Part 6- Dinner Conversation
(After everyone has rested for an hour, they all set off in search of their teammates. After walking for what seems like an eternity, everyone switches their search to food.)
Shotman: I don't suppose you carry emergency rations, do you?
Cyborg: Not really. Kinda short on pockets.
Shotman: I understand. (stomach growls loudly) Now I miss Déjà, even if he is an annoying little jerk.
Cyborg: Well, no problem. I should be able to catch something…
(Cyborg walks off and returns twenty minutes after with the body of some wild pig.)
Shotman: How did you catch that?
Cyborg: I didn't; couldn't spare the energy for a chase. I scared away some wild dog or whatever that had just killed it. Anyway, it's food!
(Cyborg creates a small pile of wood and ignites it with a blow-torch from his index finger. He raises the pig onto a make-shift spit then sits back to let it cook.)
Cyborg: There we go. Pork chops for dinner! This isn't all bad after all.
Shotman: I wish I could see it…
Cyborg: How did that happen? You in an accident or something?
Shotman: Oh no, not at all. I was born like this. I didn't always have this, however…
(Cyborg gasps as the Blind Shotman pulls the white band from his eyes. Underneath, there are cracks in his skin around his eyes, and the cracks as well as his eyes are brimming with a strange silver-colored light.)
Shotman: This is the effect on my physical body brought on by my Inner Eye. Though it has gone dark at the moment, it's effects have not. It was six years ago, in my homeland of Russia…
(The scene changes to just outside a small snow-covered house. A little girl and a large boy with cataracts in his eyes step outside. They speak to each other, but Shotman's voiceover is drowning out their conversation. This is just as well, since they are speaking Russian.)
Shotman: (voiceover) I will never forget that day. I was nine years old and extremely large for my age. My sister and I were playing on the porch of our house, when a friend of ours told us that a gypsy carnival had opened up nearby. Our parents didn't want us to go, but we snuck out. My sister guided me the whole way. In one of the booths, there was an old man who boasted the ability to see anything; past, present, or future. When my sister and I approached him, he saw immediately that I was blind. He told me that it was unfair that he could see everything while I could see nothing. He said that he would help me. He pulled out something, I'm not sure what, I never saw it, and I felt some type of sand or powder in my eyes. I tried to brush it out, but it sank in deeper. Then… I began to feel strange. Images began to fill my head, weird ones. I could see my sister beside me, and the old man who stood before me. I could even see the money in the little box behind him, and I could see my parents back at home, and somehow I knew that if we did not go back in five minutes, they would catch us. As the days went by, I got used to my new power. I was able to see absolutely anything I set my mind to. It occurred to me that this might even let me be the first blind man to become a marksman. When I realized this, I began practicing my aim by throwing pebbles at little tiny dolls as target practice. With the Inner Eye to guide my shot, I knew exactly where to throw, every time. Then, one day, I happened to look into what our village elder was up to. He was dealing in the black market, getting paid by evil men to hide their weapons in our village. When I told everyone, I was punished for my accusations and banished from the village.
Cyborg: No way!
Shotman: Yes. The very gift that I had been so pleased with had lost me my home. I wandered for weeks after, trying to figure out something to do with my life. My travels eventually led me to the ocean. As I sat by the seashore, I started throwing pebbles at sand crabs and seagulls, just to let off some frustration. That's when I met Echo. He and Photon had been sailing around in a tiny boat, when Echo happened to look over and see what I was doing. He was impressed with my aim, and wanted me to join him. I hesitated first; being a pirate would mean betraying all forms of justice. But then I remembered what justice in my home had been like and I agreed. The Captain stole some weapons for me that allowed my marksmanship a purpose. He took me in when I had nowhere else to turn. Since that day, Captain Echo has always been my friend.
Cyborg: He took you in? Just like that?
Shotman: As he did for all of the others. That is part of the reason we are so loyal to Echo. He took us in when nobody else would; he gave us a home, a purpose!
Cyborg: Maybe… just maybe… he's not such a bad guy after all. Huh? All right! It's done! You like pork ribs, big man?
Shotman: (smiling) I was a champion eater in my own country, my shiny friend.
