“It doesn’t matter what plans you have, you moron,” Holt was saying antagonistically. “He’ll outsmart you and you’ll die. I’m certain of it.”
“I ain’t the one gonna die here. Now shut up!”
Wade was getting angrier, Holt knew that. He knew that he probably shouldn’t provoke him further, but he was so angry himself, he couldn’t help it.
“You’re doomed, Mr Wade. You’d be better off putting that gun against your own head. Dead. Dead. Dead.”
Wade’s fists clenched and unclenched, his jaw clamped down hard as he ground his teeth together.
Turning his back on Holt he spied Muldridge’s rifle. “Shut you fucking mouth, Holt!” he snarled, taking the weapon from the temporary jailor.
“This is my ship Wade, mine. Do you understand me Nestor? Do you?”
Holt was just as angry now, soliciting warning looks from his second in command, but the usurped captain ignored them. Seeing Wade again had stirred up a bucket of hatred for the man and all he wanted to do was wrap his bare hands around the man’s throat and strangle the life out of him.
In a swift, swirling series of movements wade stripped the bayonet from under the barrel and clipped it in place. Then with a fierce lunge he thrust it forward, skewering Holt through the stomach.
“SHUT UP!” the mutineer yelled as he did so.
“Captain!” the first officer cried in fear.
Waterwitch
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Re: Waterwitch
She moved before he could react. He had been too shocked with what he was seeing.
She hadn’t seen what was going on properly at first, but when the Captain crumpled to his knees Paige had had a perfect view of her wounded father.
She rushed into the brig as all eyes were upon the captain. “Daddy!” she wailed.
Wade and the eight other men outside of the cells turned in surprise as she pushed passed them and grabbed the cell door with both hands.
“Daddy!” she called in a terrified voice of a little girl.
Nestor Wade stared incredulously at the young woman, finding himself momentarily speechless as he blinked rapidly thinking he was seeing things. Everyone seemed to be handing themselves to him on a plate.
When the words finally returned to him they were abrupt and disjointed.
“Where? What?... Where?”
Jim Muldridge was the first to react properly by dashing to her and snatching the pistol from her hands. “Shouldn’t play with guns, little girl,” he quipped.
Paige looked at him blankly then span around to face Wade. She was shaking with fury. “You bastard,” she cursed, slapping him across the face.
Wade blinked several times, his head having jerked to the right slightly.
“You bitch!” he growled, surging towards her, pinning her against the bars with the rifle held across her chest, its bayonet glistening with her father’s blood.
His face was in front of hers, less than an inch away. She could smell his foul breath but she defiantly held his gaze.
“I ought to gut you like I did your old man, but I know someone who’d give me a lifetime of servitude to have a night in the sack with you.”
His angry defiant gaze, full of hatred and loathing, made Wade smile. He even felt a twitch in his penis. Perhaps he’d have to warm her up for Brewer first?
Wade ordered everyone in the cells to back away from the door, eliciting a pained groan from Holt as he was dragged back. Doc Baird immediately went to work on patching him up.
Wade had Muldridge unlock the door while everyone else covered the prisoners with their weapons, with orders to shoot anyone who moved.
Gecko was seething. Every muscle in his body was on edge.
It was because he was looking at his captors, trying to find a weakness, an opening in their defences which he might exploit that he spotted the blood spattered figure as it stepped out of the darkness of the passageway and into the relatively better lit brig.
The two made eye contact as the key was turned in the lock and the door swung open.
Sebastian Reynolds held a revolver by the barrel and threw it just like a knife thrower at the circus would do.
It rotated in the air as it arced its way towards Gecko.
Reynolds was already running before the weapon reached the ship’s first officer.
Gecko has seen what Reynolds was doing, but couldn’t quite believe it.
His eyes followed the gun as it appeared to gracefully meander across the compartment.
Then, miraculously, the gun passed cleanly between the bars of the cell and he caught it. For a moment he was frozen, too amazed at what had just happened to react further.
Reynolds was behind the first man, someone he had seen from time to time about the ship.
He knew he had to get these men out of action as quickly as possible, all the time his mind focussing on his main target – Nestor Wade.
His blades passed over the man’s shoulders and crossed just beneath his chin. They stopped there for the briefest of moments before slicing backwards, the flesh of the man’s neck offering only a modicum of resistance.
Even before the fountain of blood erupted from the severed artery Reynolds had side stepped and sliced across the elbow of the man to his right, cutting cleanly through the tendons there.
With a yelp the man lost his grip on his rifle and then fell to one leg as Reynolds had swept down and slashed across the back of the man’s knees.
By now the captors had realised that someone was there in the poorly lit compartment with them.
It didn’t take much for Wade to figure out who it was.
“KILL HIM!2 Wade screamed manically, pointing at the ever moving figure to their rear.
Jim Muldridge brought his pistol up quickly, the retort deafening, the muzzle flash blindingly bright in the gloomy room. The weapon kicked back half filling the brig with smoke.
He’d never fired the old flintlock inside before and hadn’t appreciated how it could obscure visibility in an already semi-dark room.
As he peered through the sulphurous fog he saw another of Wade’s crewmen staring back at him accusingly.
Blood soaked through the man’s shirt and he leaned backwards rigid like a felled tree, thudding onto the hard deck.
Reynolds twirled left, his knife catching a man in his ribs. Flesh and bone sucked at the blade, wrenching it from the Englishman’s fingers.
Reynolds inwardly cursed but was too busy to worry about it now.
He kicked the skewered man aside and swung his empty fist like a club at another who was coming at him with a rifle.
Wade screamed again. “Kill the fucking bastard!” and let off a shot in Reynolds’ general direction, ripping a section of wood from the locker on the wall nowhere near the Baron.
Cursing the weapons cumbersome nature Wade threw it aside, plunged his hand into his pocket, his fingers worming through the row of holes he found in the heavy brass object there.
The hand withdrew accompanied by a grin as Wade surged into the fight, his brass lined fist managing to strike Reynolds’ arm.
Reynolds was knocked sideways, the heavy blow leaving a dull numbness down to the fingers of his left arm.
Another punch powered in. his arm felt sluggish as he moved to block the attack.
His remaining knife was knocked from his weakened grasp but he’d managed to avert the incoming blow.
Reynolds danced around another opponent, putting him between himself and Wade.
“Hey Muldridge,” Seth Gecko growled now that he had recovered from his initial surprise.
Muldridge turned ferociously on the second Officer.
