DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or any of the Disney/Square Enix characters that appear in this work. Please support the original releases.
Chapter 25: Treasure Planet
"This place is fishy." Locke said.
"You feel it too?" asked Sora.
He pulled his shirt away from his chest. Of course a planet with vegetation that smelled like a piece of moldy, old bread, would have a lot of humidity. It seeped under his skin, giving him tingling sensations that no amount of scratching would fix. What was weird, was the lingering feeling that he had felt this familiar itch before. But when?
Locke snapped his fingers. "Oh, I can feel it, all right."
He banged his daggers against a copper tusk that stuck out from the dirt. The vibration echoed from the scrap and down into the ground. Getting on knees, Locke stabbed his daggers into the floor and dug. There was a metal tink. He pulled up a layer of moss and dirt, revealing a metal saucer underneath. Locke lifted the lid, and a large tube appeared below it. Coils and wiring lined the tube, spiraling down into a black abyss, as though the tube stretched all the way down to the center of the planet.
"No doubt about it." Locke looked around. "Uninhabited area, ruins, secret, forgotten machinery. I smell treasure."
"Wait a minute, are we on Treasure Planet?"
Donald jumped up in Sora's face. "What are you talking about?"
"Jim told me about it." Sora explained about Jim's map and Captain Flint's treasure. He could have sworn he saw dollar signs in Donald's eyes.
"A whole planet full of treasure! Where should we start digging?"
While Donald began clawing at the floor, Goofy pointed to the sky.
Up above, the RLS Legacy floated down from space. The ship was descending fast, the atmosphere burning around it. Laser light and cannon fire glittered under the rudder. One of the sails hosted a black flag with a skull and crossbones.
Pirates.
A skiff darted away from the ship. An explosion of golden smoke set the skiff's sail on fire. The boat shot across the sky like a blazing missile. Racing after it, Locke and the trio nearly fell over when the ground shook under their feet. Bursting through podlike, green bushes, the party raised their weapons, but then stopped at the sight in front of them.
The skiff lay on its side, its back end completely singed, the sail ripped off. The sour smell of melting metal hung over the wreckage. Dr. Doppler carried an injured, unconscious Captain Amelia away from the crash. Jim leaned against the underbelly of the boat, gasping.
Donald rushed to Captain Amelia and raised his staff. The cure spell eased the scrapes and bruises off her face, but she didn't wake. Meanwhile, Sora knelt besides Jim, casting a few healing spells of his own. The magic eased Jim's heavy breathing, his eyes opening wide to stare at Sora.
"No way. Am I dreaming?"
He tugged on Sora's hair.
"Hey, watch it!"
Jim pulled his hand back. "You're okay? How? You got sucked into a black hole!"
"It'll take more then a space vacuum to get rid of me."
The skiff crackled.
Locke reached froward, grabbed Jim's arms, and hauled him off his feet.
"Move it, kid!"
Sora and Jim sprinted. Goofy got between Dr. Doppler and the boat, raising his shield. He took the impact, allowing Donald, Doppler and Captain Amelia to get to safety. The blast sent Goofy flying, and his head dug a nice, long trail through the dirt. Lucky for him, Donald and Sora were there in seconds to cast healing magic.
He sat up, shaking his head. "Thanks fellars. Oh, and you're going to need these." Digging into his pocket,Goofy held up a pair of ethers.
Sora chugged down the contents of the glass, whipped his mouth and then faced Jim.
"What happened after the supernova? Where's Silver and the rest of the crew?"
Jim's jaw tightened. "Silver is a traitor. The entire crew were his pirates."
It felt like someone had dunked Sora's head into a tub full of ice. The skin crawling feeling he had felt earlier was back, except now Sora wasn't just scratching, he was rubbing his arms so roughly that the flesh began to burn.
"Silver? But," Sora's fingernails scratched deep into his skin. "What about all that stuff he did for us? For you? All that was fake?"
"Of course it was." Jim spat.
"There has to be a reason."
"All he cares about is Flint's treasure!"
Jim kicked a rock with so much venom that it shot out toward a tree, piercing the bark. Green sap oozed from the tree's wound.
"I can't believe I was actually stupid enough to think he cared about me!"
Locke put a finger to his lips, pointing upward. The Legacy was descending.
"We need a more defensible position," groaned Captain Amelia, finally coming to.
"You're in no condition to give orders." Dr. Doppler said.
Amelia struggled out of Dr. Doppler's arms. "Slight bruising is all. Cup of tea and I'll be right as rain." Yet just as she stood on her feet, she keeled over. Doppler caught her before she hit the ground.
"The Captain is going to need more healing magic," Donald said.
"And we're going to need cover, fellers. Looks like being body guards is our jobs."
"You two take the back," said Locke, "I'll keep an eye out from the front. Let's move."
Goofy and Donald defended Doppler and Amelia in the center while Locke led the way. In the back of their diamond shaped formation, Sora and Jim walked side by side, keyblade and laser pistol in hand. Slowly, silently, they moved. Sora had to switch the hands holding his keyblade every so often so he could scratch his arms. He was starting to wonder if he was allergic to the planet, but that didn't explain the strange coldness he felt in his heart. Or was that just a different kind of allergy?
He looked at Jim out of the corner of his eye. The boy's jaw was tight, yet there was a glint of sadness in his eyes.
