The Pearl sailed into the bay at Isla de Muerta some three hours
later as dusk fell. The trip ashore was as uneventful as any of them could
have wished as the crews of the Pearl and the Fang rowed down the long,
dark passageways leading to the hidden docks deep inside the island. Jack,
Will, Elizabeth, Jess, Tom, and Gibbs rode in the lead boat, Jess holding a
lantern aloft on a pole. The only sound was the splash of oars and the
steady drip-drip-drip of water on the walls and ceiling, and an occasional
muffled curse as oars snagged on hidden obstacles. Jack, Elizabeth, and
Will seemed quite unimpressed with their surroundings, but the crews and
Jess gazed about interestedly, commenting in low voices as they passed
several skeletons, most of whom had obviously died suddenly and violently.
Jess grinned wolfishly as they passed one with a sword still sticking out
of its back. Such was the fate that awaited Connolley and his men.
Jack caught her grin and winked, clearly following her train of thought. At last, they leapt out into shallow water and dragged the boats up onto shore. Several of the crew carried bundles of torches which they lit and handed out. Jess carried the lantern and walked next to Jack at the head of the group.
The corridors twisted and turned, forcing them to march single file in some places, but Jack never hesitated. At last they reached a series of rooms with high ceilings. Moonlight filtered down from above to make patches of white on the floor, and everywhere was the glint of gold. The crews of both ships fanned out, picking through the piles of treasure, and calling out to one another as they found one thing or another. All save four. Jack, Jess, Will, and Elizabeth climbed the largest pile to stand before a stone chest filled with coins. Will took another step forward and gazed dispassionately down at the gold. Hundreds of stylized skulls stared blankly back up at him, stamped into each piece.
"I had hoped never to see this place again," he said ruefully. He smiled crookedly and pointed to one of the coins, which was attached to a thin gold chain, "That one was mine. Amazing, that something so small could cause so much trouble." Absently, he opened and closed his hand, the one with the scar on the palm.
Elizabeth gave a small squeak of fright, and pressed herself against Will, pointing in horror at something down on the floor off to their left, half hidden in the shadows. Jess yanked out one of her sabers and sprang nimbly off the pile of treasure to land a short distance away from the whatever-it-was. Not to be outdone, Jack performed a full front flip in midair before landing next to Jess. "Oh," he said softly, venomously, when he saw what it was. "Is that all?"
It was Barbossa, or rather, what was left of Barbossa. All that was left were bones, and the tattered remains of clothing and the hat he was so fond of wearing. Jess sheathed her sword, stepped boldly forward, and spat on him. She then gave the carcass a solid kick, rolling it into a deep pool of water, where it sank out of sight. "T-thank you," said Elizabeth shakily.
Jess nodded curtly, and turned to Jack. "So, we've beaten the Bane here, now what?"
"We wait," said Jack shortly. "When Connolley arrives, we'll already be in place here. I'll go out and speak to him, and try and get him to leave peaceably. I know it's probably not going to work," he added, catching the look on Jess's face, "But I have to try. If and when he refuses, I plan to let him get ashore and into the cave system before we make our move."
Will stared at him, and demanded, "What's to stop him from just bombarding us from the Bane? These caves are unstable, and he could kill us all without any risk to his men by making the caves collapse!"
Jack smiled roguishly, and waved a hand at the stone chest. "He won't as long as these are here. He wouldn't dare fire a single shot at the island and risk burying these forever in tons of rubble. His only option is to bring his men ashore and fight on our terms."
And so they waited. The sentries rotated every hour, which became the high point in the action in fairly short order. Jess kept herself busy by force of will alone, doing things like sharpening the knife in her boot and scrubbing tiny flecks of dirt and rust from her saber blades, neither of which really needed the attention. Compared to the others, however, she was holding up rather well, being bored but still glacially calm.
Will and Elizabeth were both decidedly tense and said very little.
Jack was, if anything, even twitchier than usual. He had also begun to pace back and forth, to Jess's great annoyance. She was just about to say something about it when the latest sentry sprinted in ten minutes early, soaking wet and yelling for Jack. "They're here! Connolley and the Bane! Orders, Captain?"
Jack had to yell to make himself heard above the chatter of the crews. "I'm goin' out to talk to him, savvy? Everyone is to stay here until I get back! That means you, too!" he added, turning to Jess.
