A/N: Well here you have it, another chapter. I actually wrote this because I was so bored, and it took me a good few hours to do. I'm glad you guys like my characterisations. I find Tom really comfortable to do... I'm not sure why. Maybe because he is the closest to my age. Skinner is fun too. You can guarantee more of him in this. Anyway, this is more of a pensive character. Hope it doesn't disappoint too much. Thanks to Imogen Brown, who helpfully corrected me on the colour of Tom's eyes. Thanks, Imogen! :)
Captain Nemo stood at the dock, a dozen of his crew around him, awaiting a signal that the rest of the League had apprehended the perpetrator. He had been waiting for quite some time now.
No signal came. No matter how patient he was, no signal came.
"Look, Captain," came the voice of a crewman to his left, and his eyes followed the pointing finger of the man. What he saw made his heart sink. They had failed.
Walking at the forefront of the group was Agent Tom Sawyer, his Winchester rifle and his hat in his hands, his eyes downcast and an angry look on his face. Following right behind him was Mina Harker. She looked pensive and confused, and cast a glance warily over her shoulder as though expecting something to leap out at them. Behind Harker was Dr Jekyll, looking very intrigued indeed. Clearly something had interested him, but also frightened him too from the looks of it. His eyes were slightly wider than normal. Bringing up the rear was Skinner, or rather the coat and trilby that symbolised Skinner's presence when he wished to be seen. The hat was angled downwards as though he were ashamed to be seen... or not seen as the case was.
Something had gone wrong.
"Where is Evans?" Nemo asked of them as they approached the ramps to enter the gigantic exposed submarine that was the Nautilus. Sawyer did not speak as he paced gloomily up the ramp, and disappeared.
Mina Harker looked after him with disappointment, as though feeling sympathy for -by far- the youngest member of the League.
"What happened?" inquired Nemo, growing slightly impatient now with his lack of answers.
"It all went to pot, didn't it?" Skinner replied bluntly. "We messed it up... or rather I messed it up."
With that, the long leather coat and trilby paced into the ship as well.
Mina and Jekyll were all that remained outside the submarine, and both looked considerably thoughtful.
"We will explain at dinner," Mina offered, her voice smooth and controlled as always, surprising given her vampire identity. Nemo always expected her to growl her words, not speak them flawlessly and eloquently as she did. It amazed him how gentle she was.
Nemo nodded at this offer, and made his way inside his vessel to inform his crew that the others had returned.
Tom Sawyer resisted the urge to slam the door to his quarters behind him, instead settling for kicking it closed as he entered. He knew he looked like he had just lost something dear to him, but in truth he was disappointed with himself. He always seemed to screw something up somehow. Why could nothing ever go right when he was involved? Why was he always in a world of trouble?
It was still a marvel to him that he had been selected for involvement in the agency. The amount of screw-ups he managed made him wonder why they hadn't kicked him out on his ass yet.
Sighing, he slung his hat at the coat rack, watching it bounce off. He frowned. He had never managed to do that like Skinner. He practically tore off his coat after carefully laying down his Winchester rifle, and tossed the jacket on his bed. He followed it not long after, landing heavily on the mattress, and hearing the springs creak.
Tom stared at the ceiling above him, thoughts running through his head.
It went back to the one thing it always did, the same mental image appearing in his mind... Quatermain... dead.
Allan Quatermain had been a good friend to him, and he had taught him many important things... not to mention saving his life twice.
Whilst Tom had been at the mercy of an invisible man he had foolishly mistaken for Skinner, Quatermain had selflessly turned from his own opponent -M, or the Fantom, whatever you wanted to call him... something about Moriarty too- and shot Tom's captive.
His sniping skills had always startled Tom.
Whilst Quatermain's back had been turned, M had stabbed him rather dishonourably. Quatermain had died not long after, but not before Tom had managed to kill his murderer.
Tom remembered the funeral. He had stayed around the grave the longest, holding one of his rifles, modified rifles... American style, or so he recalled telling Quatermain. He had left that very gun on top of his friend's grave.
He smiled wanly at the memory that soon flittered out of his mind, and frowned again, even as he heard the Nautilus shifting, felt her movements as they made their way out of the London docks.
