Chapter 19

Finding B.E.N's Place

As we rode on I began to meditate and send positive thoughts of keeping the boys safe. While doing so I had earned some odd looks from the crew since I had my legs crossed on my seat and my hands in front of me and I closed my eyes. I had opened my eyes my head had spun around suddenly getting used to the scenery passing by but the spinning had quickly passed. We soon had come to a point where the density of the forest had become too dense for the longboat to pass through. The long boat began to shift as Silver had begun stand and lift himself out of the longboat before barking out orders.

"Secure teh skiff. And mark teh trees so we can find our way back." The crew responded with various salutes and confirmations and I could feel the skiff shift around uncontrollably until the only one in the longboat was me. The long boat a few more feet as Meltdown had grabbed a long piece of rope and began to secure it to one of the tall mushroom-like trees. As I looked around to take in our surroundings my eyes had fallen upon Silver and I glared at the cyborg who had reached out his hand to me expecting me to take it, his eyes seemed to soften a bit. I completely ignored it, stood up carefully and put one foot on the edge of the skiff and jumped off while landing onto the ground on one knee and my hands, which were still tied together, outreached touching the cool mossy ground. I slowly stood up and glanced at Silver for a second before turning to face just the surrounding area. I don't like giving someone the cold shoulder at least not to people I HAD gotten close to, but I was still extremely hurt by the cyborg. I was brought out of my thoughts when I felt a metal hand on my shoulder and a familiar voice barking out orders once again. "Keep walkin'. We can't let them get far with teh map."

I sighed heavily and in slight irritation as Silver began to lead the way through the plants with me in tow, his hand never leaving my shoulder so I ended up walking next to him. After a few minutes of cutting through the foliage Silver had abruptly stopped and turned to me and had thrown an extra piece of rope and a cloth to the alien crew member known as Pudge "Tie teh extra rope around her wrists and gag 'er. We wouldn't want 'er warning 'er friends." I glared at the cyborg who still had his hand on my shoulder while Pudge began to tie the cloth onto my mouth the taste was awful! I began to growl and Silver just glared at me and I had glared right back and soon Pudge had tied the extra rope between my wrists leaving a good amount free and handed it to Silver. As Silver began cutting away at some of the thinner greenery we came upon a clearing and I stopped in my tracks. Just on top of a large grassy steep hill was a metal structure that stood out like a sore thumb. I knew it was B. home, and I was looking around for any signs of disturbances or life around the area, I guess in the back of my mind I was hoping that maybe they hadn't come to the hideout yet. At least until I heard familiar robotic voice shouting.

"Hey, fellas! We're over here, fellas!" I mentally slapped my forehead. 'B.E.N you idiot!' and soon shots from the crew were being fired at the robots direction in the opening of his metal home.

~Jim's POV~

~Just as Doppler carries Amelia into the hideout~

Upon finding out B.E.N's home would be the perfect place to hide Sam, Adam, Camille, B.E.N and I had begun to walk back into the direction where we had left Doc and Amelia. The sun was already starting to set giving the land around us a golden glow as the two new additions joined the group had led the easiest path to the hideout. Amelia couldn't walk very well so Doppler had decided to carry her bridal style all the way there; I was slightly surprised at his strength to carrying a full grown woman for at least a couple miles. We all final climbed into the hideout as B.E.N had walked over to a side of the home and began um, clean up mainly by throwing a chess board to the side making the pieces scatter and then he lifted some pink….undergarments.

"Ah, pardon the mess, people, I j- You'd think in a hundred years I would've dusted a little more often, but, y'know, when you're bachin' it you tend to ah...let things go." He had looked back and had seen Amelia in Doppler's arms. "Awww, isn't that sweet? I find old fashioned romance so touching, don't you?" he had turned and the sound of clinking metal echoed throughout the small home. "How 'bout DRINKS for the happy couple?" I looked back and had seen the make-shift glasses filled with a black liquid. Doppler had made a move to take one of the glasses until he took a better look at the beverage.

"Ooh...uh, ooh, no, thank you, we don't drink..." and he smiled down at Amelia while he was pulling off his jacket and folding it. "And we're, uh, we're not a couple." I looked at the two as they smiled softly at one another and Doppler began to talk about the markings on the walls. "Look at these markings. They're identical to the ones on the map! I suspect these are the hieroglyphic remnants of an ancient culture." Amelia tried to sit up and looked at me and then moved to look at Sam and Adam.