(Elsewhere Beast Boy is waiting patiently while Medic goes to gather food. The ninja makes a quiet entrance and holds up a large leaf that he was using as a bag.)
Medic: This should make for a decent meal.
Beast Boy: Um… I'm sorry I waited this long to tell you, but I'm kinda… a vegetarian.
Medic: Really? Well, that is no problem… (opens the leaf to reveal a number of fruits and nothing else) …so am I.
Beast Boy: Sweet!
Medic: We ninja, you see, are very in-tune with nature. To eat one of her creatures is a crime I am not willing to commit.
Beast Boy: (pleased) You do get it! Hey, what's it like to be a ninja!? Do you have cool ninja powers, like in the movies!?
Medic: (looking slightly amused) No, no, nothing like that. And… as I have left my clan, I am not certain if I still have the right to call myself "ninja."
Beast Boy: Huh?
(Medic seizes a round, reddish fruit and begins his story as the scene changes to a long one-level building with a tiled roof. Inside, several people in identical blue uniforms are practicing a ninjutsu kata. One boy wearing thick glasses is singled out.)
Medic: (voiceover) I was born into a hidden clan of ninja deep in the mountains of Japan. I never really fit in for a number of reasons. First of all, there was my sight. I had the poorest vision in the whole village. Then there was the fact that I never really thought much of being a ninja. It was made boring by my natural talent. Since I was born, I have always been able to heal instantly from any type of injury or illness. Since I could not be hurt, the kill-or-be-killed world of the shinobi held no danger for me and no excitement. So, I made my own fun. While everyone else would be practicing, I would be listening to music, relaxing, generally having a good time… Eventually, the village leader demanded that I shape up and join the others in their work. So I left, and was banished forever. Normally, ninja who attempt to leave are hunted down and destroyed, but they know that I can not be easily killed, so they settled for banishing me. I traveled to Okinawa and used my healing talents to become an apprentice physician, but I was bored there too. My passion for enjoying myself had grown; I wanted adventure! So, when Echo came to me, requesting that I become the doctor for his pirate crew, I leapt at the chance. And I was right; being a pirate is the most fun I've had in my life.
Beast Boy: (suddenly angry) You go around stealing and killing, and you call that fun!?
Medic: Oh, please do not get us wrong! We do all our stealing in the name of our own personal freedom. As to killing, well, only Captain Echo has ever done that. But I can assure you, he was not in his right mind! The Fiend's Eye gives him enormous power at the cost of his sanity; he doesn't know he has killed someone until he replaces his patch. He doesn't approve of it himself.
Beast Boy: Well, if fun is what you're after, there are better ways…
Medic: Really!? Tell me!
Beast Boy: (chuckles) Medic, my friend, have you ever played a video game?
Medic: What is a "video game"?
Beast Boy: Medic, dude, you have got a lot to learn.
(On another part of the island, Raven is following Photon through the dense palm tree growth. Her robe has dried and she has resumed wearing it, although the hood is still missing.)
Raven: Are you sure you know where you're going?
Photon: Three things, shadow-witch: One, I am not the navigator of a ship for nothing. Two, while my power is gone, my ability to see in the dark remains with me. And three, don't talk to me unless I ask. And with that being the case, don't hold your breath.
Raven: Hmph!
Photon: Let's see… yes, there! That should do nicely.
(Photon leads Raven to a tree that is filled with yellowish fruit, possibly mangoes. He hauls himself into a branch, hesitates, then pulls Raven up after him. With the minimal room, they sit side by side on the branch and pull down several fruits. Photon edges away a little before beginning to eat.)
Raven: What?
Photon: Nothing, really. I just want to be sure you don't poison me while I'm looking away.
Raven: (growls angrily) All right, bright-eyes, what is it!? You've been sniping me since we got stuck here and as far as I know, I haven't done anything to offend you, so what is your problem!? And why do you keep hiding in that stupid jacket!?
Photon: Are you sure you want to know?
Raven: I think I made that clear.
Photon: All right… have a good long look!