"I'm so glad you're okay," Jim said. "The supernova-and the lifelines, I-"
"It wasn't your fault." Sora scowled. "It was-"
"Scroop. I know." Jim clenched his teeth.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
Jim took a deep breathe. Quietly, he explained.
Jim couldn't sleep. Even after Silver's kind words, he still couldn't shake the images of Mr. Arrow and Sora vanishing into the black hole. He stayed on the deck until only the watchman in the crow's nest was awake.
No one blamed Jim, and somehow that only made him feel worse. He stood by the mast, watching the sky. A shadow moved overhead. Scroop watched him from the sails above.
"Lost something, cabin boy?"
Snarling, Jim went down to the crew's sleeping quarters. He tossed and turned in his hammock. Just when he had fallen asleep, his eyes shot open the next minute. Morning light crept through the dimness of the sleeping area, shining right into his eyes. Jim rolled out of bed and groggily walked to the kitchens. Reaching to get a purp to munch on, he was so tired that he fell right into the barrel.
Then he heard whispers. Turning so that he right side up, Jim peeked through a tiny hole in the barrel, into the dark shadows of kitchen.
"...sick of all this waiting," a crew member whispered.
"There's only three of them left. We are wanting to move," said another.
"We don't move till we got the treasure in hand."
Jim was instantly awake, his heart slamming against his ribcage. Silver?
Though dark, he was able to make out the metallic shine of Silver's cybernetics. Then he saw the sharp edges of Scroop's claw. The spider-psycho inched closer to Silver, a sneer in his voice.
"I say we throw the rest of them off the ship, take the map and keep sailing. No one would know."
"I say what's to say." Silver's deep whisper had an edge of warning in it. "Disobey my orders again, like that stunt you pulled with Mr. Arrow and the others, and so help me, you'll be joining them."
Barbed wires squeezed Jim's heart. The moisture drained from his mouth as he breathed in fast. Mr. Arrow, Sora and his friends, it had been Scroop's all along? And Silver-
"Strong talk, but I know otherwise."
Scroop's mocking laughter made pins and needles rise up in Jim's neck.
"You got something to say, Scroop?"
"It's that boy."
Jim clenched his teeth.
"Methinks you have a soft spot for him. Haven't see the light shine in your eye like that except when talking about Flint's treasure, but now." Scroop's chuckle felt more like a growl. "'You got the makings of greatness in ya.'"
Silver reached out and clamped down on Scroop's jaw. "I only told the little whelp what he wanted to hear to keep him off our scent."
The barbed wires around Jim's heart tightened, burning.
"I ain't gone soft. Mark me, the only thing I care about is Flint's trove!"
Jim slumped in the barrel, unable to move, or think. Everything had been a lie. He mattered less to Silver then he had mattered to his father. And worse, Sora, Mr. Arrow and his friends had paid the price. All for what? Some stupid treasure?
Scroop pulled away from Silver, and Jim swore he saw the brightness in the spider's eye dim. For a moment, he thought he saw a purple flash in Scroop's pupils, but after Scroop blinked, his eyes were as bright as ever.
"Careful 'Captain.' One wouldn't want their greed to consume them."
"Aye, but one would also be keen on not upsettin' their superior."
The two men glared at each other.
There was a call from up on deck.
"LAND HO!"
The pirates dashed out of the kitchens. Jim got out of the barrel and ran up the steps, but stopped at the top. Silver's cybernetic leg was on the stair in right front of him. The big man's eyes widened in surprise, but then wrinkles deepened around his mouth and forehead.
"Playing games are we? Jimbo?"
Silver stalked Jim, pushing him back down into shadows of the kitchen.
"Yeah," Jim said, looking around. There was a kitchen knife on the table to his left. "I'm playing games."
"Oh," said Silver, hiding his hands behind his back. "I was never very good at games."
"Me too!" Jim reached out, grabbed the knife, and stabbed it into Silver's cybernetic leg. The metal squealed, gas exploding out of the hole. Silver grunted, falling over, his hand covering the injury under his metal knee.
Jim raced out of the kitchens, ignoring the confused looks of the pirates as he passed. He barged into the captain's quarters, slamming the door behind him. Dr. Doppler and Amelia rose from their seats.
"Jim? What's the matter?"
"Mr. Hawkins, what is the meaning of-"
"They're pirates," Jim gasped. "The entire crew! It's mutiny!"
Amelia reached into the cupboard and pulled out a pair of laser pistols. "Pirates? On my ship? I will see that they all hang!" She threw one of the pistols at Jim and then the other at Doppler. "Cover us Doctor, Mr. Hawkins, we're going to escape with the longboats."
"Thanks to the captain, we were able to escape the ship." Jim pulled out a copper sphere from his pocket. Lines, circles and indiscernible writing were carved into the surfaces of the sphere. "At least I got the map out."
Sora closed his eyes. The chill he felt had moved down through his stomach and into his legs. So Silver was no different than Rourke: another leader using his crew to steal from good people. If he gave in to the darkness of his greed, Sora would have to fight him.
Like Riku.
Sora swallowed. Did darkness have that effect? Did those that gave in to it get so caught up in whatever goal they had to achieve that they stopped caring about the people around them? He rubbed his arm again. Stupid, allergy. Stupid darkness. Stupid Silver.
