Fear of Falling Chapter 13

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.

Gold. Jewels. Mound upon mound of riches as far as the eye could see. Cheers erupted among the crowd as the shock wore off and they dove for the treasure.

“The loot of a thousand worlds!” Silver spoke with amazement.

“We are going to need a bigger boat!”





“This is all seeming . . . very familiar,” B.E.N. whispered to Jim as he scratched his rusted head, “B-But . . . I-I can’t remember why,”

Sadly, Jim didn’t get to roll around in riches like the rest of them. He kept note of Silver’s whereabouts as his eyes darted throughout the centroid. No one paid attention to them at this moment, they could easily slip away. However, they wouldn’t be able to get very far on foot, and despite the situation, he wanted some of that treasure.

On top of a tall mound, away from the others, sat a boat with tattered sails and a moderate amount of treasure.

“B.E.N., Vanessa, come on. We’re getting out of here, and we’re not leaving empty handed,”

Vanessa followed him without a word, and B.E.N. protested the entire way. It took a while to climb up – gold was very slippery to walk on, but eventually they reached the abandoned longboat.

“Do you know what’s strange? I can’t tell you guys how frustrating this is,” B.E.N. quipped as Jim hauled himself up the side, then reached down and helped his friends, “Cause there’s something that’s nagging at the back of my mind -”

“AHH!” Vanessa screamed at the sight that met her. Jim accidently let B.E.N. fall as he rushed to her side.

“What, what’s wrong?” he asked, giving her a quick once over. She didn’t look hurt. Why did she scream?

Vanessa’s expression was one of horror. She raised a shaking finger, pointing to the other side of the boat, where an unmistakable figure sat in a throne of solid gold and red velvet.

“C-C-C-Ca . . . C-C-C-C-Ca -” Vanessa stuttered.

“Captain Flint!” Jim said for her.

“In the flesh!” B.E.N. added, “Well, s-sort of, except for skin, organs, or anything that-that-that resembles flesh,”

The figure was only the skeleton of the former infamous pirate, rotted and full of maggots, draped in his last tattered outfit. Vanessa took a few steps back; she wanted to be as far away from it as possible.

Jim, on the other hand, crept close to the deceased set of bones, examining his many eye sockets, the rows of pointed teeth, the memory chip in his hand . . .

Wait a second . . .

“And yet it’s so off, you know? I mean, I remember there was something horrible Flint didn’t want anyone else to know. But I-I just . . . I can’t remember what it was,”

Jim broke off Flint’s fingers and took the memory chip. It was the exact shape of B.E.N.’s missing piece.

“Oh, a mind is a terrible thing to lose!” B.E.N. sobbed, throwing his hands over his eyes.

“I-I’m sure we will find your m-mind soon, B.E.N.” Vanessa tried to comfort him.

“Actually . . . I think I just found it,” Jim grabbed the robot’s head and positioned the chip, “Hold still,”

“Ah! Jimmy, your – your hands are very, very cold up there, and -”

The chip connected perfectly. B.E.N.’s voice drastically changed in pitch before returning to normal, and coding scrolled across his eyes, switching the color from green to sky blue, “Whoa! Hello!”

“H-How do you feel, B-B.E.N?” Vanessa asked curiously.

“You know, uh, I was just thinking -” B.E.N. began, rubbing his chin before he realized he was doing something he never could before, “I was just think . . . it’s all flooding back! All my memories!” he grabbed the front of Jim’s shirt in excitement, “Right up until Flint pulled my memory circuit so I could never tell anybody about his booby trap!”

Suddenly, just overhead sounded an explosion, debris flying out around them. All of the pirates gaped up at the hanging lasers that began to shake, looking as if they could fall any minute.

“Speaking of which,” B.E.N. added, “Flint wanted to make sure that nobody could ever steal his treasure, so he rigged this whole planet to blow higher than a Kalepsian Kite!”

A series of explosions set off inside the centroid. The lasers wobbled and started to fall into the piles of treasure. They continued to go off, cutting through the floor. The ones still hanging moved on railings, creating large canyons of fire and molten gold. Some of the pirates dropped their treasure and ran for their lives, managing to make it to the portal in time.

