Treasure Planet part 6
He's a pirate!
TW: Guns (lots of 'em)
"Blast it all to hell!" Silver roared, firing a long burst of his miniature arm cannon into the surrounding hoard. His leg had jammed painfully, leaving him kneeling in the center of the fray. Around him, the other pirates scurried and squabbled, taking on swarms of Flutterlings and Possessors. Shadows crawled everywhere, seething out from the forest at their backs. The sailors had nearly exhausted their ammunition, but Silver did his best to rally them, calling out orders and warnings in turn. Alternating between bolts of fire and sweeps of his saber, he kept the space around him clear. He'd be damned if all his ambition and tenacity and sacrifices died with him and his crew here. He just hoped he'd be able to maintain this until sunrise. Surely the wretched creatures would abate by then.
Motion in the distance caught his eye. He turned just in time to bat back a Possessor as well as see the key-wielding teenager charging towards them. After obliterating the Heartless still flying around his head, he brought two fingers to his lips and let out a loud whistle.
"Look sharp, lads! We've got company!"
By the time he'd said it, Sora had reached them. He carved through an Invisible, letting the motion take him up and over the couple of pirates who had turned to meet him. Keeping clear of the confused and equally confusing looking crew, he wound up back to back with Silver.
"Looks like you could use a hand," he quipped, grinning at the old salt over his shoulder.
"How kind of you, lad!" Silver bantered back, unable to completely keep the stress of battle from staining his tone. They didn't speak any more, focused on the struggle playing out around them. There was a veritable hoard invading the camp, all pureblood Heartless with smokey black skin and bright yellow eyes. With Sora's help, they managed to make short work of the mob. Some of the pirates took note of the shining pink hearts that soared into the sky following the Keyblade's bite.
Grinning, panting, Sora turned to make sure everyone was in one piece. "Is this everybody?" he asked Silver.
"Aye, it is," he replied with a nod. "Thanks to you. Good work lads!" he added, beaming at his crew.
"Takes more than that to snuff us out," grumbled a heavyset crewmate with two pairs of horns. A few of the others agreed, though all of them were watching Sora uneasily.
The teenage boy was oblivious. He headed to Silver, looping the cyborg's metal arm over his shoulders.
"Thank ye, lad," Silver said as Sora helped him stand.
"No problem," Sora replied, ignoring the shaky weakness in his own legs as the adrenaline from the fight began to wear off.
There was a sudden flash of gold. In front of Sora and Silver, an egg-shaped portal of light bloomed. Not a second later, Jim stepped out of it and it vanished, folding in on itself. The teen looked around, frowning.
"Jimbo?" Silver asked, as startled as everyone else.
"Where's Kairi?" Sora asked immediately, half drowning out Silver's question. Jim glanced between him and the old pirate, expression guarded.
"Dunno. We went through the portal together," he said tensely. His right hand opened and closed, and he wished he hadn't tucked his gun back into his belt. "Why are you here?" he asked Sora.
The other boy glanced to the side. "Oh, uh, I just went for a walk, and these guys were in trouble, so I came to help," he finished, flashing a half-hearted grin.
"By yourself?" Jim asked. Sora shrugged in response.
"And where have you been, lad?" Silver cut in, a huge, wheedling smile on his face and in his words.
"None of your business," Jim snapped automatically.
"Oh, I think it might be," the old pirate said, and as he spoke he shifted his arm from an arm to a saber, the sharp edge of the blade pressed against Sora's throat.
"Really?!" Sora groused, glaring over at the pirate.
Silver ignored him. "It's nearly dawn, boyo. What'll it be? The map? Or your friend here?" As he spoke, the other pirates fanned out, penning Jim in from behind.
Jim glowered at him, hand straying towards his pistol. "I don't have it."
"Ah ah, none of that," Silver barked, bringing the teen up short. Jim dropped his hand.
