CHAPTER 9
PIRATES MINUS FRIENDSHIP EQUALS BETRAYAL
Two and a half weeks later we finally caught site of Treasure Planet.
I was in the Captain's Stateroom at the time, going over the basics for rifle handling.
I had noticed, that since Mr. Arrow's death, Captain Amelia had been a whole lot more...well, physical with me, and I'm not talking brute force.
Right now, no matter what I did, I could not seem to fire the Rifle, set to practice of course, directly at the holographic target I was supposed to be destroying.
After about 3 tries, the Captain suddenly grabbed me round the shoulders, and aligned me stance, straightening my arms, and looking down the barrel while I was still in stance, causing our heads to be a mere hairs-width away.
Another thing I noticed, was that recently, I had become more and more uncomfortable by being so close to the Captain. It wasn't a bad feeling, just confused sort of feeling.
With Amelia's help I was able to accurately fire a bull's-eye twice in a row.
Suddenly Doppler burst through the Stateroom door.
"LAND HO!" he cried, "LAND H...Ahh!" in his hurriedness to find us, the poor Doctor had tripped over his own feet, falling to the floor, much to myself and the Captain's amusement.
"I take it from your...erm, enthusiasm, that we have reached Treasure Planet?" The Captain asked innocently.
"Oh, well yes," the doctor muttered bashfully as he dusted himself down and closed the door behind him, "Mr. Onus just gave the call he..."
Just then the banged open again, this time it was Jim, followed by Morph. As soon as they got through, Jim, slammed the door behind him and bolted it shut.
"Mr. Hawkins!" the Captain thundered, "what in God's name do you think your..."
"Pirates!" Jim gasped as he tried to catch his breath, "the whole crew are pirates. Silver's the Leader."
"Beware the Cyborg," I whispered to myself, I had been right.
Quickly I coked my rifle, setting it to kill and slinging it over my shoulder as Amelia strode over to her Cabinet with a passion and a dangerous look in her eye.
"Pirates on my ship, I'll see they all hang!" she sneered as she loaded two pistols and threw them to me, followed by another one sent the Doppler's way.
"Doctor, familiar with these?" she asked as she threw me my Rapier and made a grab for the Treasure Map.
I quickly holstered my Pistols, and sheathed my Rapier onto my belt, the Doctor meanwhile was holding his weapon by the butt with two fingers as though it was a bomb.
"Oh, I've seen, err," he paused, leaning in to inspect the Pistol, before holding it more casually, "Well I've read about..."
BANG!
The pistol in his hands suddenly went off, shattering the globe just behind the Captain.
Doppler quickly dropped the pistol in case it fired again as Amelia's face drained of colour at her near miss.
"Uh no. No, No I'm not." The Doctor said sheepishly.
The Captain sighed as she withdrew the Map.
"Lieutenant, please give the Doctor a 3 second crash course in pistol handling, Mr. Hawkins! defend this with your life."
As she spoke she threw the sphere to Jim, only for it to be caught by Morph in his over enlarged mouth.
"MORPH!" Jim cried desperately as he tried to wrestle it out of the Shape shifters clasp, "GIMME THAT!"
Thinking quickly I grabbed Silvers pet in my hands, making him drop the map in surprise into Jim's open hands.
As I did this I caught a glance at the Stateroom door. What I saw made me let go of Morph in surprise.
The lock was beginning to glow red hot.
"Oh....Oh my!" The doctor gasped, "we're trapped,"
"not for long." I muttered as I whipped out my pistols and aimed them at the floor.
"I'm sorry Doctor but it appears we'll have to cut our lesson short!"
Before anyone could object, I let off two shots from my pistols, blasting a large hole in floor.
Satisfied with the result, I holstered by pistols as the Captain inspected my handiwork.
"This corridor will take us to the Launch Bay," she said with amazement, "How did you..."
"Ma'am, My Quarters are directly below your Cabinet, I worked it out where the corridor would be."
She shook her head in disbelief, "You never cease to amaze me Lieutenant," she said as she climbed down through the hole.
