Collision Point
A/N: Special thanks go out to Artemis Gray for permission to steal her plot bunny. Actually, her plot bunny and mine got together and had kittens…it's a long story. Anyway, some of you many recongnize the initial plot as the same to 'Ancestors,' but I am trying to make it as different as possible. So read, review, and enjoy!
Chapter 1: And Here We Go
The League sat waiting patiently, or more likely impatiently, for their recently appointed "leader" Mycroft Holmes. The man was late, which was not terribly unusual, but the League was quickly becoming restless. It was bad enough that they were forced to answer to this bureaucrat, but for him to keep them waiting was simply rude.
Mina Harker at on one side of the table, the image of Victorian beauty. It was only in her eyes that one could see she was rapidly losing her patience. Across from her, Tom Sawyer slouched in his chair, toying with one of his pistols. Beside him a recently resurrected Allan Quatermain sat, his elephant gun Matilda resting in his lap. Henry Jekyll paced the room nervously, flicking his pocket watch open and shut. Captain Nemo stood stoically at the end on the table, hands clasp firmly behind his back. Rodney Skinner was the only one out of the group who appeared truly at ease as he leaned up against the wall and sipped his scotch.
Without warning, the double doors leading to their meeting room burst open, causing the League members to jump. "Sorry, so terribly sorry," Mycroft stammered as he bustled into the room. The plump man was sweating profusely and was trying to keep the numerous files that he carried from sliding out of his hands. He walked around to the head of the table, breathing heavily and placing the folders on the table just as the top few slip from his grasp.
"Mycroft," Quatermain said evenly. The other League members gathered closer to the table, and Sawyer straightened in his chair. "What's this all about? You said there was some sort of emergency…"
"Emergency, yes, indeed I did. There is a new threat abroad in the world that requires our immediate attention," Mycroft fingered through the files trying to find the one he needed.
"What is it this time? Giant rodents from outer space?" Skinner asked cheekily. Mycroft shook his head.
"No, no, nothing like that. Far worse, I'm afraid." Mycroft finally located the folder he was seeking and flipped it open as the League exchanged confused looks. The bureaucrat removed a picture from the file and pushed it towards the center of the table so that all of the League may see it.
"This is Alexander Moriarty. Brother of the late James Moriarty." At the mention of these names, the League looked up at Mycroft in shock. "It is he that poses this new danger."
They sat in silence for a moment, absorbing this information. "Would you care to explain yourself, Mr. Holmes?" Mina asked coolly.
Mycroft slipped the folder beneath his arm and began to walk around the room. "Alexander Moriarty is seeking to fulfill his late brother's plans. Only because you destroyed M's fortress in Mongolia, all of the information held by the elder Moriarty was lost. Therefore, Alexander has chosen a different route.
"As much as his brother was a master of science, the younger Moriarty has become a master of the dark arts. We believe that he has come into possession of a spell that, if performed correctly, could eliminate any trace of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen."
"Wait…what?" Sawyer asked in disbelief. "How could something like a spell wipe all of us out?"
"Not just wipe you out, Agent Sawyer," Mycroft said testily. "Eliminate any trace that you ever existed. It would be as though you never were. The timeline of the world would be irrevocably changed, and all of the things that you prevented will come to pass. Therefore, James Moriarty would never have died, and you would have never prevented the destruction of Venice. The entire world would now be at war and M's plans come to pass, which is exactly what Alexander Moriarty wants."
"But how is such a thing possible?" Mina asked. "And why has he not done so already?"
Mycroft hung his head slightly and rubbed his forehead. "That is were things get very complicated."
"Yeah, cause they certainly weren't complex enough as it was," Skinner said. Mycroft sighed.
"In order to perform the spell, Moriarty needs to have a sacrifice that represents those he seeks to destroy. A blood sacrifice. Essentially, he needs one person who contains blood from each of you."
"But there is no such person," Jekyll said.
"Not in this time, no," Mycroft answered. "But in the future, however, is another story."
"Now wait a bloody moment," Quatermain interrupted. "You expect us to believe that this Moriarty can go to the future and get the person he needs for his spell?"
"Indeed, we believe that he can," Mycroft answered gravely. "We're not sure exactly how he can, but we assume that it is though his dark magic."