B.E.N. grabbed Jim and Vanessa’s arms and tried to pull them to the edge of the boat, “Run! Run for your lives!”

“You take Vanessa and go back to the ship to help the captain and Doc! If I’m not there in five minutes, leave without me,” Jim ordered. He ran and ducked underneath the control panel.

“F-F-Five minutes is not enough time J-Jim!” Vanessa protested, “W-We have to leave n-n-now!”

“I am not leaving my buddy, Jimmy!” B.E.N. grabbed Jim’s boots and tugged him out. Jim glared menacingly at him, two yellow cords held between his fingers, “Unless he looks at me like that . . . bye, Jim! Come on, Nessie, let’s get the hell out of here!”

Vanessa gave Jim a last fleeting look before she was dragged off. Dodging pirates and violet beams, they managed to make it to the platform before the portal. Seeing the gleam of unmelted gold and jewels, Vanessa pulled her arm from the robot’s grasp, “W-Wait a second, B.E.N.”

“Wait? Wait?! We don’t have time to wait!”

Vanessa jumped down to the treasure and began stuffing her pockets with as much of it as she possibly could. Across from her knelt Silver, trying to reclaim his precious treasure.

“No! No, no, no, no! No, oh don’t go! Don’t go! COME BACK HERE, YA BLIGHTERS!” he shouted at the deserting crew members.

With her three pockets stuffed, Vanessa and B.E.N. ran into the reeds towards the longboat as quickly and quietly as possibly. They could feel the planet quaking and the hum of the destruction underneath.

“Alright, we gotta get to Doc and the captain! Doc and the captain, doc and the captain!” B.E.N. repeated over and over.

Vanessa figured they were close to them when they she heard Doc’s voice and several pirate voices. Peeking through the tall stalks, she saw Doc and Captain Amelia surrounded, and only one weapon on their side.

“Oh my! What are we gonna do?” B.E.N. loudly whispered.

“Hey, did yawl hear that?”

“It’s coming from the reeds over there!”

A skeletal grey hand reached out and grabbed the front of her shirt. She was dragged into the clearing, landing on her stomach and causing the wind to be knocked out of her. Some of the treasure fell out of her pocket, immediately catching the attention of the evil around her.

“She’s got gold!”

“There’s more in her pockets!”

Vanessa was pulled up by the scruff of her neck, her arms held behind her as ropes were tied around her wrists. Hands dug into her pockets, scooping out treasure that she risked her life to get.

“W-What are you d-doing?! S-S-Stop, that’s m-mine!”

Mr. Onus, the little squid-looking alien with a high pitched voice and several eyes, ordered, “Tie ‘em all up! We’re getting off this death trap before it explodes!”

“What about Silver?” another alien asked as he forced a gag over B.E.N.’s mouth.

“He probably be dead by now,”





The blast of the engine told Jim he had successfully resurrected the longboat. By now all the treasure had fallen into the crevices, leaving the only source of it on his boat, and he was very happy to see that.

Speaking of treasure . . .

Before he steered his way out, a certain shine caught his eye. On top of a pile of gold sat a red ceramic box with an intricate gold loop design. As if compelled, he grabbed the box and turned back to the wheel, stuffing the box in his pocket.

“Morph, we are so out of here!” Jim yelled to the pink giggling blob. He turned the wheel to aim the boat towards the portal. Things finally seemed to be going his way.

“Ah, Jimbo!”

No . . . no way in fucking hell!

Silver stood on the edge, the brightness of the lasers casting him in an eerie shadow. He dropped onto the deck, trying to cozy up to him, “Aren’t you the seventh wonder of the universe!”

Using his quick reflexes, Jim grabbed a nearby sword and pointed its sharp tip at the enemy, “Get. Back!” he shouted.

Silver stopped in his tracks, glaring at the sword and its possessor, “I like you, lad,” he said, his voice having a somber, disappointed tone to it, “But I’ve come too far to let you stand between me and me treasure,”