Mike found that the time on the ship seemed to pass quickly, something of a blessing. There was always something to do, which meant that mercifully there was little time for him to worry too much about his seasickness, something that...he was quickly finding, wasn't quite so bad. He sometimes felt a little queasy, especially right after he had eaten, but other than that, he was becoming so used to it, he was starting to be able to function mostly at full capacity.
It was the rest of the journey that was the problem. Mike and Kevin had since resigned themselves to the fact that something was going on that they didn't know about, and that since the other characters, while some of them may have been played by people or Nighlock that they knew, were not them. Anything they knew about them was not necessarily true in the story, something that didn't bode well since they now suspected Captain Blaze of some form of duplicity.
For a captain, Kevin and Mike noticed that he didn't spend a whole lot of time at the helm. He would emerge to bark the occasional order, something of a redundant gesture since the crew seemed to know what they were doing for the most part, and he would get a report from Kevin on their progress, but other than that, he would spend all his time locked away in his quarters, seeming to spend all his time with charts and books.
Mike had also noticed something else odd. Bones, the ship's physician, played by Terry, was spending a lot more time around him. Any time Mike turned around he was there, trying his best to look nonchalant, but having seen him doing the same tasks again and again, he was quickly coming to the conclusion that Captain Blaze suspected something wasn't right about him, and had instructed Bones to keep an eye on him, something that was only going to make things harder. He couldn't do anything that would arouse suspicion, meaning that he could only check in with Kevin periodically. All he could do other than that was restrict himself to the stomach-churning torture device of the Crow's nest on look-out, occasionally reporting back to Kevin.
Eventually, he caught sight of something in the distance, and he smiled. It was exactly what they were looking for.
"Wow, even the locations are familiar." Mike commented. There weren't any recognisable buildings, but with the large, peaked cliffs, dominated by a central cliff that stood over the rest of the island like an ancient guardian, he recognised the island from one of their earlier missions. It was Manalua, the island that Serrator had held under a spell of terror in one of his schemes. It seemed odd to see it now, as it must once have been, before it had become a tourist trap. Largely unspoiled, with no real sign of life, all save for one. Pulling out his telescope, Mike Took a good, long look at the base of the central volcano, seeing a building, carved into the rock face. It was large, possibly a hundred feet in height, and the entrance was flanked by huge, stone statues depicting ancient beasts.
"Land Ho!" Mike called out, pointing towards it. "Land Ho!"
All the men on the deck ran to the side he was pointing to, and a huge roar went up from the men. Mike grabbed some rigging, and swung down to the deck. This descent was a lot smoother than his earlier effort, thanks largely to Mike's overwhelming desire to once more get his feet onto solid ground. He went to Kevin's side, smiling.
"So, Manalua eh?" He asked. Kevin just shrugged.
"Mia and I really liked it." He admitted. "We always wanted to go back. You know...when we weren't in a fight for our lives against Nighlock and everything."
"Well, at least YOU get to go back." Mike remarked. He gestured to Kevin as Captain Blaze came over, looking delighted.
"Well, you did a good job there Jack!" He complimented him, slapping Kevin on the back. "The Blue Temple as I live and breathe!"
"I told you I wouldn't let you down sir." Kevin told him.
"We're not out of the woods yet!" Mike commented as he pointed off the stern. He handed his telescope to Captain Blaze, letting him look through it.
"It's the Reaper!" Captain Blaze told his men.
"We still have a huge start." Kevin reminded him. "We should make landfall long before they get to us."
"Curtis wants that amulet as much as we do." Blaze reminded his men. "If we face his men on land, we can take the advantage of his superior ship away from him!"
He then looked to Kevin and smiled.
"Perhaps we can make our way out of here with two ships Jack." He suggested. "I'd need to take the flagship of course. But how would you feel about captaining The Inferno?"
"It would be an honour sir." Kevin replied. Captain Blaze just patted his shoulder.
"Well, let's not get too ahead of ourselves. We'll make our stand in the temple." He told his men. "Everyone to their posts! We're not done yet!"
Captain Blaze then left Kevin to man the bridge, heading back to his quarters. He closed the door behind him and locked it for privacy, turning to his desk. He grabbed some parchment and started to scribble out a note, before opening a cage, grabbing a pigeon. As he did so though, he noticed that some of his papers were out of order.
"Well, it seems you're not the only pigeon in here." He commented to the bird, pulling out a pistol. He looked around, before levelling it at a wardrobe.
"That's an antique lad. Don't make me put a hole in it." He warned him. Mike stepped out, revealing that he had indeed used the confusion of the situation to sneak in and have a look around. "Give me one good reason not to have you keel hauled lad."