He didn’t hear the shot, not a single sound. But his view of the gaping hole in the end of the barrel was perfectly clear.
Flames fanned out from that hole in slow-motion, following in the wake of a dark cylindrical object.
Jim Muldridge watched with morbid fascination as the bullet made a slow laborious trek across the eight foot gap between the barrel and his own chest.
He noticed how everything else had stopped and he was unable to move.
The bullet hit his chest, just below his left nipple. It was a hard punch to the chest that knocked him back a little. It didn’t hurt as the small metal disappeared inside him.
Then the barrel spat fire again, the path of this round slightly altered from the first. This one struck his sternum, shattering the bone into thousands of minuscule pieces before tearing through his heart.
Muldridge still felt nothing and cast a questioning look Gecko’s way before his feet lifted from the deck. He was thrown backwards by the second shot, his lifeless body hitting the hard steel deck with a dull thud that was lost in the noise of battle.
“Told you I’d kill you,” Gecko sneered at the dead man’s corpse.
She hadn’t seen what was going on properly at first, but when the Captain crumpled to his knees Paige had had a perfect view of her wounded father.
She rushed into the brig as all eyes were upon the captain. “Daddy!” she wailed.
Wade and the eight other men outside of the cells turned in surprise as she pushed passed them and grabbed the cell door with both hands.
“Daddy!” she called in a terrified voice of a little girl.
Nestor Wade stared incredulously at the young woman, finding himself momentarily speechless as he blinked rapidly thinking he was seeing things. Everyone seemed to be handing themselves to him on a plate.
When the words finally returned to him they were abrupt and disjointed.
“Where? What?... Where?”
Jim Muldridge was the first to react properly by dashing to her and snatching the pistol from her hands. “Shouldn’t play with guns, little girl,” he quipped.
Paige looked at him blankly then span around to face Wade. She was shaking with fury. “You bastard,” she cursed, slapping him across the face.
Wade blinked several times, his head having jerked to the right slightly.
“You bitch!” he growled, surging towards her, pinning her against the bars with the rifle held across her chest, its bayonet glistening with her father’s blood.
His face was in front of hers, less than an inch away. She could smell his foul breath but she defiantly held his gaze.
“I ought to gut you like I did your old man, but I know someone who’d give me a lifetime of servitude to have a night in the sack with you.”
His angry defiant gaze, full of hatred and loathing, made Wade smile. He even felt a twitch in his penis. Perhaps he’d have to warm her up for Brewer first?
Wade ordered everyone in the cells to back away from the door, eliciting a pained groan from Holt as he was dragged back. Doc Baird immediately went to work on patching him up.
Wade had Muldridge unlock the door while everyone else covered the prisoners with their weapons, with orders to shoot anyone who moved.
Gecko was seething. Every muscle in his body was on edge.
It was because he was looking at his captors, trying to find a weakness, an opening in their defences which he might exploit that he spotted the blood spattered figure as it stepped out of the darkness of the passageway and into the relatively better lit brig.
The two made eye contact as the key was turned in the lock and the door swung open.
Sebastian Reynolds held a revolver by the barrel and threw it just like a knife thrower at the circus would do.
It rotated in the air as it arced its way towards Gecko.
Reynolds was already running before the weapon reached the ship’s first officer.
Gecko has seen what Reynolds was doing, but couldn’t quite believe it.
His eyes followed the gun as it appeared to gracefully meander across the compartment.
Then, miraculously, the gun passed cleanly between the bars of the cell and he caught it. For a moment he was frozen, too amazed at what had just happened to react further.
Reynolds was behind the first man, someone he had seen from time to time about the ship.
He knew he had to get these men out of action as quickly as possible, all the time his mind focussing on his main target – Nestor Wade.
His blades passed over the man’s shoulders and crossed just beneath his chin. They stopped there for the briefest of moments before slicing backwards, the flesh of the man’s neck offering only a modicum of resistance.
Even before the fountain of blood erupted from the severed artery Reynolds had side stepped and sliced across the elbow of the man to his right, cutting cleanly through the tendons there.
With a yelp the man lost his grip on his rifle and then fell to one leg as Reynolds had swept down and slashed across the back of the man’s knees.
By now the captors had realised that someone was there in the poorly lit compartment with them.
It didn’t take much for Wade to figure out who it was.
“KILL HIM!2 Wade screamed manically, pointing at the ever moving figure to their rear.
Jim Muldridge brought his pistol up quickly, the retort deafening, the muzzle flash blindingly bright in the gloomy room. The weapon kicked back half filling the brig with smoke.
He’d never fired the old flintlock inside before and hadn’t appreciated how it could obscure visibility in an already semi-dark room.
As he peered through the sulphurous fog he saw another of Wade’s crewmen staring back at him accusingly.
Blood soaked through the man’s shirt and he leaned backwards rigid like a felled tree, thudding onto the hard deck.
Reynolds twirled left, his knife catching a man in his ribs. Flesh and bone sucked at the blade, wrenching it from the Englishman’s fingers.
Reynolds inwardly cursed but was too busy to worry about it now.
He kicked the skewered man aside and swung his empty fist like a club at another who was coming at him with a rifle.
Wade screamed again. “Kill the fucking bastard!” and let off a shot in Reynolds’ general direction, ripping a section of wood from the locker on the wall nowhere near the Baron.
Cursing the weapons cumbersome nature Wade threw it aside, plunged his hand into his pocket, his fingers worming through the row of holes he found in the heavy brass object there.
The hand withdrew accompanied by a grin as Wade surged into the fight, his brass lined fist managing to strike Reynolds’ arm.
Reynolds was knocked sideways, the heavy blow leaving a dull numbness down to the fingers of his left arm.
Another punch powered in. his arm felt sluggish as he moved to block the attack.
His remaining knife was knocked from his weakened grasp but he’d managed to avert the incoming blow.
Reynolds danced around another opponent, putting him between himself and Wade.
“Hey Muldridge,” Seth Gecko growled now that he had recovered from his initial surprise.
Muldridge turned ferociously on the second Officer.
He didn’t hear the shot, not a single sound. But his view of the gaping hole in the end of the barrel was perfectly clear.
Flames fanned out from that hole in slow-motion, following in the wake of a dark cylindrical object.
Jim Muldridge watched with morbid fascination as the bullet made a slow laborious trek across the eight foot gap between the barrel and his own chest.
He noticed how everything else had stopped and he was unable to move.
