Pirates of the Caribbean – The Secret of Hell Water

(A/N- Ughhh—I've got such a case of allergies today… so feel special that I'm finishing up this chapter when I could be sleeping and happily drugged instead! I was planning to put it up tonight and didn't want to wait.  =) 

Here's a little picture I drew:   (cut and paste- fanfic.net doesn't let me post links, it seems…) Hee hee… ^^; for all you Jack Sparrow fans out there…it's silly!

Chapter 7- The Commodore's Trap

The Black Pearl pulled up next to the seemingly helpless little British trading ship.  The pirates bellowed out their challenges, as grappling hooks were thrown over and secured.  They pulled The Pearl closer and the crew in the rigging swung on long boarding ropes, cutlasses brandished and ready to cut down any who would oppose them. 

The pirates boarded.  The crew that was aboard the smaller vessel tried their best to fight off the onslaught.  But their skills were not up to par with those of the experienced marauders.  Jack swung on board the ship, landing with a little stagger in his usual ungraceful manner.

" Everyone!" He shouted about the commotion, holding his sword out and ready, Will was at his back in a second, ready to fight any who would dare challenge Jack. "We're taking over this ship! So surrender calmly and I promise I will spare your insignificant lives!"  

" We'll never surrender!" Came a challenging voice. Jack looked up and regarded a man he assumed must be the captain by his jaunty, feathered hat and clean black boots.  He smiled and held his sword at the ready as the Captain lunged towards him.  Jack parried easily. He could hear Will fighting behind him with another crewmember.

" Try not to hurt them too much, mate." Jack said to Will, moving forward a few steps, forcing the captain into a defensive position. " We're only here for the booty, after all."

"Aye!" Will acknowledged Jack's comment and promptly disarmed his opponent.  The sword he'd been using flew through the air and into the water.

Jack and the Captain danced back and forth in battle.  Jack knew he could beat the captain easily, but he admitted he had not had such sport in a while, and was enjoying getting the opportunity to practice on someone who, he admitted, was rather a skilled swordsman.

"I admit, you're pretty good." He said, sidestepping a low swipe and laying into the captain again with a skillful lunge, disarming his opponent and raised his sword to the captain's throat.  "But not good enough."

" You won't get away with this, black rogue!" The captain said defiantly.

" Black rogue am I? No- I'm Captain Jack Sparrow! And the cargo on this ship is now property of The Black Pear and those who sail her!"  He said with a tiny bow, and then raised his head to regard the situation of the other crewmembers.

It seemed that the trade ship's Captain had been the last to stand his ground, all the rest of his crew had been defeated and were standing in an awkward huddle, intimidated and surrounded by the threatening faces of Jack's crew. 

The captain grimaced as the pirates echoed Jack's declaration with triumph.

" Tie them up," Jack ordered, sheathing his sword, "then go below and look for the spoils."

The pirates did as they were told, tying the crew in a rough circle around the mainmast with a sturdy piece of rope.

" I wonder what sort of booty awaits below?" said Moises anxiously.

" I hope they have a keg of brandy! Or even better, maybe some good port!" Said another as they eagerly made way to the main hatch and its ladder leading down to the hold.

Jack made a crooked beeline towards the stern of the boat and the captain's cabin with Will close by his heels

" This was easier than I thought." Said Will, his voice rung with anxious excitement.  " I was sure we'd have to fight our entire way below deck."

" Not often." Said Jack conversationally.  " See, it's all in the way you carry yourself.  Just the stories alone of The Black Pearl strike fear into the heart of every sailor. This lot didn't have enough fight in them from the beginning; they were too scared of us.  That's the best way to take advantage of a situation, savvy?  People are incredibly gullible, they'll believe anything you tell them if you build up as despicable a reputation as I have.  How do you think I've managed to stay alive all these years? By luck?"

Will remembered Elizabeth once saying that Jack had spent a total of three days on the deserted island the first time he'd been marooned.  He'd done little but drink rum and wait for the Rum traders to come and pick him up.  But the stories about him that were passed around from tavern to tavern said a variety of different kinds of stories, each more unbelievable than the last. From riding a raft of sea turtles to dealings with the devil himself… He certainly used such colorful stories to his advantage- that was Captain Jack Sparrow for you.

