TenMara: As always I am grateful for your input. The League looks out for Tom, even Dorian...LOL.
Silent Bob 546: ThanksTom can't miss out on any of the action! I agree, someone may have to make him rest.
Samyo: Tony's character got wasted because of some idiot yelling? That sucks. Beowolf...I remember reading that story in mythology.
LotRseer 3350: Thank you. You know me and my cliff hangers...LOL. Oh yeah, there's going to be one big major attempt at mind control. The rest of the League can't hurt Tom because of the protection spell, but they can definitely hurt anyone else!
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PART 7
"We can't let him go there alone," Dorian demanded, "if that Twazul specifically asked for him to come, you know it's a trap."
"Is that concern for your own welfare talking or is it really for our young friend?" Nemo wondered, eyeing the immortal coldly.
"I personally don't give a damn what you think," Gray shot back. "We can argue about my motives all you want, but it still won't help Sawyer and the others."
"Or it could be a trap for us," Jekyll commented quietly. "Twazul has to know that we'll follow Tom."
Mina glanced between her fellow members, her heart telling her Henry was right, but her mind yelling at her to help Tom. "What do we do?"
"We go," Gray insisted. "The bastard wins if we stay here, and I don't like being bested by a nothing like this Twazul."
"I agree with Gray," Nemo added.
"We have to think this through!" Dr. Jekyll said passionately. "It's killing me inside to say this, for I want to help as much as the rest of you, but if our 'other' sides are released and controlled by this madman...."
"He's right," Mina hated to admit, her eyes lowering in misery.
"Millions more will perish if we do nothing," the captain replied. "We all had dreams aboard the Nautilus about killing our young comrade, our deepest fears coming out without abandon. Were we actually meant to kill him? I don't honestly know, but we didn't, instead doing it in our dreams."
"We couldn't hurt Tom anyway," Henry pointed out. "We still harbored a horrible deed towards him, imaginary or not."
"But were we thinking of that in our dreams?" Dorian asked. "I could've sworn I killed Sawyer, but yet I was in bed the whole time."
"Every time I look at Tom, I feel such bitterness inside towards myself," the vampiress confessed. "I enjoyed draining the life from him...no feelings of guilt or remorse...only my need."
Jekyll's face flushed, not wanting to look at Mina, the reason he allowed Hyde to tear his young friend apart. "I did nothing to stop Hyde once the attack started."
"Yes, yes," Dorian sighed impatiently, "we all feel bad and what not, but our chipper little nuisance acts like nothing is wrong, why don't we?"
"It's not that simple!" Mina protested.
"Isn't it?" A dark brown brow rose. "Like Sawyer said, that wasn't 'us' attacking him, it was our fear. A fear that is keeping us from helping him and stopping Twazul."
"Or maybe that was Twazul's real purpose for the dreams," Nemo realized. "To keep us from fighting him by being afraid of our own unique abilities. Using young Sawyer as our victim served to deepen our inner shame."
Gray nodded emphatically. "I think you're on to something Nemo. Why were we attacking only Sawyer? I thought it had to do with us stopping the whelp before he stopped Twazul, but Jekyll's right, we couldn't have hurt him. If the fiend could control our fear, he had to know of Majeel's spell."
"Exactly. We must all face our deepest fear and prevail." The captain held his hand out, looking to his fellow League members for confirmation. Slowly, the others placed their hand on top of his, signaling a unity they forged back in Mongolia.
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Quatermain desperately fought to move his restricted limbs, the thought of Sawyer walking into a trap diminishing Twazul's hold over him. After making the ominous message, the African mystic disappeared into an adjoining sitting room; a whispered voice hitting Allan's keen hearing. The bastard was planning something!
Beads of sweat glistened on the wrinkled forehead as the hunter struggled to free himself. He had to reach Thomas before the enemy unleashed whatever dark plan he was scheming now. The man was inviting the only person invulnerable to his power into his lair...and that could only mean one thing. After several minutes of hard exertion, the adventurer finally broke free, reaching over his left side to shake Skinner out of Twazul's hold as well.
Feeling the thief give his arm a squeeze in response, Quatermain raised a finger to his lips. They had to hurry and warn Sawyer. As quietly as they could, both men snuck towards the front door, with Twazul still occupied on the newfangled telephone. The hunter cursed his weakness as he half-sprinted to the elevator. He had already wasted precious minutes fighting the mystic's control, and now he could only hope it wasn't too late.
