Chapter 11: Kindle and Char
"Jack, we have company."
"What's this?" Jack took his attention from what was ahead to what was behind.
"It seems ye have important friends."
"Oh, bugger." It was the Dauntless, pride of the Royal Navy. Well, it's been a fair while, so I guess it was time. "Hmm. Ideas on losing him, Mr. Gibbs?"
"Well, we could simply outrun 'im."
"No go. They've more sails, and with the wind going dead across't us, he'll catch up far too fast." He looked at the older man. "No, Mr. Gibbs, we go through that," he looked ahead of them.
Gibbs paled. "Jack, yer crazy!"
"Yes, sir."
Directly ahead was the largest hurricane Jack had seen in his life. The monster expanded across the horizon past where he could see, blacking out the sun, and everything around it.
"Jack, we'll never make it through; the sea's already choppy, we're having trouble here, and you want to go through that beast of a hurricane?"
"It's insane, I know," Jack said grimly. "But it's the only way to lose the Dauntless." Jack bowed his head in resignation. "Call the crew on deck. Have them hoist the sails. Stow the guns. Have the sweeps ready to go, and throw most of the powder overboard. Leave only eight barrels—any more and a spark hits, it'll tear the ship apart. Douse the lamps, too; no light or fire at all." That was what had done the Pearl in last time.
FLASHBACK
"Get those fires out!" Captain Jack Sparrow screamed at the men as he attacked a fire of his own. "If they reach the powder magazine, we're done for!"
Men attacked the dangerous flames with whatever they had, but it wasn't enough. Slowly but surely, the fires made their way down the stairs to the magazine.
Jack bowed his head and called, "Abandon ship. We'll never get the fires out in time. Abandon ship!"
In the lifeboats rowing towards shore, Jack Sparrow watched the Black Pearl in utmost sadness. For a time, nothing happened.
Then she was torn apart by the enormous explosion that followed. He watched, heartbroken, as his beloved ship sank to the bottom of the ocean.
Jack knew right then and there that he would do anything to get his beloved Pearl back—even sell his soul to Davy Jones.
END FLASHBACK
"Commodore! Look!" Gillette pointed ahead. "The Pearl's going into the hurricane!"
"Then we go after it," Norrington said darkly.
"Sir!"
"We can't go around, and it's headed this way. It shall take far too long to find the Black Pearl again, and I want the ship on the bottom of the sea."
"But sir, surely the hurricane—"
"Lieutenant, the Black Pearl is captained by Jack Sparrow. There's no way that a mere hurricane will end his reign." He bowed his head. "Prepare for storm conditions."