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America, the Colonies?
Chapter 9: Finding Jack Sparrow
Will Turner stared at the empty pile of sand that was Davy Jones' locker, a feeling of disbelief and desperation as well as anger flowing through him. They had sailed to the world's end just to find Jack, yet here they were with no Jack or Black Pearl in sight. He felt like a fool.
"It's not your fault, so quit sulking", Elizabeth Swann said, having walked up to him without him noticing. Will didn't even look at her and continued staring off into the distance. Elizabeth let out a sigh in annoyance, kicking the sand beneath her feet. "We were fools. All of us."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better, eh?" Will snapped, but his voice held no animosity towards her. He was tired of everything.
"No", she replied, shaking her head. "Forget it, we're done here. Let's get out of here."
"How? Hai Peng is gone. We're stuck", Will questioned, finally turning to face her. Elizabeth looked exhausted and soaked, just like the rest of them were. When he received no answer, he turned towards Barbossa, who was standing a little further away from them. With an almost mocking, bitter tone, he asked:
"What's your great plan now, eh, Captain?" Barbossa met his gaze but didn't answer. Will then turned to Tia Dalma, who was looking thoughtful. "What about you? You're the reason why we're in this mess!"
"Will, calm down", Elizabeth pleaded, trying to grab a hold of him, only for Will to hit her hand away and walk over to the witch, who narrowed her eyes slightly.
"William Turner, your lack of patience is… unfortunate", Tia Dalma told him, getting a snort as a response from the pirate.
"Lack of patience? Why, tell me, Soothsayer! What is there to be patient about?! Unless you can produce a ship from thin air, we're stuck in this shithole!" he snapped, but the voodoo queen only smiled.
"The Pearl and witty Jack came here once, yet, they're now gone. There are forces beyond our understanding at work here. We must remain patient", Tia replied, getting confused looks from the rest of the crew.
"What do you mean? Did something take Jack from here?" Elizabeth cut in before Will could reply, making the voodoo queen turn to her.
"Not take. Move", she corrected, before turning towards the sea and closing her eyes. The others stared at her as she started chanting something, her eyes flickering under her eyelids.
"We're going to be here awhile, aren't we?" Elizabeth asked, getting a sigh from Will.
"Seems like it."
Captain Jack Sparrow stared at his ship that seemed to be in perfect condition in disbelief, remembering how wrecked it had been when he arrived in the world he now resided in. He then turned his gaze to Nick Fury, who was looking pleased with himself, but was trying to hide it.
"What'd ye do?" Jack wanted to know, getting a glance from the man.
"Well, I found the wreckage in Battery Park after your arrival and moved it here, as a ship wreck in a park is bound to draw attention from the public", Fury explained, before starting to walk towards the ship that was sat in one of the hangars that belonged to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Jack followed him after a small pause, observing some men he didn't know walking around the Pearl. "I figured it would please you to see it restored to its former glory."
"… thanks?" Jack said hesitantly, before moving to the ship and knocking on the hull before putting his ear to it. After a few seconds he moved back and nodded. "Solid work, gentlemen. If ye lot are lookin' for a ship to crew, I'm hirin'!" he announced in a loud voice, getting some odd stares from the workers. He raised his eyebrow questioningly, before turning to Fury, a sour look on his face and muttered: "Well, that's depressin'…"
"I recommend not to set sail. It would draw a lot of unwanted attention if the public saw a pirate ship sailing at this day and age", Fury told him. Jack just waved him off, before walking towards the exit.
"Yeah, yeah, we're suppose' to keep low profile 'ere! Whatever that means…" the pirate captain retorted, missing the disbelieving shake of head from the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. He then walked out of the hangar to a hallway, wanting to get something to drink.
"Jack!" a female voice called out to him, making him pause and look towards the sound. It was Natasha, who walked to him quickly. "Checking out the ship?"
"Yes, I am- Wait, ye knew but didn't tell me?" Jack questioned, raising an eyebrow. Natasha just shrugged.
"Didn't seem important", she told him. Jack cleared his throat and straightened his back, before facing her fully.
"Look, miss. I'm th' Captain 'ere, and if somethin' important comes up, ye tell me, savvy?" he said, and Natasha just rolled her eyes, a small smile on her lips.
"Oh, and how important is hundreds of years old wreckage when New York is under an alien attack, hmm?" she asked. Jack inhaled sharply, as if in shock, narrowing his eyes.
"Black Pearl's been called many a thing in th' past, but a wreckage it's not, my dear", he told her, a smirk playing at his lips, before he paused to think, adding: "Even if it technically may 'ave been. At one point." Natasha laughed at his antics, shaking her head. Jack smiled, pleased with himself, as he got closer to her, reaching to touch her bangs briefly.
"And the Pearl is very important, my dear", he continued, staring straight into Natasha's eyes. The spy raised an eyebrow at his actions, a playful smile on her lips.
"Oh, is it now? And I'm nobody's dear", she told him, lightly tapping Jack's arm, successfully making him let go of her hair. Just then, someone coughed, turning their attention to him. It was Clint, who stood there, looking oddly amused.
"Am I interrupting something?" he asked, getting a snort from Natasha.
"What's up, Clint?" she asked, looking at her friend with a smile.
"Not much; I was just wondering if you wanted to grab something to drink", he asked, noticing Jack's eyes lit up at the mention of a drink. "You're invited, of course."
"Well, what're we waitin' for, folks! Captain's thirsty!" Jack announced, before practically skipping away, leaving behind two very amused S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. He then stopped, as if he'd hit a wall, turning to look at them. "… Which direction was it?"
