, Laura interrupted.
"From what you've told me, I am aware that his blood is necessary to lift the curse and make all things right, but…" She was cut off as the boat bumped against the side of the Pearl and they were pushed onto the deck.
Laura soon found herself examining the Captain's Cabin aboard the Black Pearl as Jack began haggling with Barbossa.
After Jack explained himself, Barbossa stated,
"So you expect to leave me standing on some beach with nothing but a name and your word it's the one I need and watch you sail away in my ship?"
"Hmm?" Laura queried in middle of looking out the window. The way Barbossa had worded that sentence had confused her slightly.
"No," Jack argued, ignoring Laura. "I expect to leave you standing on some beach with absolutely no name at all, watching me sail away on my ship and then I'll shout the name back to you. Savvy?"
Barbossa casually continued the argument.
"But that still leaves us with the problem of me standing on some beach with naught but a name and your word it's the one I need."
-I hope Jack is able to keep up with this-
"Of the two of us," Jack responded, "I am the only one who hasn't committed mutiny, therefore…my word is the one we'll be trusting. Although…I suppose I should be thanking you because, in fact, if you hadn't betrayed me and left me to die, I would have an equal share in that curse, same as you. Funny ol' world, innit?"
While saying this, Jack bit into an apple before offering it to Barbossa.
Eager at that point to change the subject, Barbossa asked,
"And who is this young woman you've brought with you, Jack?"
Laura looked up at the pirate from examining the random items in the room.
Clearing her throat, she looked to Jack for help.
"Uh, Barbossa," Jack took over. "This is my partner, Laura Lark."
"It doesn't sound like a real name now does it?" Barbossa suggested, facing Laura.
"Well now," the girl said, taking a step closer to her foe, "not all pirates are known by their true names, are they? In fact, some, like myself, keep their names secret from all those whom they encounter to protect themselves from fanatical madmen such as yourself. Savvy?"
Jack, who was nearly surprised by no one, sat there with his jaw slightly ajar and his eyes a bit wider than normal at his companion's little speech. Barbossa was also slightly taken aback, but before he could react, the Bo'sun entered the apartment.
"Captain," he said, "we're coming up on the Interceptor."
-Oh, so that's where Will went. He ditched us for the ship just to be caught again.-
Following Jack and Barbossa onto the deck, Laura spotted a ship, apparently the Interceptor, on the horizon.
As Barbossa was looking through his spyglass to estimate their challenge, Jack blocked his view and began trying to save his own skin, a move that had left Laura to fend for herself in the past.
-Here goes nothing-
"I'm having a thought here, Barbossa," Jack began as Laura edged her way, unnoticed, towards the side of the ship. "What say we run up a flag of truce? I scurry over to the Interceptor, and I negotiate the return of your medallion, eh? What say you to that? Oh, and you can keep Laura here to make sure I don't try to do something behind your back." At this he brought Barbossa's gaze to Laura who had nearly made it to the edge.
-So much for that idea. Why am I not completely furious with Jack right now? Oh, probably because I'm so used to it by now.-
"Now you see, Jack," Barbossa stated, getting back to business, "that's exactly the attitude that lost you the Pearl. People are easy to search when they're dead.
To the Bo'sun, he added, "Lock them in the brig."
--
Below deck, Laura and Jack were shoved into the water-carpeted brig.
"Apparently there's a leak," Jack pointed out.
As soon as they were alone, Laura turned to her companion in frustration.
"What was that? Oh, yes, the hundredth time you tried saving your own skin!"
Even though her words had the somewhat stinging quality she had intended it was obvious, even to Jack, that she didn't have her heart in it.
"Don't worry, luv. We'll get out of this situation just like every other time," he said reassuringly.
"I hope it's not going to turn out like that Cannibal Island incident. That time, I at least had an idea of how to escape. However, Barbossa seems to require an opponent more experienced in his tactics," the young woman stated, already feeling her well-hidden admiration for the captain coming back.
Suddenly, the entire ship was slowed to an abrupt stop as it parked alongside the Interceptor to initiate the battle.
The sound of leaders crying out the word "fire" could be heard on both ships.
Laura jumped out of the way as forks, nails, and other odds and ends made holes in the side of the Pearl.
