"So," Will said, sitting back in his chair, that determined light in his
dark eyes. "Where do we go find this 'Espedo Destinino' device?"
"'Espada del Destino' mate, and I've already told you we can't do it." Sparrow was pouring himself some scotch though he had already had a few tankards full of rum earlier in the evening.
"We can and you know it. Now where is it?"
Sparrow realized that Turner wasn't going to shut up until he heard. He gave an exaggerated sigh, sat down in the captain's hair, propped his booted feet on the table, and said, "Well, ya really want to know then?" Turner nodded enthusiastically. "Fine then. Atlantis. The Lost City of Atlantis."
"What?!" Turner almost yelled. "Poppycock! The Lost City of Atlantis is a myth, everybody knows that!"
"Aye, but everyone thinks the Sword of Destiny is a myth as well. Moreover, don't you yell at me. I bloody well told you the whole affair was nonsense, but nooo, no one listens to Captain Jack Sparrow. Let's all forget how he won back the Black Pearl from the damnable Barbosa only to break the curse and send Barbosa to a well-deserved death. No, that's not important at all!" He continued his litany of complaints under his breath until Will hit his fist on the table.
"Would you stop all your incessant babble! For God's sake man!" Sparrow closed his mouth and looked at William with a startled expression. "Thank you. Now, you're positive this Sword is in Atlantis?"
"As positive as one can be when something like this is involved."
Will pensively sat in the chair, mumbling to himself quietly. "Atlantis, why, that's the stuff fairy tales are made of. Me mum used to tell me about Atlantis as a bedtime story. An island as large as Europe, well advanced for its time, sunk to the bottom of the ocean by natural disaster after natural disaster. And all because the gods were jealous of it. It can't be true."
Sparrow had finished his drink and was now pouring another one. Numbing himself to the fact William Turner was out to find a fabled sword and could not be deterred seemed to be the best plan. "Well 'tis. Now will you please just give up this half-witted scheme of yours. We can kill Anguila without the Sword lad."
As expected, Turner shook his head. "He already has a head start on us, we have to find it before he does. Don't you get it Jack? He deserves that awful half-life for what he's done to my family. I won't settle for anything less." Sparrow accepted this and made a decision to stop trying to hinder William's plans. It obviously was coming to no avail. Better just to humor the boy.
"So, how do we get to Atlantis?" Turner asked, looking expectantly at Jack. He was dismayed to hear Jack's coarse laugh.
"Hell if I know. I said I knew where it was, but I haven't got a clue how to get there." Sparrow had a nice laugh to himself at Will's expense, managing to choke out words like "Where is it?" and "Bottom of the ocean!" between guffaws.
When he was finished Will threw Jack a sharp gaze and said, "Well, someone's got to know. If you don't, then it's likely Anguila doesn't, and so, maybe we're not so behind after all."
At that moment the door opened and Gibbs walked in. "Your pardons cap'n, I was just passing and I thought yeh might be needin' something. Can I get yeh anything? Or perhaps something for you Will?"
Jack shook his head but Will said, "Well actually, maybe you could help us Gibbs." Gibbs walked further into the room, ready to do whatever it was that they needed. "See, we're trying to find this Sword, and it's in the Lost City of Atlantis. We don't know where Atlantis is, but, maybe you've heard something? Living in Tortuga all those years?"
Gibbs eyes widened. "You're not lookin' for the Unnamed are yeh?" He asked hesitantly.
"Yes, we are."
Gibbs made the sign of the cross, though he was not one for religion. "That's a bad mistake boy, yeh don't want to go off lookin' for a piece like that. It's a fools errand 'tis."
"Exactly what I've been trying to get through his thick skull," Jack mumbled from the bar, where he was pouring yet another glass of scotch.
"Well it doesn't matter, because I'm going to find it no matter what, so you might as well help me," Will said to the older man, wishing everyone would just lay off with the warnings.
