Chapter 7
Marina strikes Calico on his face and he stumbles, his sword still in hand. She swings her left sword at his arm, cutting into his shirt and skin. There are already many scratches on Calico, but not fatal or dangerously painful.
Marina slides her blade swiftly up Calico's and the steel bites into his knuckles. Calico immediately loosens his grip and Marina draws circles around the tang of his sword. In a quick movement she throws her left blade on the wall behind Calico's left cheek and catches his sword in the air.
Marina breathes heavily mostly because of the tears in the back of her throat rather than the battle. But Calico smiles at her.
"Go ahead, Marina," he says. "Your men at the cannons are already dead—this is your only chance. Go ahead and kill me." He knew very well that she wouldn't.
But before he can be proved wrong someone shoots their pistol just past Marina's ear. Her ear rings and the smell of thick gun powder stings her nose.
"Drop the swords, Marina," says the shooter behind Marina.
Marina sucks in air. Her voice sent hot anger into her chest and down to her stomach.
She drops the swords and Calico looks past Marina, smiling.
"Thank you, darling," he says walking past Marina to Anne Bonny behind her.
Marina turns around and raises her chin. She swallows and glares at the tall, shapely woman before her with her bosom dangling out of her corset like a whore. Her red curly hair runs down past her shoulders and smile is malicious. Calico walks over and kisses Anne's pale bare neck.
"Why are you here?" Marina says hotly.
"Now, Marina," Calico says. "You're smarter than that."
"I don't have a map," she says. "You've visited me for no reason."
"Then why were you fighting me, Marina?" Calico smiles coyly.
Marina wishes she could laugh at him but the action doesn't register into her face.
"Call it a habit."
Calico laughs. He then looks at a few of his crewmen and they scatter to Marina's quarters.
"Besides, I didn't come to visit you," he says. "I came to visit your dear old captain. He's the one who has the map, i'n't 'e?"
Calico then nods at a few of his crewmen to grab Harter. He walks over to the large man and brings a knife to his neck.
"You're much fatter than I thought you'd be, Captain Glory," Calico says. "Now, where are you keeping that map of yours?"
"Don't waste yer time, Calico," Barbossa says across from the Revenge. "The captain ye be lookin' for is just behind you."
Anne glares at Marina who's face is stoic. Calico turns and looks at Marina with surprise.
"Your last name is Thatcher," Calico says simply.
"And your name is Rackam," Marina rebukes.
Calico looks at her with surprise still then sees Jack Sparrow. He smiles and is even more surprised.
"Jack Sparrow," he says.
Jack raises his chin. He has no humor in his expression for once. "Calico," he says. "Last time I saw you, birds were picking at your bones in Port Royal."
Calico smiles. "A mistake on Mr. Barnet's part," he says. Then he turns to Marina again. "As for you Captain Glory," he says mockingly. Anne cocks her pistol again. "Tell us where the map is."
Marina is glad they don't know the entire story. She looks at Harter and nods at him. Harter hesitantly walks into her quarters.
"Has Barbossa told you of how dishonest the Aztecs are?" Marina says ignoring Anne's pistol. "I can't imagine the people of El Dorado will be any more accommodating."
Calico smiles. "I don't believe there are any people in the City of Gold," he says.
"Then what do you expect if you arrive?" Marina says. "A sign telling you to take what you can? You realize that all crews to have supposedly found the City haven't returned."
"They won't have had two ships," Anne says sharply.
Marina manages to laugh. "The number a ships doesn't seem to matter," she says. "There are far greater things that can stop an entire fleet in its tracks. Mark my words."
Anne eyes Marina curiously.
"Whatever happened to Mary Read, Anne?" Marina says.
Anne's face flashes with anger and she steps forward to strike Marina's face with the handle of her pistol. Marina falls and spits blood on the floor.
Calico looks briefly at Marina then looks up at Jack. He raises an eyebrow. Jack had drawn his sword. It was pointed at Anne and actual anger was on his face. Marina coughs blood into the deck and a molar drops from the back of her throat to mix with the blood.
"Ah," Calico says. "Has Marina captured your heart, Jack?"
Marina then looks up and sees Jack in fighting stance though tears of pain drip unconsciously down her eyes.
Harter then came out of Marina's quarters, map in hand. Calico pulls it from Harter's hand and scans it quickly. Then he smiles.
"You've been holding out on me, Marina," he says.
"You have your map now leave!" Marina yells. But Calico shakes his head.
"I know you too well for that, Marina," he says. Then he walks briskly over toward the edge of the ship, taking a rope to swing to the Revenge.
Then Anne takes Calico's sword off the floor and raises it to strike at Marina.
"NO!" Jack screams and lurches forward to protect Marina.
But before Jack could do anything, Marina pulls her own sword from the wall and stops Anne's blow. Marina disarms Anne in one quick motion and aims to run her through. A shot then hit's the top of Marina's leg. She lets out a cry of pain and falls to the floor again, clutching her sword so Anne cannot take advantage of her again.
Jack rushes forward and picks the wounded Marina from the floor. She doesn't even argue. Calico puts his pistol away and nods toward a few men of his crew.
"Take Captain Glory and her crew as our prisoners," Calico says. "Ignite the powder and abandon ship."
Marina's eyes go very wide.
"NO!" she screams while trying to worm her way out of Jack's arms. She unsteadily pulls away and swings her sword at Calico though he was much too far away. "Let me go with the ship! Let her besink properly!"
Calico swings to the Revenge and Anne follows. All but Calico and Anne look sorry for Marina—even Barbossa.
Marina goes manic. She cries and fights against the crewmen, resolved to stay with the ship. Eventually once everyone is distributed between the Roger and the Revenge, the crewmen give up and leave Marina to stay with her ship.
Jack watches in awe at Marina's arm being tied to the ship so she can't stop the line of powder bent to destroy it. He can't fathom the fact that for over twenty years he's had a daughter. Guilt filled him-he was the reason her mother was dead. Who knows what else she had to deal with without a mother-father-or any other caregiver for that matter.
Jack lurches forward to take her but Angelica points her gun at Jack's head. "Don't even think about it, Jack," she says. "Let her sink with her ship. Come now."
Jack doesn't move. He wants to save her. It surprises even him. "Jack-now!" Angelica yells again. Death doesn't scare Jack.
Jack hesitantly moves backward and swings over to the Revenge once he remembers something.
"You can't feel a loss for what you never had, Jack," Barbossa says roughly. Jack doesn't respond. Angelica looks at him with confusion. This is the greatest reaction she's ever seen from him.
Jack just stares at Marina as she stands stoically, awaiting her death without fear. The Revenge pulls away from the Blood Crowne. Angelica watches Jack's solemn expression with extreme confusion.
"Can't say I'm particularly moved," Anne says while she sits on he longboat to the Roger. Gibbs, hands tied with the other members of the Blood Crowne's former crew, shakes his head at her.
"Then you can't recognize greatness, Miss Bonny," he says darkly. "Captain Glory will be remembered nobly whereas you will fade from history."
Anne is so insulted she merely glares at him then back where Marina is to die. Calico doesn't come to her defense, apparently because he didn't hear but in all honesty, he agreed with Gibbs.
Finally, the line of powder running to the barrels of gunpowder runs out and the Blood Crowne is blown to a million pieces.
