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Ch. 12 Tales
Jack and Gibbs sat at a bar table in the corner, drinking rum as Jack listened to Gibbs' account of Roger's death, though he still didn't want to believe it.
"The raid was really long, and bloody." Gibbs finished, taking a sip of rum. Jack raised an eyebrow and motioned for the other to continue, "Well, then me brother got inta the middle o' the battle, ya know him, can' stand no' bein' in the thick o' things." He chuckled and took a large gulp, some slipping from his mouth to run freely down his face. "They ran 'im through."
"I've been hearing all these things mate, but ye still didn't tell me who did all this." Jack said. Gibbs looked into his drink thoughtfully.
"Captain Barbossa and his ship, the Black Pearl." Somewhere deep inside him, Jack felt anger at the thought of the Pearl, his Pearl, being run by that traitorous bastard. Jack clenched his teeth and Gibbs continued. "He 'an his men come sailin' up and attacked two pubs, there both being fixed now, but..." Jack stopped him.
"Attacked two pubs?" He asked. "Only these pubs?" Gibbs nodded.
"Yeah, they killed an' then searched the bodies. Left mighty happy about somethin', hallorin' and laughin'." Jack scratched at an itch under his eyes, thinking. They were looking for something, but what? "They attacked at dawn, no' smart if yeh ask me, I woulda attacked at night, but...ye know the tale of Barbossa, he's just crazy."
Jack eyed him. "The tales?" He asked. Gibbs nodded. "What tales?" Gibbs choked on his drink.
"Yeah don' know the tales?" He asked, astounded when Jack shook his head. "By the love, boy, where ya been lately? Barbossa and his men have been causin' havoc and mayhem where ever they be goin', killing, attacking, marauding. Why, I heard that they stopped in many ports jus' five years or so ago, a little less maybe, an' gave away these gold coins...lots of them."
Jack's head snapped up and his blood froze in his veins. "What? Gold?" Gibbs nodded. "Where did you hear that?"
"I was in the navy till not that long ago, to Port Royal under Lieutenant Norrington." That name sounded familiar but Jack couldn't think where. "Strange waters I sailed, unnatural fogs we sometimes went through. There was even a weird wreck, ship burnin'. People thought it was the powder mag but I says it was pirates." He scowled as though the memory still upset him.
"Why did you quit?" Jack asked. Gibbs snorted.
"Norington's a boob." He replied and Jack grinned. "Hates pirates. I may be afraid o' them, no offense," Jack raised his hands and shook his head, "but I don' think they should all be killed. Some are still good." He clapped Jack on the shoulder.
"What other stories?" Jack asked, wanting to know the possible damage that had been sustained to his ship. The word leaked from his head to his mouth by accident though and he said, "How's my ship?" Gibbs eyed him curiously. "I mean, the Pearl?"
"Her sails are all torn, don' know 'ow she gets around." Gibbs said, "black as the night but blacker, and she brings with her a weird haze. Not many live to tell the tales of her attacks." Jack cocked his head thinking.
"You said you sailed through weird fogs, eh?" Gibbs nodded. "Where was that?"
"Out that way," He pointed in a west-wardly direction, "Out a few miles, past Terry."
Under his breath, Jack muttered, "Staying close to the dreaded Isle, are we?" Gibbs was watching him. "And, the other stories?"
For an hour Gibbs told him of famous attacks. Jack suddenly regretted more then ever his hesitation to go on land in the last few years and listened with interest, noting the fear in Gibbs' voice. Suddenly, Gibbs stopped.
"You said 'my ship', earlier." Jack was startled by the sudden change in topic. "What did you mean?" Jack took a deep breath. This man was the brother of Roger, he could trust him.
"I was the captain of the Black Pearl for a time, Barbossa was my first mate." His hand clenched on the handle of his tankard as he spoke. "He marooned me on an island and left...took me ship."
"So 'e left ye one shot?" Jack nodded. "An'? How long were you there?"
Jack was about to say three days when he noticed a beautiful girl sitting near by listening, "Three...weeks." Gibbs gasped. "Three weeks. I waded out into the water and waited...then, I noticed there were sea turtles near by. I roped em and made a raft." Gibbs sat back and whistled, "Then I paddled my way home." Jack opened his arms and smiled. "That's that." He was happy Gibbs didn't question any elements of his story. He knew the man knew he was bluffing but Jack didn't care...it was easier this way.
"That be an interestin' story there lad." Gibbs said with a smile and a small wink. "Can't say I believe it, but it is a good story, that's fer sure." Jack smiled and nodded. "Seein' as ye were captain of the Black Pearl, I'm gonna ask ye a question. We get a lota folks here in Tortuga, as yer probably well aware, an' they bring weird stories with 'em. Some of 'em say Barbossa an' 'is crew cannot be killed...he says their undead." Jack snorted.
"And who's been setting that one around I wonder." He laughed lightly. "Barbossa really loves to brag but, I swear, there is no such thing as the walking dead, mate. It's a myth..." Gibbs shook his head.
