Greetings, friends…I am sorry you had to wait so long for the next chapter of this story, but I haven't had as much time to write here lately. Thank you for your patience, and a special thanks to all of you who have taken the time to review—your comments are very appreciated!
Disclaimer: I don't own Disney or Pirates of the Caribbean, just the characters and plot lines that I make up in my sick, overflowing widdle brain!
Nuff said…
Chapter 20: Interesting Meetings
It was the silence that she noticed first when she came back to consciousness…..
For a moment she was confused; then she realized what was missing---the steady rumble and vibration of the van's powerful engine. She had gotten used to the sound, and the lack of it now filled her with a strange fear. Like a field mouse being hunted by a raptor, she lay perfectly still, listening intently. Her lack of vision helped Jo focus her other senses, and her nose picked up the telltale odor of cigarette smoke. The lack of breath sounds revealed that she was alone in the vehicle, but she could hear the murmur of voices nearby.
Jo moved her hands and feet slowly, in case she was being watched, and her heart leaped when she discovered that her legs were no longer shackled. She also realized that her hands were no longer restrained by handcuffs, but by what felt like silk scarves. She felt the weight of heavy skirts on her legs, and when she felt of the fabric her fingers recognized it as a heavy silk. Another strange fact was revealed when she tried to draw in a deep breath and felt a snugness that restricted her breathing; she was wearing a gods-be-dammed corset, and a tightly laced one at that! "Kidnapping me and cutting off my hair I can forgive, but making me wear a corset? That's just plain SICK!" she murmured softly.
Before she could think about an escape plan, she heard the voices approaching. Jo took several deep breaths and tried to slow her rapid heartbeat as the doors clanked and squeaked. She felt the cool rush of air across her face and chest, and realized that the cut of her gown left a greater portion of her upper body exposed.
She felt the vehicle dip slightly as one of her captors hoisted himself up beside her, and she couldn't restrain the gasp and shiver that escaped her when a cool finger traced its way down her cheek.
"Awake, huh? I estimated that the Rohypnol would wear off soon, and I was right as usual. How do you feel? Not nauseated, are you?" When she shook her head and uttered a soft no, she heard him grunt his approval. "Good. I know you're probably dying of thirst…that's one of the side effects of our little knock out potion. I'm going to sit you up and give you something to drink now but I warn you….puke on me again and there will be severe consequences."
Despite her precarious situation, Jo had to hold back a grin at the wry tone of his voice. So I managed to hit my target earlier…..COOL! Score one for good guys…She felt him pulling her upright, on hand on her bound wrists and the other behind her shoulder. The movement caused her internal organs to shift, and suddenly the pressure on her lungs increased phenomenally to the point where she couldn't get any air.
"I c..c…can't……br…breathe!" she managed to gasp as she sagged backwards in his grasp, her face turning an alarming shade of red. Cursing, her captor laid her back down and rolled her onto her stomach where she lay gasping like a fish out of water. "Jacobs, you moron, you laced this damn thing too tight!" he shouted out as he struggled with the garment, and then the pressure eased to allow air, blessed air back into her starved lungs. Limp with relief, she allowed herself to be rolled back over and raised up, and what felt like a sports bottle was pressed to her lips. She sucked greedily, savoring the icy cold water, which mercifully eased the dryness in her mouth. Suddenly fearful that she had been tricked again, she pulled away, only to have it shoved back into her mouth with a chuckle. Her abductor seemed heartily amused by her reluctance to drink. "It isn't drugged, princess---I know you're still thirsty, so drink up. It isn't good to give a person repeated doses of Roofie…it can be addictive, and it kills too many brain cells. I'd hate to think of a pretty gal like you ending up a rutabaga in some rest home."
"What time is it?" Jo asked before sucking down more of the proffered water. She was somewhat surprised when he answered her question without hesitation.
"Nearly midnight. You've been our guest for the past, oh…11 hours or so. Won't be too long now, though, and you'll be bidding a fond farewell to our humble hospitality. I'd say your ordeal is just about over." With that, he lowered her back to her pillow and called out to the others with him. "Time to roll."
She heard the cab doors open and close before the engine roared to life once more, and Jo could hear the crunch of gravel beneath the van's tires. This time the journey was quite short….less than 5 minutes later she felt the van stop and one man got out, and she heard the scraping of metal on metal that sounded vaguely familiar. Moments later she heard the eerie echo of the rumbling motor as they pulled forward slowly into what sounded like a large, empty building…a warehouse or hanger of some sort, perhaps?
The vehicle stopped and the engine ticked in the sudden silence before the back doors creaked open once more. The Orkin man, as she had begun to think of him, bent down and scooped her up in his arms. "This is where you get off, princess. I'd appreciate it if you didn't cause a fuss during the transfer—try anything and I'll be forced to put you to sleep again, and this time I won't catch you before you hit the ground, understand?"