"Silver knew that Scroop was the one that cut Mr. Arrow's lifeline?"
"Yes." Jim hissed.
"And he let Scroop get away with doing that? That mechanical moron!"
"Moron is right," Jim spat. "I can't believe I trusted him. "
Sora seethed. One thing was for sure. If he saw Silver again, he was going to deck him right in his big, fat nose. For Jim's sake. Now if only he could stop itching.
Something sliced into his leg. Sora fell over. On the ground, he stared at his calf. It was the spot where the heartless plant had caught him. Lifting his pant leg, he searched for an injury, but there was nothing. Yet he felt the heartless' thorny, phantom vine cutting into his bones.
"Are you all right?" Jim reached down to help him up.
Sora couldn't take Jim's hand. His arm didn't move.
"What's wrong?"
Sora's neck and face blazed, his face sweating.
"W-what did that heartless do me?"
There was a popping noise, and then ten dark ball heartless flew right over Dr. Doppler's head. Goofy blocked them with his shield, forcing the heartless up into the air, where they was fried a second later from Locke's thunder spell. The heartless twitched under the lightning, exploding into purple dust, but when the debris cleared, there were twenty identical heartless floating above.
Jim fired a laser beam and popped one of the heartless, only to have two more appear in its place. The heartless swooped down, their frayed tentacles buzzing with lightning, reaching out like electric beestings ready to poke someone's eye out. Sora, reacting, threw his keyblade when one of them came close enough to singe his eyebrows. It popped like a spark plug.
More heartless appeared. The party ducked as the swarm came down on them. The heartless melted together, turning into a nebula of purple, black and yellow lightning. With only one working arm and legs that couldn't move, Sora was helpless when a darkball came up behind him and bit into his shoulder. Jim shot the creature point blank, but it was too late.
A new sensation burrowed its way into Sora's shoulder. It spread across his back, his chest, freezing his bones. Around him, the party fought against the swarm. Donald and Goofy, too busy protecting Doppler and Amelia, fell back, and it was up to Locke, and Jim to provide cover.
Locke blasted the swarm with fire spells, creating massive holes in the dark cloud overhead. Seconds later, the darkball heartless multiplied. Worse yet, on the ground, shadow and neoshadow heartless rose up. They closed in, their yellow eyes swarming together, looking like a sky full of hungry, sinister stars. Jim and Locke stood, back to back, watching the cloud of heartless overhead spark with thunder.
Jim growled. "What's with these things? We get rid of one and then ten appear in their place."
Sora could barely keep himself sitting. He slumped to the side.
Locke's hands grasped his shoulders, steadying him.
"What's wrong?"
"I-I don't know."
Sora casted a healing spell on himself, but it did nothing to stop the burning on his skin, the freezing in his bones, or the numbness in his legs. The fever pounded on his head, mixing with Sora's rising panic, making him shake all over. His legs were seconds away from turning into jelly.
"Kid! Come on, stay awake."
Locke cursed. He pulled Sora over his back.
Leaning his cheek on Locke's shoulder, Sora wasn't sure if the buzzing he felt was from the heartless or from deep within him. His eyes opened and closed, his world fading in and out, dark, light, dark, light...
The door will open soon.
The words echoed from deep within, but Sora couldn't understand them.
The darkness is close. It is your heart it really wants.
The burning in his body was now clawing at his eyes.
Don't be afraid.
Sora lost consciousness.
Jim's arms flopped to his sides. He stared at Sora's grey face.
"Is he-"
"No." Locke said. "He's just passed out."
"Need I remind you," Dr. Doppler shouted, "that we have bigger problems right now?"
The heartless dived down like missiles at the party. Jim and Locke ducked away from the attacks, firing and slicing. Fighting with only one dagger, and the extra weight on his back, slowed Locke down. A heartless flew at his neck, its mouth open wide. The heartless burst, revealing Jim right behind where it had been, still holding his smoking pistol.
"Nice shot," Locke said.
"Thanks, but it's not going to do any good if this keeps up."
Donald jumped up onto Goofy's shoulders, green energy swirling at the end of his staff.
"Aeroga!"
A protective whirlwind surrounded the party. Locke and Jim watched the heartless banging against the wind sphere.
"I can't keep this up forever," Donald warned.
"We need attacks that can destroy large groups of them." Doppler said.
"What do you suggest?" Jim asked.
"If only Sora were awake. Then, me, him and Donald could combine our strength and get rid of these heartless together."
"Well, he's out of commission, so we're just going to have to do it," Locke said.
"But we've never combined our powers without Sora."
Just then, Sora reached out, his keyblade appearing over Locke's shoulder.
"I can do it," Sora croaked. His keyblade trembled.
Jim grabbed the end of the keyblade, steadying it. "Take it easy."
"What? You think I can't handle this? I've faced bigger heartless for breakfast."
Jim rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth lifted. "Show off. Okay, How can we help?"
"We need something that can make magnify light," Sora rasped.
Dr. Doppler dug into his shirt and pulled out a pocket telescope. "This should do it."
He removed the lens and tossed it to Jim. Holding the lens in front of the keyblade, Jim put his shoulder under Sora's arm, holding his keyblade steady. Donald and Goofy leaned against Sora, giving him their support. Locke lifted Sora up.
