DISCLAIMER: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

Averell flinched as the door to his study creaked open. "Father?" Jenny asked, her voice rising with worry.

"Jennifer, how many times have I told you to knock before interrupting my work?"

She backed away. "Sorry. I just thought..."

"Spit it out."

"I can't find Albino Pirate anywhere. Have you seen him?"

"Half an hour ago, actually. He walked off to who knows where."

Jenny stared at him in disbelief. "You mean he left?"

"I'm afraid so, dear."

Instead of going away as he'd hoped, she came into the room and sat down next to him. "Father, there must be some kind of misunderstanding. He wouldn't just take off without saying goodbye — "

"Yes, well, he apparently would. Now be good and leave me to my work," he added, looking back at his papers.

Jenny's face fell. "...Yes, Father," she murmured as she stood and walked to the door.

Averell turned around. "I have some good news for you!"

"And what might that be?"

"Phineas tells me that you and Beatrice have had quite enough of this dreadful place. We're all starting back for New York today, right after lunch. You'll like that, won't you?"

"Um..."

"Of course you will! Why don't you go start packing?" He turned back to the desk before Jenny could protest.

Sighing, Jenny walked back down the hall to her room. Opening the curtains, she stared through the rain at Blue Mud. With the people hiding inside and the water staining the new coats of paint on the buildings, it looked just as it had a month ago.

As she began pulling dresses from her wardrobe and tossing them into a pile on the bed, her eyes happened to drift towards her desk. An open letter still sat there. The letter.

"Father," Jenny said as she marched back into the study with the paper clutched in her hand, "I need to talk to you about something."

The room, however, was empty. She was turning to go search downstairs when she noticed that her father's desk was still cluttered with papers. He never leaves his work unorganized. He would surely be back soon. Sitting at the desk, she stared at the doorway and waited for him to return.

As the minutes without a sign of her father, she began to sift through the papers on the desk and place them into piles for him. Business documents filled with numbers on the left, letters on the right...whatever this was left in the center.

She could tell it was a letter and written in her father's hand, but that was all. There was no heading at the top, and the words were so hastily scribbled that they were nearly ineligible. She squinted as she gradually made out the words.

To Senator Cole

Have located a mine sizable for our intentions in the territory. Railroad and digging obstructed by pre-existing settlement. Have enlisted the serivces of a Mr. Jackson to clear it out. I can ensure that we will have a sufficient supply of ore to show the electoral college.

Senator Winters

"What are you doing in here?"

She gasped and whirled around, but her shock and fear quickly turned to anger. "Why?" she snapped, holding up the letter.

"I don't know what you mean..."

"Why'd you make a deal with Jackson? What are you clearing out the town for? What's this ore you wrote about?"

He walked towards her. "Now, Jennifer, this is going to be better for everyone — "

"Tell me," she said, backing up against the open window.

He lunged at her. "Give that back!"

Twisting around, Jenny ducked away from his grasp and tumbled out the window while still holding the letter. She fell for several feet before straightening herself, reaching out and grabbing onto the sill of another window. Hastily stuffing the letter between her teeth, her other hand scrambled for a hole in the brickwork and found it. She climbed down the last few feet as she heard her father shout "Someone go after her!" She didn't even bother to pick up her skirts as she ran off through the mud towards town. Everything faded from her mind except who can I tell? Wait — there! The sheriff's office!

"Mr. Hedley!" she shrieked, bursting through the front door and barely coming to a stop.

Hedley appeared from the back room staring at her in confusion. "The heck's goin' on with you?"

"You have to show this to everyone!" she answered, throwing the letter on the desk. "Show it to everyone now!"

"What is it?"

"Could I borrow your horse, please?"

"He's tethered outside, but — "

She ran back outside as quickly as she had come in. Hedley watched through the window as she hopped onto the horse, flicked the reins and took off at a gallop out of town, kicking up mud behind her.

"Do you think the rain's going to stop soon, Polly?"

As if on cue, the downpour suddenly became that much stronger.

Sighing, Albino Pirate held Polly a little closer and leaned against the wall of the cave they had taken shelter in. "Mr. Hedley said there weren't any other towns around here."

Maybe they could start walking somewhere and find food along the way. Maybe they would find another wagon. Maybe the captain would find them at last. Maybe they should just stay in this cave forever and ever...

Tap, tap, tap. It was a faint noise, barely louder than the raindrops, but there it was. What was it?

Putting on his hat, he ventured outside the cave. "H-Hello...?"

Tap, tap, tap. The noise was moving now, to the other side of the cave. It was like the sound wood made when it hit something, and he knew he had heard it somewhere before. "Please wait!" he shouted as he ran after it. He had barely gotten to the other side before he bumped into someone small, stout and leaning on a crutch.

"...Lad!"

Albino Pirate had no time to get any words out before Pirate With Gout threw an arm around him and gave him the tightest hug he'd ever received. "We've all been worried sick about ya, lad! Why, Cap'n has nearly torn his beard out! Where on earth have ya been?"

