Will We Survive?

((Oh, ok. I must have misread the name.))

Sarah

Sarah observed the guard, trying to think of some way to create a distraction. However a miracle seemed to happen, as the guard accidentally tripped and knocked over another pirate. This infuriated the man, and one thing led to another and the two pirates were brawling on the deck. Sarah quickly took her chance and slipped out of the crowd of prisoners, taking a staircase below deck.

?

"Well well well, what do we have here? A cat? Interesting."

The voice came from the entrance to the secret room, where a man stood. The dimly lit lights obscured his face, but he could see Sliver clearly, now pointing a flashlight at the creature.

Sliver stopped in his tracks and turned his head, his golden gaze blinking once, then twice at the man and the bright light. He then scampered away from the light and into the darkness on his left, meowing as he did so.

If the man didn't recognize him as Chance's, if he didn't think of him as anymore than an ordinary cat, then that would be for the best.

If I get turned into cat stew, I'm going to kill you, Chance.

Chris

Pirates are stupid. At least these guys are, Chris thought as he quietly made his way down the stairs, unnoticed by the two brawlers. However, like the pirate did just seconds earlier, Chris tripped over another, a pirate, that looked crazed. "No, curses, curses put upon old Kell! Spare me your witchcraft," he yowled and raced away. Chris cursed, hoping nobody heard that.

Dante

Dante picked up the keys, and unlocked the cell door. His cold gaze rested on Chance, never moving, his gun still drawn and aimed. Before the eyes could register it, he smacked the but of the pistol across Chance's cheek, leaving a red mark where it hit. His point made, Dante locked the door and walked away.

Chance staggered back a step, his hand flying up to his stinging cheek. He watched as the pirate disappeared with narrowed eyes, but then sunk down next to the wall and let out a soft sigh. His left hand clenched into a fist and then loosened as he let it fall down to the ground.

He had the keys! And then he had lost them, just like that...

The teenager leaned his head back, hitting the wall. He felt the slight pain, but he didn't care. He had been so close to freedom, only to lose it all. And where was Sliver? At that thought, worry gnawed at him. The tabby cat had been gone a long time.

Sarah

Sarah hid in a nearby closet, hoping that Chris would come down soon should he escape. She was risking a lot if she was discovered and her eventual plan fell to pieces....

?

"Well, I didn't know the Captain had a cat. Must have just gotten it. Hm, never knew the Captain had this secret room either. Well, it's none of my business. Careful in there kitty, don't fry yourself because ya chewed on a wire." the pirate joked. Taking one last look, the pirate started to walk away. However, he noticed the book laying on the bed and placed it back onto the bookcase. The man went on his way.

Meanwhile, as soon as the book was placed on the shelf again, the entrance to the hidden room began to close.

Oh, snap!

Sliver bounded forward towards the door, but then skidded to a halt and glanced back at the computers. The information... No. He turned back and rushed towards the closing door, alarm in his eyes. It was closing to fast! His hesitation had cost him.

The tabby cat threw himself forward, sliding through just as the entrance closed. He yowled loudly, unable to stop himself at the pain in his throbbing tail. He moved the tail close to his side, wincing as he did so. Then, knowing that he had to act quickly, he stepped toward the books. His golden gaze flickered over them, trying to recall which one the mutt had pulled. As he sniffed over each one of them, he kept one ear turned towards the door, not wanting anymore unexpected surprises.

I can't believe I was dumb enough to hesitate, he grumbled to himself. Like I can't get back in.

Sayuri

Outside of the now closed entrance, someone else could be heard entering the Captain's room. The dog gave a brief bark, but became quiet again. The new intrudor mumbled under her breath, furious at the task assigned to her.

"How dare that man! Sending me on a task like this! The Captain can find his own cursed books." Sayuri fumed, walking over to the bookcase. She scanned the titles, trying to find the one the Captain told her to get. Sayuri found the right book, and took it out of the bookcase.

However, the secret entrance began to open again.

Sliver peek out from underneath the desk, which he was hiding under once again. His golden gaze flickered from the pirate to the opening secret entrance. Would she notice it, before she left? But she did seem rather ticked off, and anger made one blind to what was around them.