"They said something about a curse." At this Jack laughed harder. The curse of the gold? He thought Barbossa didn't believe in curses and nor did he. Man! Gibbs was so trusting! Gibbs waited quietly until Jack's fits of laughter had passed before he muttered, "Could be true." Jack shook his head.
"Did you hear that in the navy also?" Gibbs nodded and Jack shook his head in disbelief. "Believe me, those mutinous bastards are not undead, they are very much among the living."
"Well, I trust ye lad, ye know best." Gibbs said. "So what of yer future? What are ye plannin' on doin'?" Jack shrugged. "No plans for the future?"
"Oh, I got plans, I just need to work them out." Gibbs nodded and stood, Jack mimicking him. They shook hands.
"I'll see ye later kid." Gibbs said. With out another word, he strode off into the bar and was swept away in the tide. Jack watched him until he disappeared and then made his own way in the opposite direction, to the door.
A large crowd had gathered at a table in the corner near the door, exchanging money and cheering, their backs to Jack. Curious, Jack pushed and shoved into the middle of the crowd and caught sight of a skinny, small framed woman with dark skin and a beautiful face arm wrestling with a large man, his large gut resting on the table. The crowd was cheering what Jack assumed were their names, Ana and Petello. Not bothering to see who won, Jack turned and left.
The air was cool, a slight breeze tossing the waves and the beads in his hair as he exited the mouth of the path and hit the beach near the docks. Jack's dark eyes roved ahead of him, anticipating any impending attacks from stupid strangers and, as he stepped onto the dock leading to the row boats of the Lister, a sight he'd been searching for his whole life caught his eyes.
There she was, the Red-Revenge, a little ways out, bobbing on the slight currents. Heart racing, Jack rushed off the dock and crouched behind a barrel, peeking around the edge to take her in. It was too dark to be sure but he was almost positive it was her.
There were men on her deck, talking and drinking. Jack left his hiding place and ran bent-backed up the beach to the trees that stood guard near her edge, separating the harbor from the town, the faint sounds of violence from Tortuga hitting his ears. The men on the deck had noticed nothing.
"Come to me Fritz." Jack muttered venomously under his breath, edging forward through the trees and ducking behind some low bushes. "Come on..." The men disappeared; he could no longer see them. Cautiously, he edged forward and walked towards the ship, his pistol in hand, eyes darting from her deck to the edge of the dock. He'd have to swim out to her, getting on would be the hard part.
Slowly, as not to make a splash and alert the ship, Jack stripped off his long heavy jacket, checked his cutlass and other hidden weapons, pulled off his boots, and slipped into the warm Caribbean water. Around him were pitch-black waves, the moon glinting off their surface, shinning in his eyes. Jack ducked beneath the waster and swam, not bothering to open his eyes, as he wouldn't be able to see anything anyway. He swam for sometime until he finally surfaced again. Shaking his long wet hair from his face, he realized with a jolt that he'd almost run smack into the Red-Revenge, his face inches away from It's hard wooden deck.
Jack tilted back his head, blinking backwater, his gaze on the deck meters above him. Somehow he'd have to climb up with out making noise or getting caught. Driven by the thoughts of revenge, Jack scaled the side of the ship easily and peered over the railing to get a better look.
The two guards he'd seen earlier from the beach were still missing, but there was some talking from below deck, he could hear the sounds of muffled laughter and loud chattering. The crew all seemed to be below, probably drinking. Heaving himself over the rail and splattering the deck with water, Jack walked bare foot and dripping, across the deck and stopped right outside the captain's cabin.
From inside he could hear movement; it sounded like someone was pacing, muttering to himself though the lights inside were off. Jack reached into his sash and extracted a small dagger. Unsheathing it, he raised it above himself and placed his hand on the doorknob, ready to enter.
Inside he stopped abruptly as a man in his mid thirties turned to face him, a mass of thick tight curly hair bounced around his round tanned face. The brown eyes sat sunken in his skull and a pipe sent smoke twirling above his head, held in him mouth by his clutched teeth. All he wore was a pair of white underpants and, at the sight of Jack bursting through the door like a mad man, he had backed into the table and spilled a bunch of fruit and bottles onto the floor.
"You're not Fritz." Jack murmured in surprise, lowering the dagger. The man shook his head.
"You're not Della." The other whispered, his eyes moving over Jack's slim form. "What do you want son?"
"I was looking...this isn't the Red-Revenge." The other shook his head and looked relieved when Jack placed his dagger back in the sash and straightened himself, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "Of course it isn't!" Jack cried. "You see, we here in Tortuga have to check all the ships over. I'm a ship inspector and..." The other man puffed and walked to the bed and grabbed his shirt and put it on hurriedly as some men came rushed in and roughly pulled Jack to the ground.
"Are you okay Harold?" They asked, pulling Jack up to a standing position again, hands behind his back. The half-naked man nodded.