Silver continued, "Can't imagine where you and the young miss'd be off to by portal… unless Morphy was up to his old tricks again. He's a scamp, that one! Fooled us both. But you can't fool me, lad. It's in yer pocket." He nodded at the slight but noticeable shape protruding from Jim's left hip. His pants were baggy and loose, but not quite loose enough to completely conceal the little sphere.
Silver kept talking. "So how about a trade? You give me the map, and your friend here goes free. Nice and simple, no tricks."
"I've got a trick for you," Sora muttered, summoning the Kingdom Key. Silver heard the sound, saw the flash of light, and thought fast. He brought his metal elbow down on a particular point of Sora's neck. The teenager dropped hard, weapon bouncing out of his hands. It vanished in a burst of light a moment later. Changing out the sword for a cane, Silver stalked forward. He planted his cane over Sora, right by his neck, leaning hard on it and looming over the unconscious boy. Around Jim the pirates pressed closer, jeering.
Jim's lips curled away from his teeth. He was breathing hard, heartbeat in his ears. Never taking his eyes off Silver, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the map. "Here," he spat, tossing it at the old pirate.
He caught it clumsily, one-handed and struggling on a leg that would only half support him. Still, once the ball was in his hand he backed up. "He's all yours," he said magnanimously, smiling wide.
Jim darted forward, scooping Sora up by his arms. The unconscious boy was heavy, legs dragging as Jim pulled him further away from Silver. He stopped when he nearly backed into Turnbuckle, a towering pirate with four tentacle-esque arms and four similar legs. He glared down at the teenagers from two reedy eye stalks, appendages up and threatening. On either side were four more pirates, preventing any real chance at escape.
Meanwhile, Silver was trying to access the map. Twisting and turning it produced nothing. Running a set of more delicate gripping mechanisms over it yielded nothing either. There were portions that depressed, but they didn't seem to have much effect. So he traded that out for a clamp and really bore down on the metal ball. It didn't budge. Glancing up, he saw Jim's stubborn glare. The teenager also wore the slightest smirk. Silver stalked forward, leaning heavily on his arm cane. Jim tried to back up again, but Turnbuckle gripped his shoulders, holding him fast. Dead-weighted with Sora and surrounded by enemies, it wasn't like he could have gone anywhere anyway.
Silver snatched the Keybearer up by his collar, using his cyborg strength and Jim's surprise at the sudden action to his advantage. He shoved the map into the boy's chest, forcing him to grab it. They scowled at each other.
"Open it," Silver snapped, his mechanical eye glinting red through his narrowed lids. Jim stared him down, until the pirate swapped out his metal hand for a pistol. "I'd get busy," he recommended, pressing the muzzle to Sora's temple.
—
Kairi stepped through the portal door with a smile on her face. The glowing golden door shut behind her as she took in the room. The fire was lower, crackling and warm, and Riku, Captain Amelia, Dr. Doppler and B.E.N. lay around it. They were slowly rousing, awakened by the portal's ethereal sound.
She turned to Jim, wanting to grin at him in celebration. They'd made it back, map in hand, a perfectly successful mission.
But Jim wasn't there. Which meant neither was the map.
"Where's Jim?" Riku asked, first to rise and first to reach her.
She frowned, looking around, and noticed someone else was missing. "Where's Sora?"
"I left him on watch," Amelia informed them, eyebrows raised. Riku pressed his lips into a thin line, glancing out the door into the night. Kairi fiddled with the bracelets on her wrist.
"Jim should have been with me," she said. "We went through the portal together."
Riku turned his attention back to her, expression softening slightly. "You made that?"
"Mmhm," she murmured, nodding. "A corridor of light." She couldn't help the little proud smile that crossed her face and lit up her eyes.
Dr. Doppler cut in-between Riku and Kairi. "But he's not with you now?" he asked worriedly, referring to Jim. "So where did he end up?"
Kairi looked down, processing.
"Who were you thinking about when you made the portal?" Riku asked her, assuming light corridors would work the same way as dark ones.
"You and Sora," she responded right away, lifting her head.