Concentrating, Sora's heart reached out toward his friends. Hope, trust, and determination, channeled into his keyblade, but he couldn't hold the gathered power. Like a spark that kept getting fanned away by the wind, Sora wasn't able to get the fire going. The keyblade burned, searing into Sora's palm. He grit his teeth, forcing the light to gather at the end of the weapon. A small flicker lit up, and then was blown out. The keyblade slipped from his hand. His head slumped against Locke's shoulder.
The aeroga spell broke. The heartless rained down upon them. Locke, Goofy, Jim, and Donald attacked, but one by one, the heartless thrashed them, and soon only Dr. Doppler was standing, helpless to defend himself or the captain. The heartless closed in.
Pow.
Dr. Doppler fell, the captain tumbling out of his arms. The air above him shook with a shockwave that slammed him flat against the ground.
Pow!
Another blast shot a hole through the heartless sky. The creatures moved apart, fire burning their antennae.
Pow! Pow! Pow!
The legacy appeared through the holes in the heartless. The side of the ship smoked as the cannons fired. Angry roars reached Dr. Doppler's ears. The pirates rushed into the dark cloud, attacking the shadow heartless on the ground while the cannons continued to roar from above. The shadows vanished, completely obliterated by the pirates.
Silver, Scroop and the other pirates surrounded the exhausted party. Before he could blink, Doppler was tied up with the others. Only Jim was spared the ropes and gags. Silver raised his hands, walking toward the boy.
"It doesn't have to be this way lad. Just give me the map, and I'll let you and yer friends go."
Jim cast a look at Doppler and Amelia. Doppler nodded, but Amelia shook her head, ever steadfast. Donald, Locke and Goofy had enough strength to wriggle, but not to escape their bonds. And Sora, bound and tied, gasping in his restraints, was still unconscious. They stood no chance.
Jim reached into his pocket, took out the spherical map and threw it at Silver.
"Thank you, Jimbo."
Silver twisted the sphere as though he were trying to open a jar. Turning his hand into a claw, he clamped down tight on the map, but the sphere wouldn't turn. Reddening with frustration, Silver shoved the map back at Jim.
"Open it."
Without taking his eyes off Silver, Jim pressed the map's hidden switches, twisting the sphere and turning the inner cogs. The map clicked. A green line appeared in the air, pointing through the dried forest and miles and miles further into the planet. Silver and the pirates cheered and then glared at Jim the next second. The green light had vanished.
Jim met their eyes without fear. "You want the map, you have to take me too."
"Have it your way Jimbo."
"Captain," said the big, burly pirate with four arms. "What should we do about these ones?" He stomped around Sora, Donald, Goofy, Locke, Doppler and Amelia.
"Bring the boy as collateral."
The burly pirate threw Sora over his shoulder.
"Take the rest of 'em to the ship's brig. Everyone else, we've got treasure to find!"
Swaying woke Sora. His head pounded like a thousand nails were being hammered into his brain. Watching the ground move underneath him only made his stomach turn harder. His body was bent in such a way that all of his muscles and joints felt stiff, yet it was the insufferable, inescapable itching that frustrated him the most.
A red claw appeared in front of his eyes. Grabbing his chin, the claw pushed his face up. Scroop sneered at him.
"Finally up, cabin boy?"
Sora looked around. Marching silently next to Silver, a look of concentration on his frown, Jim held the map up, following a green laser line through the rusty hills of the planet. Ten more pirates kept pace with Silver. Sora's eyes met Jim's, and the flash of concern, fear, and determination in Jim's gaze told Sora all he needed to know. If he had had the strength to struggle, Sora would have given Scroop and Silver a healthy dose of snark, but all he could do was let his head fall when Scroop pulled his claw away from his chin.
"You'll get a nice look at the treasure before I send the pair of you to meet Mr. Arrow."
Sora watched the spider psycho's legs skitter away from him. He faded in and out between being conscious and burning up, and complete nothingness. He was shocked awake when the burly, four armed pirate dropped him hard onto the ground.
"There's nothing," someone shouted.
Barely able to lift his head, Sora noticed that they were standing on a cliff that overlooked a vast valley of empty, dried out plains. The map's green arrow vanished the moment if passed over the side of the cliff.
"We never should have listened to this boy!"
The no armed, two legged pirate pushed Jim over, making him fall dangerously close to the edge. Jim stared at the ground. He dusted off the dirt with his hands, revealing a spherical hole in the metal floor beneath him. Jim slammed the treasure map into the hole. The moment the map clicked into place, there was a whirling sound. Wind burst from the ground, making everyone shield their eyes. Then a massive triangle of light appeared in the air right in front of the edge of the cliff. At the same time, Sora felt all the heat in his body being replaced by ice. The spot on his leg, where the flower heartless had bitten him, was now completely numb. Only the voice in his heart soothed him.
Don't be afraid.
"What is this?" Silver demanded.
The image of cosmic, swirling blue, gas clouds appeared within the triangle.
"The Lagoon Nebula? But that's halfway across the galaxy," said Silver.
"It's a portal," Jim realized.
Just above the groove where the map was placed, there was a floating, green sphere of light. Stars and planets glowed within it. Jim pressed one of the planets. The triangle closed and opened, like a book. Except this time, it was on a completely different page. A bustling town appeared in the portal.
"That's Montressor space port." Jim marveled, his eyes wide. "That's how Captain Flint did it. He used this portal to roam the universe stealing treasure."
