"You have something of mine, Sparrow, and I want it back.
"You'll have to be a bit more specific. I've robbed quite a few people and I'm guessing they all want their things back."
"Don't get smart with me, boy! I want my diamond. You can tell me where it is now and walk away with nothing more than a few cuts and bruises, or we can do this the hard way. What'll it be, lad?"
Jack had a sinking feeling in his gut. He'd stolen many diamonds in his pirating career, but most of them had been sold or traded long ago. "Which diamond might that be?"
Jack felt a sharp sting across his cheek as Lange backhanded him. "No games, Sparrow! You know damn well what I'm talking about. The diamond – Crystallis. That stone is worth more than all the rest of your pathetic plunder combined. A bigger diamond, you will never see. A bit hard to forget, wouldn't you think?"
"You would, yes. I'd very much like to see such a magnificent bit of treasure, but, I assure you, I never have."
Lange slammed his fist hard into Jack's injured right shoulder. Pain exploded through his arm and, though he fought to hold it back, he let out a strangled cry.
"Untie their hands and lock them in. Maybe tomorrow we can compel our guests to have a nice little chat with us."
When their captors had left, Will scrambled over to Jack, who was lying crumpled on the floor, clutching his shoulder. "Are you OK?"
"Oh, yes, bloody great," Jack said through gritted teeth.
Will gently pulled Jack upright and rested his back against the wall. "Why don't you just give up this diamond? Even if it is worth a fortune is a fortune worth your life?"
"Bloody hell! I can't give up something I don't have!"
"Well, who'd you give it to, then? Maybe they can steal it back."
"Are you deaf, boy?! I've never had it. Never even heard of the thing. I've no idea what the man's talking about!
--------------------------------
They spent the
night in uncomfortable silence. Will assumed Jack had fallen asleep but
didn't dare check. A sleeping pirate was best left that way, especially
if said pirate was cranky, in pain, and sober.
Will took the silence as an opportunity to think on
the day's events. What was this diamond, this Crystallis? He couldn't
imagine anything more valuable than all the booty he'd seen Jack
pillage. Did he really steal it? How could he not have? Will stared at
the quiet form of his friend resting a few feet away. These men had
said Jack took this diamond, and Jack was a hard man to mistake. Will
doubted there was another pirate who look or moved quite like Jack
Sparrow. No, he thought, if they saw Jack steal the diamond, then Jack
stole it. But why lie? Maybe he forgot. Could you forget stealing
something like that?
None
of this was making sense and he was just giving himself a headache. He
closed his eyes and drifted off into a troubled sleep.
There was no way to tell when morning came, but a few hours later the steel door swung open, jolting Will back to cruel reality. Captain Lange and his two henchmen stood silhouetted in the doorframe. "Hello there," the captain said with false geniality. "I trust you slept well?" He snorted, enjoying the mockery.
In the dim light from the corridor, Will could see Jack's face clearly for the first time in days. The kohl under his eyes was smudged and his golden tan had faded slightly from sitting in the dark for days. He looked strained and exhausted, but hadn't lost his wit. "Never slept better in me life! I thank you for your luxurious accommodations." Now that Will could see his face, it was blatantly obvious that Jack hadn't slept a wink.
"Well, I'm certainly glad you're comfortable because it seems you'll be staying with us for quite a while. Unless, of course, you choose to cooperate." Lange knelt in front of Jack and dropped his voice to a whisper. "Be a good boy, Jack, and no one need get hurt...well, anymore, that is," he added with a malicious grin, glancing at Jack's tattered pants and throbbing shoulder.
"I would absolutely love to help you out with this missing diamond thingy, mate. I'd jump at the chance! That would just make my day! But, alas, captain, I still have no bloody idea what you're talking about! So if you could just move aside and let me and the whelp get back to my ship, we'd really appreciate it."
Lange looked long and hard into his eyes, but Jack never flinched from the cold gaze. Slowly, the captain stood up and turned to his cronies. "Tie up the quiet one and make sure he's got a good view of his friend, here." He looked back down at Jack, an evil glint in his eyes. "Time to play, Jackie."
--------------------------------
A/N: The
plot thickens! (Ok, maybe not a very good plot and it didn't thicken
very much, but still...) I didn't like this chapter very much, but I
reworked it for 3 days and just hated it more and more so I finally
gave up and decided to move onto a fresh chapter. I suck at dialogue, I
know. The next chapter should be up this weekend (if anyone's still
interested). If it goes as planned, it should explain quite a bit. It's
also gonna have some Jack-abuse, just to warn ya!
Thanks to everyone whose reviewed so far.