A/N: Davy was a bit hard to get down. I only managed to see the second movie a few times before they stopped showing it at the cheapy nearby theater.
This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous two.
Chapter 3: Set Sail
-
James Norrington did not remove his gaze from the barnacle-encrusted ship as it approached the Intrepid. The fog slowly thinned, although the sky was still filled with thick gray clouds, blocking out the sun and causing a chill that raised every hair on James’s body. Although the chill could be because of the growing fear he felt. He could sense the same fear from his crew. Many of the soldiers were staring at the ship, frozen as statues, while others were already reaching for their bayonets and swords.
“Commodore, Norrington,” one of the crewmembers said. “What are your orders?”
“Do not fire any of your weapons,” James instructed. He studied the men closest to him. Mercer was no longer sneering or smirking. His hand was wrapped tightly around the hilt of his blade. Beckett was frozen in his place. The bag containing the heart trembled in his grasp. The man was shaking with fear. “Are you certain you want to do this?” He asked the lord.
“Very certain,” Beckett insisted and tried to keep his body from trembling even further.
James pulled out his spyglass and examined the other ship. He could see the crewmembers, as horrifying as last time, all dressed in rotting barnacle ridden clothes and covered with various life forms from the sea. Some even resembled the fish in the sea. One man had the head of a hammerhead shark, another a puffer fish, and he could make out the one with the conch shell for a head.
There was another he had never seen before. He was a tall figure wearing a large hat, a hat that would be worn by a captain, and a large black coat that was tattered at the ends. A beard of writhing squid like tentacles covered his face. That would have to be Jones. James felt his own pulse quicken at the mere sight of such a figure and he drew in his breath when Jones appeared to have been staring back at them.
The temperature became a few degrees cooler and James was hit by the stench of rotting fish he had smelled on Isle Cruces. Several of his men gasped and he could hear steel being drawn. He lowered his spyglass and turned around. The monsters were on his ship.
“Sir?” A crewmember asked. He was standing next to the man with the puffer fish face. “Your orders.”
“Stand down,” James commanded. He studied the new arrivals. Each one seemed to be taking delight they were frightening his crew. His gaze sought out the last man he had seen, the same man who was standing in the center of the deck. “Withdraw your swords. Lord Beckett wishes to speak with Captain Jones.”
“Lord Beckett is it?” The man with the tentacles asked. He approached them. His slender right leg was like that of a crab and made a loud beating sound against the deck. His pincher claw of a hand held onto a wooden pipe. His other hand had had actual long fingers but one was a slender tentacle that wrapped around Jones’s cane. As he stepped closer, James could see that it wasn’t just tentacles near mouth. He also had a few siphons. “Which one of ye is he?” He brought his wooden pipe to his rubbery lips and inhaled. The stench of the rotten tobacco he used as almost worse than the scent of the monstrous crew.
James stood closer to Beckett; his hand never left his hilt. Mercer also closed in on the lord. “Withdraw your swords but do not withdraw your hands from your hilts.”
“This would be him.” Jones pointed toward the shorter man with his pipe. “There is a rumor going around that ye have something of mine.” He narrowed his blue eyes. “Something I would like back by now.”
Beckett swallowed before he raised the bag. “You mean your heart?” James was surprised he could move; much less speak. Beckett held it out in plain sight long enough for it to pulsate from the beating organ within. “I know you would like to have it, intact.”
Jones’s brow ridges developed a tick while the tentacles nearest his mouth twitched violently. “Return it, if ye knows what is best fer ye.”
Many of the aquatic crew grunted in agreement as they drew their weapons, several naval officers unsheathed their swords.
“It would be best if you call off your crew,” Beckett said. “You wouldn’t want anything to happen to it.”
Jones glared while his lips parted. No words were spoken for a few seconds. “Very well.” He turned to his crew. “Stand down ye filthy scum.” He turned back to Beckett. “I’d like t’ know how ye got yer dainty hands on it,” Jones said. “I had thought it went into my locker, along with Sparrow, but I can clearly see’s that it didn’t”
“It is confirmed that Jack Sparrow is dead?” Beckett asked.