"Perhaps because you wouldn't want to risk me talking to your men first." He informed him, holding up a letter. "I thought something was off the moment I saw you at that manor house."
"Ah, so the pirates the Governor's servants tried to hand was you." He stated in understanding. Mike just held up a letter.
"It seems odd a pirate having personal correspondence from a British Governor." He remarked. "Of course, according to this, you don't plan on being a pirate for long."
"I could always just end you here boy." He reminded him.
"You could do that." Mike answered. "Or Jack and I can help you get what we all want."
"Jack?" He asked.
"You can trust me, and you can trust him." Mike assured him. "If I really wanted to betray you, I could do it right now, but I think there's a way we can all get something out of this."
"Then you'd best go and get Jack." He stated with a smile. "I have a feeling we have things to discuss."
Meanwhile, in Antonio's story, he and Ji were still working in his lair, trying to find a way to locate 'The Skull's' lair. He knew that in only a few hours, he would attack the Gala event at the restaurant. If things went as he remembered, the only conclusion would be that the story would re-start once again. Knowing now that Jayden was in the story, and was a captive of The Skull, he had surmised that the secret was to rescue him.
He stared at the map one more time, seeing the markers indicating The Skull's crimes.
"He hit the general at the National guard base." He told himself, bringing up the marker. "Then he hit the DA at his apartment."
He brought up another marker, a few miles to the west of it. Ji turned and inspected it.
"There were another half dozen crimes on the dock-yards." He reminded him. "And the gala would be right in the middle of this stretch..."
"Oh for God's sake, I am so stupid!" Antonio stated, suddenly getting a grin on his face. He grabbed a marker pen, and started to draw a line all around the marked areas. Ji finally realised what he was seeing.
"It's..."
"A skull." Antonio concluded. "The DA and the General, the most important ones so far are the eyes, the rest make up the teeth."
"The most important crimes so far have been the eyes." Ji concluded. "So he must be reserving the most important crime for..."
"The nose!" Antonio concluded, marking an X in the middle of the skull. "Got to love how predictable these super villains are. I just wish Xandred and his cronies really were this predictable."
Ji pulled up a three dimensional hologram of the city, overlaying the skull pattern. Right where the centre was, where the nose would be, they saw the tallest building in the city.
"The observatory at Panorama Tower!" Antonio told him. "It's always got to be the highest point in the city."
"I'll mobilise the police force." Ji instructed him. "I doubt The Skull will be alone."
"Knowing these stories, the place is likely booby trapped." Antonio told him. "You need to get everyone, SWAT, bomb disposal, everyone! Make your way into the building, but only when you know it's safe!"
"And where are you going?" Ji asked as he ran aside. Antonio pressed a remote and lit up a gold light, showing a jet, shaped roughly like a Manta Ray.
"I'm taking the high road." He told him, leaping into the jet and starting up the engine. Ji just sighed and headed for a staircase leading up, presumably to the mansion.
"I never thought it would be possible for him to get any more clichéd." Ji grumbled. "I suppose he won't mind me borrowing a car to get back into town."
In the real world, morning had broken, and now Serena, Mia, Emily and Terry had fully rested. During the night, Serena had contacted some friends to rustle up some more cine projectors. Right now, only Kevin's Jayden's and Ji's movies were running. Serena was incredibly quiet, and doing all she could to stay aside, keeping out of the way. Terry knew that something was up with her, but he couldn't fathom what it was. Right now however, he had to concentrate on the movies at hand.
"Well, Mike's character is seasick in Kevin's movie." Emily pointed out. "So, he's helping Kevin out..."
"Antonio...trust you to be a super-hero even in your own fantasies." Mia giggled. "Since the Chief of Police is in the bat...wait, wouldn't that be the Gold Cave? The Gold Mine..."
"We can worry about the details later." Terry told her. "The point is, his character is acting out of sorts with the premise of the movie, so we can probably assume that's Ji."
"So that means only Jayden's in his movie alone." Emily remarked. She looked to that projector's screen, watching the movie. "So, he's the one we need to help."
"When the others come home, they'll need some help." Mia reminded them. "Besides, we've all been out of action for the better part of a day. I think its best that we leave some of us here."
"I'm the only one that can't morph." Serena reminded them. "I think it's best if I go and help Jayden."
"Are you sure...?"
"I'm the one that'll affect the team the least by not being here." Serena cut Terry off. She did want to help her friends, she did want to get them back, but there was something else about her eagerness to volunteer. She already knew that her difficulties centred around Terry. She had resigned herself to the fact that it was going to be difficult, but the best thing she could do was to stay away from him as much as she could. It would be the best for her, for him...it would be the best thing. Sooner or later, whatever was broken in her brain would forget about this whole thing, and everyone could get back to normal. She already knew that Mia's wrist wouldn't take much longer to heal, maybe a week or two. If she could make it that long, then it was likely Terry would be going home. That would make things so much easier. Once he was out of the picture, she was sure she would manage to forget all about him and get back to normal.
