Bluebird

Sabotage

"Cap'n, are ye sure about this?"

"I'm not so sure we've got the time to be playing Good Samaritans when we've got Bad Cop on our trail."

"He's not even a Master Builder!"

"Aye, and what does that matter?" Metalbeard snapped. His crew fell silent. "Have we really gotten so arrogant as to leave behind a soul in need? Mayhaps he not be one of us, but that don't negate his need of our help! Man Upstairs, and ye all wonder why we got outlawed!" There was some sheepish murmuring at that. He eyeballed each of them seriously. "Things will only be gettin' worse from here. If we help Benny now, he may be willin' to help us in the future, when we need it most."

"Well, if ye be sure, Cap'n..."

"Absolutely," Metalbeard growled back. He wasn't quite sure where the feeling was coming from, but he knew Benny was going to be important, somehow.

Benny startled awake when the lookout started shouting. He hadn't realized he'd dozed off, but it must not have been for very long. He shrugged off the blanket Metalbeard had wrapped him up in and hurried up onto the deck to see what all the commotion was about. He was dumbfounded when he spotted a dozen police transports- flying police transports- heading right for them. Must be the Bad Cop they'd mentioned earlier. He watched as the pirate crew scrambled to prepare for a fight. He'd never seen such fear on anyone's face before... Was this guy really that bad?

Benny found himself re-evaluating his opinion on Master Builders. Who knew how much the world, how much people, could have changed in twenty years? Maybe they weren't such jerks anymore. With the exception of that one remark, these pirates had shown him nothing but kindness, or at least tolerance, since they'd found and revived him. He looked back at the transports; they were closer now. Decision made, he shoved his helmet back on and sprinted across the deck, hopping up onto the railing and launching himself from there, trusting in his newfound ability to float to keep him from falling straight into the water. Somebody behind him was shouting for him to "get back here!" but he paid them no attention, instead using his jetpack to build up speed and aim himself right for the lead transport. Nobody was getting 'disappeared' on his watch.

He was set to ram straight through the windshield with his helmet, and though he couldn't see the man's eyes, covered as they were by a pair of reflective aviators, he could just make out the 'what the fuck' Bad Cop was saying as he reacted almost on instinct, dropping the transport out of Benny's path. Instead the astronaut crashed into the transport that had been behind him. Benny shook his head, a little dazed, and blinked at the robot in the driver's seat. The robot stared back, apparently just as startled. "Cool," Benny said, right before tearing the robot's head off.

With a speed he wasn't aware he'd possessed, he had the transport torn to pieces within minutes. He yanked the electrical wiring out- more than he'd expected, but it would work in his favor. Another three transports, also driven by robots, were coming to capture him. He used the wiring to trip them up, sending them crashing into each other, and then into the water below.

Four down.

He glanced around, thinking. The remaining transports were split between attacking the Master Builders and dealing with him now. Benny frowned, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head. That head-on crash must have affected him worse than he initially thought- his vision was getting weird. He could have sworn he saw numbers floating around the transports... He couldn't stop now though, not when they were still in danger. He latched onto another transport that came for him, making his way to its undercarriage. Another transport was sent crashing into the waves, courtesy of the pirates. Five down. He grinned as a thought came to him. The one he was latched onto must have called for help, as another three came to its aid as Benny worked. Finished with his sabotage, Benny quickly launched himself away as the first transport's fuel tank exploded, taking the other three with it.

The numbers were back, and in greater force now. He could see how the pieces of the wreckage could fit together. He didn't even think, just dove down to collect them, hauling as much back to the Sea Cow as he could manage. Only three transports remained, but they didn't seem willing to give up, and he was wearing out. He had to do something to help them escape.

He was running on instinct now, hands effortlessly shaping propellers out of scrap metal and attaching them to the sides and stern of the ship. He grabbed the rest of the scraps he'd collected and vanished below deck, running wires from the propellers to his collection, and began piecing the remaining parts together to create an engine. After several minutes of work the Sea Cow lurched as the propellers came to life.

Satisfied that they would be safe now, Benny let himself pass out, collapsing to the floor beside his makeshift motor.

Metalbeard let out a surprised squawk when the Sea Cow really started to move, cruising along faster than she'd ever sailed. He quickly grabbed the wheel, steering them away from the stunned Super Secret Police as his crew kept up their fire to discourage further pursuit. He didn't know what Benny had done, but it seemed like they would actually get away without a single loss. Cheers went up as they lost sight of Bad Cop, hopefully for good this time.

They arrived in Cape Space's bay in seemingly no time, safe and sound. Metalbeard handed the wheel off to Skeeter before stumping below deck in search of their new astronaut friend, who hadn't made an appearance since their miraculous escape. He found Benny passed out near the motor. There was no way to turn it off, so he dismantled it as carefully as he could manage, sighing in relief when the ship slowed. "Ye be a strange one, Benny Blue," Metalbeard muttered, gently scooping him up and carrying him back up to the deck. Benny felt light as a feather.

A small security craft sped out to greet them. "State your business here, pirates," one of the guards called out.

"We found one o' yers lost at sea," Metalbeard answered them, lifting Benny so they could see him. "Says his name be Benny Blue. Sound familiar to ye?"

The guard's eyes went wide, and he said something to his partner. "Are you shitting me?!" they could hear the other guard yelp in shock. "They actually found Engineer Blue?!"

"Guess it does," Metalbeard murmured in surprise.

The first guard turned back to them. "Consider us your escort," he told them. "Follow us, we'll show you where you can dock."

Well, at least now Benny could get the medical attention he clearly needed, and without fuss.