"Ok Oli, let's keep this as simple as possible." Poli began as the two started slowly down into the ship. "Hold at each door and keep an eye out while I clear it before we move on."

"I'm still not a fan of this." Oliver sighed, eyes narrowed as he scanned ahead. "We don't know what- or who- could be hiding, and I don't like risking you-"

"I can handle it, hon. I've done it before... that, and this baby will get it done; trust me on that." She said simply, patting her shotgun affectionately- an affection she showed to all of her guns, to the point she had named each and every one.

Oliver had to admit, 'Matilda', as Poli called her shotgun, was pretty damn awesome- fully automatic with a thirty round drum, it could easily clear a room... and likely destroy everyone and everything inside.

He kinda wanted one, himself.

Shaking off the distracting thoughts, Oliver was just about to continue down when the sound of arguing voices reached him, making him hesitate. Leaning forward, he strained his ears to make out what was being said... and the sound cut off suddenly.

The pair exchanged glances, and Oliver shrugged. Hefting the arming sword in his right hand and pistol in his left, he was ready to move... only to sigh in annoyance as a shout echoed up from the gun deck.

"We want to discuss the terms of our surrender!"

"Post up on the deck, and be ready to handle any trouble makers." Oliver whispered to his girlfriend. "This next part is on me, ok?"

For several seconds, Poli just stared at him- with how close they had grown, she could easily see what he intended to do... And, while a part of her didn't like it, she wasn't going to argue. She even understood his logic, and didn't really fault it...

After years of being a cop, it wasn't something she was entirely comfortable with- and it definitely wasn't something she could do.

But it was something Oliver not only could do, but certainly would do.

"I'm only agreeing because these pirates probably deserve it." She sighed, shaking her head. "Anyone that can just stand back while a child is treated like that... Do what you've got to do, Oli- but if any of them so much as look at you wrong, I'll drop them myself."

Oliver nodded at the steel in her voice- Polina wasn't one for a wholesale slaughter. Far from it, as she was a protector at heart... But this was also what they had agreed; if dark things needed to be done, he would do them. Without hesitation.

Not just to get the job done, but to protect her in turn. He would handle the bad stuff... and she would keep him from going bad in the process.

When she turned to head back up top, he took a second to admire her- her strength of will, her willingness to fight and protect, to care for him no matter what... and how incredible her ass looked in leather...

"Damn I love her..."

Shaking his head, he turned away from his very own angelic beauty- he still had pirates to deal with.

"Ok, listen up!" He shouted down into the ship. "This is how it's going to go: you're going to make your way up top one by one!"

"If I see any weapons, all of you die! Anyone tries anything stupid, and all of you die!"

As the first pirate hesitantly made his way up, a dark chuckle escaped Oliver. "Damn, I feel like I'm repeating myself... Well, I guess I kinda am; I did threaten the Koman quite a bit as well..."

"Line up by the rail! No talking, no moving!" Polina shouted over and over as the pirate crew slowly trickled up, shotgun at the ready- though not pointed at any of them. Not yet, at least. She ignored the angry and sullen looks they shot at her, knowing that, if the situation was reversed, their treatment would likely have been worse... assuming the pirates didn't just execute everyone.

Thus far, she hadn't been impressed by their behavior.

Polina counted each Devil as they trudged up out of the ship and lined up along the rail, her eyes trailing across each in search of any sort of weapon- she had to admit, they looked intimidating. Each one towered over her by more than a foot, and, between the sharp horns, wicked looking claws, and their dusky skin, they certainly looked threatening...

And terrified. The looked absolutely terrified.

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Their fear wasn't really a surprise to her, when she thought about it: While the people of this world were still fighting with cannons and black powder guns, her and Oliver had arrived with modern firearms- the difference in accuracy and rate of fire was huge... And then the two of them scythed through a couple dozen Devils like it was nothing...

She imagined that, if a pair of heavily armed modern Marines were suddenly dropped in the Revolutionary War, the effect would be similar... or perhaps even more pronounced; Oliver was talented, sure, but he wasn't really trained- aside from the quick crash course she had given him, but a couple weeks of that couldn't compare to actual military training.

When her count reach twenty-three, and no more pirates came up from below, she nodded to herself- the kid had said there was at least twenty... But a part of her still worried; Oliver would be checking the rest of the ship alone, and there could still be a few more hiding...

Suppressing the twinge of fear, she swept her gaze across the assembled pirates. "Ok, listen up! We're all going to wait here quietly while the ship is searched, so take a look around- if you know of someone that is still hiding, you need to speak up now..."

