Feelings Revealed
I woke the next morning feeling I got hit with a cannon. "Ow, I guess I can't hold my liquor as well as I thought," I told no one in particular. My first mate came in then.
"Sir there is a sail off on the starboard side," he told me.
'Not again. I need the Battle of the Maelstrom to happen first,' I thought. I looked over to the Dutchman and saw the captain run out the guns. After a few minutes, they stopped. 'He must have heard about the key.' I teleported over to the Dutchman and got there just in time for Link to come on deck.
"Speak, or die," I spoke low and menacingly.
"It's about Juno! Robert wants to kill her. I overheard him talking with Beckett and…"
"And why should we believe you? You were the one who came with that man, making threats on my ship," yelled the captain as he paced back and forth in front of Link, clunking with each step.
"Look, Robert was my friend. But working on the Weapons project…something happened to him. He became obsessed. He's not the same man. And I'm telling you the truth. Juno's life is in danger. And so is yours," explained Link.
"Don't bring me into this!" Captain Jones was interrupted by a soft thump behind him. His yelling had woken Juno, who had been asleep above them.
"What's going on?" she asked.
Link ran towards her. "Juno! You're in trouble. Fairfield wants to kill you and your Captain-"
"I said don't bring me into this!" bellowed the Captain.
"Wait!" Juno brought up her hand to stop Jones. "He wants to hurt the Captain?"
"Yeah, something about a key, and what's in the chest, and I'm pretty sure I heard something about sending an armada after you guys. I think that was it. I think there was something about a pet too." Link's eyes were full of worry as he looked to Juno, Jones, and I.
"I won't let them! I'll kill him myself! I'll kill everyone!"
"Calm down, Miss Alex. Why don't we go down and have a more formal…chat with our friend here?" suggested Jones.
Juno nodded and Link agreed as well. And so, all four of us descended into the mess hall.
"You were never meant to be a real person, Juno. You were supposed to be just a tool. Like a gun, or like a sword," Link was talking, explaining things. "Robert used a device called a Restrainer that could inflict pain. He used it whenever he saw fit. He locked you up in a one room cell. He taught you to hide all your emotions, and that human connection was something to be avoided. I myself didn't even see you much. Just when you walked by on your way to a mission," Link stopped as he saw tears welling up in Juno's eyes. It was hard for her to hear all of this, even though she heard it from me once before.
"I don't want to go back there," she whispered.
"Captain Fairfield will taste my wrath before he lays hands on you," the Captain and I said at the same time.
"He just wants you dead now, Juno. He's going to create another one of you when he gets back. Or at least, that's what he wants. Look, there's one more thing I have to tell you," and here, Link reached forward and took Juno's hands. "You were a creation, you're human, yes, but you were created artificially. There was never a mother, or a father for you. You had no infancy. You were 12 years of age when you were created….and….you weren't designed to live forever."
"What does that mean," shouted Jones as he slammed his fist on the table.
"It means, Juno, that you are about 24 years of age now. And that you have approximately only 10 years more to live before your body shuts down. It's part of your design, you see."
Instantly, Jones had Link by the throat. Link groaned as Jones shoved him into a wall and leaned his face in close. "You're lying!"
Link could only shake his head, but from behind Jones, came a small voice, "Captain, please…stop."
Jones let go, and Link fell to the ground, gasping for air. Juno walked over to him and crouched low to his level. She looked at me, then cupped his face in her hands. "Is it true? Is it true what you've just said?"
"Y-yes," Link managed to choke out. "Juno…I'm…I'm so, so sorry."
"We need a strategy sir," I told the captain.
"Aye we do. But what can we do with an armada after us?"
"We sing the song. We need the Brethren Court," an unexpected voice chimed. I turned and low and behold it was Emily.
"How much of that conversation did you hear Emily," I asked.
"I heard it all."
As we came up with the strategy on how to protect the Captain and Juno, there was an unexpected twist.
"If we are to defeat Beckett and my old friend Captain Robert Fairfield," he spat out the name. "Then I want in. I need an edge that they won't have."
The captain turned to Link and asked, "What type of edge?"
"Let me join your crew Captain Jones. You do, and I'll kill Robert myself."
The captain thought about it for a few minutes then talked. "Aye, you can join us. But, I have to ask, do you fear death? Do you fear that dark abyss? All your deeds laid bare, all you sins punished?! I offer you an escape. Join my crew, and postpone the judgment. One hundred years before the mast! Will ye serve?"
"I will serve," he bent down on one knee. He surprised us with what he said next. "I'll even do you one better. I'll make it two-hundred because of all the trouble I caused you, Captain."
"Welcome to the crew!" Link and the Captain shook hands, and sealed the deal. I went back to the Nightingale and went to my cabin and went to sleep.
