Chapter Seven-Isla de la Muerta
The crew anchored the Interceptor just where they would be out of view of the Black Pearl where it was anchored. They all stared at the feared ship and the dreaded, barren island with silent awe, which was only broken by Jack's merry shouts.
"Alrigh' lads. oh, and lasses, sorry Anna Maria, Cate.keep a watch while young Mr. Turner and me go ashore." Catherine ran at the two as they made for a rowboat.
"Wait! What about me, I want to come too!" she yelled, starting to get that crazed, rebellious attitude going. Will got ready for an argument, but Jack put his hand out to stop Will from saying anything. The pirate looked at the angry girl for just a moment, then said almost gently,
"Catherine, stay 'ere this time. It'll be easier with just two, an'.." Jack just sort of stopped as Catherine looked at him, surprised that he called her Catherine and waiting for the rest of that sentence.
"And."
"Just stay. Please." She (and everybody else for that matter) was so shocked that he didn't give some pathetic excuse as to why Catherine couldn't go and that he said please that she only nodded and stepped back calmly. Jack nodded and said
"Thanks, love." To the crew he added "stick to the code," and was off.
As the two men rowed towards the caves of the Isla de la Muerta Will stared at Jack in wide eyed shock. Jack glanced at him sideways, looked away, checked to see if Will was still staring, and then turned around to face him.
"What?"
"How did you do that?" Will asked, his mouth still hanging open in disbelief.
"Do what?" Jack replied, still trying to figure out what Will was so surprised about.
"How'd you get Catherine to stay? She didn't even fight!"
"Oh, that," said Jack, relief coming over him. He thought the boy was talking about how Jack had gotten off that island or about some kind of sea monster rearing up behind the boat. "I just asked 'er to stay an' she did, not that impressive." Will shook his head as if you shake off the surprise of this answer.
"You don't know what a feat that was! I've known the girl for ten years and I have NEVER seen her give up something she wanted to do without a fight. NEVER. She doesn't even listen to Elizabeth sometimes! I don't know what kind of effect you've had on her, but that is quite an accomplishment!" Jack grinned very, VERY widely as he rowed.
"Never? I 'ad an effect on 'er, ye say? Hmm," the pirate said happily. Will, even more puzzled than he was before, just gave up on any explanation as they drew closer to the caves.
"I just don't get it."
Elizabeth awoke to a loud knock. She got up from the spot on the floor of the captain's cabin of the Black Pearl where she had been huddled ever since she had learned the truth about this ship and its crew. She hadn't really learned the truth even so much as she had been roughly thrown into it. She was summoned to dine with Barbossa her first night on the ship, when he told her all about the curse and the gold. She, disbelieving and fearing for her life, attacked him with a dinner knife just to have him pull it calmly out of his chest as if it were merely a splinter. Elizabeth then ran out onto the deck and found herself being tossed about in the midst of a crew of corpses. When she finally made it back into the cabin alone, she slumped down in a corner, shocked and terrified, and had stayed there ever since. She had remained there undisturbed and unmolested until the two pirates who had taken her in the first place brought her out to the boats. She soon found herself standing over an open stone chest filled with the Aztec gold pieces as the entire ghost crew shouted up at Barbossa who was delivering a fiery speech about the final end of the curse. It was at that precise moment that Will and Jack crept into the cave.
"Elizabeth." Will started to go towards her, but Jack held him back.
"Wait for the opportune moment." The quirky pirate pranced off to go hide somewhere. Will, who was starting to get quite angry at Jack's antics, made to follow him. Jack spun around, irritated, put his hands up as if to push Will back to his spot and said, "Look, I know it's difficult for you, but just stay here, and don't do anythin' stupid, hmm?" He turned and scampered off, leaving an irate Will to stand there fuming.
Minutes later, as Jack was peeking out through hole in the rock wall separating him from his old crew and Elizabeth, he heard a noise, turned around, and fell into unconsciousness as an oar from the rowboat came crashing down on his head.
"Sorry Jack," said Will as he threw the oar aside, "I'm not going to be your leverage." Just then, Barbrossa and his crew were discovering that Elizabeth's blood was not what they needed to lift the curse. She had lied to them. The evil captain drew back his arm and hit Elizabeth hard across the face. She fell down to a lower level of the cave floor, right beside a pool of water. A second later Will emerged from the water and he and Elizabeth were soon swimming back to the waiting rowboat and the Interceptor, Jack still lying on the floor unconscious.
As Will and Elizabeth were helped on board the Interceptor by the pirate crew, Catherine came running towards her sister, almost knocking her back off the ship. The two sisters embraced, both slightly teary, as Gibbs asked
"Where be Jack?" The girls broke apart.
"What?" Catherine asked, just realizing that their captain did not return to the ship.
