Three clicks of Dorothy's heels took the new covert team to nighttime London on the edge of the River Thames. After the incident with James Moriarty and Fu Manchu, the English had realized the destructive potential behind Cavorite. According to Fleming's intelligence, Professor Cavor had since been relocated to a secret laboratory in the British Museum under the protection of a special team. However, details on Cavor's new protectors were lacking.
Leaving Dorothy by the Thames, the rest of the team walked two blocks to the British Museum. Morella, Bunyan, and the Headless Horseman would create a diversion at the front of the building. Manco and Jesse would sneak in through the back and into the basement, where Cavor's new laboratory was supposed to be. Once they retrieved the Cavorite, Manco would fire three shots into the air, signaling them to retreat. Dorothy, being young and unusable in combat, would wait by the river as the team's exit strategy.
"I don't like leaving little Dorothy all by herself at night," said Bunyan as the team made its way to the Museum.
"Would you feel more comfortable if she came with us?" asked Morella.
Morella, Bunyan, and the Horseman, leading his black horse on foot, reached the front of the British Museum. Morella looked at her watch.
"Manco and Tuck should be in place," she said. She drew a magic wand tipped with a red ruby. "Let's get started." She pointed her wand at the front of a museum. The red stone buzzed to life and, by some invisible force, a large section of the museum's front wall was blown away.
Paul Bunyan drew his trusty axe and swung at one of the marble columns that decorated the museum's front, tearing them to white rubble. Green-clad soldiers, their uniforms bearing a golden square and compass symbol, swarmed from the museum's doors and fired their rifles at him. Their bullets did less damage against Bunyan's tough skin than the stings of bees. Not wanting to kill any of the soldiers, Bunyan struck each one with his massive fist, knocking them unconscious.
The Headless Horseman was not so merciful. Mounting his spectral steed, the undead Hessian drew his saber. His horse flew, rather than galloped, up the steps and through the throng of soldiers. His wicked saber flashed. With each swipe, several English soldiers lost their heads. His horse reared back on its hind legs as its master swung a silver blade stained red.
"STOP!" shouted a voice with an Indian accent. The three Americans heard the metallic sound of a sword being drawn from within the shadows of the museum.
"Well, Nemo, it looks like we've got some entertaining guests," said another voice.
"I suppose you will take the large one, Hyde?"
"Sheathe your sword, darkie, and I'll take care of all three."
"Don't be a fool, Hyde. Take the big one."
"Fine," Hyde growled. A gigantic, hunched over beast emerged from the museum. Setting his eyes on Bunyan, he said, "It seems I have a worthy opponent at last. Edward Hyde at your service."
"Paul Bunyan at yours."
"Bunion?!" Hyde laughed loudly. "You're named after a growth on someone's foot? I pity you. You might as well be named Paul Arse Pimple." With introductions made, the two behemoths began their fistfight. Hyde scored first blood, striking Paul across the face. The lumberjack's mighty fist found Hyde's gut.
"OOF!" Hyde was winded. "You redneck, Yankee bastard!" He raised his fist for another powerful blow, only to be blasted by Morella's ruby-tipped magic wand. Grabbing a piece of rubble from one of the columns Bunyan destroyed, Hyde hurled it at Morella, hitting her in the stomach and knocking her out, blood squirting from between her lips.
"You and me, Yank."
Meanwhile, Nemo held out his saber in challenge to the Horseman. Dismounting, the Horseman lunged at the science-pirate. Their blades whirled in a silvery dance, neither able to gain ground against an equally powerful opponent. It mattered not to the Horseman. Nemo was fighting to win, to drive the intruders from the museum. The Horseman only sought to buy time.
XXXXX
Manco and Jesse snuck through the dark basement of the British Museum as, above them, the muted sounds of battle shook through the walls. Manco held his Colt Peacemaker while Jesse carried the Tuck family shotgun, which his mother had once used to kill a man.