"Yes, I'm fine." Harold muttered, hopping on the spot trying to put on some pants. "Just startled's all." One man had Jack's upper arm in an iron grip, cutting off circulation to his arm. He was huge dark man; twice Jack's size and smiled evilly at Jack. As they turned to go, Herald yelled, "Lester! Wait!" The big man paused and turned, pulling Jack with him. On Jack's left there was another man, slim and short with large muscles and tattoos covering his whole left side. He looked annoyed. Herald stopped in front of Jack.
"Did you say Fritz?" Jack nodded deftly and stayed silent. "Peg-Leg Fritz?" Again, Jack nodded. Herald nodded to the two men on either side of Jack and they let him go. "Welcome to the Seeker-of-pain."
Jack sat at a large table below deck, straight backed and uncomfortable in a room full of strangers all staring at him, waiting for their captain. Jack surveyed the others. The man named Lester seemed to take up half the rectangular table they were all at, cleaning his fingernails with a dagger. He was dark skinned, muscular, with short wooly hair, brown chocolate eyes and a mustache that was roughly etched with a knife. Beside him sat a woman, contrasting with him perfectly in her white clothing that sat loose around her breasts. She had long sweeping strawberry blond hair, baby blue eyes and full pink lips that matched her lightly rose colored cheeks. Her frame was small and slightly starved looking with a cheap ring on her left-hand wedding finger.
Beside her and, on the very edge of the table sat another man. He had Small skinny arms, dark brown hair and a slightly vacant expression behind his green eyes, as if he was in deep thought. At the end of the table sat another male, his head rested on his arms, which were folded on the hard tabletop. Jack watched the top of his short black frizzy hair. Someone had said his name, Johnny or something...He was older then Jack by a few years and had a roughly chiseled face poked with deep scars, seeming from shrapnel and stuff.
At the end of Jack's side sat a kid around sixteen with sweeping roan hair. Jack had to lean forward slightly to get a better look at him. When the kid met Jack's eyes he smiled faintly and turned his gaze to the doorway. The person shifted next to him and he turned his attention to her.
She was beautiful with short lightly brown hair and gray eyes. She was a little chunkier then the other woman across the table but she attracted him more. She seemed, though he had never met her before, to have this inner strength, something he admired and liked a lot. She glanced over at him but said nothing so he looked away.
On his other side was another man. He was the one who had held him up above in the captain's cabin with Lester and still seemed to be keeping his eyes on Jack. Someone had called him Cockran when he had brought Jack down but that was definitely not his first name. The tattoos on his arm were grotesque but oddly satisfying. One featured Fritz getting his head chopped off, another at the hangman's block. There was a bloody dagger at the very top of his arm, where the shoulder met with the neck. The words Die Fritz were carved into his skin on the blade. It looked like he'd had someone use a knife to etch those words deep into his skin. Near his elbow there were words in French that, when translated said, 'By my blood, you will pay. Even if it kills me.'
"What?" He growled. Jack shook his head and shrugged, turning his gaze to the rest of the last of the room's occupants.
Beside Cockran was a small mousy man with a square jaw and a hairy face. Jack watched him picking at a spot on his nose before looking behind him to the corner. This man stood in the shadows and hadn't moved at all so Jack's couldn't tell what he looked like. A movement at the staircase grabbed his attention and he turned to look with everyone else as Herald helped a heavy man climb down the stairs, his gut juggling, grizzly gray hair ruffled and his cheeks rosy with the effort of coming down the steep stairs.
"Where is the puke worm who attacked my nephew?" He thundered gruffly when they finally reached the bottom, shoving Herald away into a barrel in the corner and looking wildly around. Finally he spotted Jack and laughed mightily. "That small squeak broke on to this ship, attacked all of you and what..."
Jack stood and everyone at the table stared at him in alarm, as though he was nuts. "If truth be told, sir, it was quite easy. Secondly, I thought this was the Red-Revenge." Everyone shifted in their seats. "I came to kill Fritz."
The large man laughed loudly. "Wait in line meal worm, you'll get yer chance after all them." He opened his arms wide to the people at the table. "The seeker-of-pain is dedicated to those who want to get their hands of Fritz. We've all lost someone to him. Who was it to you?"
Jack hesitated, looking around, and finally answered, "My family." The man nodded thoughtfully, his eyes roving over Jack who was still damp.
"I'm Captain Dick Dobb, this," He pointed to Herald, "This miserable sack of turd is my nephew Herald Dobb, my brother's son...and Fritz killed my brother, shot him in the back." Jack suddenly thought of his mother, stabbed in the back, remembered holding her in his arms on the dock. Who knew back then life was different from what it was now. He couldn't even remember what it felt like to live in a rich society anymore. "This is Lester, he lost his wife. Rills," He pointed to the woman next to Lester, the one with the long blond hair and sexy lips, "she lost her husband, very sad...tragic. He died three days after the wedding, wasn't is?" Rills nodded silently, her eyes looking intensely at her hands folded in her lap.