(Photon removes his sunglasses, once again exposing his beacon-like eyes. He pulls off his gloves next. His skin is so white it seems to almost glow… He then removes his hat and his jacket in one swift motion. Raven gives a small gasp; Photon is wearing a sleeveless black shirt under the jacket, but most noticeable is that he has no hair at all on his scalp and every visible inch of his skin is indeed glowing almost as brightly as his eyes.)
Raven: I… take it you didn't always look like this?
Photon: Amazing! You've got some brains after all!
(The scene changes to a rural community nearby some mountains. A small boy is sitting in a field, staring at a book filled with strange symbols. His form is merely a dark silhouette, making it impossible to see what he truly looks like.)
Photon: (voiceover) My family is a powerful magician clan. All of us begin learning magic once we are of age. I spent, quite literally, every day of my life since I turned nine studying the shadow arts. It was my ambition to master their powerful magic and be the youngest to ever harness it. However, there was a constant thorn in my side in the form of a girl. She was always hanging around me, never leaving me alone. I still don't know why she was always there. However, interruptions and all, after two years of study and practice, I finally arrived at the final day of my training; to gain the mastery I desired, I was to spend an entire twenty-four hours meditating in total darkness. I had rolled a large stone across the entrance to the cave I was in and set about clearing my mind for the shadows to enter. And then, right at the final three hour stretch, that idiot girl rolled the stone away, saying that she was just so worried about me, alone in the dark… and the sunlight streamed in. I screamed at her to move the stone back, but by then it was too late; the spell had gone horribly awry and I had transformed into this. After that, while I had at least gained some incredible light magic, it was not the power I sought, and so I was not satisfied. Even worse, I could find no spell to change myself back. I was looked upon with contempt and fear because of my strange appearance. After all these years, I don't even remember how I used to look… As luck would have it, however, I met Echo shortly afterwards. He'd had some tragedy in his life as well. He didn't fear my appearance; he thought it and my powers were amazing. His power over sound impressed me as well. When he asked me to join him as the first member of his pirate crew, I didn't even hesitate. He was the first person I'd met in months that I felt I could trust. Over time, he became my very best friend. I didn't approve of his procuring Gemini, however; women are bad news. And then I discovered you… You, a girl, who wields the very art that I had worked so hard for… and lost, because of one stupid girl's meddling!
(Raven takes this information in and her expression softens slightly.)
Raven: I… I'm sorry for what happened to you. I know how that must have felt.
Photon: Know!? How could you possibly know!? Have you ever been forced into a life you didn't choose!? Have you ever had your dreams broken by the cruel hands of fate!?
(Raven hesitates, then responds.)
Raven: Actually……yes. Have you ever heard of Trigon?
Photon: Of course. A good portion of my studies was all about him. His cruelty is legend.
Raven: Well…
(Raven tells the light-man about her monstrous parentage.)
Photon: So… Trigon, the demon of evil and malice… is your father!?
Raven: Yes.
Photon: And, because of this, you are someday going to…?
(Raven nods somberly. Photon gets an expression on his face that suggests he is about to be sick. Then, for possibly the first time in his life, he bursts into wild laughter.)
Raven: What… what are you laughing at!?
Photon: Nothing, nothing, it's just…ha ha ha! …It's just that you're so right!
Raven: (totally nonplussed) I am?
Photon: Yes! You have it much worse than I do! That actually makes me feel a little better! Ha ha ha ha ha ha- ouch!
(Raven has just shoved him out of the tree; he landed on his skull. He flips over and glares up at her, rubbing his head.)
Photon: Cursed shadow-witch! What'd you do that for!?
Gee, I wonder… - The Cap'n
Raven: Glad to know my problems are so amusing! Just because you think you've got it rough because of some girl, that hardly gives you the right to take it out on the rest of us!
Photon: Well, now I've got even more reason to dislike you, don't I?
(In another area, near a small stream, Gemini and Starfire are handed large leaves, filled with fruit that has been cut very skillfully into a fine-looking salad.)
Starfire: How lucky it is that your cook is with us!
(Gemini's eyes are filled with suspicion. She glances at Starfire's leaf, then she seizes Starfire's wrist before she can eat.)
Gemini: Hold it, Starfire!