How many more interruptions are there going to be? he grumbled to himself, his tail flickering back and forth.

It was supposed to be easy, now that he was inside, but it seemed as if it was just one thing after another that was stopping him from completing his task.

Sayuri

After making sure she had the right book, Sayuri turned to walk away, however she heard the secret entrance coming open. Curious, she turned back around and she saw the secret room exposed before her.

"What the...?" Sayuri muttered. After a moment she decided to investigate and walked inside.

Idiot, Sliver grumbled to himself as he watched the pirate. What was she doing? Didn't she fear her captain enough not to go prying into his stuff?

Slowly the tabby cat crept out from underneath the desk and then started towards the secret room, keeping his body low. His ears were pulled back and his entire body was tense.

The second that the pirate started to turn in his direction, he would bolt for it.

Curiosity killed the cat...

Chris

If anybody heard they seemed not to care, so Chris made it to the closet with Sarah. "Glad to see you're unharmed," he said as way of greeting upon entering the closet. He hoped this would be worthwhile, because the risk was enormous, he might be killed since enough of his blood had already been lost today.

Sayuri

Sayuri strode forward into the room, looking around in the dimly lit area. After running her hands across the walls, Sayuri found a light-switch and flipped it up. Light flooded into the room. Noticing the computers, Sayuri walked over to them and took a seat in the chair. She typed on the keyboard for a minute before stopping. Sayuri let out a curse.

"Look's like the old man has this thing encrypted. Damn. What is he hiding here? I never knew this room existed, it isn't on the maps. What secrets could the Captain be hiding here?" Sayuri muttered to herself. After a moment of internal debating, Sayuri stood up from the chair and began to make her way out of the room.

"I'd better get out of here before someone else comes in. I can investigate later, when their's a less likely chance of being caught."

Sayuri turned off the lights and exited the room. She put the book she'd gotten out back into the bookcase. Slowly, it began to close once more. Sayuri took another book from the shelf and made her way out of the Captain's cabin, closing the door behind her.

Sarah

"Same to you." Sarah said, making room for Chris in the closet. It was a tight fit, but it would have to do for now.

"So, now that we're alone, what do you wish to discuss?" Sarah asked cautiously.

Where is he? Chance thought, worry gnawing at him. He wanted to call out to his cat, but he didn't dare. He couldn't risk it. As simple as a thing as it was, it could distract his cat when Sliver needed his concentration the most.

He rubbed his cheek once and then let his hand fall back down to his lap. Chris would be getting back soon--that was, if they were putting him back into this cell. He hadn't been in here before, so who was to say that they would be cellmates again.

The teen leaned his head back against the wall and let out a soft sigh. I feel so useless, at times like these...

---

Sliver had slipped back underneath the desk the second that the pirate had stated she was leaving. He watched with relief as she finally left and then hurried out from his hiding place. He would have to be quick in the secret room, if he was to learn anything. Far too many people came and went from this cabin for his liking.

There we are. He placed a paw on the book and knocked it from the shelf. As he had known it would, the secret room opened back up.

Without a moment's hesitation, he scurried inside and bounded up onto the chair that the pirate had just been sitting at. His wide eyes blinked once and then twice as he stared at the computer screen.

("Chance, do you know anything about cracking computer passwords?")

---

Chance started, surprised at Sliver's voice after so long. Where was the cat, to be asking about that?

("Tala would.") he answered and then bit his lip, his eyes downcast.

("This isn't the time to be feeling sorry for yourself, Chance,") the cat responded. ("And don't try to deny it. I can hear it in your tone. Your time just isn't now. But we don't have the time for this. The Captain has a secret room, with some computers in it, but they need a password.")

Immediately Chance's demeanor changed and an expression of determination set across his face. He gave a nod of his head, though he knew that Sliver could not see it. ("I'm on it.")

Chris

"You asked me here, so isn't there something you want to say," Chris asked. All he could tell her was that a cat was scouting out the ship for a mute boy in a cell, and that would only describe about half of what was really happening. He didn't need her to think he was crazy, which he might be, but for now he would have to trust them, and come up with some working plan for escape.