"Mr. Hawkins, O'Bryan and Martinez stop anyone who tries to approach." She then had gasped in pain and was pushed back by Doppler who had folded his coat and laid it underneath her as a pillow.

"Yes, yes, now listen to me! Stop giving orders for a few milliseconds...And lie still." Amelia had smiled up at the Doctor and I could hear her say something but it was muffled out as Camille had begun ranting to Adam and Sam about how she doesn't get how they were able to get on the R.L.S Legacy while she had to endure a 'demented' robot for the past few days. I shook my head, I have never seen one girl get so worked up and yet still sound like she was having the time of her life. Then my thoughts went to Violet, I wondered how she was holding up I knew she could take care of herself pretty well I mean at least she held up her own against Scroop and to me that was a major feat. I soon felt a hand on my shoulder and I had looked to see the Ginger haired girl smiling up at me showing of her cat like teeth and blue eyes.

"She's fine." I must have looked shocked as she winked at me and continued while putting her hands behind her head nonchalantly. "It's clear you're worried about Violet, Jim, it's all over your face. Trust me she can take a hit it may hurt but she'd never let it on unless she was really close to someone like the four of us." I raised an eyebrow at four and she had given me a look with a small catty grin. "Yes, four Jim," 'The hell? Was she reading my mind or something?' "I can see by how worried you are that Violet means a lot to you. She must have really opened up to you for you to get close to her. You just got to have faith in her James she'll be fine and when we see her again she'll probably need all six of us to help her if she needs it." I nodded it and had given a smile but in a second it was gone as the both of us had turned to see B.E.N literally standing on the edge of the entrance and he was pointing to the ground.

"Hey, look! There's summore of your buddies!" the bronze robot had begun to wave frantically and began shouting. HEY, FELLAS! WE'RE OVER HERE, FELLAS-"The next thing I knew there were lasers firing at the nomadic robot and Adam Sam and I quickly had gone to the entrance. I had pulled B.E.N down and the three of us began to fire our handguns at the onslaught of enemy fire. Maybe five seconds had passed before there was a faint sound of Silvers voice shouting over the guns then the gunfire suddenly stopped. Then finally after a short period of silence Silver's voice rang out loud and clear and his voice echoed slightly.

"Hellooo, up there...Jimbo? If, eh, it's alright with the captain...I'd like...a short word with yeh! No tricks, just a little palaver!" I looked over at the Captain who practically rolled her eyes and began to sit up and beginning to speak with that authoritative tone that she was famous for.

"Come to bargain for the map, doubtless. Pestilential-" She began to try and sit up which only ended up in agitating her wound and she grabbed her side with a small gasp in pain. Doppler and Camille were slowly pushing her back into her propped up laying down position while Doc had gave her a soft warning stating only her title. I let everything that happened sink in and my eyes widened and I felt a small smile begin to tug at my lips.

"That means...that he thinks we still have it.

"Mr. Hawkins take O'Bryan with you." I was about to nod but Camille stepped in and shook her head.

"That may not be the best Idea Captain; Silver asked specifically for Jim if any one of us were to go down there with him it could be disastrous." Captain Amelia had given Camille a surprised look and she continued. "The best thing to do when working with a criminal is to do as they ask and have a backup plan. Don't forget Silver and his gang of criminals may have Violet with them. I suggest Sam, Adam and I will keep a watchful eye on Silver and his surroundings for anything out of the ordinary while Jim's speaking with Silver." I looked at Adam who had glanced at Amelia whose eyes were wide but nodded in agreement.

"Okay you guys got my back. I'm trusting you." I was really trusting them I was still pissed off that they lied to me about where they had come from and all but who else could I trust to have my back right now? Adam, Sam and Camille all seem like I could trust them even after my outburst about how Violet had told me where they come from. They hadn't turned they back on me they didn't deny it or anything like that so if we all made it through this I'm sure that they would explain everything to everyone with some restrictions of course. Because not many people would actually believe in other dimensions it would land the four of them in the asylum for sure. I climbed out of the doorway of B.E.N's home and made my way down the hill to meet Silver. As soon as Silver and I had met up at the flat edge of the hill Morph had flown over to his owner who was greeted with a grin.

