Finches

Chapter 23 - Square One

The floor was cold and damp. The room was dim, with the only hint of light coming from away in the distance. It was quiet, save for the occasional groans of other prisoners from wherever they were being kept. The authoritarian base's holding cells definitely did not meet any sanitary regulations.

Colt sat in defeat, leaning hopelessly against the back wall of his tiny cell. He'd been dumped here by the officers who had arrested him and then had been left without a word to him. They hadn't even bothered to ask if he was thirsty or offer him a meal. Colt had expected better treatment of someone who'd come all this way to save their town.

Well, he'd really come all this way to use their town as leverage. But what was the difference anyway? What kind of law enforcement wasn't even willing to listen to warnings, whether they were from a pirate or not? Colt knew he should have waited to speak to a Commander. Maybe they'd be more willing to listen to Colt than a Lieutenant, especially a Lieutenant whose sister hated him.

Colt hadn't meant to hurt or betray Shelly. He hadn't really had much choice, though. He planned out what to do at the Authority base before he even met her. Plus, he expected they would part ways as soon as they arrived at the base. He never imagined that the Lieutenant he needed to speak with so badly was her brother. He never imagined that they would figure out he was a pirate before he was long gone.

He should be islands away by now, traveling the seas. Goldtown's Authority would have a fair chance against the pirates of the Bloody Manta and he would have more information on the Lost Captain. He'd be sailing ever closer to wherever the Lost Captain Finch was last seen, all on his own. He wouldn't be relying on a pirate crew or a pirate captain to dictate everything. He'd be truly free. And then he'd find the Lost Captain, relishing in fame and riches. Meanwhile, Goldtown would either defend against Captain Rave and his crew or get ransacked. Whatever the outcome, it wouldn't affect Colt in the slightest.

But now things were different. The Authority had figured out he was a pirate, and much too soon. The chances of him getting his hands on that information was... well, there was no chance. And on top of that, he was now stuck in the cell of an Authority base. Things could not possibly be worse.

His plan at Goldtown had failed tremendously. Not only was he right back where he started, with no leads or information, things were actually worse than they were when he started out. At least he used to be free. Well, he wasn't really free on Captain Rave's ship at all. But he wasn't confined to a space so small that it only allowed for three steps in any direction. So maybe this situation was even worse than being a cabin boy. And that was saying a lot, because before just this moment he hadn't thought that possible.

His sorrowful wallowing was interrupted by an Authority officer making the rounds and sliding a tray of food under each of the cell doors. As the man approached his cell, Colt got to his feet and walked over.

"You've got to let me out of here," he said. His voice was coarse after a night in the holding cell.

The officer slid the tray into the cell and then stepped back a little, staring at Colt. He didn't look threatened or scared in the slightest. If anything, he almost looked a little amused.

"So I've heard," the officer said. "I've got to let you out because I'm in danger. Did I get it right?"

"Perfect, actually," Colt replied. "I know how it sounds, okay? But I'm telling the truth."

"I know how it sounds too," said the officer, "because you've been saying it nonstop since we locked you up. Give it a rest, pirate. You're not seeing daylight for a very long time."

"Look..."

Colt paused mid-sentence as he noticed something about the officer before him. There was a little something poking out of the upper pocket of his uniform. All of the sudden Colt knew exactly who he was talking to.