(Gemini pulls some shavings of a purplish-red fruit off the top of Starfire's fruit salad and sniffs them. Her face becomes angry.)
Gemini: Shaved passion fruit! Déjà, you sneaky little jerk!
Déjà: You are lovely when angry, Mademoiselle Gemini!
(Déjà Vu is sitting by the stream, pulling out large, live snails and slurping them out of their shells. Gemini turns away, looking incensed and revolted at the same time.)
Starfire: Is he always like that?
Gemini: He tried that when I first joined the crew; the little frog will do anything in hopes of getting a girl…
Starfire: But the Echo trusts him?
Gemini: Well, he does a good job with the… raids…
Starfire: You do not seem to care much for the stealing; how are you a pirate?
Gemini: Oh, that's a really long story… so I'll give you the short version.
(The scene shifts to a small seaside village. It shows a thirteen year old girl by the name of Colleen.)
This flashback shall be shown not in voiceover mode but in actual flashback mode, as will the next one. – The Cap'n
(A bell in a nearby building is ringing wildly. It is the village bank, and it is being robbed. As the two thieves move towards the exit, a black-haired girl moves into their path.)
Colleen: Hold it right there!
(The robbers simply laugh and make to brush past her. Colleen shuts her eyes and there are suddenly ten of her, all brandishing tonfa.)
Colleen: Yes! I did it, I did it, I-!
(Just then, the door behind her multiplies by twenty. The two thieves glance at each other, then run for it. Colleen focuses, succeeds in banishing the extra doors, then pulls her copies back into herself and makes to run after the bandits. However, a spider chooses that moment to descend on a thread of silk from the ceiling, right in front of her. Her face turns white, she screams, and there are suddenly about eighty of the same bug. Colleen shrieks even louder, then faints. When she awakens, she is back in her own home with her mother standing over her with a reproachful look.)
Mother: Colleen, honestly, why do you keep trying to play the hero? You know very well that you haven't got enough control over your powers to use them.
Colleen: But I've almost got it! I just need a little more practice and I can… Ah…Ah…Ah…AH-CHOO!
(When Colleen sneezes, the room is filled with clones of her.)
Mother: I stick by what I said before, Colleen; you are not ready. Give up the hero business until you've gotten better at control. And… pull yourself together.
(Colleen shuts her eyes and calls her clones back. Frustrated, she rolls over on her bed and goes to sleep. Some hours later, she awakens to find herself being roughly tied up in the dark.)
Colleen: Hey, what-!?
Man: Constantly helping the thieves get away, multiplying their weapons, and now giving the bank a new bug problem… Sorry about this, Miss Sentry, but you are more trouble to this village then you're worth.
(Colleen begins to protest again, then passes out from a sharp blow to the back of her head. When she next awakens, the sun is shining, and she finds herself on a small, barren rock in the middle of the sea.)
Gemini: (voiceover) My village had decided that I was too dangerous to keep around. They left me to die on that rock. They almost succeeded too. Two days later…
(Colleen is sitting on the rock, rasping through her dry throat and cringing as her stomach rumbles with hunger.)
Colleen: How could they…?
(As the hot sun beats down on her, she begins to feel even more sickly. Finally overcome by heat and hunger, her vision goes hazy and she slumps down on the rock. Right before passing out, she could swear that she sees a big ship off in the distance with a skull-and-crossbones flag…)
Gemini: (voiceover) I kept swinging in and out of consciousness after that.
(Colleen begins hearing things like, "Okay, Mister Medic, do yer thing.", and "No, Mister Photon, ye can't chuck her overboard." When she finally regains consciousness, she is in a bed and she sees a boy with thick glasses staring at her.)
Medic: Ah, welcome back. We thought you would not make it for a second there. It has been roughly six hours since we found you and you have slept the whole time. You appear to be fine now. However, by the looks of you, you could do with some food. Do you feel well enough to eat? Déjà Vu has just prepared a good-sized meal in the galley.
Colleen: Um… where am I?
Echo: (Appearing at the doorway) Yer onboard me ship, miss. (Performs a gentleman-style bow) Pirate Captain Aidan "Echo" McQuain, at yer service.
Colleen: (shrinking back) Pirate!?