The bullet hit his chest, just below his left nipple. It was a hard punch to the chest that knocked him back a little. It didn’t hurt as the small metal disappeared inside him.
Then the barrel spat fire again, the path of this round slightly altered from the first. This one struck his sternum, shattering the bone into thousands of minuscule pieces before tearing through his heart.
Muldridge still felt nothing and cast a questioning look Gecko’s way before his feet lifted from the deck. He was thrown backwards by the second shot, his lifeless body hitting the hard steel deck with a dull thud that was lost in the noise of battle.
“Told you I’d kill you,” Gecko sneered at the dead man’s corpse.
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Re: Waterwitch
Gecko’s triumph was short lived. Luckily for him it was a poorly aimed shot and the bullet hit his thigh, the small light calibre projectile buried itself in flash without doing any significant damage.
Gecko roared at the man who had just shot him and rushed at him, covering the six feet between them in a single bound, as though the bullet in his leg was nothing more serious than an itch.
He threw his whole weight at the men, a high level rugby tackle that sent both men cascading into the adjacent bulkhead and then to the floor.
Maintaining his ferocity Gecko began pummelling into the man’s head and shoulders, raining blows in at the fellow in a relentless torrent.
Whitby, who had been standing almost petrified at the back of the cell throughout the entire proceeding suddenly sprang forward and charged another of Wade’s accomplices. He had spotted the man closing in on Gecko from behind with a knife.
Reynolds was dodging left and right to keep one man between himself and Wade, biding his time until the perfect opportunity presented itself that would allow him to take Wade down in a single strike.
The fight now degenerated into a scuffle, with fists lashing out and boots stomping and foreheads clashing.
Paige screamed like a banshee as she ran from the cell launching herself into the fray.
Lilly had managed to stretch her arm through the bars and plucked the keys from Muldridge’s pocket. The swung the cell door open viciously using it like a weapon. It hit a man who was about to attack Gecko with such force that he fell to the deck, pole axed.
Lilly didn’t hold back. She sprang like a cat at the downed man, slashing with sharp nails and clenched fists alternately.
Reynolds saw stars as Wade almost threw himself over Burrows to strike at him. He landed the blow on the back of Reynolds’ head and the young Baron stumbled forward on shaky legs.
He managed to recover his wits in time to block Wade’s swinging kick. He grabbed Wade’s foot and lifted it much higher than Wade had intended it to go , then with a roar he pushed back.
Off balance wade hopped backwards a few times in a vain attempt to maintain his balance, but Reynolds kept coming, holding onto his foot. Eventually Wade tripped and fell backwards, hitting his head against the steel bars of the ship’s prison.
A fist smashed into Reynolds’ cheek as he stood over Wade. He released Wade’s foot as his hands came to his head and he staggered away.
Another pinch landed, this time a powerful blow to his kidney that sent a wave of pain through Reynolds’ entire torso and doubled him over.
Paige, for all her elegance and demure exterior was brought up amongst this bunch of old sea-dogs. She’d seen her fair share of fights in various places and had learned a thing or two that most respectable ladies shouldn’t know.
She gave a shrill ‘war-cry’ and ran head0long at Burrows as he was about to hit Reynolds again, shoulder barging him halfway across the compartment and into a barrage of punches from Gecko.
Noticing Nestor Wade, who was now at her and shaking the ringing from his ears and the flashing lights from his eyes as he tried to stand, she snarled a guttural almost feral sound.
The heel of her boot smashed into his nose, renewing the blinding lights and soaking his shirt in blood as it poured from his nose in a river.
“Don’t get up,” she quipped.
Ignoring the aching throb in his side, Reynolds straightened. He could hear people approaching from the passageway. His eyes darted about the room searching for his weapons. He saw them, one protruding from the body of a dead man and another laying abandoned on the deck beside the corpse.
Reynolds rolled into the compartment snatching up the loose blade and having to pull hard to retrieve the other from the dead man’s chest.
Rolling from a second time he came up just in front of Gecko, Paige and Lilly. He turned to face the incoming men.
The newcomers arrived and skidded to a halt as they surveyed the carnage.
The front man spotted Wade holding his hand to his broken nose and looked back to the group standing before them.
“Drop the guns boys,” Paige said sternly.
“Bloody kill them!” Wade growled at them.
Reynolds could see the uncertainty in the man’s face. Would he obey Wade’s command, or see that the others had already been taken down, including wade himself?
Paige Holt scowled at Wade and kicked him in the leg.
“Shut it, Wade,” she said venomously.
Nestor Wade’s eyes narrowed as he glared at the captain’s hot young daughter.
“I’m going to fuck you, little missy! Right her on the floor in front of your dying old man. I’m going to tell him how nice and tight your virgin cunt is as I tear away your maidenhead!” Wade sneered the words and Paige blanched.
He grinned at her, knowing he’d shocked her, maybe even horrified her, and that made him feel good.
“Hey, Wade?” called a gruff voice from beside him.
Wade looked across to a dark visage, an older man with dark hair, cut short, silvering at the sides. From above his open collar tattoos could be seen, seeming to be crawling up his throat reaching for the bushy mutton-chop sideburns he sported. It was the menace in the man’s eyes that made Wade’s evil grin fade quickly away.
Seth Gecko’s balled fist slammed like a hammer blow into the side of Wade’s face, making the world go dark for the downed man.
Wade lay on the deck and groaned, unaware that Gecko’s fist was poised above him for another blow should Wade move. He didn’t.
Paige took the pistol from Gecko’s belt and pointed it at Wade, then said to Wade’s men, “Put the guns down or I’ll kill him. After what he said, no one would blame me for executing a mutineer.”
Reynolds was watching them. The three at the back were waiting for the one at the front to say something, or react in some way.
He knew that whatever the lead man chose to do, they would follow suit.
Either way, he was ready for them.
Gecko roared at the man who had just shot him and rushed at him, covering the six feet between them in a single bound, as though the bullet in his leg was nothing more serious than an itch.
He threw his whole weight at the men, a high level rugby tackle that sent both men cascading into the adjacent bulkhead and then to the floor.
Maintaining his ferocity Gecko began pummelling into the man’s head and shoulders, raining blows in at the fellow in a relentless torrent.
Whitby, who had been standing almost petrified at the back of the cell throughout the entire proceeding suddenly sprang forward and charged another of Wade’s accomplices. He had spotted the man closing in on Gecko from behind with a knife.
Reynolds was dodging left and right to keep one man between himself and Wade, biding his time until the perfect opportunity presented itself that would allow him to take Wade down in a single strike.
