Chapter Six

  A giant sphere, the size of 20 ships, circled around.  But the whole thing was covered in treasure.  It looked like solid gold.  The pirates cheered as they all charged over to it.  Silver walked over there too.

"Look at all this," I sighed "It's like it's not even real."

"This all seems very familiar," cried B.E.N., straining to remember.  Jim grabbed my hand and headed over to an old boat filled with treasure that sat a little ways away.

"If that writing was right, something's going to happen that'll kill us," I stated.

"We're getting out of here, and we're not leaving empty handed or dead," he told me as we headed over to it.  Jim jumped over the edge with B.E.N., and then reached down to pull me up.  Just before I put my feet on the boat, I saw something that startled me so much that I fell to the floor.  I quickly got back up.  Straight in front of me was the skeleton of Captain Flint, or at least I thought it was him. 

"It's Captain Flint," I said in awe.  This was all too much really; I couldn't believe it.  I stared at the skeleton, and in his hand he held something very odd.  It looked like a part to a machine.  When I looked at it closer, I realized it was something important.  I reached over and yanked the piece out of the skeleton's hands.  A few bones fell to the ground and shattered to pieces.  I turned to B.E.N. who was complaining and whining about loosing his mind.  I saw the hole on the back of his head and compared it to the piece I held in my hand.  It was perfect.

"B.E.N.," I began "hold still," I told him as I held his head still.

"Chris?  What's going on?  What are you do-" he began, but was cut off when I placed the piece to the back of his head.  B.E.N.'s once yellow eyes turned blue.  He froze for a moment as I prayed that I hadn't done something wrong.

"You know, I was just thinking, I was just think- all my memories are flooding back!!  Right up until the point where Flint pulled out my memory circuits so that I couldn't tell anyone about his booby trap!!" B.E.N. yelled.  There was suddenly a loud crash somewhere in the distance, followed by a series of explosions that were impossible to ignore.

"Speaking of which, Flint wanted to make sure that no one could ever steal his treasure so he rigged this whole planet to blow higher than a kalepsian kite!" B.E.N. spat out all at once.  I giant pillar fell to the golden sphere, creating a huge hole.  All the treasure began to fall in as massive lasers spun around, melting and zapping everything in its path.

"Run for your life!" yelled B.E.N.

"You guys go help the captain and Doc.  If I'm not back in five minutes, leave without me," Jim commanded.

"Will do Jimmy sir!" B.E.N. obeyed as he headed for the exit.  He almost seemed pleased to get out of here.

"I'm staying here," I announced.

"No, you have to go.  I'll be there in a few minutes," Jim told me.  I didn't move.  Jim gave me a stern look, but I still didn't budge.  He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"There's just no point in arguing with you, is there?" he joked.  I smiled as he bent down to get the play with the wiring and get the boat working.  I helped him put everything in place to get the old thing to move.  Jim tossed out a whole bunch of junk that sat under the control panel, including a pile of ropes.

"Hold this," he said as he handed it to me.  Not sure of what we could use it for, I took it.  Jim sat back down and messed with the wires a little bit longer.   There was a roar as the engines started as we lifted off the ground.

"Yes!  We are so outa here!" exclaimed Jim as he piloted the boat. 

"Ah, Jimbo!  Ain't ye' the seventh wonder of the universe!" shouted Silver.  I spun around as Jim grabbed a sword and pointed it at him.

"Get back," Jim demanded.  Silver's cheery face turned to a strict frown. 

"I'm come too far to let ye' stand between me and me treasure," said Silver in a cold, hard voice as he walked closer.  Jim and I backed up, afraid of what Silver might do.  The boat creaked and there was a loud blast.  We had steered into one of the lasers.  The boat toppled over as we all fell out.  Jim shot off down the side and off a cliff.  He luckily grabbed onto something sticking out of the wall to save him.  I managed to stop myself from going down, thank god. 

"Jim!" I cried out as I reached my hand down to him.  I couldn't reach so I leaned closer.  He struggled to hold a hand out, but we were still to far apart.  I slipped, but quickly caught myself before falling. 

"Silver!" I called out, trying to get his help.  Even though he is the last person on earth that I'd ever turn to for help, I asked him anyway.  Silver, who didn't want to let go of the boat, tried to reach down, but didn't get any further then I had.  I had to think quickly.  I just then realized that I still had the pile of ropes around my arm.  I tied one end to my waist, but there was nothing to tie the other end to.  Suddenly, the thing that stuck out of the wall Jim had a hold on moved back into the wall.  Jim fell further down, but managed to grab hold on another piece that stuck out.  This one was slowly moving back into the wall too.

"Silver, help!!" I screamed in fear that Jim might fall for good this time.  A few seconds passed, but it seemed like an eternity.  Finally, Silver let go of the stupid boat and ran to the rescue.