Twazul slammed down the phone, a sudden bolt of mental power hitting his mind. Steadying himself, the mystic frowned and hurried out to the main living area, finding his two pawns missing. They had broken the control freely? But how? Recalling the mental images he received off Skinner and Quatermain, Twazul deciphered that because they had given their lives to save the American, it gave them a stronger bond with the youth.
Anger began to boil deep inside the African native, but he quelled it, allowing a cruel smile to form. Quatermain and his invisible lackey had no idea what he had planned, and once that troublesome boy was secured, he would have the great white hunter back under control.
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Almost skidding the car to a halt on the outskirts of London, Sawyer turned off the powerful engine, placing his throbbing head wearily on the steering wheel. Maybe Nemo was right...he wasn't in any condition to take Twazul on. Sighing heavily, Tom ran his hands through his blonde hair in frustration. It took all his concentration right now to stay upright, let alone follow through on his plan to rescue Allan and Skinner.
What could he do? This was obviously some sort of trap, yet he couldn't allow Twazul to hurt his friends. Allan might be safe because his signature was still needed on that legal document, but Skinner was a different matter. He had to risk it, if only to save the invisible thief. Filling himself with a steel resolve, Tom forced the increasing pain back in his mind for what seemed like the hundredth time, and reached down to flip the switch to ignite the engine.
No, this was the only road that would take him into London, and Twazul had to know that as well, having visited Sir Henry's estate. Sawyer started the vehicle, but promptly turned it into a heavily forested area. He would hide the car and arrive on foot. Thankfully he had gotten to know London rather well when he came here looking for Huck Finn's killer.
Satisfied the car was hidden well enough from an untrained eye, Sawyer steadied himself on the uneven ground, and began his perilous journey, hoping the walk would also help clear his mind up enough to come up with an alternate plan of action.
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"So we are we going now?" Skinner asked Quatermain as they ran from the hotel.
Motioning the invisible thief to follow him down a deserted alley, Allan stopped, catching his breath before continuing. "Twazul is planning an ambush outside London," he explained. "Seems he's had the house and the roads leading from it watched since our arrival."
"How did you find all that out?" Rodney was amazed. He knew Twazul called Sawyer on the walking talker, but when the mystic left the room, he could no longer hear all that was said over the telephone.
"I have very good hearing," the hunter replied.
"At your age?" Skinner blurted out inadvertently. He swallowed hard at the glare Allan gave him. "What's the plan?"
"I overheard a name..., Barlow, and he and his thugs were to ambush the boy before he gets to the hotel. They aren't under his control because I overheard Twazul offering them a big payoff if they capture and hold Sawyer until his business with me is finished."
"The inheritance." Rodney nodded in understanding.
"There's only one main road the lad can take, so we go in that direction and pray to find him or the kidnappers." Turning on his heel, Quatermain began to hurry down the alley.
Skinner began to follow, but then paused, something niggling at his brain. "Barlow? I have a cousin who works for a Barlow chap."
The information gave the adventurer a glimmer of hope. Odds were that they wouldn't reach Tom in time, but if they knew who was holding him, they could retrieve the boy and then go after Twazul full force. "Is your cousin in the same profession as you?"
"He was bit more into the 'enforcement' side of things," Rodney recalled. "But they were a decent bunch."
"Decent?" Quatermain scoffed. "Kidnaping? Ransom? Sounds like a real dandy lot."
"Sawyer will be treated as nice as a captive can be," the invisible rogue inserted. "It ain't so easy for some to get money, you know, and if it's a big sum, well...it's a temptation a normal bloke might think on."
Grunting, the hunter waved his arm in a sign to move on. They didn't have the time to waste debating about the plight of the poor, and if any of them harmed that boy, he'd show them how uncharitable he could be!
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"I've found the auto!" Mina cried out to the others in alarm. It was like someone was trying to hide it, and did a very good job too. The driver was no where to be seen, but as she studied the immediate area, she could only see one set of footprints.
"This is not good," Nemo said sadly as he glanced at the empty car.
"How did the car get up here if it wasn't by Sawyer?" Gray deduced. "I highly doubt if any one else could drive it, and I don't see any signs of it being pushed here."
"Dorian's right," Mina responded, walking up to the men. "There's only a solitary set of footprints, and they're Tom's."
"But why is he going on foot?" Jekyll couldn't help but wonder as he came up to the group. "It'll take him longer to reach London, and with that head wound...."
