I'd just like to thank all of you faithful reviewers out there who have continued to push me forward with this project. I've rewarded you by putting up the next chapter as quickly as I could.
Enjoy.
*
Andre McCane stood in the laboratory, blocking the door that led back into the corridor.
"Mr. McCane, it's Mina!" Tom gasped. "She can't move or anything!! It's like she's frozen, like she's dreaming with her eyes open!"
McCane smiled. It wasn't a gentle smile, like he had given Tom before. It was an evil smile, a knowing smile.
"I am aware of that, Mr. Sawyer. Those eye drops cleared up Mina's eyes, but they contained enough tranquilizer to knock her out for 48 hours," said McCane in a deadly tone. "Her eyes had to stay open so the tranquilizer drug would seep past her eyes and into her bloodstream. Mina is as good as dead for the next two days."
Tom just stared at him. "Why?" he asked, trembling.
"Because I would never harm a lady," said McCane simply. He advanced on Tom.
"No," said Tom quickly. He tried to run away, but there was nowhere to run. He reached for his rifle, but he remembered he didn't have it on him. McCane was advancing on him, still smiling. "No, please!!!!!" Tom begged as McCane reached out for him. "No!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"
* * *
Henry Jekyll lie on the floor again, moaning. Nemo was finally on his way to the laboratory to check on Mina (he had almost gotten there the first time when a crew member informed him that there was a problem in the engine room,) and he found Jekyll on the floor, floating in a reddish-orange liquid that looked suspiciously like a mixture of blood and vomit.
Nemo saw him and his eyes went wide. "Jekyll, what the--" Nemo started, but couldn't finish. Jekyll didn't answer him; he turned to the side and kept moaning.
"Is it okay to come out now?" asked a timid voice. Nemo looked up to find Skinner standing in hallway, as visible as he could make himself; he was wearing his coat, hat, boots, gloves, and white face paint.
"What's been going on here?" Nemo demanded. "No, it's not okay! I want to know what's been going on!"
"Well, Hyde was chasing me, see, Captain," Skinner explained, "and all of a sudden, he stops right in the middle of the hallway, and it looks like he's having a seizure. So I hid myself in the nearest closet, afraid to watch."
"What happened, Henry?" Nemo asked Jekyll, concerned.
Jekyll was breathing deeply now. "I don't know," he moaned. "All I know is, there's something wrong with either me or Edward. I think it has something to do with Tom's voodoo doll."
At the mention of Tom's name, both Skinner's and Nemo's eyes flared.
"You mean he hasn't stopped fooling with those voodoo dolls yet?" Nemo asked angrily.
"He doesn't have the one of me still, does he?" asked Skinner dangerously.
"Skinner, I don't KNOW!" Jekyll moaned loudly. "Now, someone help me to bed! Hurry!"
Nemo and Skinner helped Jekyll to his feet and down the corridor to his room. They were almost there when Nemo remembered Mina.
"Skinner, you take Jekyll to his room," Nemo told Skinner. "I have to go and check on Mina, before I forget about her completely."
"Yes, sir, Captain!" Skinner said, saluting him. Nemo saluted back and ran off in the other direction.
* * *
Nemo opened the laboratory door, expecting to see Mina and McCane, but they weren't there. In fact, they weren't anywhere in the laboratory. Neither was anybody else. The laboratory was empty.
"This is strange," Nemo thought to himself, looking around the room. "But maybe he took her back to bed. Yes, that would make sense."
Nemo was just about to leave and check if Mina was in bed when he thought of something. Maybe he should go the storage room and check if he had anything that would help Jekyll out. Or Hyde, whichever one of them was in danger. Maybe there were some tranquilizers there that could knock Jekyll out for a while, to stop the pain.
Nemo crossed to the door that led to the storage room and opened it. Immediately, he gasped.
Mina was lying on an examining table, her eyes open and cleared up, but she was clearly unconscious. Lying beside her was a bottle of eye drops and a note.
Nemo just stared at Mina's body, his mouth wide open. Before he did anything with her, he decided to open the note. He unfolded the piece of paper, and large, bold words stared back at him from the page.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
I HAVE YOUR TOM SAWYER. I JUST DARE YOU TO TRY AND GET HIM BACK FROM ME. YOU WON'T STAND A CHANCE. THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN IS GOING DOWN.
Q.
P.S. I ALSO HAVE ANDRE McCANE. HE DOESN'T WORK FOR YOU ANYMORE; HE'S ALWAYS WORKED FOR ME.
"Que Moriarty," gasped Nemo.
Nemo knew who Quinicia Moriarty was; he had had a few run-ins with her in the past. He knew she wasn't the scariest ransom note writer in the world, but he knew that she was totally serious when she wrote one.
Glancing at the less-than-threatening ransom note once more, Nemo decided he could care less about McCane, even though he had been a really nice man. He didn't care if they ever got McCane back; they got along fine without him (well, most of the time.) But they needed their Tom back!
Nemo, his eyes still as wide as headlights, took the note and charged out of the storage room.
