You Give Up A Few Things, Chasing A Dream
Chapter Two
"Awful Foolish of Ye, Lad"
A loud crack was the first thing Jim heard. Someone muttered a few words, but they were muffled and sounded distant, and Jim couldn't understand what they were saying. He heard the whirring of mechanical parts, followed by a terrifying loud hiss. Then suddenly, pain.
A tortured scream ripped through Jim's vocal cords at the impossibly hot sensation that tore through his leg like an electric current coursing through a live wire. A massive hand pinned his hips down, and another smaller pair of hands held his leg flush to the ground. It was hard to breathe, and it felt as if someone was squeezing his lungs. Every muscle in his body tensed up as he gasped for air. He twisted, desperate to escape the agony being inflicted upon him, but paw-like hands grabbed his shoulders and held him down.
"It's almost over, Jim," he heard Delbert's voice somewhere above him.
After what felt like an eternity, the burning stopped but the pain did not. It was so overwhelming, it took everything within Jim to not simply pass out again. He opened his eyes and saw the dark stone ceiling high above him. The air was hot and humid, but his entire body shivered violently. Somewhere near his legs, Jim heard that mechanical whirring again. He tried to push himself up onto his elbows, but Delbert pressed him back down.
"Peace, Jim, try to relax," said the canid. "You're badly injured, but we're going to take care of you and get you out of here."
Jim became aware that his pants were pulled down to his ankles, and his shirt had been removed. Under normal circumstances, he would have felt embarrassed to wake up naked in room full of people, but his body hurt so bad he couldn't bring himself to give a shit about anything else.
"Wha-what'd you just do t'me?" Jim asked, slurring his words and gasping for air.
"I cauterized yer leg wound," said a familiar voice. Jim tilted his head slightly and saw Silver knelt beside him, examining his leg. "Couldn't let ye bleed out. Here, drink this."
Silver lifted Jim's head off the ground and brought a flask to his mouth. Jim immediately recognized the smell of rum, and he gave Silver a confused look.
"We don't have anything else for the pain," said Silver. "A bit of rum might help ye though."
Considering all the times he had broken into the liquor cabinet at the Benbow Inn, Jim had plenty of experience with drinking. He easily took a mouthful of the liquid and swallowed it, mildly surprised at how smoothly it went down. Silver had some high-quality stuff in that flask of his. Once Jim had managed to get a few decent swallows, Silver laid his head back down and turned his attention to the box that B.E.N. had brought down from the ship.
Silver rummaged through it and pulled out a bottle and some cloth. After examining the label for a few seconds, he uncorked the bottle and proceeded to clean Jim's wounds. Jim grimaced as he felt the man gingerly wipe down his injured body, clearing away dirt and blood. Jim turned his head slightly to scan his surroundings. To his left sat Delbert and Amelia. Delbert was mumbling to himself as he struggled with a needle and thread. Meanwhile, Amelia kept looking toward the entrance. Jim followed her gaze and saw Silver's crew standing there, muttering amongst themselves and shooting the occasional glance in Jim's direction. Jim wondered why Silver had decided to help him now. Wouldn't it have been easier for Silver to just kill him and the others? By the looks of the pirates, huddled together across the room, it appeared they were wondering the same thing.
Jim's thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain under his navel. He cried out and glanced to his left to see Delbert giving him an apologetic look.
"Sorry, Jim," said Delbert. "This wound needs stitches. I-I've never done this before."
"What kinda doctor 'as never done stitches before?" Silver cried.
"I'm not that kind of doctor!" Delbert shouted. "I have a doctorate, but I'm not a medical doctor, I'm just a – Oh, please don't make me explain this again!"
Silver snorted and shook his head before he addressed Jim again.
"So, Jimbo," he said. "How'd ye find yerself in such a state?"
"I had-" Jim paused to cough. "I had a run-in with Scroop on the ship."
"I see," said Silver. There was a long pause. "And what became of Mr. Scroop?"
"I killed him," said Jim. "I killed him the same way he killed Mr. Arrow!"
The room fell silent, and the only sound was a shuddering breath from Amelia. A moment later, Jim felt her slim, clawed fingers intertwine with his own and squeeze his hand.
"What'd I tell ye about pickin' yer fights, boy?" Silver asked, seeming unmoved by the fact that one of his own crew was dead.
