Jack led the ever-growing team down through the pits. Following Mr. Cardin was a Mr. Falcon, followed by the newly acquired Ms. Uematsu, the Captain Kraken, a Ms. Nehbandan, and a Mr. Galuda. A strange sense of urgency flowed through everyone's minds, almost as if the ancient catacombs would engulf their friend if they didn't make it in time. The catacombs were an infinite honeycomb of long pointless stretches and abrupt dead ends. Parts were submerged under icy water while others had collapsed on themselves. Jack's keen nostrils had locked on to the man known as Accel. He was dragging the crew deeper into the pit.
"Arg, this is getting tiring rather fast ye seagull brained navigator! Where be the Other Jack, yarr?!" Kraken complained.
"Accel is coming up close! I can feel it!" Jack laughed.
"He's still alive! I'm so glad that he wasn't killed." Ayame stated.
"Less talk and more action! Come on folks, these halls aren't just going to give him to us!" Falcon shouted.
Just then the floor right underneath Falcon's boot splintered into a thousand fragments and fell away into the dark below. Needless to say, Falcon is bound to the laws of gravity just as everything else. Falcon started to fall with a wail of surprise, but was soon caught by Kraken.
"What ever you do, don't let go!" Falcon pleaded.
"Will you shut up boy! You're disturbing me concentration! Yarr!" Kraken replied. The remaining floor broke underneath Kraken's straining weight, causing the pirate captain to drop as well. Rouge, Ayame, and Galuda all caught hold.
"Good lord Kraken! What do you eat?!" Rouge asked as the three tied to bring up the two.
The floor crumbled away as it engulfed the next member. Ayame and Rouge both fell into the pit. Galuda, using all of his might, was the only thing holding the four from the darkness below. Veins appeared in Galuda giant muscles as he attempted to pull the cargo out. Cracks were forming onto the floor beneath him. Jack looked to the scent trail and back.
Jack narrowed his eye and turned towards Galuda. With a leap of insanity, Jack plunged into the dark hole below. The cracks decimated the floor beneath Galuda, causing all of the team to plunge into the cold depths below.
** *
SPLASH! This was not the sound the four members of Julia's crew had expected to hear. Torch light from the hall above revealed this to be a half submerged hallway. The shadows of the water were playing against the dark walls and ceiling. Ancient crates drifted in the underground river. Jack was neatly sitting upon one as the team gathered their bearings.
"Jesus Christ!" Falcon swore as he rubbed the back of his blonde head. "Where the hell are we?"
Kraken attempted to squeeze water out of his blue buccaneers coat, but found it fruitless. He snarled. "Off track I'd presume. Yarr."
Rouge looked at the ceiling. It was about twenty feet up. A tall hall indeed. She looked over to Ayame, who was spitting out the cold water. "Ayame, do you think you could get back up there"
Ayame looked at the hole and did some thinking. After a bit of analyzing she came to a conclusion. "It's too high. There's nothing to jump off either."
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Jack laughed from his cube boat. The others looked to him.
"I see nothing amusing about this." Galuda reported.
"Oh you do not see?! We are even closer than before! Look and see for your self! Ahahahahaha!" Jack pointed to the bottom of the dark stream. On the stone floor were six shells.
"Ah! Accel's bullets!" Ayame immediately plunged into the icy water to retrieve the momentos.
"What happened? Was their a fight?" Rouge asked.
"Beats me. It is a good clue to Other Jack's position. He's probably down here." Falcon concluded.
"Well then you scurvy land lubbers, lets get moving Arr! Navigator, get back on the trail! Yarr!" Kraken commanded.
Jack splashed into the stream again. He sniffed the air, trying to lock on to a familiar scent. He smiled and started to trudge up the tunnel. The others made pursuit.
** *
The water clogged canal eventually made into a large, circular room. Spherical is more a proper description, believe you me. The canal was one of eight that lead into the sides of a great hollowed out sphere. The water from all eight cascaded to the very bottom of the enormous spherical room, draining through a large duct at the bottom. Light emanated in through the top, where some sort of unknown source was radiating an amber colored light. Spanning the diameter was a circular platform, chained to the sides of the sphere by very large iron links, thicker than any man's body ever could be. About forty feet was the distance between the platforms edge and the crew's position at the end of the canal. An old rope bridge was hanging from the platform side. The connection had been severed at the near end. This was certainly an obstacle.