* * *
He found Skinner and Jekyll in Jekyll's room. Jekyll was lying in bed, still moaning. Skinner was pouring him a glass of water.
"Here's some cold water to help you, Henry."
"I think ginger ale might work better. My stomach is just killing me. It has to be some rare side effect of my transformation potion. I usually get bad cramps, but never like this."
"Sure, I'll send for some from the kitchen. Warm or cold?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Jekyll, Skinner," panted Nemo, out of breath from running all of the way from the laboratory to Jekyll's room. "Tom's been captured!"
Jekyll, who was sitting up in bed, choked on his glass of water. Nemo couldn't see Skinner's reaction; he had wiped his white face paint off.
"Captured?" asked Skinner, sounding afraid. "By whom?"
"M's daughter. Illegitimate daughter, rather. Her name is Que. She's very dangerous."
The three of them just stood in silence for a while. Jekyll was looking up at the ceiling and sipping more water. Skinner had his hands on his hips, probably in deep thought (but neither Nemo nor Jekyll could confirm this.) Nemo was just staring at the two of them, waiting for a response.
"Well?" he finally asked.
"Well, what?" asked Skinner.
"Have either of you thought of a plan to save him?" Nemo demanded. "We have to save him! And Mina can't come with us, she's unconscious."
"Ah." Both of them nodded. This wasn't the reaction Nemo was expecting; he was expecting both of them to get hysterical. But Skinner and Jekyll were probably both in shock, so they weren't thinking clearly.
"Why should we save him?" Skinner finally asked.
"Excuse me?" asked Nemo, flaring.
"You're talking about the boy who goes around making voodoo dolls of us," Skinner reminded him. "He's driving me out of my mind, he's driving Hyde up the wall, and he's probably the reason Jekyll is sick like this. Most likely the voodoo magic put together with the chemical reactions of Jekyll's transformation potion."
Jekyll was still thinking. "You know, what's he really good for in the League, anyway? All he can really do is shoot that rifle. And make voodoo dolls. And cause Hyde to lose his temper."
"You know," said Nemo slowly, "maybe the two of you have a point. Maybe Tom is really doing more harm than good."
"And maybe," said Jekyll, laying down in bed, "maybe we should just end the LXG."
*
Oh, no! This is so suspenseful that I even find myself on the edge of my seat! Will the three of them give in? Will they forget about Tom and break up the LXG altogether? And whatever happened to Tom and McCane? And will Mina ever recover, or was McCane lying?
Stay tuned for the next chapter (which might be a while, because I'm finally on my way home this weekend.)
~ Alisonia
Enjoy.
*
Andre McCane stood in the laboratory, blocking the door that led back into the corridor.
"Mr. McCane, it's Mina!" Tom gasped. "She can't move or anything!! It's like she's frozen, like she's dreaming with her eyes open!"
McCane smiled. It wasn't a gentle smile, like he had given Tom before. It was an evil smile, a knowing smile.
"I am aware of that, Mr. Sawyer. Those eye drops cleared up Mina's eyes, but they contained enough tranquilizer to knock her out for 48 hours," said McCane in a deadly tone. "Her eyes had to stay open so the tranquilizer drug would seep past her eyes and into her bloodstream. Mina is as good as dead for the next two days."
Tom just stared at him. "Why?" he asked, trembling.
"Because I would never harm a lady," said McCane simply. He advanced on Tom.
"No," said Tom quickly. He tried to run away, but there was nowhere to run. He reached for his rifle, but he remembered he didn't have it on him. McCane was advancing on him, still smiling. "No, please!!!!!" Tom begged as McCane reached out for him. "No!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"
* * *
Henry Jekyll lie on the floor again, moaning. Nemo was finally on his way to the laboratory to check on Mina (he had almost gotten there the first time when a crew member informed him that there was a problem in the engine room,) and he found Jekyll on the floor, floating in a reddish-orange liquid that looked suspiciously like a mixture of blood and vomit.
Nemo saw him and his eyes went wide. "Jekyll, what the--" Nemo started, but couldn't finish. Jekyll didn't answer him; he turned to the side and kept moaning.
"Is it okay to come out now?" asked a timid voice. Nemo looked up to find Skinner standing in hallway, as visible as he could make himself; he was wearing his coat, hat, boots, gloves, and white face paint.
"What's been going on here?" Nemo demanded. "No, it's not okay! I want to know what's been going on!"
"Well, Hyde was chasing me, see, Captain," Skinner explained, "and all of a sudden, he stops right in the middle of the hallway, and it looks like he's having a seizure. So I hid myself in the nearest closet, afraid to watch."
"What happened, Henry?" Nemo asked Jekyll, concerned.
Jekyll was breathing deeply now. "I don't know," he moaned. "All I know is, there's something wrong with either me or Edward. I think it has something to do with Tom's voodoo doll."
At the mention of Tom's name, both Skinner's and Nemo's eyes flared.
"You mean he hasn't stopped fooling with those voodoo dolls yet?" Nemo asked angrily.
