DISCLAIMER: Nope, Pirates of the Caribbean is not mine, although I got it for Christmas (the movie, not the copyright). Adrian is mine, though, so keep your hands off! Oh, and so is David!
Adrian stood on the deck of the Interceptor and let her eyes wander over the sea. She knew that her father would be following in fast pursuit, but the Black Pearl had yet to appear on the horizon. The crew seemed kind, although many kept their distance. The woman, Annamarie, talked to her a bit, but she was busy keeping the ship on course. Elizabeth was below decks with Will. None of the men spoke much of a word to her. It was considered bad luck to have one woman on board. Now there were three, and no one was tempting fate. To keep herself occupied, Adrian wrapped the chain that was still attached to her wrist around her neck and began the long climb to the crow's nest. There was no way to get the chain off on the ship, so she dealt with it. She had visited the nest many times since coming on board the other night. Since no one offered much conversation, Adrian contented herself to the solitude of the nest so high from the deck. It was not to be this time, for one of the sailors was up there, a telescope pressed to his eye.
" Oh, sorry, I didn't realize anyone was up here," Adrian muttered as she began the long descent.
" You can stay," the sailor said as he kept the eyeglass up.
" No, I would just be in your way," she said without moving, slightly taken aback that he spoke to her, and not in an unkindly way.
" It's a big nest, there's enough room for you," he said, still not removing the glass. Adrian studied him. He was tall and muscled, like most sailors. His long brown hair was pulled back from is tanned face in a ponytail. When he finally removed the glass, she could see that he had hazel eyes.
" Here, have a look," he offered, holding the telescope out to her. Adrian took it and held it to her eye. The sea spread out far and wide, and Adrian could not yet see any sign of her father's ship. Then she realized that she was looking in the wrong direction. As she looked farther out in the direction of Isle de Muerta, she didn't notice the man's scrutinizing gaze. Adrian lowered the glass and leaned against the side of the nest. He lowered his eyes, trying not to stare at her chain.
" I can't see anything now, but you can bet they won't be far behind," she said to herself.
" They will probably show up any time," he said uneasily. Adrian looked at him again and realized that he could not be more than a couple years older than her fifteen years.
" When they do come, it will not be a pretty fight," she muttered, knowing that the only damage the crew could hope to do would be to cripple the Black Pearl. After all, you couldn't possibly hope to kill any of the pirates.
" Why are you here?" the sailor asked suddenly. Adrian glanced at him, she had requested that Will and Elizabeth not tell anyone that she was the cursed daughter of Captain Barbossa. Things like that were slightly intimidating. Adrian quickly made up a story.
" I was taken in Port Royal along with Miss Swann. The pirates had me tied on deck while they were in the cave, and when I heard Will and Jack row by, I managed to escape," she answered. It wasn't a complete lie, she thought. He nodded like he believed her story well enough.
" That must have been frightening," he remarked.
" It wasn't as bad as you would think," Adrian said.
" Most women would have been terrified, yet you speak of it as if it were no big deal," he said as he gazed at her intently.
" Worse things have happened," Adrian said with a smile.
" Worse things than being captured by pirates? Like what?" he asked quizzically.
" One time a bunch of drunks had be surrounded," she said.
" What did you do?" he asked out of pure curiosity.
" I fought them off with a stick," Adrian answered with blunt simplicity.
" And that is worse than being captured by pirates?" he asked, now amused.
" The two run neck and neck," Adrian replied.
" Eh, David, ye see anything?" Mr. Gibbs called from below deck. Adrian made a mental note of his name as she quickly lifted the glass to her eye. She could barely make out a small dot on the horizon. A moment later, she was sure it was the Pearl.
" They are coming up from the south, and fast!" she yelled down to him. Mr. Gibbs quickly began to bark orders to the crew.
" Here," Adrian said as she shoved the eyeglass at David. Then, she looked over the side. The ship was bucking on the waves, so it would be a difficult trip down. Suddenly, Adrian had an idea. She climbed to the closest sail and grabbed a loose rope. David was climbing down from above her.
" What do you think you are doing?" he asked as he watched her coil the rope around her hands.
" Taking a short cut!" she yelled before diving off the beam and sailing through the air. It was something Jack Sparrow had done with her many times when she was a child. The wind rushed through her hair as she neared the deck. Adrian had judged her timing perfectly. She swung out over the side, then swung back and landed lightly on the deck.
" All hands aloft to loosen the gallants! With this wind, she'll carry every sail we've got!" Gibbs yelled.
" What's gong on?" Elizabeth asked.
" The Black Pearl, she is gaining on us!" Annamarie answered.
