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![HTTYD: Bound In Holy Matrimony (Part 3) [Finale]](http://t.furaffinity.net/36575812@150-1590789002.jpg "HTTYD: Bound In Holy Matrimony (Part 3) [Finale]")
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It was chaos aboard the RLS Legacy.
As the ship finally arrived at the famous, elusive Treasure Planet, the time had nearly come for them to make their move and take over as the new crew. Unfortunately, one Jim Hawkins had managed to overhear their plans, and would no doubt alert Captain Amelia of the treachery. Thus the leader of the mutiny, Captain John Silver, had no choice but to act now.
"Change of plan, lads! We move now!" he shouted, raising a cybernetic arm into the air as a sort of battle cry.
From there, it was a mad rush to secure the ship. A new, black flag with a skull and electrons replaced the triumphant red, white, and golden one that waved proudly before. The crew locked down as many corners of the Legacy as they could, securing it as their own. But the issue remained regarding those outside their crew: Jim, Amelia, and Dr. Delbert Doppler. The trio were currently making their escape attempt aboard one of the Legacy's lifeboats at the bottom of the ship. Amelia and Doppler were inside, ready to cut the line holding it up once Jim was aboard, and get out before the hatch below them closed and trapped them inside.
Jim, however, was Silver's true concern. He had snatched up the spherical map to Treasure Planet (or so he thought) and was dashing to the boat along the wooden floorboards, the only thing separating him from the vast green skies below. Silver had the escaping teen securely in his sights. He raised his gun, perfectly set up to take him out and claim the map to his treasure.
But he hesitated. Throughout their journey to the mysterious Treasure Planet, Jim and Silver had grown to form a bond with one another. A mutual respect and admiration that wasn't too far off from how a father and son would feel for each other. And so, try as he might to push his emotions down, the pirate captain couldn't bring himself to fire on the kid he'd grown so fond of.
That didn't mean he'd let him get away.
Thinking quickly, Silver instead shot at the planks at Jim's feet, aiming at just the right one to make Jim slip up and fall. As Silver hoped for, Jim was able to grab onto the nearest broken piece of floorboard, lower body dangling off the ship.
"Jim!" Doppler and Amelia cried in unison.
As Jim struggled to hang onto the shattered wood, he saw the pirate captain charging over to him. Completely out of options, he knew he had to act.
Hope you guys have good reflexes, he thought. And he let go, hoping to either land in the lifeboat or be caught by his friends below.
But his descent was halted as swiftly as it began by a tight grab of his right arm. He gasped as he looked up to see Silver, whose glare back at him was a mix of anger and relief. Relief only for his map, Jim was sure.
"Doppler, shoot him!" Amelia ordered.
"I can't, I don't have a good angle! I might hit Jim!" he lamented.
This bought Silver just enough time to, in spite of the lad's fierce resistance, sharply pull him up onto the stable floorboards. Jim stumbled onto his knees, off balance for just long enough for Silver to wrench his arms behind his back.
"Agh! Get offfa me!" Jim snarled, thrusting his body in order to escape the hold of the rotund man's massive hands.
From down below, Doppler and Amelia could merely watch, trying to think of anything to help. They raised their blasters to try and find some shot that would be a guarantee to hit Silver and only Silver, but none such opportunity rose.
"Get out of here, guys!" Jim called out, still struggling. He didn't want them to take the fall with him.
Before they could make any choice, however, the captain holding him shot at the rope that kept the lifeboat hanging. The sudden jerky movement that resulted caused Doppler to stumble and trip into Amelia, knocking her over as well. Their lifeboat impacted against the metal hatch, before tipping over and falling away from the ship. By the time the two got back up, they found themselves facing a closed hatch, blocking them from getting back in.
"No! Jim!" Doppler shouted for his friend.
Amelia briefly looked up at the ship with concern and fury, before dashing over to the controls. She raised the solar sails, halting the vessel's rapid descent so that she could steer it away from her overrun ship.
"What are you doing?!" Doppler exclaimed. "We can't just leave him up there!"
"We'll be of no use to him now. We'll have to retreat and come up with a plan."
Amelia looked back at Doppler, whose worry didn't fade. She knew it would be hard for him. He was good friends with not only Jim, but Jim's mother trusted him with her son on this quest. He likely believed himself to be responsible for whatever happened to the teen.
"Don't worry," Amelia reassured softly as she flew onward. "We'll get him back."
Aboard their new ship, the pirate crew watched as its former captain and her ally zoomed away in escape. They made no attempts to stop them, however. They had the boy and therefore the map; they could care less what happened to the other two.
In a bout of rage and desperate to get loose, Jim raised both feet and delivered a powerful kick to Silver's large gut.
"OOF!!" The captain reeled over in pain, loosening his grip on Jim's arms enough for him to break free.
But at this point, he was too late. At this point, he was now surrounded on all sides by the crew, who were closing in on him fast. Jim's head swiveled around, looking for some, any opening. When one pirate made to grab him, Jim desperately turned the other way, only to collide into another pirate, this one a mollusk-like creature whose arms comprised of four tentacles. Jim tried to dart in the other direction once more, but felt two of those tentacles swiftly wrap themselves around each arm, trapping him in place.
As Jim struggled once more in the slimey grasp of the tentacles, Silver briskly walked up to him. "Alright laddie," he growled as Jim kept fighting. "Now for that map."
Despite Jim's feeble kicks to stop him, Silver was able to reach into his pocket where he'd stored the sacred map, and surely enough pulled out the object of his desires.
"Hehe … there you are, my pretty …" he purred, cradling the technological sphere as if it was the treasure itself.
Only for the map to respond fondly to his pets, moving and nuzzling the large hand, releasing sounds of undeniable pleasure. Everyone's bewildered expressions looked on as the sphere then morphed into …
"Morph?!" Silver and Jim both exclaimed.
The little ball of goop flipped around squealing in delight, seemingly proud of himself for having deceived everyone so effectively.
"But if that's not the map," one pirate started, "Then …"
A few of the crew members glared at each other, then instantly rushed over and shoved their arms into the basket from which Jim had initially pulled the disguised Morph. Surely enough, one of them pulled his arm out, holding in his hands an identical metal sphere. The real map.
"Well I'll be …" Silver said. He turned his head to his pet. "Morph, ya should know better than to be pullin' stunts like that," he said with a chuckle. Morph looked down and whined sheepishly.
"Hehe, little rascal," Silver laughed.
"You don't deserve that map!" Jim shouted, still squirming in the tentacles' hold. "You lying, manipulative, rotten ba-phmmph!" Jim's ranting was cut off as the pirate firmly wrapped another one of his tentacles around his head and mouth. "Mmmgh phrrrgh, phommnn!" he cried out behind the tendril, but his words could no longer be understood.
"Captain!" an insectoid creature suddenly chimed in. Scroop, considered by many to be the most cold-blooded of Silver's crew, sauntered towards their new captive. "I think it's high time we do away with our little cabin boy." He approached Jim and lifted his chin up with a sharp claw, causing Jim to wince and struggle further.
When Scroop turned back to his captain, however, he saw not a look of joy or satisfaction at the prospect of the boy's deserved demise, but rather … hesitation. Indecisiveness, and … Fear??
"Unless … you suddenly feel a need to protect this runt, Captain?" he questioned accusingly. His bright, yellow eyes narrowed into slits, searing into his captain.
Silver's eyes grew in response to this. Quickly, he shook his head and put on a more hardened, bitter expression, hoping that he could disguise his scorn towards Scroop as scorn towards Jim. "Ha! Ya think I care about him?! I told ye, the lad means nothin' to me!" he said with over-exaggerated vigor. "A competent worker at best, and that's bein' forgiving!"
Silver looked towards Jim after, and immediately regretted doing so. The lad's response to the statement nearly broke the captain's heart. Not only had he stopped struggling, but from the shimmering look in his eyes that he was clearly trying to bury down - not unlike what he himself was doing - it was very clear that Jim truly believed that Silver was being honest. The only positive side was that he clearly sold his false words to the crew, judging by their enthused reactions.
Forcing his feelings down, Silver continued. "I just figure he may be good for somethin' yet. You never know, even the lowest of bottom-feeders could have value."
"Hmmh?!" Jim shouted. He began thrashing about once more, prompting the tentacled pirate to tighten his grip on his arms. However, Jim was able to shake his head forcefully enough to dislodge the tentacle gagging him. He briefly gasped for air before shouting, "Are you crazy?! What makes you think I'd help you?! And how could I, if I'm so worthless?!" he barked, almost sounding in pain at that last word.
This boy don't know when to shut it, Silver thought. He had to act quickly, before they decided to kill him anyway. "Bind and gag 'im up and put 'im below deck! We'll see what use he has for us," he ordered.
At this, Jim was shoved onto his stomach by multiple pirates. They pinned him down and brought his hands behind his back, while another grabbed his kicking ankles. Jim fought his hardest as another pirate came up with strands of rope, and wrapped it effectively around his crossed wrists. He then went to his flailing ankles and tied them together just as tightly.
"Agh! Stop! Let go of m-mmmpgh!!" Jim shouted, only to be cut off when a black cloth was fastened over his mouth and tied off at the back of his head, muffling his cries.
"Lmmghh! Grrmmphmm!!" he shouted as he squirmed with all his might. But the ropes hindered his mobility too much to put up much of a fight.