“What of his crew?” James asked. He was wrong. He didn’t distract Jones’s crew long enough.
“Several o them escaped,” Jones said, his rubbery lips made a small popping sound when he smacked them together. “Still don’t explain how ye came into possession of it.”
“I swiped it from Sparrow myself,” James said in a haughty tone. “And your crew thought it was still in the chest when I threw it at them.”
“That was you?” The man with the shell head said in a surprised and angry tone. “I thought that was one of Sparrow’s pirates.”
“I had a bit of a falling out with the navy.”
“And you are back,” shell head said. “You get to be all prim and pretty and my head had to crawl after my own body.”
Jones silenced him with a wave. “Enough from the lot of ye.” He brought his pipe to his mouth and took in a long puff. “I can tell ye have been taken good care of me heart. I would like to have it back now.”
Beckett shook his head. “All in good time. I need you to do something for me.”
“And would that be, lord Beckett?”
“I need you to help me rid the sea of vermin.” He was no longer trembling and James could detect the sound of his voice regaining its arrogance. “You have come across such vermin before. I am sure some of your own crew were once these vermin.”
“Pirates ye mean?”
“Of course, even with such esteemed pirate hunters as Norrington here we can not still be rid of them all.”
“Ye want me t’ send my Kraken after them all?” Jones took another puff off his pipe. “She is only one beast.”
“One beast that can destroy a ship within seconds, if what I have heard is true.”
“Aye it is true. You want me to summon the Kraken and order it to go after every pirate in the sea?”
“Precisely.”
Jones smacked his lips. “It doesn’t exactly work like that ye see. I cannot send it after every ship with a pirate flag or after everyone with a brand on their wrist.”
James felt himself stiffen and glanced at his sleeves. “How does it work?”
“I need names of specific ships or people, or the ships within my sight.”
“I can provide you with several names of pirates and their ships,” Beckett said. “The list is in my cabin, but I would like to see a demonstration first.”
Jones removed the pipe from his moth and nodded at the short man. “I like how ye think. Follow closely and ye shall see the Kraken at ‘er worst.”
-
Malcolm stood on the upper deck of the seafaring ship, next to the wheel and listening on to the sounds of bolts securing pieces of wood over any holes and rocks being cleared away. They have been at it for a few hours and Malcolm was getting more and more impatient.
“I’m going to have to steer you, aren’t I?” He grabbed onto the wooden wheel. Water from sea spray and rain along with the heat of the sun had caused it to crack and splinter.
“That is the captain’s job,” Inara approached him. She had dropped off her silk bag in the place she called the berth deck. It was where they found the worn cloth hammocks, stilled attached to the ship. Inara, Simon and Kaylee had torn a few down to create a few beds on the floor. Inara had said the swinging would make her sick and Simon and Kaylee wanted to be together. The others didn’t mind sleeping in the hammocks.
“When and where did you learn anything about sailing?” Malcolm turned to face her. “And why are you not helping with the ship?”
“Kaylee has only one more hole to fix,” Inara said. “And she is getting enough help with the boy. River and Jayne nearly have all the rocks cleared and Zoë and Simon are untying the mooring lines, as for my knowledge of ancient ships, I have been known to read several history books. You should try it some time.”
Malcolm smiled weakly. “I have read several history books. I know all about the great wars.” He turned back to the wheel. “How did this happen?”
“None of us knows the answer.”
“I hope we have plenty of supplies and this Tea llama person will lend us some more. What was in that bag of yours?”
“A few incense sticks and several bottles of scented oil,” Inara said. “And my toothbrush.”
“You are the only one that doesn’t have to worry about dental decay.” All Malcolm had on him was his trusty gun and his papers, they all had either papers or identicards and Zoë even had a few recordings on her. In addition to his medicine Simon had a small emergency razor with him. Malcolm was going to have to borrow that.