Jess crossed her arms. "No way are you going alone. Parley or no parley, Code or no Code, I don't trust Connolley any farther than I can throw him uphill against the wind. Besides," she continued, warming to her topic, "I'm not technically under your command at all, and neither is my crew, which means I don't have to take your orders, so listen up and listen well, Sparrow. I'm coming with you to negotiate on behalf of my crew, and that's that!"
To her great surprise, Jack smiled broadly, flashing gold teeth, and nodded his approval. "Thanks, love. I was just testin' you. Well, shall we? It's rude to keep Connolley waiting."
************************************************************************
Jack rowed their small boat out into the bay as Jess stood waving the lantern. When they were within earshot of the Bane, Jess bellowed, "PARLEY! WE INVOKE THE RIGHT OF PARLEY IN THE NAME OF THE CODE OF THE BRETHREN!"
A deep voice answered her from the deck of the Bane, though it was too dark to see the speaker. "COME ABOARD THEN, IF YE HAVE THE COURAGE!"
Jess glanced over her shoulder at Jack, and said in a would-be calm voice, "They were expectin' us. They knew perfectly well we were here."
Jack shrugged. "It wouldn't surprise me. They can't have been that far behind us, since it's only been, what, six or so hours since we arrived?"
Jess muttered something unintelligible but rude-sounding, but quickly shut up as they drew alongside the Bane. Someone up above threw them a line to secure their boat, then a rope ladder unfurled over the side. Jack scrambled up without further invitation, Jess following close behind.
The whole crew was assembled on deck. All of them, Jess noticed with a touch of unease, seemed to be rather large and strongly built as well as well armed. The tallest of the lot stood alone in a ring of torchlight, and Jess knew at once that this must be Liam Connolley. Jess estimated his height at somewhere between six foot three and six foot five, with broad shoulders. He carried two sabers as Jess did, strapped to his back. He carried no other weapons that she could see. His face would have been handsome had it not been twisted in a derisive sneer as he regarded Jack.
"So," he said softly. "The great Jack Sparrow wishes to parley with me? Can it be that you have run out of tricks at last?"
"Excellent," said Jack in a falsely bright voice. "So you already know who I am, but I don't think you've been properly introduced to the lady. This is-"
Connolley interrupted Jack coldly, saying, "I care not who she is. I will not conduct any negotiations in her presence, however. I make it a rule not to associate with," He paused, and his cold, colorless eyes slid over Jess, "With a shameless whore who's no better than she ought to be."
Jack's own voice cooled a few degrees as he finished, "This is Captain Saberjess, formerly of the Bluefang, here to negotiate on behalf of her crew."
Jess inclined her head graciously to Connolley, a Captain acknowledging an equal. She kept a firm rein on her temper.
"Ah," said Connolley quietly. "Yes... yes, I see now. It was your ship that got wrecked in the passage. A pity... I had hoped the wreckage I saw was the Pearl, but no matter. I would rather take the fastest ship in the Caribbean intact, given my choice." He deliberately turned his back on Jess, and faced Jack instead. "I assume you came here to surrender. I will accept no terms, unconditional surrender only. Your ship and any cargo will become mine, and-"
"Actually," Jack cut in smoothly, "We're here to offer you the chance to surrender, and leave peaceably. We're well aware of what you're here for, and we intend to prevent you from getting it, savvy? Now, we can do this my way, and you can keep your ship and your life, or we can do this the hard way, and both will be forfeit. It's really up to you."
Connolley stared at him for a moment, then began to laugh. It was a cold, mirthless sound, and Jess shivered almost imperceptibly. "Get out of my sight," he snapped after a moment, recovering his composure. "I have had enough of this. In fact," he whipped out a saber and whirled to face Jess, "I think you can swim back. Right now. Gents," he addressed his crew. "Help these two off my ship, would you?" He smirked and stepped back as the crew seized them both and quite literally threw them off the ship.
Jess and Jack hit the water at nearly the same instant. Jess surfaced, gasping. Jack appeared a moment later, shaking his tangled hair out of his eyes. Jess watched him, treading water, and said conversationally, "That went well, didn't it?"
Jack made no comment, but merely began swimming for the island. Jess followed suit. Once they got into the cave system they were able to walk most of the way back, though they now had to be careful of such things as underwater rocks as they slogged along through the shallows. Jess was actually nearly dry from the knees up by the time they reached the crews, who immediately bombarded them with questions. Jack waved his hands for silence, and called out, "I'm afraid our negotiations failed. Connolley and his men will be here shortly, and even with a double crew on our side they can nearly match us for numbers."