Dick turned to one after another, introducing them, telling their history. Jack sat there and listened, heart pumping fast. These were the people he needed to get revenge, it would just be beating them to him once they had found him.
John was the name of the green eyed, small guy with dark brown hair beside Rills. He had lost his sister, brother-in-law and niece to Fritz, holding his niece as she died. Johnny lifted his head from his hands when his name had been called, revealing his deep scars and dull watery eyes. He was after Fritz for rapping his daughter and seemed to be the only one in the room who wasn't after Fritz to kill.
"I want to take his balls." He said deeply, eyes twinkling at the thought. "Then they can kill him, just let him suffer first."
Pete was the square jawed man and was after Fritz for killing his sister. She'd been a whore in Tortuga and had refused to service him so he had shot her. The man in the corner only stepped out when his name was called revealing that it wasn't a man at all but a woman. She was very masculine with super short black hair, black eyes and no breast. She glared at Jack.
"Fritz killed my best Friend. I'll get him back." She said in a deep voice before leaving. When she was gone, Dick turned to the last woman left.
"Dana, her four year old son was killed by Fritz." She smiled sadly and rubbed her face. The last one introduced was the sixteen-year-old kid, Ronny. His mother, father, sister and little brother were murdered. Jack nodded to him.
"Well, that's everyone..."
"Jack, Sparrow." Jack said, realizing he hadn't introduced himself.
"Well, you may be puny and starved but, you gave my ox of a nephew a good fright." He chuckled and slapped Herald on the shoulder, the younger man's face burning red. "We haven't had excitement like that since Reg joined." He chuckled jovially and glanced up the staircase. "How about you join our crew? We could use you...or not, because we all want revenge, only one of us will get it..." He laughed.
Jack glanced around, all these people were after Fritz to and he wasn't sure how many more there could possibly be. He weighed his chances, if he joined them he'd have more help in finding Fritz then he would just staying on the Lister and hoping to meet up with him. On the other hand, he'd have to fight them off and he knew Lester would beat him in a test of strength. But, all things considered, it did seem the right course.
"Why not?" Jack asked. A smile ran across Dick's face and he held out his hand.
"Good! Dana, get Jack a bunk...John, find some blankets..." He caught Dana's arm as she went to leave, "Keep him away from Reg."
"Your what?" Jack squirmed slightly in his chair but kept his eyes on Miguel who sat across from him, "Why? Those men are cut throats, if they have to get through you to get Fritz then you wont stand a chance." Miguel wiped his forehead with his sleeve and continued, "My lad, what are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking I need to do this...I need to leave, they'll lead me to Fritz. The way I'm going now I'll have to hope he falls into my lap." Miguel allowed himself to grin. "I can do this."
"An' I have faith in you Sparrow, really I do but..." Miguel suddenly stopped, eyeing the determined look on Jack's face. He stood and extended a hand. "Goodbye Jack."
Out on the deck he said goodbye to Emmaline, the only other aboard at the moment. Tears streamed down her face but she wiped them away angrily and held him in a long embrace. "Miss you, you know...Ian won't have anyone to fight with." Jack chuckled.
DONE! HOPE YOU LIKED IT! IT WASN'T THE BEST BUT, IT WAS OKAY. I WANT TO SAY THAT IF YOU NOTICED THAT THE NAMES OF THE SEEKER CREW AND THE NUMBER OF PPL DIDN'T MATCH, SORRY. OH WELL, I HAVN'T COUNTED. MY BRACES WIRE AT THE BACK POKED RIGHT THROUGH INTO MY JAW AND THERE WAS BLOOD EVERYWHERE SO....
TO:
DRAGONHUNTER200: Hey! Thanx for the compliments as always! I couldn't think of when to get him on rum so...how bout now, eh? When he's at his lowest. I've had rum and coke, my grandma's been feeding it to me since I was...wait...thinking...ten or so. When I came 'of age' ten in my family is a big thing and if I died tomorrow everyone would be happy cause I reached ten. Poor cat. My dad pointed out, too late, that the gun's powder would have killed him anyway but, oh well, it's just a story. In this one he pointed out there wouldn't be a piano in the bar. Oh well, like I said. Harrison ford is okay...I guess...creepy,, but okay. He's hot in s-wars and i.jones so, it's all good. I. Jones three he looked old though but sean cannery is aging really good. My sister thinks he's hot. I want through it in yer face...much! Hahahahahahahahahahaha....okay, I'm done. The nearest place to me to get quality videos is Saskatoon and it is an hour away. I live in a small town, my school has less then 175 ppl and there are two towns that attend it, plus the farm kids! So...yeah. We're all a bunch of Canuck farmers really. I have horses though...and live in town. We have horses in the town. That's were I live, it allows animals in town. Never been to Michigan. Farthest I've been is Mexico and a lot of the states but, only ever been to three other provinces of my own country. Crazy, eh? Already smacked Carey for calling him a gay-lord. My brother is such an idiot and probably has secret feelings for Johnny so...didn't want to like the same man.