The basement was filled with all sorts of bizarre artifacts. Strange weapons, paintings, fossils, strange embalmed creatures, and strange live creatures.
Holding a map of the basement in his left hand, Manco said, "Cavor's lab is supposed to be around he-" He was interrupted by the loudest gunshot he had ever heard.
A large caliber bullet blew a great hole in the wall right behind Jesse's back.
"Good lord," said an old man, carrying an elephant gun. "Did I actually miss?"
"Nope," Jesse said good-naturedly. "You got me." He pointed at a hole blown right through the middle of his shirt. "It just passes through me. Long story." He fired his shotgun into the old man's leg.
"Mr. Quatermain?" a woman called, hearing the old man's cries of pain.
"Mina, run!" said Quatermain as a brown-haired woman in a nightdress and scarf (strange combination of clothes) appeared from around the corner. At her colleague's suggestion, Mina turned and ran. As she ran under an unusually long-legged skeleton, one of the museum's many oddities, Manco fired a well-placed shot into its leg, causing it to fall on top of her.
"You American devils!" Quatermain cursed at them.
Manco aimed his revolver at the old man. "Where's Cavor?"
"I'll tell you nothing!"
Manco turned his gun towards Mina. "Where's Cavor?" he repeated. "Don't even try lying, because if you do, I'll come back and kill both of you."
"Mr. Quatermain, tell him nothing!" Mina gasped through her pain. Manco pulled back the hammer on his Peacemaker.
Quatermain pointed down a hallway. "That way. Room Five."
As Manco and Jesse left for Room Five, Quatermain shouted after them, "Do you realize this is an act of war?"
Manco turned back to the injured adventurer. "We've beaten you back twice before. I don't think there's anything for us to worry about."
Manco and Jesse went down the hallway and pushed open the door to Room Five. The place was a mess, cluttered with papers, instruments, and glassware. On a workbench in the middle of the lab was a cylindrical device, with green light shining through its glass panels. The Cavorite.
"Let's get it and get out of here," said Jesse.
"Stop!" A portly man jumped out from his hiding place under a table. He wore mismatched, rumpled clothes and a loosened tie. Under his arm, he held a bundle of dynamite. It was Professor Cavor
"My invention will not be a tool for destruction again!" Placing the dynamite next to the Cavorite, Cavor struck a match, lit the fuse, and ran out a back door.
Jesse pushed his shotgun into Manco's arms. "Take that and get out of here. I'll get the Cavorite." Before Manco could respond, Jesse had run into the room to get the case of Cavorite. Manco turned and ran but before he got too far, the dynamite exploded, throwing the mercenary off his feet.
"Jesse?" Manco called through the smoke billowing out of the demolished lab. Holding his poncho over his nose and mouth, Manco made his way into the smoke-filled room. His eyes burned as he strained to find his partner.
"I'm over here," said Jesse. Manco could see the "young" man pull himself up from the floor. His body was intact but the dynamite had reduced his clothing to shreds.
"Where's the Cavorite?" asked Manco.
Jesse pointed up. Manco looked up to see the Cavorite floating up through a hole in the ceiling and into the night sky.
"Dammit," Manco whispered, watching their prize float away.
"We have to get out of here," said Jesse.
Manco nodded. "Retreat."
XXXXX
The fighters in the front of the museum felt Cavor's dynamite shake the ground.
Nemo paused, his guard still up, as the Headless Horseman suddenly sheathed his sword. Taking the opportunity, Nemo lunged and planted his own sword right in the Horseman's chest.
The Horseman responded with a disembodied laugh. "Did you think you could kill me? Look at me! Do you think death is a concern of mine?" The Horseman climbed onto his dark horse. His shadowy mount reared up on its hind legs, whinnied loudly, and took off at a gallop straight towards the Museum's wall. The horse galloped effortlessly up the wall and over the roof.
"Woodchopper," said the Horseman, his voice no less clear from the distance, "take the witch and retreat."