"Well, I won, didn't I?" said Jim, a pained grin spreading across his face. Silver hummed as he regarded the bloodied and deathly pale boy laying on the ground in front of him.
"Touché," was all the cyborg could manage as a response, but he couldn't stop the minute smile that tugged on the corners of his mouth. Jim swore he could see a hint of pride in the way Silver looked at him right then. It only lasted a couple seconds though, and Silver quickly donned a serious expression again.
"Here's the plan," he said. "Once the doctor's done stitchin' ye up, ye and yer friends will be going back to the ship with Grewnge, and there ye will stay until we're done down here. Got it?"
"You can't just-"
"That is final, Jimbo!" Silver said, shaking a stern finger at Jim. "After that, I'll drop ye and yer friends off at the nearest port so ye can get real help."
"You need antibiotics and fluids, Mr. Hawkins," said Amelia. "We have all of that on the ship, so it is critical we get you back up there as soon as possible."
"I didn't come all this way just to lay around on the ship!"
"Jim, you're in no shape for a treasure hunt!" said Delbert.
"I tried to tell him the exact same thing, Doc!" B.E.N. cried. "Ya know, I don't have much experience with kids, but Jim certainly is a stubborn one, and – you let me know if I'm rambling – Anywho…"
As B.E.N. continued to ramble, Delbert finished sloppily stitching Jim's stomach wound and began to tape a gauze pad over it. He sighed deeply when he caught Jim staring up at him with pleading eyes.
"Jim, we only want what's best for you," said Delbert. "Besides, your mother would kill me if I let you go about in this condition!"
"Better listen to yer doctor friend, Jimbo." Silver said as he started wrapping Jim's leg. "Wouldn't want to break yer mother's heart by dying out here, would ye?"
A wave of guilt washed over Jim at the reminder of his mom. Jim was well aware of everything she had sacrificed to raise him, mostly by herself, and all he ever did was worry her. Now here he was, possibly at death's door, and there was a chance he would never see her again. Silver was right. Jim dying would break her heart, and he hated the thought of causing her any more misery than he already had.
But he wanted to see Flint's trove so badly…
Then another dreadful thought occurred to him.
"How long will it take to get to the nearest port?" He asked. Delbert and Amelia shared a dark look, then the captain sighed and spoke.
"The nearest port is four weeks out," she said. "Perhaps we can shave off a few days, but the Legacy can only move so fast…"
Amelia trailed off, nervously fixing the sling that supported her arm. There was a long silence, then Jim threw his head back and burst into a fit of laughter.
"Wow!" he said, unable to control the giggles that just kept spilling out. "Yeah, there's no way. I'm not gonna make it that long."
"Yes you will, Jim!" Delbert nearly shouted. "You will be okay, and I will not have it any other way!"
"Yeah sure, Doc."
Jim suddenly became very fascinated by the sight of his own hand as he held it in the air, above his face, turning it over and staring at it with childlike wonder. Then he pointed his index finger, and his hand sailed through the air and poked a very confused Delbert on the tip of his snout.
"BOOP!" Jim shouted before bursting into another uncontrollable laughing fit.
"Oh great!" Delbert cried. "Now Jim's lost his mind!"
"Hey Doc, you wanna hear something really funny?" asked Jim.
"There is nothing funny about any of this, Jim," said Delbert.
"No, trust me, this is hilarious," Jim was still fighting off laughter and slurring his words. "Back when that judge put me on probation, I wanted to die. But now that I'm like actually dying, I don't wanna die anymore!"
Jim covered his face and continued laughing behind his hands. Or was he crying? It was hard to tell. He felt himself becoming more and more hysterical and dread began to build in his chest. Then the laughter started to hurt, and tears collected in his eyes.
"Easy there, lad. Deep breaths now." Jim felt Silver's organic hand soothe his hair. "This is not the time to panic."
Jim focused on Silver's hand in his hair and tried to even out his breaths. Through the haze of panic, he could hear the cyborg speaking softly to him like he had the night Mr. Arrow died. Slowly, Jim calmed down, but that overwhelming sense of doom lingered.
"Yer not gonna die, Jim." Silver said, keeping his voice low. "Not on me watch."
Jim peeked through his fingers up at Silver, desperate to believe him. The man's words and actions over the last twenty-four hours had been… confusing to say the least. First he cared about Jim, then he didn't care at all, and now he cared again? Jim didn't know what to believe anymore. It had to be part of some grander scheme that would work in Silver's favor.