Ch. 12 Tales
Jack and Gibbs sat at a bar table in the corner, drinking rum as Jack listened to Gibbs' account of Roger's death, though he still didn't want to believe it.
"The raid was really long, and bloody." Gibbs finished, taking a sip of rum. Jack raised an eyebrow and motioned for the other to continue, "Well, then me brother got inta the middle o' the battle, ya know him, can' stand no' bein' in the thick o' things." He chuckled and took a large gulp, some slipping from his mouth to run freely down his face. "They ran 'im through."
"I've been hearing all these things mate, but ye still didn't tell me who did all this." Jack said. Gibbs looked into his drink thoughtfully.
"Captain Barbossa and his ship, the Black Pearl." Somewhere deep inside him, Jack felt anger at the thought of the Pearl, his Pearl, being run by that traitorous bastard. Jack clenched his teeth and Gibbs continued. "He 'an his men come sailin' up and attacked two pubs, there both being fixed now, but..." Jack stopped him.
"Attacked two pubs?" He asked. "Only these pubs?" Gibbs nodded.
"Yeah, they killed an' then searched the bodies. Left mighty happy about somethin', hallorin' and laughin'." Jack scratched at an itch under his eyes, thinking. They were looking for something, but what? "They attacked at dawn, no' smart if yeh ask me, I woulda attacked at night, but...ye know the tale of Barbossa, he's just crazy."
Jack eyed him. "The tales?" He asked. Gibbs nodded. "What tales?" Gibbs choked on his drink.
"Yeah don' know the tales?" He asked, astounded when Jack shook his head. "By the love, boy, where ya been lately? Barbossa and his men have been causin' havoc and mayhem where ever they be goin', killing, attacking, marauding. Why, I heard that they stopped in many ports jus' five years or so ago, a little less maybe, an' gave away these gold coins...lots of them."
Jack's head snapped up and his blood froze in his veins. "What? Gold?" Gibbs nodded. "Where did you hear that?"
"I was in the navy till not that long ago, to Port Royal under Lieutenant Norrington." That name sounded familiar but Jack couldn't think where. "Strange waters I sailed, unnatural fogs we sometimes went through. There was even a weird wreck, ship burnin'. People thought it was the powder mag but I says it was pirates." He scowled as though the memory still upset him.
"Why did you quit?" Jack asked. Gibbs snorted.
"Norington's a boob." He replied and Jack grinned. "Hates pirates. I may be afraid o' them, no offense," Jack raised his hands and shook his head, "but I don' think they should all be killed. Some are still good." He clapped Jack on the shoulder.
"What other stories?" Jack asked, wanting to know the possible damage that had been sustained to his ship. The word leaked from his head to his mouth by accident though and he said, "How's my ship?" Gibbs eyed him curiously. "I mean, the Pearl?"
"Her sails are all torn, don' know 'ow she gets around." Gibbs said, "black as the night but blacker, and she brings with her a weird haze. Not many live to tell the tales of her attacks." Jack cocked his head thinking.
"You said you sailed through weird fogs, eh?" Gibbs nodded. "Where was that?"
"Out that way," He pointed in a west-wardly direction, "Out a few miles, past Terry."
Under his breath, Jack muttered, "Staying close to the dreaded Isle, are we?" Gibbs was watching him. "And, the other stories?"
For an hour Gibbs told him of famous attacks. Jack suddenly regretted more then ever his hesitation to go on land in the last few years and listened with interest, noting the fear in Gibbs' voice. Suddenly, Gibbs stopped.
"You said 'my ship', earlier." Jack was startled by the sudden change in topic. "What did you mean?" Jack took a deep breath. This man was the brother of Roger, he could trust him.
"I was the captain of the Black Pearl for a time, Barbossa was my first mate." His hand clenched on the handle of his tankard as he spoke. "He marooned me on an island and left...took me ship."
"So 'e left ye one shot?" Jack nodded. "An'? How long were you there?"
Jack was about to say three days when he noticed a beautiful girl sitting near by listening, "Three...weeks." Gibbs gasped. "Three weeks. I waded out into the water and waited...then, I noticed there were sea turtles near by. I roped em and made a raft." Gibbs sat back and whistled, "Then I paddled my way home." Jack opened his arms and smiled. "That's that." He was happy Gibbs didn't question any elements of his story. He knew the man knew he was bluffing but Jack didn't care...it was easier this way.
"That be an interestin' story there lad." Gibbs said with a smile and a small wink. "Can't say I believe it, but it is a good story, that's fer sure." Jack smiled and nodded. "Seein' as ye were captain of the Black Pearl, I'm gonna ask ye a question. We get a lota folks here in Tortuga, as yer probably well aware, an' they bring weird stories with 'em. Some of 'em say Barbossa an' 'is crew cannot be killed...he says their undead." Jack snorted.
"And who's been setting that one around I wonder." He laughed lightly. "Barbossa really loves to brag but, I swear, there is no such thing as the walking dead, mate. It's a myth..." Gibbs shook his head.
