"So, how'd you get here?" Kris asked Becca as they walked up the plank to the ship. Barbossa had started to call it Hunter's Helm. (Don't ask me why that name for that boat. It just sounded right.)
"Got into a fight with Harley and his gang. They pushed me hard, and when I thought I'd hit the pavement, I hit water instead. It hurt. These guys were here, oh, and Elizabeth, and I went with them. Only because Tia Dalma told them to take me, otherwise I might be fish food by now. Sailed with them to find Jack and you, found Jack, not you, and came to Tortuga where we saw Commodore Norrington who tried to lead us into a trap, where we found you." Becca took a deep breath and sighed, "So, here I am, and here you are."
"Does she do this often?" Will asked Kris.
"Occasionally." Kris smiled as Will and Becca continued through the boat, going into the lower levels, arguing. Jack stopped Kris and they walked to the railing instead. "Sooo, are you okay?"
"Fine luv. Seems you got into a bit of a fight with the Commodore, 'ay?" He turned her chin to see the cuts and the bruise.
"Yeah. I kicked him pretty good though. Right in the jaw. It made me feel better. Then that guy, Lord Beckett was there. He was unrelenting. Norrington did everything Beckett told him to do. Mainly interrogate me. I didn't tell him anything though, mainly because I didn't know myself." She turned to leave, but Jack grabbed her wrist. She gasped in pain.
Jack slowly uncurled his fingers from her forearm, and Kris watched his eyes narrow. "Who did this?"
"Beckett. I said that I wasn't really afraid of him, and that frankly, this all seemed like a dream. He asked me if it felt like one. Well, it kinda doesn't."
"Mr. Gibbs! Becca! Elizabeth! Will! On deck!" Jack screamed for them.
Kris, realizing what he was doing, tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let her. "Jack, no. Don't tell them."
"Yes Cap'n?" Gibbs said as they approached.
"Get some salve. We need to clean Ms. Walker's wounds."
"What is it Jack?" Will said as he, Elizabeth and Becca joined in.
"Go get some kind of bandage for the miss here. Elizabeth, you and Miss Hopkins come with me." Jack led them down into his cabin and sat Kris down on the bed.
"Jack, what's going on?" Becca asked suspiciously. She turned as Gibbs and Will joined them.
Jack looked down at Kris with eyes full of pain. Then he thrust her arm out for all to see. "Compliments of Lord Beckett." They all gasped.
"For the love of mother and child," Gibbs said softly.
"Why would he do this to her?" Will asked Jack, who didn't respond.
"That deceiving wretched little man!" Elizabeth started what would continue to be a long string of insults.
Becca stared curiously at all of them, "What does it mean?"
"The Royal Navy prides itself in ridding the oceans of pirates. When captured and before death, they are identified, so to say." Jack pulled back his sleeve and showed his arm to Becca. "The East India Trading Company brands all pirates they catch, so in case of escape, they would later be hanged if caught again. Only those most wanted to be killed, to be caught, are branded with this mark."
"Oh, Kris I'm so sorry."
"It's okay. It doesn't hurt as much as before."
Jack turned to the two women, "Go get her some new clothes. Clean and bandage that." They nodded as they started to walk Kris from the room. Before Elizabeth left, Jack stopped her, "Tell me if she's hurt anymore than what we can see." Elizabeth nodded as she hurried to catch up to the other girls.
"Jack, he knows that she will be with you. She's a threat to this ship!" Will told Jack who whirled around at his outburst.
"SHE is not the threat! Me, you, Gibbs, dear Elizabeth! We are all the threats! With that 'P' on her arm, Beckett made it clear that he does not care whether or not you are a pirate. If you associate yourself with one, you might as well be. We are all threats to the Royal Navy, today, tomorrow, from now on."
Will sat down, realizing that what Jack said was true. No one was safe any longer from the Navy, not with Beckett in charge. "What will we do? Where will we sail?"