I smiled as Jim and Doppler followed (The Doctor fell through the hole) the Captain as I brought up the rear,
"Thank you Captain,"
We ran through the Legacy's twisting corridors, first the Captain, then Jim, then the Doctor, then me, blasting pipes, storage bay locks, and anything else that could slow down the following Pirates with one pistol, and helping the Doctor every time he fell over the barrels that cluttered up the hallways with the other.
As we neared the Launch Bay, I suddenly heard a roar so loud it shook the piping overhead. Looking back I saw the gigantic form of Mr. Hands, the Giant Deckhand, along with several other s of the once loyal crew.
Knowing that we wouldn't have time to escape if I didn't do something, an idea suddenly clicked in my brain.
Stopping suddenly, I pulled the second Pistol from it's holster, locking both arms and aimed directly down the centre of the narrow corridor.
"EAT MY BLASTER FIRE YOU NEOPHYTES!!!" a bellowed as I let loose a barrage of purple plasma down the corridor, causing the Pirates to scuttle for cover and Hands to crouch where he was for his tough skin on his back to deflect the fire.
I smiled to myself as I slowly backed down the corridor, fire off so many shots that my enemy couldn't return it.
As I reached the intersection that led to the Launch bay, I quickly shot two of the pipes nearby, sending a billowing cloud of smoke in front of me.
I smiled as I spun the pistols round my trigger fingers before holstering them again.
"Be seeing you!" I called into the smoke, before running down the stairs to the Launch Bay, as I heard a roar from within the smoke.
I saw the Captain at the door way, ready to lock it as soon as I got through. Running as fast as I could I grabbed the Doctor from the floor as I passed, for he had tripped in his hastiness to get down the stairs.
"Thank you," he squeaked as Amelia slammed the door in the Pirates faces, frying the lock with her rifle.
"To the Longboats quickly!" I heard her call as I ran for the Launch Bay door control, while the Doctor and Jim scrambled on board.
Without wasting time I quickly pulled the Leaver down with all my might while the Captain somersaulted into the Longboat, reloading her rifle as she did so.
"Captain should I blast the controls?" I called.
"While if we had the time I would agree Lieutenant, we don't have the time, their breaking through!"
True to her word, a bright spark was slowly making it's way along the edges of the door leading back to the corridor.
As soon I realised what was happening I nodded and quickly followed the Captain to the longboat, before swinging myself over and into the boat, pistols ready.
At that moment Morph once again spied the map in Jim's back pocket, and with lightning speed, grabbed it, before playfully flying around Jim as he tried to catch him.
"Morph! No!" Jim flailed his arms about as he tried to catch the blob of mischief. Eventually Morph was out of his reach, forcing him to jump out of the boat to catch him.
Suddenly the door we had come through was blasted from it's doorway, followed by myriad plasma bolts.
"CHEW ON THIS YOU PUS-FILLED BOILS!!!" I heard the Captain yell as she let loose a barrage of fire from her rifle while the Doctor cowered in the bottom of the boat.
"We don't have time for this." I muttered under my breath.
Gazing about I suddenly saw something that could help us.
Waiting for the right moment, suddenly there was a brief pause in the fire fight. As quickly as I could I unsung the rifle from my back, loaded it and aimed for a piece of equipment hung above the walkway.
As the pirates flooded the walkway leading to our boat, I prayed that my brief practice with the thing had paid off, aimed one more time, and fired.
The plasma bolt shot out of the barrel and collided with the slim support that had been holding the equipment there.
There was a crackle of electricity as the heavy object fell from it's moorings, and through the walkway, taking the pirates with it, screaming and writhing to the planet below.
Amelia looked over the side in disbelief and then at me.
"Did you actually aim for that?" she asked.
I smiled at her smugly, "You know, actually I did."
She smiled back and was about to reply, when suddenly another blaster bolt ripped through the silence.
Quickly we both ducked behind the engine, me taking the Doctor along with me.
Suddenly we heard a grinding noise below us.
As the Captain, glanced down at the rapidly closing door below us, I saw a slither of red light near the Door Control, followed by a large bulky body slowly disappearing into the darkness.
My eyes narrowed, "Silver,"
"Ah, blast it," Amelia cursed as our only chance of escape rapidly closed in front of our eyes.
Suddenly she looked up at the cables holding the boat in place.