"Go!" he yelled as he grabbed the other end of the rope.  I nodded and dove off the platform.  Jim was frantically trying to hold onto the wall.  Just before he fell I grabbed his arm.  Jim looked up with relieved eyes.  I reached for his other hand as Silver pulled us back up.  We made it to the top, both gasping for breath.  I smiled once again, in amazement that that greedy old cyborg would give up all that treasure.

We ran out of the door to find the legacy waiting for us with Doppler at the wheel.  We jumped on as the ship took off.  I was beginning to think we had a chance of making it out when suddenly a piece of the planet shot through the sail.  A board fell down hitting the thrusters.  B.E.N. said something about them, but I didn't make it out his words exactly.

"That means, we'll never make it out of the explosion in time," said Doppler.  I did hear him, but I was beginning to wish I hadn't.  Everyone paused as an awkward silence took over.

"Wait, we have to turn the ship around!" yelled Jim.

"What?!" I shouted, totally confused.

"There's a portal back there.   It can get us out," he explained.

"But how are we going to open a different door?  We can't go back into the center of the planet," I questioned.

"I just need a way to attach these things," said Jim.  He held a large piece of metal in and one of the thrusters from the ship.  He was trying to make a solar surfer.

"Alright, stand back," said Silver as he turned his hand into a laser and melted the two pieces together.  I helped them lift the machine to the edge, but once again, the stupid sleeve on my jacket got me into trouble.  It accidentally caught onto the solar surfer.  When Jim shot off, it pulled me off the ship.  But instead of staying attached to the surfer, it came undone.  I fell off the ship and towards the planet.  I screamed as I felt the wind rush past me.  I was too scared to see anything; it all just looked like a giant blur.  I felt heat, only it got hotter by the second.  I must have been getting closer to the lava.  Right before I thought I was going to die, I stopped.  I felt a hand grab hold of mine and looked up.  Jim looked down at me, standing on his solar surfer.  He pulled me up onto the small machine and raced back to the ship.  Jim got as close as he could so that I could jump back on.  We had to hurry; we were getting closer and closer to the portal.  I leapt for the ship, but just then Jim noticed a wall that there was about to crash into.  He swerved to get away and made it, but I didn't.  I shot past the boat like a bullet.  By the time Jim looked back, I was already out of view.  The Legacy flew by him as he searched for me, but had no luck.

"Jim!  The portal!!" screamed Dr. Doppler.  Though he didn't want to, Jim turned back around and headed for the door, full speed.  It was a close race; Jim was just in front of the ship.  B.E.N. began to count the seconds.

"Five, four," he started.  Jim reached as far as he could to touch the globe.

"Three, two, one!!!" B.E.N. shouted.  There was a flash of green light, then the ship shot into a dark blue, star covered sky.  They made it.  Montressor Spaceport sat in the distance as everyone rejoiced.  Jim landed back on the boat to receive congratulations from everyone.

 "Unorthodox, but ludicrously effective.  I'd be proud to recommend you to the Interstellar Academy.  They could use a man like you," the captain complemented.  Normally, Jim would have been pleased, but a sad thought had a hold of his mind.

"Jim, I'm awfully sorry about Christine," said Doppler, though Jim was still depressed.

"If it helps, we couldn't have made it out without her.  I'm just sorry that she wasn't here for the end," said Captain Amelia.  Jim looked around for Silver, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Jim headed down to where the longboats were stored.  Silver was ready to leave right away.  He was going to be put to jail.  They talked for a while, and Silver ended up leaving Morph with Jim.  As they spoke, Silver showed a side to him that I wished I was around to see.  It was a caring, kind side that only one in a million pirates had.   

"For your dear mother," said Silver as he handed Jim a handful of treasure that he must have saved "to rebuild that inn of hers."  Silver winked as he said this.

"And one more thing.  There's someone waiting for you out on the deck," Silver smiled.  A little confused, Jim continued the conversation.

"Stay out of trouble, you old scalawag," he joked.

"Why, Jimbo, lad, when have I ever done otherwise?" Silver called as he flew away in the longboat.  Jim headed back up the stairs.  He looked around to find the person Silver was talking about.  He almost flew off the ground when he saw me.  I was leaning against the edge staring out into space.  Jim ran up to me, full speed and hugged me.

"Chris!  I can't believe it!  How did you, I mean, how could you have," he sputtered.  He was smiling bigger than I had ever seen him smile before.  I smiled back.

"Silver caught me right before the ship passed me by," I explained.  There was a moment where no one said anything; we just looked at each other, our eyes locked.

"You did it," I congratulated. 

"No, we did it, Christine Flint," Jim smiled.  Then B.E.N. walked up.

"Chrissy!!  I thought you, I mean, well," he began, also stuttering "I'm just glad to see you, pal!!"

I smiled one more time, just happy to be alive at the moment.  It was startling.  Just one voyage on a ship, and I had changed so much.  I had smiled more in two weeks than I had in my life.  I felt like how I had when my parents were still alive.  Nothing could hurt my good mood.  I was the happiest I'd ever be in a lifetime.