Ana Maria stepped forward and asked, "But do ye have a plan, Jack?"
"Ah, well..."
Jess shoved him aside, and called, "Tom! Where be Tom?"
"'Ere, Cap'n!" Tom replied at once, waving from the back of the crowd.
She looked Tom directly in the eyes, and said something very odd, phrased as a question. "WWJD?"
Tom smiled his black-toothed smile, and answered in kind, saying "SS." Then he paused, and amended, "SVS."
"Thank you. That's all I needed to hear."
Jack looked as baffled as anyone else as Jess turned to him, smiling broadly. "I'm afraid you've lost me, love. Care to explain... in English?" he pleaded.
"It's really very simple." Jess began to pace back and forth, her hands clasped behind her back. "Whenever I'm in a really tight situation, and I can see no way out, I always ask myself- WWJD? That's 'What Would Jack Do?', you see. And the answer is always the same. 'SS- SVS'." Her smile widened evilly, and she answered herself. "Something Stupid. Something Very Stupid."
Jack managed to look inquisitive while still rendered speechless by this revelation.
"Something stupid," echoed Will. "Something like this, for example?" And he reached into the stone chest, withdrew the medallion and chain, and fastened it around his neck.
Jess beamed at him. "Exactly like." She reached her own hand into the chest, and withdrew a gold piece. She rolled it idly back and forth over the backs of her fingers, then suddenly made it vanish. Jack stepped forward, gave a world-weary sigh that needed no elaboration, and selected one for himself. Then Elizabeth took one, and then Tom, and one by one the members of both crews all came forward to take a gold piece from the chest.
"How do we know the curse still works?" Elizabeth asked, holding her medallion up before her eyes and examining it.
Jack rolled his eyes, pulled out his pistol, and shot Jess in the face from less than a foot away. The force of the shot lifted her off her feet and threw her backwards- into a patch of moonlight. She hit the stone floor with a loud clatter of bones. Still lying on her back, she raised her hand and examined it. The bones, no longer covered by her flesh, clicked as she wiggled her fingers. Jack strode into the moonlight, transforming instantly, and gallantly offered her a hand up. "Sorry about that, love."
"Think nothing of it," she said amiably. "This is certainly an interesting experience."
Jack turned to the rest of their little band, and gave them their orders. "Divide into twos and threes, and each group take a passageway. Set up whatever surprises you like, but make sure there are no survivors, savvy?"
Jess watched interestedly as they left. Oddly enough, perhaps the most frightening pair were Will and Elizabeth. It was chilling to see their youthful good looks change instantly to death and decay.
As she and Jack headed off to their own section to patrol, Jack glanced over at her and said cheerily, "Your eyes have gone yellow. Did you know?"
Jack caught her grin and winked, clearly following her train of thought. At last, they leapt out into shallow water and dragged the boats up onto shore. Several of the crew carried bundles of torches which they lit and handed out. Jess carried the lantern and walked next to Jack at the head of the group.
The corridors twisted and turned, forcing them to march single file in some places, but Jack never hesitated. At last they reached a series of rooms with high ceilings. Moonlight filtered down from above to make patches of white on the floor, and everywhere was the glint of gold. The crews of both ships fanned out, picking through the piles of treasure, and calling out to one another as they found one thing or another. All save four. Jack, Jess, Will, and Elizabeth climbed the largest pile to stand before a stone chest filled with coins. Will took another step forward and gazed dispassionately down at the gold. Hundreds of stylized skulls stared blankly back up at him, stamped into each piece.
"I had hoped never to see this place again," he said ruefully. He smiled crookedly and pointed to one of the coins, which was attached to a thin gold chain, "That one was mine. Amazing, that something so small could cause so much trouble." Absently, he opened and closed his hand, the one with the scar on the palm.
Elizabeth gave a small squeak of fright, and pressed herself against Will, pointing in horror at something down on the floor off to their left, half hidden in the shadows. Jess yanked out one of her sabers and sprang nimbly off the pile of treasure to land a short distance away from the whatever-it-was. Not to be outdone, Jack performed a full front flip in midair before landing next to Jess. "Oh," he said softly, venomously, when he saw what it was. "Is that all?"
It was Barbossa, or rather, what was left of Barbossa. All that was left were bones, and the tattered remains of clothing and the hat he was so fond of wearing. Jess sheathed her sword, stepped boldly forward, and spat on him. She then gave the carcass a solid kick, rolling it into a deep pool of water, where it sank out of sight. "T-thank you," said Elizabeth shakily.