" Why are you telling me all this?" Will asked as they reached the door to the cabin.

Jack paused with his hand on the door latch and glanced back at Will with one eyebrow raised in consideration.  " I don't really know."

Then he opened the door and the grin on his face faded at what he found inside. 

What Jack saw was none other than Commodore Norrington. This haughty English soldier had been after Jack and his ship for the last four years since Jack had given him the slip at Port Royal.  Jack wished never to come in such close contact with the Commodore ever again, particularly because what the Commodore desired more than anything else in the world was to see a rope around Jack's neck.  Now, Jack's worst enemy stood right in the doorway…front and center with a pistol cocked and ready.  That pistol was pointed straight between Jacks eyes.

Will stiffened, sword out and at the ready in a flash.  Jack stood frozen with both eyes focused down the barrel.  The effect made him look strangely cross-eyed.  Suddenly a great shout rang out from the deck and the clash of steel on steel was heard. Will risked a quick glance back.  

The pirates that had opened the Hatch to the hold below had also had an unexpected surprise. It seemed their hopeful cargo, instead riches or alcohol as they'd hoped, turned out to be none other than an entire regiment of Red Coated soldiers.  They poured out of the hatch like a wave upon the unsuspecting pirates.  A great hurrah arose from the ships crew tied about the mainmast. They'd been waiting for this moment since Jack had declared his triumph over their ship.

" Norrington…" Will hissed the word through his teeth with disgust.  "It's not like you to use such underhanded tricks…"

" Well…" The Commodore said with an amused tone of voice, not taking his eyes off of Jack.  " You can hardly expect me to catch a pirate any other way, can you? They're so positively underhanded themselves… it seems the logical course of action."

Will thought for a moment that the Commodore must be so focused on Jack; he didn't even realize it was Will that had talked to him. 

Jack and Will stepped back slowly as Norrington advanced on them.  A ring of soldiers poured out from the doorway behind him, and encircled the two pirates with swords drawn and at the ready. The Commodore did not allow the gun he held on Jack to slip even the slightest from its aim as he walked. 

" I knew you wouldn't be able to resist plundering such a helpless little trading vessel, Jack Sparrow." He said pompously.

" CaptainCaptain Jack Sparrow." Jack interjected, taking his eyes off the pistol as he did so and raised his hands up, palms pressed together to reinforce his statement.

The Commodore shrugged off his correction with indifference. " So, I took the liberty of coming aboard, along with a regiment of soldiers from Port Royal."

" That was very smart of you." Jack said, shifting his gaze from the Commodore to the gun and back nervously.  " Well, cheers to you mate, you've got me."

" Yes… and… what is this?" The Commodore said, finally shifting his gaze to Will in honest surprise, the point of the pistol angled down unintentionally as he did so.  " It couldn't be… Will Turner? Does Elizabeth know what you've been up to, my boy?  Keeping in company with such…despicable, black hearted rogues as these?"

" Thank you." Jack interjected with a tiny bow, then fell back nervously, gazing cross-eyed down the barrel of the pistol again as the Commodore reoriented its aim between his eyes.

" Don't move, pirate." He said perilously.

Then, he regarded Will again and his eyebrows rose as he asked his question again.  " Does Elizabeth know what you're doing?"

" Yes… and she's fully supportive of it." Will said defiantly.

The Commodore shook his head ruefully. " Tsk tsk…she'll be heartbroken nevertheless, I'm sure.  I can't excuse you from such careless actions three times; it would start to make me look soft… I think."

" I don't think you look soft." Jack interrupted in mock sincerity.

The only reaction he got that showed the Commodore even heard him was a twitch of his eye.  But the Commodore did not shift his gaze from Will, or move the angle of the pistol from Jack's face.  " I was hoping you'd clean up your act. But I suppose I was mistaken. Once a pirate, always a pirate…hmm…"

Will narrowed his eyes at the Commodore and glared at him, a nasty comment was on his tongue but he bit it down angrily.  And suddenly with no warning at all, they jumped at the deafening boom of canon fire.

