London Calling.

"(…) London calling to the underworld

Come out of the cupboard, you boys and girls (…)"– The Clash "London Calling".

Warnings: Crime and everything that comes with it.

Timing: 2016, a year after "The Cabbala"

Rating: M.

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen original comic books © Allan Moore and Kevin O'Neill. Neverwhere © Neil Gaiman. Atomic Robo © Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegner. Stargate Atlantis © MGM Studios. Hellboy (in character of Karl Ruprecht Kroenen) © Michael Mignola. Slenderman © Eric Knudsen (as Victor Surge). The story © Archer Black.

Dracula (in character of Wilhelmina Murray) by Bram Stoker. Allan Quatermain by sir Henry Rider Haggard. Orlando (or his/hers alike) by Virgina Woolf.

As the Above…

?

London Above. The next day.

The MI6 HQ hasn't change a bit. Though it wasn't the same empty building Atomic Robo remembered from his last visit. This time he was met with all the hospitality that the agency cared to offer. The only reason that no one attempted any cavity search on him was because he was expected by the 'M' and not because he had no cavities to be searched in the first place. He knew that there would always be someone eager to try to find some and then search them.

He was greeted by lovely Miss Moneypeny who smiled at him charmingly and informed him that the 'M' will see him in a moment. He decided that there was no harm in flirting with the secretary for a moment if only to simply pass the time. The secretary decided that she didn't mind a little flirt with the famous Atomic Robo, if only to know how it feels to flirt with him. But before any of them got to actually say something flirty, the 'M' invited Robo in.

She hasn't changed a bit either, but then again, it was just over a year since they last met and she was rather… consistent with her… looks, age, whatever it was. Or so he was informed.

"You may want to sit." Mina said flatly. It was a year and she already hated the job, but she took it for a reason and she was stuck with it, at least for the time being. "It won't be very brief."

"Okay." He sat at the provided chair. "What do I owe the honour?"

"There are people going missing." She explained. "In the London Below." She added. "Not that it's something unheard of or unusual in itself."

"Isn't that the job for the police?" He asked.

"Weren't you listening? It's the London Below, the place that Door comes from. There is no such thing as police in there." Mina reminded. "And it's not the going missing that makes people uneasy. Disappearance is a common occurrence Below. It's the fact that these particular people reappeared."

"But isn't that a good thing?"

"Not in the state they're being found in." Mina deadpanned.

Robo realised that this story was going grimmer by every minute.

"Door asked for help because she doesn't know what to do. No one in any of the baronies and fiefdoms of London Below knows how to deal with this situation and Door is the only one with practical experience." Mina started to explain further. "She helped us with the jihadists last year and it's about time we repaid her for her assistance."

"I see. Is there anything more I should know? Something I should worry about, anything I should be wary?" Robo asked remembering how Door couldn't use wireless technology and wondering how many other surprises he should expect.

"Aside from the connectivity you don't have anything to be worried about. The Enchantment Immunity works the same Above and Below." Mina assured him. She wasn't sure how much he knew of the Chart, if he knew anything at all, so she decided not to go into details.

"Here we go again with this magical nonsense." Robo sighed.

"That's what it is called so stop complaining." The 'M' scolded the robot. "Believe in what you want, but that's the official name of the thing so accept it as such and stop the whining."

"I am a man-bot of science." Robo exclaimed proudly. "Don't blame me for having a scientific frame of mind."

"Fair enough, but as a scientist you should also have an open mind, the fact that you do not understand something doesn't mean that it does not exist." She reminded him.

Robo visibly winced, or did his own equivalent of wincing, he recalled the monster from beyond the universe, and then he recalled what Kroenen said to him a year earlier… speaking or thinking of which.

"All right. What about the rest of the team?" He changed the subject.

"What of it?"

"Who will be on the team?" Robo asked hoping that this time around he would have a say in the matter. He could think of few interesting candidates.

"It will be the same make-up as before." Mina stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Why am I not thrilled about it?"

"Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Door, she's a great kid. And I can live with Spike, as long as he behaves. But I'm not too hot about ex-Nazi occultists. And Slenderman is pretty creepy, not to mention that he's on the same page when it comes to the matter of the end of the world. "Robo explained. Both of them seemed to understand each other way too much. And the fact of him being manhandled like he was by Slenderman after the fiasco in France didn't improve Robo's sentiments toward the pale creature. "Could we replace them with someone less villainous?"

"Assembling new team is out of the question under the circumstances and time pressure we're under." Mina explained.

"That's just bureaucracy and you know it." Robo protested.

"It may be so, but there is also the fact that Kroenen and Slenderman have proven themselves to be capable agents, they already know of the League, worked in the team, and they already know Door as well as they should have no problems with operating in London Below." Mina reminded him. "Less problems than you will have without a doubt." She added.

That stung a bit, even if Robo had to admit that what she said held some merit. He knew couple of people and he was sure they would be capable and have no problem working in the team, but he didn't know if they would agree… except for Jenkins, but he needed Jenkins in Tesladyne, so he was the only person he couldn't recruit. And it was a fact that both Kroenen and Slenderman worked together and as a part of the team so everyone knew what to expect, to a degree anyway. It didn't make it any better for him though, but he wanted to help Door and so he had to agree.

"Fine. What now?" He groaned sounding much like his younger self from the time when he was still young robot under Nicola Tesla's care.

"You need to get the team."

"I thought it was Door's job?" Robo's optics opened fully.

"Door asked for our help but she can't reassemble the team personally. She and other Lords of the London Below are working to counteract the crisis which is not an easy task due to its political complexity." The 'M' explained briefly. 'That's where you step in as her Second in Command. Your first stop, will the Area 51 where Spike should already wait for you. Then both of you will go for Slenderman."

"How will we find Slender?" Robo asked recalling the previous time they had to recruit the tentacle entity.

"When you will have Spike, call me and I will tell you where to look for Slenderman. After you'll have him he should have no problems locating Kroenen." Mina instructed. "Then you will return to London."

"What if they won't want to come?" Robo asked with little hope.

"Then convince them."

And that was it. The meeting was over. Robo left the MI6 HQ with impression that the security agents still wanted to cavity search him. Some things would never change; he concluded and then silently thanked the Maker that Mr Tesla in his wisdom didn't build him with any cavities to be searched.

TBC.