Thanks for the reviews so far, guys. I'm back with chapter 9, so enjoy.
Chapter 9: Dropping the Ball
The Black Pearl was close to Tortuga now, but Tsau had a different feeling of where they were headed. His gut told him that something was not right about going here, and they could be headed into the wrong direction. He walked towards Elizabeth, who was leaning against the shipside.
"May I see that compass?" he asked.
She handed it to him. "Yeah, sure."
He studied the compass for a moment, and was confused when Jack tossed it to her, because it didn't work. "It doesn't work. It's not pointing north."
Elizabeth smiled. "Well, Tsau. What do you most desire in this world right now?"
Tsau watched the compass for a moment, and the needle straightened out, pointing towards Elizabeth. An odd moment ensued between them, then Elizabeth moved to the side to see if the needle followed her. When she moved, the needle stayed straight. Her eyes followed the path of the needle down the shipside, and saw Zi resting her chin on her hand, staring out to sea. She looked back at Tsau, who immediately shut the compass and tossed it to her.
"This stupid compass is broken," he said hastily.
Elizabeth caught the compass and gave him a smile. "I'm sure," she said, looking back down at the compass. It didn't point towards Tortuga anymore, but the direction of Port Royal. "Jack," she said towards the helm.
Jack looked at her from the helm and gestured a nod, acknowledging her comment. "Aye?"
"It's not pointing towards Tortuga anymore," she said.
Jack nodded slowly. "To Port Royal, then, Hector."
"What?" Elizabeth said. That was exactly where the needle was pointed. "How did you know that?"
"Your husband was here earlier," Tsau said, leaning on the shipside. "I think he's looking for you."
"That's right," Jack replied. "That's why I saw on the compass that the Dutchman was at Tortuga. I guess they just passed through."
"I guess he's already in this world," Tsau stated. "That's why it pointed there."
Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, but why would he be here? I wondered about that ever since we set off towards Tortuga."
"Something bad has happened if he's here," Tsau answered. "Maybe he had a run-in with the black cloud."
Barbossa growled. "Make up ye mind already! To Port Royal or not?!"
They sailed off once again to the sounds of Jack and Barbossa arguing.
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Will and Bootstrap waited for hours before rescuing young Bill from the Governor's house. All they did so far was gather information, trying to blend in with the locals as much as possible. The rest of the Dutchman crew stayed behind as they were set to attend the Governor's ball tonight at his home. The Governor's Ball would only be held tonight and only tonight, and Will thanked his perfect timing for that. Most likely, Bill would be kept there, in the governor's home. Dressing up in elegance, Will tightened his bowtie, as did his father.
"I hate parties," Bootstrap said. "I haven't worn a suit in such a long time."
"Don't be so discouraged," his son replied. "You look nice in that suit."
Bootstrap rolled his eyes and they continued walking as the sun began to set. The ball should be starting by now. They reached the door, where a line was created to gather names. Many people, mostly rich, came to the party dressed in their best attires.
"We should be hasty, Will," his father said. "I don't know how long you can last on land."
"I thought you said it was okay if the Dutchman isn't safe," Will replied.
His father shook his head. "I can't remember quite right, Will, but I don't want to take any chances. When there was a previous disturbance, Davy Jones only stood on land for one hour, before everything returned to normal."
"I'll take my chances, then," Will replied.
When Will and his father reached the front, they were approached by a man dressed in similar attire. "Names, please."
Will paused for a minute, because he didn't take the time to come up with a name.
"Names, sir. We can't hold up the line any longer."
Will looked at his father, then back. "Umm…James…"
The man wrote the name down. "James…"
Will thought for another moment. "…Blonde."
"What was that? Bond?" the man asked, writing down.
"Yes," Will replied in a quick manner. "James Bond."
"And you?" the man asked his father.
Bootstrap stepped forward. "Jacob Smith."
"Thank you, and enjoy the ball," the man said. The two walked inside the governor's home, and noted on the size of the house, seeing that most of the party is being held in the great hall. Will, looking very elegant and suave in his suit, counted the patrols in the house. The security wasn't that high, probably because most of them are out to search for Elizabeth and that 'hero' he described. He and his father split up for a moment, trying to figure out how to break in.
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"So, a ball is being held?" Elizabeth asked the shop owner. The compass brought them back to Port Royal, but instead of finding the Dutchman, Elizabeth decided that she would rescue her son first. Maybe that was why the compass was pointing here.
