Fear of Falling [Treasure Planet Fanfic]

Chapter Thirteen: Flint's Secret

"Where is it?"

"I see nothing! One great, big, stinking hunk of nothing!"

The pulsing arrow disappeared into the globe. Jim pressed on the circles and tried to turn the halves, but it wouldn't let him.

"What is going on, Jimbo?" Silver demanded in an accusing tone.

"I-I don't know. I can't get it open,"

"We should have never followed this boy!" the female pirate with no legs shrieked, running up behind him on her arms and tackled him.

"Hey!" Jim shouted as he fell.

"J-J-Jim!" Vanessa pushed past the people and knelt next to him. She was about to help him up when she noticed a hole in the ground covered by moss.

"I'd suggest you get that gizmo goin', and fast!" Silver demanded.

Vanessa wiped away the moss, revealing that the cliff they were on was made of metal, and that the hole had the same markings as the map, "Jim, look,"

Jim got to his hands and knees, observing the map and the metal dip. He thrust the globe in, and a loud mechanical whirring filled his ears. The floor began to glow a bright yellow and green, spreading out like ink over a page. A holograph image of the map rose up. Jim reached out to touch it when more mechanical gears made themselves known. Lines of green streaked towards them, coming together at the peak and shooting into the air. It opened into a triangle, where they saw the wavering image of a nebula.

"Oh, have mercy," Silver murmured in awe.

"The Lagoon Nebula?" Jim inquired.

"B-But that's half way ac-cross the galaxy," Vanessa informed, her eyes wide with terror and excitement.

Jim examined the hologram globe. It was covered with all sorts of marks, one that you would find on a map. He touched one of them, and the door closed, opening again with a different image.

"A big door," he whispered, "Opening and closing," every time he touched a symbol, the door would close and open up someplace new, "Let's see . . . Kerian Abyss . . . Montressor Space Port . . ."

The door opened to the familiar crescent moon docking station, "So that's how Flint did it," Jim realized as he flipped through more locations, "He used this portal to roam around the universe, stealing treasure!"

"But where'd he stash it all?!" Silver pushed Jim out of the way and rapidly went through locations, "Where's that blasted treasure?!"

"Treasure!" B.E.N. repeated, grabbing the top of his head as he tried to remember, "Treasure! It's . . . buried in the . . ."

"Buried in the centroid of the mechanism," Jim finished for him, rubbing his chin in thought.

"W-What if the whole p-planet is the mechanism?" Vanessa wondered aloud.

"And the treasure is buried in the center of the planet!"

"How in blue blazes are we supposed to get there?!" Silver shouted with aggravation, his teeth bared as he continued to pass through doors.

Jim pushed him out of the way, "Just . . . open the right door," and he pressed the symbol in the middle of the hologram that resembled Treasure Planet.

The door opened to a mass of cannon-like devices shooting pulses of energy downward. Jim reached out and touched the portal, feeling its filmy texture and a slight enhancement of energy before his hand went through it. The rest of his body followed suit. Silver grabbed his shoulder, preventing him from going any further until he went through the portal himself. As the pirates came into the centroid, he reached out and took Vanessa's hand. They walked to the edge of the platform, and froze.