" But this is the fastest ship in the Caribbean!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
" You can tell them that when they have caught us!" Annamarie said shortly as she stood at the helm.
" Aren't we low on the draft?" Elizabeth asked.
" Aye," Annamarie answered slowly.
" Can't we lose them in the shoals?" Elizabeth asked.
" If we could out run them long enough to reach the shoals, we could get away," Adrian said.
" Lighten the ship from stem to stern!" Gibbs yelled. The pirates began to throw various items overboard.
" Throw aboard everything we can stand to loose!" yelled Adrian. Kegs and barrels were thrown into the swirling sea, along with heavy cannon ammunition. Adrian paused a moment to look at her father's ship. Oars were being run out. They had no chance.
" Stop throwing off the cannons!" she yelled frantically, for she had seen one go over.
" Stop, we are going to need that!" Will yelled at one man who was preparing to heave one over. Adrian glanced at him, knowing their situation was not good.
" It was a good plan, until now," Annamarie said.
" With them coming on at us like that, we can't fire and hit anything!" Adrian exclaimed.
" We have to fight back!" Will yelled.
" And what do you propose we use for ammunition?" Adrian asked, cocking an eyebrow.
" Anything, everything! Anything we have left!" he yelled.
" Come on, men! Load the guns! Nails, crushed glass, anything! With a will!" Gibbs yelled.
" Will, we can't hit them!" Adrian yelled. All knew it was true. The Pearl's oars would rake along their side before they could even get a hit.
" Lower the anchor on the right side! On the starboard side!" Elizabeth yelled suddenly.
" That would give us an opportunity to hit them, and they wouldn't be able to get us with the oars!" Adrian rationalized.
" It certainly has the element of surprise," Will commented.
" You are all daft!" Annamarie yelled.
" Daft like Jack! Lower the starboard anchor, men, or it's you we'll be loading into the cannons!" Gibbs commanded. The crew scurried to do his bidding. Adrian looked at Annamarie, who was still holding the helm.
" Let go!" Elizabeth yelled to her. Annamarie did so and the wheel spun madly. Adrian braced herself as the anchor caught and the ship was jerked sideways. After the ship steadied some, Adrian ran to the gun rack and grabbed a rifle. Many of the other pirates did the same. Adrian watched as the ships drew side by side. Why am I so scared? I can't be killed, Adrian thought, trying to calm her growing nerves. She caught a glimpse of her father and their eyes met.
" Steady, keep it steady! Now!" Will yelled.
" FIRE!" Adrian screamed along with Elizabeth. The ships exchanged cannon fire. Adrian felt the deck shudder beneath her.
" We could use a few more ideas, lass," Gibbs said as he looked at Elizabeth.
" Your turn," Elizabeth replied.
" We could give them her!" Annamarie yelled as she her pistol to Elizabeth's neck.
" They aren't after her," Adrian said, her eyes locking with Will's.
" The medallion!" Elizabeth said suddenly. Will looked at her, then went below to search for the cursed piece of gold.
" Elizabeth, here," Adrian said, handing Elizabeth a rifle.
" Remember, you can't hope to kill them. Try to stun them with the bullets, and when you run out, club them over the head," Adrian advised as she wrapped the chain around her wrist once more. Elizabeth looked at her appreciatively. Adrian smiled at her and gestured the hand with the chain, which was her right.
" Makes a nice built in weapon, eh?" she asked.
" It served you well in your escape from the Pearl, hopefully it will do the same now," Elizabeth said, returning the smile. Adrian would stay near her during the fight.
" Here they come!" yelled one of the sailors. Grapnel hooks appeared along the deck rail and the pirates began swinging over. Adrian cocked her gun and fired, severing a line so that the pirate on the other end fell into the water with a yell. Barbossa's crew swarmed onto the deck like ants on a sweet. Adrian continued shooting and succeeded in knocking several pirates out of their right head. It was a hopeless fight from the start. How could one win against immortals?
" Look out!" Adrian yelled, too late, as one of her crew was felled by a bullet. Adrian swallowed and kept on fighting. Soon her gun ran out off bullets, and she tossed it aside and began wielding her chain. She doubled it up and used it as a club.
" Yagh!" she yelled as she brought it down onto the head of a pirate.
" Hello, love!" came an all too familiar voice.
" Jack, you bloody scoundrel!" she yelled as she hit a pirate upside the head. Jack winced.
" That has got to hurt!" he remarked.
" They can't feel a bloody thing, Jack, so stop feeling sorry for their pitiful hides!" she yelled as they struck pirate stood to her feet and she hit him again.
" Were is Will?" he yelled.
