Chapter 21:
It didn't take them long to fly down to the surface of the planet. The planet was just beginning to glow with morning light. Zarabeth watched in awe as they silently drifted through forests of oversized fungi and over open planes where the ground was completely covered in slick moss. Since the planet was man-made, not much else could grow on the surface.
Jim moored the longboat about a mile from a tall, egg-shaped, metal structure which B.E.N. was proud to point out as his home and their current hideout. The robot hopped out of the longboat to scurry over to a moss covered dome-like stone. Jim helped B.E.N. lift the "rock" to reveal that it was a a secret door. Looking through the opening, Zara could see that the tunnel led down under the surface of the planet, miles and miles of circuits, wires, and a metal walkway which the robot explained led to other such entrances. Jim helped lower B.E.N. down first so that he could lead the way. Morph flew in next. Taking her by the waist, Jim carefully let Zara down through the hole to drop only a few feet onto the walkway.
Zarabeth swallowed hard as she clung to the iron railing next to her. The floor shook as Jim let himself in to complete the group. Zara knew that if she fell over the edge, it would take a long time to hit anything. She shuddered slightly at the thought, but relaxed as she felt Jim wrap his hand protectively around her waist.
The little company walked through the maze of stairs and ramps until B.E.N. began to climb a ladder which led them into the back of his house. It was dark inside the metal dome, the walls green and red from rust and grime.
As soon as she was on firm ground, Zara looked about quickly for Amelia, but it was too dark to see anything from where they stood.
As soon as everyone was inside, Jim ran over to a large rock a few yards away, Zara trailing behind him. Jim pulled the golden sphere of the map out of his pocket as he began to talk to a shadow. "Hey Doc, wake up! Zara's ok! We got the map!"
It wasn't Doppler's hand which reached out to grab the map from Jim, but the bionic hand of Silver. His voice was cold as he sat up out of the shadows to reveal himself. "Fine work, Jimbo. Fine work indeed."
Zara froze on the spot, her mind reeling in fear. No, not again! Behind her, Zarabeth saw that a pirate had B.E.N. captured by the trap door. The only other way out was through the enormous circle cut-out at the front of the house.
Jim looked about the room, seeing the exact same things as Zara. The cabin boy grabbed the girl's right hand as he took off, full speed, for the front of the dome. The two were almost to the opening when a hidden group of the pirates came out of the shadows, creating a circle to surround them. The group tightened as they got ready to grab whichever teen was unfortunate enough to get too close to them.
Panic confused Zara's senses as she racked her brain for any idea. Just as she looked up, Turnbuckle and Bilge each grabbed for Jim, tearing the twos' hands apart from each other. Zara frantically kicked and struggled, restrained in the massive rhinoceros hands of Regulus.
It didn't take long for the pirates to completely restrain the group. Jim fought against the hands and tentacles which held him, but he knew it was no use.
Zara looked around the room as she fought to get free, her eyes suddenly catching sight of Amelia and Doppler, bound and gagged at knifepoint at the mercy of two other aliens. The girl cringed and grit her teeth as Regulus rearranged his grip on her, roughly laying hold of her injured arm.
Jim couldn't tear his gaze away from the girl as he watched her face continue to be streaked with anger and pain.
Silver walked between the two struggling teens, a satisfied look on his face as he tossed the map casually in his hand. "Yer just like me Jimbo, yeh hates ta lose." The cyborg laughed as he tried twisting open the map. When the globe wouldn't budge, Silver frantically began changing his arm into clamps, braces, and other things to get the map to concede. "What teh devil?" Nothing happened.
Zara looked from Silver to Jim and noticed that the boy's face was tinted with a smirk.
Seeing his amusement, Silver shoved the map into the cabin boy's chest, a threatening look on his face. "Open it!"
The two pirates holding Jim's arms now let go to allow Jim the use of his hands. But once he was holding the map, the boy didn't move, his eyes glaring coldly into the cyborg's.
Realizing that Jim wasn't about to comply willingly, Silver changed his mechanical arm into a laser pistol. The cyborg turned himself to face both of the teens as he lowered the firearm in Zara's direction.
The girl began struggling once more as she called out to the boy. "Jim, don't you da-aaah!" Zara's words were cut short as Regulus began squeezing her bleeding arm. The pain brought the girl unwillingly to her knees as she tried to escape it. After a second, the alien's grip let up, leaving Zara breathing heavily on her knees, the sharp pain disappearing into a dull throb. Looking up, she could see that Jim was struggling with himself, unsure of what to do.
Silver's patience was dwindling. He continued to stare at Jim as he cocked the pistol. "I'd get busy."
Jim needed no other threat. Without looking, the boy tapped his fingers across the surface of the globe, pressing a series of buttons before spinning its top and side until the map opened with a 'click'. Little green lights swirled out from the markings of the map, flying into the middle of the room before it dissolved into a holographic picture of the planet.
Silver spoke, barely above a whisper, to break the stunned silence in the room. "Oh dah powers dat be, would ya look."
Everyone watched in awe as the picture stood still for a moment before it shot from the middle of the room and out of the circular opening. The green light created a straight line, assumably leading to the location of the hidden treasure.
Limping towards the entrance to see where it was going, Silver barked orders to his crew. "Tie 'em up and leave 'em with t'a others."
The green line suddenly disappeared as Jim closed the map defiantly. "If you want the map, you're gonna have to take me too."
Silver squinted in irritation for a moment before his face relaxed in a smirk. "We'll take 'em all."
The inhuman crew cheered in excitement as they all scrambled to get ready for departure.
Regulus cackled in amusement as he roughly let go of Zarabeth, shoving her into Jim. The cabin boy barely caught the girl as he wrapped his arms around her, regaining his balance.
Zara looked up fearfully into Jim's eyes, her voice trembling. "Jim, what are we gonna do?"
Jim let out a nervous sigh as he pulled the girl gently into his arms, her head resting against his chest. "I'm not gonna let anything happen. I promise."
Zara took in the feeling of the boy's embrace as she whispered in reply. "You may not be able to keep that promise."
Jim pulled away slightly, lifting up the girl's chin to face him. "I will keep that promise...or die trying."
Zara closed her eyes. The girl's voice lowered even more so that only Jim could hear her as she spoke. "That's what I'm afraid of."