Silver stood over him through the entire process, staring down at Jim with both anger and remorse. Jim could do nothing but look back up at him, his gag stifling the hateful words he tried to shout to the traitorous captain.
Once again, when Scroop turned a glance towards him, Silver had to quickly force down his feelings. "Throw him in the brig, boys," he said, his voice low and lacking the vigor he would usually have in delivering such an order.
"I think not," Scroop snarled. "We don't want the lad pulling something under our noses." All this time, Jim was thrashing about on the floor, flopping about uselessly and grunting loudly through his gag. Scroop crouched to his level and grabbed him by his hair, forcing the gagged teen to look him in his menacing eyes. Jim did his best to steel his gaze, his grey-blue orbs narrowed in bitter hatred. "He's staying above deck, where we can keep an eye on him."
After a moment, the pirates gradually voiced their approval at this request. Soon enough, they all agreed to it, without even confirming Silver's consent. As if Scroop had somehow unofficially risen in the ranks to become Silver's equal.
Thus, Jim was scooped up under the arm of the crew's burliest member and taken above deck, kicking and screaming the entire way. He was carried over to the ship's mast, proudly mounted in the center of the deck, and shoved upright with his back firmly against the wood. More ropes were wrapped around his upper body and around the mast in several large, tight coils, pinning Jim securely to the structure in an uncomfortable standing position.
"Rrrrrngh!! RRRRMPHGGH!!!" Jim tried to wrench himself away from the pole, but the ropes were too strong and too tight, and the position he was in didn't allow for much slack or angles to work with.
"Silence, you cretin!" Scroop scolded, slapping him across the face. "You're lucky the crew agreed to put you in the open, or else I would have slit yer sad little gullet by now." He traced a claw along Jim's throat, and he attempted to backed up away from it. But his head hit the back of the mast, his chest rising and falling rapidly above the ropes as he breathed fearfully. "Nnmnph."
"Alright, Scroop, ya made yer point," Silver said lowly, nearly growling due to the treatment of their captive. As if you ain't done worse in all yer years, he lightly scolded himself. Nonetheless, he continued. "Thompson, you keep the first watch!"
"Aye, sir!" Thompson responded.
With that, the other pirates slowly began to disband. Silver was called back below deck, and so he turned to leave Jim behind with Thompson. Just as he went through the doorway, he looked over his shoulder to give one last look at the captive. He tried to project some form of apology through his eyes, but Jim would only respond with a look of malice and betrayal, followed by another bout of struggling. Silver caught Scroop staring at him out of the corner of his eye, and tried to match the crab-like pirate's glare with one of his own before descending down below deck.
Hours passed since the mutiny of the RLS Legacy, the ship continuing to hover over Treasure Planet. After the excitement of their initial takeover, chasing of those not involved, and capture of Jim Hawkins, the energy among the sinister crew slowly but surely returned to fairly standard. A majority of the crew were partaking in typical, mundane tasks, acting as if their mutiny had never happened.
Only three elements were of any interest. One was that apparently, Morph was nowhere to be seen. At some indeterminate point, the little blob of a pet had just disappeared. Most presumed he was playing some ridiculously unfair game of hide-and-seek. The second was the newly-acquired map. The pirates, particularly Silver, had spent an absurd amount of time fidgeting and testing it out in attempts to open and read it. But they were having none such luck, and their frustration was brewing with each failure.
The third element of interest was, ironically, the one who could easily solve this problem of theirs: the young man gagged and bound to the mast, displayed humiliatingly for any passing crew member. All he would need was five seconds with the sphere, and they would have what they needed. Jim knew this as well, and at several points would try to tell them through the gag.
"Hmm! Mnrrw hmwtmn mmpnnmmmm! Nnghnmm!"
And yet, despite how frantic he tried to make himself sound, all of the crew always dismissed his grunting as the whining of a petulant child.
"It sounds like he has somethin' important to say," Silver suggested at one point.
Scroop hissed back, "The boy doesn't speak. I don't want any tricks."
Jim lowered his head with a stifled sigh when he heard this. It only figured that they would underestimate his value, not even think to consider he had something to offer. He was used to that. But it didn't make the sting hurt any less.
He had struggled for well over half an hour, trying to find some way to dislodge himself from the mast. But it was no use; the ropes wouldn't budge. He remained trapped against the sturdy mast, his legs aching increasingly from the forced position they were tied into, his upper body unable to even bend over thanks to the ropes pinning it back.
Jim's head continued to hang low, brown hair falling over his face, as he sighed through his gag once more. All the effort he put into trying to find this place, and this isn't what he was envisioning. He even thought he'd found someone to call a good friend and maybe even a familial figure in the process. But it was looking like none of that would end up as anything.
His eyes then hardened, head still down. He thought he'd be used to disappointment at this point. Apparently not.
In the midst of his anguished thoughts, Jim heard feet heavily stomping towards him. In his despair, he did his best to contort his face into a defiant glare before he looked up. That glare needed no further fuel when it turned out to be Silver.
"Trrnnrr!" he screamed, trying and failing to lunge forward even slightly.
Silver let out a deep exhale, seeming at a loss for words. Silence lingered between the two of them, before the captain decided to speak up.
"Laddie, I … ya gotta understand that what I said about ye in there … I didn't mean it. If the crew found out I'd gone soft, they'd kick me out, maybe even string me up. I wanted to find some way to keep ya as clear of this as I could. Right now I'm fightin' tooth-and-nail to keep some of them boys from killin' ya right here and now."
Jim just continued looking him in the eyes, as he mulled these words over. A part of him knew that what the captain was telling him made some degree of sense. Despite him having deceived Jim (and Doppler and Amelia) regarding his intentions, it was plausible that the captian did indeed feel the same connection Jim felt and was just trying to save face. But another, larger part told him that this was just what he wanted to make himself believe. He then remembered that he had trusted someone similarly before, thought them incapable of turning his back on him. And look how that turned out.
Jim wouldn't allow that to happen to him again. So he just leered at the captain further, eyes narrowed yet vulnerable, threatening to well up.
"I didn't want to do this to ye. I tried to think of some other way, but-"
"PHNNNMM!!" Jim suddenly yelled, thrashing in his bonds, kicking his bound legs out towards the deceitful man. The tears in his eyes began to leak out, but he didn't care.
In all the years of Silver's travels, he'd never seen a face in such pain. He'd hurt people in the past, surely, but never quite like this. He contemplated taking the gag off, letting Jim speak his mind. But there were still a few pirates nearby, who'd surely notice if Jim was suddenly allowed such a privelege. Especially in the boy's current emotional state.
"I'll make it up to ye, Jimbo. I swear on it ... somehow."
He tried to place a hand on Jim's shoulder comfortingly, but the teen shook it off with a grunt. He refused to look at the man anymore, refused to let him know how much he felt stabbed in the back by him any longer. His eyes squeezed shut to prevent more tears from escaping.
With another sigh and nothing else he believed he could say or do, Silver merely turned around and walked away, without another word. Questioning far more than he would care to admit.
"OY! LIVESEY, GET DOWN HERE!!"
Another hour had gone by, with Jim still trapped in the same standing position against the mast, hope having all but vanished for him. He was currently being watched by a skinny, cat-like pirate named Livesey, the ship's medic, while the rest of the crew had taken to catching up on a light power nap below deck after drinking.
That is, until one pirate burst through the doors to below-deck, panic all over his body and voice.
"Wha? Gray, what's got yer rope in a twist?" Livesey asked, leaning up from where he had been casually lounging against the mast (much to the annoyance of the more restricted Jim).
"It's Roscoe! He's choking, and none of us can stop it!" Gray replied urgently. "Come, come quickly, please!"
Livesey gasped audibly. "Avast!" he shouted. He rose his feet and quickly darted for the door past Gray, who followed right behind him. They had completely forgotten about Jim, leaving him alone at the mast.
Now's my chance! he thought.
With a limited window opened for him, the boy began the maddest struggle to break free he'd attempted yet. He squeezed his eyes shut and pulled as hard as he could against the ropes pinning him down, a continuous moan of exertion blocked by the black cloth over his mouth. His wrists tugged and turned, his torso twisting back and forth with abandon. His knees spread and shimmied as his ankles fought to snap their binds. He kicked his feet up, trying to get some momentum to help him.
"MMMGH!! HMMMPHG!!!"
Come on, please! How good at knots can these pirates be?! I gotta get outta here, come on!! Come-
"Psst! Jim!" a voice suddenly whispered in his left ear, halting his struggling and widening his eyes.
"Hmmh?!"
That voice … it couldn't be …
But as Jim turned his head to his left, he saw ...
Doppler?!
Indeed, there was the astronomer himself. He was holding a mid-sized knife, and twisting his head quickly and constantly, presumably for a clear coast.
"I know you have questions. But that food old Gray is choking on, it's ... well, let's just say he probably found it a bit gelatonous. And alive."
"Hmm?" Jim said lowly. How would Doppler have been able to control what Gray ate? He couldn't have ...
A muffled gasp then escaped Jim's gag as he realized something. Did ... did Morph have something to do with this?! Is that where he's been?!
"Amelia's guarding the lifeboat. Now hold still," Doppler whispered quickly. Jim had a million questions in his head, but simply nodded in understanding. Not like he could ask those questions anyway.