The fight now degenerated into a scuffle, with fists lashing out and boots stomping and foreheads clashing.
Paige screamed like a banshee as she ran from the cell launching herself into the fray.
Lilly had managed to stretch her arm through the bars and plucked the keys from Muldridge’s pocket. The swung the cell door open viciously using it like a weapon. It hit a man who was about to attack Gecko with such force that he fell to the deck, pole axed.
Lilly didn’t hold back. She sprang like a cat at the downed man, slashing with sharp nails and clenched fists alternately.
Reynolds saw stars as Wade almost threw himself over Burrows to strike at him. He landed the blow on the back of Reynolds’ head and the young Baron stumbled forward on shaky legs.
He managed to recover his wits in time to block Wade’s swinging kick. He grabbed Wade’s foot and lifted it much higher than Wade had intended it to go , then with a roar he pushed back.
Off balance wade hopped backwards a few times in a vain attempt to maintain his balance, but Reynolds kept coming, holding onto his foot. Eventually Wade tripped and fell backwards, hitting his head against the steel bars of the ship’s prison.
A fist smashed into Reynolds’ cheek as he stood over Wade. He released Wade’s foot as his hands came to his head and he staggered away.
Another pinch landed, this time a powerful blow to his kidney that sent a wave of pain through Reynolds’ entire torso and doubled him over.
Paige, for all her elegance and demure exterior was brought up amongst this bunch of old sea-dogs. She’d seen her fair share of fights in various places and had learned a thing or two that most respectable ladies shouldn’t know.
She gave a shrill ‘war-cry’ and ran head0long at Burrows as he was about to hit Reynolds again, shoulder barging him halfway across the compartment and into a barrage of punches from Gecko.
Noticing Nestor Wade, who was now at her and shaking the ringing from his ears and the flashing lights from his eyes as he tried to stand, she snarled a guttural almost feral sound.
The heel of her boot smashed into his nose, renewing the blinding lights and soaking his shirt in blood as it poured from his nose in a river.
“Don’t get up,” she quipped.
Ignoring the aching throb in his side, Reynolds straightened. He could hear people approaching from the passageway. His eyes darted about the room searching for his weapons. He saw them, one protruding from the body of a dead man and another laying abandoned on the deck beside the corpse.
Reynolds rolled into the compartment snatching up the loose blade and having to pull hard to retrieve the other from the dead man’s chest.
Rolling from a second time he came up just in front of Gecko, Paige and Lilly. He turned to face the incoming men.
The newcomers arrived and skidded to a halt as they surveyed the carnage.
The front man spotted Wade holding his hand to his broken nose and looked back to the group standing before them.
“Drop the guns boys,” Paige said sternly.
“Bloody kill them!” Wade growled at them.
Reynolds could see the uncertainty in the man’s face. Would he obey Wade’s command, or see that the others had already been taken down, including wade himself?
Paige Holt scowled at Wade and kicked him in the leg.
“Shut it, Wade,” she said venomously.
Nestor Wade’s eyes narrowed as he glared at the captain’s hot young daughter.
“I’m going to fuck you, little missy! Right her on the floor in front of your dying old man. I’m going to tell him how nice and tight your virgin cunt is as I tear away your maidenhead!” Wade sneered the words and Paige blanched.
He grinned at her, knowing he’d shocked her, maybe even horrified her, and that made him feel good.
“Hey, Wade?” called a gruff voice from beside him.
Wade looked across to a dark visage, an older man with dark hair, cut short, silvering at the sides. From above his open collar tattoos could be seen, seeming to be crawling up his throat reaching for the bushy mutton-chop sideburns he sported. It was the menace in the man’s eyes that made Wade’s evil grin fade quickly away.
Seth Gecko’s balled fist slammed like a hammer blow into the side of Wade’s face, making the world go dark for the downed man.
Wade lay on the deck and groaned, unaware that Gecko’s fist was poised above him for another blow should Wade move. He didn’t.
Paige took the pistol from Gecko’s belt and pointed it at Wade, then said to Wade’s men, “Put the guns down or I’ll kill him. After what he said, no one would blame me for executing a mutineer.”
Reynolds was watching them. The three at the back were waiting for the one at the front to say something, or react in some way.
He knew that whatever the lead man chose to do, they would follow suit.
Either way, he was ready for them.
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Re: Waterwitch
It took George Humphries several long minutes to make up his mind.
He had stared at Wade’s prone form, at the pistol pointing at Wade’s head.
He noticed the dead and beaten men that lay about the compartment and the bloodied almost feral form standing just a few feet away, a knife in each hand, both darkened with blood.
He realised that his men were better armed, but that had been the case with the corpses too and they hadn’t fared well.
Besides, if he tried anything now then young Miss Holt would shoot Wade dead. The whole point of this mutiny had been to place Wade in command.
Humphries knew there was a damned good chance that he would die in this room and although death was inevitable for a failed mutineer, he figured there was at least a glimmer of a chance that he might not hang.
With a heavy sigh that made Reynolds’ shoulders relax, George held out his pistol, butt first, saying, “It’s over boys, give it up.”
Reynolds took the weapons from the men and handed them to Gecko and Lilly, then ushered them into the cell that Lilly had previously occupied.
Paige had returned to her father’s side and was holding onto his hand as though by squeezing hard she could ensure that his life would stay within him.
Exhausted, Reynolds slumped back against the bulkhead and slid to the deck. He watched Mr Whitby, whose face seemed as pale as his shirt, drag the dead over to one side.
He also heard Gecko’s gruff voice speaking to Edgar King. Apparently, Reynolds came to understand, he had missed a crawl-way back in the passage that would have led him to engineering.
Lilly had found the keys again and was unlocking the third and final cell, releasing the engineering crew that had been with King.
“We could do with power again, lads,” Paige called from her father’s side.
The crewmen looked to King, who in turn looked to Gecko.
The First Office nodded his agreement.
He had stared at Wade’s prone form, at the pistol pointing at Wade’s head.
He noticed the dead and beaten men that lay about the compartment and the bloodied almost feral form standing just a few feet away, a knife in each hand, both darkened with blood.
He realised that his men were better armed, but that had been the case with the corpses too and they hadn’t fared well.
Besides, if he tried anything now then young Miss Holt would shoot Wade dead. The whole point of this mutiny had been to place Wade in command.
Humphries knew there was a damned good chance that he would die in this room and although death was inevitable for a failed mutineer, he figured there was at least a glimmer of a chance that he might not hang.
