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Barry locked the door behind him and headed to his desk, rummaging through papers. His eyes kept flicking back to the door, his pistol on the desk so he could grab it as soon as anyone touched the door handle.
"Are we safe in here?" Linda asked.
"For the moment," Barry said.
"What about Wally?" Hartley asked. "They took him ashore."
"You hired the crew," Iris said. "You were the one who brought them here. Wally is barely more than a boy and those pirates have him, doing who knows what-"
"Ms West, we'll rescue your nephew, I give you my word," Barry said. "Master Rathaway is young and they exploited his inexperience. The fault lies with me, I should have insisted on vetting the crew myself."
"Father said I was to do everything," Hartley said. "I failed his test."
"You cannot learn if you don't make mistakes. Your father insisted upon that."
"I would not call my nephew being taken hostage a mere mistake, Captain," Iris said.
"Leonard did seem to like him, Ms West," Linda ventured.
"I understand your concern," Barry said. "I share it, but Ms Park is right, Mister Winters did seem fond of young Master West. They also do not have the map, we still have that."
"Wally memorised it," Hartley said.
"Then we know where they are headed, and they need Wally."
"Only until they have Sinestro's treasure," Iris said. "Assuming it's even here."
"Are you certain you heard them use the name Snart, Ms Park?" Barry asked.
"And Captain Cold," Linda said. Barry nodded.
"Captain Cold of the Rogues," Iris said. "That is a name well known in many ports. He's meant to be dead, no one's heard anything for three years."
"I crossed paths with the Rogues in my naval days, this isn't his usual crew," Barry said. "I never came face to face with Snart himself, but I am very well acquainted with his sister." He rubbed his shoulder absently. "I should have recognised him. The Rogues do not harm children. I do not know about the rest of this crew, but if he truly is Leonard Snart then I believe he will keep Wally at his side and unharmed. He wants the treasure, we can propose a trade, Wally for the map."
"As soon as we leave the ship, we lose it," Hartley said.
"I'm afraid we already have, Master Rathaway," Barry said. He offered Hartley a log book. "I need all the names Snart helped you hire, then we should set up a defensive position on land.'
"You want to abandon ship?"
"How would we get home?" Linda asked.
"Mister Rathaway will send a search party if we do not return," Barry said.
"And I'll have to tell him I lost his ship," Hartley said.
"Here." Barry pulled out a small engraved tin and offered Hartley its contents.
"Is that cheese?"
"Parmesan," Barry said.
"You have a tin with cheese in your pocket?" Linda asked.
"You never know when it might come in useful," Barry said. "Master Rathaway, I am the captain, the responsibility of returning the ship falls to me, not you, and Mister Rathaway stressed your safe return is my priority. I have been in your father's employ for five years and not lost a single piece of cargo, he will forgive one ship if it means returning you to him. I am going to find one of the row-boats."
"You're going out there again?" Linda asked. "Alone?"
"Not alone," Iris said. Barry nodded.
"You two will stay locked in this room," Barry said. "When I signal you'll climb out the window and down, do you understand?"
Hartley and Linda nodded, fear filling their eyes.
"Ms Park, I'd like to ask you to keep this safe for me," Barry said, holding out the closed tin.
Linda took it and nodded.
"You'll need this too."
He held out his pistol.
"I don't..."
"Anyone attempts to break through that door, you shoot them," Barry said.
Linda nodded and took the pistol.
"Lock the door behind us and keep it locked. That is an order."
"Yes, sir," Linda said.
Barry hadn't told Linda and Hartley how hard it had been to get to the row-boat. It had given them a chance to gather a few more weapons at least.
The cave would do for the night, but Barry was already talking about finding a better place to camp.
All Iris could think about Wally.
Barry sat by the entrance next to her.
"Do you really think he's safe?" she asked.
"I don't know," Barry said honestly. "I hope so. I do know for the moment he is most useful alive. I also know he's smart, Ms West, he's probably already looking for a way to escape."
"And now he doesn't know where we are."
"We will find him," Barry said. He hesitated then briefly rested his hand on her shoulder before blushing and drawing away again. "Everything will be fine."
"Rudy and Mary will never let me see him again after this," Iris said. "I should have insisted he was too young."
"He could have decided the adventure was worth disobeying you. The three of them are fifteen. At least this way you're with them. And it gives you plenty to write about."
"I think I'd rather have nothing worth mentioning and Wally."
"I know. We will find him, Ms West, and keep the three of them safe. The treasure doesn't matter, they do. You do."
"I hope you're right about Osgood Rathaway."
"Ships are expensive. He did say Hartley's crew were dubious and he wanted him to learn, but I doubt he thought he would lose the whole ship. I just hope he'll be so relieved at having Hartley back his anger will fall on me instead. I should have insisted on checking the crew."
"It isn't your fault, Captain Allen," Linda said from behind them. Her and Hartley were standing there.
"You two are meant to be asleep," Iris said.
"Father said to set sail immediately," Hartley said. "I heard you arguing with him about not having a chance to meet them, and you told Wally you didn't trust them. You'll lose your job, won't you?"
"Better my job than anyone's life," Barry said.
"I can fix it," Hartley said. "It is my fault Wally's in danger-"
"It isn't," Iris said. "I'm sorry I said that, I shouldn't have. Wally is my nephew, his parents are trusting me with his safety, I'm the one who failed. Captain Allen isn't the only one who's encountered pirates before, you are still young, Hartley, Snart tricked you. We all trusted him, it is not your fault. We left port seeking a pirate's treasure following a pirate's treasure map, of course there were going to be more."
"We cannot change the past," Barry said. "You two both need to rest."
"Do you want your cheese tin back, Captain?" Linda asked.
"You keep it safe for me. We'll discuss the open first mate position in the morning, along with any allies we might still have. Go and sleep, I will make that an order."
"Yes sir," Linda said. She hurried back into the cave, dragging Hartley behind her.
"I can't believe a tin of cheese has ever come in useful," Iris said.
"I made that up," Barry said. "I just picked up a pretty tin for my mother to keep her pins in and a small piece of fancy cheese for my father on my last voyage and did not make it out the docks before Mister Rathaway sent me here, let alone get a chance to give it to them. I thought it might give them something to laugh at, distract them from the fear."
"Just your parents?" Iris asked.
"Sailing never seemed to suit itself to much else. I always intended to leave it behind eventually. Maybe run my own inn. I had hoped I would be able to afford that before leaving sailing, but this is certainly enough adventure for one life. You need rest too, Ms West. Iris."
"I don't think I can sleep with Wally out there."
"You are a good aunt. He adores you. Every chance he has he's been regaling me with tales of the places you've been in the pursuit of journalism."
"Rudy blamed me for Wally's love of adventure. I could tell him tales of sailing the world, uncovering criminals, and Wally wanted to experience it too. Maybe I should have made the dangers clearer when he asked for stories. But he's a good boy. He didn't want the treasure for himself, they burnt down his parents' lodging house looking for that map and he wanted to help his parents. Part of me hoped we didn't find it. I know it's selfish, but they only sent him to me while they rebuild, and the longer that takes, the longer he can be with me. I don't think Wally realises the kind of people they are, not yet, and I don't want to tell him. Perhaps he does know but thinks I don't."
Iris leaned against him and Barry startled, then wrapped an arm around her.
"I need him to be safe," she said.
"He will be," Barry said. "I swear to you, I will do everything I can to get Wally back to you and get you home."
"Thank you, Barry," she said.