In under a minute, Doppler was able to slice through the ropes tethering Jim to the mast, though he was still gagged and tied hand-and-foot. The lad immediately fell forward, landing on his knees before collapsing onto his right shoulder. "Ormmph!"
"Sorry, Jimbo!" Doppler whispered with a wince. Jim merely rolled his eyes.
"Just keep still and stay quiet," Doppler said. "It shouldn't take me much longer to-HEY!!"
Alarmed, Jim turned onto his back to see Doppler's arms pinned to his sides by a pirate he knew to be named Job.
"Dmmmrrr!" Jim shouted.
"Gah! Unhand me, you knave!" Doppler shouted, fighting Job hold.
"Boys! We got a situation out here!" Job shouted.
He didn't have time to say anything else however, before a high-pitched screech was heard. It was followed up by a cat-like figure swooping into Job's vision and delivering a double-kick to his head. He landed on his side, knocked out instantly.
"Amelia!" Doppler cried.
It was too late, however. Several pirates emerged onto the deck to see the intruders, blasters in each hand. Doppler and Amelia prepared to withdraw their blasters, but then heard the sounds of more being loaded behind them. Surely enough, another set of pirates had emerged from the door on the other end of the deck. The trio were surrounded and outnumbered.
"Well, well, well," crooned an all-too-familiar voice. Scroop sauntered his way past the wall of pirates. "A rescue attempt, I see."
Jim soon had to look up to see the crab-like alien towering over him. He gave a whimper of fear as he was grabbed by the collar of his shirt and lifted up. He weakly wriggled himself in Scroop's hold, mumbling pleas through his gag.
"Hey! Release me, fiends!" Amelia cried as she and Doppler were grabbed with their arms held securely to their sides, their weapons yanked from them and tossed onto the wooden floor.
"What is the meanin' of this?!"
That demand came from John Silver, who suddenly arrived to the commotion, barging his way through the crowds.
"The boy's friends tried to save him," Scroop responded. "I told you it wasn't worth keeping him alive." He turned back to Jim with a hateful dagger-like look in his cold, yellow eyes. "And now, I'm ending this pointless charade."
"No!" Silver shouted immediately and urgently, turning the crab's head swiftly in his direction.
"Er, what I mean is ... ye don't need to go that far with him. If-if we can just ..." He was stammering, struggling to come up with any way to keep the boy alive at this point. The bold, commanding captain seemed to all but have vanished in this desperate moment.
But Scroop had had enough. This confirmed what he'd suspected for a while: that his leader was a fraud. Unwilling to do the necessary deed when his pathetic heart got in the way. It disappointed him, really.
And so, the sinister pirate carried a still-struggling Jim over to the edge of the ship. At his nonverbal command, Amelia and Doppler were brought over as well.
"Nnnnrph! NNNRRRHH!!" Jim's muffled shouts intensified greatly as he looked down below. They were miles from the surface of the planet. Jim tried to kick and struggle, but at the same time didn't want Scroop to drop him.
"Scroop! What're ya doing!?" Silver roared.
He was only met with a growl from the deranged pirate. "I knew you'd lost it, old chum. Yer weak!"
He turned his head to Jim, looking him in the eyes for what he hoped was the final time.
"And I'm removin' the weak link."
With that, he released his claw's hold on Jim, beginning a deadly freefall to the planet below. He clicked his tongue and nodded to the pirates holding Doppler and Amelia, and they too were subsequently dropped.
"MMMMMMMMMM!!!!"
Jim screamed as he plummeted. He felt as if his rapidly-beating heart and stomach were trying to drop out of his body from the sensation of the fall, the air blowing harshly through his bound form.
As his slight figure plummeted through the sky, through the sea of green surrounding the legendary planet, Jim kicked around and tugged his wrists and ankles in a chaotic frenzy. As if getting untied would do any good to help him survive such a fall. All he did was cause his body to spin and flip around in the sky, disorienting the gagged teen.
"Mmm, mmmm … Mmmnn!"
In his dazed vision, Jim could make out his friends falling higher up, screaming just as he was, clearly at no more an advantage than he. "GRRMMF!!" he cried. I have to do something! But what?!
Looking down, he saw the plush, white clouds that partially covered the lush green forest serving as a blanket to the planet. But Jim had the feeling that it wasn't nearly as soft as it looked.
It seemed to be coming faster, faster ... soon he'd penetrate the clouds, only to continue his descent. Until he crashed, meeting a gruesome end. He'd come all this way, left his mother behind planets away, and this is how it would all end.
He felt the wind continue to rush through him, his smooth, brown hair being pushed upward. His shirt fluttered wildly with it. His nostrils felt almost assaulted by the air relentlessly racing past him … or rather, he racing past it. The adrenaline was similar to the rush he felt on his solar sail back home, but obviously not nearly as thrilling.
Just as he saw himself about to pass through the clouds, Jim forced himself to realize that there was no hope for him now. For Doppler or Amelia either. He came to Treasure Planet with a dream, but now would meet his demise. His wrists, which had reduced to merely twitching in the ropes, now simply ceased, his will to fight having died.
All out of hope, Jim closed his eyes. He waited for the impact, for the end.
…
…
The impact came ... but he was still breathing. Still felt the rush of wind.
Jim slowly opened his eyes, and received the shock of his life. He was currently dangling by his bound ankles off the front tip of a lifeboat soaring through the sky … one driven by John Silver. He had managed to catch Jim with the front of the boat hooking in between his legs.
"Sorry, laddie! Couldn't quite catch ya how I wanted! Just … hang on there!"
He came for me?? But ... he ...
Jim's racing emotions had to pause, however. Right now, he tried to keep himself from slipping off of his precarious position. As the ship flew on, looking for a landing, Jim's legs wobbled and adjusted to hold on. His boots clutched the vessel desperately, his stomach muscles working hard to keep his weight from pulling them off. Add on top of that just trying to keep coordinated from dangling upside down, and it amounted to the most challenging ride of Jim's life.
Silver had to be careful on his own end; one too-sharp turn could dislodge the boy and send him falling again. He could possibly let him fall and try for a better catch, but he wasn't taking that risk unless he had to.
Jim, however, suddenly caught a glance of the other two figures who had been tossed off with him, still falling and flailing not too far from him. Doppler and Amelia!
And yet Silver was flying in the opposite direction, towards the planet's surface!
"Hmh! Dmmplrr nn Mmmrnn! Gngrnndmmh!" Jim shouted past the gag, nodding his head upwards without jostling himself.
"I know, Jimbo, but we'll be on land soon!" Silver replied, misunderstanding his muffled cries.
"Nn!! Phnnmm tww! GNNDMMH!!" With difficulty, Jim nodded his head even more vigorously to the falling duo, desperate to get his point across to his rescuer.
"Laddie, what are ye …" Silver turned his head to see the two falling. He turned back to Jim and shouted, "Ye really wanna make this go on longer?!"
Jim responded with a glare, his blue eyes shimmering through his blowing brown locks.
Silver sighed. "Fine, then … don't say I didn't warn ya!"
With that, Silver made a sharp upward turn, trying to reverse course as gently as possible. "Wommmh!!" Jim felt his stomach turn at the changing trajectory. His bound feet remained hooked onto the tip of the boat, gripping on for dear life, the task made slightly easier with the upward direction. He heaved loudly through his gag, the adrenaline and dizziness making him feel like he could pass out at any moment.
Finally, Silver reached the duo, their screams slowly coming into earshot. But thankfully, Silver was able to this time catch them properly, moving the craft downward to cushion their fall as they landed in the back seat.
"What's this?! You?!" Amelia shouted, Silver being the last person she would have expected as their rescuer.
"Jim!" Doppler shouted. This got Amelia's attention on the dangling teen, and they both moved to pull him up.
That is, until the boat was nearly struck by a powerful laser cannonball barreling past them.
"WHAT THE-?!" Silver screamed.
Another raced towards them, but narrowly missed again. And then another. Silver weaved and twisted his way around in the sky to dodge the attacks, which he looked to see were coming from his ship. Former ship, he realized sadly.
"Why are they shooting at us?!" Amelia shouted. "We don't have any-"
"MMMMMMMMM!!!"
In Silver's frantic maneuvering of the vessel to keep from getting hit, Jim had fallen off from his precarious spot, falling freely once more.
Silver quickly dived down for the teen, much more easily without having to keep him latched on at the same time. Though that was made up for with now having to dodge the blazing cannonballs. It didn't take long for Amelia and Doppler to be close enough to both grab Jim by the bound ankles. The two of them worked together to pull him into the boat as quickly as possible.
"Mmmph. Rrrmph," Jim grunted through their efforts. He was plopped down onto his side, his mind trying to slow down now that he was in the relative safety of the boat. His two friends then moved to free his limbs, trying to focus while having to put up with Silver's dodging of the attacks.
"I say, these blokes at least know their ways around ropes!" Amelia bemused loudly. Jim rolled his eyes and grunted in annoyance. Oh yeah, they did a great job. Doppler then realized that he should untie Jim's gag. After being jostled about inside the zipping vehicle, he reached over and untied the cloth, tossing it into the sky and letting it blow away into the wind.
Jim let out many heavy breaths of air when his mouth was free, amidst a slew of ragged coughs. "Thanks, you guys. Seriously," he said raspily.
