6. Mr Smith

3rd Person's POV

The skeletal remains of four pirates, still clad in buccaneer rags, hang from gallows erected on a rocky promontory. There is a fifth, unoccupied gallow, bearing a sign: PIRATES - YE BE WARNED

The top of a billowing sail passes regally in front of them. On the landward face of the sail, apparently high in the rigging, is a man for whom the term 'swashbuckling rogue' was coined Captain Jack Sparrow.

He gazes keen-eyed at the display as they pass. Raises a tankard in salute. Suddenly, something below catches his attention. He jumps from the rigging and that's when we see that his ship is not an imposing three-master, but just a small fishing dory with a single sail, plowing through the water-- the Jolly Mon. And it leaks. Which is why he has the tankard: to bail.

Jack steps back to the tiller, and using a single sheet to control the sail, and the Jolly Mon comes around the promontory, the whole of Port Royal laid out before him.

The huge British dreadnaught, H.M.S. Dauntless dominates the bay. But Jack's attention is on a different ship: the H.M.S. Interceptor, a small sleek vessel with rail guns and a mortor in the middle of the main deck. It is tied up at the Navy landing, at the base of the cliffs below Fort Charles.

Smoothly and with no wasted movement, Jack hauls down the sail, stows it, guides the dory alongside a dock. The Harbormaster, a long ledger tucked under his arm, is there to catch the line and help Jack tie up.

"If you're rolling scuppers in this tub, you're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid."

Jack smiles, "It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide."

He starts up the dock, starpping on his sword belt; besides the scabbard, it also carries a compass, pistol and small powder horn. The Harbormaster cuts him off.

"It's a shilling for the dock space, and you're going to have to give me your name."

"What do you sat three shillings, and we forget the name?"

He tosses three shillings onto the ledger. The Harbormaster considers, then shuts the ledger on the coins, steps aside.

"Welcome to Port Royal, Mr. Smith."

Jack gives him a half-salute as he goes past. Looks across the water toward the Interceptor and smiles. Above the Interceptor, among the parapets of Fort Charles, a ceremony is underway.

Two sailors on sentry duty, Murtogg and Mulloy, take advantage of what little shade there is on the dock. But when Jack saunters up, they are immediately on alert.

Murrogg frowns, "This dock is off-limits to civilians."

"Sorry, I didn't know."

Music drifts down from Fort Charles. Jack looks up, shields his eyes.

"Some sort of to-do up at the fort, eh? You two weren't invited?"

"No... somone has to make sure this dock stays off-limits to civilians."

Jack smiles looking at the ship, "This must be some important boat."

"Ship." Mulloy corrects Jack.

Jack nods, "Ship."

"Captain Norrington's made it his flagship.Β  He'll use it to hunt down the last dregs of piracy on the Spanish Lake."

Mulloy adds on, "Commodore."

"Right. Commodore Norrington."

Jack nods, "That's a fine goal, I'm sure... But it seems to me a ship like that--" he indicates the Dauntless, "--makes this one here just a wee superflous."

"Oh, the Dauntless is the power in these waters, true enough-- but there's no ship that can match the Interceptor for speed."

"That so? I've heard of one, supposed to be fast, neigh uncatchable... the Black Pearl?" Jack shrugs.

Mullroy scoffs at the name, "There's no real ship as can match the Interceptor."

Murtogg disagrees, "The Black Pearl is a real ship."

While the two argue Jack makes his way on top of the ship.

Mulloy turns back to Jack, "Like I said, there's no real ship as can match-- Hey!"

But Jack's not there. Murtogg and Mullroy look around then spot Jack standing at the wheel of the Interceptor, casually examining the mechanism.

"You!"

Jack looks over in exaggeratedly innocent surprise. The sailors hurry toward the gangplank.

"Get away from there!Β  You don't have permission to be aboard there!"

Jack spreads his hands in apology, "I'm sorry. It's just such a pretty boat. Ship."

The sailors study him suspiciously.

