A/N: I'm currently writing the next chapter and will have it up the first chance I get once it's finished.
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Chapter 15
Captain James Smith, a privateer employed under the East India Trading Company, stood at the wheel of his ship with an immense feeling of pride welling up inside of him. Captain Smith was a man who always followed the orders given to him obediently and never asked any questions. Under his captain's hat was a thick mane of black hair that accompanied determined green eyes; Smith was a man who stood his ground and saw everything he got involved in through to the very end. Smith's devotion, however, went toward anyone who was willing to pay a great sum of money for his services...and that devotion currently was with the East India Trading Company.
Smith had been hired by a man named Barnet, and was told that he would be vastly rewarded if he sailed to the location where his ship was anchored at the moment and wait for a ship to come along so that he could decimate it. And indeed, Smith's first mate was soon at his side with vital information.
"Captain," the first mate began, "there are ships approaching us. They are at fly-nanny."
"Pirates," breathed Smith. "Make ready the guns."
As Smith's crew went about preparing the cannons and other artillery, Smith picked up a nearby telescope, extended it, and peered intently through the hole. Smith spotted two fast-approaching ships on the horizon and attempted to get a better look at their features. Immediately, Smith recognized the ship on the left and grinned.
"The Black Pearl. My, what an interesting turn of events."
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On the deck of the Black Pearl, Will was standing at the railing, watching Jack with curious eyes. Try as he might, Will simply could not comprehend exactly why Jack enlisted the help of Henry Morgan. If Will's assumptions were correct, and he was positive they were, Jack only teamed up with Morgan in order to ensure that he would not run into any trouble in the quest to find Atlantis. But there was no doubt left in Will's mind that Jack had every intention to doublecross Morgan the moment they had uncovered the amulet. The only question that remained, then, was whether Jack and everybody else would be successful in escaping from Morgan with the amulet. As he contemplated this, Will was reminded greatly of the whole episode with the heart of Davy Jones and the grueling emotional test that accompanied it. The only difference, however, was that this time Will was in the company of people he truly loved: his son, Michael and the love of his life, Elizabeth. And Will knew that he would always do everything in his power to ensure their safety, always placing their well-being before his own.
Michael had recently divulged Morgan's intentions with the Amulet of Atlantis, and everyone onboard the Black Pearl that they had to do everything they could to make sure that the amulet did not fall into Morgan's hands.
Will was suddenly jolted out of his reverie when Tia Dalma came up beside him.
"Something troubling you, William?"
Will's eyes never left Jack. "I'm just contemplating Jack's motives. After all, we know full well how he operates."
"Aye," Tia Dalma agreed, "but Jack Sparrow is a mysterious man. There is always something on his mind."
"There's no contradicting that."
Will and Tia Dalma observed Jack as he paced back and forth on the deck, his face buried in the map to Atlantis.
"One thing's been bothering me. How exactly does one enter into Atlantis?"
Tia Dalma smiled widely. "Ah. Quite the tale." She turned to face the open sea. "I for one know that we are relatively close to the entrance into the underwater city. It's simple logic that to reach an underwater location, you must travel under the water."
Will's face was one of genuine surprise. "How?"
"We translate the first inscription on the Scroll of Lost Souls and that will cause the water around us to spin, creating a whirlpool. That is our safe passage into Atlantis."
"And you know how to translate the inscriptions?"
"Of course."
Impressed, yet surprised at the same time, Will stared out at the sea. But he soon discovered that the ocean was not as vacant as he thought it was. Way off in the distance, Will spotted a ship anchored to the seabed; it was almost as if this ship was waiting for the Pearl.
Sensing danger, Will rushed over to Jack. "We may have a problem." Will pointed out the ship.
Jack spied the ship and screwed his face up in a frown. "Bugger. The East India Trading Company is starting to get on my last nerves." He glanced down at the map. "We're nearly there."
Jack dashed over to the opposite railing. "Oy! Patch-face!" The exclamation attracted Morgan's attention; Morgan was standing on the deck of his own ship next to the Pearl. "Looks like we have a hindrance ahead of us."
Morgan saw the ship in question, but did not show any emotion at all concerning the latest form of trouble. "Make ready the guns," he called out to his crew.
Jack ordered the same to his crew. Immediately, crewmates scurried down below deck and above deck as well, preparing for battle. As this transpired, Elizabeth and Michael came up from below deck to see what all the commotion was about.
"What's happening?" Elizabeth asked Will.
"There's an East India Trading Company ship ahead. We have to fight in order to get to Atlantis."
Elizabeth, Will, and Michael all hurried over to the railing. Elizabeth eyed the ship curiously. "It looks as if that ship has been there for a while. Almost anticipating us."
"Almost as if they knew that's the entrance into Atlantis and were waiting for someone to come along and provide them passage."
As Elizabeth and Michael continued to stare at the looming ship, Will raced over to Jack, who was at the wheel.
"We have to make sure that we're the ones who make the first move. Otherwise, they'll blast us apart."
"Don't fret, dear William. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow...no one gets the drop on me, and they certainly won't this time. You can count on that."
"Will's right, Jack." Elizabeth had just joined them. "We can't risk the Pearl sustaining any injury."
