Chapter Seventeen:

Jack's Plan

Jack made his way down the rickety stairway, holding the banister for support, his skeletal face stuck in an expression of deep contemplation. When he reached the last step, he looked up at the empty kitchen and sighed. It was around noon, so he assumed that the doctor had awoken hours before and was probably messing with some experiment in his lab.

There wasn't a sign that anyone else was around. This worried him a little. He approached a dining chair wearily and sat down, running his plan once more through his skull as he did.

Sally had arrived at the doctors house around midnight. She had spent much of the night sewing her hand back (Which she had found waiting for her outside the tree house.)on and then sitting up anxiously waiting for dawn. The doctor had filled her in on how far along Jack's case was and she didn't like the sound of it at all. At around six O' clock she had fallen into an uneasy sleep, awakened by the familiar sound of her old bedroom door opening. She had been in the library at the time.

Sally arose from an old grimy chintz arm chair and left the library a little nervously. She walked across the dingy hallway and descended the stair case in a precarious fashion. About halfway down she spotted Jack, leaning one arm on the doctors filthy wooden table. He seemed preoccupied with something and was not aware of her presence.

She was but a few feet away when he finally did see her out of the corner of his eye socket. Jack straightened and fixed her with a look of surprise, as though she had meant to sneak up on him. There was a moment of complete silence between them. Then, Jack smiled and broke.

"Wonderful," He said quietly. "I was hoping that things had gone smoothly last night." Sally returned his smile, feeling, with some relief, all of the awkwardness drain out of the situation.

"Yes, of course, you helped a lot with that." She said a little shyly. Jack's smile widened, a thing which ignited a warm sensation in Sally's heart, though she could not help but notice how somnolent it was.

" Yes, but I learned it from you." Sally smiled at him sweetly and put her arms around his neck. After burrying her face in his bony shoulder, she spoke in a muffled voice.

"I missed you so much when I was with him, Jack. He was awful." Jack returned her embrace and stroked her blood red locks with his skeletal fingers.

"I apologize for taking so long. You should not have had to deal with him at all."

The moment was suddenly broken when they both heard someone clear their throat noisily. Both Jack and Sally looked up to find the doctor sitting at the door down to his laboratory. He was giving them an irate look. Sally straightened.

"Good morning, Doctor." Jack said, smiling weakly.

"Jack…" The doctor returned in acknowledgement. "Perhaps you'd be obliged to tell why you were locked up in one of my rooms all night." The doctor said as he wheeled across the room. Jack nodded.

"Of course. But first, I need Lock Shock and Barrel to be present." The doctor cringed.

"Those troublemakers. I don't see much good they'll do." He rested a few feet away from Jack, getting between him and Sally, much to her dismay.

"They are vital to my plan." Jack said wearily. The doctor nodded.

"Fine…I'll get Igor to fetch them." He tossed Jack an uncertain look and slowly wheeled off to find his hunchbacked assistant.

When he was gone, Sally gave Jack a cautious look.

"Jack…what exactly are you planning?" He looked up at her and smiled warmly.

"You'll know in a moment, my dear." She frowned as her heart sank bitterly. She was aware of a dark certainty rising up inside of her. Jack's smiled faded and she could only assume it was because of the look of ambiguity forming on her own countenance. Jack stood, using the table as a crutch, to pull himself up and to brace himself as he moved shakily towards her. In made her heart ache to see it.

"I'm sorry Jack…" She said immediately. "It's not that I don't think it's going to…" He cut her off, taking her chin gently in his bony fingers.

"It's an awful plan…and I don't doubt that it will end badly. But it's all I have…and I think it may be our last choice. Please trust me, Sally." His face was soft and pleading. Sally nodded. She put her arms around his lanky shoulders and pulled him towards her. It was miraculous how a kiss could differ when making the comparison between someone you love and someone you hate. In kissing Jack, Murdock's hateful features seemed a distant and faint concern.

For one of them anyways.

Lock, Shock and Barrel were located in the graveyard. They were conversing and eventually arguing about what they'd like to do to Murdock when they got the chance. Lock said that he didn't think Shock deserved an opinion because she had bailed on them to begin with and therefore did not have to put up with Murdock's madness. Then he turned on Barrel and said that he didn't either. When Barrel protested, Lock punched him in the stomach.

They were found like this shortly after and were brought back to the doctors house, still grumbling and occasionally hitting each other whenever they thought the situation called for it. (Which was quite often actually.) They were only silent when they finally got into the house and saw Jack, leaning against the table with his arms crossed. He was fully dressed and for at least that moment, he looked very much like the Pumpkin King. After a moment, however, their silence was broken when Lock spoke.

"It's about time you decided to do something!" He said sourly. Jack frowned and gave him a stern look.

"Sit down, please." He said softly. Lock did, grumbling lightly. Jack stood, with some effort. (Though he had just taken a vial of elixir and was therefore not in too bad of shape.)