Riku nodded once. "But Sora and I weren't in the same place."
"Oh!" Kairi said, getting it. "So he ended up wherever Sora is."
"Right. We find Sora, we find Jim."
"Were you two successful?" Amelia asked Kairi.
"Yes, ma'm. Though… the map is with Jim." She glanced from the captain to Riku, debating if she should say more. But she wasn't afforded time.
"Do either of you have any idea where he might have gone?" Doppler asked them. He wasn't any less fretful, wringing his hands and frowning at the teenagers.
"Probably just for a run," Riku answered, expression going flat in a way Kairi specifically did not like. "He wouldn't have gone far."
"Then I suggest we find them quickly," Amelia replied.
The group filed outside, peering out into the darkness with varying levels of low light vision. The captain and B.E.N. could see fairly well, but the other three were left without much information, aside from whatever was in the twin beams of light shining from the robot's eyes. Both Riku and Kairi expected an apologetic Sora to come running up at any moment. But he didn't appear.
Riku stopped them before they reached the bottom of the hill. "Something's not right. He should be here."
"We could call him," Kairi suggested, clutching her necklace. "Sora should have his Gummiphone."
"Alright, but inside," he insisted. The feeling of darkness, thick and cloying, was growing, and he didn't want Doppler and B.E.N. stuck in the middle of another Heartless attack. They did as he said.
Once they were back by the fire, both teens pulled out their phones.
"You should call him," Riku murmured, not meeting Kairi's eyes.
"Did something happen?" she asked, selecting Sora's number from her contacts. The only response she got from Riku was a shrug. Still, the older boy moved to stand behind her, his face hovering over her shoulder in the video chat window. The call rang, and rang, and rang.
"Something's wrong,' Kairi said, hanging up. Her free hand was fiddling with her necklace again.
"What now?" Dr. Doppler asked. The poor scholar was clearly distressed.
"Can you make another portal?" Riku asked her. She frowned, then dug through her pocket and pulled out an ether. Downing the glowing blue drink, she wiped off her lips with the back of her hand. Extending an arm, she focused, thinking of Sora. Blue eyes and spiky brown hair and a smile that almost always ended up tipping his head to one side, the way he laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back on one heel. How the ghost stories he told were never scary, and how his fingers felt against her waist when he sent her out for a spin. The way his magic felt when they worked it together, and the breathless way he laughed as he hurled through a fight, defying gravity itself. The way he said her name and Riku's and never, ever ever would stop believing in the three of them and all the other things that made him Sora, her Sora. The portal sprang to life out of her palm almost immediately.
"Good heavens," Dr. Doppler breathed, eyes wide and ears forward. He circled the portal slowly, examining it.
"It reminds me of Lupe's eyes," B.E.N. cooed nonsensically, hands folded over his heart. "All five of them!"
"Excellent work," Captain Amelia said, patting Kairi's shoulder.
"Thank you," she replied with a smile. Glancing at Riku, she saw he was already watching her.
"Let's go," he said.
—
They emerged at the pirates' campfire, a few feet to the left of Silver, Sora and Jim. The pirates had the advantage of seeing the portal before the group walked through it and set upon them instantly. Riku and Kairi drew their Keyblades and Amelia her gun but Silver brought them up short.
"Don't move or the lad here gets it," he barked, lifting Sora by his collar and nudging his head with the pistol's muzzle to make his point.
"Sora!" Riku and Kairi shouted almost involuntarily. Still, they heeded Silver's threat.
"Drop your weapons, and you'd best not try any funny business, understood?" the old salt growled, twitching his hand so that Sora's head lolled on his neck.
"We get it," Riku snapped, banishing Braveheart. His expression was ice cold. Kairi's fists stayed clenched, but she set her Keyblade away as well. The captain laid her rifle on the ground carefully.
Silver grinned at them, mechanical eye glinting. "Now that's more like it! Tie 'em up," he barked at his crew. The pirates made quick work of it, kicking their knees out from under them and trussing their arms behind their backs.