Echo: (Laughs loudly) Please don't be frightened, miss. I didn't go to the trouble of pluckin' ye outta the water like a drownin' bilgerat just to make ye walk the plank!
Medic: (whispering) Have no fear. It was Captain Echo who saw you and gave the order to save you from that rock. He will not hurt you, or let you be hurt while you are on this ship.
Colleen: (relaxing) Um… sorry I freaked out. My name is Colleen Sentry. Thank you for saving my life.
Echo: Think nothin' of it, Miss Colleen. Now, come along, ye look half-starved!
(Echo and Medic lead Colleen to the ship's galley where a long wooden table is set up. A boy with blond hair wearing a tall chef's hat is putting out trays of food, a boy who is covered in black clothing looks over at her, then turns sharply away, and a huge boy is waiting patiently at the table. Colleen sits next to the giant boy, who smiles at her.)
Shotman: Welcome aboard, little one!
Colleen: Um… hello…
Déjà: Hello indeed, Mademoiselle! Would you care to let me- whoa!
(Photon chooses this moment to create a bar of solidified light near Déjà's ankles. Déjà trips and the knife he'd been carrying goes flying at Colleen, who ducks just in time; Photon snaps his fingers in disappointment. However, in her moment of panic, Colleen let one doppelganger of herself slip out.)
Medic: Hm? Captain…?
Echo: Well now! Looky here lads! Gemini, the twins!
Gemini: (voiceover) In that moment, my fate and my new name were sealed. The Captain began teaching me how to control my powers. It turns out that learning to control his own had been very similar. I was overjoyed; nobody had ever been able to make it so easy to understand! Between lessons, I would wait on the ship while the Captain led the others to steal things. While they were out, I would practice Echo's teachings on people who tried to enter the ship. It was sort of my way of thanking the crew for all they were doing for me. Some months later, Captain Echo called everyone to the main deck for an announcement.
Echo: Crew, I have good news for all of ye!
Photon: We're ditching the girl?
Déjà: I get to have her!?
Echo: Pipe down an' let me finish! Miss Gemini… Congratulations! Yer in!
(Echo holds up a black jacket that has been modified to fit Gemini)
Gemini: What?
Echo: In! One of us! A member of the crew! That is… if ye want…
Gemini: Well…
(Gemini thinks back on how her village had treated her and decides that a pirate life would not be so bad in comparison.)
Gemini: Okay! Count me in!
(Gemini takes the jacket and slips it on.)
Echo: All right! In recognition of yer skill that Mister Shotman has been telling me about… I declare ye our new ship's guard!
(Cheers go up from the others, except Photon, who is scowling under all of his cover.)
(Scene shifts back to present moment)
Gemini: I couldn't just say no. And I don't regret it, even now. I owe Echo so much; my life, my new home, my control over my powers... No one had ever been so kind to me before. That's why…that's why…!
(Gemini turns away from Starfire as her face glows red again.)
Starfire: (placing a hand on Gemini's shoulder) I understand.
Gemini: Then again… maybe I'm just fooling myself… It seems like Echo doesn't see me as anything more than one of his crew…
Starfire: I think that maybe he does.
Gemini: What do you mean?
Starfire: You did not see him when you were hurt… I have seen very few people ever become that angry.
Gemini: Really!? (thinking) Maybe… he really does…
(There is a loud slurping noise from the direction of the stream as Déjà Vu continues his attack on the mollusk population.)
Starfire: And… what is his story?
Gemini: Oh no! We're not even getting into that! Shotman told me once and I wish he hadn't! All you need to know is that the Captain found him at a circus and believe me, he belonged there!
(By the stream, Déjà belches loudly, blows a kiss to the two teenage girls, and resumes eating. Gemini shudders.)
Gemini: See what I mean?
Starfire: He reminds me a little of Beast Boy…
Gemini: No way! There's someone else like him!? Tell me!
(The scene follows the stream to it's source; Echo has finally awoken and he and Robin have found a small waterfall with several fruit trees growing around it.)
Echo: Food and fresh water! We've struck gold!
Robin: Don't you ever think about anything but treasure?