They nodded, and continued on the ropes. As they did so, Jim stared down at Silver with a mix of gratitude and resentment. Silver noticed and looked back briefly, uncharacteristically uneasy under the boy's smoldering gaze. But neither said a word; right now, they just needed to get to safety.
Jim tenderly rubbed his wrists once his arms were free, while his ankles were untied by Doppler. Meanwhile, Amelia was looking for a good place to land and hide.
"Get into those trees!" she pointed down. "If we speed through the forest, they won't be able to track us through the foliage!"
"Oy, no offense lassie, but I think I know what I'm doin', here!" Silver retorted.
Amelia narrowed her eyes. "You think we can trust your judgement after what you pulled?!"
"I saved ye, didn't I?"
"We wouldn't need saving if you-"
"Guys!" Doppler shouted, having freed Jim's legs. "Can you agree on something? Quickly?!" he stammered amidst the slew of gunfire.
Silver just grunted lowly. "Fine, then." And so, per Amelia's advice, Silver steered the boat into the dense jungle that had so beautifully covered the planet.
Unfortunately, it wasn't so friendly down below. Silver quickly found himself needing to swerve and zip left and right to avoid crashing into the mushroom-shaped foliage. He couldn't slow down, however, as the cannonballs were still falling from above and crashing into the forest around them. Nor could he go back up above the forest, as it would expose their position and nullify their trail.
And yet too many times did he find himself evading disaster by a hair. Doppler and Amelia held onto the sides of the ship, before resorting to holding onto each other. Which, to their own surprise, neither of them minded at all.
"Avast! I can't go this long like this!" Silver exclaimed.
"Then step aside," Jim suddenly said. Without waiting for the former captain to oblige, he pushed Silver into the passenger's seat, to both of their surprises.
Jim thought back to what he'd learned about these lifeboats back on the ship, as well as throughout his upbringing. He narrowed his eyes and focused, a deep breath going in his nose and out his mouth. I can do this, he thought. It's as easy as solar sailing ...
And surely enough, it didn't take long for the gifted teen to get a handle on things. Silver looked on in awe as Jim was able to weave through the natural obstacles, so smoothly and precisely as if he'd done this for years. All three passengers felt themselves loosen up, quick to have faith that their new driver had this and would get them out okay.
Steadily, over the course of around thirty seconds, the group could hear the cannonballs exploding far from where they currently were. This meant that the plan seemed to have worked; the pirates lost track of them.
Realizing this, Jim steadily brought the boat to a gentle stop amid the trees. The craft kicked up a bit of dust from where it brushed against the grassy ground, before the sputtering engine was turned off.
Taking a few moments to recollect themselves, the group all exited the vessel, as the adrenaline of the perilous situation slowly died down. They drank in the blissful silence and stillness. Only the tranquil sounds of the surrounding nature graced their ears, a gentle breeze tickling them as opposed to ferocious winds.
Once he felt everyone's heartbeats had settled back to normal, Doppler decided to be the one break the silence among them.
"That was remarkable flying, Jim!" Doppler cheered.
"Indeed ..." Amelia added. "We could use someone like you in our ranks." Jim seemed to beam especially at that compliment.
"Best I've ever seen, that was," Silver also said, a proud grin wide on his face. He laid a hand on Jim's shoulder in encouragement. But Jim shoved it off, blue eyes narrowed at the pirate.
Silver sighed remorsefully. He knew he needed to clear the bad blood now. He didn't have anyone else to trust in at this point, anyway.
Jim just stood there, his back turned to the other three. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions right now. This man had betrayed his trust so swiftly, revealed himself to be a sneaking, conniving pirate who'd probably committed any number of misdeeds in his life. And yet, he then came around and went out of his own way to save Jim's life. Not only that, but it likely came at the cost of his own reputation, crew, and even prized treasure. He said he believed in Jim, yet then told his crew it was an act, yet then told Jim it wasn't an act … it all ate away at the disenfranchised young man.
The lad swiftly turned around, eyes welled up with unshed tears, finger firmly pointed at Silver.
"What are you after?! Huh?!"
Silver was taken aback by the question. In the past few days, it was one he'd asked himself several times as he got to know the kid. Before Jim, he would have skinned any poor soul who would even suggest he give up his treasure for anything or anyone. He didn't think anything could take his eyes off of the prize. And yet ... what Jim was made of miraculously felt more valuable than any gold he could acquire. And when it came down to it, it seemed that it wasn't worth losing.
"I … I don't know. I don't know anymore, kiddo. I came out here lookin' to find Flint's treasure, take it for myself an' me men. But … seein' you, the drive and skill ya got in you, what we've been through on this here trip, it's …"
He hung his head low in another deep sigh, hand on the back of his neck. Jim's gaze softened a bit.
"Know this, Jimbo. I meant what I said to you. All of it, every word. You remind me a lot of myself, but … better. A finer head on yer shoulders, a better heart. And I know I'd be even more a scum-of-the-earth than I already was if I let your opportunity die like mine did. And if I let a good kid like you perish."
In spite of the walls he'd put up around himself, walls to keep out far more people than Silver, Jim sensed no insincerity in this man's words. The pirate had nothing to gain anymore by deceiving him, and it would make no sense for him to have done this out of anything other than a genuine concern for him.
"That's why I couldn't let you die. Even if it meant losing everything I'd worked so hard to get."
Seeing the supposedly-sinister John Silver like this was a sight to behold. And it was washing away the doubts in Jim's mind. This ... this was real. It had to be. Watching him now, considering how they'd connected, it just had to be.
"You've got more worth than any treasure. Believe it kid, yer gonna rattle the stars, you are," Silver whimpered out, eyes nearly watering and voice wavering with emotion.
Jim looked up at the man. Never had he heard such encouraging words from anyone outside of his mother. And even she seemed to have been losing faith in him recently.
And then, looking the former captain straight in the eyes, the walls melted away.
Lips quivering, Jim went in to embrace Silver, and Silver returned the gesture, large arms wrapping around the kid's much smaller frame.
Doppler and Amelia looked on the moment fondly. They certainly couldn't have predicted that this is how things would have turned out, but it seemed that all was unwell in the end. Of course, Amelia certainly didn't have any plans to let this pirate go unpunished for his crimes. But that could wait, she decided.
Breaking up the scene, however, came a sudden rustling. It sounded like it was coming from the trees above them.
Amelia spat out through gritted teeth, "How the blazes did those no-good ruffians manage to ..."
Her sentence cut off when the source of the commotion revealed itself. And turned out to not be a malicious pirate, but rather an adorable little pink blob that they had all come to be acquainted with.
"Morph!" Silver shouted happily. The little creature rushed to embrace his owner, nuzzling the side of his face. He then quickly gave the rest of them the same greeting, emitting sounds that could be easily equated to a purr.
"Well, it seems you've managed to find us, old boy!" Doppler praised. "Well done, Morph! Mission accomplished! ... Er, more or less."
Silver passed a glance to Jim in confusion, to which Jim gave a responding look as if to say, "Don't bother asking."
This happy reunion did, however, bring Amelia's mind to something else.
"Well, this is all quite lovely, but there is something I just can't place," she stated. "Why did the pirates start shooting at us suddenly? What do they have to gain?"
"Aye," Silver replied, having broken the hug with Jim. "It is quite unusual, even for them scurvy dogs."
Doppler suddenly grew sheepish in his body language, arms behind his back and smiling cheekily. The rest of the group noticed this, and turned to him suspiciously.
"W-well, the thing about that is," Doppler began with a chuckle. "While we were attempting our rescue of Jim here …" He reached a hand into one of his pockets. And what he pulled out nearly left the rest of the group breathless.
It was a grey, metalic orb. One they all were familiar with.
"I may have managed to pick up a little something."
Treasure Planet and all characters in the story belong to Disney.
Originally uploaded on January 15, 2020.
This may or may not be surprising, but this was the hardest time I've ever had writing a story. Firstly, I came down with major writer's block while outlining the story. Secondly, Christmas celebrations and gifts had served as massive distractions. And thirdly, this story is easily the most fast-paced I've done due to how much happens in such quick succession. So I often had a rough time in deciding how much detail to give a given moment versus having it just briskly go by with more vague descriptions. This was especially true of the climax. I'm curious to know if anyone thinks I went too vague at points.
But with that aside, I enjoyed exploring this alternate path for the original film, in which Jim is captured in the mutiny as opposed to getting away, and the similarities and differences in how the conflict in his and Silver's relationship would evolve. I also liked giving a little more attention to the tension between Silver and Scroop, who I'm sure will become the crew's new captain with Silver no longer with them. And as usual with my oneshots, I chose to leave it open-ended, with Silver and our trio of heroes now able to go about their own search for the treasure. Will they succeed? Will the pirates catch up to them? It's up to you to decide!
Like I said, it was a challenge to get through, and much more focused on quick progression than the slow moments I've come to utilize heavily. But I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless!
Jim's gag speech translated:
"Lmmghh! Grrmmphmm!!” – “Let me go! Get off me!!”
“Hmm! Mnrrw hmwtmn mmpnnmmmm! Nnghnmm!” - "Hey! I know how to open the map! Ungag me!"
"Trrnnrr!" – “Traitor!”
"GRRMMF!!" – “GUYS!!”
“Hmh! Dmmplrr nn Mmmrnn! Gngrnndmmh!” - "Hey! Doppler and Amelia! Go get them!"