Not trusting herself to speak without giving him a piece of her mind, Jo simply nodded and didn't resist or make a sound when he handed her down to one of his cohorts. She heard him jump down with a grunt just about the time she was abruptly set on her feet. Her vertical state didn't last long however; between the icy shock of the cold concrete floor beneath her bare feet and the drug's side effects, her legs wouldn't hold her up. Without a word being spoken she felt him sweep her up effortlessly. He didn't respond to her softly murmured "thank you", but his arms tightened momentarily as he and her co-captors began walking, their footsteps echoing loudly against the hollow-sounding buildings metal walls.
At that very same moment, a strange looking foursome was gathered around Jo's kitchen table; A pirate, a beauty queen, a ninja and a graying minor mage, all of them with the same desire—to find their friend and put an end to an evil plan before it grew out of hand. Three of them sat quietly, focusing their will upon the crystal pendulum being held by the youngest of the group—the pretty priestess, who was using her magic to find Jo's current location. The slightly glowing quartz crystal hung suspended on a string over a spread out map of Las Vegas, a single strand of long dark hair wrapped around it and tied in an intricate knot. As they watched, it stopped its slow circling motion and actually hung at a 45 degree angle toward the Northwest corner of the map. The priestess doing the divination moved to focus on that particular area, past the industrial park and on the outskirts of the warehouse district. After making several passes, the pendulum stopped each time at a certain spot on the map, and grabbing up a Sharpee, Misty marked the coordinated with an x and a circle before laying down the crystal with a sigh.
"Well, as of right this moment, your Jo is in the warehouse district---that's where the showdown is supposed to take place, so she is more than likely with him or nearby. I won't know for certain until I see him, but my gut instinct tells me that this Michael is the key to Barbossa's existance this plane….if we hurt him, we hurt Barbossa and vise versa."
The dark-haired man in black beside her nodded. "From what you've told me, and your former first mate sound like the kind of man who likes to gloat, so he'd want her where you could see her. More than likely he will try to use her to distract you, to egg you into doing something stupid, like surrendering…..now, here's what I think we should do…………."
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It seemed to Jo like they had been walking for ever, going up and down stairs and through several doorways before she was suddenly set back on her feet. She was cursing the shakiness of her legs when she heard the low growl of an approaching vehicle and she felt the tug of her blindfold being removed. She only had time to recognize that she was in a dimly lit empty warehouse before she was momentarily blinded by the headlights of the long white stretch limousine as it pulled up along side the group. Suddenly frightened, she took a step back only to run into the solid wall of the Orkin man's chest, his hands coming up like iron bars on her upper arms to prevent any attempts at flight. The limo door opened, and she was both shocked and horrified when she recognized the person who had arranged her kidnapping to be none other than her attempted rapist.
Suddenly furious, she jerked hard at her captors arms in an attempt to get at the man she hated. "You bastard!" She shrieked, kicking out as he stepped out of the limousine, a smug, satisfied look on his face as he ignored her and turned his attention to the man behind her.
"Still pretty feisty, I see…..did she give you any trouble?" He asked nonchalantly as he straightened, brushing an invisible bit of lint off his elegant suit as he looked around the warehouse with mild distaste.
"None I couldn't handle….be careful of your suit, though….she's got pretty good aim when she tosses her cookies."
Michael scowled at him, his expression darkening with anger. "Oh, believe me, I am already aware of that fact, Mr. Payne. Now, back to the business at hand….I've already transferred the funds to your off-shore account—here is the confirmation. I believe that concludes our transaction, and as always, it has been a pleasure working with you." Handing the man an envelope, he turned his attention back to the woman before him, who stood silently as she trembled with fear and fury. "Now, my dear, there's someone here who's been waiting to see you again."
Jo was ripped away from her former captor by her bound hands and shoved roughly through the limousine's open door, where she fell face first practically in the lap of the vehicles other occupant. Her face came to rest on top of a heavy leather boot, and using her bound hands to push herself up, her heart froze as her gaze came to rest on the familiar but terrifying face of Hector Barbossa, who was staring down at her with an evil, amused expression on his face.
"Well, well, if it isn't Jack Sparrow's little whore, come to pay her respects. How kind of you to take the time to dally with an old salt like meself. Y'know, it's quite a coincidence that you're wearing maroon….reminds me of the last acquaintance of Jack's I took a particular liking to, though I must say, your attributes are far more…bountiful….than hers." His eyes took on a somewhat predatory look as she followed his lusty gaze to the large amount of bosom showing above the gown and the tightly laced corset.
His rough hand reached out to stroke the top of her dark head, and she shrank away from the mock-tender gesture. "Pity about your hair, missy, but if you're nice to me and behave yourself, you might just live long enough to grow it back." His fingers dropped down to graze the tops of her breasts, and he slapped her sharply when she attempted to knock his hand away with her bound ones. "None of that now….I was just examining the merchandise I bought, and it's a lesson you're needed to remind you who your master is. Let's see if you taste as sweet as you look, my fine, fancy piece…" Panic filled her as he grasped her hands and pulled her across his lap before slowly leaning down to lick her face, his evil laughter roaring in her ears.
Liam Welch, the assassin/kidnapper otherwise known as Mr. Payne, closed his eyes briefly as Jo's horrified scream was cut off by the slamming of the limo door. "Good luck, princess." He murmured softly as he turned and walked away.