"They said something about a curse." At this Jack laughed harder. The curse of the gold? He thought Barbossa didn't believe in curses and nor did he. Man! Gibbs was so trusting! Gibbs waited quietly until Jack's fits of laughter had passed before he muttered, "Could be true." Jack shook his head.
"Did you hear that in the navy also?" Gibbs nodded and Jack shook his head in disbelief. "Believe me, those mutinous bastards are not undead, they are very much among the living."
"Well, I trust ye lad, ye know best." Gibbs said. "So what of yer future? What are ye plannin' on doin'?" Jack shrugged. "No plans for the future?"
"Oh, I got plans, I just need to work them out." Gibbs nodded and stood, Jack mimicking him. They shook hands.
"I'll see ye later kid." Gibbs said. With out another word, he strode off into the bar and was swept away in the tide. Jack watched him until he disappeared and then made his own way in the opposite direction, to the door.
A large crowd had gathered at a table in the corner near the door, exchanging money and cheering, their backs to Jack. Curious, Jack pushed and shoved into the middle of the crowd and caught sight of a skinny, small framed woman with dark skin and a beautiful face arm wrestling with a large man, his large gut resting on the table. The crowd was cheering what Jack assumed were their names, Ana and Petello. Not bothering to see who won, Jack turned and left.
The air was cool, a slight breeze tossing the waves and the beads in his hair as he exited the mouth of the path and hit the beach near the docks. Jack's dark eyes roved ahead of him, anticipating any impending attacks from stupid strangers and, as he stepped onto the dock leading to the row boats of the Lister, a sight he'd been searching for his whole life caught his eyes.
There she was, the Red-Revenge, a little ways out, bobbing on the slight currents. Heart racing, Jack rushed off the dock and crouched behind a barrel, peeking around the edge to take her in. It was too dark to be sure but he was almost positive it was her.
There were men on her deck, talking and drinking. Jack left his hiding place and ran bent-backed up the beach to the trees that stood guard near her edge, separating the harbor from the town, the faint sounds of violence from Tortuga hitting his ears. The men on the deck had noticed nothing.
"Come to me Fritz." Jack muttered venomously under his breath, edging forward through the trees and ducking behind some low bushes. "Come on..." The men disappeared; he could no longer see them. Cautiously, he edged forward and walked towards the ship, his pistol in hand, eyes darting from her deck to the edge of the dock. He'd have to swim out to her, getting on would be the hard part.
Slowly, as not to make a splash and alert the ship, Jack stripped off his long heavy jacket, checked his cutlass and other hidden weapons, pulled off his boots, and slipped into the warm Caribbean water. Around him were pitch-black waves, the moon glinting off their surface, shinning in his eyes. Jack ducked beneath the waster and swam, not bothering to open his eyes, as he wouldn't be able to see anything anyway. He swam for sometime until he finally surfaced again. Shaking his long wet hair from his face, he realized with a jolt that he'd almost run smack into the Red-Revenge, his face inches away from It's hard wooden deck.
Jack tilted back his head, blinking backwater, his gaze on the deck meters above him. Somehow he'd have to climb up with out making noise or getting caught. Driven by the thoughts of revenge, Jack scaled the side of the ship easily and peered over the railing to get a better look.
The two guards he'd seen earlier from the beach were still missing, but there was some talking from below deck, he could hear the sounds of muffled laughter and loud chattering. The crew all seemed to be below, probably drinking. Heaving himself over the rail and splattering the deck with water, Jack walked bare foot and dripping, across the deck and stopped right outside the captain's cabin.
From inside he could hear movement; it sounded like someone was pacing, muttering to himself though the lights inside were off. Jack reached into his sash and extracted a small dagger. Unsheathing it, he raised it above himself and placed his hand on the doorknob, ready to enter.
Inside he stopped abruptly as a man in his mid thirties turned to face him, a mass of thick tight curly hair bounced around his round tanned face. The brown eyes sat sunken in his skull and a pipe sent smoke twirling above his head, held in him mouth by his clutched teeth. All he wore was a pair of white underpants and, at the sight of Jack bursting through the door like a mad man, he had backed into the table and spilled a bunch of fruit and bottles onto the floor.
"You're not Fritz." Jack murmured in surprise, lowering the dagger. The man shook his head.
"You're not Della." The other whispered, his eyes moving over Jack's slim form. "What do you want son?"
"I was looking...this isn't the Red-Revenge." The other shook his head and looked relieved when Jack placed his dagger back in the sash and straightened himself, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "Of course it isn't!" Jack cried. "You see, we here in Tortuga have to check all the ships over. I'm a ship inspector and..." The other man puffed and walked to the bed and grabbed his shirt and put it on hurriedly as some men came rushed in and roughly pulled Jack to the ground.
"Are you okay Harold?" They asked, pulling Jack up to a standing position again, hands behind his back. The half-naked man nodded.