"Alright. Now it's important that you listen carefully. I only have time to explain this once." He closed his fingers arounda noose thathe had found in the doctors chambersand pulled it out in front of him, gazing at it as though it sparked some far off memory.

"As you have probably guessed, Murdock was hung." Jack said carefully.

"Well that explains his stupid rope phobia." Lock whispered bitterly. Jack ignored him and went on as though he had said nothing.

"He's always hated ropes. They make him weaker…for a few minutes, anyways. He forgets that he is already dead." Jack dropped the rope on the floor. "Tomorrow evening, it can be no later. I am going to take the rest of my elixir and I am going to go out to the square. I will put this rope on the gallows. I have no doubt that he will be their shortly after. He's acquired a lot of abilities in the past which make him very aware…and very dangerous."

Sally interrupted him then.

"Jack, maybe one of us should do it."

"Yeah, bonehead. You can barely stand up as it is." Shock said loudly. Jack shook his head.

"No…It must be me. As for the rest of you…" He paused and looked down at the floor as though he were considering something very carefully.

"This is very important." His voice was quiet and unsure. "I have jobs for each of you. You must do them quickly…and please, just trust me. Firstly, Sally, I need you to go back to our house. Lift the trap door under our bed and take the last item remaining within it. Bring it here and please be very careful." Sally nodded hesitantly. "Then, when you return, I need to you set up your old sewing machine."

He then walked over to Lock, Shock and Barrel and kneeled down.

"You three must be particularly careful. I'm going to ask you to go back to the tree house. Twice. Once tonight, and once tomorrow evening." He leaned in closer and whispered to all three of them. It appeared much as it did on the day that he had instructed them to kidnap Sandy Claws. Except, at that time they had been thrilled. Now, all three of them had first been curious, then frightened. When Jack straightened again, Shock repudiated immediately.

"No way, Jack. That's not helping at all! That just makes things ten times worse!" Jack frowned.

"It's all I have and it doesn't. Murdock is VERY dangerous. He must be stopped."

"But this…" Lock said hesitantly. "This is crazy."

"You will do it." Jack said sternly. "You must. Or would you rather put up with him until someone else comes a long?…" Lock and Barrel exchanged a look.

"No, but…"

"Then you will do it!" Jack said cynically. He may not have had the power that he had once had…and it was obvious that he was both very tired and very frightened, but there was something about his features at that moment, which startled nearly everyone in the room.

"Alright." Lock said slowly. "But it's your fault if this thing backfires." Jack leaned against the table once more.

"I know." He said tiredly. He turned towards the doctor.

"Lastly, doctor, I must ask you to make as much elixir as you have the ingredients for and to craft something that may be able to distract him for any amount of time that we may need." He leaned over and took the noose gently from the ground.

The doctor looked at Jack in annoyance. His eyes were narrowed and his face looked set of objection.

"I still don't understand Jack. If your going to make us a part of some kind of wild and dangerous plan of yours, you could at least tell us all of the details." Jack laughed hollowly.

"I fear that if I do, I will change my mind." This got a less then enthusiastic reaction from those listening. While he did not look, Lock, Shock and Barrel shared an uncomfortable look and the doctor gazed at Jack wildly, as though certain that he had gone completely mad.

Sally, had not looked up from the floor since Jack had addressed her. She did now, gazing at him warmly. He met her gaze and gave her a forlorn smile. He then turned back to the others, who averted their gazes at once.

"Listen, I know…it sounds…terrible…but…I really believe this is the last chance we have. I won't be here after tomorrow evening. I wouldn't be doing this if I thought it was hopeless."

The doctor turned back to Jack and then sighed.

"Fine, Jack. One last time…but it better work!" He wheeled off in a fowl mood.

Shock frowned.

"I guess it could work. But I still think it's stupid. Come on you idiots. We have lots of work to do." She pulled Lock and Barrel up by their collars and yanked them after her. Both of them looked uncertain…but figured, if Shock was going to make them, they didn't have much of a choice.

Sally approached Jack and touched his arm gently. He turned towards her. She looked at him sadly.

"I know what your planning Jack." She said softly. He gave her a half hearted smile.

"Have you been visited by and horrible visions yet?" Sally embraced him.

"I'll follow you even if I do have one, Jack." Jack shook his head and pushed her gently away, closing his skeletal fingers around her arms.

"No. If you have one, tell me and I'll stop. I can't afford not to listen to you again, my dear." He kissed her on the forehead. "Now, hurry and go to the tower while Murdock may still be disoriented." Sally nodded.

"I love you Jack." She said, feeling the need to, before she left his arms.

"I love you too." He returned softly. They parted and the evening began.

Authors Note

I should be kicked in the teeth. I apologize for how long this has taken. I've been busy and have had other things on my mind. Just to let you know, I have not forgotten you. I plan still to finish all of my stories. Thank you once more for your reviews. I will update as soon as I can.