"Yes, that's right, Mrs. Turner," the owner said. "I saw them take your son to Governor Blackwell's mansion. Don't worry, I won't let the guards know that you're here."
"Thank you," she responded.
After she spoke with the shop owner, she turned to Jack and explained to him of the ball that is being held right now. Jack thought for a long moment before replying to her.
"Sorry," Jack replied. "Jack Sparrow doesn't do parties…without rum."
"We're only going in to rescue Bill," Elizabeth said. "Look, if you're not comfortable about going in with formal attire, you can sneak in with Tsau. Where is he, by the way?"
Zi looked around. "Oh, he's at the church."
Tsau sat inside the church, with his eyes closed and his hands held in prayer, with his spirit in deep, composed, yet threatening calamity. The deaths he brought, the terror he left behind, and the scars that were left over damaged his mind. Each day passes, and all he ever hoped for was for atonement…forgiveness. Yes, even a heartless one like Tsau dove himself into hope. With the Necromortalis after him, he was uneasy, and felt his end drawing closer by the day. His heart and spirit were tense, but his body refused to collapse and remained calm. The fear that hid behind his eyes was cleverly concealed from the others. In the silence of the church, he began to pray.
"Lead me, oh heavenly father," he started. "…in the path of right…for I walk alone…and stumble in the dark. Show me the light and I shall follow. Help me find some meaning in my existence. Allow me to find peace in my own heart…and save me… from my enemies."
Elizabeth, Jack, and Zi walked into the church, noting the dim light that spilled in, and waited for Tsau to finish praying. His words were faint, and they could not make out what he was trying to say.
"Let my blade be sharp…my focus serene…and my technique flawless. Help me summon the strength to lift my blade once again…and carry out this one last task…because I fear that my own act of morality…will be the cause of my demise. I am far from perfect, lord, but I try my best. My blade only sheds the blood of sinners, and never have I once shed the blood of the innocent. Save me, oh heavenly father…and I shall walk the path of virtue and justice. Amen."
Tsau stood up and slowly walked away, seeming to ignore the rest of the crew as he walked out the door. They followed him, and noticed that his presence was different than when they were back on the ship. He looked a bit more troubled and in thought.
"Something wrong?" Elizabeth asked him.
He looked ahead and shook his head. "No," he said in a somewhat distracted tone. It looked like he was still in a state of thought. "So what's the plan?"
"There's a ball tonight, and I think you should sneak in while me and Zi work our way through the front," Elizabeth said. "We'll be in disguise and find a different path in."
"And Jack?" Tsau asked.
Jack stepped in front of him. "I'll be teaming up with you, mate."
"Eh," Tsau grunted, shaking his head. "You'll only drag me down."
"You underestimate Captain Jack Sparrow," Jack replied. "The Immortal Captain Jack Sparrow."
Tsau sighed. "Fine, but if you lag, you're on your own. When do we start?"
"We've got an hour before the doors close," Zi answered.
"Give me 20 and I'll be ready," Tsau replied, heading back to the ship.
After Jack followed, Elizabeth walked back with Zi, who remained quite a distance from the others ahead.
"So, Tsau said he knew you from his childhood," she said. "Is it true?"
Zi nodded. "Yeah. We went to the same scholar academy together when we were 12. I ran into him in the world library and we talked. He was a cute kid back then, really thoughtful, very intelligent. I never thought that he'd settle for…this."
"I first met Will when we were 12, too," Elizabeth said. "Odd coincidence, huh?"
Zi shrugged. "Don't know. Anyway, I had a crush on him. But one day, his parents were murdered."
"Murdered?" Elizabeth said.
"Yes. After that, I never saw him again. He said a quick goodbye, then left to go somewhere else," Zi explained. "And now he's changed. He's a killer, an assassin, and as we saw, a Christian. His family and his parents, like mine, were Confucians. Whatever. I don't really care for his religious beliefs, but I'm a bit worried about him. He just had this…look in his eyes that seems disturbed."
"I hope nothing goes wrong, then," Elizabeth said. "We have to get Bill back."
After 20 minutes, the sun began to completely set as the four headed to Blackwell's mansion. Elizabeth and Zi dressed in their formal attires for the ball. Tsau and Jack broke off from the group, and headed out to find a way around back, while Elizabeth and Zi went through the front.
