Chapter 18: The Deepest Circle of Hell
The siege continued on for a whole of eight days. There was one point where a small group of British soldiers attempted to assault the French gun line, which failed miserably.
The idea, however, sparked General Depp's imagination. He proposed to General Washington that he and a small group of men sneak into the city, and attempt to knock out as many batteries of the enemies', as well as enemies, as they could.
Washington balked on many reasons, the only one he voiced being that there was no way to get in. Jack explained his idea for entering the city, which involved several longboats, several weapons, and a couple of powder kegs.
Washington reluctantly approved it.
Under cover of night, three longboats descended the banks of the York River. They then descended into it, carrying with them Jack Sparrow, John Depp, Will Turner, Elizabeth Turner, James Norrington, AnaMaria, Pintel, Ragetti, and Mera and Amy Sparrow.
They came up in the port, mercifully undetected. Jack assumed that if they weren't detected there, they'd be fine.
The city was already turned into Hell.
Fires burned everywhere. There was the constant whistle of cannon fire coming inward, and the loud bang of cannon going outward.
They intended to remedy that last situation.
They flipped the boats over, and retrieved the weaponry they brought with them.
Jack reached in, taking out a pistol, and a rifle, which he slung on his back with a strap. He then took three more pistols, stuffing them in various belts and pockets of convenience.
John was armed with five pistols, plus his trusty double-barreled, bayonet-tipped pistol. He also carried two swords, and had two rifles on his back, held on by bandoleers, and carried his sniper's rifle. He looked wistfully at the final two weapons in his boat, and then stuffed the tomahawks into his belt. Perhaps the hatchets would be of use.
Will carried only two pistols, but all manner of swords holstered on his back, at his belt, and one rifle slung on his back, plus several throwing knives he'd developed—nasty things that were as silent as they were deadly.
Elizabeth knew the uses of pistols, and more particularly, their use in the right hands. She left the pistols, slinging one rifle on her back, and arming herself with three swords.
Pintel and Ragetti armed themselves each with two pistols, a rifle, a sword, and a knife in their teeth.
James and AnaMaria armed themselves with swords—their specialties—and a pistol and rifle each.
The last of the group, the Sparrow girls, carried two swords, four pistols each, and a rifle, plus some strangely exotic weapons they had had Will craft for them. The others knew better than to ask their purposes.
They knew this was not going to be pretty, and that some of them most likely wouldn't be making it back out.
John affixed silencers to all his weaponry, tightening the one on his rifle. "Hell, tonight's as good a night as any to die."
"Alright, group," Jack spoke. "Break by pairs, and make merry Hell. Any soldiers you kill, take their ammunition and powder. Stash their weapons in doorways; you'll probably need them for your escape. It's party time." He and Depp moved off together as Will and Elizabeth kissed once before moving on.
Pintel and Ragetti stared at each other for a moment before both started crying and embraced once in a backslapping hug. Ragetti fixed his wooden eye in place, and slipped into the night.
Amy and Mera nodded at James and Ana, then vanished to the rooftops.
James loaded his pistol, and cocked it, looking at Ana. "See you in the next life, Ana."
"Likewise, James." She smiled with a feral predator's smile, and then moved.
Jack moved ahead, climbing the latticework of an abandoned building. On the roof, he grabbed the rifle from John, allowing him to climb up. He then patted John on the shoulder and said, "I'll be bait. You watch my back." John nodded as Sparrow slipped off into the night.
Amy and Mera slipped around the corner of a wrecked home. They watched the small British patrol run by. Smiling evilly, Mera stepped forward, pulling out two foot-long iron bars that were attached to others of similar design by a small chain—one large enough for the second bar to spin very quickly, but small enough to remain out of the way when not in use.
She nodded to Amy, who lit her 18th-century grenade and lobbed it into the redcoat's midst. The moment it exploded, Mera leapt in, swinging her toys viciously, cracking ribs, breaking necks, and smashing in heads.
Within seven seconds, the entire group was on the ground, dead or dying fast.
Their momentary mission accomplished, the twins moved onward towards the cannon line.
Jack dashed through the streets, occasionally glancing at the rooftop where John lay, covering his mad dash. He continually encountered lone soldiers, shooting them, and reloading his pistols as often as he could. He then encountered what he had been looking for; an officer right behind a group of men that was sporadically spaced. He ran up behind the man. He then turned, and when he did, there was a moment where surprise flickered across his face.
