Ok i hope the story isn't confusing from this part on because I had a feeling like it is... Hopefuly not. I have to apologize for grammar mistakes. English is not my first language...

Chapter 4: Prisoner

Amelia's eyes widened. "Don't know what?" she asked and took few steps closer.

"She's Scarlet March, the legendary Scarlet March, the pirate spy." Dahl said. All eyes looked to Scarlet.

"Tell him to let me go!" Scarlet craved looking at Jim. At that moment he felt sorry for her. If she's a pirate doesn't mean she's a bad person. Besides, she just might be useful. And he wanted to know her story.

"Mr. Dahl!" the words just flew out of Jim's mouth cutting them off. Everyone gaze at him in anticipation. Confusion was replaced with awkwardness what to say. "Please," he finally spitted the words out. "Listen to captain. This person is valuable material. We need her."

"She's a pirate, Mr. Hawkins. She killed innocent people, she stole objects worth millions and the worst of all," Dahl gaze Scarlet. "She's helping captain Flint who is alive after so many time."

"Bullshit! The last one doesn't even count as a crime!" Scarlet said rolling her eyes.

"Yes, but the other three are just enough for a noose around your neck."

"What if I say I'm sorry?" that was really sarcastic.

"You'll stay in jail until you'll be hanged."

"Can we make a deal?" Amelia asked. Dahl gaze her. "If we get Flint with her help she lives. We can give her another chance and educate her for good things. What do you say? It will be useful for the galaxy and her life."

Dahl looked around. Then he broke the silence. "Fine," he said. "But only if you get Flint and if she won't try to run away after it."

Jim wanted to smile from happiness but he held himself. He looked at Scarlet with a soft smile but her face was cold and a bit angry. He quickly looked away.

"Is that clear, young lady?" Dahl asked her.

"Yes…" she said looking away with an angry face.

"All right then. But keep her on a short leash. I'll send two guards with you to Montressor. She can't stay here."

That was even better! Now he'll have a chance to make a contact with her.

"Thank you." Amelia thankfully nodded to him. Scarlet preferred none of the both ideas. In either of ways she would be locked up.

The guards crammed Scarlet into the back of the longboat which took them to Montressor. But there was a problem.

"Where is she gonna stay?" Amelia asked the guards. They looked at each other confused. "You're kidding me…"

"Mr. Dahl didn't give us any instructions about this." one of them said.

"She can't stay un locked. You said yourself she's dangerous."

"You have a high opinion about me." Scarlet said and smiled. One of the guards pushed her to shut up.

"I think I know a place." Jim said and everybody looked at him. "Prison! Isn't it obvious?"

"I don't think she'll be safe there. Besides, it's classified where she is." the other guard said.

"Then she can be in my library." Doppler said.

"What?" everyone asked.

"Delbert!" Amelia yelled at him.

"Dear, look, it's just for tonight. Then we'll, as Dahl said, go to find Flint. This sounds unworkably…"

"It does. But only the second part with keeping a criminal in our house."

"Can I say something?" Ben asked.

"NO!"
"Ok then…"

"It's just for a day." Doppler craved. Amelia rolled her eyes.

"Fine then…" she said looking at Scarlet. "You two and Mr. Hawkins will keep an eye on her in shifts like we did before. We can't let her escape or hurt anyone."

The guards nod. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"But why me?" Jim moaned following Doppler in the library.

"Who else will? I'm not capable to keep an eye on a criminal like this. Besides, you'll be there only for around two hours and a half."

"Only?"

"Oh come on Jim."

"Fine…"

Doppler pushed the big doors of the library entering, followed by Jim. Scarlet was already tied tightly. He wasn't sure but for a moment it seemed her eyes were filling with tears but the pointy black hair covered her eyes as she looked down to the floor on which she was sitting. Doppler left. Two guards that came with them were on the other side not really minding about Scarlet at all. Jim walked closer took a chair and sat opposite her. She lifted her gaze but then she looked away again.

"I'm sorry we have to keep you like this." Jim said but before he could continue she looked at him, angry.

"You're sorry?" she asked. "How the hell can you be sorry if it's your fault I'm like this! If you would just let me go before none of this would be happening right now. You're just pathetic! Taking someone's freedom and life just to be a fucking hero?"

"Hey, you heard the deal. Nothing will happen." He tried to calm her down.

"Screw the deal! I'll die anyways! Pirates will kill me because of the betrayal."

"Nothing will happen to you."

"Listen to yourself!" she yelled and cut him out. "Do you always embellish all the things? Be real. You know what you'll do after you won't need me anymore. Trust me, I know. I've been trough this more than enough times to know."

"None of this will happen again. You heard Dahl."

"I'm a pirate. You know what happens to them, right? Everybody knows we end up hanging. I've been there. Under the noose. I know the feeling."

That shook Jim up. Thinking about hanging and dying a horrible, slow and painful death shocked him a bit. He had no idea how she escaped, but he was sure Flint helped here. She must have been important to them. Otherwise, why would he let her on the deck of Wind's gift? Jim got an idea how to make her feel better and get closer to her.

"Hey," he said. "I promise after you'll help us I'll help to find a place to stay here on Montressor. No one will find you here. It's a shit hole as you can see."

"And you think I believe you?"

"I'm for real. Just hold on for a while."

"Ph!" she said and looked away. She started smiling but it wasn't because it was funny. She was clearly desperate.

"So uhh… where are you from?"

"I'm not talking to you."

"I live here."

"Nice place! It looks like shit. Is this the tradition here?"

She was almost evil. Well wasn't it obvious? She was working for Flint.

"Can I show you something?" he then broke the silence. Scarlet just gave him another angry look when he left a room but came back empty handed. He opened a door and a ping blob thing flew in all hyper-happy. Her eyes widened.

