Author's note: Hey, here's the remake. I know it has a new title, but oh well. 'Through Blind Eyes' isn't as original as I would like it to be. Much that was in my other fic is going to be in this one. Also, I'm sorry to my newly-appointed Beta that I did not send this first chapter to her. Can you please tell me your email so I can?
Disclaimer: I don't own the League. I only own Devaki and whoever you don't recognize that I come up with.
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Recap
The League has been broken up. Mina has disappeared to somewhere in Germany, Dr. Jekyll back to London, Nemo sailing the Nautilus around the Caribbean, and Tom Sawyer gallivanting in America. Skinner fell back into thieving and scavenging for himself.
Skinner, although he had helped saved the world and could now be offered a remedy, reconsidered for unknown reasons. Some of the people who offered this decided it was because Rodney Skinner still had a thirst for adventure. But many didn't realize that it may be something deeper then that...
August 1904
Skinner was lounging in a bar in a rundown part of London, getting his fill of whiskey. To his surprise, a tall, fancy-looking man in his early forties walked in. The man looked humorously out of place in the small, relatively quiet tavern.
"Is there a Mr. Rodney Skinner present?" the man asked loudly. Any talk that was going on stopped immediately. Skinner, who was quite surprised himself, stood up, and raised his glass.
"Tha' be me you ask for," he said in his witty Cockney accent, somewhat slurred by the amount of alcohol in his system. The man walked over to Skinner, and leaned over to him.
"I have a message for you," the man said in a low voice.
"From who?" Skinner asked casually.
"You'll find out soon enough. He asks for you to accompany him and four others at this address..." The mysterious man handed Skinner an envelope.
"All right, all right," Skinner said waving the man off. "Who are these people?"
"You know."
"Oh, really?" Skinner said sarcastically. But before he could ask any more questions, the man left.
"Bloody messenger," Skinner muttered, with lack of a better insult. He opened the envelope.
And so he found that the 'other four' was actually the rest of the League. They had all been summoned to meet with a mysterious stranger, who tells them to meet in M's old office, where Nemo, Mina, Skinner, and Allen first met 5 years before.
The reunion was short and tense as they waited for the man who sent for them. A dark figure emerged from the doorway at the end of the room. The person was cloaked in a dark overcoat. The hood cast a shadow on his face, so they could not identify him. To their enormous shock, a familiar voice came from the stranger's mouth.
"It's lovely to see you all again," he said, throwing off the hood.
"Allan?" Mina gasped, stumbling backwards. (A/N: Yah, I know. The 'Allan Quatermain coming back to life' thing is getting old, but who cares?)
"Yes, I would believe so," Allen said in his notable Scottish accent. "I do believe some explaining is in order..."
He motioned for all of them to sit down. Tom, who kept staring at Quatermain with his mouth gaping open, almost fell off his chair when he tried to sit on it, he was so stunned. Allan explained to the still shaken group that the same witch doctor that had granted him eternal life in Africa brought him back to life soon after they had left his grave.
He then let it soak in for a few minutes, until Skinner broke the silence.
"Why did you bring us 'ere?" he asked. "I am sure it wasn't for some heart-warming reunion, am I right?"
"Yes, yes. Of course," Allan said. "It seems like someone has found the box with Dr. Jekyll's serum, Mina's blood, and Skinner's skin." (A/N: Heh heh. Skinner's skin. How original.)
"Who is this person?" Dr. Jekyll asked.
"Ubel Ansgar," he replied. "He was once in league with M."
"How typical," Skinner scoffed. "Do we have to go through this 'fighting evil' thing once more?"
"Perhaps," Allan replied. "However, it seems that Ansgar is concentrating more on Russia for some reason."
"Russia?" Mina repeated. "Isn't Russia at war with Japan now?"
"Yes. Rumors say that they are bringing in new weapons."
"New weapons?" Sawyer asked. "Do you think they mean...?"
"Yes. Ansgar is selling the box to Russia."
"How are we going to stop them?" Jekyll asked. "It seems that we are too late!"
"I'm not so sure about that," Allan told him. "Ansgar hasn't sold it yet. He is trying to duplicate the serum, blood, and skin. You see, Russia is so greedy, they could not settle for just a small box. Ansgar has rebuilt the laboratory."
"So we have to go back and destroy it?" Skinner said, almost in a whine. " Aren't we just repeating what we tried to finish 5 years ago?"
"It seems so. However, now Ansgar has the support of Russia, and he has about doubled the army and scientists M had. Which means were are going to need more men."
"We are in luck then," Nemo suddenly said.