"Then we best find our young friend as soon as possible," Nemo said quietly. "I fear an ambush is awaiting him, and maybe that is what he is thinking as well. My automobile would alert the enemy of his presence, thus making it easier to track him."
Dorian shook his head. "Sawyer's actually thinking something through? Maybe that head wound finally knocked some sense into him." Receiving angry glares from the others, the handsome immortal shrugged. "Oh! Did I say that aloud?"
"I think I can make out his trail," Mina informed her teammates. "We don't have much daylight left."
"Then we had better start immediately," Henry echoed the feelings of the others.
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"Where does your cousin and this Barlow hide out?" Quatermain asked Skinner gruffly, wishing he had at least Matilda with him. Both his Webley revolver and Sawyer's Colt pistols were taken by the mystic back at Sir Henry's, and right now the hunter regretted his call to leave the rifles back on the Nautilus. He didn't want to frighten the household by arriving heavily armed, or give the enemy an obvious clue of who they might be. Pistols would be easier to hide.
Skinner placed a hand on the hunter's chest. "Easy now, Allan. I'll go scout around and try to see where things stand. They may not even have Sawyer yet, and if they do, I'm the only one who has a chance to reason with them."
Knowing the invisible thief was right, Quatermain sighed heavily and relented. The seasoned explorer nodded his approval and listened as his unseen compatriot's bare feet paddled on the cobblestoned street. This tactic made more sense, but it didn't ease the antsy feeling he had; he hated the sensation of helplessness.
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London...he had finally made it! Sawyer wiped a hand across his sweating brow and grinned in relief. A few times along the way he wasn't so sure he would make it, but his stubbornness and worry overcame any discomfort he experienced.
Pulling on his black duster, Tom continued through the streets of the enormous city, acting as nonchalant as he could so not to draw any untoward attention to himself. The hazel eyes darted around carefully, making sure nothing unexpected was heading his way as he headed towards the hotel.
Quatermain walked stealthily near the buildings lining the alley he was in. He could have sworn he saw someone fitting Sawyer's profile just seconds ago...or maybe it was all just wishful thinking on his part. His protege would undoubtedly come roaring into London in Nemo's car for maximum speed. Still, he had to make sure. People were out to capture the boy, and the slightest possibility had to be investigated.
A blur of movement caught the corner of the trained agent's eye, and Sawyer quickly ducked into a nearby alley to avoid being seen. At this point he didn't know who was a potential foe, so it would pay to be extra careful. His eyes narrowing, he heard the figure inch slowly towards his location. Whoever this man was, he was being awful cautious and sneaky.
Squeezing his eyes shut to fight off another bout of dizziness, Sawyer clenched his fists in preparation. If this was one of Twazul's lackeys, he wasn't going to be caught off guard again like he was with that fake reverend. He calmed his breathing as he waited for the mystery stranger to appear....
Something...someone was nearby, Allan was certain of it. Though his years of experience screamed at him not to, the hunter felt compelled to whisper one word into the still air.
"Thomas?"
Instantly the fists relaxed, a rush of relief flooding through the young American. Allan had escaped? Tom pushed the questions aside as he cautiously peered around a corner, and when he saw the familiar safari hat and leather coat his surrogate father wore, the spy bounded out of his hiding place.
He had seen the blonde mop of hair peek out before the young man fully shown himself, and Allan hurried forward, eager to whisk his protege to safety. A relieved grin formed, but quickly disappeared when he saw Sawyer stumble slightly as he jumped out from the corner of an alley.
Feeling like his head was ready to burst open, Tom inwardly chided himself for his rash movements. He was so happy to see Quatermain safe that he had forgotten about his limited mobility. Sawyer reached a hand to his head, willing the pain and disorientation to dissipate as he pushed himself towards his mentor. Seconds later, the agent felt Allan's hand grab his, the hunter wrapping his other arm around Tom's shoulders in support.
"Are you okay?" both men said in unison as they looked the other over. A small chuckled was shared as the enormity of what could have been was gratefully lifted from their shoulders for the time being. It was almost miraculous how they came to be in the same area at this moment.
"The headaches are getting worse, aren't they?" Allan commented, noticing the look of pain behind Tom's squinted eyes. "As soon as Skinner gets back, we are going to catch a cab-"
"Where is he?" Sawyer interrupted.
