Hey guys! Sorry it took like forever to update this chapter, I've just been so busy with school and high school placement testing and my other stories that I never really got a chance to work on this until now. But here I am! And believe me, there's gonna be plenty of action in this chapter. Really, there's going to be a lot of action in all of the story, but yea, this chapter too. Hope you like it!
Commander James Bentley strolled down the main avenue of Camberley. It was a rather nice town, and a nice night to be on patrol in his opinion. It was a peaceful place, and he thought it a downright shame that it was the most recent target of the infamous pirate Jack Merridew. He'd recieved word just a few days prior from an old friend of his son's, a young man named Simon Barnes, that he'd overheard Merridew and his crew plotting a hunt for the notorious thief Alexander Bainsbridge, who had recently robbed the captain and his men blind. But looking at it tactically, he was just glad that the two forces for evil opposed each other. On their own they were forces to be reckoned with. Together, they would be Lucifer's unholy terror unleashed upon the world. He shivered at the thought.
Meanwhile, Jack crept silently in the shadows, his firstmate Roger lurking silently at his side. Their eyes scanned the quiet village, seeking out the man on which they planned to release their satanic havoc. The young thief they sought out stood not a chance against the demon and his sadistic hellhound of a sidekick. Further down the avenue, lit by candle lamps, was the figure of a strongly built man strolling up the cobbled streets calmly. He seemed not to have a care in the world. That oozing confidence screamed Alexander, Jack was sure of it. He smirked. He'd get his vengeance yet. Jack and his firstmate slipped out from the shadows and casually walked down the street as if they were just two townsfolk on their way home. The man called out.
"You two! Young men!" He called, in an accent that announced he was a higher class citizen than they'd thought. The pirates turned, a look of feigned innocence on their faces. One look at the man, and Jack's face fell. He was too old, too tall to be Alexander. He had not the glowing green eyes nor the catlike grace that would allow him to slip about unseen. They still had searching ahead of them it seemed. "You should not be out here this late, and certainly not on this day in particular."
"And why should you say that?" Jack asked in slight irritation. The Commander frowned at the young man's disrespectful tone.
"There are criminals in town." He stated simply. Roger, Jack's faithful companion, smirked at his captain, who returned the gesture.
"Oh really? And who could that be?" Jack asked.
"Is it the thief, Alexander Bainsbridge? I've heard talk of him and his thieves robbing some of the larger mansions out in the nearby countryside," Roger said. Commander Bentley looked confused at this comment, and was troubled to hear such talk. He had enough on his mind watching out for the pirates to be after a band of petty thieves as well.
"No, actually we've recieved word that that dreadful Jack Merridew and his crew were planning to ravage the town." Jack and Roger were caught off gaurd, but were careful not to let it show on their faces. If it had, the Commander most likely would have believed it was because of concern for their quiet, peaceful town.
"Is that so?" Jack said, somewhat faintly. The Commander nodded solemnly.
"So it would be best if you two stayed in with your families at night until we find them." He advised. Jack and Roger looked at one another and then laughed.
"Did you hear that Roger? This old geezer thinks we should stay inside 'for our safety.' Isn't that just a riot?" Roger laughed.
"Oh very much so. As if we of all people should need protection from the big scary pirates," He agreed with his captain. The Commander looked confusedly between the two of them.
"Excuse me lads? I'm afraid I don't follow," He said. Jack grinned at him, and withdrew a sword from his belt loop. Before the Commander could even comprehend what was happening, he drove the blade through his stomach and held it there as the dying man began to cough up blood.
"The name's Captain Jack Merridew," He said into his victim's ear. Then he withdrew the blade and held the man up by his shoulder. "Pleased to make your acquaintance." Realization showed on the Commander's face. Jack then brought the hilt of his sword down hard on the man's head and threw his limp body to the ground. Both men looked at the dead man lying in the street before them and laughed darkly. "Come along Roger. I believe it would be in our best interest if we searched for Alexander elsewhere."
Colonel Ralph Bentley, the son of the recently murdered man, was working late a few nights after his father's death. He was busy with the worst part of his job: paying taxes for weapons, doing paperwork, and sending nearly meaningless business letters. He occasionally stopped and look up a moment to gaze shortly at the small picture on his desk of a beautiful brown haired young woman, his former fiancee. They'd been engaged since she'd been just five years old. He'd always loved her, but oh how she resented his very existence. She found herself trapped by the engagement, and their social status as well. How she'd longed to do as she pleased, for the freedom her class denied her. He wondered if she'd ever found that freedom. He sighed and returned to his work. Such was his process, his routine. His hard work was interrupted by a rather portly young man by the name of Arthur Cummings, who many knew simply as Piggy, for his nose that curved in the oddest of ways and his utterly disgusting and unhealthy eating habits.
"M-M-Mister Bentley, sir?" Ralph looked up and set down his pen.
"Yes, what is it Arthur?" The young man looked nervous, uncomfortable, as though he'd been asked his weight- a thing he was unbearably ashamed of yet never got around to fixing.
"Um, it's about your father sir," Ralph's expression was visibly brightened by this. He could rarely communicate with his father due to their never ending list of responsibilities, but there was no one he admired more. A simple letter could truly be the high point of his week. This made Arthur even more nervous, because what he was about to say certainly wouldn't be the best part of his employer's week. "He was in Camberley just recently sir, he'd recieved a tip about some pirates planning a raid on the town. Jack Merridew and his men. Well, you see, the thing I've come to tell you sir, is that he's recently, erm, passed." With that word, Ralph's mood immediately darkened. He did not cry, or show his sadness in any way, just true solemnity at the matter. He was a leader after all.
"I see," was all he said.
"Sir, you realize you were his second in command. Due to the event of his death, this makes you the Commander." The inner clockworks of the newly appointed commander's mind spun at this thought. He knew what he needed to do.
"Arthur, how exactly did my father's death come about?" He asked. Arthur removed the spectacles from his face, wiped them on his shirt, then put them back into place before answering.
"He was killed by Merridew sir. It's believed that he may have been in search of the thief Alexander Bainsbridge. He's been going about towns asking of him recently, so it is a strong possibility. Why do you wish to know?" Ralph just turned in his chair to stare through his window out over the sea.
"Gather up our best troops and policemen. Send them out and tell them not to return without Bainsbridge and Merridew. I want those men found and I want to see them hang for their crimes."
Oooooooooh, Jack and Alexander better watch their backs, cuz Ralph means business! Nobody murders HIS daddy and gets away with it. And he really needs to get over Alexandra. SHE WILL NEVER LOVE YOU DUDE! YOU ARE WEIRD! Any who, hope you liked this chapter, and if you want a quick update and another crimey actiony messed up villainous chapter, please review. I really need feedback because I've never written a story where the main characters are all bad guys! I'm still not quite sure how it works, so review with any suggestions, or to simply say what you thought!