"But where did he stash it all?"
Silver shoved Jim aside, pressing all the stars and planets, opening the door on a frozen world, a fiery galaxy, a windy desert, and on and on. Each time the door opened and closed, Sora lost feeling in another part of his body.
Don't forget.
"Where is that treasure?" Silver pressed a switch that looked much like a keyhole.
The portal opened to a world of nothing. A deep, dark, bottomless chasm with no horizon, no time, and no end, just an endless sea of blackness was on the other side. Stale air floated out of the portal and into Sora's nose, reminding him of a horrible place, filled with separation, confusion, loss, and Ansem's cruel laughter.
You hold the mightiest weapon of all.
Terror ripped through Sora. "No! Jim! Close that door, quick!"
A claw reached over Sora's head, hooked on the front of his shirt and lifted him up.
"What's the matter, cabin boy? Frightened of that part of the universe?"
Scroop walked toward the portal.
Jim lunged forward but was stopped by a hand on his chest. Silver pointed his cybernetic sword at Scroop. "Let him go."
"Interesting," Scroop half sung, half hissed. "You have a softness for this one too?"
Scroop stretched out his arm, dangling Sora over the abyss below. His body numb from the neck down, only the panicked beating of his heart reminded Sora to stay awake. The empty world around him pulsed. It was hungry, more then ready to swallow the world of light that had so graciously opened within it. Sora felt something breathing on the back of his neck. He looked around, trying to spot the invisible heartless, but there was nothing, just the darkness creeping into his brain. Something moved below. A cloaked figure, like a wrath from his nightmares, was looking at Sora through the void.
Set me free.
Scroop shook Sora, snapping the boy's attention back to him. He opened his claw, slowly. One more inch and Sora would fall. Jim and Silver flinched. With strength he didn't know he had, Sora grabbed onto Scroop's arm and held on.
Scroop looked into Silver's face. "There was once a time you were ruthless, and now you pick up lost pups like a heartbroken mother. Me thinks it's time for a new captain to lead the crew."
"You don't know what you're doing," Sora begged. "This world will destroy everything! Please, close it, Jim!"
"But you'll be trapped inside!"
"Release him. That's an order, Scroop!"
"Happily."
Scroop claw opened wide. Sora fell.
Jim threw himself onto the dirt, his hand clamping hard on Sora's wrist. Above him, Scroop's claws flashed down toward Jim's back. A metal fist slammed into Scroop's face, and he fell over the edge of the cliff and into the darkness below.
Sora's weight pulled Jim downward. Slowly, he slipped further and further for the edge but he refused to let go. Silver appeared over Jim's head.
"Jim! Behind you!"
Silver reached down, grabbed Jim's waist and lifted both him and Sora out. The boys crashed onto Treasure Planet's dusty floor. Silver pressed another button on the green sphere and the portal to the realm of darkness closed. A keyhole appeared before the portal. His arm trembling, Sora lifted his keyblade and locked it.
The moment the lock clicked shut, Sora breathed in deep. The weight on his chest eased, the tingles in his body slowly fading. Jim pulled Sora's arm over his shoulder, helping him stand.
"You okay?"
"Just give me a minute."
Sora rotated his ankles and bend his knees. While he slowly got used to moving again, the pirates shouted excitedly. The portal that Silver had opened, gleamed. A golden light shined in Sora's eyes. Silver and the pirates roared, running into the portal. Looking into the triangle, Sora's jaw dropped. A miniature planet, every inch of it covered in gold, chests, and jewels, floated within the portal. There was enough loot to put the Cave of Wonders to shame. If Donald were there, he would have had a heart attack.
Sora leaned away from Jim. Though he wobbled, he was able to stand. The numbness from his injured leg had faded.
"I'm okay." Sora turned toward the portal. "I can't believe there was a door to the realm of darkness here of all places."
"What are you talking about?"
Sora shook his head. "Never mind. Hey, what you did back there, thank you."
Jim patted Sora's shoulder. "Now the score's three to zero."
"Excuse me?"
"I saved you three times. I'm ahead."
"Since when?"
"When we rescued you from that evil ship, just now, and when I shot that flower monster that caught your leg."
"No way. We're tied. I cured you, twice, and protected you back when we were getting the plasma pods."
Jim shrugged. "All right you win. Let's just grab some treasure and get out of here."
Sora followed Jim through the portal. Inside, the sour smell of metal dust and musky wood made him sneeze. His shoes slid over doubloons, gold bars, crystals, all kinds of jewelry, and pearls the size of basketballs. The spherical cave they stood in was made out of thick sheets of copper and wiring. Massive, wired tubes pointed out of the ceiling like makeshift stalactites.
"It's just like the tunnel that Locke found." Sora turned to Jim. "You don't think-"
"That we're standing on the core of Treasure Planet? After everything I've seen today, I can't say I'm surprised. Look there!"
On a golden hill, sat a small, old, forgotten pirate ship with torn, red sails. Its wood was scratched, the sails leaning to one side, burn marks on its hull. Heaps of jewels and coins were piled up on the deck.
"That's our ticket out of here. Come on."
They raced to the ship, climbed onto the deck and froze. Near the stern, a skeleton was slumped in a throne-like chair. The rags of a brown tailcoat and trousers hung off the grey bones like a scarecrow. The long, narrow skull had six slit sockets where the eyes should have been. The jaw was clenched tight with four, long, thick fangs and incisors that looked like sharpened fingernails. An old captain's hat sat askew on skeleton's cranium.