"It would take a rather long time to explain..."

"You found him!"

The Pirate With Gout pushed Albino Pirate into the arms of the other crew members, who came running up to engulf him. "Now what did I tell you, Number Two?" the captain said triumphantly as he lifted the boy off his feet. "I knew he was around here!"

"Sir, you were just looking through the spyglass in the other direction."

"Alright, so I was hoping he'd be around here. Doesn't matter! I was starting to think we'd lost you for good, lad...so," he said, putting Albino Pirate down and picking up Polly, "are you feeling alright? No broken bones? Ever captured by a giant squid?"

"I don't think they have those here, Captain."

"Good! Come along, then. Boat's this way. We're going back to Blood Island, I've had quite enough of this country. The people are strange and the rivers aren't very friendly — "

"Albino Pirate! Albino Pirate, wait!"

They turned. A small had appeared in the distance and was quickly coming at them. "Who's that?" Gout asked.

Albino Pirate, however, had already broken away from the group and was hurrying towards the dot. "Miss Jenny? Miss Jenny, is that you?"

The horse skidded to a stop as Jenny stumbled off the saddle and ran to him. "Please, you've got to come back! The whole town's in danger...!"

"But your father told me — "

"Father's lied to all of us!"

"Sorry to interrupt, I really am, but what's this all about?" the captain said as the crew approached them.

"And what's all over your dress?" Charles asked Jenny. The hem of her skirts was caked in mud from town.

"It's just mud, it's not important — "

"Is it usually that color?" he continued, kneeling down and scraping off a handful to examine it further.

"Yes, what of it?"

"Captain," he exclaimed, standing back up, "this is the same material that was in the mud I found last night!"

"Are you still on that?"

"It's saturated with silver!"

They all looked at him. "Really?"

"There's quite a lot just in this bit, and there's no telling how large that mine was."

"A mine?" said Jenny. "There's a mine near here?"

"Over that way," the captain answered, pointing in the direction she had come from.

She was already lost in her thoughts. "So that's what he meant..."

"What are you talking about?" Albino Pirate asked.

"I found a letter Father wrote. He said he'd found a mine and he was going to use it for something. It's got to be right under Blue Mud! He said there was a town in the way and he's made a deal with these bandits to destroy it!"

"You know, I think we've met them," the captain said. "Horrid coves, aren't they?"

"But what does your father want with the mine?" Scarf asked.

"He mentioned something about the — "

BLAM! A bullet came whizzing out of nowhere and knocked the captain's hat clean off his head. "Why does that keep happening?!"

"Sir, I think we have more pressing matters at hand..."

"All of ya put yer hands up or we gonna make sure ya croak real slow!"

The bandits came riding in from all directions and surrounded the group, laughing and firing off bullets. "Don't waste 'em!" one shouted. "Jacky said shoot to kill!"

"Now, now," said the captain, "can't we work this out like civilized men?"

Nope, he was told by the simultaneous clicking of revolvers. "Count o' three!" their leader said. "Thr-AAAHHH!" He and his horse were knocked over as Marvin barreled into the circle, bellowing with fury and kicking anyone who dared aim a gun at the pirates. The rest of the bandits were soon scattering and screaming as the bison chased after them.

"Captain?" Albino Pirate asked. "What's going on?"

"It'll all make sense later."

"Would someone kill that thing?!" the bandit leader yelled as he picked himself off the ground.

One of the men raised his gun, but it was blasted from his hand by a bullet as the loud, frenetic clanging of a bell filled the air. "Weg mit dir!"

Albino Pirate cheered while his crew members simply stared at the gigantic metal barrel on its side that came roaring onto the scene. Sparks flew from its wheels, and steam poured from a pipe in the back. In the front seat sat Wechsler. He was wearing large goggles over his eyes, had the steering wheel of the horseless carriage in one hand and a rifle in the other. "Avay vith you!"

The bandits were more than happy to oblige.

"What are you doing out here?" Albino Pirate and Jenny asked as he stopped in front of them and took the goggles off.

"Zee sheriff sent me to bring you back! He is getting zee people together to fight your father, Miss Vinters." He beckoned to them, and they jumped into the contraption.

"You know how I feel about not being told things!" the captain said.

"It vould take a fery long time to explain — "

"Yes, I know. That's why we're coming along," he answered as he climbed onto Marvin's back. "Number Two, you're with me. Think the rest of us could fit in that machine of yours?"

"Of course! Eferyone inside!" Wechsler declared as he put on his goggles and revved the engine. "Ẕw nẕẖwn!"

For extra fun, the finale of the William Tell Overture should be played at this time.

If this seems sloppily written, that's because it was done in roughly a day. Yeah, I don't know why. I've just been on a roll lately.

It goes without saying that the next chapter's gonna be a doozy, so be there when it hits! :D

~ A. Kingsleigh