Quickly noticing that the cell door's lock had been broken by one of the fragments, she hurriedly rushed out and onto the deck, knowing that Jack would find his way soon enough. She couldn't help but laugh to herself at Jack calling out,
"Stop blowing holes in my ship!"
The deck was insanity as the crew prepared grapple hooks and other such items for boarding the other craft.
Mixing her Turner bravery and Sparrow ingenuity, Laura grabbed a loose rope, swinging over onto the Interceptor and barely landing on her feet.
She just caught a glimpse of Will running to the lower deck when she decided to follow him with all haste.
"What are you looking for?" she asked as soon as she had reached Will's position below decks.
"The medallion! I can't find it!" he responded with slight panic in his voice.
Before Laura could do anything else, she heard an explosion just as she and Will were hurled to the floor.
Getting up to take in the situation, the pirate noted that something had fallen over the exit, blocking the way out, and the hull of the ship was damaged and leaking heavily, slowly filling the room.
Will was attempting to get the attention of those above by hitting the hatch with one of the loose supports.
"Hey! Below!" he called out as Laura continued to search for the medallion.
Will's alarm proved to be somewhat fruitful as Elizabeth appeared on the other side of the hatch.
"Will!" she cried out in shock over the situation.
"Elizabeth!" Will responded.
"Get us out of here!" Laura called, having given up the search for the medallion since the monkey had taken it.
-If I had found it, there would have been a better chance for me to save Will. It would blow my cover, but at least my brother would be safe….Would? Well, it's not going to happen, now!-
"I can't move it!" Elizabeth said before she was dragged away by the attacking pirates.
"Elizabeth!" Will shouted.
The water was at Laura's shoulders.
"Give it up, Will!" Laura yelled at her brother. "She's captured, along with probably all of the crew, and there's a very likely chance that we are going to drown. Now, instead of crying out for your beloved, which would be a lovely thing in any other case, do us a favor and help me find a way for us not to drown! Oh, yes! I didn't I mention that, out of all other deaths, I would least want to die by way of the lack of air."
By the time Laura was done ranting, they were swimming in the room with only about a foot of air space left.
After pushing on the support beams in a final attempt, they both realized that there was no noise coming from the deck. The pirates were going to blow the ship they were on, or in more like it.
In hopes that they wouldn't be blown up, the siblings took one last breath before they went to the bottom of the ship.
A second after that, Laura felt the explosion propel her through the water.
Swimming to the surface, she found that she and Will were within twenty feet of the Pearl.
As the woman crawled up the side of the ship behind Will, she heard him demand the release of Elizabeth.
Laura flopped onto the deck, relieved to be alive.
"What's in your head, boy?" Barbossa asked.
"She goes free!" Will repeated. He was pointing Jack's confiscated pistol at the mutinous pirate.
"You've only got one shot, and we can't die," Barbossa stated.
"Don't do anything stupid," Jack begged from his guarded spot next to his former first mate.
"You can't," Will said to Barbossa, ignoring Jack's plea before continuing as he put the gun to his own head. "I can."
"Will, I think that would be considered stupid," Laura cautioned her brother.
"Like that," Jack said, reciprocating with Laura's statement.
"Who are you?" Barbossa questioned Will.
Jack and Laura both rushed up to Barbossa, but Jack started talking first.
"No one," he said. "He's no one. A distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed. Lovely singing voice, though…eunuch."
"So," Laura continued, "he's no one important. No reason to go further into his identity."
"My name is Will Turner," Will said, completely ruining whatever advantage Jack and Laura had. "My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner. His blood runs in my veins."
"He's the spitting image of ol' Bootstrap Bill come back to haunt us!" Ragetti cried out.
-Oh, good. I'm not the only one who thinks so-
"On my word do as I say, or I'll pull this trigger and be lost to Davy Jones' Locker," Will warned.
"Name your terms, Mr. Turner," Barbossa gave in.
At this, Jack and his companion began pointing at themselves, hoping that Will would save them.
"Elizabeth goes free," Will ordered.
"Yes, we know that one," the Pearl's captain confirmed. "Anything else?"
"And the crew," Will continued, purposefully ignoring the two desperate pirates behind Barbossa. "The crew are not to be harmed."
-Well, that's an insult-
"Agreed," Barbossa said, grinning from ear to ear. "Until then, you'll have accommodations in the brig."