"Captain Flint?" Jim whispered. "I can't believe-Ah!"
An indigo shadow buzzed by Jim's temple. Then something twitched in the corner of his eye. Slowly, Sora and Jim faced Captain Flint's corpse. Floating right next to the skull, was a ball of eyes. The pupils rotated in their sockets, frayed tentacles sticking out from between each eye like a demonic morning star.
The creature phased through Captain Flint's ribcage. The hollow space inside the skeleton lit up with darkness. The eye sockets lit up with a yellow glare. Captain Flint stood from the chair, his bones ticking as he slowly took steps forward.
Jim fired a shot right between Captain Flint's eyes. The skull fell backward with a crack. Then the head bounced back and rotated, the neck bones snapping back into place.
Jim winced. "What is this? Some kind of zombie?"
"No, a heartless! I knew I felt something pass by me when Scroop was holding me over the realm of darkness!"
A sword of darkness stretched out of Captain Flint's hand. Wide, bloodshot eyes lined the blunt edge of the sword. Flint sliced through the air like a sawblade, separating Sora and Jim as the boys jumped to avoid getting cut in half. With only bones to carry, Flint's corpse flashed over the deck, tearing up the wood like a cutting board as sword blurred with furious slashes. Jim had only seconds to fire, but his shot went right through Flint's torso.
Sora dashed forward, ready to attack it from behind, but then the sword's eyes swiveled, noticing him. In seconds, the sword sliced through the air so fast that it created a sharp, protective sphere around Captain Flint. Sora grit his teeth, skidding to a stop before he could be ripped to pieces. Keeping his distance, he threw fire, ice, and lightning spells at the skeleton, but it was attacking the air. No effect.
Captain Flint stalked toward Sora but stopped when something blasted him on the back of his skull. Turning, Flint's arm reached out, grabbed Jim by the neck and slammed him against the side of the ship. Sora rushed forward to help, but, without turning to look, Captain Flint's arm swung the sword. The tip of the blade nearly sliced through Sora's collar bone. He stopped so fast that he lost his balance and fell. With Sora on the ground, there was nothing to stop Flint from raising his blade and aiming it at Jim's neck.
The sword swung down.
From underneath the ship, a blast hit the blade on its side, pushing it away from Jim's neck. A cybernetic arm reached out, and grabbed the blade.
"Get yer hands off him, ya forsaken carcass!"
The arm pulled the sword away from Jim and then pulled the bony hand away from the boy's neck. Then it flung Flint's skeleton away like a rag doll. Jim crumbled onto the deck, his eyes wide.
Silver pulled himself onto the ship's deck.
"You all right Jimbo?"
Jim patted his neck. "I'm fine. What you doing here?"
"Saw that you were in trouble, and I, well," Silver cleared his throat.
Sora stood. "And this ship, with all the treasure on it had nothing to do with it?"
Silver turned to Sora with an easy going smile, but then his humor was completely erased by horror.
"Lad! Look out!"
Sora turned to look over his shoulder and the only thing he saw was flash of red eyes. Something soft and blue crashed into him, knocking him down to the floor. The red eyed blade stabbed into the deck. Sora's shoulder and side throbbed from the fall, but otherwise, he was fine. He stared at the tip of the Flint's weapon at his feet and then looked up to see Locke standing over him.
A skiff flew over right over Captain Flint's head, pushing him face first into the deck. Crashing onto the ship, Donald and Goofy jumped off the skiff. Seeing Silver standing next to Jim, Donald and Goofy aimed their weapons at him.
Silver held up his hands. "I'm on yer side lads!" He pointed to Captain Flint. "We've got bigger enemies to go after."
Before anyone could move, the entire cavern vibrated, and then a quake forced everyone to their knees. The gold underneath the ship shifted like a wave at sea before a storm. One of the massive coils on the ceiling swayed back and forth.
Donald was the first one back on his feet. "What's going on?"
Locke looked over the edge of the ship and into the gold. "Most likely a booby trap. I mean, if I were a famous pirate legend and I went down with my treasures, I wouldn't want anyone else to find it."
"And just what are ya insinuating with that logic, Mr. Cole."
Locke shrugged. "Well this isn't a cave, it's a planet, so that that would mean..."
"Out with it."
"Planet's going to blow up."
Donald bit his fingertips. "I'm sorry, but did you just say the planet is going to blow?"
"Yes."
"HOW ARE YOU SO CALM?"
"It's pretty standard for treasure hunting."
Donald's face reddened, but didn't burn nearly as hot as the blasts that erupted on the ceiling, separating the massive metal pipes from their base. The pipes stabbed through the gold and into the core of the planet. Blazing geysers of violet magma erupted out of the gold, and sawed through it. The treasure slide like a waterfall into the fissures, vanishing into the white, hot, planet's core. Whatever pirate that had still been hanging around, raced toward the portal.
Goofy waved everyone over to the skiff. "We have to get out of here!"
Silver roared, watching the gold slip away, revealing the fractured metal core of the planet underneath. "We have to fix this ship! Ride it with the loot out of here!"
