"Maybe we should just..hop out, you know? Catch 'em all unawares like."
Skell shook his head and waved the plan off.
"That plan is bollocks. Jump out at 'em with that face and we'll be chasin' 'em all over Hell and back. From now on I make the plans, Rafe. And I say we wait for 'em to pass. THEN we come from behind him unawares. Now THAT be a plan."
Rafe stepped closer to Skell, offense showing in his eyes.
"Oy. What ya be tryin' to say, Skell? Tryin' to say that I ain't smart enough to kidnap some lie pedlin', paper pusher?
Skell shook his head and said matter of factly.
"Nah Rafe. I ain't tryin' to say that. I'm right out TELLIN' ya, ya got the brains of whale shit and only half the personality."
Rafe lunged at Skell and the 2 started to tussle. Had it not been for Tabbot the group might never have noticed Reid walking by them to stop in front of some old building. Rather than argue with Skell and Rafe, he used their little quarrel to his advantage. Skell and Rafe fell onto the ground in front of Reid, stopping him in his tracks as they wrestled. Rafe noticed the young man first, then Skell. The 2 crewmen looked up, knowing they cocked up the plan.
Their plan maybe, but not Tabbot's. As the 2 buffoons fell from the alley, Tabbot led the other 3 crewmen back around the building. With Reid's attention on the 2 men fighting he didn't seem to notice the 4 that came up from the alley behind and brought a seabag up and over him. Tabbot was a big man, 6'6 and 300lbs, so it wasn't difficult to scoop the much smaller Mr. Feral up by pulling his feet up from under him.
"Come on, we have to get back before anyone notic..."
Tabbot's words were cut short as his eyes took in what was a short distance away. Right across the street, 3 Eiler guardsmen stood silent and wide eyed. You could almost hear their thoughts of no one being foolish enough to kidnap someone right in the middle of the street.
"Well...hello gentlemen. Having a good night are you? This is just a little prank. See our friend here...he.."
Reid was moving around in the bag like, well, like a cat in a burlap bag. Not only that but he was shouting. The guards began to approach and Tabbot smiled as widely as he could before saying, with the utmost sincerity;
"LEG IT!"
====================================
Back on the deck of the Megalodon, Gabriel checked his pocket watch. Standing to his back left was Mr. Williams looking out towards the mainland dock with the long-lens.
"You think somethin's gone wrong, Captain?"
Putting the watch away, Gabriel shook his head and walked to the rail, setting his hands down on it as he looked out towards the docks.
"No I don't think anything has gone wrong. I know it has. Let me see if I can imagine. Skell and Rafe are together, which means they likely talked themselves into a fight. Tabbot's with them, so he'll try to do it all by himself. He'll be thinking so much about the extra rum ration waiting for him that he won't notice something. The plan will fall through so he'll just make it up on the fly. They'll all run like children who've broken a window and hope to make it home before they get caught."
No sooner did he finish his words than a voice was heard shouting in the distance. The telescope wasn't needed to know Tabbot's voice, or to see the long boat quickly rowing away from shore. Only there were 3 other boats following after them, and splashes in the water from the arrows being launched at Tabbot's group showed they weren't friendly.
Mister Williams raised a brow and turned his eyes toward Gabriel.
"It can be damned eerie when you do things like that, you know."
The captain smirked and pushed off the rail, calling out his orders.
"All hands make ready to receive. I want the longboat decked and set in double-time! Mister Williams, aim and light the starboard guns."
As the deck hands readied the ship to receive the returning long boat, Williams looked curiously at Gabriel.
"Beggin your pardon, Captain. They're just guards tryin' to protect someone. I don't think the guns are.."
Captain Wolfe only smiled and patted his first mate on the arm.
"Trust me."
Williams only nodded, giving a soft 'aye sir' before calling out for the starboard guns to be aimed and loaded. Gabriel shook his head as the guns were trained onto the 3 approaching guard ships.
"I said aim and light, I never said load."
"But, captain..if they aren't loaded..what about when they go off? The guards'll know we're bluffin'."
The canons were aimed fully at the 3 ships, all 28 of them being lit. The guardships suddenly froze in the water and guards dove off them. Gabriel's smirk widened.
"Do you think any of them is paid enough to take that chance? Now, let's bring our crew on board."
==================================
The 6 crewmen were brought onto the main deck and the longboat was loaded back in its slot. The order had been called out for the sails to be dropped and anchor to be raised. Gabriel waited a good several minutes before having the thrashing canvas sack untied, and young Mister Feral poured out of it, and onto the deck of the Megalodon.
The first thing he would see was 2 dozen men and women fixing sail as the ship was already turned from the docks and heading into open sea. Mister Williams stood to Gabriel's immediate left, and Miss La Sirena at his right. A charming smile was on the captains face as he nodded his head.
"Hello, Mister Feral. A pleasure to meet you. I am Gabriel, Captain of this Vessel. To my left is my first mate, Mister Williams. And this lovely young woman to my right, she is our employer, Miss La Sirena. We have all been so looking forward to meeting you ever since you took such interest in our lives."
Gabriel reached out and Mister Williams handed him the paper, folded so as to showcase the article written about both the Captain and their employer. The paper was glanced at by him before being tossed lightly at Reid.
"I thought it would be smashing if we gave you first hand experience of something you seemed to only be making assumptions on. After all..the truth can be SO much more entertaining than fiction. Settle in Mister Feral, get comfortable, you will be our guest for...well, however long it takes for the truth to sink in. Mister Williams, do see that Mister Feral is taken proper care of."
Gabriel turned towards Sirena and gave a brief, satisfied smile before glancing once more to Reid. For a brief instant, the Captains eyes became a solid, nearly shark-like black.
"Welcome to the Megalodon."
Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 6:48 pm