Dante

"Miss Sayuri, I hope you aren't poking around in the Captain's office," Dante said, catching the younger pirate coming out of the room. His cold gaze locked on to hers, as if trying to discern the truth from them.

Sarah

"Very well. My real name is Sarah Springfield, and I was an undercover FBI agent on the cruise ship. I was investigating the captain when this mess began. Now I am seeking a way for us to possibly overthrow the pirates, and bring us back to the States. Are you interested in helping me? If not, then I will have no choice but to kill you." Sarah warned. There was considerable risk in telling Chris all this, but it was a necessary one. If she were to succeed in her goal, she would need as many people as she could find.

Sayuri

Sayuri matched his gaze with a defiant glare. "Of course not. The Captain sent me to get him a book from his cabin. Is that a problem?" Sayuri asked.

Chris

"You... are intense," Chris said, giving her an odd look. "I don't believe you're an agent, but if you're serious about getting off this ship, I'll help out where I can. And you don't try to kill me." He wasn't sure if she was playing some kind of game, but he doubted an FBI agent would get kidnapped like this, by some ragtag pirates. They had lasers and submarines and other gadgets... or was that just from some movie?

Dante

"Did he now," Dante asked, a condescending smirk on his face. "Then by all means, get his book to him."

Sarah

"I am an FBI agent, believe it or not. We're as much human as the rest of America's citizens. I never meant to be taken as a hostage to terrorists in the first place, but things happen. Good, I was hoping I wouldn't have to murder you. The body would be hard to hide. Now, have you talked with anyone else about possibly escaping?" Sarha asked, making sure to keep as quite as possible.

Sayuri

Sayuri scowled at Dante, and intentionally bumped into him as she walked away. She stopped, though, and turned around to face Dante again.

"Wait, what are you doing on the deck? Almost everybody is down below in the mess hall." Sayuri asked.

Dog

The massive black dog from before trotted inside the Captain's secret room, going over to Sliver. The dog wagged its tail and gave a bark.

Dante

"My business is my own, girl," Dante said, glaring. "You would do well to remember who wields what power on this ship. The Captain is not the only one who may decide your fate." He strode off, briskly walking as if he had somewhere to be.

Chris

"Oh wow, I feel so special," Chris said, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, you seem real human. Most humans would be more concerned with hiding a body than the fact they were killed." He wasn't liking this woman, whether she was FBI or not, she didn't seem to be the kind of person Chris could have fun with, were the situation not so dire at the moment. But his options were limited, he needed help, and she apparently did too, for all her FBI power. "Yeah, this kid in a cell. He's mute, but he wrote me some messages and he's keeping his ears open." Half the truth was better than lieing, though he still felt Chance's trust in his cat was odd, but still, what was their to lose?

("I'm sure that only a few guesses will be allowed before some type of...") Sliver drifted off and glanced over at the dog, his ears going flat at the bark. ("Hold on.")

The tabby cat glared at the dog then, fighting the impulse to hiss. Couldn't it see that he was busy?

Go play fetch with somebody else, he grumbled to himself and then bent his head down to the keyboard, sniffing the keys.

Sarah

"Good. That isn't enough now, though. Three of us alone can't take down the dozens of pirates that must be running this ship. We'll need to recruit more, discreetly, and try to find weapons we can use. I do have an idea, however, of how we may be able to accomplish our possible escape." Sarah said. She opened her mouth to say more, but the noise of approaching footsteps cut her off. Sarah became as quiet as she could, and waited for whoever was coming by to pass them. The footsteps came closer and closer, and Sarah could tell that the pirate coming by was now crossing the closet. Then...the noise stopped, and the person came to a halt in front of the closet.

Sarah held her breath, and prayed to whoever was listening that the pirate would continue on their merry way. The pirate outside still did not move, and Sarah began to feel an increasing feeling of dread...but then the pirate began to move on, his footsteps echoing across the corridor. Soon the noise stopped, once the person was out of hearing range.

Sarah let out a shakey breath of relief. That had been too close for comfort.

Sayuri

Sayuri glared at Dante once more as he went away, and then went toward a nearby staircase to make her way to the Captain. The young Asian girl walked down a corridor, but came to a halt in front of a closet opposite of her. Strange, she could have sworn she heard something in there...