"Mr. Dearing, when I say 'now' shoot out the forward cable, I'll take this one,"
I nodded and aimed my rifle, while the Doctor tried to keep the fresh wave of pirates burst through the remains of the door.
"Come on, Jim. We don't have much time," I muttered to myself, my aim always on the cable.
Suddenly I saw Jim jump off the remains of the walkway.
"NOW!"
Without much thought for the consequences, I pulled the trigger of my rifle, totally severing he cable.
I felt the ship lurch as it fell from it's moorings, catching on the edge of the door.
As I felt the boat slowly tip off the edge of the door, I heard a thump as Jim landed on the wrong side of the boat.
As we the small boat screamed down towards the planet, the Doctor pulled in his friend into the boat while I set the ship through the procedures that hadn't been done before we left.
"Parameters Met, Hydraulics Engaged," I called as I opened the Solar Sail and punched in a few keys that Arrow had shown me on the voyage here, "We have a go,"
I settled down as the Captain nodded, taking up the tiller.
"Lieutenant, you have my permission to kill anyone on ship manning laser cannons. Use this."
From her belt she produced a small cylinder.
I realised it was a clip on scope for the rifle.
"Aye Captain," I shouted over the screaming winds over head as I slapped the scope onto my rifle and aimed for the ship.
All seemed quiet, then I saw movement on one of the cannons.
"Dammit, I can't get a good shot!" I yelled as we rapidly descended.
"They shouldn't fire at us anyway, we have the Map," Jim called back.
Suddenly I saw a flash of purple emanate from the controlled cannon, and I felt the colour drain from my face.
"CAPTAIN!" I heard the Doctor yell, "LASER BALL AT TWELVE O'CLOCK!"
I lowered my rifle and braced myself as the Captain tried her best to move the Boat out of the way.
It almost missed us...almost.
The Longboat suddenly rocked as the engine exploded, throwing Amelia against the tiller next to me.
A look of pain exploded across her face as she clutched her side, but only for a few moments.
Without the engine the ship began to fall to the planets surface.
The Captain did her best to keep the nose of the ship up, as we continued to plummet.
Soon I could make out some weird mushroom like objects littering the ground. As we fell we skimmed over most of them as the Captain tried to keep the boat in a straight line.
Suddenly one of the mushrooms appeared out of nowhere, and we collided with it, heading straight through it, no hint of slowing down.
As we finally hit the ground, the boat hit it nose first, capsizing it and taking the mast out completely.
Acting on instinct, I grabbed the bench to stop any major injuries until finally, the boat ground to a halt with a small sigh.
The was a silence for a moment, before finally, with the help of Jim, I managed to shove the boat off our heads.
"What was that Jim?" I asked, the sarcasm dripping from my voice, "They shouldn't fire at us anyway because we have the map? Clearly pirates don't think on the same wavelength as you!"
"Oh, give it a rest Dan," Jim muttered back as he rubbed the back of his neck as he got up.
"Oh, My goodness," Doppler breathed quietly, That was more fun then I ever want to have again."
"Well, that wasn't one of my gossamer landings Doctor," Amelia said with as small smile as she stood up.
Suddenly she gasped in pain and crumpled to the floor, clutching her side.
"Captain!" I cried as I rushed to her side, helping her up again.
"Oh, Don't fuss," she muttered through gritted teeth as she tried to shake me off, only to fall back on me again, "A slight bruising that's all, a cup of tea and I'll be as right as rain."
She stood up as straight as she could and brushed a few small locks of hair out of her face.
"Mr. Hawkins," she said, addressing Doppler.
A silence followed as she tried to focus her eyes. Realising she had made a mistake she quickly turned to Jim and held our her hand, "The Map, if you please?"
Jim nodded and delved into his pocket, retrieving the sphere from his pocket.
He sighed in relief as he found it.
Suddenly the Map began to hover above his hand, before splitting up into various different pieces.
These pieces suddenly melted into a pink, squishy blob. A blob that was now laughing it's head off at Jim.
"MORPH?!" Jim cried in despair as the shape shifter flew around his head playfully, "MORPH WHERE'S THE MAP?!"
Morph stopped near my head, before splitting into two objects, the map, and a coil of rope.
