The Captain

twenty-two

"No!" I screamed.

The members of the Mermaid's Revenge gathered next to the side of the ship, most nursing injuries of some kind.

"Does anyone see him?" Tim yelled as we all stared into the dark water.

The remnants of the splash had dissipated, leaving no sign that the two men had ever been there at all.

"What do we do?" Dalt sounded frantic.

"Someone has to go get him!"

Movement erupted from the water.

Both men were yelling, metal and fists connecting. It was impossible to tell who was who, let alone who was winning.

"Captain!" Charlie yelled.

The two men disappeared under the water again, leaving nothing but bubbles behind.

Jaw clenched, I turned to Ernie.

"Pass me that rope, Ernie."

He shook his head.

"No way. Someone else can go."

I looked around at the group. Charlie had a hand pressed to a gash on his forehead, Tim looked like he'd been stabbed through the bicep and Dalt was effectively holding a nearly unconscious Bastien upright.

Bonnie looked alright, but she was pale and there was a dark stain on her chest that made me nervous.

The point was, nobody was in swimming shape, but I'd managed to avoid any large injuries.

"There's no time, Ernie, give me the goddamn rope."

His eyes flicked around the damaged crew before handing me the cord. I made a quick loop around my waist, cinching it tightly. I made my best guess to where they had been in the water, took a deep breath, and dove in.

The water was rough when I hit, tossing me around for a moment before I gathered my bearings. I'd given myself a reasonable tether to the boat, but I couldn't see Maverick or Gordon anywhere.

I surfaced and shouted to the group on the deck.

"Does anyone have eyes on him?"

Bonnie pointed behind me.

"There! To the left!"

I paddled around and swam towards the motionless body.

Oh god.

I flipped the man over and my heart jumped, whether in relief or fear I wasn't sure. Gordon had been stabbed several times and was slowly bleeding out in the water, eyes open and unseeing.

Disgusted, I shoved him away from me and began searching for Maverick.

Wishing more than anything I had some sort of light, I dove down, eyes strained against the saltwater.

Something glinted in the moonlight below me. I kicked down hard, finding an unconscious Maverick, belt buckle reflecting the light above us.

Please don't be dead, please don't be dead.

Using all the strength I could muster, I hauled him to the surface. His eyes shut, head lolling awkwardly to the side, he definitely wasn't giving me a lot of hope here.

Trying to keep him afloat, I slipped the loop off my waist and over his head, securing it under his arms.

"Pull him out!" I yelled, choking on the water.