"Names, please?" the man at the door said.
"Elizab—" she started, but Zi elbowed her in the side for saying her real name.
The man looked up. "Elizabeth? Last name, please."
Elizabeth sighed. "…Knightley. Elizabeth Knightley."
"Thank you, and your friend?"
Zi straightened her formal attire. "Mei Ling."
"Mei Ling, thank you. Enjoy the party," the man said.
They both walked inside and split off to find a way upstairs to where Bill was probably being kept.
Back outside, however, Tsau and Jack were just heading off to the side to find a way in the back. As the sun completely set, darkness began to come in, and Tsau was more than ready to sneak inside. They continued walking, but were stopped by a guard at the gate that entered the backyard.
"Shouldn't you gentlemen be going in through the front?" he asked.
"I'm here to see Blackwell on private matters," Jack responded.
The guard set down his rifle. "Private?"
"Aye," Jack replied. "A matter so honorable and private, that the most honest of men cannot honestly speak privately of it in the most private place this dishonest world has to offer…in a most honoring sense of privacy, of course."
"What?" the guard replied. An odd moment passed between them before he began talking again. "What are your names?"
"Smithy," Jack responded. "Why?"
The guard nodded. "Smithy. I'll keep an eye on you, because I won't let you in this mansion, or the front at that. And you? What's your name?" he asked Tsau.
Tsau approached the gate to the point where he was close to the guard. "Names are for friends…so I don't need one," he said in a deep, insensitive voice.
He grabbed the guard by his military uniform and swiftly pulled him towards the gate, knocking him out and opening the gate at the same time.
"Nice line, mate," Jack replied.
Tsau quickly hid the body of the unconscious guard and snuck past the gate. "Let's go."
Back inside the mansion, Elizabeth tried looking for a way in, walking around, trying not to look conspicuous. She stood over the table that had appetizers on it and watched the guards patrol.
"I heard the Devil's Eggs are quite popular around here," a voice said behind her. Before she decided to turn around, he cut her off. "Don't. We can't be seen here. Let's meet at the hallway near the bathroom."
She knew whose voice it was and was filled with happiness at that moment. Elizabeth followed his orders and quickly went to the hallway. When she met up with him she kissed him.
"Will," she said.
Will smiled. "I didn't expect you to be here."
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I went to the house and investigated the scene," Will said. "So, I guess you're here to rescue our son, too then?"
She held him tightly. "I was originally looking for you."
He had a smile on his face. "Now I'm here, Elizabeth. But we have little time. I have to get back to the Dutchman quickly after we get him back. I don't know how much longer I'll last on land."
Elizabeth nodded. "Right. Is anyone else with you?"
"My father," Will said. "He found a way upstairs, and I'm going right now."
She nodded. "Let's go find my friend first."
They walked to where Zi was at and explained the situation. She nodded and decided to follow them.
"It's good to finally meet you, Will," Zi said.
Will smiled. "Pleasure's all mine."
Outside, Tsau and Jack managed to scale past the first floor and wound up on the second level. They snuck past the rest of the guards and ended up in the hallway.
"Now," Tsau whispered, crouching in the shadows. "Which door?"
Jack looked around. "Why don't we split, mate?"
"You'll get lost," he replied.
"Sure," Jack said. "That just means you'll have to come find me if I find the kid first."
Tsau nodded. "Fine by me."
The two split off and Jack went past a few more rooms while Tsau went another direction. Jack's real business here wasn't to look for young Bill, however. He managed to sneak into the master bedroom, and walked into the office portion where Blackwell did his work. Walking further, he sat down in the chair in front of the desk, waiting.
"Who's there?" Blackwell said from the bathroom. He walked out in his undershirt and saw Jack. "Oh, Mr. Sparrow. Nice of you to join me."
Jack smiled. "It's been awhile, Augustus."
"You must've been that 'Mr. Smith' that I told Elizabeth of a few weeks ago, right?" Blackwell asked, sitting in his desk chair.
"Smithy," Jack corrected him.
"So, is Mrs. Turner with you, then?" Blackwell asked, shuffling through the papers on his desk.
Jack shook his head. "Maybe, maybe not. Who knows? She didn't travel with me."
Blackwell sighed and smiled. "So clever you think you are, Jack. What business do you bring?"
"I understand your plan," Jack said, reaching for the fruits on the desk. "Angel of Death and all that…really brilliant."