"I have feeling it's back on the ship," I sighed as the blob nuzzled my face in an attempt to get off being scolded, before whizzing round Jims head as he furiously tried catch him.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS IT'S BACK ON THE SHIP!?!" he yelled as he ran after Morph.
A sudden low rumbling sound caught the Captain's attention.
"Stifle that blob and get low," she muttered as she hid behind the wreckage of the boat, rifle at the ready, "We've got company."
I looked up as I hid with the Captain. Sure enough, the other longboat was sailing overhead, towards a thin pillar of smoke, no doubt from where the remnants of the engine had landed.
The Captain gazed over the edge of the boat, watching as the pirates flew overhead.
As the engine died away, Amelia stood up, using her rifle as support, the pain evident on her features.
"We need a more defensible position," she decided, taking a pistol from her belt, "Mr. Hawkins, Scout ahead."
Jim took the pistol, Morph looking worriedly from me,
to Jim, to the pistol.
"Aye Captain," he said at last, "Come on Morph, lets find a place to hide."
As he left, the Captain let out another gasp of pain and collapsed into my arms.
"Steady! Steady." I said carefully as I laid her down on the ground.
I looked up after Jim as he disappeared down behind a ridge, the pink form of Morph following close behind.
"Until Jim gets back, we are venerable to the Pirates out here," I thought aloud to myself. I gazed at the doctor, who was looking Nervously around at the thought of a pirate popping out of the bushes. The man was a Doctor, but I doubt he had any medical knowledge.
"Doctor?" I asked, he just kept looking around, "Dr. Doppler?" I asked again, still no response. I decide to take an approach I used with the Captain.
"Hey Delbert!" he looked around at me stunned.
"You used my first name?" he said blankly.
"Clever Doctor," I said sarcastically as I took a pistol from my belt, and checked to make sure it was loaded, "Go hide in those bushes over there, and give us a whistle, or a bird call or something if someone comes."
I handed him the Pistol, which he took a bit more calmly then when he had when the Captain had thrown him one earlier.
He gave me a small smile, and gave a little salute.
"Aye Aye Lieutenant," he said quietly before heading over to the bushes to hide.
I smiled after him, before turning back to the Captain, who was trying to sit up again, only to fall back again, clasping her side.
"Easy now," I said quickly as I knelt beside her, "Or your only going to make it worse. Now, lets have a look at that."
She regarded me with amusement, "Are you a Doctor now as well Lieutenant?" she asked.
I smiled down at her, "No, but I did take a First Aid course last year, I know what I'm doing."
She raised an eyebrow at me as she tried to sit up, "Thank you for your concern Mr. Dearing, but it is not nessi..." she scrunched up her face and fell back, this time my hand was ready to catch her head.
I sighed and took my glasses off to rub my eyes. This woman was sure persistent.
"Captain," I said quietly as I put my glasses back on, "With all due respect, I want to help you. Please, I know what I'm doing. Or do I have to stun you to help you?"
She gave me a small smile, before sighing and settling down, closing her eyes.
"Do...what ever you have to do Lieutenant," she murmured.
Nodding to her, and before she could change her mind, I quickly bent over her and began to undo the gold buttons on her coat, making sure not to touch anything I shouldn't.
Once I had done this, I gently opened up the coat, revealing the white roll neck underneath.
So far, I had seen no blood, always a good sign, but just because I hadn't seen any so far, didn't mean there wasn't any. I had to me sure.
"Um...Ma'am? I have to err...erm..."
She opened her eyes and gazed at me, noticing a slight tinge of pink creep up my cheeks.
"Lieutenant?"
"I have to err...remove, LIFT!" I corrected myself, realising how Delbert must feel like every time he had a slipping of the tongue, "Lift, that's the one. Lift your um...shirt up A LITTLE! Yes, just a little. To erm...check properly for signs of injury...if you don't mind...Ma'am."
She smiled at my stuttering, before closing her eyes and settling down once more.
"You may proceed Mr. Dearing. I know you will keep it professional."
I sighed in relief, running a hand through my hair.
"Thank you Ma'am," I said, resuming my usual tone of voice.
Slowly I reached down to the hem of the shirt, and lifted it up gently, just enough for it to reveal her midriff.
Her skin, not surprisingly, was the same colour as her face.
It was the same beige colour on her stomach, but went to the darker brown around her back.