Jess nodded curtly, and turned to Jack. "So, we've beaten the Bane here, now what?"
"We wait," said Jack shortly. "When Connolley arrives, we'll already be in place here. I'll go out and speak to him, and try and get him to leave peaceably. I know it's probably not going to work," he added, catching the look on Jess's face, "But I have to try. If and when he refuses, I plan to let him get ashore and into the cave system before we make our move."
Will stared at him, and demanded, "What's to stop him from just bombarding us from the Bane? These caves are unstable, and he could kill us all without any risk to his men by making the caves collapse!"
Jack smiled roguishly, and waved a hand at the stone chest. "He won't as long as these are here. He wouldn't dare fire a single shot at the island and risk burying these forever in tons of rubble. His only option is to bring his men ashore and fight on our terms."
And so they waited. The sentries rotated every hour, which became the high point in the action in fairly short order. Jess kept herself busy by force of will alone, doing things like sharpening the knife in her boot and scrubbing tiny flecks of dirt and rust from her saber blades, neither of which really needed the attention. Compared to the others, however, she was holding up rather well, being bored but still glacially calm.
Will and Elizabeth were both decidedly tense and said very little.
Jack was, if anything, even twitchier than usual. He had also begun to pace back and forth, to Jess's great annoyance. She was just about to say something about it when the latest sentry sprinted in ten minutes early, soaking wet and yelling for Jack. "They're here! Connolley and the Bane! Orders, Captain?"
Jack had to yell to make himself heard above the chatter of the crews. "I'm goin' out to talk to him, savvy? Everyone is to stay here until I get back! That means you, too!" he added, turning to Jess.
Jess crossed her arms. "No way are you going alone. Parley or no parley, Code or no Code, I don't trust Connolley any farther than I can throw him uphill against the wind. Besides," she continued, warming to her topic, "I'm not technically under your command at all, and neither is my crew, which means I don't have to take your orders, so listen up and listen well, Sparrow. I'm coming with you to negotiate on behalf of my crew, and that's that!"
To her great surprise, Jack smiled broadly, flashing gold teeth, and nodded his approval. "Thanks, love. I was just testin' you. Well, shall we? It's rude to keep Connolley waiting."
************************************************************************
Jack rowed their small boat out into the bay as Jess stood waving the lantern. When they were within earshot of the Bane, Jess bellowed, "PARLEY! WE INVOKE THE RIGHT OF PARLEY IN THE NAME OF THE CODE OF THE BRETHREN!"
A deep voice answered her from the deck of the Bane, though it was too dark to see the speaker. "COME ABOARD THEN, IF YE HAVE THE COURAGE!"
Jess glanced over her shoulder at Jack, and said in a would-be calm voice, "They were expectin' us. They knew perfectly well we were here."
Jack shrugged. "It wouldn't surprise me. They can't have been that far behind us, since it's only been, what, six or so hours since we arrived?"
Jess muttered something unintelligible but rude-sounding, but quickly shut up as they drew alongside the Bane. Someone up above threw them a line to secure their boat, then a rope ladder unfurled over the side. Jack scrambled up without further invitation, Jess following close behind.
The whole crew was assembled on deck. All of them, Jess noticed with a touch of unease, seemed to be rather large and strongly built as well as well armed. The tallest of the lot stood alone in a ring of torchlight, and Jess knew at once that this must be Liam Connolley. Jess estimated his height at somewhere between six foot three and six foot five, with broad shoulders. He carried two sabers as Jess did, strapped to his back. He carried no other weapons that she could see. His face would have been handsome had it not been twisted in a derisive sneer as he regarded Jack.
"So," he said softly. "The great Jack Sparrow wishes to parley with me? Can it be that you have run out of tricks at last?"
"Excellent," said Jack in a falsely bright voice. "So you already know who I am, but I don't think you've been properly introduced to the lady. This is-"
Connolley interrupted Jack coldly, saying, "I care not who she is. I will not conduct any negotiations in her presence, however. I make it a rule not to associate with," He paused, and his cold, colorless eyes slid over Jess, "With a shameless whore who's no better than she ought to be."
Jack's own voice cooled a few degrees as he finished, "This is Captain Saberjess, formerly of the Bluefang, here to negotiate on behalf of her crew."
Jess inclined her head graciously to Connolley, a Captain acknowledging an equal. She kept a firm rein on her temper.