Both Sora and Jim opened their mouths, but never got the change to scream at Silver. A beam burst out from under the haul of the ship, slicing it in half, making it bend downward, pointing into the fissure underneath. Locke and Sora stabbed their weapons into the ship to keep from falling in. Donald and Goofy grabbed Locked and Sora's legs. On the other side of the ship, Jim slipped, grabbing onto the splintered planks of the deck, his feet dangling over the fiery inferno below. Silver grabbed a treasure chest before it could slide off. His other hand held onto the railing of the ship.
In the midst of it all, Captain Flint stood up from under the skiff and wobbled toward Jim. Sora watched, helpless as Silver was too distracted by the treasure to even try to pull Jim up. The boy's fingers were slipping from the wood, and with Sora's hands gripping his keyblade to keep himself and Donald from falling into the raging fire below, there was nothing he could do but scream.
Silver looked up at Sora's cry and caught sight of Flint standing over Jim. The corpse raised its sword. Each of the eyes swiveled, locking onto Jim. The sword swung down.
"Blast me for a fool! Reach lad! "
Silver let go of the chest, cringing is it slid down the wood and into the chasm below. He leaned over the fissure, grabbed Jim's hand and pulled him away just as the Captain Flint's sword came down.
Sora hollered. "Yes!"
But Silver was not done. With Jim safe, he reached over, and grabbed Captain Flint by the neck. The heartless sword tried to cut Silver's arm, but it did little damage to his cybernetic hand. Silver threw Flint off the ship and out into a nearby laser beam, where Flint's remains and the heartless were vaporized into nothing.
Jim held on to the ship's railing, his wide open mouth changing into a smile.
"Silver, you just-"
"Gave up a lifelong obsession," Silver whipped his eye. "I'll get over it."
Silver reached over and grabbed the skiff. It was hanging over the fissure, seconds away from tipping into it. Jumping into the skiff with Jim, Silver moved under Locke and the trio. They slid into the skiff and held on. They sailed, weaving through the plasma lasers that burst up from the core. Up ahead, a swarm of darkball heartless appeared right outside the portal.
Donald fumed. "You have the worst timing! Firaga!"
Sora, Locke, and Jim joined Donald, firing the heartless one by one, but, like before, every time one of them went down, ten more appeared in their place. The skiff was only a few feet away from the heartless when-
"Chew on this, you puss filled boils!"
The RLS Legacy burst through the swarm. Captain Amelia balanced on the figurehead of the ship, firing, with perfect precision, with her laser rifle. She blasted a hole through the swarm.
"Doctor! A little further, we've almost got them!"
"Aye Captain," came Dr. Doppler's reply from the helm.
The ship rammed forward, piercing through the swarm. Amelia provided cover fire while Silver got the skiff close the the deck. Jumping off, the trio joined Amelia, while Jim, Locke and Silver helped Doppler at the helm. Together they reversed the ship, but as they sailed over the planet, more and more magma and fire burst through the rusted surface. A hot comet hit the underside of the ship, breaking off several of the thrusters.
Silver grit his teeth. "We're firing at only thirty percent!"
Doppler gave Amelia a defeated look. "We can't clear the planet's explosion at this speed."
Jim ran into the ship and came back up with his solar sailor. "Yes we can! Doppler, turn the ship around. We're going through that portal."
"Are you crazy! Need I remind you that there are all manner of creatures in the way and you want to fly us into an inferno of doom?"
"Yes, but I'm going to open a different door before we go through." Jim jumped on his solar sailor. "I just need cover!"
"Leave that to us," said Sora. Behind him, Donald, Goofy and Locke nodded.
"Captain, I really don't think-"
"Listen to the boy!" Silver lifted the solar sailor over the ship's railing, helping Jim up onto it.
"Whatever happens," Jim urged, "keep this ship heading for the portal."
Silver reached out and put his hand on Jim's shoulder. He gave the boy a pained look. Jim nodded at Silver, squeezing his hand. Once he let Jim go, Silver took a steadying breath and then ran to one of the cannons.
"Doctor, head us back to the portal," Captain Amelia ordered.
Doppler bit his lip, but turned the ship's wheel, chasing after Jim.
Jim flew like a bullet, weaving through explosions and laser fire. All around him, hot metal and heartless attacked, but still he kept going. From the mast, Sora, and Donald fired magic at the heartless, keeping them away from Jim. Meanwhile, Silver and Locke used the cannons to blast away the planet's debris before it could hit the ship. At her spot on the figurehead, Captain Amelia's sharpshooter skills kept the heartless at bay even though the ship lagged several yards behind Jim. They were almost at the portal, but a heartless caught the back of Jim's solar surfer, turning off the thruster.
Sora forgot to breathe as Jim fell. He jumped off the mast, leaned over the side of the ship, and would have fallen off if Donald and Goofy hadn't grabbed his legs. He watched Jim fall below. Gritting his teeth, Sora pointed his keyblade at Jim and concentrated.
"Firaga!"
The spell shot down below, but Sora couldn't see Jim anymore.
Then a speck appeared from the fissure. Jim shot upward, flew straight toward the green sphere, and pressed a button to change the portal. The gateway changed, the ship passed through. Sora raced to the stern, aimed his keyblade at the portal and locked it. The triangle closed, trapping the heartless on the other side with the exploding planet.