"He's off to find your hired kidnappers," Quatermain answered. "Seems he might be related to one of the bloody buggers."
"Think he'll be okay?" Sawyer asked worriedly.
"According to him, they're a decent bunch," the explorer replied with a dismissive snort, eliciting a small laugh from his adoptive son.
"How did you find all this out? Did Twazul tell you?" Tom pondered, leaning more against Allan's side. The anxiety filled walk into London was beginning to hit the American agent full force, and the added pressure of the headaches was only doubling the effect.
"Here, let's get back to where Skinner is to meet me. I'll see if there's an old crate or something you can use to rest on." When the young man didn't protest the suggestion, Quatermain frowned in concern. Sawyer's normal response would be to insist he was perfectly fine, and then chomp at the bit to go after the bad guys. Keeping his grip securely on his protege, the adventurer led Tom slowly back to where he and Skinner had split up.
The snail's pace drew a smirk from the American agent. "I'm not that bad off," he informed the League's leader. "We can actually 'walk' without me fallin' into a heap."
"You're not exactly light as a feather, and I'm not as spry as I used to be," Allan shot back playfully, keeping his stern features on display. Within minutes there were at the destination, and Quatermain immediately went in search of something to for Sawyer to relax upon. Finding a battered, but sturdy old wine barrel, the seasoned explorer drug his prize back.
Sawyer sank gratefully on top of the barrel, leaning the right side of his throbbing head against the brick wall behind him. He managed a smile when he felt Quatermain's hand on his shoulder, the older man's eyes plainly showing the worry. "I just need to rest a bit," he assured his father figure as he closed his eyes to relieve the pressure.
Glancing down the alley where he had last seen Skinner, Allan stayed near Sawyer's side, prepared to leave immediately. A heavy unease was hitting his heightened senses, and the sooner the invisible rogue came back, the better. Turning his attention back to Tom, the hunter noticed his protege shivering slightly, and removing his coat, he wrapped it around the blonde spy.
"Huh?" Sawyer's eyes opened slightly as he felt himself being pulled away from the wall.
"It's a bit chilly out here...," Quatermain offered, gently pulling the coat lapels around the youth's chest and arms, allowing the rest of the coat to gather around the top of the barrel.
"What about you?" Tom asked sleepily. "I don't need two coats."
"I've been in Africa so long, I automatically bring it's heat with me," the adventurer winked. "You on the other hand, have an injury, not to mention pushing yourself beyond your limits. That will lead to a lapse in your body's ability to heal properly...."
Grinning a bit, the American agent closed his eyes and leaned back into the wall. "Thanks, Dr. Quatermain...," he interrupted.
"Translation...lecture over," Allan shot back, adapting the comment Sawyer had made to him earlier back at Sir Henry's.
"Now there's my smart father," Tom countered with a small chuckle. The hazel eyes flew open. Did he just openly call Allan his...? Fumbling for something to say, the young man fell silent in embarrassment. He had just bared his inner feelings in a stupid comeback. A calloused hand gently squeezed Sawyer's right shoulder, and when the young man finally dared to cast his eyes upward, he found a warm smile instead of disapproval. Quatermain's eyes showed an appreciation that caused a lump to form in Tom's throat.
"Thank you," Allan responded, fighting back the moisture threatening to make it's presence known. It had been too long since he heard the name 'father', and hearing it come from Sawyer in that most inadvertent way melted anyway any reservations he may have harbored. He knew it was meant as a playful retort, but he also didn't miss the underlying significance. There were many other terms the boy could've used.
A click echoed nearby, destroying the father and son bonding moment. The two League members were now staring at five guns pointing at them. Allan wrapped an arm around Sawyer's shoulders, drawing the blonde agent closer, while shielding him with the rest of his body.
The leader of the group smiled, his yellowed, decayed teeth grinning in triumph. "You've given us quite the chase, laddie," the man addressed Tom. The black eyes then came to rest on the hunter. "And you must be the proud pappa, the great Allan Quatermain."
"Who the hell are you?" Quatermain demanded.
"Our employer wishes you to return to the hotel," the leader said with a shrug. "We'll just keep your darling lil' boy safe and sound with us till your business is finished."
A dangerous look overtook the adventurer's face. "Bloody hell you will," he growled with lethal intent. "You are coming nowhere near my son!"