"Whoa!" she said surprised, almost keen. "What is this?"

"Morph. I got him from a cook that was working on a ship where I was some time ago."

Morph flew to Scarlet and rubbed against her face. "Wha- hey! What do you feed him with?" she said smiling. For the first time she actually looked happy. But when Morph wondered away between the shelves with books (he always does that) the smile simply vanished off her face.

"Why are you helping Flint?" he then asked after some time.

"Look, Jimmy."

"Jim."

"Whatever… there are some things you don't ask. This is a thing you don't ask. Unless you want to get killed."

"Who will kill me?"

"Well, I will. Unless you want someone special to do it."

"Ph, yeah right. You're tied if you haven't noticed."

"Things are possible. Wanna see?"

Jim made a grimace. She was probably just trying to scare him with her creepy statements and mean smile. She tried to turn around to avoid eye contact but her hands were tied to the shelf so she couldn't move. She sighed and after some time crashed out. Jim looked at the guards that were sitting on the other side on a table near the window playing cards or something. The next time he checked out the clock it was minutes after midnight. It will be a long night. He stayed awake for an hour and a half but then also crashed out. Few hours later everyone were sleeping. At least that was how it looked like. Scarlet rapidly opened her eyes like she just woke up from a nightmare. She looked around and saw everyone was sleeping. Perfect moment to escape. She tried to pull her hands out the rope that was tied around her wrists but it was too tight. Then she saw a knife for opening envelopes on the table which was close to Jim, but also enough close for her to reach it. She stretched her legs to the table trying to push the knife to the floor. Then Jim moved. Scarlet froze. He didn't wake up. It was close. Scarlet pushed the knife to the floor. It made a sound as it hit the ground, but everyone was still sleeping. Then she pulled it closer to her hands trying to cut the rope. The knife was blunt and there was no way to cut it. The morning sun was already up. That meant they will wake up soon and that she hasn't got any time. The rope finally loosens and her hands got free. After that the doors opened. Scarlet quickly hided her hands behind her back and acted like she was sleeping. Jim almost fell of the chair when Doppler entered the room.

"We're leaving." He announced.

"Already?"

"It's almost eight o'clock."

"Sure…"

"I see the guards did a great job."

Jim looked to the guards that were still sleeping. He smiled.

"Wake the girl up. We're waiting for you at the longboat. Be careful."

Jim nod and stretched as he stood up. He walked to Scarlet rubbing his eyes. "Hey, wake up."

Scarlet then swing the knife towards Jim but she missed his face. Again.

"Whoa! Guards! Wake up!" he said keeping a safe distance from her. She swung few more times but then Jim grabbed her hands, so she started kicking. Jim got a painful kick in the area it hurt the most. He whine from pain and collapsed to the floor. Scarlet was on her way out already thinking she was free when another hand grabbed her braid and pulled her back. She yelled tripping back to the room.

"Stop escaping, girl." He said tying her hands back. "You can't go anywhere."

"For crying out loud people! You don't even need me! Kill me or let me go!" she yelled while they were putting a gag over her mouth. They dragged her in the longboat that was heading to the Spaceport as Dahl said them to do. Jim noticed that Scarlet was furious. Who wouldn't be in a situation like this?

"Greetings." Dahl said when they entered the hall again. He was surrounded with three other men that were not guards. "You're probably wondering who these men are."

"Men in black?" Scarlet said and grinned.

"They are the bounty hunters from the Universal Intelligence. Royal Interstellar Army gives them founds."

"I was close."

"Not really." Another voice from behind said. Everyone turned around. "They are better. The best."

An alien, with light gray skin, black eyes and mouth that looked like a mouth of a turtle that were squashed with no nose above it. On the back of his head he had outgrowths in shape of tubes but his head was covered with a hat.

"And you are?" Amelia asked.

"Wade 'Coop' Cooper, historian on Royal Cosmos Academy and bounty hunter." He also had a British accent. "Captain Amelia Doppler, I presume."

"You presume well."

"These men are under his command. I can assure you they are the best." Dahl said.

"So… why are they here?" Doppler asked.

"We're here because we want to stop Flint as much as you do." Cooper said lighting a cigarette.

"I don't think I can agree with that…"

"I heard you have someone who can help us."

Guards pushed Scarlet towards him. He looked at her. "Scarlet March. I've heard too much about you."

"I'm flattered." She said sarcastically copying his British accent.

"Don't be to glad, my dear. You're in a lot of troubles. I think I was after you once." Then he turned to Jim and others. "Now, when I heard Flint was alive I was quite surprised I must say. I never expected that since you claimed you saw his body on treasure planet."

"He was dead as dead can be." Jim said.

"Looks like you were wrong. He's planning revenge."

Jim looked at Doppler like he knew the answer and then back to Cooper. "Why are you telling this to me? I don't get it."

Cooper smiled and blew out the smoke of the cigarette. "You were there. You took his gold and destroyed what was left. You shouldn't do that. You're all in this together."

When he said that, Jim's heart stopped. Flint trying to kill them. A shocking thought. "What?" he managed to spit out.

"You heard me." He was really calm. "And if you want to live, you have to help me to stop him. We'll save many lives and finally save the galaxy and universe from his terror that's been here for more than decades before."

"You really hate him." Ben said. Cooper didn't answer.

"Do we have to be the part of this? I mean, they are not really capable or important." Amelia said. No one objected about that.

"Yes, unless none of you would be called here. You're key for this mission." Cooper said.

"What if we rather don't join?" Doppler asked.

"I guess we'll have to make you join."

RS Willow: Thanks for the review. Flint is actually brought back as a person. It will be explained later in the story how exactly :)