“Nn!! Phnnmm tww! GNNDMMH!!” - "No!! The other two! GET THEM!!"
As the ship finally arrived at the famous, elusive Treasure Planet, the time had nearly come for them to make their move and take over as the new crew. Unfortunately, one Jim Hawkins had managed to overhear their plans, and would no doubt alert Captain Amelia of the treachery. Thus the leader of the mutiny, Captain John Silver, had no choice but to act now.
"Change of plan, lads! We move now!" he shouted, raising a cybernetic arm into the air as a sort of battle cry.
From there, it was a mad rush to secure the ship. A new, black flag with a skull and electrons replaced the triumphant red, white, and golden one that waved proudly before. The crew locked down as many corners of the Legacy as they could, securing it as their own. But the issue remained regarding those outside their crew: Jim, Amelia, and Dr. Delbert Doppler. The trio were currently making their escape attempt aboard one of the Legacy's lifeboats at the bottom of the ship. Amelia and Doppler were inside, ready to cut the line holding it up once Jim was aboard, and get out before the hatch below them closed and trapped them inside.
Jim, however, was Silver's true concern. He had snatched up the spherical map to Treasure Planet (or so he thought) and was dashing to the boat along the wooden floorboards, the only thing separating him from the vast green skies below. Silver had the escaping teen securely in his sights. He raised his gun, perfectly set up to take him out and claim the map to his treasure.
But he hesitated. Throughout their journey to the mysterious Treasure Planet, Jim and Silver had grown to form a bond with one another. A mutual respect and admiration that wasn't too far off from how a father and son would feel for each other. And so, try as he might to push his emotions down, the pirate captain couldn't bring himself to fire on the kid he'd grown so fond of.
That didn't mean he'd let him get away.
Thinking quickly, Silver instead shot at the planks at Jim's feet, aiming at just the right one to make Jim slip up and fall. As Silver hoped for, Jim was able to grab onto the nearest broken piece of floorboard, lower body dangling off the ship.
"Jim!" Doppler and Amelia cried in unison.
As Jim struggled to hang onto the shattered wood, he saw the pirate captain charging over to him. Completely out of options, he knew he had to act.
Hope you guys have good reflexes, he thought. And he let go, hoping to either land in the lifeboat or be caught by his friends below.
But his descent was halted as swiftly as it began by a tight grab of his right arm. He gasped as he looked up to see Silver, whose glare back at him was a mix of anger and relief. Relief only for his map, Jim was sure.
"Doppler, shoot him!" Amelia ordered.
"I can't, I don't have a good angle! I might hit Jim!" he lamented.
This bought Silver just enough time to, in spite of the lad's fierce resistance, sharply pull him up onto the stable floorboards. Jim stumbled onto his knees, off balance for just long enough for Silver to wrench his arms behind his back.
"Agh! Get offfa me!" Jim snarled, thrusting his body in order to escape the hold of the rotund man's massive hands.
From down below, Doppler and Amelia could merely watch, trying to think of anything to help. They raised their blasters to try and find some shot that would be a guarantee to hit Silver and only Silver, but none such opportunity rose.
"Get out of here, guys!" Jim called out, still struggling. He didn't want them to take the fall with him.
Before they could make any choice, however, the captain holding him shot at the rope that kept the lifeboat hanging. The sudden jerky movement that resulted caused Doppler to stumble and trip into Amelia, knocking her over as well. Their lifeboat impacted against the metal hatch, before tipping over and falling away from the ship. By the time the two got back up, they found themselves facing a closed hatch, blocking them from getting back in.
"No! Jim!" Doppler shouted for his friend.
Amelia briefly looked up at the ship with concern and fury, before dashing over to the controls. She raised the solar sails, halting the vessel's rapid descent so that she could steer it away from her overrun ship.
"What are you doing?!" Doppler exclaimed. "We can't just leave him up there!"
"We'll be of no use to him now. We'll have to retreat and come up with a plan."
Amelia looked back at Doppler, whose worry didn't fade. She knew it would be hard for him. He was good friends with not only Jim, but Jim's mother trusted him with her son on this quest. He likely believed himself to be responsible for whatever happened to the teen.
"Don't worry," Amelia reassured softly as she flew onward. "We'll get him back."
Aboard their new ship, the pirate crew watched as its former captain and her ally zoomed away in escape. They made no attempts to stop them, however. They had the boy and therefore the map; they could care less what happened to the other two.
In a bout of rage and desperate to get loose, Jim raised both feet and delivered a powerful kick to Silver's large gut.
"OOF!!" The captain reeled over in pain, loosening his grip on Jim's arms enough for him to break free.
But at this point, he was too late. At this point, he was now surrounded on all sides by the crew, who were closing in on him fast. Jim's head swiveled around, looking for some, any opening. When one pirate made to grab him, Jim desperately turned the other way, only to collide into another pirate, this one a mollusk-like creature whose arms comprised of four tentacles. Jim tried to dart in the other direction once more, but felt two of those tentacles swiftly wrap themselves around each arm, trapping him in place.
As Jim struggled once more in the slimey grasp of the tentacles, Silver briskly walked up to him. "Alright laddie," he growled as Jim kept fighting. "Now for that map."
Despite Jim's feeble kicks to stop him, Silver was able to reach into his pocket where he'd stored the sacred map, and surely enough pulled out the object of his desires.
"Hehe … there you are, my pretty …" he purred, cradling the technological sphere as if it was the treasure itself.
Only for the map to respond fondly to his pets, moving and nuzzling the large hand, releasing sounds of undeniable pleasure. Everyone's bewildered expressions looked on as the sphere then morphed into …
"Morph?!" Silver and Jim both exclaimed.
The little ball of goop flipped around squealing in delight, seemingly proud of himself for having deceived everyone so effectively.
"But if that's not the map," one pirate started, "Then …"
A few of the crew members glared at each other, then instantly rushed over and shoved their arms into the basket from which Jim had initially pulled the disguised Morph. Surely enough, one of them pulled his arm out, holding in his hands an identical metal sphere. The real map.
"Well I'll be …" Silver said. He turned his head to his pet. "Morph, ya should know better than to be pullin' stunts like that," he said with a chuckle. Morph looked down and whined sheepishly.
"Hehe, little rascal," Silver laughed.
"You don't deserve that map!" Jim shouted, still squirming in the tentacles' hold. "You lying, manipulative, rotten ba-phmmph!" Jim's ranting was cut off as the pirate firmly wrapped another one of his tentacles around his head and mouth. "Mmmgh phrrrgh, phommnn!" he cried out behind the tendril, but his words could no longer be understood.
"Captain!" an insectoid creature suddenly chimed in. Scroop, considered by many to be the most cold-blooded of Silver's crew, sauntered towards their new captive. "I think it's high time we do away with our little cabin boy." He approached Jim and lifted his chin up with a sharp claw, causing Jim to wince and struggle further.
When Scroop turned back to his captain, however, he saw not a look of joy or satisfaction at the prospect of the boy's deserved demise, but rather … hesitation. Indecisiveness, and … Fear??
"Unless … you suddenly feel a need to protect this runt, Captain?" he questioned accusingly. His bright, yellow eyes narrowed into slits, searing into his captain.
Silver's eyes grew in response to this. Quickly, he shook his head and put on a more hardened, bitter expression, hoping that he could disguise his scorn towards Scroop as scorn towards Jim. "Ha! Ya think I care about him?! I told ye, the lad means nothin' to me!" he said with over-exaggerated vigor. "A competent worker at best, and that's bein' forgiving!"
Silver looked towards Jim after, and immediately regretted doing so. The lad's response to the statement nearly broke the captain's heart. Not only had he stopped struggling, but from the shimmering look in his eyes that he was clearly trying to bury down - not unlike what he himself was doing - it was very clear that Jim truly believed that Silver was being honest. The only positive side was that he clearly sold his false words to the crew, judging by their enthused reactions.
Forcing his feelings down, Silver continued. "I just figure he may be good for somethin' yet. You never know, even the lowest of bottom-feeders could have value."
"Hmmh?!" Jim shouted. He began thrashing about once more, prompting the tentacled pirate to tighten his grip on his arms. However, Jim was able to shake his head forcefully enough to dislodge the tentacle gagging him. He briefly gasped for air before shouting, "Are you crazy?! What makes you think I'd help you?! And how could I, if I'm so worthless?!" he barked, almost sounding in pain at that last word.
This boy don't know when to shut it, Silver thought. He had to act quickly, before they decided to kill him anyway. "Bind and gag 'im up and put 'im below deck! We'll see what use he has for us," he ordered.
At this, Jim was shoved onto his stomach by multiple pirates. They pinned him down and brought his hands behind his back, while another grabbed his kicking ankles. Jim fought his hardest as another pirate came up with strands of rope, and wrapped it effectively around his crossed wrists. He then went to his flailing ankles and tied them together just as tightly.
"Agh! Stop! Let go of m-mmmpgh!!" Jim shouted, only to be cut off when a black cloth was fastened over his mouth and tied off at the back of his head, muffling his cries.
"Lmmghh! Grrmmphmm!!" he shouted as he squirmed with all his might. But the ropes hindered his mobility too much to put up much of a fight.
Silver stood over him through the entire process, staring down at Jim with both anger and remorse. Jim could do nothing but look back up at him, his gag stifling the hateful words he tried to shout to the traitorous captain.