"Alright, then it's settled." Mia concluded. It had never been formal, but with Kevin, Jayden and Ji all out of commission, they needed someone to take charge. Mia sometimes fulfilled that role, and since Serena seemed to be having some kind of inexplicable personal meltdown, Terry was the rookie and Emily was always more comfortable letting someone else take the lead, it didn't leave many options. She had been used to being something of a mommy to the group most of the time anyway. "This time, both of you cast the gateway symbol. That way, you won't end up quite so wiped out."
"Alright, I'm ready." Serena told them. Emily pulled out her Samuraizer, preparing to use it on her sister, but looked to Terry as he seemed to be lost in a world of his own. She just nudged him.
"Today would be good." Emily suggested. Terry just pulled out his Samuraizer, and prepared for his part in the spell. They powered them up, and cast the symbol, sending it spinning into the projector. With a quick look back, Serena ran and jumped into the gateway, which disappeared after her.
"Alright, now all we can do is wait." Mia remarked, giving Emily a little look. "Which kind of gives us an opportunity to have a little chat baby brother!"
"What?" Terry asked her. "I...um...what?"
"In case you hadn't noticed, my sister's kind of turning into a basket case around you!" Emily told him. "What the hell is going on?"
"There's nothing...I...but...I..." He started to stammer. Looking at the way Mia and Emily were looking at him, he just gave up. "How the hell should I know?"
"Because around you the last few days Serena's been all over the place!" Emily told him.
"Exactly, what makes you think I know what's going on in her head? She's your sister!" He protested. "Seriously, one minute we're having a laugh together, the next minute she's shoving me away! One minute she's all friendly and everything, the next she's either braining me or can't get out the house fast enough!"
"Terry..."
"I don't know alright?" He put down flatly. "Now, if the Nighlock come knocking, I have my Samuraizer on me. Otherwise, I'd really like some space."
With that, he got up and stormed out of the room. Mia and Emily just looked at each other, unable to comprehend what had happened.
Back in Kevin's movie, Captain Blaze and his crew had docked on a beach a little way from the temple, and made their way there on foot. Arriving at the temple, they could only marvel at the enormous gateway.
"God, it's carved right into the mountain!" Mike remarked. "It must have taken centuries!"
"It's quite something alright." Bones stated, coming out, carrying some gold coins and gems, presenting them to the captain. "Just a handful of this stuff would be enough for all of us to buy our own kingdom!"
"This is it lads, the score Captain Blaze always promised us!" One of the other pirates called out. "Hip hip..."
"Huzah!" They all called out. Jayden just smiled.
"Alright lads, there's plenty of time for that." He told them. "You're welcome to take all the treasure we can carry once this is over, but until then, everyone inside! Curtis won't be far behind!"
"Bring the guns!" Kevin ordered, gesturing the men inside. Mike and Kevin looked to the Captain.
"Remember the deal. We find the amulet, and I take it while the men deal with Curtis." He reminded them. "Once Curtis is seen to and I get what I want..."
"Right, we got it." Mike told him. Blaze cast off his messenger pigeon.
"Right, now let's find that amulet." He stated.
Meanwhile, on the beach, Curtis and his crew were coming ashore. The Nighlock all prepared their weapons.
"The trail ahead is so easy to follow." Curtis stated. "Perhaps too easy. Is it possible that Blaze finally wants to face me like a man?"
"I would doubt it sir." Antonio answered, looking to his captain. "Who would ever want to cross swords with Captain Horatio Curtis, finest man in Her Majesty's..."
Just then, he heard a shot ring out. Looked around, seeing the Midshipman, played by Serrator, holding a smoking rifle. Looking to where he was aiming, he saw a pigeon on the beach, dead.
"What is the meaning of this Mr Finn?" Curtis demanded angrily. "You just gave away our position!"
"I have a feeling that Blaze would have known where we were soon anyway." He drawled casually as a Mooger picked up the pigeon and brought it to him. He took the message from it and read it. "I kept seeing pigeons, and started to suspect we had a rat on board."
Curtis took the message and read it.
"Blaze!" He roared in fury.
"It seems he got to one of your men." Serrator told him as some of the Moogers seized Antonio. He struggled to get free, but they were too strong. Curtis approached him, reading the note.
"Well, it seems that you and Blaze have been quite the pen pals." He stated, pulling out his rapier. "Now, the only question is, what to do with our little stool pigeon?"