Jack risked turning his head in consternation to regard the smoke billowing out from the Trade Ship's canons, and The Black Pearl creaking as it rocked back and forth under fire.  His eyes widened and he turned again to the commodore, swinging his head with a look of horror.

The Commodore had turned his eyes to The Black Pearl as well, a smile of smug satisfaction on his face.

"There's no one on that ship to fire on." Jacke said after a pause, narrowing his eyes slightly and inclining his head. He thought of Emma and Elizabeth, but was not willing to give the Commodore any further details. "Better a death at sea than the hangman's noose…" he thought, then said aloud.  "Why do you fire on the ship, mate?"

The Commodore gave a satisfied shrug.  " I'll sink that accursed ship to the bottom of the sea and have done with it. I've realized long ago it's impossible to try and catch the thing full sail.  But not if you have it sitting right where you want it." He paused with an audible sniff.  " With no ship, there can be no Captain Jack Sparrow… can there? And no way of escape… this time."

Jack noticed that through the ring of soldiers guarding himself and Will, the sword fighting behind him had died down.  The two captives circled slowly and Jack saw with dismay that his crew were finally being overpowered.  The pirates had lowered their weapons and were being backed into a ring reluctantly.

" Shall we take them below, now, Commodore?"

The Commodore's junior officer, Lieutenant Gillette had run up and asked the question while Jack gazed at his crew in dismay.

"No…" The Commodore said idly.  " Not yet, I want them to see their ship sink to… what do you call it?" He looked at Jack inquisitively, then his eyes alighted and he gave a sardonic smile.  "Davey Jones' Locker?"

            This last remark was punctuated with another canon blast, and The Black Pearl rocked back and forth once again, helplessly attached to the small trade vessel with it's canon's ablaze.

            The Commodore nodded to the Lieutenant. " Go below deck, tell them to open full fire on the ship." The lieutenant saluted smartly and turned on his heel to march towards the hatch.  Then the Commodore gestured to one of the soldiers surrounding Jack.

            " Lieutenant Armstrong…" He said stiffly.  " Go and disengage this ship from those grappling hooks."

            Lieutenant Armstrong obeyed.  Jack listened to the sound of the swords dully slicing through the ropes that attached the trade ship to The Black Pearl.  It wouldn't be long before his ship would drift away, cutting off any chance of escape. He guessed, while the black sails were flapping loosely, that they would have no more than about 8 minutes before the ship would be too far away to board.  He counted the number of soldiers surrounding him and Will.  He guessed there were about ten, thought he couldn't see who was behind him.  Even if they'd managed to take them all on, back-to-back with Will's exceptional sword skills, he had little chance of getting very far with that gun pointing in his face.  With a sinking heart, Jack found his possibilities of escape to be rather lacking this time around.

            " Well… Commodore…" Jack said, trying his best to stall for time in order to think of a way out of his unfortunate predicament.  " Seeing as you have the upper hand in this situation, I'd just like to commend you. Really, you caught me completely by surprise." As Jack said this, he swayed about, punctuating each sentence with vague gestures of his hands and gazed with rapt attention at the Commodore's face, which did not budge from its smug expression. Then another canon boom was heard and Jack winced visibly.

            " You'll not distract me, Jack Sparrow." Said the Commodore smoothly.  " I'll not hesitate to pull this trigger if you try anything sneaky… however, it would be a horrible shame to kill you here. I would so much rather see you hang back at Port Royal."

            Jack nodded his head solemnly, the faintest trace of sarcasm in his voice.  " Oh yes… hanging…I had almost forgot…"

Then, he caught a sudden flicker of movement from above. His eyes flickered upward for an instant where the Helm of the ship was located.  And he saw Emma's face peering down at him from her hiding position behind it. Her hair was soaking wet.

"Strong swimmer…" He thought dryly. " No kidding…"

She glanced down at Jack and nodded her head, signaling silently to him that she was ready with both hands on the wheel.  The soldier that had been previously manning the Helm was in an unconscious heap beside her.