Then Jack shot him.
The group scattered all about, trying to find him. They were horridly confused that men, for reasons unknown, kept falling over when they were under cover.
Jack ran forward, leaping over one cover, and stabbed the man behind it. In one fluid motion, he took the man's rifle and shot another that was aiming at him.
Then he froze.
A soldier stood above him, rifle cocked.
Everything slowed down.
He saw the man's finger tense.
Then he saw the man's head explode.
The soldier fell over as Jack looked up at John, who only waved. Jack nodded, and went onward.
Elizabeth stood in a doorway, covering her husband as he ran forward. He then ducked into a door as he heard feet approach. Then he looked.
It was Pintel and Ragetti.
He gave them some of his throwing knives, and whispered, "Chuck these straight at them. It'll go straight in." He then dashed forward at the group he had been shadowing. He then drew his swords and waved them in a cross, the signal.
Pintel and Ragetti began throwing.
As Will sliced and diced, he watched with professional pride as his knives made a quiet swish sound as they shot forward into men's guts, chests, legs, hands, necks, heads.
Then there was a thunk.
He looked down at his boot, which had a knife handle sticking out of it. He could feel the cold blade right next to his leg. It seemed the thing had skimmed his skin just close enough to draw blood, but it wasn't wedged in. He glared at Pintel, who looked guilty, and mouthed, oh, nice.
Sorry, was the reply.
Grunting, Will ripped the thing out. Then he spun and lunged, sending his right leg back as his right arm came down, whipping his hand.
A Brit fell over backwards, the knife protruding from between his eyes.
Will looked at Pintel, who now stood next to him, and said, "That is what they do in the hands of a professional."
As Will walked onward, he didn't see Pintel move his lips very quickly in a mocking fashion, saying, "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah."
James kicked the door out, swinging his rifle first left, then right. It was clear. He nodded. Ana slipped from behind him into the street, and covered him as he reloaded his pistol. They then ran down the street, swords drawn, after the Sparrow girls. Once they caught up with them, they offered a small change in plan, at which Amy balked until Mera cracked a grin.
The girls climbed up onto the rooftops and then nodded down at James and Ana. The four of them ran in parallel lines as James and Ana opened fire on a group of soldiers. They then ducked behind cover as Amy and Mera moved on. With them being focused on the adults, they did not notice two black-clad girls drop behind them, and swing katanas into their formations. They were stumped, trying to divert their attention between the girls who sliced them apart and the couple who blasted them to bits.
Then they moved on. Amy admitted sulkily, "Okay, it works."
Jack arrived at a street facing a small group of cannon. He drew his sword, and spun it 'round twice in the air, signaling Depp to come down and assist him. Depp leapt off the rooftop he stood on, and jogged over to Sparrow. The two stealthily moved up, and slit the throats of a group manning a cannon. They then wheeled it back into the alley, juggling the necessary equipment along the way. Jack then loaded it, and, getting clear, nodded at John.
He lit the cannon.
It fired into the group, sending all manner of parts both human and cannon flying, and the large collection of powder kegs blew, sending a tall pillar of fire into the air.
By the time the smoke cleared, the rogue cannon had vanished into the back alleys.
Mera smiled as she watched Jack and John in their actions. She beckoned to the other three, who crept forward. Ana carried a powder keg. Amy and Mera shot forward, taking gun crew by gun crew, until two minutes later, there stood a row of ten guns empty.
At each station, one took a moment to knock a keg of powder over, and spread it out a bit into the street before joining the other one. Then Ana, covered by James at all times, was nodded to. Both dashed out from cover, Ana spreading the contents of her barrel, being very careful to get the ends of the powder trails leading from each station.
Then, at the end of the line, going into another alley, her keg ran out. The girls dashed to them as James lit the powder, than ran after the girls.
Up on the hillside, General Henry Knox watched in slight alarm as he watched an entire row of cannon go silent. He pulled his field glasses out, and observed the line. No soldiers coming forth. Then what—
BANG. BANG. BANG.
Ten pillars of fire shot up into the air, one at a time, in a row, as each cannon station's powder magazine blew.
Knox grinned. Damn, but those pirates are good.
A/N: End of the War is coming very soon! And the next chapter, I'm going to ask for a LOT of reader input at the end of it. Ye be warned. REVIEW! Please?