With a heavy sigh that made Reynolds’ shoulders relax, George held out his pistol, butt first, saying, “It’s over boys, give it up.”
Reynolds took the weapons from the men and handed them to Gecko and Lilly, then ushered them into the cell that Lilly had previously occupied.
Paige had returned to her father’s side and was holding onto his hand as though by squeezing hard she could ensure that his life would stay within him.
Exhausted, Reynolds slumped back against the bulkhead and slid to the deck. He watched Mr Whitby, whose face seemed as pale as his shirt, drag the dead over to one side.
He also heard Gecko’s gruff voice speaking to Edgar King. Apparently, Reynolds came to understand, he had missed a crawl-way back in the passage that would have led him to engineering.
Lilly had found the keys again and was unlocking the third and final cell, releasing the engineering crew that had been with King.
“We could do with power again, lads,” Paige called from her father’s side.
The crewmen looked to King, who in turn looked to Gecko.
The First Office nodded his agreement.
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Re: Waterwitch
“Thank you,” Paige said with a weary smile. “What should we do with Wade?” she asked, a jerk of her head indicating the prone unmoving body on the deck.
“There’s a cell free now,” Gecko suggested and Lilly and Whitby grabbed the unconscious man’s arms and legs and half lifted, half dragged him across the room.
Whitby, at the foot end was suddenly struck by Nestor Wades heavy boot, making the junior officer drop him.
Wade sprang into action, twisting around so that he had Lilly held around the throat, using her as a shield. There was a small revolver in the man’s hand that was pressing against Lilly’s jaw just below her ear.
“Now you just drop those irons of your, you fuckers, or I’ll pull this trigger right now.”
“DO IT NOW!” Wade yelled, thrusting the barrel of the gun hard into Lilly’s neck making her yelp.
Slowly the crew lowered their weapons to the floor.
“Back away,” Wade ordered, waving the pistol in their direction.
Lilly took the opportunity to respond now that her head was no longer in the firing line.
First, she swung her balled fist as hard as she could into his groin, following it up immediately by jerking her head backwards.
The whack to his nuts had the reaction it always had on any man. Wade doubled over, causing his head to involuntarily rush forwards where it met Lilly’s incoming skull.
Wade’s already broken and swollen nose was hit hard again sending excruciating pain through his head and almost blinding him again.
He dropped the pistol as one hand went to shield his nose and the other reached out to the cell bars to steady himself.
Reynolds too had taken the opportunity to react. As soon as he saw Lilly’s clenched fist swing in between Wade’s legs he had rolled forward, his hand scooping up the large revolver with the unfeasibly huge silencer. It felt so comfortable, so natural in his hand.
The weapon began its fluid movement as its wielder targeted Wade at the same time as Lilly May Buxley darted away from him.
Yet a third person reacted too.
Seeing the scenario unfold before him, he’d had an uncharacteristically clear understanding of how things wold pan out.
Something inside him just couldn’t let that happen.
“There’s a cell free now,” Gecko suggested and Lilly and Whitby grabbed the unconscious man’s arms and legs and half lifted, half dragged him across the room.
Whitby, at the foot end was suddenly struck by Nestor Wades heavy boot, making the junior officer drop him.
Wade sprang into action, twisting around so that he had Lilly held around the throat, using her as a shield. There was a small revolver in the man’s hand that was pressing against Lilly’s jaw just below her ear.
“Now you just drop those irons of your, you fuckers, or I’ll pull this trigger right now.”
“DO IT NOW!” Wade yelled, thrusting the barrel of the gun hard into Lilly’s neck making her yelp.
Slowly the crew lowered their weapons to the floor.
“Back away,” Wade ordered, waving the pistol in their direction.
Lilly took the opportunity to respond now that her head was no longer in the firing line.
First, she swung her balled fist as hard as she could into his groin, following it up immediately by jerking her head backwards.
The whack to his nuts had the reaction it always had on any man. Wade doubled over, causing his head to involuntarily rush forwards where it met Lilly’s incoming skull.
Wade’s already broken and swollen nose was hit hard again sending excruciating pain through his head and almost blinding him again.
He dropped the pistol as one hand went to shield his nose and the other reached out to the cell bars to steady himself.
Reynolds too had taken the opportunity to react. As soon as he saw Lilly’s clenched fist swing in between Wade’s legs he had rolled forward, his hand scooping up the large revolver with the unfeasibly huge silencer. It felt so comfortable, so natural in his hand.
The weapon began its fluid movement as its wielder targeted Wade at the same time as Lilly May Buxley darted away from him.
Yet a third person reacted too.
Seeing the scenario unfold before him, he’d had an uncharacteristically clear understanding of how things wold pan out.
Something inside him just couldn’t let that happen.
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Re: Waterwitch
Lilly was clear and Reynolds had an unobstructed view of Nestor Wade. Inside him the hatred and rage he felt against the man bubbled over and swamped the last vestiges of human compassion that the baron had felt towards him.
His pistol had homed in on the target and all his concentration seemed to focus very quickly on that one spot.
From the darkness of the passageway Jonah Brewer launched himself in front of Wade screaming a high pitched “Noooo!”
Reynolds’ bullet hit Brewer in the back, throwing the lank haired youth into Wade’s unsuspecting arms.
Everything within the brig seemed to stop right then with the skinny Brewer staring up into Wade’s eyes like some sort of star-crossed lover.
He smiled, his rotten teeth lined with red as he gurgled up blood.
“Ha! Nice one Brewer!” Wade sneered victoriously as he shoved the young man towards Reynolds with all his might.
Brewer crashed back into the group, his body a dead weight. Reynolds stumbled back into Gecko and fell to the floor unable to hold Brewer up.
Wade sprinted off into the darkened passageway.
Reynolds shoved brewer aside and sprang to his feet.
Brewer was laughing hysterically and coughing simultaneously. Blood bubbled in his mouth.
Remorselessly Reynolds took aim and shot between the eyes then gave chase after Wade.
Gecko nodded and looked around at the others. “Anyone got a problem with that?”
No one did.
After another brief moment Whitby recovered from the shock of it and grabbed a gun from the floor before following after Reynolds.
His pistol had homed in on the target and all his concentration seemed to focus very quickly on that one spot.
From the darkness of the passageway Jonah Brewer launched himself in front of Wade screaming a high pitched “Noooo!”
Reynolds’ bullet hit Brewer in the back, throwing the lank haired youth into Wade’s unsuspecting arms.
