Child of the Sea

Chapter Sixteen~

(Recap)

Crabs flow out over the sides of the ship, and Calypso is gone. Silence. 

"Is that it?" ask Will, Siren grabs a rope and slides down the glow on her arm stops "Why, she's no help at all! What now?" ask Pintel. The wind picks up again, causing the sails to shudder "Nothing. Our final hope has failed us." says Barbossa. 

One of the pirate's hats is taken by the wind; it spirals up and around the mast. Siren watches it ... "It's not over ... Hope is not lost. There's still a fight to be had." says Siren trying to encourage them "There's an armada arrayed against us. We've got no chance of winnin'." says Gibbs Siren watchs the wind with curiosity "Only a fool's chance ..." she says. 

Barbossa walks up to her "Revenge won't bring your James Norrington back." says Barbossa, it's like a slap in the face to Siren "And it's not something I'm intending to die for." he finishes.

Siren puts her hands in her pockets feeling a cold chain attached to a pocket watch she pulls it out and runs her thumb over the engraving.

James Norrington

Siren clutches it realizing: Nothing can bring him back. "You're right. Then what are we die for?" Siren ask. She steps up onto the rail of the ship. "Do you want to know what happened up there, Calypso offered to send me home and I'm still here! Listen to me! The Brethren will still be looking all us, at the Black Pearl, to lead. What will they see? Frightened bilge rats aboard a derelict ship? No. They will see free men. And freedom! And what the enemy will see is the flash of our cannons. They will hear the clash of our swords. And they will know what we can do by the sweat of our brows and the strength of our backs and the courage of our hearts." Siren starts. She eyes lock with Barbossa "Yo ho." she says. 

She locks eyes with Elizabeth "All hands."

She locks Eyes with Will "Hoist the colours." she finishes. 

Will nods, repeats it: low, resolved. "Hoist the colours." he says "Hoist the colours." says Gibbs "Hoist the colours..." says Elizabeth. It's picked up by the crew, a murmur as they move with purpose to their stations, past and around Barbossa. One begins to sing softly "Yo ho, all hands, hoist the colours high ..." 

"We've got the wind on our side, boys, and that's all we need!" shouts Gibbs. 

They all cheer Siren, still on the rail, turns to where the Empress lay, shouts across to Tai Huang: "Hoist the colours!"

All the pirate ships are there flags raised. Different styles, black on white, red on black. Most with the skull and crossbones, or swords. 

The ships surge forward crew members start to sing, their voices rising together in triumph ... "Yo, ho, haul together, hoist the colors high ... heave ho, thieves and beggars, never say we die!" 

"Target the Flying Dutchman. We're the only ship that can catch her." says Will. 

Clouds above begin to rotate, forming a storm disk in the sky lightening strikes down at sea. "Calypso I ask for help please as a friend of the sea." Siren whispers to herself. In the Caribbean sea, a giant whirlpool begins to turn slowly. Siren looks "Wow prayers are answered fast here Thank you." she says quickly. 

Sheets of rain begin to fall the two formations converge, the Black Pearl outpacing the pirate fleet, the Dutchman outpacing the Between them the sea continues to swirl Gibbs stares at the sea with a practiced eye "Maelstrom! Saints preserve us!" shouts Gibbs. A moment as they all take stock of the dire situation. "Barbossa!" shouts Siren Barbossa looks up he was contemplating his now-mortal "I need you at the helm." Siren says "Aye, that be true!" he answers and takes the wheel from Cotton.