Murtogg frowns, "What's your name?"

Jack smiles, "Smith."

"What's your business in Port Royal, 'Mr. Smith'?"

"And no lies!"

"None? Very well. You rumbled me. I confess... I intend to commandeer one of these ships, pick up a crew in Tortuga, and go on the account, do a little honest pirating."

"I said, no lies."

Mulloy holds up his hand, "I think he's telling the truth."

"He's not telling the truth."

"He may be."

A light giggle is heard from below the ship on the dock. Jack frowns slightly as he watches a girl with long brunette locks walk away. He'd be lying if he said she didn't look a little familiar but the thought vanished as the two soldiers distract him.

"If he were telling truth he wouldn't have told us."

"Unless, of course, he knew you wouldn't believe the truth if he told you it."

Murtogg and Mullroy look at Jack and consider that point.

"Elizabeth!"

Jack reacts, pushes Murtogg aside to see a girl plummet from the top of the cliff. It seems to take
her a long to reach the sea. She hits the water, narrowly missing the sharp rocks. A wave breakes, and then she is washed out away from the cliff,
struggling feebly.

Jack, Murtogg and Mullroy are still in shock from the sight.

"Aren't you going to save her?"

Mulloy frowns, "I can't swim."

Murtogg shakes his head, neither can he.

Jack rolls his eyes, "Sailors."

Above where the girl struggles in the water, Norrington and several other men pick their way down the cliffs. They are too far away to get to her in time. Jack scowls. He has no choice and it pisses him off.

"Fine."

He pulls a pistol from his sword belt, hands it to Murtogg; then hands the belt to Mullroy.

"Don't lose these."

Then he dives into the water and swims toward the girl. Elizabeth struggles to keep above water, gasping for air then a swell rolls over her, and she is submerged underwater. Elizabeth drifts down, unconscious. The current turns her, and the medallion slips loose from her bodice.

The medallion turns slowly, until the skull is fully visible. A shaft of filtered sunlight hits it, and it glints.

Jack swims down and grabs Elizabeth then starts to swim towards the dock, struggling. It is far more difficult than it should be. He stops stroking, and they submerge. Jack realizes that it is Elizabeth's heavy velvet dress that is weighing them down. He pulls at the buttons on the back, and they give way. He skins her out of the dress, and kicks away from it. Jack finally swims with Elizabeth, much more quickly.

Murtogg and Mullroy are there to help haul Elizabeth out of the water. Jack climbs up, exhausted. Elizabeth is on her back; Murtogg
holds her arms above her head, pumping them. Mullroy puts his cheek to her nose and mouth.

"Not breathing."

Murtogg looks down; it seems hopeless. Jack steps up, drawing Murtogg's knife from its sheath.

"Move."

He pushes past Mullroy, kneels over Elizabeth, raises the knife. Murtogg is shocked as Jack slits the corset down the middle, yanks it away.

Elizabeth remains still. And then she coughs up water and gasps, choking on her first full breath. Jack is relieved.

"I never would have thought of that."

Jack smirks looking at Mulloy, "Clearly, you've never been to Singapore."

Jack flips the knife and hands it hilt-first to Murtogg and that's when he spots the medallion. Jack catches it up in his hand.

"Where did you get this?"

Before Elizabeth can answer, the blade of a sword is at Jack's throat. Norrington's new ceremonial sword, in fact, looking bright and sharp.

"On your feet."

It looks bad-- Jack standing over Elizabeth, most of her clothes gone. He gets to his feet. The rest of Elizabeth's erstwhile rescuers reach the scene, including Swann.

"Elizabeth!Β  Are you all right?"

He strips off his jacket, drapes it around her.

"Yes-- yes, I'm fine-- Commodore Norrington, do you intend to kill my rescuer?"

Norrington looks at Jack. Jack nods as best he can with a blade beneath his chin. Norrington sheathes his sword, and extends his hand.

Norrington nods with a firm smile, "I believe thanks are in order."