Echo: Why should I? Eyes on the prize, Robin, that's how I'll become the most feared pirate in all the world!
Robin: Why? Didn't you used to be a cadet for the Navy?
Echo: That…that's ancient history.
Robin: Something happened to you, didn't it? It was more then just an accident. What really happened that night that changed you from a Navy hopeful to a pirate? What are you hiding?
Echo: (stares right at Robin) If ye really want to know... I'll tell ye. But be warned; this is no happy story. It is a tale of great pain and great loss.
Robin: I can handle it.
Echo: Alright, ye say so…
This story is very graphic at this point, so all of you under the age of thirteen can just clear off! You heard me, get lost! – The Cap'n
(The scene shifts to a town near a thriving port. The time is seven years ago, and the story revolves around a nine-year old boy by the name of Aidan.)
That's pronounced "a-den", you illiterate fools. – The Cap'n
Echo: (voiceover) Me mum had died when I was three. I grew up with me Pa, learnin' the way of the Naval Marines. I swore that someday, I would grow up and become a great Captain, just like him.
(The scene shows a ship, and a small boy with red hair and aquamarine eyes. He is being spoken to by a burly man with the same hair.)
Father: Remember Aidan, be it friends, family or otherwise, if ye care about somethin', ye protect it, no matter what the cost. That is the way of the Navy!
Aidan: (giving a sharp salute) Aye-aye Cap'n!
Echo: (voiceover) Things were lookin' up fer me. Pa had let me become a cadet even though I was only nine. It looked like me dream would be realized. Then… the pirates came.
(The ship is now out at sea and is being fired on by a ship flying the skull-and-crossbones.)
Hey, I told all of you twelve-and-under people to beat it! I mean it, scram! – The Cap'n
Father: Aidan, get someplace safe! Come on men, they'll not be takin' our ship on this Cap'n's watch!
Echo: (voiceover) I hid, like Pa told me to. Ducked into the Captains quarters. The pirates slowly overtook our sailors, one by one. An' as I watched, the pirate captain slaughtered me Pa.
(While Aidan stares out the window, his father is impaled with a sword right through the heart. The blade is pulled out and his father falls to the deck.)
Aidan: No!
(The pirate captain, a tall man with bad teeth and a three-cornered hat looks up and sees Aidan peering through the cabin window. He grins evilly and kicks the door in. He swings his sword three times and Aidan screams horribly as his left eye is cut to shreds.)
Captain: Be grateful boy; I'll let you live with that.
Echo: (voiceover) They left with a cannon shot to our ship. As the ship began to sink, I found me Pa. He was already long dead. And as I stared at his body, a strange feeling came over me. That was when I first discovered me power over sound itself.
(Aidan lets out a scream of mixed rage and sorrow as tears flow from his remaining eye. As the scream comes out, a section of the deck shatters. Aidan looks amazed, then tries again; a new section shatters. Aidan puts his hands together and imagines a cannon. A huge blast of concentrated sound issues forth from his palms. Aidan then gets an idea.)
Aidan: The rowboat is still here. I can go after em… an' with this new ability, I can make em all pay! Huh!? Unnnh…
(The loss of blood is beginning to weaken Aidan.)
Echo: (voiceover) It was at that moment that the most frightenin' thing I'd ever seen appeared before me. It called itself… a Fiend.
(The creature towers over Aidan and no part of its real body can be seen except its red eyes. The rest of it is completely shrouded in the shadows. It brushes a small part of it's body that could be a type of hand past Aidan's face and the bleeding stops.)
Fiend: You have displayed quite a talent, young human. And there is more anger and lust for blood in your heart right now then any I have ever seen. So pay close attention, because I have a proposition for you. Use your new ability to drown your enemies in their own blood within the next hour. If you succeed, I shall save you from bleeding to death and grant you a marvelous gift. Fail and you will die bleeding from your left eye. One hour- go!