That done, the cyborg turned his attention back to Jim. "Well?" he grumbled. "Hop to it!"
Glaring ferociously, Jim initiated the map's opening sequence, tapping and turning the sphere without sparing it a glance. The little ball began to glow, a shower of sparks spilling out of it. Pale teal and sickly green, they coalesced into the shape of Treasure Planet itself. The display really was impressive, but only the pirates were free to truly enjoy it.
"Oh the powers that be, would you look?" Silver breathed, grinning.
The projected planet disintegrated, brilliant sparks reformulating until they made a pulsing, floating path ribbed with strange symbols. Eyes alight, Silver followed their progress, unable to dart forward with his ruined leg and heavy captive. So he did the simple thing and dropped Sora, turning him slightly so the fall didn't break his nose.
"Tie the boys up and leave 'em with the others," he ordered the other mutineers as he shambled after the pulsating light. Each pulse was accompanied by a harmonic beep.
With a mechanical whir, Jim snapped the map shut. Instantly, the lights receded, darting back into the little golden ball. The teenager's lips were curled away from his teeth and his eyes were steady. "You want the map? You're taking me too."
Silver frowned at the boy, then all of the sudden his shoulders relaxed and he chuckled. The lad had spirit, he'd give him that. Smart as a whip too, but he'd known that from the beginning. "We'll take 'em all!" he declared.
—
They were piled into the skiff, the captives all pressed together at the back, pirates towards the front. Silver was at the helm, with Jim untied next to him, the better to keep an eye on him and the map. Still unconscious, Sora had been dumped across Riku and Kairi's legs and shoulders, since there wasn't room for more than the two of them along the second to last bench. Amelia and Doppler were behind them, with B.E.N. on the floor in between their legs.
Hands still tied behind their backs, the Keyblade wielders shifted awkwardly, trying to nudge Sora into a better position. Currently, his throat was pressed against Kairi's shoulder, back arched unnaturally to accommodate the twist his spine had to follow. His legs were mostly draped over Riku, hips trapped somewhat in-between them. They managed to curl closer together, supporting his weight fully and easing the twist on his spine a little without him falling backwards due to the weight of his arms. The motion finally woke him up. He groaned, lifting his head without opening his eyes. The faint streaks of fresh dawn were still too bright, heightening the ringing headache he'd acquired.
"Stay still," Riku whispered, warily watching the pirates in front of them. Sora obliged, resting his forehead on both his and Kairi's shoulders. Still, he flexed his hands experimentally, testing the way they were tied up.
"Shhh," Kairi soothed, leaning her head against his to better whisper near his ears. "Act like you're still asleep." She got a little nod, and then both teens felt their friend go limp against them. Lifting her head, Kairi glanced at their guards. After a few moments, most of them grew bored and returned their gaze to the landscape or the map's trail. After all, where could their captives really go?
Careful to not summon too much magic, Kairi tucked her face back into Sora's hair. "Heal," she breathed. Energy rippled from her into him, temporarily casting a green glow. For better or worse, she had so little power left that no flowers bloomed overhead. For better, the new dawn cast weak green light through the ring of space debris encircling the planet, making the spell subtle enough.
"Thanks," Sora whispered, staying perfectly still.
Riku leaned forward just a little more, pressing his forehead against Sora's temple, using his friend's spiky hair to hide that he was talking. "Jim still has the map," he murmured. "We're all here. They're taking us to the treasure." He paused, not lifting his head, listening. They were still being ignored, it seemed. "Heal," he breathed out, pulling magic from the tips of his fingers and the edges of his shadow and wherever else he could dredge even the slightest wisp of energy. Again, the spell was too weak to bloom flowers, but it was enough to take away the remains of Sora's throbbing headache.
"Thanks," he whispered again, and the word was less pained this time. None of the teenagers moved. They simply took in the motion of the skiff skimming low above the ground and the feeling of the other two breathing, breathing. They were too tired to care about being this close and what it did or didn't mean, what it did and didn't give away. This was all the rest they were going to get so they took what they could.
