Hook's Daughter

Lockdown

Getting down another level was still easy. Only one guard was at the declining floor, and he turned to look in another direction at intervals of about twenty seconds. It was relatively easy to sneak past him when he was turned the opposite way from us.
"Which way are the cells?" I turn and ask Al. The hallway goes two ways.
"Right," he whispers back. We walk down the hall to the right.
"Something's not right," Al says, "Where are all the guards? Why isn't there any security?"
"You said you know the schedule, right? Is there a shift change again this soon?"
"No, that's why it's so weird. There should be guards in this hall. They should be watching for intruders, but they aren't."
"Maybe we're lucky?" I suggest.
"I don't get lucky," Al replies. He watches the ceiling carefully. When he finally looks down at the floor tiles, he grabs my hand quickly and pulls me back.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"Look." On the next place where I would have stepped, there is a fine line of dust.
"What is that?"
"I think it's some kind of activation," Al takes a barely noticeable piece of fabric and throws it onto the dust. When the cloth and dust make contact, the tile slides over and whoever had triggered it would have gone down.
"What is that?" There is something down in the pit where the intruder would have fallen. Al looks over the side.
"Agraban pit vipers," he said. "Kill you in one bite. And it's a painful way to go."
I almost was the victim of their poisonous bite. But I was safe, thanks to Al.
"Thank you," I say.
"Anytime, princess," Al replies.
"Why does a jail have such advanced forces? Dust like that to trap someone? That's something from the Hunger Games, not Allein."
"Hunger Games?" says Al.
"Nevermind. The point is, a jail, even one of a sultan, should not have traps like this. It's not right."
"I agree, but we need to be even more careful since it's clear this jail has worse troubles than guards."
I nod and Al and I continue down the hall. There are several more traps we pass, rather easy to miss, since Al seems to be very good at missing encounters with these deadly distractions. When the hallway we are in ends, Al looks confused.
"What's wrong?" I ask him.
"This hallway is new," Al says.
The hall Al speaks of does look new. The walls that line it are made of metal, and you can tell there is much more protection on this hall than the one Al says leads to Hook and Geni.
"What are those?" Al says aloud. Every three or so feet there are black triggers connected to the wall and something light brown inside of them at a point. The hallway begins with them. I stay a safe distance away, but look at them.
"It's wood," I say, looking at the points.
"Why would there be wood guns in a jail?"
"I don't know," Al replies. "Maybe it has a type of poison on it that would corrode metal?"
"Maybe. Look," I point to the end of the wall. A large door, covered in chains with three keypads to lock the door.
"What the hell is in this jail?"
"I don't know. And I doubt our friends are going to be in there," Al makes a good point.
"Right." I want to go down the hall so badly. But it's clear that if I walked down that hall, I wouldn't be coming back. "Let's go."
We go to the left, away from the hall with the wood guns and locked door.
"There's the cells!" I tell Al.
"One guard," he says. "You distract. I'll take him out."
I nod. "How do I distract?" I ask Al.
He is silent for a minute, and then pushes me out from behind the wall.
"Stop!" The guard immediately yells, but does not look scared of me at all as he comes over. When the guard has crossed his way to me and has his back facing where Al is, Al squeezes the guards neck and the guard goes down.
"What was that?!" I ask.
"He's not dead," Al quickly explains. "I just pinched a vein. He'll wake up in a few hours with a massive headache and will probably forget anything ever happened here."
I grab the guards key from his belt and go to where I can see the cells. I unlock the cell Hook is in.
"Took you long enough," he jokes.
"Would've taken longer," I nod at Al who is standing next to Geni waiting for me to hand him the key. "This is Al. Al, this is my dad. Killian Jones."
"Captain Hook," Al says, getting Geni out from her cell before shaking Hook's hand.
"Hi, Ashton," Geni says.
"Hi," I reply.
"Let's get out of here," Al says. "I don't trust anything in this jail with all those traps."
No one argues obviously, so we leave the way we came in, Al having to use the same move to knock out another guard only once.
When we get near the exit, Al stops and refuses to go out the door.
"You can't give Geni to Asita," he says.
"I-"
"Ashton, I won't let it happen. I'll never see her again. And I'll fight to keep her until my last breath. She's all I've got."
"This girl is the only trade item we have to get home," Hook says. "We don't have a choice."
"Then I don't have a choice," Al says, and grabs Geni's hand before trying to run. Hook pulls out a sword that he took from the guard Al knocked out. He holds it up to Al where he can not move.
"Dad, stop!" I exclaim.
"I'm not letting this boy stop me from saving Emma."
"You're not hurting him either!"
"Make your choice, Ash," Hook says.
"Ashton," Al says, pleading. I look between them. Al and my dad.
"I'm so sorry," I say to Al and draw my sword as well, holding it weakly by my side. I know I will not hurt Al, but I have to help Hook. Family is more important than anything, right? Hook leads Al and Geni back to where we met Asita originally. I follow behind.
Asita shows up almost immediately.
"I see you found my slave girl!" She says excitedly, and fake.
Hook keeps the sword against Al's back so he can not do anything to try and get away.
"Yes, now give us the bean so we may be on our way," Hook says.
"I said we'd talk once you got her," Asita replies. "I need more than just my slave girl."
"What the bloody hell else could you want?!" asks Hook.
"Your ship, captain," Asita says.
"The Jolly Roger? No, anything but my ship."
"Your ship, or nothing," Asita tells him. "I'm the only one that has any magic beans. If you want to leave this land, you will take my deal."
"Deal." I never thought I would hear my dad say that. I thought we would find another way. Instead, the Jolly Roger would be gone now. I see how desperate Hook is. He gives the ship, he is giving Geni to Asita after Al's many warnings. But that is my fault. I look at Asita, who has brought out a chest. She opens it and all kinds of items are in it.
"Magic bean," she says, grabbing it off the top of the items. "You can have until sunset to say goodbye to your ship or whatever pirates do. Then, it's mine."
She hands it to Hook, and then walks over to Geni, back turned to me. Everyone is looking at Asita.
"I don't want you," she says to Al.
"I'm not leaving my sister," he replies.
"Yes, you are," says Asita sharply. "You can say goodbye to her but hurry up. I have things to do before using my new ship." She looks at Geni, "And don't ever try to run again."
Asita turns around and shuts her treasure chest, before walking to the left and leaving Al, Geni, Hook, and I.
"Al, I-" I try to start.
"No," he says. "I'm losing my sister because of you. I thought you were different, but you only care about yourself."
"That's not true," I walk until I'm barely a foot away from him and my back is turned to Asita and Hook. "Run," I tell him. "Don't stay here with Asita. Take Geni, and go." I offer my hand. He shakes it, and when our hands touch he looks me right in the eyes. We have a second of complete understanding of one another. And then our hands separate and I go back to Hook, looking only back once to see Al opening his fist slightly to show Geni the second magic bean. One last smile, one nod, and I turn away from Al.
"Ready to go?" Hook asks me.
"You aren't going to say goodbye to your ship?" I reply.
"No, I hate goodbyes."
He throws the magic bean and the portal opens. One last portal.