Gibbs gulped. "Well, uh, about Atlantis, I ain't got no clue, but, there was this man, I think his name was Bart or somethin' to that effect, but anyway, he came to Tortuga a while back full of mad ramblings about Atlantis. We all thought him a crazy bat and ran him off the island."
Will took all this in. "And this... Bart, where did he go?"
"Well, last we heard, a sailor came back from El Sur and had some story about running into Old Bart again, we all had a nice laugh and a few drinks."
"Hmm, and El Sur, is this an island?" Will was getting an idea, Sparrow could tell. He wished Gibbs had never walked in and started this conversation, because now Will had a little fodder for the flame.
"Sure is, in fact, we pretty close to it now." Gibbs looked quite pleased with himself.
"Right then, we need to go there and see if this Bart is still around. Jack? Did you hear? Let's go." Will looked at Sparrow, who was studying the lamplight reflected in his glass with an interested gaze.
"What? Oh, right then, to El Sur we go, you heard him Gibbs, start to it." Sparrow had accepted in finality that Turner was not going to give up until it was proven a final impossibility that Atlantis could not be reached.
Gibbs left the room with the orders and Will turned to Jack. "I really do appreciate this Jack, honestly."
Jack waved his hands limply. "I owe you one don't I? After all, you kept that idiot Norrington away for a while, letting us escape into the distance. Did I tell you where we went? Ah, it was a dream, off to the sunny south. We met some nice Indians we did, the crew and I. There was this one dame, hell if I can pronounce her name, let me tell you about her..." Jack's voice floated off into silence as his head lowered to the table and he fell asleep.
Will sighed. He took the glass from Sparrow and returned it to the bar. He sat back down in his seat across from Jack, staring at the pirate's slouched form. For a few hours, Will's heart hadn't ached and his brain had stopped thinking about Elizabeth. For a few hours, it was as if he had purpose in life again.
What was he saying? He did have a purpose. He was going to find that Sword and kill Anguila with it. For Elizabeth, for the life they could never have. For the life his son could never have. And he was never going to regret it.
"'Espada del Destino' mate, and I've already told you we can't do it." Sparrow was pouring himself some scotch though he had already had a few tankards full of rum earlier in the evening.
"We can and you know it. Now where is it?"
Sparrow realized that Turner wasn't going to shut up until he heard. He gave an exaggerated sigh, sat down in the captain's hair, propped his booted feet on the table, and said, "Well, ya really want to know then?" Turner nodded enthusiastically. "Fine then. Atlantis. The Lost City of Atlantis."
"What?!" Turner almost yelled. "Poppycock! The Lost City of Atlantis is a myth, everybody knows that!"
"Aye, but everyone thinks the Sword of Destiny is a myth as well. Moreover, don't you yell at me. I bloody well told you the whole affair was nonsense, but nooo, no one listens to Captain Jack Sparrow. Let's all forget how he won back the Black Pearl from the damnable Barbosa only to break the curse and send Barbosa to a well-deserved death. No, that's not important at all!" He continued his litany of complaints under his breath until Will hit his fist on the table.
"Would you stop all your incessant babble! For God's sake man!" Sparrow closed his mouth and looked at William with a startled expression. "Thank you. Now, you're positive this Sword is in Atlantis?"
"As positive as one can be when something like this is involved."
Will pensively sat in the chair, mumbling to himself quietly. "Atlantis, why, that's the stuff fairy tales are made of. Me mum used to tell me about Atlantis as a bedtime story. An island as large as Europe, well advanced for its time, sunk to the bottom of the ocean by natural disaster after natural disaster. And all because the gods were jealous of it. It can't be true."
Sparrow had finished his drink and was now pouring another one. Numbing himself to the fact William Turner was out to find a fabled sword and could not be deterred seemed to be the best plan. "Well 'tis. Now will you please just give up this half-witted scheme of yours. We can kill Anguila without the Sword lad."