"Ah," said Connolley quietly. "Yes... yes, I see now. It was your ship that got wrecked in the passage. A pity... I had hoped the wreckage I saw was the Pearl, but no matter. I would rather take the fastest ship in the Caribbean intact, given my choice." He deliberately turned his back on Jess, and faced Jack instead. "I assume you came here to surrender. I will accept no terms, unconditional surrender only. Your ship and any cargo will become mine, and-"
"Actually," Jack cut in smoothly, "We're here to offer you the chance to surrender, and leave peaceably. We're well aware of what you're here for, and we intend to prevent you from getting it, savvy? Now, we can do this my way, and you can keep your ship and your life, or we can do this the hard way, and both will be forfeit. It's really up to you."
Connolley stared at him for a moment, then began to laugh. It was a cold, mirthless sound, and Jess shivered almost imperceptibly. "Get out of my sight," he snapped after a moment, recovering his composure. "I have had enough of this. In fact," he whipped out a saber and whirled to face Jess, "I think you can swim back. Right now. Gents," he addressed his crew. "Help these two off my ship, would you?" He smirked and stepped back as the crew seized them both and quite literally threw them off the ship.
Jess and Jack hit the water at nearly the same instant. Jess surfaced, gasping. Jack appeared a moment later, shaking his tangled hair out of his eyes. Jess watched him, treading water, and said conversationally, "That went well, didn't it?"
Jack made no comment, but merely began swimming for the island. Jess followed suit. Once they got into the cave system they were able to walk most of the way back, though they now had to be careful of such things as underwater rocks as they slogged along through the shallows. Jess was actually nearly dry from the knees up by the time they reached the crews, who immediately bombarded them with questions. Jack waved his hands for silence, and called out, "I'm afraid our negotiations failed. Connolley and his men will be here shortly, and even with a double crew on our side they can nearly match us for numbers."
Ana Maria stepped forward and asked, "But do ye have a plan, Jack?"
"Ah, well..."
Jess shoved him aside, and called, "Tom! Where be Tom?"
"'Ere, Cap'n!" Tom replied at once, waving from the back of the crowd.
She looked Tom directly in the eyes, and said something very odd, phrased as a question. "WWJD?"
Tom smiled his black-toothed smile, and answered in kind, saying "SS." Then he paused, and amended, "SVS."
"Thank you. That's all I needed to hear."
Jack looked as baffled as anyone else as Jess turned to him, smiling broadly. "I'm afraid you've lost me, love. Care to explain... in English?" he pleaded.
"It's really very simple." Jess began to pace back and forth, her hands clasped behind her back. "Whenever I'm in a really tight situation, and I can see no way out, I always ask myself- WWJD? That's 'What Would Jack Do?', you see. And the answer is always the same. 'SS- SVS'." Her smile widened evilly, and she answered herself. "Something Stupid. Something Very Stupid."
Jack managed to look inquisitive while still rendered speechless by this revelation.
"Something stupid," echoed Will. "Something like this, for example?" And he reached into the stone chest, withdrew the medallion and chain, and fastened it around his neck.
Jess beamed at him. "Exactly like." She reached her own hand into the chest, and withdrew a gold piece. She rolled it idly back and forth over the backs of her fingers, then suddenly made it vanish. Jack stepped forward, gave a world-weary sigh that needed no elaboration, and selected one for himself. Then Elizabeth took one, and then Tom, and one by one the members of both crews all came forward to take a gold piece from the chest.
"How do we know the curse still works?" Elizabeth asked, holding her medallion up before her eyes and examining it.
Jack rolled his eyes, pulled out his pistol, and shot Jess in the face from less than a foot away. The force of the shot lifted her off her feet and threw her backwards- into a patch of moonlight. She hit the stone floor with a loud clatter of bones. Still lying on her back, she raised her hand and examined it. The bones, no longer covered by her flesh, clicked as she wiggled her fingers. Jack strode into the moonlight, transforming instantly, and gallantly offered her a hand up. "Sorry about that, love."
"Think nothing of it," she said amiably. "This is certainly an interesting experience."
Jack turned to the rest of their little band, and gave them their orders. "Divide into twos and threes, and each group take a passageway. Set up whatever surprises you like, but make sure there are no survivors, savvy?"
Jess watched interestedly as they left. Oddly enough, perhaps the most frightening pair were Will and Elizabeth. It was chilling to see their youthful good looks change instantly to death and decay.
As she and Jack headed off to their own section to patrol, Jack glanced over at her and said cheerily, "Your eyes have gone yellow. Did you know?"