Jack takes Norrington's hand gingerly. They shake and Norrington tightens his grip, yanks Jack's arm toward him, then tears back the sleeve of Jack's shirt
exposing a brand on Jack's inner wrist, a large 'P.'

"Had a brush-up with the East India Trading Company, did you... pirate?"

The others react in shock, but the sailors are well-trained, in an instant, half a dozen pistols are aimed at Jack. He stands there, still holding the corset.

"Keep your guns on him, men. Gillette, fetch some irons."

Norrington notices something else below the 'P' brand is a tattoo, a small bird in flight across water.

"Well, well... Jack Sparrow, isn't it?"

Jack smiles, "Captain Jack Sparrow. If you please."

Norrington looks out at the bay, "I don't see your ship-- Captain."

Murtogg speaks up, "He said he'd come to commandeer one."

Mulloy replies to Murtogg, "I told you he was telling the truth. These are his, sir."

He holds out Jack's pistol and belt. Norrington takes the pistol, examines it, notes the powder horn on Jack's belt.

"Extra powder, but no additional shot."

Jack shrugs. Norrington unhooks the compass from the belt, opens it. He frowns at the reading. Moves the compass this way and that, keeping it parallel to the ground.

Norrington frowns, "It doesn't bear true."

Jack looks away, a bit embarrassed. Norrington returns the compass to the belt. Draws the sword half from the scabbard.

"I half-expected it to be made of wood."

He slides it back into the scabbard, hands it to Mullroy.

"Taking stock: you've got a pistol with only one shot, a compass that doesn't point north... and no ship.Β  You are without a doubt the worst pirate I have ever heard of."

Jack smirks with all his silver and gold teeth in view, "Ah, but you have heard of me."

Gillette returns with shackles and approaches Jack. Elizabeth steps forward. Swann's jacket slips off her. She is unconcerned, but he is intent on putting it back on her.

"Commodore, I must protest. Pirate or not, this man saved my life."

"One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness."

Gillette snaps the manacles closed on Jack's wrists. Now that Jack is safely chained, Norrington nods to his men. All but one stow their weapons, and two step forward.

"Finally."

Lightning-quick, Jack snaps the corset around the hand and wrist of the man holding the pistol and yanks. The pistol sails into the water. Before anyone can react to that, Jack has the manacle chain wrapped around Elizabeth's throat.

Pistols are drawn again, but now Elizabeth serves as a shield. Norrington raises a cautioning hand to his men.

Jack backs away, toward land, "Commodore Norrington... my pistol and belt, please."

Norrington hesitates, balls his fists in frustration. Mullroy hands the pistol and belt to Norrington. Norrington holds them out to Jack.

"Elizabeth-- it is Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth is more angry than frightened, "Miss Swann."

"Miss Swann, if you'll be so kind?"

She takes the belt and pistol from Norrington. Jack's quicker than she is, and takes the pistol from her. He jerks her around so she is facing him.

"Now, if you'll be very kind?"

She figures out what he wants. She angrily puts the belt on him.

Jack smirks, "Careful with the goods love."

"You are despicable." She says as she slaps the hat on top his head.

Jack shrugs, "I saved your life; now you've saved mine. We're square."

Done. He turns her again, and then backs up until he bumps against the cargo gantry.

"Gentlemen... m'lady... you will always remember this as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow."

He shoves Elizabeth away, grabs a rope and pulls free a belaying pin, a counterweight drops and Jack is lifted up to the middle of the gantry, where he grabs a second rope. Pistols fire and miss. Jack swings out and away around the gantry.

Norrington has held his shot. With careful aim, he tracks Jack's trajectory. Jack drops from the rope even as Norrington fires. His shot tears the rope as Jack plummets past one of the gantry's guy lines, he
snaps the length of the manacle chain over the line and grabs hold of the far loop then slides down the line and drops to the deck of a ship. He runs, leaping to another ship, then out of sight.

Norrington frowns, "On his heels!"

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