"I'm sorry I ran off," Sora mumbled after a long moment. "I just wanted to help."
"It's okay," Kairi soothed automatically. When Riku said nothing, she nudged his knee with hers.
"I'm sorry too," he whispered.
"You didn't do anything," Sora retorted, keeping his voice barely audible. His body had tensed.
"That's not true," Riku replied. Unable to do anything else, he curled closer, leaning into Kairi and pressing the bridge of his nose into Sora's hair. They both curved back into him.
"I'm sorry," Sora repeated, a catch in his voice.
"Shhhhh," Kairi soothed. "It's over now."
"It's -" he bit the words off, shaking his head faintly. He felt Riku's forehead scrunch up, still pressed tight against his temple.
"You don't have to tell us," the older boy breathed, surprising Sora.
"I-" he started, then stopped again. "I don't know how."
"When the time is right, you will," Kairi whispered, nuzzling against his hair. "We're here for you, no matter what."
"Thanks, Kairi." He tipped his head back against hers.
"No matter what," Riku repeated. He and Kairi felt Sora relax again against them, almost as limp as before he woke up.
"Thanks, Riku."
—
They traveled for the better part of an hour until they reached a long cluster of thick, tuberous plants. Though not much taller than Turnbuckle, they were still too high for the over-loaded skiff to sail over. The poor little solar boat was barely afloat as it was. So the group piled out of the little craft, the pirates pulling their captives roughly to their feet. Sora was forced to reveal he was awake, yelping as he was yanked to the floor.
As the pirates urged their captives out of the boat, Silver shambled forward. His eyes were fixed on the glowing pathway. Its pulsing had increased in pace, now an urgent, unearthly staccato. It made him grin.
"We're getting close lads!" he crowed. Shifting his arm from a cane to a saber, he brandished it high. "I smell treasure a-waitin'!" Grabbing a nearby Jim by his shirt collar, he dragged the boy with him as he hacked through the dense foliage. The pirates shoved the other captives forward in his wake.
They emerged onto a cliff. It protruded forward from the rest of the sharp-edged mesa. The line of guiding light ended at its edge.
"Where is it?"
"I see nothing!" one of the pirates yowled, the lookout with many eyes. "One great, big stinking hunk of nothing!" As he shouted, the map whirred, its pathway zipping back inside it once more.
Silver whirled on Jim, who was frantically trying to re-open the metal ball.
"What's going on, Jimbo?!" the old salt demanded.
"I don't know," he said, shaking his head and still tapping away. "I can't get it open."
The pirates sneered behind him. "We should have never followed this boy!" the little feminine one hissed, jumping up on her strong arms and shoving Jim to his knees. He yelped, skinning his palms on the hard metal ground.
"Hey!" Sora snapped, trying to get in-between Jim and the rest of the mutinous crew. But the squat marauder behind him yanked him back with the rope tying his hands. The other pirates ignored him.
"I'd suggest you get that gizmo going again," Silver ordered, glowering down at Jim, "and fast!" The crew chimed in, threatening and jeering, but Jim ignored them. Through the thick moss covering the ground, he could see a round depression. A depression far too similar to the map to be a coincidence. The teenager brushed away some moss, and could make out identical markings inside and around the miniature crater. As the pirates circled closer, he shoved the map into the hole.
Green light radiated out from the map, coursing through the ground with a loud hum. From the map itself a holographic green sphere projected by many thin beams lifted upwards until it sat at about shoulder level. The projection was full of planets and constellations.
Another rumble rang out, causing the whole group to look around. From across the canyon, greenish-gold lights shot towards them, evenly spaced apart and each as straight as an arrow. They converged at the base of the cliff, shooting upwards to make a towering beam. It split open into a triangle, within which they could see a twisting arc of pastel galaxy hung in the deep of space.
Jim recognized it immediately. "The Lagoon Nebula?"