"Ah, Morphy! I'd wondered where yeh went off to." There was a small happy reunion before Silver eased himself down onto a rock, groaning. I watched as his cybernetic arm changed from the crutch back into a hand, and began to rub his cybernetic leg while groaning. "Oh! Ooh! Oh, this poor old leg's downright snarky since that game o' tag we had in the galley, eh-heh?" he laughed a bit. He was trying to get me to talk but it didn't work as I kept my glare on his figure and his smile began to fade away. "Eh...Whatever you heard back there, at least the part concernin' you kids...I didn't mean a word of it! If that bloodthirsty lot had thought that I'd gone soft, they'd've gutted us both!" Silver motioned over his torso to demonstrate the gutting. Right after he motioned for me to come closer and had put his cyber arm around my shoulder and brought me closer as he began to whisper. "If we play our cards right, we can both walk away from this rich as kings." I began to show a look which showed that I was thinking about it and looked at the old cook.

"Yea?" After that one word had escaped my mouth Silver chuckled and nodded in the slightest bit and was getting a bit excited as he began to speak once more.

"You get me that map, and, eh, an even portion o' the treasure is yours." Silver had stepped back and outreached his cyber hand out to me to shake on it. I looked at it smiled and as quickly as the smile appeared it was gone as I got serious and began to speak to Silver telling him exactly what I thought.

"Boy...you are really something." Silvers grin faded as I continued while circling his form. "All that talk of greatness...light comin' off my sails...what a joke." Silver tried cutting in.

"Wh- well- Now just see here Jimbo-" I had cut him off I didn't want to hear it.

"I mean at least you taught me one thing: stick to it, right? Well that's just what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna make sure that you never see one drubloon of MY treasure!" At the end of my small speech Silver's eyes began to harden while beginning to glare at me.

"That treasure is OWED me, by t'under!" I raised my voice and spoke.

"Well try to find it without my map! By thunder!" I couldn't believe I was actually fighting with a pirate who had a number of guys somewhere who could try to kill me on the spot but I didn't care.

"Ohhh, you still don't know how t' pick yer fights, do yeh, boy?" he seemed to calm down slightly as his frown began to turn into a small smirk. "I tink yeh'll change your mind for a trade." I calmed down slightly and I could feel my eyes widen slightly as I realized the only thing that he would have to trade for the map. A rope was then handed to Silver by Pudge the one eyed alien who wore only brown shorts and had a maniacal look on his face. As Pudge walked back to the bottom of the hill Silver had tugged on the rope a bit and I saw a bound and gagged Violet with a faint bruise forming on her face forming a sickly yellow color all along her jaw. I felt anger well up inside of me, how DARE he hurt Violet! I began to glare and clench my fists so tight my knuckles were turning white as I tried to keep my cool but as I began to speak I felt the control over my voice wither away.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HER?!" Silver and Violet both looked at me with wide eyes but Silver soon began to speak as his expression went back to normal.

"I didn't do a 'ting to her. Now will yeh be willin' to make a trade? Vi for teh map." Silver smirked thinking he had the upper hand. I glanced over at Violet who was shaking her head repeatedly, I got her message but there was no way that I was leaving her with Silver, not again.

"I'm not giving you the map Silver." Silver didn't like that at all as his eyes filled with fury once again but before he could say or do anything Violet did something somewhat unexpected as she yanked her bound wrists away making the rope slip out of Silvers hand; then she ended up running into him with her shoulder making him lose his balance slightly as she came toward me. When Silver grunted in surprise some of his crew began shouting and coming up on the hill Pudge and a few others had pulled out their handguns and began firing over at us. I pulled Violet down close to the ground and used my body to cover hers while looking back at the hideout opening I could see Adam and Sam shaking their head slowly. I could only think that they were meaning they weren't going to shoot for the fear of the situation getting even worse. But just as soon as the shots began firing the stopped as Silver had barked another order to stand down and return to their previous positions. As Silver got up he had a surprised look on his face as he had picked himself up while I was helping Violet to stand. I started working on the binds around Violets wrists. The minute her hands were free she had begun to untie her gag as she began to spit, which I assumed from getting a taste out of her mouth. Her eyes never left Silver as I could see her deep green eyes almost turn a bright yellow green while flashing in anger. I slowly pushed her behind me as Silver finally stood up gaining his balance and staring down at Violet.