Once again, when Scroop turned a glance towards him, Silver had to quickly force down his feelings. "Throw him in the brig, boys," he said, his voice low and lacking the vigor he would usually have in delivering such an order.
"I think not," Scroop snarled. "We don't want the lad pulling something under our noses." All this time, Jim was thrashing about on the floor, flopping about uselessly and grunting loudly through his gag. Scroop crouched to his level and grabbed him by his hair, forcing the gagged teen to look him in his menacing eyes. Jim did his best to steel his gaze, his grey-blue orbs narrowed in bitter hatred. "He's staying above deck, where we can keep an eye on him."
After a moment, the pirates gradually voiced their approval at this request. Soon enough, they all agreed to it, without even confirming Silver's consent. As if Scroop had somehow unofficially risen in the ranks to become Silver's equal.
Thus, Jim was scooped up under the arm of the crew's burliest member and taken above deck, kicking and screaming the entire way. He was carried over to the ship's mast, proudly mounted in the center of the deck, and shoved upright with his back firmly against the wood. More ropes were wrapped around his upper body and around the mast in several large, tight coils, pinning Jim securely to the structure in an uncomfortable standing position.
"Rrrrrngh!! RRRRMPHGGH!!!" Jim tried to wrench himself away from the pole, but the ropes were too strong and too tight, and the position he was in didn't allow for much slack or angles to work with.
"Silence, you cretin!" Scroop scolded, slapping him across the face. "You're lucky the crew agreed to put you in the open, or else I would have slit yer sad little gullet by now." He traced a claw along Jim's throat, and he attempted to backed up away from it. But his head hit the back of the mast, his chest rising and falling rapidly above the ropes as he breathed fearfully. "Nnmnph."
"Alright, Scroop, ya made yer point," Silver said lowly, nearly growling due to the treatment of their captive. As if you ain't done worse in all yer years, he lightly scolded himself. Nonetheless, he continued. "Thompson, you keep the first watch!"
"Aye, sir!" Thompson responded.
With that, the other pirates slowly began to disband. Silver was called back below deck, and so he turned to leave Jim behind with Thompson. Just as he went through the doorway, he looked over his shoulder to give one last look at the captive. He tried to project some form of apology through his eyes, but Jim would only respond with a look of malice and betrayal, followed by another bout of struggling. Silver caught Scroop staring at him out of the corner of his eye, and tried to match the crab-like pirate's glare with one of his own before descending down below deck.
Hours passed since the mutiny of the RLS Legacy, the ship continuing to hover over Treasure Planet. After the excitement of their initial takeover, chasing of those not involved, and capture of Jim Hawkins, the energy among the sinister crew slowly but surely returned to fairly standard. A majority of the crew were partaking in typical, mundane tasks, acting as if their mutiny had never happened.
Only three elements were of any interest. One was that apparently, Morph was nowhere to be seen. At some indeterminate point, the little blob of a pet had just disappeared. Most presumed he was playing some ridiculously unfair game of hide-and-seek. The second was the newly-acquired map. The pirates, particularly Silver, had spent an absurd amount of time fidgeting and testing it out in attempts to open and read it. But they were having none such luck, and their frustration was brewing with each failure.
The third element of interest was, ironically, the one who could easily solve this problem of theirs: the young man gagged and bound to the mast, displayed humiliatingly for any passing crew member. All he would need was five seconds with the sphere, and they would have what they needed. Jim knew this as well, and at several points would try to tell them through the gag.
"Hmm! Mnrrw hmwtmn mmpnnmmmm! Nnghnmm!"
And yet, despite how frantic he tried to make himself sound, all of the crew always dismissed his grunting as the whining of a petulant child.
"It sounds like he has somethin' important to say," Silver suggested at one point.
Scroop hissed back, "The boy doesn't speak. I don't want any tricks."
Jim lowered his head with a stifled sigh when he heard this. It only figured that they would underestimate his value, not even think to consider he had something to offer. He was used to that. But it didn't make the sting hurt any less.
He had struggled for well over half an hour, trying to find some way to dislodge himself from the mast. But it was no use; the ropes wouldn't budge. He remained trapped against the sturdy mast, his legs aching increasingly from the forced position they were tied into, his upper body unable to even bend over thanks to the ropes pinning it back.
Jim's head continued to hang low, brown hair falling over his face, as he sighed through his gag once more. All the effort he put into trying to find this place, and this isn't what he was envisioning. He even thought he'd found someone to call a good friend and maybe even a familial figure in the process. But it was looking like none of that would end up as anything.
His eyes then hardened, head still down. He thought he'd be used to disappointment at this point. Apparently not.
In the midst of his anguished thoughts, Jim heard feet heavily stomping towards him. In his despair, he did his best to contort his face into a defiant glare before he looked up. That glare needed no further fuel when it turned out to be Silver.
"Trrnnrr!" he screamed, trying and failing to lunge forward even slightly.
Silver let out a deep exhale, seeming at a loss for words. Silence lingered between the two of them, before the captain decided to speak up.
"Laddie, I … ya gotta understand that what I said about ye in there … I didn't mean it. If the crew found out I'd gone soft, they'd kick me out, maybe even string me up. I wanted to find some way to keep ya as clear of this as I could. Right now I'm fightin' tooth-and-nail to keep some of them boys from killin' ya right here and now."
Jim just continued looking him in the eyes, as he mulled these words over. A part of him knew that what the captain was telling him made some degree of sense. Despite him having deceived Jim (and Doppler and Amelia) regarding his intentions, it was plausible that the captian did indeed feel the same connection Jim felt and was just trying to save face. But another, larger part told him that this was just what he wanted to make himself believe. He then remembered that he had trusted someone similarly before, thought them incapable of turning his back on him. And look how that turned out.
Jim wouldn't allow that to happen to him again. So he just leered at the captain further, eyes narrowed yet vulnerable, threatening to well up.
"I didn't want to do this to ye. I tried to think of some other way, but-"
"PHNNNMM!!" Jim suddenly yelled, thrashing in his bonds, kicking his bound legs out towards the deceitful man. The tears in his eyes began to leak out, but he didn't care.
In all the years of Silver's travels, he'd never seen a face in such pain. He'd hurt people in the past, surely, but never quite like this. He contemplated taking the gag off, letting Jim speak his mind. But there were still a few pirates nearby, who'd surely notice if Jim was suddenly allowed such a privelege. Especially in the boy's current emotional state.
"I'll make it up to ye, Jimbo. I swear on it ... somehow."
He tried to place a hand on Jim's shoulder comfortingly, but the teen shook it off with a grunt. He refused to look at the man anymore, refused to let him know how much he felt stabbed in the back by him any longer. His eyes squeezed shut to prevent more tears from escaping.
With another sigh and nothing else he believed he could say or do, Silver merely turned around and walked away, without another word. Questioning far more than he would care to admit.
"OY! LIVESEY, GET DOWN HERE!!"
Another hour had gone by, with Jim still trapped in the same standing position against the mast, hope having all but vanished for him. He was currently being watched by a skinny, cat-like pirate named Livesey, the ship's medic, while the rest of the crew had taken to catching up on a light power nap below deck after drinking.
That is, until one pirate burst through the doors to below-deck, panic all over his body and voice.
"Wha? Gray, what's got yer rope in a twist?" Livesey asked, leaning up from where he had been casually lounging against the mast (much to the annoyance of the more restricted Jim).
"It's Roscoe! He's choking, and none of us can stop it!" Gray replied urgently. "Come, come quickly, please!"
Livesey gasped audibly. "Avast!" he shouted. He rose his feet and quickly darted for the door past Gray, who followed right behind him. They had completely forgotten about Jim, leaving him alone at the mast.
Now's my chance! he thought.
With a limited window opened for him, the boy began the maddest struggle to break free he'd attempted yet. He squeezed his eyes shut and pulled as hard as he could against the ropes pinning him down, a continuous moan of exertion blocked by the black cloth over his mouth. His wrists tugged and turned, his torso twisting back and forth with abandon. His knees spread and shimmied as his ankles fought to snap their binds. He kicked his feet up, trying to get some momentum to help him.
"MMMGH!! HMMMPHG!!!"
Come on, please! How good at knots can these pirates be?! I gotta get outta here, come on!! Come-
"Psst! Jim!" a voice suddenly whispered in his left ear, halting his struggling and widening his eyes.
"Hmmh?!"
That voice … it couldn't be …
But as Jim turned his head to his left, he saw ...
Doppler?!
Indeed, there was the astronomer himself. He was holding a mid-sized knife, and twisting his head quickly and constantly, presumably for a clear coast.
"I know you have questions. But that food old Gray is choking on, it's ... well, let's just say he probably found it a bit gelatonous. And alive."
"Hmm?" Jim said lowly. How would Doppler have been able to control what Gray ate? He couldn't have ...
A muffled gasp then escaped Jim's gag as he realized something. Did ... did Morph have something to do with this?! Is that where he's been?!
"Amelia's guarding the lifeboat. Now hold still," Doppler whispered quickly. Jim had a million questions in his head, but simply nodded in understanding. Not like he could ask those questions anyway.
In under a minute, Doppler was able to slice through the ropes tethering Jim to the mast, though he was still gagged and tied hand-and-foot. The lad immediately fell forward, landing on his knees before collapsing onto his right shoulder. "Ormmph!"