"Yes, I'm fine." Harold muttered, hopping on the spot trying to put on some pants. "Just startled's all." One man had Jack's upper arm in an iron grip, cutting off circulation to his arm. He was huge dark man; twice Jack's size and smiled evilly at Jack. As they turned to go, Herald yelled, "Lester! Wait!" The big man paused and turned, pulling Jack with him. On Jack's left there was another man, slim and short with large muscles and tattoos covering his whole left side. He looked annoyed. Herald stopped in front of Jack.
"Did you say Fritz?" Jack nodded deftly and stayed silent. "Peg-Leg Fritz?" Again, Jack nodded. Herald nodded to the two men on either side of Jack and they let him go. "Welcome to the Seeker-of-pain."
Jack sat at a large table below deck, straight backed and uncomfortable in a room full of strangers all staring at him, waiting for their captain. Jack surveyed the others. The man named Lester seemed to take up half the rectangular table they were all at, cleaning his fingernails with a dagger. He was dark skinned, muscular, with short wooly hair, brown chocolate eyes and a mustache that was roughly etched with a knife. Beside him sat a woman, contrasting with him perfectly in her white clothing that sat loose around her breasts. She had long sweeping strawberry blond hair, baby blue eyes and full pink lips that matched her lightly rose colored cheeks. Her frame was small and slightly starved looking with a cheap ring on her left-hand wedding finger.
Beside her and, on the very edge of the table sat another man. He had Small skinny arms, dark brown hair and a slightly vacant expression behind his green eyes, as if he was in deep thought. At the end of the table sat another male, his head rested on his arms, which were folded on the hard tabletop. Jack watched the top of his short black frizzy hair. Someone had said his name, Johnny or something...He was older then Jack by a few years and had a roughly chiseled face poked with deep scars, seeming from shrapnel and stuff.
At the end of Jack's side sat a kid around sixteen with sweeping roan hair. Jack had to lean forward slightly to get a better look at him. When the kid met Jack's eyes he smiled faintly and turned his gaze to the doorway. The person shifted next to him and he turned his attention to her.
She was beautiful with short lightly brown hair and gray eyes. She was a little chunkier then the other woman across the table but she attracted him more. She seemed, though he had never met her before, to have this inner strength, something he admired and liked a lot. She glanced over at him but said nothing so he looked away.
On his other side was another man. He was the one who had held him up above in the captain's cabin with Lester and still seemed to be keeping his eyes on Jack. Someone had called him Cockran when he had brought Jack down but that was definitely not his first name. The tattoos on his arm were grotesque but oddly satisfying. One featured Fritz getting his head chopped off, another at the hangman's block. There was a bloody dagger at the very top of his arm, where the shoulder met with the neck. The words Die Fritz were carved into his skin on the blade. It looked like he'd had someone use a knife to etch those words deep into his skin. Near his elbow there were words in French that, when translated said, 'By my blood, you will pay. Even if it kills me.'
"What?" He growled. Jack shook his head and shrugged, turning his gaze to the rest of the last of the room's occupants.
Beside Cockran was a small mousy man with a square jaw and a hairy face. Jack watched him picking at a spot on his nose before looking behind him to the corner. This man stood in the shadows and hadn't moved at all so Jack's couldn't tell what he looked like. A movement at the staircase grabbed his attention and he turned to look with everyone else as Herald helped a heavy man climb down the stairs, his gut juggling, grizzly gray hair ruffled and his cheeks rosy with the effort of coming down the steep stairs.
"Where is the puke worm who attacked my nephew?" He thundered gruffly when they finally reached the bottom, shoving Herald away into a barrel in the corner and looking wildly around. Finally he spotted Jack and laughed mightily. "That small squeak broke on to this ship, attacked all of you and what..."
Jack stood and everyone at the table stared at him in alarm, as though he was nuts. "If truth be told, sir, it was quite easy. Secondly, I thought this was the Red-Revenge." Everyone shifted in their seats. "I came to kill Fritz."
The large man laughed loudly. "Wait in line meal worm, you'll get yer chance after all them." He opened his arms wide to the people at the table. "The seeker-of-pain is dedicated to those who want to get their hands of Fritz. We've all lost someone to him. Who was it to you?"
Jack hesitated, looking around, and finally answered, "My family." The man nodded thoughtfully, his eyes roving over Jack who was still damp.
"I'm Captain Dick Dobb, this," He pointed to Herald, "This miserable sack of turd is my nephew Herald Dobb, my brother's son...and Fritz killed my brother, shot him in the back." Jack suddenly thought of his mother, stabbed in the back, remembered holding her in his arms on the dock. Who knew back then life was different from what it was now. He couldn't even remember what it felt like to live in a rich society anymore. "This is Lester, he lost his wife. Rills," He pointed to the woman next to Lester, the one with the long blond hair and sexy lips, "she lost her husband, very sad...tragic. He died three days after the wedding, wasn't is?" Rills nodded silently, her eyes looking intensely at her hands folded in her lap.
