Chapter 3

The blue demon stalked about her cabin, her stare upon the cyborg careful.
His colossal form towered over her. Metal gears clicking and grinding. They seemed such a sharp contrast to what flesh was left upon on him.

But it was that eye that intimidated her immensely. Red and glowing, it watched her every movement… assessed her… waiting for a weakness.

"What have you done with my Treasure, Silver?" Elizabeth spoke, her tone low and dangerous.

But the cyborg said nothing.

"Tell me, and I may consider letting you choose in which way you wish to die."

"There is nothing left, Elizabeth." The cyborg's tone was calm. "It's all gone."

Elizabeth's undeterred grin spread across her face, her sharp teeth glinting in the candlelight. Her stalk about the cabin slowed to a strut. "There is no one left but you, Silver. I killed them all. Every last man and woman who dared call themselves members of your crew."

She watched him swallow. "I started with the ones in the prisons, slitting their throats in the dead of the night. And the ones that ran, I hunted and watched them whither. Deformed voices crying out for the relief of death to take them. And now, John Silver, it is your turn. So I say it again, and for one more time only, where is my Treasure Mr. Silver?"

The cyborg did not change his tone. He merely matched her smile, a grin twisted and deadly. "You slew my crew. You murdered everyone I trusted. All for nothing." Gears clicked as he gestured to her an empty hand. "For it is all gone Elizabeth. Every … last… piece … of… treasure."

"Fool!" The Captain's howl rang throughout the cabin. "As you are destined to die at my hands, I am bound to that treasure. It calls to me."

The flick of her wrist was all it took to send her gun flying into her hands. "Don't make me blast out that other eye, John Silver. Because I can guarantee, I won't miss."

The Cyborg kept his calm, only drawing Elizabeth's attention to the great, scaly rash that made its way up his fleshy arm. Elizabeth's pistol followed the rash, a low chuckle escaping her throat. "I see the curse is already taking effect upon you. Soon that rash will engulf you. Does it itch?"

His fist clenched, and in an attempt to conceal it, he tugged at his cloak.

"I have seen your men rolling in the final stages of the curse. Soon you will witness the completeness of my father's fury and you will be begging for the cold embraces of death itself. Which leads me to the question? What possessed you to take the map in the first place?"

"Curses or no curses, I was willing to take my chances," came his reply. "And now the loot is gone. Spent or taken by thieves."

His look was smug. This irritated Elizabeth. But her irritation was short lived as toying with her pistol she did the unexpected and withdrew it. Taking a seat at her desk, she said nothing as she brought out a logbook from its drawers and placed it carefully in front of her.

"Mister Silver, I have here a list of all those who partook in building my father's planet. From the mightiest of his personal crew to the very slaves which he sent to the grave with his secrete. You will be aware of such names as your very own father." She studied him, watching him carefully. "Another name came to my attention. A slave able to escape with the aid of my meddling mother. The very slave who build and programmed that map. His name was William Hawkins."

"Hawkins," Silver's voice was just a whisper, and while he had tried to hide his startle, Elizabeth had seen it in his very eyes.

"Yes," smiled Elizabeth. "A man long dead by now. But you see, that map was only supposed to be programmed to respond to my father and myself. However, before his escape and upon the urgings of my mother, Hawkins programmed it to respond to one other family line. That of his own."

"A legend, Elizabeth," though useless, John Silver forged a snide laugh.

Elizabeth scratched at the name on her book, circling it with a claw.
"William Hawkins lived to father a son and his son fathered a son. A boy, whom at your very urgings was able find his way to my treasure."

"JIMBO," the cyborg's reaction made Elizabeth bare him another dangerous grin. She had found his weakness and she had hit it hard.
"You will not touch that boy, Elizabeth. By the solar winds, I will never let you near him."

The Pirate Captain laughed, slashing the pages of her book with a claw, she pulled back in her chair and got to her feet. "It is too late, my dear Silver. The curse has already found him, it pulls me to him. And you, my dear, will have the privilege of witnessing this curse take full hold upon him. Your very last thoughts before you tumble into the abyss of Turner's locker will be the begging cries of James Hawkin's agony…"

The first day of examinations was finally over. God, it felt like it should have been the last. Jim let the hot water of his shower run over his head. He was tired. Beyond tired, he was exhausted. Words and numbers flashed in front of his eyes, his mind now nothing but a twisted mess. That would have been the longest four hours of his life.

Only five exams to go.

His stomach churned. Not normally nervous by nature, Jim was a wreck. That exam had been harder than he thought. And the more he pondered on it, the more convinced he was that he'd failed miserably.

Enough was enough. He needed to get out and get some fresh air. Jim was due to meet his friends at their favourite pub. He was already running late.

Turning off the tap, Jim stepped into the steamy bathroom and reached for the nearest towel. It was pink.

He moaned and rolled his eyes. Why the housekeeper insisted on giving him a pink towel was beyond him. But as long as it did the job and no one walked in on him, then it would do fine. Drying himself down, it didn't take him long to suddenly notice the rash that trailed up his arm.

"What the…? Where did that come from?" He followed it to his shoulder before reaching for the mirror and giving it a good wipe, where there he found it went all the way up his neck.

It looked strange and for some reason made his arm cold to touch.
But little time did he have to mull on it as there was a knocking at the bathroom door. He'd overused his time. He needed to move, for Edmond and Suzie would be waiting.

"Oh look who decided to grace us with his presence!" Suzie shot Jim a wide grin as he took up his seat beside his mates. "Hope you don't mind, Edmond was staving so we ordered for you."

"Sorry guys. I got caught up."

"Yeah, I saw the envelope Mr. Onyx slipped you in the exam room. What was that?" inquired Edmond suspiciously.

Jim gave a shrug pulling it from his boot where he'd put it and forgotten about it till just then.

But before he had the chance to open it, Suzie snatched it from his hands.

"Is it a love letter? I've seen the way Danielle watches you in classes. She has pictures of you all over her dorm room."

Jim gave a snicker, as with eager anticipation Suzie tore open the envelope. It was that point that her face fell.

"Oh no Jim," was all she could say, a hand covering her mouth. She handed Jim the letter. "It's an order to have your personal records reviewed. Jim, what did you do? You're being investigated."