Everything within the brig seemed to stop right then with the skinny Brewer staring up into Wade’s eyes like some sort of star-crossed lover.
He smiled, his rotten teeth lined with red as he gurgled up blood.
“Ha! Nice one Brewer!” Wade sneered victoriously as he shoved the young man towards Reynolds with all his might.
Brewer crashed back into the group, his body a dead weight. Reynolds stumbled back into Gecko and fell to the floor unable to hold Brewer up.
Wade sprinted off into the darkened passageway.
Reynolds shoved brewer aside and sprang to his feet.
Brewer was laughing hysterically and coughing simultaneously. Blood bubbled in his mouth.
Remorselessly Reynolds took aim and shot between the eyes then gave chase after Wade.
Gecko nodded and looked around at the others. “Anyone got a problem with that?”
No one did.
After another brief moment Whitby recovered from the shock of it and grabbed a gun from the floor before following after Reynolds.
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Re: Waterwitch
Nestor Wade’s knowledge of the ship proved to his advantage, keeping him ahead of Reynolds, especially in the complete darkness of some passageways.
He had stopped momentarily when the thought he had heard a familiar voice. The could have been a chance that he could have turned things around.
But then he’d heard pursuit and had made his mind up to follow his escape plan.
Twenty minutes ago he would never have considered the possibility of having to put the plan into action. Everything had seemed to be going his way.
Suddenly small fairy lights appeared in a neat well-spaced row ahead of him.
The lights grew bigger, brighter, as more volatile ether was pumped into the light-tubes.
In the matter oh a half dozen strides the passageway was fully illuminated.
Wade could hear the air moving too as the ship’s ventilation had started up again.
“So they got the power on huh?” he huffed. “Won’t do them no good!”
“Wade!” a voice called from the doorway at the far end, the one he had already passed through.
There was a sharp crack next to his head as something fast and hard smacked into the door to his left.
Casting a quick glance behind him he saw Reynolds pointing that damned great pistol in his direction. He was too far from the end of the passageway to make it through without getting shot. He knew that at last the long game was up and tensed expecting the bullet that was about to silently rip through him.
He saw Reynolds curse and break the pistol open.
Ha! He was empty! Wade couldn’t believe his luck.
He darted off again, aware that his advantage in the darkness had been removed.
It took Wade several minutes of hard running to get to the small compartment with two heavy doors at either end. He threw open one and then the other as he passed through.
Stepping out into a cylindrical passage that ended in a another even bigger door he saw a surprised Malcolm Wren gaping at him.
“What the hell happened to you?” the old man asked.
“Where’s the bag?” Wade panted ignoring the man’s stupid question.
Wren pointed to the dirt hold all in the corner.
Wade wrenched the bag open and smiled at the contents.
“Get that damned door open!” he bellowed.
The huge door had a circular wheel in the centre which Wren began turning quickly.
Mechanical clanging could be heard from the other side as steel arms moved and locks were disengaged.
Wren heaved on the handle and the door gave a hiss as it swung open.
Wade pushed Wren through and followed him pulling the door shut, spinning the wheel to close the locks again.
He peered through the small round view port in the door and saw Reynolds at the far end.
“Get the other door quickly!” Wade hissed, his voice very nasal now that his nose had been destroyed. He knew that as soon as Wren began turning the wheel on that door then the one on this one wouldn’t operate. Airlocks weren’t much good if you could open both doors at once.
He grinned as Reynolds stepped into the cylindrical umbilical tube that connected the Waterwitch to the sub-sea station. He also knew that the Witches airlocks could have been better.
Reynolds reached the door just moments after Wade heard the locks engage on the wheel he was partially leaning against.
Try as he might, Reynolds couldn’t turn the wheel. He scowled at Wade through the small but very thick window and Wade smiled back and waved mockingly at him.
Then Wade knocked on the glass and pointed at something behind Reynolds.
He had stopped momentarily when the thought he had heard a familiar voice. The could have been a chance that he could have turned things around.
But then he’d heard pursuit and had made his mind up to follow his escape plan.
Twenty minutes ago he would never have considered the possibility of having to put the plan into action. Everything had seemed to be going his way.
Suddenly small fairy lights appeared in a neat well-spaced row ahead of him.
The lights grew bigger, brighter, as more volatile ether was pumped into the light-tubes.
In the matter oh a half dozen strides the passageway was fully illuminated.
Wade could hear the air moving too as the ship’s ventilation had started up again.
“So they got the power on huh?” he huffed. “Won’t do them no good!”
“Wade!” a voice called from the doorway at the far end, the one he had already passed through.
There was a sharp crack next to his head as something fast and hard smacked into the door to his left.
Casting a quick glance behind him he saw Reynolds pointing that damned great pistol in his direction. He was too far from the end of the passageway to make it through without getting shot. He knew that at last the long game was up and tensed expecting the bullet that was about to silently rip through him.
He saw Reynolds curse and break the pistol open.
Ha! He was empty! Wade couldn’t believe his luck.
He darted off again, aware that his advantage in the darkness had been removed.
It took Wade several minutes of hard running to get to the small compartment with two heavy doors at either end. He threw open one and then the other as he passed through.
Stepping out into a cylindrical passage that ended in a another even bigger door he saw a surprised Malcolm Wren gaping at him.
“What the hell happened to you?” the old man asked.
“Where’s the bag?” Wade panted ignoring the man’s stupid question.
Wren pointed to the dirt hold all in the corner.
Wade wrenched the bag open and smiled at the contents.
“Get that damned door open!” he bellowed.
The huge door had a circular wheel in the centre which Wren began turning quickly.
Mechanical clanging could be heard from the other side as steel arms moved and locks were disengaged.
Wren heaved on the handle and the door gave a hiss as it swung open.
Wade pushed Wren through and followed him pulling the door shut, spinning the wheel to close the locks again.
He peered through the small round view port in the door and saw Reynolds at the far end.
“Get the other door quickly!” Wade hissed, his voice very nasal now that his nose had been destroyed. He knew that as soon as Wren began turning the wheel on that door then the one on this one wouldn’t operate. Airlocks weren’t much good if you could open both doors at once.
He grinned as Reynolds stepped into the cylindrical umbilical tube that connected the Waterwitch to the sub-sea station. He also knew that the Witches airlocks could have been better.
Reynolds reached the door just moments after Wade heard the locks engage on the wheel he was partially leaning against.
