It would seem that Briggs had a notorious reputation for picking up attractive young ladies who visited his little section of the world. Gibbs and others heard through the gossip down in the village that Briggs only invited female travelers to his home. Those who turned down his gesture of hospitality were 'escorted' up to the mansion by Briggs' men down in the town.
When approached about it by uniformed patrolmen, Kate and Elizabeth had tried to firmly, politely turn him down but the guards had said, "The governor does not take no for an answer, from anybody." They practically had them at gunpoint! Will had been ready to fight them, but Elizabeth silently hinted that he should wait. Will begrudgingly relented but insisted on accompanying the two girls, as 'Miss Swann's personal escort'.
Jack had been thrown through a trap door under the larder, where he found himself in a small dungeon. So, Briggs had his own personal prison under his house. "For uninvited guests no doubt. Nice." Jack muttered, shrugging to himself as he was left alone on the dirty floor. He reached his chained hands to his face and jerked the gag from his mouth. He sputtered and gagged. "Bleh!" Then he scanned his crammed surroundings. "Now how the heck am I gonna get out of here?" He asked no one in particular.
"You do appear rather faint, my lady." Briggs said to Kate. She was trying to think clearly, but her mind was racing. Standing before her was the very man who'd caused her family's loss, and now she didn't know what to do.
"I'm afraid so, sir." She managed to say, unable to look him in the eye. What to do, what should I do? She kept asking herself. Her blood was boiling with anger, but her body was trembling. "You seem to have...a lovely place here." She tried to speak nonchalantly.
"Ahh, lovely is not sufficient enough to describe my 'castle'. You appear to be flushed. I have a most effective remedy for that." Briggs smiled at her darkly, touching her wrist. He was eyeing the staircase that led up to the bed chamber. A chill ran down her back.
"N-n-no thank you." Kate shook her head firmly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe I will feel more well if I rejoin my party." She huffed.
"No need to sound so defensive, sweetie." Briggs squinted down at her.
"I said, 'no thank you'!" Kate growled and sharply flung her arm out of his grip. "Good day, sir!" She turned on her heel, when he suddenly snatched her by the arm and whipped her back to face him.
"Hold on, you!" Briggs hollered and he stomped over to Kate in a threatening manner.
"M-me?" Kate gulped. He backed her into a corner, sharply pinching her shoulder.
"That necklace! Where did you get it?!" Briggs demanded. Before she could even answer, his face grew crimson. "You stole it, didn't you?!"
"No, sir!" Kate shook her head innocently and clutched her precious chain. How could he possibly be interested in it? It was 'junk' compared to the jewels he obviously could afford.
"Tell me now, where did you get it?!" He echoed furiously, roughly shaking her.
"My...my father gave it to me!" Kate blurted out. Briggs' dark eyes flared like coals and he grabbed her by the hair.
"You're lying! You're a thief!" Briggs got down in her face.
"No, I'm not!" Kate argued frightfully as her eyes fell on it. It was at that moment that her stomach churned and her heart was just sick. This scary, heartless man was wearing...the exact same necklace! The necklace her father had given her years ago! She paled and felt like she was going to throw up. No! It couldn't be! "Wh-who are you?!" She asked fearfully. Briggs had her by the throat now. He too seemed to have recognized the chain and his eyes were burning like hot embers.
"You..." he hissed in her face. "You miserable, conniving, little slut!" He foamed. "You're the one who took my mum away from me! It was you. It was all your fault!"
"Wh-what?" Kate's mind was swimming like a tidal wave. "No! My father was David Summers, captain of the..." Briggs slapped her face hard.
"Shut up! Shut up!" He snarled in her ear. "You call that poor excuse of a man father? He was always 'trying to make ends meet'. Always trying to 'make do', and 'make the world a safer place'. I grew so sick of it! He never approved of my friends. They had everything! They scorned me for being poor. What did I have? Nothing! Summers brought food to the table, but never made something of himself like their fathers did! Well, look at me now! He was wrong! I'm the real man in our family." Without warning, he coiled his whip and lashed down fiercely on Kate's left shoulder. She cried out in pain and staggered backward as her arm felt like it was on fire. Briggs curled his lip in a cruel smile. "That's what it felt like when she took you with her. Never even tried to say goodbye!" Briggs growled.