He leaned over the edge of the bow. River and Jayne were tossing several rocks aside. When they started it would have taken both of them to push a single rock away. Once they had finished with the largest rocks they moved down to the smaller rocks till they just had ones they could carry single handedly. There was only hand full left, although the incoming tide was making it more difficult. “How are we doing down there?”
“I think I cut my hands on some of these rocks,” Jayne said as he tossed another one. “Sea water is making it burn.”
“I don’t see any red,” Malcolm shouted.
“These rocks all started as something else,” River had picked up another rock, but instead of throwing it she just stared at it. “The water changed it, made it something it’s not, but it isn’t alive like the sand used to be. I can’t tell what it wants.”
“Yeah,” Malcolm said. He was not ready for one of her strange messages or spouting of random facts. “Just get it clear. The sky is nice and we are going to be sailing soon.” He turned to Inara. “Tell Zoë and Simon that once they are done to climb aboard.”
“Are you ordering me around?”
“I’m askin you to, but if you put it that way,” he paused. “Yes. We are not on Serenity. We are not going to find any clients for you at sea. On this ship you are crew.”
She glared at him for a second before she blinked. “And crew is family.” She turned around.”
He turned back to edge of the brow. “Could you hurry it up down there? Don’t want to leave you.”
“Do you want to come down here and give us a hand?” Jayne asked. They were almost done.
“Two and two,” River tossed another rock aside. “We are done.”
“We are?” Jayne asked. He noticed there were no longer any large rocks, or medium sized ones, except for the one in his hands. “Well aint that nice. How come I didn’t notice sooner?”
“You didn’t notice because you are busy with the rocks in your hands,” River explained.
“What is that supposed to mean?” He blinked. “Wait a minute. I understand. Something not right if I can understand what you are saying.”
“Maybe she is getting more clear,” Malcolm shouted. He had enough of waiting. “Maybe your mind is getting more clear. Just get on this ship.” He watched River scale the side of the ship with flawless effort and Jayne climbed up after her.
“You need to make sure the sails are unfurled,” Inara told him.
Mal turned around. “I don’t need a backseat sailor.”
“You need someone who knows what they are doing.”
“You don’t know much more than I do,” Mal turned back to the wheel and grabbed onto the spoke like handles. The tide pooled around the craft and tugged it a few inches further towards the sea.
“Are you about to suggest some of us get out and push?”
“I do want know if it will go faster if I get out and kick it.” He turned to the others. “Get those masts at full sail.”
“How do we do that?” Simon asked.
“Just pull on the ropes until-“ he waved his arms around. “They are all poofed out.”
“Yes sir,” Zoë said before she climbed onto the mast closest to him to get to the lines needed to raise the sails.
Inara folded her arms and shook her head. “You really don’t know what you are doing.”
“No kidding.”
“Wait,” Kaylee called out. She was half way up the main mast. “We can’t leave yet.”
“Why not?” Malcolm asked.
“Cause she doesn’t have a name. Can’t sail right if we don’t love or name her,” Kaylee said.
“Name,” Mal nodded. Kaylee was right. He once told River they couldn’t take a boat in the air if there wasn’t any love, the same could go for the boats at sea. “She is going to be called the Haven.” He stared Inara in the eyes. “Good sea going name?”
“It’s a good name, period.” The companion said.
He returned to the helm when he felt the Haven being pulled out even further. “Hey kid.” He called out to the boy. “I need you here by my side.”
“Yes sir,” their mysterious friend approached him.
“Don’t wanna be called kid you give me an actual name. We are about to kiss the sea and I don’t like traveling blind. I need you to point out where we are heading. Any need for a change of direction you holler. You got that?”
“Yes sir,” the boy said again. “Once we get clear we need to go that way.” He pointed to his right.
“That is what we need you for,” Malcolm said. “Try to hold on, got nothing to strap you down. That and we don’t know what the hell we are doin.”