Jim flew around the ship, shouting, throwing his hands up in the air. Silver clapped, and waved his hat at the boy. When Jim touched down on the deck, Silver, the trio, and Locke lifted him up in the air. Only when Captain Amelia cleared her throat did they put him down.
"Unorthodox but ludicrously effective, Mr. Hawkins. I'd be proud to recommend you to the interstellar academy. They could use a man like you."
It turned out Silver had been right all along. Jim really did have greatness in him.
The crescent moon that the Legacy sailed toward wasn't a moon at all, but a port. Sora's jaw dropped when he noticed that the surface of the crescent was not smooth. In fact, it covered in houses, streets, pubs, and massive, domed shaped buildings. All kinds of ships sailed over and under the crescent city.
As they neared the empty space that served as a waterless harbor, Captain Amelia barked orders. Since the crew was reduced to only a few trustworthy hands, with several pirates tied up below deck, Doppler, Locke and the trio ran around getting the ship ready to dock. Midway through checking the sails, Sora realized that Jim was missing. While the remaining crew finished up the docking process, Sora slipped below the deck. He found Jim standing in the empty skiff hanger.
"What are you doing down here?"
Jim put his hands in his pockets. "Saying goodbye."
"To?"
"Silver."
"He's gone? You let him go?"
"Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same."
Sora closed his eyes, letting out a guilty sigh. "You're right. I would have. Since I started adventuring, I've seen so many people give in to the darkness, and so far, only one person has tried resisting it. When you told me that Silver betrayed you, I was so angry because I was sure that he was going to give in to the darkness."
"You've been though this kind of thing before?"
"With my best friend. He gave in, but, at the end, he helped me. Sure, Silver and Riku did a few bad things, but I don't think they're evil. There are people out there whose light can push back the darkness. I can't believe I forgot that. I have to believe that my friend can overcome it too."
"Maybe Silver and I kept each other's darkness away. I mean look at me." Jim smiled. "I wen't from a loudmouth that can't get anything right to interstellar academy material. Maybe you just need someone else to keep you grounded, to tell you of your potential, to remind you that you do have a future after all."
Sora beamed. "You're right."
Jim walked passed Sora, leading the way back to the deck. The Legacy had finally docked. Amelia was down below, talking to a robot constable. She looked up and gave Jim a wink.
"From now on, I'm going to chart my own course, just like Silver taught me. What are you going to do?"
Sora looked out into the port. "I have some unfinished business to take care of before I can go home."
"Well, make sure to come back here sometime. I've got to even the score."
"What?"
"We're four to three now. You really saved me with that fire spell of yours."
Sora shook his head. "Naw. We're even. You got us through the portal. Next time we meet, we'll start fresh."
"You got a deal."
After shaking hands, Sora watched Jim run down the ramp. A woman with the same blue eyes and smooth, brown hair waited below. Jim embraced her. Doppler stood near by, holding hands with Amelia, watching Jim with a proud smile.
Donald, Goofy, and Locke joined Sora.
"I've been on some crazy airships before, but nothing that compares to this." Lock said.
Goofy leaned against the railing, resting his chin in his hands. "Is that Jim's mom? It must be nice to return home after such a long journey."
"All that," Donald huffed, "and still no treasure."
"Come on, Donald," Sora offered a consoling smile, "we just had the craziest adventure together and you're still upset about the gold?"
"Yes! First the caves in the bayou, then Agrabah, and now this? I'm tired of losing the loot."
Locke dug into his pocket and pulled out a single gold coin. "Look what I got."
Donald snapped up the coin before Locke could blink.
"You really love gold, huh?"
Goofy covered his face to hide his giggles. "Like a duck with a vault."
Locke blinked. "What does that mean?"
Sora turned around to ask the same question but then closed his mouth. Rising out of the deck of the legacy was the door that led back to Castle Oblivion. His friends sobered at the sight of it.
Sora summoned his keyblade. "We've got a shadow man to take down."
"You got a plan?" Donald asked.
"Kind of?"
Goofy put his hand on Sora and Donald's shoulders. "We can beat him if we work together."
The three friends moved to stand in front of the door, but did not pass through it. Locke hadn't moved from the railing.
"Sorry. I'm not going back with you."
Donald and Goofy hung their heads. "Why?"
Sora stepped forward. "You'll be stuck here if you stay."
Locke pulled out the magicite from his pocket. "This world is so vast. I just know there is a way to bring Terra back. I'm sure I can find it if I explore this world. Plus, there's more pirate treasure out there to find."
Locke reached out and ruffled Sora's hair.
"You guys are getting close to the end. I don't think you need a lookout anymore."
"Next time we meet, you'd better help me actually find and keep some treasure."
"You got it."
Locke shook Donald's hand.
Goofy saluted. "Thank you for everything Mr. Cole."
Locke shook his head. "That formal stuff doesn't suit me." He faced Sora. "You're a lot stronger then when we first met in Agrabah. Don't stop your journey. You'd better give that old witch doctor a few good kicks for locking me up in that tarot card."
Sora grasped Locke's hand, squeezing hard. "You bet I will."
Jiminy's Journal
Captain Nathaniel Flint (First Appeared in Treasure Planet, 2002): A pirate legend that traveled around the galaxy stealing all sorts of treasure. His obsession with gold turned out to be his downfall, as he wasted away all alone with his loot, leaving only his skeleton behind to be corrupted by the heartless.