"Do we even know who he's lookin' for?" Sawyer asked. Mycroft nodded and flipped open the folder.
"We do. Jessica Rose, a girl from the 21st century. We do not know of her exact age, but we believe her to be no older than you, Agent Sawyer. She is the…culmination of your collective bloodlines."
"Well now, this is all well and good, but I fail to see the benefit of it to us. How are we to stop Moriarty from collecting his prize?" Quatermain asked.
At this, Mycroft's face brightened. "Well, if you'll follow me…" he started, gesturing to a door of to their right. The League members stood and followed him. As they walked, he explained to them.
"Our scientists have been working on our own method of time travel, and we believe they have just perfected it," he said as they entered a large room with a tall machine in it. It was at least eight feet tall, with four curved beams surrounding it. Various scientists hurried around them, some with clipboards, some with tools, and they seemed to be playing with the machine.
"Gentlemen," Mycroft started, "and Lady," he added, nodding at Mina, "May I present to you the 'Teleportation Interdimension Momentary Explorer' device. Also known as T.I.M.E."
"Well now, that's a fancy name for a big hunk of iron," Skinner quipped. The others simply stood stunned.
"Do you mean to tell me that this thing does what I think it does?" Sawyer asked, pointing to the machine.
"Yes Agent Sawyer. This is our time machine," Mycroft answered before addressing the League. "The plan is for you to go into the future and get the girl before Moriarty does. Then you will bring her here, and protect her until the threat against her life and yours is terminated."
"And just how do you propose we do that?" Quatermain asked sharply.
"In part…with this," Mycroft answered, pulling a small rectangular box from his pocket and handing it to Quatermain. "This timer will be set for a certain amount of time. When the timer reaches zero, you will be pulled back to this time. Think of it as a rubber band snapping back into shape. As long as one of you has physical contact with the girl at that moment, she will be brought back with you."
The League stared at him for a moment as though Mycroft had suddenly sprouted an extra head. They were having a difficult time believing that this was possible, but after all they had seen and done…well, maybe it wasn't so far out there.
Quatermain cleared his throat loudly. "Well, I can't pretend to understand it all, but it is clear that we have to try. When do we leave?"
"Right away," Mycroft said. "We have no idea how long it will take Moriarty to get ready, if he is not already. We cannot risk him reaching Miss Rose before we do."
Quatermain nodded. "Alright. What do we need to do?"
"Just a moment," Mina said suddenly. "Perhaps we could have a moment to discuss this, Mr. Holmes?"
"Of course, of course," he answered, looking slightly confused and backing away from the League. The group turned to each other forming a small circle.
"Now what's this all about?" Quatermain asked angrily, upset with Mina's interruption.
"Quite simple, Mr. Q. Why are we rushing into something that sounds so preposterous? We have no reason to believe that this machine works, after all."
"Yeah, but don't we at least have to try?" Sawyer asked. "I mean, if Moriarty has his way, he'd be killin' a girl to get us. I don't see how we can let that happen."
"Sawyer's got a point. And it's not like we can wait for him to bring her here; he might kill her before we get to him," Skinner injected. Mina sent him a scathing look.
"Still, even if this machine does work, time travel is a tricky business. We could end up altering events irrevocably," she said.
"How is that any different than what will happen if Moriarty's plan works?" Sawyer fired back. The vampire and spy stared at each other before Nemo spoke softly.
"She is our future," he said. "As our descendent…she's family, in a way." The League stood in silence a moment as that sunk in. Finally, Mina sighed.
"He's right," she said. "Family is family, no matter how distant. I will not object if no one else does." They all exchanged glances, silently agreeing to continue.
"Alright, Holmes," Quatermain called. "What do we need to do?"
Mycroft stepped back and ushered them to the machine. "Just get in and stand as close to the middle as you can. You'll have to form a little circle…there you go. Now just stay away from the edges and you'll be fine."
"Why do we have to stay away from the edges?" Skinner asked just as the curved beams surrounding the platform began to spin rapidly. "Oh."
Mycroft stepped away from the machine as the rings picked up speed and the wind roared in his ears. "Remember, you only have a limited amount of time!" he shouted above the gale.
The rings spun faster and faster for a few moments, until a bright white light suddenly flashed from the middle of the machine. In the blink of an eye, the League had disappeared from view, headed into the unknown.