"Never change Jack. Never change", Natasha muttered as she followed him with a laughing Clint Barton.
Elizabeth Swann snapped out of her sleep when the monkey, Jack, practically screeched directly to her ear. She growled in annoyance, pushing the annoyance away from her groggily before rising to her feet. She noted she'd fallen asleep next to Will, who also awakened at the monkey's scream.
"Stupid monkey", she muttered under her breath, glaring at Jack, who was pulling her pants leg and pointing somewhere. "Go away, you cretin!" she snapped, kicking the creature away from her, but it came back, jumping up and down, making a huge ruckus.
"What's wrong with it?" Will asked in confusion, rising to his feet and looking around himself. The rest of their crew had also settled down, while Tia Dalma was still standing where she'd been earlier. She'd stopped chanting, but her arms were raised to the sky.
"It's gone crazy; hell, we all are!" Gibbs, who was standing nearby, commented. Some of the other crew members gave him an "Aye!" in agreement.
"What is it, Jack?" Barbossa questioned, kneeling besides his pet, who pointed to Tia Dalma. Barbossa narrowed his eyes, looking at the voodoo queen. He then rose to his feet again and walked over to Will, Elizabeth and Gibbs. "The sorcery is bothering him", he said, getting stares from the three.
"What's the mystic doing anyway?" Gibbs asked, looking at the others. Will snorted.
"Maybe she took my advice and is trying to summon a ship?" he suggested sarcastically, getting a laugh from Gibbs.
"She's looking into what caused Jack to exit the Locker", Barbossa explained, despite not knowing all the details himself.
"Well, it's clearly not working; she's been at it for hours!" Will said in annoyance. Elizabeth and Gibbs nodded in agreement, but Barbossa shook his head.
"Be patient", he said simply as Jack jumped on his shoulder. He then walked off, leaving the others standing there. Gibbs shook his head and walked over to some of the other crew members, but Will and Elizabeth stayed put, looking on as the mystic continued her work. They continued observing her for a few minutes, before Will laid down again.
"Let me know if something changes", he said as he closed his eyes.
Elizabeth didn't know what it was, but there was something about what Tia Dalma was doing that felt off. She hadn't thought much of the monkey's ruckus, but now she felt it too. There was a certain aura to the voodoo queen that felt almost vile.
Then, a crack of lightning appeared in front of the soothsayer, disappearing after only a split second. Elizabeth blinked in shock, unsure if what she saw actually happened and wasn't just her imagination. Then, the air in front of Tia Dalma cracked open, a spiral of sorts forming from the cracks.
"WILL!" Elizabeth yelled, the man in question opening his eyes immediately as he hadn't fallen asleep yet.
"What is it- ", he started to ask, but stopped when he saw the spiral. The rest of the crew noticed it too and were now staring fearfully at the witch, who lowered her arms and turned towards the others, a wicked smile gracing her lips.
"Ready to get witty Jack?" she asked playfully, looking at each member of the crew one by one, her eyes lingering a bit longer on Will.
"Not a chance, the witch is cursed!" a random crew member yelled out, getting a chorus of "Aye!" from the others. Barbossa rolled his eyes, walking over to the portal.
"Bunch of cowards!" he yelled, before stepping into the portal. Elizabeth walked over next with Will following close behind.
"Did you do that?" Will decided to ask, getting a smirk from the witch.
"I only asked the Gods to show me da way to Jack", she told him, winking at him. "Told you to be patient."
"Are we really doing this?" Gibbs, who had walked over with Marty, Cotton, Ragetti and Pintel, asked. He glanced at Tia Dalma warily, getting a smile from the voodoo queen. Elizabeth just rolled her eyes.
"Come on, you cowards! Let's go save Jack!" she yelled, before walking into the portal. Will shrugged, walking after her, leaving behind the others. Gibbs looked between the portal and the crew.
"Oh, to hell with it!" he exclaimed, walking into the portal, followed by Marty and Cotton, the latter of which had his parrot on his shoulder. Tia Dalma walked in after that, leaving behind only two.
Ragetti and Pintel shared a glance.
"Should we go too?" Ragetti asked, gulping loudly.
"It's either that or…" Pintel said, looking back at Tai Huang and his men. "Staying with them." The two of them stared at them for a few seconds.
"Yeah, we're going", Pintel confirmed before the two walked through the portal.
Meanwhile, Jack, Natasha and Clint were having a drink in a bar that was located nearby the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility they were currently residing in.
Jack took a swig of his rum, before spotting a crack of lightning outside the bar. He rubbed his eyes, before looking at the rum bottle to see what it contained.
"What's wrong?" Natasha asked curiously, seeing his frown.
"Seein' things", he replied, just as a huge cracking sound was heard and a gust of wind blew the bar door open. The two agents turned towards the now formed portal in alarm.
"Great, more aliens?" Clint asked, glancing at Natasha. They watched as multiple humanoid beings walked out of the portal. Then, Jack let out a laugh, catching their attention.
"What's so funny?" Natasha wanted to know. Then, she realized the humanoids were human and wearing clothing like what Jack had worn when he arrived. Connecting the dots, she raised a brow in his direction.
"Friends of yours?" she asked curiously.
"Not exactly", Jack told her, before walking towards the very confused looking group with his rum in hand.
"Good day, mates! How nice of ye to step by!" Jack exclaimed, catching the group's attention. He then took a swig of his rum. "Took ye long enough!"