Jack took all this with a single, fleeting glance. Then, he took a deep breath and stepped forward boldly. He abandoned his cowardly posture, and leaned his forehead against the barrel of Norrington's gun.  His dark coal-lined eyes gazed at the Commodore with a rich and rare intensity. 

Despite the Commodore's best attempt, he could not help but shudder under the dark, fearless gaze of Captain Jack Sparrow…

 " However…" Jack said, and the Commodore shuddered, backing up a step. " I'm afraid in all your strategic planning… you've forgotten one very important thing…"

            " And what is that?" Commodore Norrington said trying hard to keep his voice steady.

            Then, Jack straightened up, all traces of his previous face vanished and he inclined his head towards the Commodore.  He displayed a mouthful of glittering teeth and swayed to the side, bringing his arms up in a vague shrug, "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!"  Then in one swift motion, he turned and grabbed Will by the collar and pulled him down on the ground.

            Emma did not waist a second after she saw this signal.  As Jack had shrugged, he'd waved one hand to her discreetly.  She spun the helm hard to port, causing the ship to turn precariously starboard and consequently, into the gusty wind.  The boom that had been secure just moments ago swung about by this change in the breeze, catching the soldiers by surprise.  Jack and Will had just barely managed to miss it as they ducked down, but the soldiers were not so quick to act.  Half of them were pitched headfirst into the sea, the other half on the opposite side were smashed up against the far railing with cries of surprise and dismay.  The Commodore was among this bunch.

            Emma could see from her vantage point, that this plan had worked well. Jack and Will wasted no time in jumping to their feet and running to the aid of their crew.  The English soldiers that had encircled the crew of The Black Pearl were in a terrific state of chaos.  They'd been assaulted by the mizzenmast's boom just as The Commodore had been assaulted by the foremasts.  The pirates, so well attuned to the working of the ship, had reacted quickly as they felt the first changes in the orientation of the wind, and they managed to miss getting hit in the head.  Many soldiers lay on the ground, unconscious from the blow, or holding bloody faces and bleeding noses. Those that remained looked about wildly, pointing out Emma, who'd left the Helm and was fending off a soldier with a dirk clutched tight in her right hand.  

Jack regarded her out of the corner of his eye as he laid full into the group of remaining unharmed soldiers.  He admitted that she certainly knew how to use the weapon, and wondered idly to himself what else she could do that she had not told him about.   Then returned his attention to the battle going on before him.  The soldiers, now reduced in numbers, shaken, and caught off guard, tried desperately to fend him and his crew off with their swords.  But Jack's skills were beyond comparison.  He parried and lunged and disarmed one opponent after another, Will was at his back as usual, he'd managed to recover one of his opponents swords, and was fighting, duel bladed, at two soldiers at once with little difficulty.

"Show off…" Jack muttered. " But… he does have the right idea…" And then he disarmed his current opponent; the man uttered a cry of despair as his sword flew up out of his hand, spinning wildly in the air.  Jack caught it with his free hand and copied Will's style with ease, taking two more enemies that instantly lunged into him.

Will gave Jack a roguish grin, " Just because I'm married doesn't mean I still don't practice three hours a day."

" When you say it like that, I'm surprised you're still married." Jack said conversationally, dealing a painful slash to one soldier's sword arm, the man dropped to his knees, uttering a cry of pain. 

Jack turned to engage the next opponent, then winced as another great blast of canon fire rocked his ship.

" Damn!" He said through clenched teeth, throwing his gaze towards the hatch that led to the gun deck.  "I'll have no chance of escape if I let myself get cornered down there…  "

Jack called out to his comrades.

            " Don't give up!" He yelled above the clash of metal. " Fight to the Port side and when ye can, return to The Pearl or Davey Jones will have ye!"

            As he said this, a great boom echoed in their ears and it was their turn to rock precariously as the Trade Vessel was hit by canon fire. Jack heard the delightful sound of splintering wood and turned in amazement, pausing for a moment as he disarmed another soldier,

" That canon fire…" He said.  " It can't be…"

It was The Black Pearl.  The Soldiers and Pirates both hit the deck for cover as another canon ball blasted its way over their heads and splintered the Mizzenmast.  The huge shaft of wood creaked dangerously and fell at the starboard side, squashing several soldiers who were unfortunate enough to get caught underneath.

