The Map

One Good, Clear Shot.

Jack's stomach lurched and his heart thumped in his chest as he looked at the broken windows above the cushioned seat.

"Jack?" The pirate registered Norrington's voice and turned on his heel to look at him.

"The door is locked on the inside and the windows are broken." Jack's hands danced as a matter of course; he narrowed his eyes, taking control of his emotions as he forced himself to think clearly and coldly. He was going to have to keep his head, for Nell's sake, he had  to keep his head. Jack shoved his way back into the corridor and banged the other door open; Will and Elizabeth jumped at the sudden interruption, but Jack made no comment to them, just turned back to Gibbs.

"Keep two on guard here; make some crosses up and use them on any monks they see, not pistols."

"Crosses?" Gibbs stared at Jack as he shoved past him again and started down the corridor.

"Yes, Mister Gibbs, two bits of wood that make up the cross of Christ!" Jack hollered back angrily. "And don't bloody question me again! Commodore, round up any of your red-coats that can still fight. Hock, take Bryant and get the remaining boats on the water now. Dwent, Timms round up the crew and make up as many crosses as you can; rip up the bloody deck if you have to, but make them quickly!"

"Where's Nell?" asked Bryant worriedly, as he followed Jack out onto the deck.

Jack ignored him as he swore long and viciously as he stood in the middle of the main deck and glared at the remaining boats on board the Pearl. The only ones left were the Pearl's  own boats and it suddenly became clear to Jack.

"What's happening?"

Jack turned as Elizabeth and Will made their way out onto the deck, and he went back to them, studying them carefully. 

"Did you see or hear anything out of the ordinary, like chanting or those bloody monks?"

"No." Will shook his head. "What's happened, Jack?"

"Beaumont and De Mornay have gone from the brig and Nell has been taken from the cabin. It would seem the monks are on board."

"How?" Norrington had returned with the handful of red-coats still in enough shape to do battle.

"They caught a bleedin' ride with us, that's how! We kept the boats from the island! We should have sunk them; blown them up, done something other than let them fester here! I don't know how they did it, but there was nothing natural about boats that survived a hundred years on a beach." Jack's tone was filled with self-disgust at making such a big mistake.

"We all knew the boats were aboard, Jack," Norrington said quietly. "None of us even gave them a second thought."

"But I'm the bleedin' Captain!" Jack spat and moved forwards to the prow to look out over the island. "I've only tried to go over the island once. 'Tis completely inaccessible above ground; the caves are the only system that can be accessed. If they've headed to the island that's where they'll be..." He gripped the rail, suddenly overwhelmed with the possibility that he just might not win this time.

"Where else could they head?" asked Bryant.

"Their own island." Jack replied quietly. "Oh bugger it all to hell!" He kicked at the ships side in angry frustration. "I have no idea..."

"But why take Nell and the others?" demanded Bryant. "Why not kill us all?"

Jack glared at him; he took several deep breaths as he made himself think Bryant's words through while looked around for Gibbs.