Dick turned to one after another, introducing them, telling their history. Jack sat there and listened, heart pumping fast. These were the people he needed to get revenge, it would just be beating them to him once they had found him.
John was the name of the green eyed, small guy with dark brown hair beside Rills. He had lost his sister, brother-in-law and niece to Fritz, holding his niece as she died. Johnny lifted his head from his hands when his name had been called, revealing his deep scars and dull watery eyes. He was after Fritz for rapping his daughter and seemed to be the only one in the room who wasn't after Fritz to kill.
"I want to take his balls." He said deeply, eyes twinkling at the thought. "Then they can kill him, just let him suffer first."
Pete was the square jawed man and was after Fritz for killing his sister. She'd been a whore in Tortuga and had refused to service him so he had shot her. The man in the corner only stepped out when his name was called revealing that it wasn't a man at all but a woman. She was very masculine with super short black hair, black eyes and no breast. She glared at Jack.
"Fritz killed my best Friend. I'll get him back." She said in a deep voice before leaving. When she was gone, Dick turned to the last woman left.
"Dana, her four year old son was killed by Fritz." She smiled sadly and rubbed her face. The last one introduced was the sixteen-year-old kid, Ronny. His mother, father, sister and little brother were murdered. Jack nodded to him.
"Well, that's everyone..."
"Jack, Sparrow." Jack said, realizing he hadn't introduced himself.
"Well, you may be puny and starved but, you gave my ox of a nephew a good fright." He chuckled and slapped Herald on the shoulder, the younger man's face burning red. "We haven't had excitement like that since Reg joined." He chuckled jovially and glanced up the staircase. "How about you join our crew? We could use you...or not, because we all want revenge, only one of us will get it..." He laughed.
Jack glanced around, all these people were after Fritz to and he wasn't sure how many more there could possibly be. He weighed his chances, if he joined them he'd have more help in finding Fritz then he would just staying on the Lister and hoping to meet up with him. On the other hand, he'd have to fight them off and he knew Lester would beat him in a test of strength. But, all things considered, it did seem the right course.
"Why not?" Jack asked. A smile ran across Dick's face and he held out his hand.
"Good! Dana, get Jack a bunk...John, find some blankets..." He caught Dana's arm as she went to leave, "Keep him away from Reg."
"Your what?" Jack squirmed slightly in his chair but kept his eyes on Miguel who sat across from him, "Why? Those men are cut throats, if they have to get through you to get Fritz then you wont stand a chance." Miguel wiped his forehead with his sleeve and continued, "My lad, what are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking I need to do this...I need to leave, they'll lead me to Fritz. The way I'm going now I'll have to hope he falls into my lap." Miguel allowed himself to grin. "I can do this."
"An' I have faith in you Sparrow, really I do but..." Miguel suddenly stopped, eyeing the determined look on Jack's face. He stood and extended a hand. "Goodbye Jack."
Out on the deck he said goodbye to Emmaline, the only other aboard at the moment. Tears streamed down her face but she wiped them away angrily and held him in a long embrace. "Miss you, you know...Ian won't have anyone to fight with." Jack chuckled.
DONE! HOPE YOU LIKED IT! IT WASN'T THE BEST BUT, IT WAS OKAY. I WANT TO SAY THAT IF YOU NOTICED THAT THE NAMES OF THE SEEKER CREW AND THE NUMBER OF PPL DIDN'T MATCH, SORRY. OH WELL, I HAVN'T COUNTED. MY BRACES WIRE AT THE BACK POKED RIGHT THROUGH INTO MY JAW AND THERE WAS BLOOD EVERYWHERE SO....
TO:
DRAGONHUNTER200: Hey! Thanx for the compliments as always! I couldn't think of when to get him on rum so...how bout now, eh? When he's at his lowest. I've had rum and coke, my grandma's been feeding it to me since I was...wait...thinking...ten or so. When I came 'of age' ten in my family is a big thing and if I died tomorrow everyone would be happy cause I reached ten. Poor cat. My dad pointed out, too late, that the gun's powder would have killed him anyway but, oh well, it's just a story. In this one he pointed out there wouldn't be a piano in the bar. Oh well, like I said. Harrison ford is okay...I guess...creepy,, but okay. He's hot in s-wars and i.jones so, it's all good. I. Jones three he looked old though but sean cannery is aging really good. My sister thinks he's hot. I want through it in yer face...much! Hahahahahahahahahahaha....okay, I'm done. The nearest place to me to get quality videos is Saskatoon and it is an hour away. I live in a small town, my school has less then 175 ppl and there are two towns that attend it, plus the farm kids! So...yeah. We're all a bunch of Canuck farmers really. I have horses though...and live in town. We have horses in the town. That's were I live, it allows animals in town. Never been to Michigan. Farthest I've been is Mexico and a lot of the states but, only ever been to three other provinces of my own country. Crazy, eh? Already smacked Carey for calling him a gay-lord. My brother is such an idiot and probably has secret feelings for Johnny so...didn't want to like the same man.