Paul Bunyan, still locked in a struggle with Hyde, gave his opponent one final kick and turned to flee, grabbing the unconscious Morella on the way.
"Damn you, Bunyan! Don't you turn your back on me, you coward!"
"Forget them, Hyde," Nemo said calmly. "You'd only get in the way."
"Get in the way of what, darkie?" Hyde snarled.
"What do you think the fastest way out of London is?" asked Nemo as he pulled a flare from his belt. "The River Thames." And he fired a flare into the night sky.
XXXXX
Dorothy sat at the dock, waiting for the others to rejoin her. She had been approached by sailors, businessmen, and police officers, thinking she was a dockside prostitute, but before any of them could proposition her, she would teleport away on her shoes, only to return to the rendezvous point a moment later. She heard the dynamite explode and later saw the dazzling flare light up the dark sky. She knew that her teammates would be rejoining her soon.
Bunyan, carrying the unconscious Morella, was the first to find her.
"Mr. Bunyan," she asked, "what happened?"
"We heard this explosion. The Horseman galloped off and told us to retreat."
"Did we get the Cavorite?" asked Dorothy.
"No, we didn't." Dorothy and Bunyan turned to see Manco and Jesse, wrapped in rags, coming to join them.
"The mission is a failure," said Jesse.
"Not completely," said a disembodied voice. The Headless Horseman galloped seemingly out of nowhere, a struggling Professor Cavor held under one unnaturally strong arm.
"All right," said Manco. "Dorothy, let's…"
He was cut off by the sudden bubbling of the Thames. A giant metal ship rose from underneath the water. The name on the side read Nautilus.
Armed crewmen emerged onto the submarine's deck, armed with strange guns and handheld cannons.
"Take cover!" Manco shouted. The American league fled to the cover of the alleyways as the crewmen began to fire at them. Bombs blew craters in the sidewalk and harpoon blades embedded themselves in walls. In the chaos of the attack, the league members were separated, keeping Dorothy from teleporting them to safety.
Manco drew his Colt Peacemaker and, with expert aim, felled six enemy sailors with six bullets. No one who lined up with his sights survived. Jesse fired his shotgun at the Nautilus, but the short-ranged weapon did little good. The Horseman, still holding onto the struggling Cavor, could do nothing. Morella remained unconscious.
"I'm almost out of bullets," Manco muttered to himself. He loaded his last six rounds into his weapon's cylinder. But before he could use them, a loud underwater explosion shook the Nautilus. The American league looked in shock as a second submarine emerged from beneath the river. The name written on its side was Advance. Beside its identification was a painted American flag.
As they had not been expecting a fight with another ship, the crew of the Nautilus scrambled to load torpedoes into their launchers. This gave the Advance barely enough time to dock and lower a gangway. A crewmember fired a smoke bomb onto the deck of the Nautilus, allowing Manco's team to hurry into the submarine. The Advance pulled up its gangway and sped away.
The inside of the Advance was large and luxurious. The ceiling was high enough so that even the giant Bunyan did not have to crouch. Crewmembers bustled about, arming weapons and monitoring equipment. Safe onboard, Bunyan handed the stirring Morella to a crew member. "Find her a place to rest," he rumbled.
"Who's in charge here?" said Manco.
"That would be me," said a man. He was blond and in the stage just in between youth and middle age. "Barton Swift, at your service."
"Sir," said one of Swift's men. "The Nautilus is not pursuing us." Cavor groaned.
"Too bad," said Swift. "Captain Nemo and I have something of a rivalry. I'd have loved the chance to finally pit my submarine against his."
"But why aren't they pursuing us?" asked Manco. "That's the real question."
"They could be letting us go to find out where we make berth," said Bunyan.
"But how would they find that out without following us?" Swift wondered.
Amidst the noise of conversation, shouted orders, and working equipment, no one could hear an invisible man snicker. "Aheheh."