"Jack? Jack Sparrow?" Elizabeth asked in disbelief as her sister's face grew paler and paler. Will looked at the girls and frowned.
"He fell behind." The crew made ready to sail with Anna Maria acting as captain in Jack's absence.
"Wait," Catherine asked, distress in her voice. "You're just going to leave him? You can't do that, why would you do that?" Her voice began to waver as she spoke desperately to Gibbs. The sailor turned to face her, grief lining his face.
"It's the pirate's code. Whoever falls behind is left behind. Jack wanted us to follow the code." With that he made off to his post. Catherine's eyes began to fill with tears.
"They're just going to leave him.." Elizabeth looked at her sister, understanding what the others could not. She also began to cry at Catherine's grief as the two girls went to the captain's cabin, not wanting to be seen like this.
"Don't fret, Cate, I'm sure we'll get him back. Don't worry, all is not lost." Catherine buried her head in younger sister's shoulder and cried. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jack awoke to find himself surrounded by his old crew, which was a situation he was not particularly fond of. He sat up, feeling the fresh lump on his head.
"Stupid, stupid, I told 'im not to do anythin' stupid and what does 'e do.idiot boy." the pirate muttered as he pulled himself to his feet. He began wandering through the cave, weaving in and out of faces staring at him in disbelief. "Haha, none of 'em thought I'd make it," Jack thought to himself as he swaggered up to Barbossa, who just looked at him with his mouth open.
"How in hell did ye get off that island?" the evil pirate asked as he stared at this man swaying drunkenly in front of him. Jack just held his arms out as if to take a bow and said,
"Ye're forgettin' one very important thing, mate. I'm Cap'n Jack Sparrow!" Barbossa just laughed and gave the order for him to be killed. Jack took full advantage of the moment. "The girl's blood didn't work, did it?" Barbossa turned around quickly. The next thing Jack knew, he was aboard the Black Pearl striking a deal with the demented pirate to get his ship back in return for Will's name. Unfortunately for Jack, it was at that moment that the first mate came in saying that they were gaining on the Interceptor. Sparrow and Barbossa ran out on deck, the latter grinning, because now he could get what he wanted and kill Jack. Our pirate, however, was not so keen on the idea. Before you could say 'parlay' Jack found himself locked in the brig standing in ankle deep water watching the battle which ensued between the two ships through a hole in the hull of the Pearl. "Cannon, cannon, gun, gun, come on, do somethin' ter get me out.." Jack muttered as he waved his hands in frustration. Just then a flying mass of silverware shot through the Pearl, making his small eye hole much larger ("Stop blowin' 'oles in my ship!" and blasting the lock of his small personal prison clear off its door. Minutes later, Jack was swinging over to the Interceptor and landing on Elizabeth Swann as she shot at the cursed pirates.
"You!!" she shouted in surprise.
"Aye," Jack said as he scanned the deck of the Interceptor. He saw Catherine, sighed, and then turned back to Elizabeth. "Where is the medallion, lass?" He looked down and saw a bandage very carefully tied around the hand which Barbossa had cut to get to her blood. "Ah, where is dear William?" Elizabeth looked around just in time to see Will's hand reaching out of the door in the middle of the deck, trying to get out. He had jumped down to get the medallion off the table where Elizabeth had left it and had instead become trapped in the storage compartment which was quickly filling with water.
"Will!" Elizabeth ran to get him out, but could not move the door. As Elizabeth was trying to free Will, Jack was scampering across the Interceptor's fallen mast back over to the Black Pearl after Barbossa's monkey, who had gotten the gold piece. Barbossa got the gold first, and the crew of the Pearl over took the Interceptor. Jack looked up to see both of the Swann girls being carried over kicking and screaming like madwomen and tied to the Pearl's mast with the rest of Jack's crew. It was just at that moment that the Interceptor exploded.
"Will! No!" screamed Elizabeth. Almost at the sound of his name Will climbed up the side of the Pearl, having swum out of the Interceptor through one of the massive holes left by the cannon fire. Elizabeth gave a huge sigh of relief. Jack looked up at the boy and started waving at him trying to keep him from doing anything stupid. Too bad for them it didn't work. Will told Barbossa who he was and threatened to kill himself.
"Name yer price, Mr. Turner." Will pointed to the girls.
"They go free, and the crew is not to be harmed."
Soon, the crew was locked in the brig below deck, Will was bound and gagged, and Jack and the Swann sisters found themselves thrown overboard within swimming distance of the very same island on which Jack had been marooned his first time around with this crew. As the three swam toward the beach, Jack muttered to himself,
"Always the maroonin' with this lot, no imagination..idiot boy.better company than last time, though..how in the bloody hell am I goin' ter get off this time!"