While everyone else was being herded below decks, Laura pushed her way to Barbossa.
"Barbossa, I have an offer for you." As he turned his attention to her, she continued. "In private, if you don't mind."
In the Captain's Cabin, Laura began talking as the other pirate sat down in a chair.
"From what I have heard of you, you are a ruthless man who does not care if a hundred people die as long as he gets what he wants. What if I told you that you didn't have to use Will?"
Barbossa raised an eyebrow at the idea.
"And how exactly would that happen, Miss Lark? There's only one Turner left," he stated.
"As you said," Laura responded, "Laura Lark doesn't seem like a real name, does it?"
Barbossa began to seem genuinely interested.
-At least it would save Will-
"My real name is, in fact, Laura Turner, Captain."
"And how would this profit me?" Barbossa queried.
"Well, you want to get back at Jack -I have no idea for what- in every possible way, right?" Laura haggled. "This would mean that I get to save my brother, while you get to have your revenge. I personally think that it is quite fair."
"You see, Miss…Turner," Barbossa answered, "I am only concerned with lifting the curse. After we reach our present destination, I will quickly deal with you and Jack."
"Fine, suit yourself," Laura finalized. "However, I must ask you not to tell anyone of my identity."
"No one else knows of your real name?" Barbossa asked, actually curious, this time.
"Very few people know that I really am Will's sister. The ones who do are safely trapped on a ship for the most part," she answered. Barbossa was slightly confused by the last part of her statement.
After a moment of thought, he replied.
"Very well, although I highly doubt that you will survive this next little adventure, your secret is my secret."
"Thank you for displaying at least that much honor," the girl said.
"I shall escort you down to the brig where you can say a final goodbye to your oblivious brother," he stated with a cruel smile.
A minute later, she walked into a cell with the other pirates. When the gate closed behind her, she turned around to make another effort.
"You're making a terrible mistake, Barbossa."
"Oh, I don't think I made any mistake at all, Miss…Lark."
The other prisoners were rather confused by Barbossa's hesitance in saying Laura's name as the girl glared at the man's retreating back.
"What was that about?" Jack queried.
"Nothing," Laura quickly said.
About a half an hour later, they were escorted to the main deck where a plank had been fixed to the side of the ship.
As Elizabeth was coaxed onto to the board, Will pushed through the crowd and yelled at Barbossa, who responded,
"Don't dare impugn me honor, boy. I agreed she'd go free, but it was you who failed to specified when or where." The pirates laughed and Will was gagged before the pirate turned to Elizabeth. "Though it does seem a shame to lose something so fine, don't it lads?"
The pirates agreed.
"So I'll be having that dress back before you go," he said to the British girl.
As she ripped off the outer part of the dress, leaving an actually rather comfortable-looking white underdress, she addressed Barbossa while tossing it to him.
"It goes with your black heart."
"Ooh, it's still warm," the captain mocked.
"Too long!" the Bo'sun complained before he bounced the plank, causing Elizabeth to fall into the water.
Jack was then dragged up to the plank.
"I'd really hoped we were past all this," he suggested to Barbossa.
"Jack…Jack," Barbossa nonchalantly said. "Did ya not notice? That be the same little island that we made you Governor of on our last little trip."
"I did notice," Jack corrected.
Barbossa continued.
"Perhaps you'll be able to conjure up another miraculous escape…but I doubt it." Unsheathing his sword and pointing it at Jack he coaxed, "Off you go."
Jack was buying time.
"Last time, you left me a pistol with one shot.
"By the powers, you're right," Barbossa exclaimed. "Where be Jack's pistol? Bring it forward."
After the pistol was brought, Jack continued bargaining.
"Seeing as there's two of us, a gentleman…would give us a pair of pistols."
"It'll be one pistol as before," the other man argued, "and you can be the gentleman and shoot the lady and starve to death yourself."
The pistol was thrown overboard, soon followed by Jack.
The attention was once again on Laura.
-Bugger-
As she was pushed onto the plank with her hands tied in front of her, she decided to try bargaining again.
"You know, Barbossa," she stated, "the boy is only half Turner."
All she got was a confused look from Will and the pirates and an annoyed stare from Barbossa.
Shrugging her shoulders, she jumped into the water and swam for the island.
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