Try as he might, Reynolds couldn’t turn the wheel. He scowled at Wade through the small but very thick window and Wade smiled back and waved mockingly at him.
Then Wade knocked on the glass and pointed at something behind Reynolds.
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Re: Waterwitch
Sebastian Reynolds snarled at the door and kicked at it.
“That won’t do you any good they are incredibly strong doors,” Whitby pointed out.
“Yes, thank you Mr Whitby!” Reynolds replied sardonically.
Wade knocked at the thick glass again and once more pointed to something behind Reynolds.
This time Reynolds turned to see what it could be. The bag wasn’t hidden.
He cast a wary gaze to the small viewport and wade nodded encouragement.
Opening the bag Reynolds’ breath caught. Inside were several sticks of dynamite and a clock face showing less than a minute until it reached zero. Reynolds knew a bomb when he saw one. Quickly his mind raced for a solution.
His first thought was to disarm it and he had no tools and no time to figure out how it worked. It was a foregone conclusion that he couldn’t take it into the Witch with him.
“Get out of here!” the Baron yelled at Whitby with such a degree of urgency that Whitby didn’t even consider asking why and just did as he was commanded.
From the corner of his eye Reynolds could see wade laughing hysterically at him through the window before he darted away.
Reynolds and Whitby plunged through the first door; both turning to swing the door shut and throw the levers to lock it.
They reached the inner airlock door when the bomb exploded.
“That won’t do you any good they are incredibly strong doors,” Whitby pointed out.
“Yes, thank you Mr Whitby!” Reynolds replied sardonically.
Wade knocked at the thick glass again and once more pointed to something behind Reynolds.
This time Reynolds turned to see what it could be. The bag wasn’t hidden.
He cast a wary gaze to the small viewport and wade nodded encouragement.
Opening the bag Reynolds’ breath caught. Inside were several sticks of dynamite and a clock face showing less than a minute until it reached zero. Reynolds knew a bomb when he saw one. Quickly his mind raced for a solution.
His first thought was to disarm it and he had no tools and no time to figure out how it worked. It was a foregone conclusion that he couldn’t take it into the Witch with him.
“Get out of here!” the Baron yelled at Whitby with such a degree of urgency that Whitby didn’t even consider asking why and just did as he was commanded.
From the corner of his eye Reynolds could see wade laughing hysterically at him through the window before he darted away.
Reynolds and Whitby plunged through the first door; both turning to swing the door shut and throw the levers to lock it.
They reached the inner airlock door when the bomb exploded.
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Re: Waterwitch
The whole vessel was rocked like a bottle bobbing in rough seas as the fireball expanded within the connecting tube. The pressure within had been contained for a moment but then the structure had ruptured and the outer doors for both the base and the submarine buckled.
Reynolds and Whitby were both thrown about as the submarine rolled heavily to port the latter gentleman falling and sliding into the bulkhead.
He was amazed to see that Reynolds remained standing. Hauling himself up he eased his way across the sloping deck to re-join the baron, who seemed frozen, a lifelike statue of himself, his expression one of poised expectation as though waiting for some sort of signal.
Whitby tried to shake away the ringing in his ears and became aware of another sound, a high pitched hiss, accompanied by creaks and dull thuds at random moments.
“Are you alright sir?” Whitby inquired whilst rubbing at his bruised elbows.
Reynolds didn’t respond. He just remained motionless in the doorway staring back at the airlock.
“What is that noise?” Whitby mumbled, unsure how to handle being ignored. His eyes widened with horror when he saw what Reynolds was looking at.
The outer door to the airlock was closed but four of the six locking clips had buckled, along with the door itself. Water was spraying in around the seal in a fine mist.
As he watched, the door creaked again and another jet of water squirted into the airlock.
Reynolds nodded his head in understanding.
“We need to get this door shut, now!” he said hurriedly.
It was as though that had been what the outer door had been waiting for.
More leaks sprang from the ever buckling closure and as the two men swung the inner door closed, the lower half of the outer door folded and a huge bore of cold Atlantic water rushed in.
Whitby fumbled one-handed with the single clip that he could reach as both men, shoulder jammed against the door , pushed with every ounce of strength they could muster to try to close it against the influx of icy sea.
The boat began to roll again, this time the opposite way, helping them push against the flow but water was gushing around the door.
“I can’t keep this up, Mr Whitby!” Reynolds hissed.
“It’s almost there. Another quarter of an inch is all it needs.”
Reynolds roared as he summoned up whatever he had left and shoved even harder, but against the building pressure on the other side he was losing.
Then another body joined them, roaring too as he shoved at the door, his considerable strength pushing back against the Atlantic.
“Get the goddamned clip in now Whitby,” the ship’s first officer growled.
Gecko backed off slightly and then slammed back into the door.
“Got it!” Whitby whooped excitedly as he dropped to the deck, puffing heavily, and momentarily oblivious to the water spraying in steadily from the top and bottom of the door.
Gecko tried another clip but it wouldn’t engage.
“This isn’t going to hold dammit!”
There were doors at either end of the narrow passageway in which they stood. Both were designed to be watertight.
“Whitby, dog that door shut tight, right away,” Gecko ordered pointing to the forward opening.
Whitby sprang to his feet and splashed through the ankle deep water.
Next, Gecko grabbed a handset from the bulkhead and snarled into it. His ferocious voice crackled from speakers all over the boat.
“Right you bunch of bastards, you all better listen up right now. We have a hull breach at three deck port airlock. Wade has gone and left us all to drown so if any of you mutinous fuckers want to stand a chance of living, you’ll do as I say.”
He paused for a moment then his following announcement was more professional.
“Action stations! Action stations! All personnel report to their posts. Bridge crew prepare for emergency surface. Damage Crews muster at the port airlock.”
He slammed the handset back down.
Reynolds and Whitby were both thrown about as the submarine rolled heavily to port the latter gentleman falling and sliding into the bulkhead.
He was amazed to see that Reynolds remained standing. Hauling himself up he eased his way across the sloping deck to re-join the baron, who seemed frozen, a lifelike statue of himself, his expression one of poised expectation as though waiting for some sort of signal.
Whitby tried to shake away the ringing in his ears and became aware of another sound, a high pitched hiss, accompanied by creaks and dull thuds at random moments.
“Are you alright sir?” Whitby inquired whilst rubbing at his bruised elbows.
Reynolds didn’t respond. He just remained motionless in the doorway staring back at the airlock.
“What is that noise?” Whitby mumbled, unsure how to handle being ignored. His eyes widened with horror when he saw what Reynolds was looking at.