"W-what?" Kate whimpered, still dazed.
"Summers was weak. I hate him. But not as much as I hate you!" He told her viciously.
"I don't understand!" Kate panted. Briggs bore down his whip again hard, on her already wounded arm, the bullwhip fiercely ripping her already slashed sleeve and broken skin. Kate wailed from the excruciating pain and lost her footing as she stumbled back against the wall.
"Liar!" Briggs spat and raised the whip again. But this time, it snapped from his grip as a blast fired it out of his hands. He growled in fury and whipped his head around. "Who goes there?!" He yelled. Kate, gripping her hurt arm, scurried away.
"A friend!" Will yelled back at him. He was up on the balcony, with smoke pouring from his gun. Briggs called him very colorful words which Will ignored. Kate yelped in fright in the hall as she collided into Elizabeth.
"Kate, it's me!" She told her friend. She saw Kate's bloody arm and her own face grew hot. "Oh, good g-! What happened?!" Kate was too overcome to speak. Elizabeth shoved her outside the window where the crew was waiting down below. Elizabeth-her fancy dressed removed, and now attired in her pirate garb-crept into the room and snuck up on Briggs, about to take his whip to Will who'd descended. Elizabeth snatched a clay vase from a side table and swiped the back of his head with it! He collapsed to the marble floor. "You're a miserable excuse for a man." Elizabeth snarled at him. She arched her arm up with her pistol, about to conk him on the head again, but Will quickly grabbed her arm.
"Elizabeth! Elizabeth, enough now!" He told her. "You've done him in right good and proper. No need to overdo it."
"Yes, there is." Elizabeth huffed. Will nodded to Elizabeth and checked the man for a pulse.
"He's alive." Will muttered.
"Unfortunately." Elizabeth grumbled. Then her eyes fell on the bullwhip. She clenched it with white knuckles and was tempted to give the b- a taste of his own medicine! Will saw the fire in her eyes, not that he would mind really.
"No." He told her. "But let's remove him before someone finds him. Quickly!" Elizabeth agreed and kicked the horrid whip away. She tossed it in the large fireplace. They heard the sentry's rushing boots approaching.
When Kate emerged out the window, she realized she was two stories high! But Gibbs was standing on the ground next to a wagon carrying hay. The long drop made her feel more dizzy than she already was. "Miss Kate!" Gibbs called up to her. "Jump! Ye gotta!" For a moment, Kate just stared blankly at everything. Her arm felt singed, and was losing blood. And unable to wrap her head around what had just transpired between her and Briggs was clouding her ability to make a clear decision. "Jump, Miss Kate!" Gibbs urged her. Kate slowly shifted forward, not really thinking and rather fell than jumped down onto the load of hay. "Thatta girl!" Gibbs cheered. "Where's Jack?"
"What?" Kate mumbled. Gibbs told the driver-who happened to be one of the men from the Pearl-to drive on.
Jack cleared his throat, and decided to put his plan into action. Covering both his ears, he ferociously let out a shrill howl, like a baying hound dog. He stopped and listened but heard nothing. He tried again, this time louder and longer. Finally, he heard footsteps clambering overhead! The trap door opened, spilling in sunlight. The guards trotted down the steps in bewilderment. "Sorry, gents. Musta missed the noisy cur." Jack shrugged. Then he charged at them, belting them with a head butt, which knocked them down the stairs and hammering down on their heads with his shackled fists. He just managed to grab the keys off of one them with his teeth. "As you were, boys. Thanks for the lift!" He told them through clenched teeth, then slammed the door on top of them so they couldn't see their way to get out and quickly locked them down inside. Then he made a run for it. Now, if only he could figure out which key could free him of these manacles!
"Come. Let's go!" Will grabbed Elizabeth's hand and they ran out. They'd dragged Briggs up the stairs-never mind that his head was bobbing up and down with every step-, and bound and gagged him, then Will had shoved him into one of the wardrobes, Elizabeth locked it, then Will hid the key into the furthest corner of the bottom bureau drawer. As they reached the stairs, they were greeted by a hostile band of Briggs' uniformed guards! "Divide!" Will and Elizabeth whispered to each other than split apart. Will ran to the stairs where he fought off three armed guards while Elizabeth grabbed flower vases and decorative goblets-whatever she could find that sat prettily along the hall-then with accurate aim, peppered them down onto the guards down on the floor.