After gazing at her stomach for a while, I shook my head, now was not the time to be admiring the Captain's midriff. In fact, no time was a good time to be admiring the Captain's midriff!
"I'm going to feel the area which appears to be hurting, O.K.? this might sting a little."
She nodded, and gritted her teeth, in preparation to feel the pain.
A gently as I could, I gently placed my hands on her side, and slowly ran them downwards on her soft skin.
Just as I reached the bottom of her ribcage, the Captain suddenly gasped.
"Did that hurt?" I asked.
"A...Little, yes," she replied through clenched teeth.
"Hm, nothing was broken, but that doesn't rule out a fracture," I said to myself, "Most likely from when the blast threw you against the tiller."
She opened her eyes slightly, "So what is you synopsis... Doctor?"
I smiled at her wit. Even in the most darkest of situations, she always seemed to find a way to see a funny side to it.
"Under ideal circumstances, I wouldn't be so hasty to move you but..." I gazed up at the Pillar of smoke that was still hovering overhead from the engine, "These aren't ideal circumstances."
"I concur, so what should we do?"
I glanced down at the Captain, before searching nearby bushes for something.
"The best thing I can suggest is to put your arm in a sling of some sort," I called to her as I tried to find some sort of vine or something, "This will minimize movement, and should protect any damage until we can get you to a proper doctor."
"Your not a proper doctor?" I heard her reply, filled with mock amazement.
I glanced back and came back over to her.
"Could we stop it with the remarks ma'am? This is serious."
She gave a sideways smile before chuckling to her self, only to stop suddenly as pain shot up her side.
"Lieutenant, reach into my pocket, you should find something that might help us." she said through gritted teeth.
Nodding quickly I reached into her pocket, before drawing out a silk scarf...and a piece of paper.
The scarf was light to the touch, but it was the paper that interested me.
It was the note I had written, folded up neatly.
I read the note through just to be sure. Yes it was definitely my handwriting.
After reading the note through again, I looked down at Amelia, a questioning look in my eyes.
"Captain?"
She bit her lower lip and looked away from me, a pinkish tint appearing on her cheeks.
Finally she looked back at me guiltily.
"It's nice to know when people are there for you Lieutenant," she sighed as she took the note back and read it through herself, "Sometimes...you need a little something...to help you remember that."
I was surprised. I didn't think she would keep the note, or even for the reason she had kept it.
Deciding I might ask her about it later, a gazed down at the scarf in my hands.
It was long and elegant, and silver in colour.
"It was my mother's" I heard the Captain answer my invisible question, "It's not part of the uniform, so I keep it in my pocket, it's all I have left of her."
"You don't mind me using it as a sling?"
She smiled at me through her pain, "No problem Lieutenant. I never wear it anyway, might as well use it for something."
I gazed at her softly, before tying up her arm with the sling.
"There, that should hold it," I said aloud.
"Thank you Lieutenant," she smiled weakly at me, as she once again tried to stand again.
At that moment I heard something. It sounded like a combination of a cat call and a bird whistle.
The Doctor.
Quickly I forced Amelia back down behind the boat, my rifle ready.
"Lieutenant?"
"Someone's coming,"
Slowly, I peeped over the top of boat, watching carefully.
It was quiet, to quiet.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, my vision was obscured by a large Pink blob, that squeaked in delight when it saw me.
I was so surprised a almost yelped, falling onto my back as I did so.
Morph let out a volley of his squeaky laughter as he nuzzled my face and made a series of affectionate noises.
"It appears that blob has grown quite attached to you Mr. Dearing," the Captain mused with amusement.
"I'd second that," Jim now appeared over the top of the boat, trying his best to stop laughing.
I shook my head as I tickled Morph in retaliation for his surprise, while the Captain addressed Jim.
"I take it you have found a better position for us to hid Mr. Hawkins?"
"Yes Ma'am. B.E.N's place."
"B.E.N?"
"That's Bio-Electronic-Navigator Ma'am!" suddenly, over the top of the boat appeared a robot around the same height as Jim, he was bronze and he had what looked like a compass on his front, with bright green eyes. I didn't get long to look at him though, for when he had popped over the top of the boat, he had tripped and fallen over, landing in the dirt right next to me.