The outer door to the airlock was closed but four of the six locking clips had buckled, along with the door itself. Water was spraying in around the seal in a fine mist.
As he watched, the door creaked again and another jet of water squirted into the airlock.
Reynolds nodded his head in understanding.
“We need to get this door shut, now!” he said hurriedly.
It was as though that had been what the outer door had been waiting for.
More leaks sprang from the ever buckling closure and as the two men swung the inner door closed, the lower half of the outer door folded and a huge bore of cold Atlantic water rushed in.
Whitby fumbled one-handed with the single clip that he could reach as both men, shoulder jammed against the door , pushed with every ounce of strength they could muster to try to close it against the influx of icy sea.
The boat began to roll again, this time the opposite way, helping them push against the flow but water was gushing around the door.
“I can’t keep this up, Mr Whitby!” Reynolds hissed.
“It’s almost there. Another quarter of an inch is all it needs.”
Reynolds roared as he summoned up whatever he had left and shoved even harder, but against the building pressure on the other side he was losing.
Then another body joined them, roaring too as he shoved at the door, his considerable strength pushing back against the Atlantic.
“Get the goddamned clip in now Whitby,” the ship’s first officer growled.
Gecko backed off slightly and then slammed back into the door.
“Got it!” Whitby whooped excitedly as he dropped to the deck, puffing heavily, and momentarily oblivious to the water spraying in steadily from the top and bottom of the door.
Gecko tried another clip but it wouldn’t engage.
“This isn’t going to hold dammit!”
There were doors at either end of the narrow passageway in which they stood. Both were designed to be watertight.
“Whitby, dog that door shut tight, right away,” Gecko ordered pointing to the forward opening.
Whitby sprang to his feet and splashed through the ankle deep water.
Next, Gecko grabbed a handset from the bulkhead and snarled into it. His ferocious voice crackled from speakers all over the boat.
“Right you bunch of bastards, you all better listen up right now. We have a hull breach at three deck port airlock. Wade has gone and left us all to drown so if any of you mutinous fuckers want to stand a chance of living, you’ll do as I say.”
He paused for a moment then his following announcement was more professional.
“Action stations! Action stations! All personnel report to their posts. Bridge crew prepare for emergency surface. Damage Crews muster at the port airlock.”
He slammed the handset back down.
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Re: Waterwitch
All across the ship opposing crewmen glared at one another, then as each faced that common fear of drowning or suffocating inside a steel monster, they nodded as each of Gecko’s words echoed around them.
Then the vessel was awash with activity as each man, drilled on what was required of them, rushed to their posts.
Lilly looked across to Captain Holt and then to the doctor.
Baird shook his head. She sighed and sprinted off towards the bridge. With Wade gone, she was the best pilot this old crate.
To hell with that, she thought as she ran, even with him here she was the best pilot!
Paige took her father’s hand.
“It’ll be alright, daddy,” she smiled reassuringly.
Holt grimaced as pain shot through him. “What’s happening?”
Paige tried to hide her worried expression when she heard how weak her father sounded.
“Wade must have done something. It felt like an explosion and now we are taking on water.”
Holt’s eyes shut, screwed up tight and he sighed with frustration.
“They’ll need help on the bridge,” he coughed. “Take control sweetheart. Be my voice up there.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you! All your life you’ve watched me, mimicked me at times and even pre-empted me too. It’s like I’ve been teaching you all these years without realising it. You can do this, honey!”
Paige blinked rapidly. “You want me to take command?”
Holt allowed himself a smile. “You’re the only one. Seth’s busy with damage control. Besides, if I die, the Witch is yours anyway. You have the authority, now you just need to have the confidence to do it. There’s no one else.”
Paige shrugged. “There’s Lord Reynolds?” she offered.
Holt coughed again and Paige saw blood staining his teeth. “Authority and confidence he has in abundance, yes. But know how to command a ship? Definitely not. It has to be you, Paige.”
Her face lost its worry and became more serious. She could see he was dying and was determined that his last impression of his daughter would be one of pride. She squeezed his hand then stood saying, “I’ll do it.”
With that she was gone, unable to bring herself to look upon her father any longer.
“You really think they’ll listen to her?” Baird asked as he changed out the blood soaked bandages.
“They probably will. If Lilly’s up there they should. Besides, I didn’t want her to hang around here and watch me die.”
“Ach! You maudlin’ bastard!” Baird swore. “Am I not here beside ya? I ought to let ya die for the cheek of it!”
Then the vessel was awash with activity as each man, drilled on what was required of them, rushed to their posts.
Lilly looked across to Captain Holt and then to the doctor.
Baird shook his head. She sighed and sprinted off towards the bridge. With Wade gone, she was the best pilot this old crate.
To hell with that, she thought as she ran, even with him here she was the best pilot!
Paige took her father’s hand.
“It’ll be alright, daddy,” she smiled reassuringly.
Holt grimaced as pain shot through him. “What’s happening?”
Paige tried to hide her worried expression when she heard how weak her father sounded.
“Wade must have done something. It felt like an explosion and now we are taking on water.”
Holt’s eyes shut, screwed up tight and he sighed with frustration.
“They’ll need help on the bridge,” he coughed. “Take control sweetheart. Be my voice up there.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you! All your life you’ve watched me, mimicked me at times and even pre-empted me too. It’s like I’ve been teaching you all these years without realising it. You can do this, honey!”
Paige blinked rapidly. “You want me to take command?”
Holt allowed himself a smile. “You’re the only one. Seth’s busy with damage control. Besides, if I die, the Witch is yours anyway. You have the authority, now you just need to have the confidence to do it. There’s no one else.”
Paige shrugged. “There’s Lord Reynolds?” she offered.
Holt coughed again and Paige saw blood staining his teeth. “Authority and confidence he has in abundance, yes. But know how to command a ship? Definitely not. It has to be you, Paige.”
Her face lost its worry and became more serious. She could see he was dying and was determined that his last impression of his daughter would be one of pride. She squeezed his hand then stood saying, “I’ll do it.”
With that she was gone, unable to bring herself to look upon her father any longer.
“You really think they’ll listen to her?” Baird asked as he changed out the blood soaked bandages.
“They probably will. If Lilly’s up there they should. Besides, I didn’t want her to hang around here and watch me die.”
“Ach! You maudlin’ bastard!” Baird swore. “Am I not here beside ya? I ought to let ya die for the cheek of it!”