As expected, Turner shook his head. "He already has a head start on us, we have to find it before he does. Don't you get it Jack? He deserves that awful half-life for what he's done to my family. I won't settle for anything less." Sparrow accepted this and made a decision to stop trying to hinder William's plans. It obviously was coming to no avail. Better just to humor the boy.
"So, how do we get to Atlantis?" Turner asked, looking expectantly at Jack. He was dismayed to hear Jack's coarse laugh.
"Hell if I know. I said I knew where it was, but I haven't got a clue how to get there." Sparrow had a nice laugh to himself at Will's expense, managing to choke out words like "Where is it?" and "Bottom of the ocean!" between guffaws.
When he was finished Will threw Jack a sharp gaze and said, "Well, someone's got to know. If you don't, then it's likely Anguila doesn't, and so, maybe we're not so behind after all."
At that moment the door opened and Gibbs walked in. "Your pardons cap'n, I was just passing and I thought yeh might be needin' something. Can I get yeh anything? Or perhaps something for you Will?"
Jack shook his head but Will said, "Well actually, maybe you could help us Gibbs." Gibbs walked further into the room, ready to do whatever it was that they needed. "See, we're trying to find this Sword, and it's in the Lost City of Atlantis. We don't know where Atlantis is, but, maybe you've heard something? Living in Tortuga all those years?"
Gibbs eyes widened. "You're not lookin' for the Unnamed are yeh?" He asked hesitantly.
"Yes, we are."
Gibbs made the sign of the cross, though he was not one for religion. "That's a bad mistake boy, yeh don't want to go off lookin' for a piece like that. It's a fools errand 'tis."
"Exactly what I've been trying to get through his thick skull," Jack mumbled from the bar, where he was pouring yet another glass of scotch.
"Well it doesn't matter, because I'm going to find it no matter what, so you might as well help me," Will said to the older man, wishing everyone would just lay off with the warnings.
Gibbs gulped. "Well, uh, about Atlantis, I ain't got no clue, but, there was this man, I think his name was Bart or somethin' to that effect, but anyway, he came to Tortuga a while back full of mad ramblings about Atlantis. We all thought him a crazy bat and ran him off the island."
Will took all this in. "And this... Bart, where did he go?"
"Well, last we heard, a sailor came back from El Sur and had some story about running into Old Bart again, we all had a nice laugh and a few drinks."
"Hmm, and El Sur, is this an island?" Will was getting an idea, Sparrow could tell. He wished Gibbs had never walked in and started this conversation, because now Will had a little fodder for the flame.
"Sure is, in fact, we pretty close to it now." Gibbs looked quite pleased with himself.
"Right then, we need to go there and see if this Bart is still around. Jack? Did you hear? Let's go." Will looked at Sparrow, who was studying the lamplight reflected in his glass with an interested gaze.
"What? Oh, right then, to El Sur we go, you heard him Gibbs, start to it." Sparrow had accepted in finality that Turner was not going to give up until it was proven a final impossibility that Atlantis could not be reached.
Gibbs left the room with the orders and Will turned to Jack. "I really do appreciate this Jack, honestly."
Jack waved his hands limply. "I owe you one don't I? After all, you kept that idiot Norrington away for a while, letting us escape into the distance. Did I tell you where we went? Ah, it was a dream, off to the sunny south. We met some nice Indians we did, the crew and I. There was this one dame, hell if I can pronounce her name, let me tell you about her..." Jack's voice floated off into silence as his head lowered to the table and he fell asleep.
Will sighed. He took the glass from Sparrow and returned it to the bar. He sat back down in his seat across from Jack, staring at the pirate's slouched form. For a few hours, Will's heart hadn't ached and his brain had stopped thinking about Elizabeth. For a few hours, it was as if he had purpose in life again.
What was he saying? He did have a purpose. He was going to find that Sword and kill Anguila with it. For Elizabeth, for the life they could never have. For the life his son could never have. And he was never going to regret it.