I glanced at Jim and then to Morph, who was doing a imitation of the robot, with a Cuckoo popping out of his head. After watching him for a second with amusement, I tapped him on the head, making him stop, though personally I had to agree this guy was two cards short of a deck.
"This is Captain Amelia and Lieutenant Daniel Dearing," Jim introduced as B.E.N picked himself up.
"Captain Sir!" the Robot shouted, offering his hand to her, "Pleasure to meet...err...oh."
He suddenly noticed her arm. Grinning sheepishly he diverted his hand to me, "Danny, nice to meet you!"
I hesitantly offered my hand, only for it to be almost wrung off. Why? Why was I so polite.
"I found him down there, he was marooned here by Flint," Jim explained as Doppler appeared behind him, "He has a place we can go, about ten minutes walk from here."
"I see, lead on Mr. Hawkins," The Captain said with a smile as she stood up.
Jim nodded wearily, before following the eccentric robot and the Doctor.
As Amelia took a step forward however, she felt pain shoot up her side again, causing her to fall back into my arms.
"I don't think you can walk for ten minutes Captain," I said warningly.
"Oh, Tish Tosh," she muttered as she tried to stand up again and take another step. She managed five before she fell to the ground.
Jim and the others had stopped to wait for the Captain.
"Captain," I said sternly, "you are about as fine as my mother after she's been drinking: unable to stand."
"Then what would you suggest I do Lieutenant?" she glared at me, "Have someone carry me to this hiding place?"
I smirked down at her as the realisation dawned in her eyes.
She looked up and saw me smirking.
"You wouldn't dare," she growled, a small smile making it's way unknowingly onto her face.
I crouched down beside her, the smirk still all over my face.
"Oh, believe me Captain, I would."
Before she had time to register a complaint I suddenly put one arm on her back and one under her legs, scooping her up and holding her close.
"Mr. Dearing! Put me down this instant!" she whispered furiously at me, a pinkish tint colouring her cheeks.
"Come now Captain," I said with a genuine smile, "I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm merely assisting my Captain. So relax, and enjoy the trip!"
She scowled at me for a moment as Jim and Delbert exchanged an amused smile, "My wit doesn't suit you Mr. Dearing,"
"Neither does Jim's scowl suit your features Ma'am, so I would suggest you stopped it."
She paused for a moment, her brain processing what I had just said. She sighed and smiled up at me.
"Very well Lieutenant, I will let you carry me...this time."
As she closed her eyes, she sighed again, pillowing her head in my chest.
I looked down at her, my eyes soft. She always looked so calm and devoid of anything commanding. She honestly looked...dare I think it...cute. Yep, I dared.
My eyes widened as we walked, had I just thought her cute? Guess I did. Oh, I was so dead if she ever found out. It was going on my "Going to die if she finds out" list, along with watching her sleep and admiring her midriff.
I looked down at the Captain, slowly dozing in my arms, like a...well, a cat by a fire really, only taller, and more...evolved.
I sighed as we continued on to B.E.N's place, while the Robot continued to sing something that sounded like "We'll rant and we'll roar! Like true Navel Sailors, Like True Navel Sailors, We'll Rant and We'll Roar!" or something along those lines. My thought's were a mess when it came to the Captain. I couldn't understand why I was getting so flustered around her. Even now, as I held her in my arms, I couldn't help but think about what she felt for me. I don't know, I had never been in love before.
Girls had always thought I was to geeky for their liking. Well, there had been one person, but that had been a long time ago. I sighed to myself as I continued to think about it. It was insane! What would my mother think? Not a lot probably seeing she was drunk most of the time anyway.
We continued to walk, for what felt like an hour than ten minutes, but we eventually came over a hill, and saw our hiding place for the first time.
As I gazed, I suddenly realised how much I missed home. Sure I didn't miss my mother, I over twenty for God's sake! But I did miss Dorset, I missed the Optician, who had helped me through my years of misery and I found myself wondering what would have happened if my mother hadn't of ripped up Treasure Island? Would someone else be on this adventure? Or would Silver and his band of pirates won after all?
I didn't want to know, right now I was content as we headed on the final leg of the journey to B.E.N's place, the Captain still held tight in my arms.