-
Atlantic/Indian border
Elizabeth leaned against the railing, staring out at the waves. She hated being in the dark. Barbossa hadn’t said much in how they were going to get Jack back form the dead. He only mentioned where they were going and needed things that were precious to Jack. She wished Tia Dalma had sent them with someone more trustworthy, someone who would explain things a bit more clearly.
“How comes we still don’t know anything,” Ragetti said as he and Pintel continued to swab the deck near Elizabeth. She couldn’t help but overhear their conversation.
“Barbossa is going to explain once we get there.” Pintel answered. He did not look up from his work.
“To Singapore?” Ragetti blinked his good eye.
“Beyond Singapore. The vortex to the dead.”
“I thought they was called the pearly gates.”
Pintel gave him a hard stare. “No you idiot. Jack aint exactly dead. From how I understands it, Jack is between being dead and alive.”
“Like when we was cursed?”
“No,” Pintel said in an exasperated tone. “He aint cursed, not really alive. He is at the vortex and Barbossa needs a few things Jack loves before he goes in and gets him.”
“How come Barbossa is going to be the one?”
That was what Elizabeth wanted to know. If Barbossa was going into this supposed Vortex then she was going to follow.
“I don’t know,” the older man shrugged. “Maybe he will tell us why when we gets there.”
“Is that where we are going to meet a man with a brown coat?”
“Huh?” Pintel blinked.
“I heard about the poppet having a dream where Jack tells her something about a brown coat.”
“Maybe we will meet him,” Pintel dipped his brush back into the bucket and continued to scrub. “Maybe it’s a metaphorical brown coat.”
“Like an animal’s coat of fur.” Ragetti raised a finger. “An otter is going to help.”
“An otter? Where the hell do you come up with an otter? I’m thinking we have to raise the Pearl first and give it a new coat of paint, brown paint.”
“Can’t paint the Pearl brown. Then it would be the Brown Pearl.”
Pintel paused for a second and Elizabeth and thought she could almost hear the sounds of his brain trying to work. “Yeah, you are right.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Those two were always getting into similar discussions and arguments.
“Is here something on your mind?” The voice of the man she loved asked her.
“There is a lot,” She answered. “We need to go somewhere private.”
“The gun deck?” Will suggested.
“That would work,” she nodded and followed her fiancé down below deck, down to where the cannons were stored. She didn’t know what to tell him first. Would it be about her doubts about Barbossa, or would it be about her betrayal to Jack.
“What is troubling you?” Will asked.
“I don’t trust him.” She glanced up towards the stairs. “How could we trust Barbossa to bring back Jack?”
Will nodded. “I don’t like him either, neither does most of Jack’s crew, but he is the only one who knows how to bring back Jack.”
“He betrayed Jack before,” she closed her eyes when she said it. “Then again, so have I.”
“How?” Will blinked.
“I killed him.” She stared down. “Jack is dead because of me.”
“Jack is dead because of Davy Jones.”
She shook her head. “I handcuffed him to the ship. While the rest of you were getting into the longboat.”
“Was that before or after you kissed him?”
“You saw?” Elizabeth felt another stab into her chest. She had hoped her beloved hadn’t seen the kiss, now she knew she had hurt another man. “I’m sorry.”
“Why?”
“I did it to distract him,” she blinked away the tears. “I never meant to hurt you. I needed to distract Jack so I could shackle him. The Kraken wasn’t just after the ship. It was after Jack and I did to save you and Gibbs and everyone.” She felt herself shaking. “I killed him. This is all my fault.”
“Don’t say that.” He grabbed her chin. “If Jack allowed me to destroy the heart none of this would happen.”
“How would killing Jones stop the Kraken?”
“I feel they are connected. If Jones died then so would the Kraken, or at least it would no longer feel the need to go after Jack.”
“Are you certain?”
“I’m almost as certain as my love is for you.” He kissed her forehead.
“I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner.” She kissed his cheek before she brought her lips to his.
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