Re: New Round Robin - Pirates of the F/X!

Charles, their young leading man, had tripped in the sand and fallen. Stacey, his leading lady, had immediately stopped to help. Rollie felt a wave of anxiety as Alex, the movie's star, spun on his heel and ran back to the younger pair.

Alex was mentally screaming at himself for being stupid. He might be fit and do his own stunts, but he most definitely was not a fighter! Nonetheless, he couldn't think of anything else to do. He had to help the others as best he could. He reached them and heaved Charlie to his feet, only to smother a curse as he realized the young actor had hurt his ankle. Stacey offered her shoulder, helping Alex to keep the weight off the injury. They'd managed about three yards inland when Alex glanced over his shoulder to find the nearest fight a little too close for any comfort. He turned his attention forward only to stop with a squeak, unheard in the uproar, as a sharp blade appeared under his nose. He looked up, way up and swallowed.

"I wonder how your lovely fans will like that pretty face with a scar," the man growled with an evil smile on his face.

The three actors silently prayed for someone, ANYONE!, to yell "Cut!". This could not be happening! Alex eased himself in between his younger co-stars and their attacker, trying desperately to remember that toss he had learned for Judo Moon. His throat felt dry as he swallowed and his eyes crossed as he watched the blade draw back a bit.

Suddenly another blade intervened, blocking the slash to his face. Alex's brown eyes shifted to observe the oddest man he had ever seen (Which was saying a LOT! Alex had been working television and movies since he was eight years old.) sway forward.

"I think I might have a wee bone to pick with ye," Jack Sparrow remarked.

His opponent sneered. "Your movie sticker doesn't scare me!" Movement drew his eyes past the new arrival and his eyes widened as he watched the men he'd detailed to capture the fake ship being tossed overboard.

"Aye? How interesting," Jack smirked.

The large man ripped the automatic pistol from its holster and pointed it at the pirate captain's head.

Jack grinned, baring his teeth, as he raised his sword and shifted the gun slightly off center with the tip of the blade. "Very interesting indeed." He slashed his sword down and a single shot fired from his ship to sail over the bow of the heavily armed yacht. He quirked one brow up. "How well do ye think she'll do with a broadside amidship?"

"Your phony boat couldn't sink a toy rowboat," the man growled as he leaned forward.

"Now you have done it!" Will remarked calmly as he briefly disengaged from his opponent to throw a small knife at another ambusher who'd almost grabbed the director. It thunked firmly into a palm trunk just a few inches in front of the man's nose. The man fell back and the lead cameraman pulled their director into the underbrush.

"No one insults me Pearl!" Jack smashed his sword down, knocking the pistol from his opponent's hand. All of the cannon on that side of the Black Pearl fired together. Smoke blew heavily from the ports as the metal hulled yacht shuddered. It broke in two and began to sink. "Sorry about the boat, mate," Sparrow remarked, sounding like he wasn't sorry at all.

The man roared and attacked with his large machete. Jack Sparrow easily parryed the blows and started to look bored. "Pitiful," he sniffed at Will, just before reversing his sword and slamming the hilt into his opponent's chin. The larger man's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell with a satisfying thud. Jack looked around for some other poor fool to torment. He pouted as he realized the fighting was essentially over as several of his crew and Lizabeth were chasing some of the ambushers up and down the beach, encouraging them along by hitting their buttocks with the flats of their blades. He turned to the wench, hoping for some grateful kisses only to find her fussing over the young fellow. Jack heaved a sigh, but brightened when he spotted his new friends. He sashayed over toward them, intent on reclaiming his rum, just as the last ray of the sun vanished below the horizon.

Captain Jack Sparrow, his ship and crew began to glow with a faint, eerie green light. A surprisingly chill wind blew in from the ocean. The light grew brighter until they all vanished.

The FX artists blinked in surprised shock. "Ghosts!" Angie whispered.

Rollie shook his head. He didn't believe in ghosts! Besides, since when did ghosts drink rum or anything else? "We have a bigger problem, luv," he stated as the rest of the crew staggered back to the beach. "Those birks sank all of our boats. We're stranded."