Meanwhile, Jack had boosted himself off a vegetable cart outside the kitchen and clambered up the roof of the smaller building. Up there, he tried every key until he found the right one and quickly freed his hands. He tip-toed along the roof and dropped the keys down the chimney. "You there! Stop!" A guard hollered from across on of the upper turrets of the garden house. Jack turned on his heel and ran for it!
As Will fended off two remaining guards, the others who weren't knocked out from Elizabeth's snappy antics, were climbing up the stair railings! Elizabeth pulled out her pistol and shot one of the ropes that held the large chandelier in place. It began to swing, just as one of the guards was about to pounce on her, Elizabeth sprang off the high stair railing and jumped onto the chandelier, the guard missing her ankle, and her knocking him in the back of the head. For a moment, the guards and even Will were all dumbstruck. "Get her!" The lead guard hollered. Will whacked him in the gut with the guy's own rifle, then thought better of it. He raced up the stairs, leading all of the yelling men after him.
Elizabeth was pleased with herself for her wily escape. But now what was she going to do?
Will picked up a long bench from the hall and thrust it at the small army pursuing him, sending them either into the wall or in a jumble down the stairs. "Elizabeth! Wait for me!" He called and jumped onto the swing when it came close enough. He leaned against the glass closely to Elizabeth. More guards entered and started shooting at them with their rifles.
"Now what?" Elizabeth huffed.
"Fight fire with fire." Will grinned. They would've been having fun, if it wasn't for all the gun fire. They blasted their guns right back at the guards.
Jack was trying to escape the growing number of guards chasing him on the rooftops. Granted, not all of them were as agile as him, but he still had to get away. Four of them were closing in on him and to make matters worse, there was a great gap between the current rooftop and the next building. Jack wasn't sure what he was going to do, but halting was not an option. He dashed forward, hoping that by some miracle he wouldn't fall and go kersplat! On the ground. He desperately reached out to grab something as he took a flying leap, but...he quickly descended in midair...onto a wagon, full of ale!
His body ached for a moment from landing so hard on the wooden barrels, but as he realized his rolling savior, he grinned in delight. There was no driver, just his luck! But the horses had been startled and began cantering away when he'd screamed right above them then jolted the wagon with his thud. "That's right, boys. Move along!" He saluted the horses as he went about trying to pry open one of the rum barrels.
Elizabeth and Will were out of ammo, and were like treed cats. Just then, another commotion was heard below them as Gibbs and the others came in and fought off the guards. Within moments, all was quiet as the guards were all knocked out in a heap on the marble floor. "Much obliged, Mr. Gibbs!" Will nodded to him.
"Aye, lad. What's a real pirate adventure, without a little fightin'?" Gibbs cheered.
"Right. Now, just how do we go about getting down?" Elizabeth asked. Her arms ached from hanging on so hard.
"Let go." Marty said.
"What?" Elizabeth furrowed her brows. Will tugged on her waist and dragged her down with him as they landed on top of the unconscious guards. Elizabeth grimaced having come in such contact with their bodies and quickly jumped to her feet.
"Quick! They be catchin' up to us soon enough!" Gibbs told everyone.
"Wait. Where's Kate...and Jack?" Will asked.
"Miss Kate's on her way up the gangplank by now." Gibbs nodded. "But Jack, I haven't seen him!"
"I'm sure he'll turn up." Elizabeth said. "Let's go!" They all quickly shuffled out of the mansion which was still sure to be overrun with more officers any second now. The carriage they'd arrived in under duress was still there! Gibbs and his men quickly took out the officers, while Elizabeth jumped up and knocked the driver off the front seat, then Will took the reigns and snapped them hard. The horses whinnied under protest and began to canter away. Gibbs and the others hopped in the vehicle, or just clung to it as Will drove it furiously down the hill toward the small village. Elizabeth couldn't help wondering though: where the heck was Jack?
