The floor was cold and damp. The room was dim, with the only hint of light coming from away in the distance. It was quiet, save for the occasional groans of other prisoners from wherever they were being kept. The authoritarian base's holding cells definitely did not meet any sanitary regulations.
Colt sat in defeat, leaning hopelessly against the back wall of his tiny cell. He'd been dumped here by the officers who had arrested him and then had been left without a word to him. They hadn't even bothered to ask if he was thirsty or offer him a meal. Colt had expected better treatment of someone who'd come all this way to save their town.
Well, he'd really come all this way to use their town as leverage. But what was the difference anyway? What kind of law enforcement wasn't even willing to listen to warnings, whether they were from a pirate or not? Colt knew he should have waited to speak to a Commander. Maybe they'd be more willing to listen to Colt than a Lieutenant, especially a Lieutenant whose sister hated him.
Colt hadn't meant to hurt or betray Shelly. He hadn't really had much choice, though. He planned out what to do at the Authority base before he even met her. Plus, he expected they would part ways as soon as they arrived at the base. He never imagined that the Lieutenant he needed to speak with so badly was her brother. He never imagined that they would figure out he was a pirate before he was long gone.
He should be islands away by now, traveling the seas. Goldtown's Authority would have a fair chance against the pirates of the Bloody Manta and he would have more information on the Lost Captain. He'd be sailing ever closer to wherever the Lost Captain Finch was last seen, all on his own. He wouldn't be relying on a pirate crew or a pirate captain to dictate everything. He'd be truly free. And then he'd find the Lost Captain, relishing in fame and riches. Meanwhile, Goldtown would either defend against Captain Rave and his crew or get ransacked. Whatever the outcome, it wouldn't affect Colt in the slightest.
But now things were different. The Authority had figured out he was a pirate, and much too soon. The chances of him getting his hands on that information was... well, there was no chance. And on top of that, he was now stuck in the cell of an Authority base. Things could not possibly be worse.
His plan at Goldtown had failed tremendously. Not only was he right back where he started, with no leads or information, things were actually worse than they were when he started out. At least he used to be free. Well, he wasn't really free on Captain Rave's ship at all. But he wasn't confined to a space so small that it only allowed for three steps in any direction. So maybe this situation was even worse than being a cabin boy. And that was saying a lot, because before just this moment he hadn't thought that possible.
His sorrowful wallowing was interrupted by an Authority officer making the rounds and sliding a tray of food under each of the cell doors. As the man approached his cell, Colt got to his feet and walked over.
"You've got to let me out of here," he said. His voice was coarse after a night in the holding cell.
The officer slid the tray into the cell and then stepped back a little, staring at Colt. He didn't look threatened or scared in the slightest. If anything, he almost looked a little amused.
"So I've heard," the officer said. "I've got to let you out because I'm in danger. Did I get it right?"
"Perfect, actually," Colt replied. "I know how it sounds, okay? But I'm telling the truth."
"I know how it sounds too," said the officer, "because you've been saying it nonstop since we locked you up. Give it a rest, pirate. You're not seeing daylight for a very long time."
"Look..."
Colt paused mid-sentence as he noticed something about the officer before him. There was a little something poking out of the upper pocket of his uniform. All of the sudden Colt knew exactly who he was talking to.
"You're Edward, aren't you?"
The Authority officer blinked, not saying anything. He, for the first time, had been caught off guard. He no longer looked amused at the conversation, which Colt appreciated.
Officer Edward leaned in accusingly. "How do you know that, pirate?"
"The letter," Colt said, motioning toward the end of the envelope poking out of his pocket. "The fisherman, who I just recently learned is your father, asked me to give that to you."
The officer scoffed. "Of course. Why wouldn't my father still be associating with pirates? I intend to burn this letter, so don't think you'll gain any form of sympathy from me."
Colt was growing impatient, but he suppressed the feeling. "It's not sympathizers I'm looking for," he said. "I'm looking for listeners, that's all."
"I'm not here to listen to you," replied the officer simply. "I'm here to feed you, so that you don't die prematurely. So take your food, eat it, and wait. That's all there is to do here. Try all you like, you won't find sympathizers, listeners, or any friend at all down here."
Colt sighed. He could tell he'd reached a brick wall as far as this officer was concerned. Unlike his father, Edward did not seem too overly willing to help out a pirate. That was unfortunate, considering he'd been through quite a lot to deliver a letter to this guy. And he wasn't even going to open the letter, at that. It made him feel bad for the fisherman. But not as bad as he currently felt for himself and his own situation.
"Alright, that's it," Colt said, pointing a finger at the officer. "I want to speak to your manager. I mean it. Get the Lieutenant down here."
Edward just scoffed. "Lieutenant Cotton doesn't have time for you right now. Or at any time, for that matter."
Why was it so hard to get in the presence of the Lieutenant? He had to trek through a forest and up a mountain to see the man, who hadn't even listened to him. Now he was having the exact same problem as before.
"Shelly, then," Colt said, trying to compromise. "Can I speak to Shelly?"
"No can do," Edward said, not even having to think about it. "Lieutenant Cotton would have me on the streets if I let you speak to his sister. Not that I'd do it anyway, of course."
"Of course," Colt agreed sarcastically. This guy was obviously good for nothing. "Well thanks for the food, Eddy. I'll enjoy it."
The officer smirked. "No you won't," he said. "I can promise you that."
Edward was about to move on through the cells, but he turned back to Colt once more. "And by the way, it's Officer Hayworth."
Colt straightened his back and stiffened his arms. He lifted a flat hand up to his forehead in a mock formal salute to the officer. Edward just shook his head and walked off.
That didn't work out too well, Colt thought as he went back to the wall of the cell to sit down.