Sayuri reached to open the door, but stopped herself. Now she was just being paranoid. Who would be inside a small closet like that, anyway? Her fears were starting to get out of control. It wasn't like someone was waiting around each corner to strike her down.

Sayuri gave one last look at the closet door and continued down the corridor.

Dog

The dog gave another bark at the cat. It reached over and used its teeth to pull open a drawer that was inside the desk the monitors sat on. The dog ducked its head in for a moment before coming back out of the drawer. It opened its mouth and spit out a wet, but still legible, playing card. On the back of the card, as series of letters and numbers seemed to be written on it. The dog barked once more.

Chris

Chris felt his heart pounding as the footsteps stopped outside the door, and as they faded, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Before you say your plan, I just want to point out that most of the prisoners are most likely going to be weak and exauhsted from the work they put us through here. I'm not saying they couldn't help, but it's likely they wouldn't want to risk it only on our word. Now, what's this plan," he whispered quickly.

Gross! Sliver flinched as the card landed before him, staring at it as if it was a bomb. Gingerly he batted the card off of the keyboard and to the side.

("I think that I've found the password,") he said to Chance. His charge didn't answer, but the cat wasn't concerned. Chance was just allowing him to concentrate.

Sliver carefully started to punch the numbers and letters in, but still he found himself constantly backing up, the keyboard not made for cat claws. His tail flickered back and forth, faster and faster, the more agitated he became. After what felt like an eternity, however, the last of the password had been entered in.

He stared at the screen for a moment, hoping that he had gotten it all right, and then put his paw on the Enter key.

Work.

Sarah

"When they took most of our personal items, they also took my purse. Inside a hidden pouch, I have a small container of cyanide capsules. They were for an emergency, in case I ever got captured while undercover. I never had time to take them if I had wanted to, but I have a different idea for the capsules now. If we can find the room where they're keeping our personal items and I can get access to my purse, I can get the cyanide capsules. Once that's done, all I will need is an opportunity to slip them into the Captain's meal or drink. Once the cyanide's in his system, he'll die within a few minutes. Once their Captain is dead, the pirates will start slaughtering each other, since most of them will want the position of captain, and the power it brings with it. While they're busy doing that, we may have the chance to turn the tables on them and set ourselves free." Sarah finished.

"Of course, this plan is not without risk. But I believe we may be able to secure our freedom if we do everything right. And we'll also have to find where they keep most of their weapons, since we'll need those to subdue the surviving pirates." Sarah added. On retrospect, she didn't like the fact that her plan counted too much on her cyanide capsules still being in her purse for it all to succeed. Her purse could have been tossed into the ocean, for all she knew. Still, it was worth the risk and needed to be tried.

General Narrative

It took a minute, but the computer accepted the given password and Sliver now had access to the Captain's computers. Several icons appeared on the screen of the computer. One icon, in particular, stood out. It read, Map of the Ship.

(I want to join. Where is the plot right now? I mean what's going on? Anything I would need to know?)

(Well, first one prisoner named Chris was thrown into a cell with another prisoner named Chance and together they managed to get Chance's cat free, who communicates with Chance via telepathy, and the cat found the captain's quarters and after a few interruptions managed to get into a secret room and access the computer in it. Chris talked a bit with a pirate girl who took him to the kitchens, met up with another prisoner, now they snuck away and are discussing a plan to escape. Chance had to deal with a crazy pirate teasing him until he accidentally scared him off, dropping some keys in the process, but Chance didn't have long to enjoy having them because the 1st mate took them away soon after. I think that's the gist of it... if I missed anything someone feel free to add it.)

Chris

"I don't know, that plan is counting on the fact that the pirates are only organized because of the captain. What if they have a hierarchy? I mean, in this day and age, these pirates are still active, no one's gotten them yet," Chris said, thinking hard. "And if it fails, we probably won't live long enough to think of anything else. I guess we could try it, but even getting to your belongings will be a difficult task. If we could only cause some dissention in the crew, then it would be more likely the chaos after the death of the Captain would be able to cover our escape."