Jack's frenzied caravan was flying down the hill on the opposite side, but Jack hardly seemed to notice except when they hit a pothole. He clubbed the lid of one of the barrels and was able to reach his hand in and bring the ale to his mouth. "Not bad." He licked his lips and tried to drink out of it.
Kate had flailed around on the hay wagon, not even sure what was going on or why she was there. The wagon reached the village, but as the clumsy pirate of a driver tried to avoid colliding with the fountain in the town square, he veered dangerously on the opposite side and Kate was pivoted through the air, landing smack into a tradesman's supply of animal feed. He hollered angrily at her, but Kate-still overcome with shock-merely walked away, her raw arm throbbing horribly.
Jack was tossed up and down as the wagon bounced like a small row boat on high waves. "Easy!" He bellowed at the horses, not so much for his sore bum as he hated losing all that rum. The horses lurched and broke free from the wagon. Jack poked his nose over the driver's seat and realized he was in big trouble. He didn't want to leave the ale, but if he remained he would most likely break his bloody neck. Jack jumped off the wagon, landing in a farmer's field of tobacco as the wagon fell on its side along with several barrels of ale, across the dirt road that led from the village up to Briggs' fortress. Jack stood dizzily on his feet, pouting at all the wasted whiskey, but he was on the outskirts of town now so just a little farther and he'd reach his ship.
They finally reached the town square, and the Pearl's crew disembarked from the carriage. "To the ship, quickly!" Will ordered.
"Aye, sir!" Gibbs shouted.
"Elizabeth, why don't you go?" Will gaped at her.
"Not without Jack." Elizabeth said. They waited nervously for either Jack or the officers to descend upon them.
As the dust settled, Kate staggered into the square. Elizabeth and Will frowned deeply. She looked terrible and appeared dazed. They both rushed over to her. "Kate, are you all right?" Will asked with concern. Kate looked at them blankly, as if she didn't understand the question. Her bloodied limb just hurt so much. She didn't answer and her knees gave way. "Whoa now. It's all right. I've got you." Will said reassuringly to his 'sisterly' friend as he scooped her up in his arms, bridal-style. "You're safe now."
"Anamaria can tend her once we return aboard the Pearl." Elizabeth said. "We'd better hurry. Come on." Just then Jack appeared, prancing around like he didn't have a care in the world."Where have you been?!" Elizabeth scolded him sharply as he skipped over to join them.
"Trying to escape, luv. Can't let you two lovebirds have all the fun, now can I?" Jack teased. Elizabeth roughly pushed him backward and marched away. She was too angry to listen to his jokes at the moment. "Was it something I said?" Jack replied lightly. Then he noticed Will carrying a shaken Kate. Her face was pale, and she looked as if she'd seen a ghost. Jack frowned. "What happened here?" He firmly asked Will.
"Courtesy of Master Briggs." Will snapped. Jack noticed her wounds and felt his face grow hot. He blamed himself for not preventing this.
"Get her to the Pearl. Hurry!" Jack told him.
"With pleasure!" Will seethed, and scurried away with Kate in his arms.
Jack heard a barrage of horses galloping toward the village. He looked back and saw an army of officers coming straight for them. Jack sprinted just outside of town back to the wrecked wagon. The officers were coming closer at an alarming pace! "You'll have to forgive me." Jack told the ale, which he loathed to waste. Lighting a match, he tossed it into the wagon and made a run for it! He'd just reached the town square and the officers nearly reached the wagon when there was an enormous explosion. The villagers all screeched in fear and confusion and rushed off to see what had happened. They were all in a frenzy, so none of them seemed to notice Jack as he raced out of town to the docks. As he reached a small hill, he saw that the Pearl was leaving!
"Wait!" He yelled, waving his arms and ran with all his strength. He reached the end of the dock about five yards away from the ship which was beginning to sail away...without him. Jack dove down into the water and with mighty strokes, he reached the Pearl, and climbed aboard. Gibbs ran to meet him.
"Where to, Jack?" He panted.
"Set sail for Bermuda." Jack answered. "It's time to visit an old friend."
"Aye, aye, Sir. Let's get out of this place." Gibbs agreed. Jack smiled in relief, glad to be back on the ship, and with the exact information he came for. But...now he had to face a certain, troubled young lady and explain his actions!
All right. Excitement's over. But the trouble is far from it!