The murmuring from Silver's crew slowly got louder as they became more and more agitated. Then, they all abruptly stood up and faced in Silver's direction.
"Why don't ya just kill them, Captain?!" one of them screeched. This was immediately followed by rowdy shouts of agreement from the other crewmembers.
"They're only holding us back!" shouted another.
"Scroop was right!"
"You've been coddling that brat since day one!"
Jim watched a small trace of anxiety appear on Silver's face as his gaze darted back and forth between Jim and the bloodthirsty pirates. It suddenly became clear to Jim that Silver was just barely maintaining his authority as their Captain. If the crew decided to turn on him, it would be game over for Jim and everyone else. Thinking fast, he suddenly got an idea.
"You won't get very far without me!" Jim's voice echoed throughout the cavernous room, surprisingly loud and strong despite his weakened state. "I'm the only one here who can open the map!"
Silver closed his eyes and smiled as he shook his head, appearing relieved, but it was only a moment before his face hardened again. As if to test Jim's claim, Silver held up the map and experimentally twisted it with his cybernetic fingers. When it didn't give, he muttered a string of curses and rotated his mechanical arm, using every tool in his arsenal to try and pry the sphere open. He put on a big show, and after several fruitless attempts to open the map, Silver finally shoved it into Jim's bloodstained hands.
"Go on, then. Open it," said Silver. His arm spun as he produced a flintlock laser pistol and pointed it at Delbert and Amelia. "And I'd get to it if I were ye."
Jim got the distinct feeling that Silver was bluffing, but he played along anyway. He glared at Silver as his fingers raced across the sphere's surface, pushing buttons and twisting it by memory. Parts of the sphere sunk in as it finally twisted open and a stream of green light burst from it, showing a holographic image of Treasure Planet. Silver and the crew gasped in awe at the sight.
"Oh, the powers that be," said Silver. "Would ye look!"
The holographic image fragmented until it formed a fine beam of green light that directed everyone's attention out the front entrance of B.E.N.'s hideout. Silver and his crew ran to the opening to see the beam of light soar across the sky and toward some destination several miles away. The pirates cheered in excitement, eager to begin the trek, and Silver laughed.
"Finally!" he said. "Grewnge, get Jim and the others back to the ship while we-"
Silver paused as the beam of light was abruptly sucked back into the room, and he spun around just in time to see Jim twist the map shut.
"You want the map," said Jim. "You're taking me too."
"Jim, no!" Delbert cried.
"Jim, YES!" he shot back.
"Mr. Hawkins," said Amelia. "You are being reckless, and as your captain I must insist-"
"I'm going!" Jim shouted. "I promised my mom I'd rebuild the inn. I found the map, and I'm not leaving till I get my cut of the treasure."
"Ye'll get yer cut of the treasure if ye open that map and get yer skinny ass back on the ship!" Silver shouted.
"I wanna go with you!" Jim hated how whiny he sounded just then, but he was starting to feel desperate. This was about more than just the treasure. This was a lifelong dream!
"You're acting very childish, Mr. Hawkins!" Amelia scolded.
"I know and I don't care!" Jim shouted. He clutched the map tightly to his chest, afraid one of the adults might try to take it away from him. "I've been reading about Flint's trove since I was three, and now I have the chance to see it! I know it's stupid, but please don't take this opportunity away from me!"
"Jim-"
"Doc, even if we start heading to the next port right now, I don't…" Jim's voice began to waver. "I don't think I'm…"
Jim couldn't finish that sentence. The initial panic he had felt at the possibility of dying had almost faded, replaced by a quiet acceptance of his likely fate. Jim knew, and everyone else knew, that it would take a damn miracle for him to survive a whole month's journey in his condition.
Delbert fell silent and his eyes filled with tears. He looked like he wanted to argue back, but all he could do was sit on his heels and remove his glasses to clean them with his shirt. A heavy somberness fell over the group around Jim, and for a while the only sounds in the room were that of Jim's ragged breathing and the clicking and whirring of Silver's mechanical parts.
Shaking his head, Silver returned to Jim's side and reached down to help pull the boy's pants back up. Delbert groaned and started murmuring a string of apologies to Sarah, as if she were there to hear him. Tears falling, he picked up Jim's shirt and helped slide it over his head while Amelia pulled his arms through the sleeves. Finally, Jim tucked in his shirt and did his belt before exhaling in relief, just grateful to have his clothes back on.
