"All evacuating ships will launch in approximately five minutes," yelled the intercom. "For your safety, we ask that all passengers remain clear of the upper deck during and after the launch until further notice."
Jim sat close to his mother in the windowless passenger quarters. The Hawkins, along with the other passengers, huddled together without saying anything. Only fear and anxiety were written on their faces. Sarah, on the other hand, began to quietly weep, just as the ship's engines were powering up. Jim, lacking any words to comfort his mother, could only hug her tightly. "We'll make it through this, Mom."
Since the passenger quarters were close to the bottom of the ship, they could feel the full impact of the engines' solar power revving up. As the ship began to accelerate from the ground and into the air, Jim could only picture a final image of Montressor. In just a few hours, an asteroid will create a deep impact on the ship, sending smoke and darkness all over the planet. In a way, he was relieved that the passengers were forbidden to go outside during the first few hours. He didn't want to see the planet get destroyed. He wanted to remember it the way it was meant to be: a place called home.
The passengers were forbidden to go outside until three days after the ship's launch. When the restriction was lifted, hundreds of survivors flocked to the upper decks to see the fate of their planet. And by all costs, Jim avoided every opportunity to go on deck, lest he wanted to feel the pain of seeing his home wrecked.
On the fifth day, the restlessness seemed to settle down. The talk about Montressor being destroyed began to die down, and instead people carried on with the subject about this mysterious island. During meal times, the most common conversation revolved around how beautiful this island was rumored to be. The passengers' eyes were filled with awe and wonder as they began to speculate what they might see in a day or two.
"What if, there are creatures just like us?"
"What if, the atmosphere there is better for us?"
Jim rolled his eyes as he overheard the passengers speak with such optimism.
"Mom, isn't it weird how just a few days ago, everyone here was moping about our planet getting destroyed, and now it seems like they've forgotten all about our home getting destroyed, and instead they're wanting to live in a place that's better for us."
Sarah was about to sip her soup, but put it down with a frown after Jim finished. "Jim, I'm sure you're not the only one upset about all this. But right now, all we can do is hope for a better life. We can't dwell in the past, only look to the future…"
Jim didn't answer back. Sometimes, he hated it when his mom was just trying to offer her words of wisdom. She was being optimistic just like everyone else, even though he knew deep down she was still heartbroken to see her home get destroyed.
"Jimmy, lad!"
Jim turned around to see Fox approach him and his mother at the table. He first greeted Sarah. "Why 'ello, miss! I'm Maurice Fox, captain of the ship." He offered his hand out to Sarah, which she shook.
"Yer son Jimmy here is famous! The 'hole crew knows about him!"
Sarah could only chuckle. "Really, is that so? You should have seen his police record - !"
"MOM!" Jim glared at his mother to hush her up.
"Oh, Jim… I'm only teasing you!"
"Say, Jimmy, how about we go up on deck? I got somethin' to show ya."
Jim hesitated. "If it's to look at our wrecked home, I'll pass."
"No no! It's the island I talked about with ye! Come on! We got a great view!"
Jim wasn't too crazy about wanting to check out their potential new home, but he figured, it couldn't hurt. As long as he couldn't see his old home black and lifeless, he should be fine.
"I want to hear everything about this back in the passenger quarters," Sarah added with a smile.
"Yeah, sure. Whatever…" Jim dropped his dirty dishes into the washer and followed Fox up to the deck with a scowl.
"There it is, lad! Ye see that second star to the righ'? That's where we headin'!" Jim peered out to the stellar sky as he could see twin stars, the one to the right shining more brightly. Fox handed Jim a telescope. "Here, have a look for yerself."
Jim held the scope to his eye, and gasped, his blue orb widening with wonder. "Wow…"
Before his one eye, he could see rainbow shells surrounding the star. He adjusted the focus of the scope, and let out another gasp. "It's the island… I've never seen anything so green before."
"Told ye it was breathtaking!"
"Yeah, you're right…" Jim replied, his voice this time not dripping with sarcasm. He held the scope to his eye again. "It looks even better than on the map you showed me. All the clouds are purely white, not like the gray dusty ones from back home."
Fox laid a hand on Jim's shoulder. "Jimmy, I can tell yer already getting excited!"
Jim gave a nervous chuckle and offered a half smile. "Maybe, Mom is right… There is something to be hopeful about." He took another look through the telescope and felt his heart pound with excitement, and at the same time, apprehension.
"The ship will be docking in approximately one hour," the intercom yelled on the sixth day in space. The crowd cheered happily after the announcement. A party was held on ship the night before, to celebrate this as a day to a new beginning and life. Of course, Jim decided not to go, for he wasn't hundred percent comfortable about the idea of forgetting Montressor completely in order to start over.
Nonetheless, he couldn't help the fact that the image of the beautiful island occupied most of his dreams in his sleep. Last night, he dreamed of himself surfing in the water, as the waves would crash and he would perform all of his stunts on the rolling waves.
He shook his head to come back to his senses. No matter how beautiful that island is, I'm never going to forget Montressor. Nobody, not anyone, is going to tell me to forget about my home. He ardently swore.
The ship came a smooth landing. From the passenger bunks, Jim could hear the sound of water splashing. Water… whoa, the ship landed on water! "Did you hear that, Mom?" But Sarah was too eager to get off the ship.