"Oh, really?" Mina asked. "Have you found someone who could help?"
"You read my mind," Nemo replied. "While I was sailing the Americas, I met a fascinating young woman that lived in Venezuela with her father. Her name is Devaki Gonzalo, and she seemed enthralled by my stories of the League."
"What are her 'fascinating' qualities?" Allan asked.
"She is blind. However, she can 'see' things by hearing echoes off of objects," he explained. "She is also extremely talented in combat."
"Sounds useful," Mina said thoughtfully. "She will be a great help in tracking enemies."
"It is settled then," Skinner said, clapping his hands together in enthusiasm. "We sail to Venezuela in the morning."
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The group sailed in the Nautilus across the Atlantic. They reached the port of Caracas in about five days. It was nighttime when they disembarked.
"Are you sure you know where this woman lives?" Allan asked Nemo as they walked through narrow winding streets.
"Of course," Nemo assured him. "Devaki must have invited me to her home at least three times...Ah, here we are."
The six stopped in front of a tiny, rundown house that must have had only one room. Nemo knocked on the door three times. A few seconds later, a burly, brown-skinned man opened the door.
"¿Si, que desea? (What do you want?)" the man grunted in Spanish. His eyes widened in recognition when he saw Nemo and smiled.
"Capitán Nemo!" he exclaimed, throwing up his arms. "Devaki, ven, ven! (Come, come!)"
"Capitán Nemo?" a gentle voice called from inside the house. A young woman in her late twenties or early thirties appeared beside her father. Her long brown hair was plaited and, though she was still quite young, strands of grey fell onto her face. She wore a white blouse and a long, brown skirt that barely brushed her bare and dirty feet. She wore dark sunglasses not unlike Skinner's and was leaning on a crude staff made out of wood.
"Miss Gonzalo!" Nemo exclaimed. "It is wonderful to see you!"
"And I you, Señor, if I may excuse my...disability," she replied with a lightly accented voice. "May I inquire as to why you were gone for so long?"
"I was summoned to meet with an old friend," Nemo told her, glancing quickly at Quatermain. "Do you recall the story of Allan Quatermain?"
"Quatermain?" Devaki questioned. "I thought you said he was dead!"
"It seems we made a mistake," Nemo said.
"I see," Devaki replied. "Well, why are you here?"
"We are in need of your services."
"'We'?" Devaki questioned. She lightly tapped her staff on the wooded floor. She nodded curtly. "Yes, yes. Come in."
The six crowded into the small home. Devaki effortlessly walked over to a crude wooden rocking chair across the room. She placed her staff in front of her, laying both hands on the rounded handle.
"First of all, who are your companions, Señor Nemo?" Devaki asked. Allan stepped forward.
"I am Allan Quatermain," he told her. Devaki nodded and smiled.
"A pleasure to meet you, sir," she said. She tapped her staff slightly on the floor. Her head turned to Mina.
"And you are?" she asked.
"Mina Harker."
"Ah, yes," Devaki said, grinning again. "The vampire. Nemo has told me about you, also." She then pointed to Tom.
"How about you?" she asked.
"Tom Sawyer," he said, bowing. "At your service, ma'am."
"The American," she said, nodding. "Quite the fierce types, they are."
"And I am Henry Jekyll," Jekyll said. Devaki's face softened, as if she was thinking about something.
"Yes, I know of you, too," she said softly. There was a few seconds silence until Devaki suddenly spoke.
"Where is the other?" she asked. "I am sure I heard six come in."
"That would be Skinner," Allan said, with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Where is that blasted chap, anyway?"
Suddenly, Devaki grinned and turned around to face behind her.
"Hello, Mr. Skinner."
Skinner, who was about to grab Devaki as a prank and scare her, stumbled backwards, surprised.
"What the...? How did you...? How can you...?" he stuttered.
"I can hear the vibrations of your step, and it shows up in my mind as your...how do you say...silhouette," she explained coolly. "Why did you want to scare me anyway?"
"Don't worry, Miss," Tom said. "He does it all the time. One person you can't sneak on now, eh, Skinner?"
"Quite a talent you got there," Skinner muttered sarcastically as he walked over and picked up his black overcoat, which lay on the ground a few feet from the chair.
Devaki grinned and turned to the rest of the group. "Now that introductions have been made, what is your purpose for being here?"
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Author's note: Okay, so I only changed a few things. But the biggest thing was the time, if you ask me. Now Skinner would be about thirty five or so, and that way Devvy and Skinner are good to match. (does happy 13-year-old dance. Don't ask, it's an inside joke.)