"He doesn't have the one of me still, does he?" asked Skinner dangerously.
"Skinner, I don't KNOW!" Jekyll moaned loudly. "Now, someone help me to bed! Hurry!"
Nemo and Skinner helped Jekyll to his feet and down the corridor to his room. They were almost there when Nemo remembered Mina.
"Skinner, you take Jekyll to his room," Nemo told Skinner. "I have to go and check on Mina, before I forget about her completely."
"Yes, sir, Captain!" Skinner said, saluting him. Nemo saluted back and ran off in the other direction.
* * *
Nemo opened the laboratory door, expecting to see Mina and McCane, but they weren't there. In fact, they weren't anywhere in the laboratory. Neither was anybody else. The laboratory was empty.
"This is strange," Nemo thought to himself, looking around the room. "But maybe he took her back to bed. Yes, that would make sense."
Nemo was just about to leave and check if Mina was in bed when he thought of something. Maybe he should go the storage room and check if he had anything that would help Jekyll out. Or Hyde, whichever one of them was in danger. Maybe there were some tranquilizers there that could knock Jekyll out for a while, to stop the pain.
Nemo crossed to the door that led to the storage room and opened it. Immediately, he gasped.
Mina was lying on an examining table, her eyes open and cleared up, but she was clearly unconscious. Lying beside her was a bottle of eye drops and a note.
Nemo just stared at Mina's body, his mouth wide open. Before he did anything with her, he decided to open the note. He unfolded the piece of paper, and large, bold words stared back at him from the page.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
I HAVE YOUR TOM SAWYER. I JUST DARE YOU TO TRY AND GET HIM BACK FROM ME. YOU WON'T STAND A CHANCE. THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN IS GOING DOWN.
Q.
P.S. I ALSO HAVE ANDRE McCANE. HE DOESN'T WORK FOR YOU ANYMORE; HE'S ALWAYS WORKED FOR ME.
"Que Moriarty," gasped Nemo.
Nemo knew who Quinicia Moriarty was; he had had a few run-ins with her in the past. He knew she wasn't the scariest ransom note writer in the world, but he knew that she was totally serious when she wrote one.
Glancing at the less-than-threatening ransom note once more, Nemo decided he could care less about McCane, even though he had been a really nice man. He didn't care if they ever got McCane back; they got along fine without him (well, most of the time.) But they needed their Tom back!
Nemo, his eyes still as wide as headlights, took the note and charged out of the storage room.
* * *
He found Skinner and Jekyll in Jekyll's room. Jekyll was lying in bed, still moaning. Skinner was pouring him a glass of water.
"Here's some cold water to help you, Henry."
"I think ginger ale might work better. My stomach is just killing me. It has to be some rare side effect of my transformation potion. I usually get bad cramps, but never like this."
"Sure, I'll send for some from the kitchen. Warm or cold?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Jekyll, Skinner," panted Nemo, out of breath from running all of the way from the laboratory to Jekyll's room. "Tom's been captured!"
Jekyll, who was sitting up in bed, choked on his glass of water. Nemo couldn't see Skinner's reaction; he had wiped his white face paint off.
"Captured?" asked Skinner, sounding afraid. "By whom?"
"M's daughter. Illegitimate daughter, rather. Her name is Que. She's very dangerous."
The three of them just stood in silence for a while. Jekyll was looking up at the ceiling and sipping more water. Skinner had his hands on his hips, probably in deep thought (but neither Nemo nor Jekyll could confirm this.) Nemo was just staring at the two of them, waiting for a response.
"Well?" he finally asked.
"Well, what?" asked Skinner.
"Have either of you thought of a plan to save him?" Nemo demanded. "We have to save him! And Mina can't come with us, she's unconscious."
"Ah." Both of them nodded. This wasn't the reaction Nemo was expecting; he was expecting both of them to get hysterical. But Skinner and Jekyll were probably both in shock, so they weren't thinking clearly.
"Why should we save him?" Skinner finally asked.
"Excuse me?" asked Nemo, flaring.
"You're talking about the boy who goes around making voodoo dolls of us," Skinner reminded him. "He's driving me out of my mind, he's driving Hyde up the wall, and he's probably the reason Jekyll is sick like this. Most likely the voodoo magic put together with the chemical reactions of Jekyll's transformation potion."
Jekyll was still thinking. "You know, what's he really good for in the League, anyway? All he can really do is shoot that rifle. And make voodoo dolls. And cause Hyde to lose his temper."
"You know," said Nemo slowly, "maybe the two of you have a point. Maybe Tom is really doing more harm than good."
"And maybe," said Jekyll, laying down in bed, "maybe we should just end the LXG."
*
Oh, no! This is so suspenseful that I even find myself on the edge of my seat! Will the three of them give in? Will they forget about Tom and break up the LXG altogether? And whatever happened to Tom and McCane? And will Mina ever recover, or was McCane lying?
Stay tuned for the next chapter (which might be a while, because I'm finally on my way home this weekend.)
~ Alisonia