Falcon whistled. "Now isn't that the sight."
"How the hell could medieval age Christians build such a thing?!" Rouge was lost. "Medieval Arabs, sure. We had the mathematical sills, but…"
Kraken gazed across, and then down. It was a long way down. "You sure he's in here? Yarr?"
Jack jumped onto the chain and clambered about till he was on all fours like a web crawling spider. "I am quite sure. Jack is positive."
Galuda nervously glanced at the bottom in the dark hole. "L-looks like a cave is down there…"
"Yea, the whole French country is full of em. Wouldn't surprise me." Falcon said.
"How about getting across?" Ayame interrupted. "If Jack runs along that chain and I this one, we can pull the bridge across. It's the only way."
"Please. I don't wish to walk across that thin link." Galuda advised.
Ayame stepped upon her chain and smiled back, holding up two fingers for victory. "Be right back."
Jack nodded in recognition. The two agility masters darted off across the tiny chain bridges. Underneath their weights the two started to sway back and forth. Ayame had to catch her self and regain balance several times as the chains rocked to and fro. Jack, on all fours, wasn't affected by this problem and promptly sped across the iron links. Jack reached the platform and stood back on his rear legs. The platform was light, swaying a fraction of an inch now that there was some weight upon it's flat surface. As Ayame strove to catch up, Jack wondered in towards the circle's center.
Accel's scent was right upon him! Jack quickly turned around and looked upward. His red eye caught it too late. Leaping down as a silhouette from the amber light, Accel gracefully and powerfully fell. The American landed a crushing blow to the leper, causing Jack to go spiraling back towards the chains. The blow was so powerful that Jack's dagger flew one way, towards Ayame's chain, and his locket flew another, towards the opposite end of the sphere. Both landed on the platform.
"Accel!" Ayame shouted as she finally reached the platform.
"Accel!" The other's repeated with hopeful expressions. Kraken was surprised.
Accel paid no heed to his name being called. His breaths were ragged and his eyes red from lack of sleep. Grinning a wicked grin, Accel walked towards Jack, his back at Ayame.
"Accel! It's me! Ayame!" Ayame ran to catch up with her love. Accel only continued walking towards Jack. Jack stood up, his eye searching for his dagger.
"What the bloody Mary and Jesus is he doing?" Falcon said in anger.
"He- He's not himself." Rouge answered.
"Well that's just great! We're stuck here unless they can snap that cowboy out of it! Yarr." Kraken said with little patience and little regard for his far comrades.
Galuda narrowed his brow in speculation.
"Accel! Stop it! It's me Ayame! C'mon!" Ayame pulled on Accel's shoulders, but Accel did not respond. The only audible piece coming from Accel was his ragged breaths.
Jack caught sight of his weapon, but Accel was in the way. The platform was defiantly wide enough for a pass around. Accel had gained strength in the week of being underground, being hunted. Jack risked it. Jack started to run past Accel in a wide skirt, but Accel's speed had improved. He immediately caught up to Jack and sent him a powerful kick. Jack kneeled over, blood dripping from his bandaged lip.
"Quit it Accel! We're your friends! That's Jack, not Other Jack! Stop it now!" Ayame ran up to Accel.
Accel kicked the kneeling Jack again. A great smile showing on the Westerners face. Ayame was sobbing.
"Is there any other way over there?" Galuda asked the three on his side.
"No. Accel's too bust kicking the crap out of Jack for them to send over the bridge. Damn!" Falcon answered.
"We just can't let him continue! He'll kill Jack!" Rouge reported.
Jack was getting near the edge of the platform. Accel was slowly following. The sixteen chain links and the eight canals on the side were all witness to the event. Accel sent a punch into Jack's face. Ayame was openly crying.
Ayame then had an idea. Her love for Accel was her true wish, and the power stone had granted it. Then there was one ray of hope left. Ayame grabbed Accel by the shoulder, spun him around with all of her might, and kissed him as deeply as she could, with all the passion she could muster.