The crew anchored the Interceptor just where they would be out of view of the Black Pearl where it was anchored. They all stared at the feared ship and the dreaded, barren island with silent awe, which was only broken by Jack's merry shouts.
"Alrigh' lads. oh, and lasses, sorry Anna Maria, Cate.keep a watch while young Mr. Turner and me go ashore." Catherine ran at the two as they made for a rowboat.
"Wait! What about me, I want to come too!" she yelled, starting to get that crazed, rebellious attitude going. Will got ready for an argument, but Jack put his hand out to stop Will from saying anything. The pirate looked at the angry girl for just a moment, then said almost gently,
"Catherine, stay 'ere this time. It'll be easier with just two, an'.." Jack just sort of stopped as Catherine looked at him, surprised that he called her Catherine and waiting for the rest of that sentence.
"And."
"Just stay. Please." She (and everybody else for that matter) was so shocked that he didn't give some pathetic excuse as to why Catherine couldn't go and that he said please that she only nodded and stepped back calmly. Jack nodded and said
"Thanks, love." To the crew he added "stick to the code," and was off.
As the two men rowed towards the caves of the Isla de la Muerta Will stared at Jack in wide eyed shock. Jack glanced at him sideways, looked away, checked to see if Will was still staring, and then turned around to face him.
"What?"
"How did you do that?" Will asked, his mouth still hanging open in disbelief.
"Do what?" Jack replied, still trying to figure out what Will was so surprised about.
"How'd you get Catherine to stay? She didn't even fight!"
"Oh, that," said Jack, relief coming over him. He thought the boy was talking about how Jack had gotten off that island or about some kind of sea monster rearing up behind the boat. "I just asked 'er to stay an' she did, not that impressive." Will shook his head as if you shake off the surprise of this answer.
"You don't know what a feat that was! I've known the girl for ten years and I have NEVER seen her give up something she wanted to do without a fight. NEVER. She doesn't even listen to Elizabeth sometimes! I don't know what kind of effect you've had on her, but that is quite an accomplishment!" Jack grinned very, VERY widely as he rowed.
"Never? I 'ad an effect on 'er, ye say? Hmm," the pirate said happily. Will, even more puzzled than he was before, just gave up on any explanation as they drew closer to the caves.
"I just don't get it."
Elizabeth awoke to a loud knock. She got up from the spot on the floor of the captain's cabin of the Black Pearl where she had been huddled ever since she had learned the truth about this ship and its crew. She hadn't really learned the truth even so much as she had been roughly thrown into it. She was summoned to dine with Barbossa her first night on the ship, when he told her all about the curse and the gold. She, disbelieving and fearing for her life, attacked him with a dinner knife just to have him pull it calmly out of his chest as if it were merely a splinter. Elizabeth then ran out onto the deck and found herself being tossed about in the midst of a crew of corpses. When she finally made it back into the cabin alone, she slumped down in a corner, shocked and terrified, and had stayed there ever since. She had remained there undisturbed and unmolested until the two pirates who had taken her in the first place brought her out to the boats. She soon found herself standing over an open stone chest filled with the Aztec gold pieces as the entire ghost crew shouted up at Barbossa who was delivering a fiery speech about the final end of the curse. It was at that precise moment that Will and Jack crept into the cave.
"Elizabeth." Will started to go towards her, but Jack held him back.
"Wait for the opportune moment." The quirky pirate pranced off to go hide somewhere. Will, who was starting to get quite angry at Jack's antics, made to follow him. Jack spun around, irritated, put his hands up as if to push Will back to his spot and said, "Look, I know it's difficult for you, but just stay here, and don't do anythin' stupid, hmm?" He turned and scampered off, leaving an irate Will to stand there fuming.
Minutes later, as Jack was peeking out through hole in the rock wall separating him from his old crew and Elizabeth, he heard a noise, turned around, and fell into unconsciousness as an oar from the rowboat came crashing down on his head.
"Sorry Jack," said Will as he threw the oar aside, "I'm not going to be your leverage." Just then, Barbrossa and his crew were discovering that Elizabeth's blood was not what they needed to lift the curse. She had lied to them. The evil captain drew back his arm and hit Elizabeth hard across the face. She fell down to a lower level of the cave floor, right beside a pool of water. A second later Will emerged from the water and he and Elizabeth were soon swimming back to the waiting rowboat and the Interceptor, Jack still lying on the floor unconscious.
As Will and Elizabeth were helped on board the Interceptor by the pirate crew, Catherine came running towards her sister, almost knocking her back off the ship. The two sisters embraced, both slightly teary, as Gibbs asked
"Where be Jack?" The girls broke apart.
"What?" Catherine asked, just realizing that their captain did not return to the ship.