"And who told you that?" Blackwell asked, sitting back in his desk.
Jack munched on the apple he held. "It doesn't matter who told me, mate. It only matters that I know of it."
"What do you want?"
"After you seize control of the Nec…Nec…whatever it is, what do you plan to do with the Dutchman?" Jack said.
Blackwell tossed a few more papers before looking back up at Jack. "What do you want with it?"
"I want that ship," Jack replied. "I'm starting a fleet."
The governor chuckled in amusement. "Jack…you should know that Caribbean piracy is coming to an end, don't you? The new world is coming, Mr. Sparrow. You should start seeing the bigger picture here. Colonies are expanding, new laws, a new government establishing. Pretty soon, the colonies will become a country, Jack, and the newfound country will thrive in the name of her majesty's kingdom. The East India Trading Company will become the definite ruler of all trade routes, and even if you had the Pearl and the Dutchman combined…you cannot stop the Necromortalis once I take control of it…so what's the point?"
"I can get you the chest, mate," Jack responded. "If we have an accord."
Blackwell stood up and sighed, nodding. "If you can do that, I'll spare the Dutchman for you…and I'll wipe your criminal records on the side. My treat."
"Thank you," Jack said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have my ship to get back to."
"Just don't drop the ball, Sparrow," Blackwell said.
Meanwhile, Tsau snuck around more rooms, and came across an office with a person whom he knew too well. He stood by the open door and listened intently, sitting against the wall.
"What would you like for me to do with these strategic maps, sir?" a British man asked.
The Chinese general looked over with his glasses, then looked down at the desk at his own papers. "Show them to Blackwell, and tell him I can only be in town for another few days, so we must plan the strategy quickly."
"Yes, General Zhao," the man said, walking away. As he walked out the door, Tsau decided that it was too risky to kill Zhao right now. Tsau decided to continue looking for Bill.
He crept past more doors before he stumbled across an elevator…but to where? It was mechanically fueled by heat which moved the gears, similar to a blacksmith's shop but without the mule to pull them. It was quite an amazing thing for this day and age to have a machine powered by a prime fuel energy source, but this wasn't the first time Tsau has seen one. Ignoring the elevator for now, he pressed forward into a miscellaneous room, which surprisingly held Bill in it. Bill was sleeping on the bed soundly, but it drew negative thoughts to Tsau as he only pictured the worst. With General Zhao here, Blackwell must be into the opium trade towards the east, and what if they tampered with Bill? Shaking his thoughts away, he began to enter the room, but was met with a close slash to the face from a cutlass that came from a blindside of the room. He dodged it and rolled under the slash, drawing his dagger and swiftly putting it up to his assailant's neck.
"Will, no! That's Tsau, the man I told you about," Elizabeth said.
Will, who sheathed his cutlass, nodded and held out his hand. "You must be Tsau Nu Tua. I'm Will Turner."
Tsau put away his dagger and shook his hand quickly. "No time, Mr. Turner. We have to get your son out of here."
"Where's Jack?" Zi asked him.
"He's lost," Tsau replied. "He'll find his way back."
Right after Tsau said that, Jack opened the door to the room. "Oh, William! Good to see you, lad!"
Will smiled. "Jack Sparrow. You haven't changed."
As they were talking, Tsau was looking for a way out. Jack shook his head with a smirk. "The only thing that has ever changed about me is that I am immortal."
"I heard," Will said.
Tsau cut the drapes and looked outside. He could see the unconscious guard from here, which meant that the path was clear. "Who's going to take the kid?"
Everyone looked at each other around the room for a long moment. An odd feeling came upon everyone because they couldn't make a decision.
"I don't think anyone here possesses strength and acrobatic skill," Jack said in a conspicuous tone. "Except…"
Tsau sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll do it. Make sure you keep an eye on the trail, and keep the path clear of guards. Some parents you two are."
Will looked at Elizabeth. "Once we head out, I'll have to go back to the Dutchman with my father. Don't worry, I'll be close."
Elizabeth nodded and kissed him. "Okay, Will."
Tsau took the sleeping Bill and carried him on his shoulders. "Hang tight, kid."
As soon as he stepped out the window, everyone else left downstairs.
Hope you liked it, and if you have any questions or confusions, don't be afraid to ask me. Sometimes I might miss adding something in, so it'll help.