He'd really thought he had a slight chance when he'd seen the fisherman's son was the one to check on him. It had seemed like the perfect time for a nice prison breakout. That wasn't what Edward had in mind, however, which was unfortunate.
Colt traced his finger across the ground in boredom. He glanced up at the food tray that was still sitting there where the officer had left it. He didn't make any move to get up and retrieve it. He wasn't hungry at all, and the food didn't look particularly appetizing anyway.
There was nothing left for him to do. He'd tried to get some freedom from his old pirate ship and had ended up in an Authority holding cell. He'd tried his best to avoid this situation, and had even tried to talk his way out with one of the officers. He'd reached a brick wall every time, no matter what he did. Maybe it was time to just accept things. It wasn't like there was much he could do even if he wanted to.
So he just sat and waited as time passed. He turned his brain off and just existed for a while, sitting in his cell and letting the time pass him by. At one point he thought he'd try to see how long he could stay in a single position. He'd stay right here without moving until something happened. Maybe an officer would come in and take him to his execution. Or maybe Captain Rave would show up and take his prisoner aboard his ship again.
But neither of those things ended up happening. Instead, about a day or so later, everything changed. Colt woke up to the loud sound of commotion coming from above. He could hear the thuds of hurried footsteps going back and forth all throughout the base. At first he figured it was a training day for the entire base. But then Lieutenant Cotton showed up at his cell.
At the first sight of the Lieutenant, Colt forgot all about his stupid idea to stay in one place as long as possible. He jumped to his feet—which was rather difficult after an entire day of not standing—and crossed over to the cell bars.
"Lieutenant," Colt said, "I knew you'd show up."
Which was a complete lie. He had been doubting if he'd ever even see the Lieutenant again, but no one had to know that. As far as anyone else knew he'd just been in here smugly biding his time.
"Look, I'll cut all the bull, since that seems to be your specialty anyway," said the Lieutenant, wasting no time. "We have a problem."
"Yeah, so I've heard," said Colt. "But I don't see what your problem has to do with me. Unless you've come to finally hear me out."
"We received a letter this morning from one of our scout ships," Cotton explained. "Apparently they've spotted a large pirate ship sailing in this direction fast. Supposedly, it will be here no later than tomorrow."
So the Bloody Manta was finally coming, Colt thought. It had sure taken them a while. It had been nearly three weeks since Colt had left that ship. That meant that Captain Rave had either taken an extra long stop at Hushhaven or had raided another island before coming to Goldtown. Either way his timing was pretty bad. Colt had wanted to be off the island by the time the Bloody Manta arrived. But he'd also wanted to have information from the Authority, so he guessed nothing was really going to plan.
"Wow, that must be pretty stressful for you," Colt muttered. "Best of luck, I guess."
Lieutenant Cotton ran a hand through his short, blond hair. He was definitely stressed. He also did not seem like he had the time to mess around. He wanted to get straight to the point.
"Look," said the Lieutenant, "you wanted me to listen to what you had to say. I'm listening."
"Actually I wanted to make a deal," Colt corrected. "I didn't get to finish discussing with you the terms before, what with me getting arrested and all. So let me lay it out for you. I'll tell you everything you want to know about the giant pirate crew currently on their way to pillage you and your town. I spent years upon years on their ship, so believe me when I say I know everything about them. I can tell you their strengths, their weaknesses, how many there are, and how they're going to go about attacking this island. But in return I want very specific information from your archives about a certain pirate: Captain Finch."
Lieutenant Cotton had the nerve to laugh, though Colt didn't exactly see what was so funny.
"So your plan," said the Lieutenant, "was to come in and blackmail the Infinite Authority with information that could be completely falsified? You should know that the Authority doesn't respond well to blackmail, Colt."
Colt shook his head. "Not blackmail. Just mutual information sharing. We both have information the other needs. It'd be better for the both of us if you agree to my terms."
Lieutenant Cotton thought for a moment, then said, "There are three things wrong with that. One, the archives are located at the outpost. I don't have access to them here even if I did want to retrieve something for you. Two, the lost Captain Finch was removed from our pirate lists years ago. We stopped looking for that man long ago, and you should too. You'll never find him. No one will. That's why they call him the lost pirate captain."
Of course the archives were back at the outpost, Colt thought. Why wouldn't they be? So he really had come all the way here for nothing. What a waste.
"Number three," Colt said. "What's the third thing wrong with my plan?"
"Oh yeah," said the Lieutenant. He pressed his face close to the cell, his eyes narrowed. "Three, I would never, ever negotiate with a pirate. I would let this whole base crumble to pieces before I'd agree to your terms, no matter what they are. You're a pirate and you're rotten to the core. You hurt and betrayed my sister, just as you do anything that comes into contact with you."
Lieutenant Cotton locked eyes with Colt, his face intense and red. "Let me tell you what is going to happen. You're going to tell me everything. And I mean everything. There's not going to be a detail left unsaid when I'm done with you. And in return you get nothing. How's that sound?"
Colt stepped back from the Lieutenant. "That does not sound good," he said. "It sounds like you're not quite willing to face reality. Goldtown is in big danger. You need my information, maybe even more than I need yours. We wouldn't want Commander Lawson to get back and see his town in ruins, would we? I'm no expert, but I think that blame would fall on you."
Colt went back to his spot at the back of his cell and took a seat. He watched Cotton, visibly fuming, try not to let his rage show. Eventually the Lieutenant got it under control and turned away from Colt's cell.
"Get him," Lieutenant Cotton ordered at some officers who were out of Colt's line of sight. "Load him on the ship. We're bringing him with us back to the outpost, and we'll get the information out of him there. Quickly, go!"
Colt only had one thought as the officers rushed into his cell and dragged him out.
This was going to be interesting.