"Sorry, Jimbo!" Doppler whispered with a wince. Jim merely rolled his eyes.
"Just keep still and stay quiet," Doppler said. "It shouldn't take me much longer to-HEY!!"
Alarmed, Jim turned onto his back to see Doppler's arms pinned to his sides by a pirate he knew to be named Job.
"Dmmmrrr!" Jim shouted.
"Gah! Unhand me, you knave!" Doppler shouted, fighting Job hold.
"Boys! We got a situation out here!" Job shouted.
He didn't have time to say anything else however, before a high-pitched screech was heard. It was followed up by a cat-like figure swooping into Job's vision and delivering a double-kick to his head. He landed on his side, knocked out instantly.
"Amelia!" Doppler cried.
It was too late, however. Several pirates emerged onto the deck to see the intruders, blasters in each hand. Doppler and Amelia prepared to withdraw their blasters, but then heard the sounds of more being loaded behind them. Surely enough, another set of pirates had emerged from the door on the other end of the deck. The trio were surrounded and outnumbered.
"Well, well, well," crooned an all-too-familiar voice. Scroop sauntered his way past the wall of pirates. "A rescue attempt, I see."
Jim soon had to look up to see the crab-like alien towering over him. He gave a whimper of fear as he was grabbed by the collar of his shirt and lifted up. He weakly wriggled himself in Scroop's hold, mumbling pleas through his gag.
"Hey! Release me, fiends!" Amelia cried as she and Doppler were grabbed with their arms held securely to their sides, their weapons yanked from them and tossed onto the wooden floor.
"What is the meanin' of this?!"
That demand came from John Silver, who suddenly arrived to the commotion, barging his way through the crowds.
"The boy's friends tried to save him," Scroop responded. "I told you it wasn't worth keeping him alive." He turned back to Jim with a hateful dagger-like look in his cold, yellow eyes. "And now, I'm ending this pointless charade."
"No!" Silver shouted immediately and urgently, turning the crab's head swiftly in his direction.
"Er, what I mean is ... ye don't need to go that far with him. If-if we can just ..." He was stammering, struggling to come up with any way to keep the boy alive at this point. The bold, commanding captain seemed to all but have vanished in this desperate moment.
But Scroop had had enough. This confirmed what he'd suspected for a while: that his leader was a fraud. Unwilling to do the necessary deed when his pathetic heart got in the way. It disappointed him, really.
And so, the sinister pirate carried a still-struggling Jim over to the edge of the ship. At his nonverbal command, Amelia and Doppler were brought over as well.
"Nnnnrph! NNNRRRHH!!" Jim's muffled shouts intensified greatly as he looked down below. They were miles from the surface of the planet. Jim tried to kick and struggle, but at the same time didn't want Scroop to drop him.
"Scroop! What're ya doing!?" Silver roared.
He was only met with a growl from the deranged pirate. "I knew you'd lost it, old chum. Yer weak!"
He turned his head to Jim, looking him in the eyes for what he hoped was the final time.
"And I'm removin' the weak link."
With that, he released his claw's hold on Jim, beginning a deadly freefall to the planet below. He clicked his tongue and nodded to the pirates holding Doppler and Amelia, and they too were subsequently dropped.
"MMMMMMMMMM!!!!"
Jim screamed as he plummeted. He felt as if his rapidly-beating heart and stomach were trying to drop out of his body from the sensation of the fall, the air blowing harshly through his bound form.
As his slight figure plummeted through the sky, through the sea of green surrounding the legendary planet, Jim kicked around and tugged his wrists and ankles in a chaotic frenzy. As if getting untied would do any good to help him survive such a fall. All he did was cause his body to spin and flip around in the sky, disorienting the gagged teen.
"Mmm, mmmm … Mmmnn!"
In his dazed vision, Jim could make out his friends falling higher up, screaming just as he was, clearly at no more an advantage than he. "GRRMMF!!" he cried. I have to do something! But what?!
Looking down, he saw the plush, white clouds that partially covered the lush green forest serving as a blanket to the planet. But Jim had the feeling that it wasn't nearly as soft as it looked.
It seemed to be coming faster, faster ... soon he'd penetrate the clouds, only to continue his descent. Until he crashed, meeting a gruesome end. He'd come all this way, left his mother behind planets away, and this is how it would all end.
He felt the wind continue to rush through him, his smooth, brown hair being pushed upward. His shirt fluttered wildly with it. His nostrils felt almost assaulted by the air relentlessly racing past him … or rather, he racing past it. The adrenaline was similar to the rush he felt on his solar sail back home, but obviously not nearly as thrilling.
Just as he saw himself about to pass through the clouds, Jim forced himself to realize that there was no hope for him now. For Doppler or Amelia either. He came to Treasure Planet with a dream, but now would meet his demise. His wrists, which had reduced to merely twitching in the ropes, now simply ceased, his will to fight having died.
All out of hope, Jim closed his eyes. He waited for the impact, for the end.
…
…
The impact came ... but he was still breathing. Still felt the rush of wind.
Jim slowly opened his eyes, and received the shock of his life. He was currently dangling by his bound ankles off the front tip of a lifeboat soaring through the sky … one driven by John Silver. He had managed to catch Jim with the front of the boat hooking in between his legs.
"Sorry, laddie! Couldn't quite catch ya how I wanted! Just … hang on there!"
He came for me?? But ... he ...
Jim's racing emotions had to pause, however. Right now, he tried to keep himself from slipping off of his precarious position. As the ship flew on, looking for a landing, Jim's legs wobbled and adjusted to hold on. His boots clutched the vessel desperately, his stomach muscles working hard to keep his weight from pulling them off. Add on top of that just trying to keep coordinated from dangling upside down, and it amounted to the most challenging ride of Jim's life.
Silver had to be careful on his own end; one too-sharp turn could dislodge the boy and send him falling again. He could possibly let him fall and try for a better catch, but he wasn't taking that risk unless he had to.
Jim, however, suddenly caught a glance of the other two figures who had been tossed off with him, still falling and flailing not too far from him. Doppler and Amelia!
And yet Silver was flying in the opposite direction, towards the planet's surface!
"Hmh! Dmmplrr nn Mmmrnn! Gngrnndmmh!" Jim shouted past the gag, nodding his head upwards without jostling himself.
"I know, Jimbo, but we'll be on land soon!" Silver replied, misunderstanding his muffled cries.
"Nn!! Phnnmm tww! GNNDMMH!!" With difficulty, Jim nodded his head even more vigorously to the falling duo, desperate to get his point across to his rescuer.
"Laddie, what are ye …" Silver turned his head to see the two falling. He turned back to Jim and shouted, "Ye really wanna make this go on longer?!"
Jim responded with a glare, his blue eyes shimmering through his blowing brown locks.
Silver sighed. "Fine, then … don't say I didn't warn ya!"
With that, Silver made a sharp upward turn, trying to reverse course as gently as possible. "Wommmh!!" Jim felt his stomach turn at the changing trajectory. His bound feet remained hooked onto the tip of the boat, gripping on for dear life, the task made slightly easier with the upward direction. He heaved loudly through his gag, the adrenaline and dizziness making him feel like he could pass out at any moment.
Finally, Silver reached the duo, their screams slowly coming into earshot. But thankfully, Silver was able to this time catch them properly, moving the craft downward to cushion their fall as they landed in the back seat.
"What's this?! You?!" Amelia shouted, Silver being the last person she would have expected as their rescuer.
"Jim!" Doppler shouted. This got Amelia's attention on the dangling teen, and they both moved to pull him up.
That is, until the boat was nearly struck by a powerful laser cannonball barreling past them.
"WHAT THE-?!" Silver screamed.
Another raced towards them, but narrowly missed again. And then another. Silver weaved and twisted his way around in the sky to dodge the attacks, which he looked to see were coming from his ship. Former ship, he realized sadly.
"Why are they shooting at us?!" Amelia shouted. "We don't have any-"
"MMMMMMMMM!!!"
In Silver's frantic maneuvering of the vessel to keep from getting hit, Jim had fallen off from his precarious spot, falling freely once more.
Silver quickly dived down for the teen, much more easily without having to keep him latched on at the same time. Though that was made up for with now having to dodge the blazing cannonballs. It didn't take long for Amelia and Doppler to be close enough to both grab Jim by the bound ankles. The two of them worked together to pull him into the boat as quickly as possible.
"Mmmph. Rrrmph," Jim grunted through their efforts. He was plopped down onto his side, his mind trying to slow down now that he was in the relative safety of the boat. His two friends then moved to free his limbs, trying to focus while having to put up with Silver's dodging of the attacks.
"I say, these blokes at least know their ways around ropes!" Amelia bemused loudly. Jim rolled his eyes and grunted in annoyance. Oh yeah, they did a great job. Doppler then realized that he should untie Jim's gag. After being jostled about inside the zipping vehicle, he reached over and untied the cloth, tossing it into the sky and letting it blow away into the wind.
Jim let out many heavy breaths of air when his mouth was free, amidst a slew of ragged coughs. "Thanks, you guys. Seriously," he said raspily.
They nodded, and continued on the ropes. As they did so, Jim stared down at Silver with a mix of gratitude and resentment. Silver noticed and looked back briefly, uncharacteristically uneasy under the boy's smoldering gaze. But neither said a word; right now, they just needed to get to safety.