"Jack? Jack Sparrow?" Elizabeth asked in disbelief as her sister's face grew paler and paler. Will looked at the girls and frowned.
"He fell behind." The crew made ready to sail with Anna Maria acting as captain in Jack's absence.
"Wait," Catherine asked, distress in her voice. "You're just going to leave him? You can't do that, why would you do that?" Her voice began to waver as she spoke desperately to Gibbs. The sailor turned to face her, grief lining his face.
"It's the pirate's code. Whoever falls behind is left behind. Jack wanted us to follow the code." With that he made off to his post. Catherine's eyes began to fill with tears.
"They're just going to leave him.." Elizabeth looked at her sister, understanding what the others could not. She also began to cry at Catherine's grief as the two girls went to the captain's cabin, not wanting to be seen like this.
"Don't fret, Cate, I'm sure we'll get him back. Don't worry, all is not lost." Catherine buried her head in younger sister's shoulder and cried. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jack awoke to find himself surrounded by his old crew, which was a situation he was not particularly fond of. He sat up, feeling the fresh lump on his head.
"Stupid, stupid, I told 'im not to do anythin' stupid and what does 'e do.idiot boy." the pirate muttered as he pulled himself to his feet. He began wandering through the cave, weaving in and out of faces staring at him in disbelief. "Haha, none of 'em thought I'd make it," Jack thought to himself as he swaggered up to Barbossa, who just looked at him with his mouth open.
"How in hell did ye get off that island?" the evil pirate asked as he stared at this man swaying drunkenly in front of him. Jack just held his arms out as if to take a bow and said,
"Ye're forgettin' one very important thing, mate. I'm Cap'n Jack Sparrow!" Barbossa just laughed and gave the order for him to be killed. Jack took full advantage of the moment. "The girl's blood didn't work, did it?" Barbossa turned around quickly. The next thing Jack knew, he was aboard the Black Pearl striking a deal with the demented pirate to get his ship back in return for Will's name. Unfortunately for Jack, it was at that moment that the first mate came in saying that they were gaining on the Interceptor. Sparrow and Barbossa ran out on deck, the latter grinning, because now he could get what he wanted and kill Jack. Our pirate, however, was not so keen on the idea. Before you could say 'parlay' Jack found himself locked in the brig standing in ankle deep water watching the battle which ensued between the two ships through a hole in the hull of the Pearl. "Cannon, cannon, gun, gun, come on, do somethin' ter get me out.." Jack muttered as he waved his hands in frustration. Just then a flying mass of silverware shot through the Pearl, making his small eye hole much larger ("Stop blowin' 'oles in my ship!" and blasting the lock of his small personal prison clear off its door. Minutes later, Jack was swinging over to the Interceptor and landing on Elizabeth Swann as she shot at the cursed pirates.
"You!!" she shouted in surprise.
"Aye," Jack said as he scanned the deck of the Interceptor. He saw Catherine, sighed, and then turned back to Elizabeth. "Where is the medallion, lass?" He looked down and saw a bandage very carefully tied around the hand which Barbossa had cut to get to her blood. "Ah, where is dear William?" Elizabeth looked around just in time to see Will's hand reaching out of the door in the middle of the deck, trying to get out. He had jumped down to get the medallion off the table where Elizabeth had left it and had instead become trapped in the storage compartment which was quickly filling with water.
"Will!" Elizabeth ran to get him out, but could not move the door. As Elizabeth was trying to free Will, Jack was scampering across the Interceptor's fallen mast back over to the Black Pearl after Barbossa's monkey, who had gotten the gold piece. Barbossa got the gold first, and the crew of the Pearl over took the Interceptor. Jack looked up to see both of the Swann girls being carried over kicking and screaming like madwomen and tied to the Pearl's mast with the rest of Jack's crew. It was just at that moment that the Interceptor exploded.
"Will! No!" screamed Elizabeth. Almost at the sound of his name Will climbed up the side of the Pearl, having swum out of the Interceptor through one of the massive holes left by the cannon fire. Elizabeth gave a huge sigh of relief. Jack looked up at the boy and started waving at him trying to keep him from doing anything stupid. Too bad for them it didn't work. Will told Barbossa who he was and threatened to kill himself.
"Name yer price, Mr. Turner." Will pointed to the girls.
"They go free, and the crew is not to be harmed."
Soon, the crew was locked in the brig below deck, Will was bound and gagged, and Jack and the Swann sisters found themselves thrown overboard within swimming distance of the very same island on which Jack had been marooned his first time around with this crew. As the three swam toward the beach, Jack muttered to himself,
"Always the maroonin' with this lot, no imagination..idiot boy.better company than last time, though..how in the bloody hell am I goin' ter get off this time!"