"Awful foolish of ye, lad," said Silver. He lifted Jim off the ground and cradled his body in his left arm as if he were holding a baby. Then the cyborg rotated his mechanical arm, producing a cane to support his peg leg, which was stiff from where Jim had stabbed it the day before.
Silver turned to his crew and shouted, "Everyone in the longboat! Let's get a move on, shall we?"
The crew cheered and piled into the longboat, dragging Delbert and Amelia along with their hands tied behind their backs. Silver took the seat at the very front of the boat, holding Jim away from the rest of the crew. At Silver's orders, Jim reopened the map and the beam of light sprung out and rocketed across the sky once more. The skiff's engine roared to life as one of Silver's crew flew it in the direction of the light, then Jim felt Silver's hot breath on his face when the man leaned in close.
"I'm sorry ye got hurt, lad," he whispered, so only Jim could hear him. "I never meant for anything bad to happen to ye."
Jim tried to glare up at Silver, but he just couldn't put any power into it. He wanted to hate Silver. The man had betrayed him, and he didn't think he could bare another hurt like that. Then, careful to not let the others see, Silver reached up with his mechanical hand and gently swiped a strand of hair from Jim's forehead, mouthing the words 'I'm so sorry.' Jim felt his eyes burn as tears threatened to form. How dare this man make him hope. It had to be the cruelest thing anyone had ever done to him.
Jim's head pounded and he closed his eyes, feeling the warm air rush through his hair as the skiff soared above the planet's flora. Soon the rushing winds died down and the skiff slowed to a stop. Jim, eyes still closed, held the map tightly as he felt Silver heave himself over the side of the longboat. Jim grunted in pain as he was jostled when Silver's feet hit the ground.
Something cold and squishy rubbed against Jim's cheek, and he opened his eyes to see Morph hovering over him and chirping nervously.
"I'm fine, Morph," Jim murmured, lazily petting the creature as he settled under the hem of Jim's collar. "It'll be okay."
Silver carried Jim forward through the overgrowth, and the pirates followed, chattering excitedly. From somewhere near the back of the line, Jim could hear B.E.N. rambling about an android named Lupe. Stars, could that robot ever shut up?
"We're getting close, lads!" Silver suddenly hollered, and Jim looked up to see that the once steady green light had begun to pulsate rapidly. "I smell treasure a-waitin'!"
The pirates all thundered in excitement, and the group ran forward with Silver slicing through the overgrowth to reveal…
"Nothing!" shouted the tiny alien, Onus. "One great, big stinking hunk of nothing!"
"What's going on, Jimbo?!"
Jim felt the sphere in his hands shift suddenly, and before he could react the light had retracted back into it and the map firmly sealed itself shut. He looked up in confusion and saw Silver's eye glowing a menacing red. Jim frantically started twisting the sphere and pushing buttons, but to no avail. Was the freaking map broken or something?!
"I-I don't know!" said Jim. "I can't get it open!"
"We should've never followed this boy!" shouted Bird Brain Mary.
"Let's rip his gizzard out, right now!"
Silver's crew began shouting threats of all the vile and horrific ways they wanted to kill Jim. Amid their riotous calls for violence, Jim saw the muscles in Silver's neck tighten as the man's panicked eyes darted back and forth between Jim and his angry crew.
Jim twisted his head, looking for an escape, when something caught his eye. There was a small divot in the ground near Silver's feet. It was perfectly round and about the same size as the map in his hands. Jim squirmed in Silver's arms until the man got the message and let him go. He stumbled onto his knees and wiped away the bit of moss that covered the round hole in the ground. It had carvings in it that matched the ones on the map!
"Throw him off the cliff!" shouted another crewmember.
Without another moment of hesitation, Jim slammed the sphere into the divot and the effects were instantaneous. The pirates fell into stunned silence as ground beneath Jim glowed green and streamed across the gulley before them. Finally, the green energy concentrated at the map before it shot up hundreds of feet into the sky. Its brightness caused everyone to step backwards, shielding their eyes from the blinding light. Then, the beam opened up into a massive triangle, and it didn't take long for Jim to figure out what it was.
A portal.
Next chapter will be up sometime this Sunday! Feedback is appreciated!