Jim tenderly rubbed his wrists once his arms were free, while his ankles were untied by Doppler. Meanwhile, Amelia was looking for a good place to land and hide.
"Get into those trees!" she pointed down. "If we speed through the forest, they won't be able to track us through the foliage!"
"Oy, no offense lassie, but I think I know what I'm doin', here!" Silver retorted.
Amelia narrowed her eyes. "You think we can trust your judgement after what you pulled?!"
"I saved ye, didn't I?"
"We wouldn't need saving if you-"
"Guys!" Doppler shouted, having freed Jim's legs. "Can you agree on something? Quickly?!" he stammered amidst the slew of gunfire.
Silver just grunted lowly. "Fine, then." And so, per Amelia's advice, Silver steered the boat into the dense jungle that had so beautifully covered the planet.
Unfortunately, it wasn't so friendly down below. Silver quickly found himself needing to swerve and zip left and right to avoid crashing into the mushroom-shaped foliage. He couldn't slow down, however, as the cannonballs were still falling from above and crashing into the forest around them. Nor could he go back up above the forest, as it would expose their position and nullify their trail.
And yet too many times did he find himself evading disaster by a hair. Doppler and Amelia held onto the sides of the ship, before resorting to holding onto each other. Which, to their own surprise, neither of them minded at all.
"Avast! I can't go this long like this!" Silver exclaimed.
"Then step aside," Jim suddenly said. Without waiting for the former captain to oblige, he pushed Silver into the passenger's seat, to both of their surprises.
Jim thought back to what he'd learned about these lifeboats back on the ship, as well as throughout his upbringing. He narrowed his eyes and focused, a deep breath going in his nose and out his mouth. I can do this, he thought. It's as easy as solar sailing ...
And surely enough, it didn't take long for the gifted teen to get a handle on things. Silver looked on in awe as Jim was able to weave through the natural obstacles, so smoothly and precisely as if he'd done this for years. All three passengers felt themselves loosen up, quick to have faith that their new driver had this and would get them out okay.
Steadily, over the course of around thirty seconds, the group could hear the cannonballs exploding far from where they currently were. This meant that the plan seemed to have worked; the pirates lost track of them.
Realizing this, Jim steadily brought the boat to a gentle stop amid the trees. The craft kicked up a bit of dust from where it brushed against the grassy ground, before the sputtering engine was turned off.
Taking a few moments to recollect themselves, the group all exited the vessel, as the adrenaline of the perilous situation slowly died down. They drank in the blissful silence and stillness. Only the tranquil sounds of the surrounding nature graced their ears, a gentle breeze tickling them as opposed to ferocious winds.
Once he felt everyone's heartbeats had settled back to normal, Doppler decided to be the one break the silence among them.
"That was remarkable flying, Jim!" Doppler cheered.
"Indeed ..." Amelia added. "We could use someone like you in our ranks." Jim seemed to beam especially at that compliment.
"Best I've ever seen, that was," Silver also said, a proud grin wide on his face. He laid a hand on Jim's shoulder in encouragement. But Jim shoved it off, blue eyes narrowed at the pirate.
Silver sighed remorsefully. He knew he needed to clear the bad blood now. He didn't have anyone else to trust in at this point, anyway.
Jim just stood there, his back turned to the other three. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions right now. This man had betrayed his trust so swiftly, revealed himself to be a sneaking, conniving pirate who'd probably committed any number of misdeeds in his life. And yet, he then came around and went out of his own way to save Jim's life. Not only that, but it likely came at the cost of his own reputation, crew, and even prized treasure. He said he believed in Jim, yet then told his crew it was an act, yet then told Jim it wasn't an act … it all ate away at the disenfranchised young man.
The lad swiftly turned around, eyes welled up with unshed tears, finger firmly pointed at Silver.
"What are you after?! Huh?!"
Silver was taken aback by the question. In the past few days, it was one he'd asked himself several times as he got to know the kid. Before Jim, he would have skinned any poor soul who would even suggest he give up his treasure for anything or anyone. He didn't think anything could take his eyes off of the prize. And yet ... what Jim was made of miraculously felt more valuable than any gold he could acquire. And when it came down to it, it seemed that it wasn't worth losing.
"I … I don't know. I don't know anymore, kiddo. I came out here lookin' to find Flint's treasure, take it for myself an' me men. But … seein' you, the drive and skill ya got in you, what we've been through on this here trip, it's …"
He hung his head low in another deep sigh, hand on the back of his neck. Jim's gaze softened a bit.
"Know this, Jimbo. I meant what I said to you. All of it, every word. You remind me a lot of myself, but … better. A finer head on yer shoulders, a better heart. And I know I'd be even more a scum-of-the-earth than I already was if I let your opportunity die like mine did. And if I let a good kid like you perish."
In spite of the walls he'd put up around himself, walls to keep out far more people than Silver, Jim sensed no insincerity in this man's words. The pirate had nothing to gain anymore by deceiving him, and it would make no sense for him to have done this out of anything other than a genuine concern for him.
"That's why I couldn't let you die. Even if it meant losing everything I'd worked so hard to get."
Seeing the supposedly-sinister John Silver like this was a sight to behold. And it was washing away the doubts in Jim's mind. This ... this was real. It had to be. Watching him now, considering how they'd connected, it just had to be.
"You've got more worth than any treasure. Believe it kid, yer gonna rattle the stars, you are," Silver whimpered out, eyes nearly watering and voice wavering with emotion.
Jim looked up at the man. Never had he heard such encouraging words from anyone outside of his mother. And even she seemed to have been losing faith in him recently.
And then, looking the former captain straight in the eyes, the walls melted away.
Lips quivering, Jim went in to embrace Silver, and Silver returned the gesture, large arms wrapping around the kid's much smaller frame.
Doppler and Amelia looked on the moment fondly. They certainly couldn't have predicted that this is how things would have turned out, but it seemed that all was unwell in the end. Of course, Amelia certainly didn't have any plans to let this pirate go unpunished for his crimes. But that could wait, she decided.
Breaking up the scene, however, came a sudden rustling. It sounded like it was coming from the trees above them.
Amelia spat out through gritted teeth, "How the blazes did those no-good ruffians manage to ..."
Her sentence cut off when the source of the commotion revealed itself. And turned out to not be a malicious pirate, but rather an adorable little pink blob that they had all come to be acquainted with.
"Morph!" Silver shouted happily. The little creature rushed to embrace his owner, nuzzling the side of his face. He then quickly gave the rest of them the same greeting, emitting sounds that could be easily equated to a purr.
"Well, it seems you've managed to find us, old boy!" Doppler praised. "Well done, Morph! Mission accomplished! ... Er, more or less."
Silver passed a glance to Jim in confusion, to which Jim gave a responding look as if to say, "Don't bother asking."
This happy reunion did, however, bring Amelia's mind to something else.
"Well, this is all quite lovely, but there is something I just can't place," she stated. "Why did the pirates start shooting at us suddenly? What do they have to gain?"
"Aye," Silver replied, having broken the hug with Jim. "It is quite unusual, even for them scurvy dogs."
Doppler suddenly grew sheepish in his body language, arms behind his back and smiling cheekily. The rest of the group noticed this, and turned to him suspiciously.
"W-well, the thing about that is," Doppler began with a chuckle. "While we were attempting our rescue of Jim here …" He reached a hand into one of his pockets. And what he pulled out nearly left the rest of the group breathless.
It was a grey, metalic orb. One they all were familiar with.
"I may have managed to pick up a little something."
Treasure Planet and all characters in the story belong to Disney.
Originally uploaded on January 15, 2020.
This may or may not be surprising, but this was the hardest time I've ever had writing a story. Firstly, I came down with major writer's block while outlining the story. Secondly, Christmas celebrations and gifts had served as massive distractions. And thirdly, this story is easily the most fast-paced I've done due to how much happens in such quick succession. So I often had a rough time in deciding how much detail to give a given moment versus having it just briskly go by with more vague descriptions. This was especially true of the climax. I'm curious to know if anyone thinks I went too vague at points.
But with that aside, I enjoyed exploring this alternate path for the original film, in which Jim is captured in the mutiny as opposed to getting away, and the similarities and differences in how the conflict in his and Silver's relationship would evolve. I also liked giving a little more attention to the tension between Silver and Scroop, who I'm sure will become the crew's new captain with Silver no longer with them. And as usual with my oneshots, I chose to leave it open-ended, with Silver and our trio of heroes now able to go about their own search for the treasure. Will they succeed? Will the pirates catch up to them? It's up to you to decide!
Like I said, it was a challenge to get through, and much more focused on quick progression than the slow moments I've come to utilize heavily. But I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless!
Jim's gag speech translated:
"Lmmghh! Grrmmphmm!!” – “Let me go! Get off me!!”
“Hmm! Mnrrw hmwtmn mmpnnmmmm! Nnghnmm!” - "Hey! I know how to open the map! Ungag me!"
"Trrnnrr!" – “Traitor!”
"GRRMMF!!" – “GUYS!!”
“Hmh! Dmmplrr nn Mmmrnn! Gngrnndmmh!” - "Hey! Doppler and Amelia! Go get them!"
“Nn!! Phnnmm tww! GNNDMMH!!” - "No!! The other two! GET THEM!!"
Category Story / Bondage
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 559 x 631px
File Size 252.1 kB
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