Liberty,Equality,Fraternity - by Cunien

Thanks to everyone who's picked this story back up and is reviewing. I love you all to heaven and back!

Please forgive obvious typos and mistakes - I'm not the most observant person. I've tried to make it reasonably accurate, historically, but as there is no definite date for PotC and the Caribbean was changing so rapidly at this time, it's probably a little bit off. I've taken a lot of liberties with Nassau, and more specifically it's ability to grow sugar cane...but there we go. It's fiction! I also don't pretend to know much about this at all. I'm just freewheeling here people! Whee!

Warnings: As a series - Mild swearing, not so mild racism and slavery. Also violence and torture, mostly aimed at Jack - Don't worry your pretty little head about it - Jack's as tough as old boots!

Chapter 17 - Unfinished Business.

Bill and Megan ran as one at Gabriel's back. My dear old Bootstrap managed to knock him to the ground. I remember this, as they both fell in a heap right next to where I lay.

Some of this tale I'll now have to tell in the words of Bill, told to me later on. I was a little preoccupied while this was all going on, you see. I recall the only thought in my mind was of trying hard not to choke on my own blood.

Oh come now, you didn't think Gabriel had killed me, did you? If you were thinking just that I'd be disappointed, for I'd thought you a little more intelligent. After all, I'm telling you this tale. And I don't hardly look like a ghost now, do I?

So there they were, scuffling away. The pistol was again knocked away, but this time it skipped across the platform and down, missing the grinder by inches and landing in the flames below.

The two men fought with fists, until Gabriel managed to throw Bill's slighter frame from him. Bootstrap hit the wall and crumpled to the floor, and before he could move, Gabriel had Megan in his grip.

With a laugh that even I heard, far far away as I was, Gabriel grabbed Megan and thrust her face to the machinery that powered the grinder below.

"No!" shouted Bill, hands outstretched to Gabriel. "Don't do it. She's done nothing!"

"Exactly my point!" shouted Gabriel, jerking Megan's face closer to the machinery. "She'll lay with that bastard - (he kicked me soundly in the stomach conveniently in the exact spot where I'd been shot, mere minutes ago if you'll recall) - but she'll not come near me!"

Bill eased a little closer, looking around for a weapon.

"And all the times I could have forced myself on her! I should, shouldn't I?" He directed this last part at Megan. "You'd have liked that, wouldn't you, whore?"

Megan sobbed quietly, but didn't once scream. That's my girl, I thought. Don't let the bastard win. Bill told me later how she screwed her eyes shut against the sight of the machinery, inches away from her face.

"Please -" Bill was saying, moving slowly closer, "Let's just -"

But Gabriel grabbed Megan and swung her round towards the wooden railings that guarded the drop to the grinders below. "No. That wouldn't kill her straight away, would it? I'm not unmerciful," he said, his hands tight around Megan's neck. Her eyes were still shut tight. "It'll hurt like hell, but you'll die, soon enough." he said, swinging her closer to the edge of the platform.

"You're insane.." she whimpered, not daring to open her eyes. "You're crazed.."

"Am I?" he said quietly. "Then I must always have been. I've never liked it when people play me."

"And he can go with you," Gabriel said, kicking me closer to the edge. I rolled over, coughing coppery blood, my hands rigid against my stomach and the wound there. I was not thinking about very much at all, when my eyes slowly focused on something in front of me.

Gabriel's sword.

I don't recall even picking it up. Gabriel was too occupied to notice me rise up behind him, on wobbly knees. He tensed his arm and swung Megan from the platform just as I thrust the sword. Megan crashed through the wooden rail with a shriek. Gabriel had one brief moment to turn and look at me in surprise, before he sagged to the ground, the tip of the blade showing clean through his heart.

Bill ran past me as I collapsed back down beside Gabriel.

"Sweet Jesus..." he muttered, quickly kneeling down on the platform's edge. He reached down and grabbed hold of Megan's wrist. "Let go of the platform and grab my arm!" he shouted.

Megan shook her head, her eyes still shut tight.

"Megan! Open your eyes and grab my arm! Now!"

I vaguely remember Bill grunting as he hauled her up, and Megan shivering on the platform next to me, clutching desperately at her rescuer.

The next thing I knew I was outside the Grinding House, the air barely fresher and cleaner than the fumes inside. The fields crackled and popped, little ashy bits of red hot cane leaf floating into the sky and falling like snow around us.

Bill and Megan helped me to the ground, and there we three sat - or lay, in my case - gasping for breath and clutching our various wounds. Of which mine, I might add, were the most serious. Bill seemed to remember this as I gurgled on a fresh mouthful of blood.

"Jack...Jack, you have to help us get you to the port...you need to try and walk, as best you can..."

I think I remember shaking my head. Megan peeled my hands away from my stomach and grimaced at the bloody mess. "Bill, we have to go now.." she whimpered. There were tears making little tracks down her sooty face.

My bloodied hand waved around in my vision, gesturing vaguely at her. "You have...you...stripes..." I said of her face. It was swimming around in front of me now.

"Bill..." she pleaded.

Bootstrap pulled me up, trying to ignore the way I cried out at the movement. He put my arm around his shoulders, and his own around my back, and Megan did the same on my other side. They were half dragging me down the hill towards the port when there was a scuffle up ahead.

The Skeleton Man knelt panting on the ground, bleeding steadily from a wound across his chest. Sarah was running at the three overseers who came at the kneeling slave.

From out of nowhere came a pitchfork. It flew like spear through the air and lodged itself nastily in the chest of one of the overseers. Sarah skidded to a halt in surprise, which gave one of the other guards enough time to throw himself at her.

Armed with a scythe, Nathan sprang at him before the guard managed to reach his wife. The man fell to the ground.

The scythe was very sharp.

The man's neck was very soft.

His head hit the ground and rolled down next to his pitchforked friend.

I passed out.

TBC...