"Captain, I have heard a rumor that many ports are being set up along America. I have a mate there who says it is not as bad as one might think. There are fewer Navy men there and not as much control. Perhaps we could head there?"
Jack thought for a moment and nodded, "Set sail for America. For now," he emphasized to Will, who's face dropped like a bag full of bricks, "We will seek shelter there. We will return to the Caribbean when we are no longer as big of a target." Gibbs nodded and ran off to tell Barbossa what Jack had said, while Will sulked out of Jack's cabin. A knock sounded after Will had left and Jack opened the door. "Dear Elizabeth. I never thanked you for chaining me to the Pearl to wait out my imminent death. I got out of those shackles just as said beastie enveloped my ship."
"How- never mind. You're Captain Jack Sparrow. That must explain it all."
"Aye. What news have ye?"
"She has some bruises on her shoulders, cuts on her back here and there, nothing bad. She has a couple gashes on her right leg. She said she got them when running. Norrington grabbed her ankle and she fell. It is believable. But Jack, there's something I think you should see. They didn't just brand her. They tattooed her as well."
"With what?" Jack seethed.
"Well, it's on her back. Right underneath her neck. It's, I think it's Chinese."
"For what?"
"As far as I know, I do not speak or read Chinese. None of the crew know it either, believe me. I do not know how Beckett knows it. He doesn't seem the type to go out and about to learn a different language."
"What do you think it means?"
"Can you read Chinese Jack?"
"No."
"Then I don't know what it means. You best hope that it's your name or pirate and not some secret code for 'kill me now'."
"Well, thank you Ms. Turner. You may go."
"Jack, it was the only way we could-"
"No Elizabeth. I knew what it wanted. I knew what I had to do. You decided to take it into your own hands and I respect that. I also respect that you respect my respects. Do you respect that?"
"What?"
"Exactly my point. You may go." Elizabeth shook her head and stormed out of Jack's cabin. He started removing things from his person. His hat, his sword, his gun, etc. It was a long day and everyone was heading off to bed, he should too. He could get rest while Barbossa commandeered the ship. Just as he was about to lie down, another knock sounded. "Come in."
Kris walked through the door. She was dressed in men's clothes, but he didn't think that one of those dresses Elizabeth was constantly in would be something Kris would wear. (So right there!) She gave him a little smile as she entered his cabin. "Hey Jack."
"Kris. I have been told that they used you fairly well. The Royal Navy has got a bit of pirate in them, but alas, we would never use such methods on a woman. They did wrong by many."
"It never really stops you know. The whole 'men are superior' thing. It still happens where I came from."
"Let me see it."
"Uh, um, well I'm not a man, but-"
"Not that. I meant your neck. Show me the tattoo."
"Oh, yeah, about that? Well, I really think that Elizabeth over exaggerated about who bad it is. I mean really, it's just a tattoo. You have quite a few."
"On my own accord, show it to me."
Kris backed towards the door, "See, the thing is, is that if they said that anyone found out about it, the next time around, it'd be worse, the whole torture thing I mean." Jack followed her. She backed up as far as she could, stopping only when she hit the door. "Really Jack, it's not that bad."
Jack had enough. He grabbed her wrists and spun her around. Holding an arm around her waist so she couldn't escape, he pulled back her hair and studied the tattoo. She tried to pull away from him, but he didn't release his hold. "Bugger. I know what the bloody thing says, and the snake gives it away." He finally released her and Kris stumbled forward, covering the marking as she did so.
"What? What do you think it means? Because they said that no one-"
"Traitor. That's what the snake's there for too."
"Oh. Yeah, that is it." She sat down on Jack's bed and he stared down at her, "Why me? Why did they want me? I told them I only just met you, and they take it like I've known you my whole life."
"You know more about me than most people on this ship luv. Start realizing that you're no longer in the same place you used to be. It is a new world where we are, and it just gets harder as we go along."