Accel's body was at first rigid and defiant, but then became relaxed and welcoming. Ayame could recognize that her lover had returned. Jack slinked away from the platform's edge, towards the link to grab his dagger. Ayame let her lips part from Accel's. His eyes were blue; friendly. He had returned.
"Accel…" Ayame smiled.
"Ayame. You have no clue how good it is to see you again. Truly thought I had lost you…" Accel replied.
"You'll never lose me. Never." Ayame responded.
"HEY!" Rouge's voice shouted to them. The two turned toward the respective canal.
"QUIT MAKING OUT AND SEND THE BRIDGE OVER! BLIMEY!" Falcon shouted. He was soon greeted by an elbow in the ribs from Rouge.
Ayame turned back to Accel and smiled. He smiled back. She ran back, her hand the last thing to leave Accel. Jack was sitting upon the link, rubbing his side with his dagger free hand.
"Are you O.K Jack?" Ayame asked. Her tears had disappeared. It made Jack happy to know she had cried for him.
"Yes. Jack is O.K. Though he wouldn't want to do that again." Jack said. He picked up one end of the bridge. Ayame picked up the other. With a nod, the two ran the bridge back to the canal. Galuda and Kraken were sure to secure it tightly. Galuda was very sure about that.
The six walked back to the platform as the bridge groaned underneath their weight. Galuda was very happy to meet the platform's surface.
"I'm sorry about that. I don't know what came over me." Accel apologized.
"You should be sorry. You almost killed Jack you bastard." Falcon shouted. "Though if Jack is willing to let it slide, then so will I."
Jack nodded. "Jack needs to keep his friends…"
"Thanks." Accel replied.
"Arr, so you're the Accel sea dog there talking about eh? Where's this Other Jack?" Kraken interrupted.
"That can wait a few minutes! Accel, are you alright?" Rouge asked.
"Yea I'm good. I was just so struck with Ayame's supposed death that I lost control…" Accel answered.
"One should always be in control of one's emotions. That is the key." Galuda offered.
"Back to the task at hand. Have you seen any sign of Other Jack?" Falcon asked.
"I don't know. It's been so long since I've been able to think straight." Accel answered.
"Ah Bloody Hell. Can this wild goose chase get any worse, yarr?" Kraken turned his back on Accel.
"This seems to be the center of the catacombs. I don't think we can go any deeper than this without crossing the river Styx." Falcon concluded.
"Other Jack has to be here! I know it!" Rouge affirmed.
Jack's thought's left the arguing group. He looked across the tan sphere. Then an oddity appeared. In a canal not of there own was a light. A red light.
"Over there." Jack simply said. The others stopped their argument as they peered into the canal. The red light was gone.
"What's over there?" Ayame asked Jack.
"He." Jack simply answered.
The sounds of chains rattling screamed into the sphere. Kraken turned his ugly face towards it. Behind them sprinting across the chain link was non other than Other Jack.
"So that be Other Jack eh? Aharharhar, this should be splendid, yarr." Kraken pulled back the hammer on his hand cannon.
The six remaining troops pulled back towards the outer rim. Accel looked at Ayame, who was paralyzed in fear. "Ayame, it's going to be O.K. the immortal you summoned is here, at least I think it is."
"That's right!" Falcon gleefully stated. "This is it! Kraken, go!"
Other Jack leaped into the air, flipping twice before landing on the platform. Kraken narrowed his eyebrows. "Come and get me you lily livered bastard! Yarr!"
"Ahahahaha! Your power is strong. I can feel it! Jack is going to have fun with you! Hahahahaha!" Other Jack said in his high-pitched voice. He stepped forward, coated in the amber light that fell such as golden rain around him.
Then he stopped.
Kraken waited impatiently. Falcon, Galuda, Rouge, Accel, Ayame, and Jack were eagerly anticipating the move. The suspense was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. If this was the final battle, why had Other Jack stopped?
Other Jack picked up his boot slowly. He had stepped on something. On the platform, where his shoe was once, was the locket. Jacks locket.
Other Jack's eye turned from insanity to a mystified calm. Seeming to forget all about the creatures before him. Other Jack reached down and gently picked up the locket and opened it's tiny golden hinge. The old photograph of the mysterious beautiful maiden with the brilliant jewel was waiting inside. Other Jack just stood still and stared at the photograph….
** *