"That's right, speak up!" One of the Devils said, a small, vicious smirk on his face. "After all, we wouldn't want anyone else to get hurt, right?"

Poli's eye twitched at the malevolence in his tone, as well as the implied threat... and the slight hopeful lilt to his words.

She sighed at the stupidity of it- clearly there was someone else below, and they intended to cause trouble... Could they not see the situation they were in? Even if a couple of them were hiding, hoping for an ambush, what could they hope to accomplish? Maybe if it was a normal group clearing the ship, they would be able to injure or possibly kill a few...

But it wasn't a normal group. It was Oliver. And he wasn't the 'shoot first and ask questions later' type... but more of the 'shoot first and not bother with the questions' type.

Well, unless there was something he just really wanted to know.

Reaching up, she quickly clicked the button on her radio. "Watch out for snakes, Oli. You've probably got a couple hiding down there."

Looks of confusion swept across the crowd of Devils, as well as the small team of Demons that had come to offer her backup- until her radio crackled, and Oliver's voice rang out.

"Copy that, hon... Hey, do you think me making a 'rattle' pun would be too much right now?"

A pair of gunshots rang out, echoing up from below, and everyone present tensed for just a second before Oliver's voice returned. "Two down... And, thinking about it, I'm not crazy about the rattle snake pun. Snakes on a Ship just doesn't have the right ring to it."

Poli didn't know whether to be exasperated by his playful mode- especially considering the severity of the situation- or just fondly amused. It was a bit ridiculous in a way, and she knew it wasn't 'normal'- her boyfriend had just executed two people and was making jokes... Granted, it was two pirates that were attacking them... And Oliver would never be considered normal...

"Just focus, Oli. We don't know if there are any others."

Minutes trickled by, feeling like an eternity to the anxious Poli- and the even more anxious pirates, she imagined. But no more shots rang out and, after a half hour, Oliver made his way back up to her.

Carrying a gem encrusted sword.

Wearing a a ridiculous looking tricorn hat with lace frills and a hole on each side to accommodate horns that he didn't possess.

And he wasn't alone.

"Really, Oli? You couldn't wait for me before you looted the ship?" She chuckled at his suddenly embarrassed look. "It's fine, love... This time."

Oliver shrugged awkwardly. "Well, it was really just the Captain's quarters- There's still the rest of the ship to loot! And I found another cabin boy, so that's good... right?"

Polina's lip trembled as she fought against the laughter threatening to bubble up- how anyone could call Oliver 'Ice Man', she would never understand... he only appeared so indifferent to most people because he hid who he really was.

Sure, he didn't feel things the same as others... but he did feel.

"That's fine, Oli. I'll see to the kids first, then we can go over everything." She said before turning a warm smile on the child in front of her. It was difficult for her to judge, but she imagined this one was about the same age as the other- probably around twelve or thirteen... Though, after seeing both of them, as well as some of the pirates, she could see some distinct differences between the two kids... Differences that Oliver had missed, she was sure...

It raised a lot of questions and worries in her mind, but she suppressed those for now.

"My name is Polina. How about me, you, and your friend over there-" She spoke gently, waving for the first kid they saved to join them. "-head back to our ship so we can talk to the Captain, ok?"

Seeing the nervous glances from the child- directed not just at the Devil pirates, but also at the Demons standing nearby- she was quick to reassure them. "You don't have to worry; as long as you don't try to hurt them, they won't hurt you..."

"And, if anyone tries, Oliver here-" She said, nodding to her boyfriend. "-will handle it. He has very strong feelings about people that hurt children."

Oliver smiled fondly as his girlfriend gathered up the two children and led them away- she just had a way about her that could put people at ease.

"Henrietta, stick with Poli for now and keep an eye on things, ok?"

The brightly colored squirrel huffed, casting an annoyed look at him even as she scurried off after them. Keeping one eye on the pirates, he watched on as they carefully made their way back to the other ship...

Only then did he turn an unfriendly gaze on the pirates.

"Ok, folks! It's question and answer time... Damn, I really am repeating myself a lot today..." He sighed, shaking his head. "It's simple, I ask questions and you answer. If you don't answer... bad things happen; maybe to you, maybe to the people beside you..."

"Blah blah blah... You get the point." He smiled cheerily, ignoring the uncomfortable looks sent his way by Demons and pirates alike. "First question: Who is the ranking officer still alive?"

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