            Jack rose to his feet and gazed back at his ship in amazement.  He could see a lone figure on the deck of the ship with light glinting off the beads in her golden hair.

            "It's Elizabeth!" said Will with delight, staggering up besides Jack, wiping the sweat from his brow with his shirtsleeve.

            "Aye…" Jack agreed.  " We might just make it out of this alive, after all."

            The sound of the Black Pearl's canons gave the pirates heart.  They raised their swords and stepped into the remaining soldiers with renewed vigor. Seeing Will and Jack fighting back to back and easily keeping the tide of the battle in the favor was enough to bring the spirit back into their step.  They yelled their raucous challenges and growled and swore under their breaths at the soldiers.

"Shiver me timbers!" squawked Cotton's parrot over the sounds of battle.  " Wind in the Sails!"

The Pirates yelled out challenges and curses, fearlessly fencing their way towards the port side of the ship. Elizabeth had swung out the board ropes with all her strength, and they began to re-board the Pearl, one by one making it to safety away from the Commodore's trap.

            " READY TO GO FULL SAILS! RACK OUT THE OARS!" Shouted Mr. Gibbs as the pirates one by one fell into stride beside him in safety and ran to their posts in preparation for their escape.

            Jack fought to fend off the advancing soldiers with Will, covering the crew's escape. It was becoming harder and harder as their fighting force dwindled away from the one ship and boarded the other.  But it gave him heart.  The booming of the canons aboard the Pearl increased in pace as more hands came on deck.  Canon fire from the other ship was returned, but not as frequently. Jack suspected that Elizabeth had taken her first aim at the Gun deck and managed to take out a few of the Commodore's cannon's before she laid into the Mizzenmast.

            " She'll be telling me 'I told you so…'" he thought smugly, still parrying and slowly backing his way towards the railing of the ship.

            "Jack!" Will called from behind him. "I have the rope, take it! Get out of here."

            " You go first, Will." Jack said shortly, fending off a sword from one of the soldiers. " Just be quick about it!" He could spare no time to turn his back for an instant.  There were more bloodied soldiers surrounding him than he would care to like.  The Pearl was already starting to pull away. Will just barely managed to clear her deck as he swung aboard.  He swung the rope back to Jack, who perched on the railing precariously while fending off a dangerously low sword swipe from lieutenant Gillette, who was advancing on him. With a quick parry and a thrust, he lifted off the Lieutenants prim white wig and sent it cascading over the side of the ship and into the water.  The Lieutenant dropped his sword with a cry of surprise and put his hands up, vainly trying to cover his bald head.

            " Well, mates!" Jack said, taking this opportunity to his advantage.  " It seems that you've once again almost caught me! It's been a pleasure, but I must be taking my leave—"

            Suddenly, a gunshot rang past Jack's ear, following a moment later by a burning pain and warm trickle of blood that ran down his neck.  Jack stopped in shock and put his hand up, checking to make sure his right ear was still intact.  He realized that it wasn't his ear that had been hit, but blood was pouring from a gash just above it.  The bullet had grazed the side of his scalp.

" ---Not so fast… Jack Sparrow!"  Commodore Norrington said defiantly over the bustle of the soldiers.  They quickly stepped aside to let him through.  The Commodore limped slightly, his gun aimed once again at Jack.

Jack winced, he could see his ship distancing the gap between them, the sailors would follow the code, and anyone falling behind would be left behind.  He had to jump now or it would be too late. But what he saw next made him hesitate.

The Commodore raised his hand and beckoned to some soldiers to come forward.  And as they did, he saw Emma struggling between them.

"Did you forget someone at the helm, Jack?" Norrington said, mockingly.  " Who is she? A new recruit, perhaps?"

Emma shot a dagger eyed stare at the Commodore.

" No, actually…" Jack said, recovering quickly from his initial shock.  " She came aboard my ship quite unwillingly. We thought we might make some nice sport of her…"

Emma's face dropped another notch from angry to fuming, but she kept her gaze directed at the Commodore. Norrington walked up to her and took one thin wrist, turning it up and over, and then the other, searching for brands or tattoos.  His face reflected his disappointment at finding nothing, and then he shrugged.  " Well then… if you care nothing for her, we will just take her back to Port Royal and hang her in your place.  Even if she isn't a pirate, aiding one carries nearly the same weight of crime."