"If we do, then the water from the whirlpool will without a doubt fill the holes created by cannonfire and most assuredly drown us." Tia Dalma had come up the small flight of stairs.
"Whirlpool?" asked Jack, sounding surprised. "You never mentioned anything about a whirlpool."
"I wanted to surprise you."
"Well, job well done! I'm completely surprised!"
Just then, the sound of cannons being shoved out the sides of the Pearl filled the air as the sunlight above was completely blocked out by a swarm of clouds over a low rumble of thunder.
"Something tells me that wasn't just a random act of nature," said Jack.
Tia Dalma shook her head. "The Gods know we want to find Atlantis. This is their idea of helping."
Jack rolled his eyes. "I would love to see how they encumber."
The East India Trading Company vessel was now close enough for a cannon to do damage. Jack turned his head and called out to Morgan.
"You take the port side, we'll cover the starboard!"
At the same moment, Jack and Morgan furiously spun the wheels of their ships to opposite sides, allowing Jack's to veer to the left and Morgan's to the right.
"We're going to the left," Will observed. "Wouldn't that mean we'll be on the port side?"
Jack shook his head. "They are facing us; you have it the other way around. We're coming up on the starboard side."
Will looked over at The Nightmare as it fell in sync with the actual left side of the opposing ship. He then realized Jack's plan. "We're trapping it; attacking the ship from both sides."
"The best strategy I can come up with," Jack nodded.
Will then took initiative and yelled out the next order. "All men prepare to fire!" His voice was loud enough to carry down to the part of the ship where the cannons were fired.
By now both ships had blockaded the East India Trading Company vessel, and each crew member on board was visible. Suddenly, Jack seized both Will and Elizabeth by the arms and dragged them over to the railing.
"Jack, what are you doing?"
"Get off!"
"Oy!" Jack called over to the captain. "Look what I've got! The daughter and son-in-law of the Governor of Port Royal!" He then laughed in a sing-song manner. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha!" You can't fire on us!"
From aboard the opposing ship, the captain whipped out his pistol and fired; the shot blew Jack's hat off his head. Jack looked at his fallen hat and then back at the captain. "Why you insolent little seaworm! Fire!"
"FIRE!" Will echoed.
Immediately, the roar of cannonfire filled the air as numerous balls of iron were propelled from their resting tubes and came into contact with the wood on both sides of the East India Trading Company ship. Splintered fragments of wood burst into the air and landed in the ocean. However, as the vessel was getting pummeled, the cannons that protruded from the starboard side exploded with fury. Cannons sped toward the Black Pearl, but were abruptly halted in midair by something. Jack glanced up to see a forcefield of energy surrounding the ship. He then looked around to see that Tia Dalma had her open hands raised into the air; the shield was emanating from her.
"I didn't know you could do this!" Jack called out.
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me!" Tia Dalma answered.
"I bet."
The cannons from the East India Trading Company ship bounced off the forcefield and went vaulting away in many directions and into the sea.
It went on like this for a while until the clouds above circled in a clockwise direction and a bolt of lightning shot out of the center and down into the ocean. The instant the lightning bolt made contact with the water, the sea began to swirl in a counterclockwise direction, powerful enough to cause all three ships to succumb to the force and begin to be pulled down into the depths of the ocean.
It was like a nightmare to Elizabeth. The ships continued on in their battle as if the whirlpool was not a factor in the situation. Bits of seawater splashed down from every which way, pelting at each pirate's body and soaking them to the skin.
Above the heavy wind and loud cannonfire, Jack shouted out a command. "Keep the mast with the wind!"
Will and Elizabeth, along with many other crewmen, darted over to secure the masting lines in order to keep the ship steady. Every crew member pulled the ropes, using every muscle in their body to hold the mast still. Even though the were soon successful however, the Pearl slowly started to turn in a 180 degree angle.
As both the Black Pearl and Morgan's ship turned to face each other, the East India Trading Company vessel was consumed by a sudden surge of seawater which completely engulfed the ship and tore it apart in the same instant. But fragments of the decimated structure flew in numerous directions from the overpowering gusts of wind. Wood pieces the size of two human bodies would have crushed Elizabeth if Will had not pulled her out of the way in time. Seconds later, a cannon zoomed toward the couple, but they hit the deck right before the cannon bounced off a section of the ship and was swallowed up by the wall of water behind them.
Suddenly, the ship lurched and began to tilt downward into the eye of the whirlpool. This action was accompanied by a deep creak of wood. What was transpiring did not fully dawn on Will until the ship slowly inched off the massive amount of water that was supporting it; they were going down.
Immediately, Will grabbed Elizabeth and Michael while grasping a nearby rope to hold them all steady in one quick motion.
"HOLD OOOOOOOOOON!!!" he cried above the roar of rushing water.
Despite her normal calmness in intense situations, Elizabeth could not help but grab Will and Michael tighter and scream as the Black Pearl, along with Morgan's vessel, plunged down into the depths of the ocean. When Elizabeth stopped screaming, she was able to hear Tia Dalma laughing in glee.
And then the blackness enveloped everybody.