(Aidan does not quite understand, but heads to the rowboat. He ditches the oars, then fires a burst of sound at the water to get moving. Within seconds he has caught up with the pirate ship. He climbs aboard, and it is then, as the eyes of all the pirates lock onto him, as all of the pain and trauma that he has received overwhelms him that it first happens; his eye twists into a crazy expression and an insane laugh escapes his throat. He then raises his hands and blasts the nearest person. He swings his arm at three others, creating a blade of sound that decapitates them. He carries on like this for roughly ten minutes, blasting people through walls, separating their upper and lower bodies with sound blades, and generally causing a lot of chaos. The whole time, his lips remain fixed in the same strange, chilling smile and the laughter pours out of him in a never-ending stream…)
Echo: (voiceover) Me mind had totally snapped. I was like some type of vengeful dark god, the way I tore through all of em. An' then I found me primary target; the pirate captain.
Aidan: (voice has a raspy tone) Hello there. Nice night, isn't it? Care fer some music?
(Aidan whistles sharply at the man. The pirate covers his ears to drown out the increasing noise, but he is trapped in the tunnel of sound as Aidan increases the pitch. The boy raises it higher and higher until there is a sharp popping noise and the pirate captain falls dead at his feet, blood flowing from his ears. Aidan falls to his knees, exhausted, and his wild bloodthirst subsides. It is then that the Fiend appears behind him.)
Fiend: I set you an hour's task and you succeeded in ten minutes; you're a natural, boy!
(The Fiend indicates the numerous corpses on the deck. Any spot not occupied by a dead body is stained crimson with blood.)
Fiend: Now for your reward; I present to you the Eye of the Fiends!
(The Fiend puts it's hands together and a glow starts between them. Inside the ball of light, what seems to be a round black stone appears. The central part of this stone is gleaming with soft green light. The Fiend grips the dark artifact in one hand and grabs Aidan with the other. It pulls back the Eye and thrusts it into Aidan's empty eye socket. Aidan screams in sheer agony and puts both hands over the Eye.)
Kids! Try this! Take your five favorite types of acid, mix in some salt, add coarse grain sand, and finally, some Tabasco sauce. Now gouge out your left eye with a spork, set your mixture on fire, and dump it into your eye socket. Allow to sit for thirty seconds. You now have a fraction of an idea of what Aidan is currently feeling. Remember- You should always have adult supervision when playing with acid! – The Cap'n
Echo: (voiceover) I thought I'd go mad from the pain. Then it subsided, an' I began to feel…powerful…
(Aidan removes his hands and it can now be seen that new skin has grown around the Eye, forming the jagged scar.)
Fiend: With this artifact in your head, you will be unstoppable. However, I should warn you that being mortal will cause you to be under severe strain while using it's power.
Aidan: What exactly does it do?
Fiend: Your power over sound will be amplified to unbelievable levels- and that's just the beginning! You will be able to create illusions through singing- Whatever you sing, others will be forced to see and feel. Finally, if you can tap into the power it will take, and collect the necessary blood sacrifice to our kind, you can even create reality with the power of your Eye! Since you are not an all-powerful Fiend, however, that particular ability will only work three times in all the time you have this Eye. After the third time, you will die. So remember; use it wisely. Farewell to you, Aidan McQuain.
(Scene shifts back to present moment)
Echo: I never saw the creature again after that. But killin all those pirates like that had put a black mark on me record. The Navy wouldn't let me join after I had unleashed such a brutal attack. So I changed me dream! If I couldn't join the Navy, I'd become a pirate an' become more terrible than all the other pirates in the world fer what that one crew did to me! I'd be feared throughout the planet! So I practiced with me newfound power fer two years, then set out to gather a crew of the strongest there was. I used the power of Reality fer the first time to make the world's most powerful pirate ship! But I discovered that the gift was also a curse… To create the Reality, I have to sacrifice the collected blood of five people; the Eye saves what I collect an' releases it as necessary. An' even worse… whenever I uncover me Eye… the rage and bloodlust of that fateful night rises up in me again… and I completely lose control.
Robin: And during our battle… you used your power of Reality for the second time… so that means…
Echo: Aye; once more, an it's off to Davy Jones Locker fer this sea dog.
Robin: I'm sorry to hear about your family… both of my parents are gone too…
Echo: Robin, ye seem like an okay guy. If we get off this island alive, remind me that I promised here an now to leave yer city alone in the future.