Emma's face paled, and she glanced at Jack, tugging vainly at her captors.

Jack pursed his lips.  "You know, you have rage issue's, mate… it's really not healthy to take your anger out on a--"

" --Don't change the subject!" The Commodore cut him off. 

Emma pursed her lips.  " Jack… go ahead.  I told you before, I can take care of myself."

Jack paused; she had said the last bit a little too forcefully.  " What is she up to?" He thought.

Emma turned to the Commodore, " Before you separate us, I'd like one last request, if the Commodore would be so obliging?" She glanced at the Norrington, feigning a look of simpering innocence. 

Jack wondered if there might be some chance she would pull herself out of this mess after all, and whether or not he should stay to help her.  Against his pirate instincts, he clung on and waited impatiently, not sure why in the world he was risking his neck for this woman.  But somehow, he just couldn't bring himself to let go of the railing.

 The Commodore straightened his back and raised his chin pompously.  " I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

" I'd like to sing you a song." She said softly, redirecting her gaze to Jack.  She opened her eyes wide in that instant with an obvious glance of dire warning, and all traces of doubt flew from Jack's mind. She definitely had something up her sleeve. But… singing?
            As she said that word, a few chuckles rose up from the soldiers, and the Commodore gave a wry smile.  " C'est l'amore…" he muttered to the soldier behind him, who tried hard not to snigger.

Emma brought her hands up to sweep back the damp locks from her face, and as she did so, she pressed her hands over her ears and shot Jack another warning glance.  Jack inclined his head while keeping his eyes fixed on hers, confused but sure he'd understood her strange command.  He gave the barest hint of a nod, but it was enough for Emma, and she took a deep breath.

            He brought his hands to his ears and covered them just as she let out an ear-piercing shriek.  But this was not any normal scream. It was inhuman.  Even while keeping his ears covered, Jack could not drown out the horrible, wailing, screeching noise that echoed from Emma's unnatural vocal chords.  He could only imagine what the first blow might have done to the soldiers who had not been so prepared.  All the soldiers and the Commodore had instantly cried in pain, putting their hands to their ears and dropping their weapons.  The soldiers and the Commodore sunk to their knees with their faces all contorted in various degrees of agony.  Jack grimaced, he wondered if his crew could hear this, and if it was affecting them as badly.

It seemed to go on for an eternity, but in reality, Emma had not screamed for more than 5 seconds.   Jack was already beginning to develop a horrible headache. He kept himself precariously balanced on the railing with one boot in front and the other behind, the front boot was the only thing preventing him from tumbling into the water as the ship rocked back and forth. Suddenly, he realized with dismay that he'd let go of the rope when he put his hands to his ears.  It had swung away from him, back towards The Black Pearl, who was continuing it's inching crawl away from the Trade Ship.

            Suddenly, the horrible sound vanished. Jack looked up abruptly.  The two soldiers that had once been holding Emma were both writhing in agony on the ground. Emma, now free of her captors, dashed towards him with hands stretched out in front of her. Her face was screwed up with determination.

            The Commodore was quick to recover; he grabbed his pistol, which was in easy reach from his crouching position. And even though his head was splitting too badly to make good aim, he fired a shot point blank in the general direction of Jack Sparrow.

            The shot rang in both their ears, and Jack saw Emma's eyes widen and a look of agony spread across her face. She staggered for a moment, blood quickly spreading from just over her right breast.  Jack realized that his right shoulder was hurting only half a second later.  It burned and with a glance, he knew that the bullet had passed straight through Emma and into him. 

            Jack didn't have any time for further thought though, Emma's momentum from before the shot carried her straight into him.  With a grunt of surprise, his boot slipped from its secure place in front of the railing and he fell heavily backwards.  His hands grabbed for her clumsily in mid air as she clung to the front of his shirt, and they fell ungracefully together head first into the turbulent water below with a large resounding splash.