" I haven't a bloody clue! Go ask Elizabeth!" Adrian yelled as she hit the pirate once more. Jack walked off to do so. Adrian turned and saw a pirate standing over David, the boy from the crow's nest. Without a second thought, Adrian threw herself into the pirate, knocking him to the ground. She brought her chain down hard on him.
" Get up!" she screamed at David. He jumped up just as the felled pirate brought his pistol up and shot Adrian in the stomach. She gasped, yet felt no pain, just the strange sensation of the foreign metal ball entering her belly and exiting through her back. David stared, his mouth open. Adrian smiled down at the pirate.
" That didn't go as well as you had hoped, now did it?" she asked before knocking him clean out with a swift swing of her chain.
" Aren't you - " David began before the mast of the Interceptor was ripped from it's base, cutting off his sentence. Adrian shrieked as it fell near her. When the powder had cleared, she leapt up and ran to Elizabeth.
" Elizabeth, where is Will?!" she screamed above the melee. Elizabeth froze, then ran to one of the hatches.
" Will!" she screamed. Adrian could see Will's fingers poking through the grating.
" Elizabeth! Help!" he yelled.
" Elizabeth!" Adrian yelled as a burly pirate lifted her off her feet.
" Let me go!" she shrieked madly as she hit him. The pirate merely tightened his grip on her.
" Your daddy ain't gonna be too happy, what with you sneaking off like that," he sneered. Adrian fought until she was drug on board the Black Pearl. Barbossa turned to her.
" Ah, there ye are," he said. Adrian glared at him as the pirate set her down. The entire crew of the Interceptor had been brought aboard the black ship. A horrific explosion rent the air. Adrian whirled to see parts of the Interceptor fly through the air.
" Will!" screamed Elizabeth. Adrian felt sick to her stomach. Barbossa grabbed Elizabeth.
" You took advantage of our hospitality last time, Miss Swann. It is only fair that ye return the favor!" he sneered, then threw her to some of his black - hearted crew.
" Let her go!" Adrian yelled shrilly. Barbossa turned to her.
" Now why would I want to be doing that, eh? You keep in mind, girl, that the only thing keeping you from a worse fate is your mother! Attempt something like ye did the last time, and I'll see to it that you have better things to worry about than Miss Swann," he snarled. Adrian glared up at him and was about to say something when a voice from the rail stopped her.
" Barbossa!" yelled a soaking wet Will. The pirates turned to him.
" She goes free!" Will yelled as he cocked his pistol.
" What's in your head, boy?" Barbossa asked.
" She goes free," Will repeated.
" You've only got one shot in that pistol, and we can't die
" Please don't do anything stupid," Adrian heard Jack silently plea.
" You can't, I can!" Will said as he jumped up onto the ships rail and turned the pistol on himself.
" Like that," Jack muttered. Adrian brought her foot down on Jack's, causing him to wince.
" Who are you?" Barbossa asked.
" No one. A distant relative, son of my aunt's nephew twice removed. Lovely singing voice, though - eunuch," Jack said as he jumped in front of Barbossa.
" My name is Will Turner. My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner. His blood runs in my veins," Will said dramatically.
" He's the spitting image of old Bootstrap Bill come back to haunt us!" a random pirate yelled out.
" On my word, do as I say, or I'll pull this trigger and be lost to Davy Jone's locker!" Will said.
" Name your terms," Barbossa conceded.
" Elizabeth goes free!" Will demanded. Jack looked at him imploringly.
" Yes, we know that one! Anything else?" Barbossa asked with a smirk.
" And the crew! The crew are not to be harmed!" Will said after some hesitation. Jack stared at him.
" And you are not to hurt Adrian!" Will added.
" It is not your say what I decide to do with my own daughter," Barbossa said. There was an audible gasp from the crew of the Interceptor. Adrian looked at her feet.
" All else is agreed," Barbossa said. Will jumped down and was seized by pirates. He looked at Adrian apologetically. She stood and managed a weak smile, although inside she was terrified.
Whew, that was a LLLLOOOONNNGGG chapter, although I have written longer. Like my Helm's Deep chapter in my " A Different Kind of Hero" fic. I think they are about the same in length. Now go review!
Pandagrrl: That is not a very good thing to do!! The porcelain god? What is that about? Some lines are a bit different in this chappy to, but that is because Adrian needed to say stuff.
Movielvr: I think I updated in record time! Hope you like this one as much as you did the last one!
Elf with a Lightsaber: Why, thank you! Dentistry is so totally evil, but you haven't experienced anything until you have been to an orthodontist (shudders).
Athena Diagon Cat: Yes, I know I tweak some lines! But I have found an online script, so most of them should be okay. Here is the next chapter!