"No....wait!" Sawyer intervened, sliding off the barrel. "Twazul isn't goin' to let any of us live through this. After he gets what he wants from my...father...he'll use the money to destroy England. Are you willin' to participate in the murder of innocent men, women, and children? That's if Twazul lets you live that long."
The five criminals stared at the bold young man, unsure what to do next. Was he only bluffing? Twazul had warned them not to listen to anything the captive had to say, explaining that he would say anything to keep his inheritance intact. Exchanging wary glances, the leader stepped closer, his gun raised higher.
"Now that's a fancy story there, laddie, but unless you want me to hurt your old man...you best come over here quietly," the man ordered.
"If you hurt him, how is he goin' to sign over everythin'?" Sawyer asked. "And if you harm me, Daddy won't do a thing your boss says."
Quatermain quickly hid his look of surprise. Daddy? Thomas was certainly playing his role to the cheeky hilt! "We're not about to do a thing you buggers say, so where does it all stand now?" the explorer added. If this indeed was the bunch of ruffians Skinner knew, they certainly weren't very adept at kidnaping...it was almost embarrassing!
"We have guns...," the leader inserted. This was not going as smoothly as he thought it would. Allan Quatermain was supposed to be this decrepit, washed up hero, and the son was a spoiled, pretty boy...easy pickings.
"So?" Tom eyed the leader with a teasing smile. "I'm still not goin'."
The leader of the group turned almost pleading eyes to Quatermain. "You there, old man...you ain't the least bit worried about what we might do to your kid? You don't want him getting shot over something like money?"
His dark brows raising in question, Allan looked down at his surrogate son, hugging Sawyer against him. "You're willing to take a bullet for your ol' father, ain't you, boy?"
The youthful spy shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I've been shot before, so this shouldn't be any different."
Quatermain grinned in recollection. "That's bloody right!"
"Are you drunk or something?" the gang leader questioned in a desperate tone. If they weren't drunk, they had to be crazy. Normally the waving of their guns would subdue any potential victim, so there had to be something seriously wrong with these two.
"No, they just know who's really holding the cards," a voice said.
The gang of would be abductors looked around in fear and surprise. Who had said that? No one was there! The youngest member of the gang began to smile.
"Skinner?" he called out. He watched with his other cohorts as a can was lifted from Quatermain's coat pocket and floated in mid-air. Seconds later a white face began to emerge, revealing the identity of the man.
"Nice to see you again too, Edgar," Skinner grinned at his first cousin.
"Rodney Skinner!" the leader laughed. "Bloody hell, man! I keep forgetting you're the ultimate thief now."
"Hello, Barlow," the invisible rogue greeted warmly. "Heard you were planning a pinch of the human sort." Rodney tilted his head towards his teammates. "If you're after the kid, I'd forget it. The last guy who nabbed him is dead."
Remembering his intended victim, Cedric Barlow jerked his gun in Sawyer's direction. "Someone's already tried?"
"He was plannin' to kill me all along, so I killed him before he could," Tom stated flatly.
A collective hush fell over the five criminals as they glanced over at the seemingly harmless-and injured- young man standing near Quatermain. He had killed his other abductor? Tom's estimation suddenly grew in the men's eyes.
"There wasn't a word mentioned about killing him," Barlow spoke up, withering under the harsh glare Allan was giving him. "We were just to hold the nipper, that's all. 'Sides, we ain't into that kind of business."
"Settle down, Allan," Skinner inserted calmly as Quatermain continued his threatening looks.
"You know them?" Edgar asked in bewilderment.
"They're mates of mine," Skinner replied, "and I wouldn't advise going against them either. Quatermain is a lot more than what the stories ever said."
Barlow lifted his gun up in the air as a gesture for a truce. This old man definitely wasn't washed up by any means! He looked ready to tear the whole gang apart with his bare hands, and it sounded as if the younger one was as tough as his father. The pay-off was a tidy sum of money, but it wasn't worth getting killed over....
"Listen, gov'nor...I ain't interested in making enemies...if you're friends with Skinner, that's good enough for us," Barlow offered.
"Hmph!" the hunter snorted in disgust, giving Sawyer a wink as he briefly turned his head in the youth's direction. "If I catch a bloody one of you even giving my boy a nasty look, I'm coming after you full force!"
A chorus of assorted vows filled the air as the guns were quickly lowered and the immediate threat removed. Sawyer hid his smile while dipping his head once in acknowledgment. Thankfully this was one situation diffused for the moment.
Would they be so lucky with the next one?