"Jim. We're getting off now." Her face was bright and smiling. She was clearly filled with excitement to see their potential home. She took Jim by the hand and led him out of the bunks. Morph swam out of his jacket and began to giggle.
"We're here, Morph. Welcome to our new home…" His voice was fairly optimistic, but at the same time, it was also dripped with skepticism.
When Jim stepped outside, he was taken by the smell of the fresh air. It smelled nothing like Montressor at all. Over there, it smelled like mines and oil. But here, it smelled like nature. The air was actually clean! The water was a light blue color, and not a sign of pollution could be seen. The island was the same bright green he had seen through the telescope. Only now, he could see the winds happily blowing the trees. This is unlike anything I could ever imagine. This place is so bright. So unreal. So… perfect.
"Oh, Jim! Isn't this beautiful!" Sarah exclaimed as soon as they were off the galleyway that led them to the beach. She dipped her hand into the sand and breathed. "Jim! This place is so breathtaking…" Jim followed his mother and dipped his hand into the warm sand. "You're – you're right. It really is." He stood up and took another look at the green palm trees. They were just simply astonishing to behold before his eyes.
"Attention all refugees!" one of the sailors bellowed from the ship. "By order of government officials, all refugees will be allowed to walk the island in non-restricted areas. All refugee lodgings shall remain inside the ship until investigators finish exploring the island and deem it appropriate to start building shelters."
About an hour since the landing, most of the refugees began returning to the ships after finishing their first exploration of the island. Just as Jim was about to head back inside, Capt. Fox grasped his shoulder, causing him to jump.
"Say, Jimmy boy… I got a proposal for ye."
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Well, ye see. The government has ordered a commission to investigate the island and make safety reports. The Island Bureau Agency. Being an appointed IBA officer, ye get to go deep into the island and witness first hand all the creatures! With your navigation skills and your knack for suspecting danger, we could use someone like ye!"
"Me? Joining the IBA?" Jim was shocked at the offer. He wondered, did his newfound fame have to do with this? "It's not you who's recruiting me?"
"No, Jim lad! I was asked by the head council to appoint you. Although, I was appointed to be the head of your squad." Fox winked his eye at Jim. "What do ye say?" Fox outstretched his hand for Jim to shake, should he want to accept the offer.
Jim looked at his hand for a long ten seconds. "Gee… I dunno." He scratched the back of his head.
"Come now, Jimmy. Yer mum would be so proud if ya did!"
Jim was still stubborn about the whole 'finding a better life' atmosphere that was going on. But then again… maybe, he could use a little adventure. He could make himself useful rather than just sit around and sulk about his decaying home. He didn't want to hear the survivors talk about how marvelous their new home could be. Perhaps, joining the IBA could allow him to escape this anxiety and pressure. He needed to get off his bottom and do something to take the burden off his chest.
"Count me in."
Jingle! Jingle! Jingle!
"Ouch, Tink! Stop!" Slightly waved his hands violently at Tinkerbell with his eyes still closed. It was still early in the day and the Lost Boys were still sleeping. He continued to snore after Tinkerbell was pushed away. Frustrated, the little tinker fairy pushed Cubby's club onto to Slightly's head.
"OW!" Slightly shouted, rousing all of the boys from their slumber.
"Boys, what's going on?" Peter Pan emerged from behind his bear rug. He flew on over to Slightly, who rubbed the bump on his head. "Peter, Tink did this to me!"
Peter turned to Tink to give her a stern glare, but before he could do so, Tink dashed right into his face and began to speak incessantly. Peter couldn't keep up with what she was trying to say.
"Whoa, Tink! Slow down there! You said you saw another ship? Dozens of them?"
Tink nodded her head frantically. "You mean it's not Hook and them?" She nodded again. Peter's youthful face turned cold. "Another band of pirates has invaded Neverland."
The Lost Boys gasped, and were suddenly wide awake after hearing Peter's declaration.
"You stay here boys, I'm gonna check this out for myself." With that, Peter darted out of their hideout, Hang Man's Tree, followed by Tinkerbell, and soared overhead to the oceanside.
"Tink, take me to the ship!" After his order, Tink sped up in front of him and then came to a halt. The tinker fairy repeatedly pointed to the row of ships lined on the beach.
"Hook, he's probably brought some friends here. Don't worry Tink, we'll make sure they get outta here, and never come back." Peter gave a firm of assurance to Tinkerbell. "Perhaps, these pirates could use a proper greeting. What do you say, Tink?" He gave Tinkerbell a sly smile. Trouble was written all over his face. In response, Tink happily clapped her hands. It was the perfect plan to handle another group of bad guys.
From down below, Peter could hear the sound of cracking branches getting stepped on. "Tink, we gotta hide!" He darted to a bush, readjusting his position to see through. "What are these… things?" An orange furball dressed like a pirate? A fat one eyed monster? A pink goo thing?
Are these actually pirates?
Suddenly, from behind the orange furball, was a species Peter had recognized before. A human.
"Looks like I spotted one of the pirates." He pointed to a boy in brown hair to let Tinkerbell see for herself.
"Tink, we gotta do something about this. Fast. Go back to the hideout and let the Lost Boys know. Tell them to start barricading the hideout. I'm gonna watch these guys before they start causing any trouble."
But first, Peter needed to put on a disguise. He didn't appear threatening enough as his usual self. Who knew if these pirates could be as dumb as Hook and his crew? No! Pan was a force to be reckoned with, and he needed to look the part. He needed to these new guys to fear him.