Silver frowned slightly, jaw still slack at the sight of it all. He rubbed his chin in thought. "But that's… halfway 'cross the galaxy."
Jim turned his attention back to the projected map. He pressed one of the many larger symbols floating within it, and the light zipped shut, peeling open to reveal an entirely different scene.
"A big door," he mused, pressing another symbol. The triangle opened and shut again, revealing another landscape. "Opening and closing…" He touched a different one, and the scene changed again. Hand on his chin, he studied the hologram. "Kinapis," he muttered to himself, pointing at the little galaxy suspended in green. Triangulating from that familiar landmark was simple. "Montressor Spaceport," he said triumphantly, touching the thin crescent symbol.
The door shut and opened again, this time revealing a gleaming white spaceport built into a sharp curve suspended in night.
"So that's how Flint did it," the teenager mused, excited thoughts galloping ahead of him. "He used this portal to roam the universe stealing treasure."
Silver could care less about these conclusions. He shoved Jim aside roughly, demanding, "But where'd he stash it all?" He began tapping symbols, one after another, each revealing another far away corner of the galaxy. None held the treasure he sought.
Behind them, behind the throng of impatient pirates, B.E.N. was struggling. He was tied up with the others, but his thoughts were miles away. This was all so familiar, but without his memory he couldn't place any of it.
"Where's that blasted treasure?!" Silver thundered.
"Treasure…" B.E.N. muttered to himself, wires sparking. "Treasure! It's buried in the-" he cut off, thoughts unfocused, eyes spasming.
"In the centroid of the mechanism!" Sora, Riku and Kairi all put together at once.
Jim heard them. "What if the planet is the mechanism?" He asked aloud. "And the treasure is buried in the center of this planet?"
The pirates looked at each other, then set to scrambling and scratching at the unyielding metal ground.
Silver wasn't as gullible, or as pleased. "How in blue blazes are we supposed to get there?" He snapped.
Unfazed by his impatient fury, Jim answered easily. "Just open the right door." He pushed past Silver's arm to reach forward and tap the symbol in the center of the holographic map - the shape of Treasure Planet itself.
The massive door shut and opened once more, this time to a coppery cave with massive metallic tubing suspended like stalactites from its domed ceiling. Bursts of white blue energy shot out of these at intervals.
Undaunted, Jim shoved his hand through the portal. Unlike Kairi's, this one led straight through to the destination visible on the other side. It sort of hummed too, sending a strange mechanical buzz through his skin. He stepped the rest of the way inside. Silver was right behind him, grabbing his shoulder roughly as he limped through the door. His heavy metal leg dragged a bit behind him, breaking the beam of a low-set laser. Everyone followed behind them, pirates and captives alike. They gazed around the room in awe.
"The loot of a thousand worlds…" Silver breathed.
"We're going to need a bigger boat!" One of the pirates shouted. They weren't kidding - the room was massive, spanning the core of the entire planet. The part they were walking on was the only space of floor not covered in ankle-deep gold and jewels. The endless wealth was strewn about in heaps and mounds and small hills, dwarfing an entire double masted ship abandoned in its midst.
But gold wasn't the only thing that was happening. B.E.N. was still struggling with his memory. And Kairi - Kairi was glowing brighter than she had in the passageways beneath the ground. Her eyes were shining, skin alight, hair nearly parallel to the ground. She laughed, and her voice came out in a rush of rippling echoes.
"Nothing leaves," she snarled, grinning.
I'm still writing... even if it has been like nearly a year. Anxiety's a bitch y'all. I don't super remember how to do these ending notes anymore, and find the old ones kinda cringey but... I still wanna talk to all of you? ^_^; Title comes from the Of Monster and Men song. Also, random fun fact but this is the first chapter without any italics. Maybe I use them too much? Maybe I just like dropping that the gummi ship is named Highwind 'cause I think it's cute as hell? You decide!
At any rate I hope you liked it! Thanks to everyone who favorited and followed since last chapter!