Now what where they going to do? Evans had evaded them, three of them at once! And he had some sort of mutant companion with him on top of that... a very strong one to boot.
Tom recollected being literally picked up and hurled through the air, and with only one hand he knew. That had been all he'd felt clutch him. The other hand of the attacker had held a gun. Where had all that strength come from? Not to mention the hair.
There was a gentle rapping of a knock on his door, and he bolted into a sitting position at once, startled slightly. He called to the door, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Jekyll," came the reply of the voice. Sure enough, from the sound of it, it was the good doctor himself. There was always such certain sincerity to his tone and words that assured Tom.
Tom sighed, and ran a hand through his messy blonde hair to try and clear it from his face. It tumbled back over his brow and into his eyes, and he ignored it. "Come in," he said to the door.
It creaked open, and Doctor Henry Jekyll stood framed in the light of the doorway. Tom only then realised he had neglected to turn the light in his room on.
"I... I just came to tell you," Jekyll began rather timidly, before finishing with more confidence, "that dinner will be ready in ten minutes."
"I'm not hungry," Tom mumbled, sitting perched on the end of the bed now, his elbows rested in a defeated manner on his knees in front of him. He stared at the floor.
Jekyll stepped into the room a little, hands behind his back, changed now into a suit as always. Tom had no doubt Nemo's tailors had to be having a ball with accommodating the doctor's clothing needs.
"Well it's best you come along anyway," the other man told him gently. "Maybe you'll feel differently when it comes to it."
Tom looked up at an angle to Jekyll, raising an eyebrow, and smiling lopsidedly. Jekyll was usually quite positive, or so it seemed, when matters that concerned Hyde were left unmentioned.
"I can't believe I let him get away..."
Jekyll sighed lightly, glancing over his shoulder, before shutting the door, and activating a table lamp to his right. The light glowed from under the shade and cast shadows across the room, and over Jekyll and Tom's faces.
"It wasn't just you out there, Tom," Jekyll assured him, "I was there as well. I should have seen him escape."
"You had your hands full."
"And you had a gun to your head if I remember correctly."
Tom glanced at Jekyll again, and laughed quietly. "Why does nothing ever dampen your spirits?"
"Because I've had enough misery and darkness in my life, Agent Sawyer, and now it's time for a little light." He tapped the lampshade knowingly, and nodded to him once before exiting the room.
Tom watched him go, narrowing his eyes and puzzling over what he meant.
Wilhelmina Harker sat down in her tall backed dinner chair around the long table, and took a sip from her glass of wine. She savoured the sweet taste, and forced down the urge for something more suitable for her own kind.
No, she would have no blood this evening, and the human part of her was satisfied with this, was curious to see what Nemo's chefs had concocted this evening.
Nemo, of course, was already at the head of the table, dressed presentably in his usual garments of blue and white, his ornamental -and very practical- sword rested at his belt in its scabbard, and he was silent.
Mina herself had chosen a white blouse that buttoned all the way up to her throat. She did not enjoy showing off the wounds that had turned her into the creature she was today. A long black skirt covered her legs, and her hair was pinned up out of her face.
Next to arrive was Doctor Jekyll, neat and crisp in his black and white suit as ever, smiling slightly to himself. He nodded to Nemo, greeted Mina with a polite charm, and seated himself to the right of the captain on the curve of the table. He unfolded his napkin, and laid it across his lap tidily, shifting his cutlery ever so slightly on each side of his place setting.
After a moment or two, the long coat and hat that was Skinner walked in, but this was dinner, and a time when the thief decided that it be best for people to see him. He had covered his face and neck in the white cream, and dark glasses covered the holes where his eyes had once been. Skinner threw a cheeky smile towards her, patted Jekyll on the back, stated Nemo's name as he always did, and took his seat to the right of Mina. He removed his hat, and placed it on the table to the side of him.
The last to arrive, somewhat pensively and brooding was Tom Sawyer, his handsome young face serious. His green eyes took in the faces around the table, before he shuffled into his seat opposite Mina. She smiled at him, and he forced it back at her. Something was troubling him. He hadn't bothered to change, which did not surprise or bother Mina. He wore black trousers and waistcoat, where his twin pistols hung in their holsters at his waist, easily accessible in an emergency. He wore his trademark white shirt beneath the unbuttoned waistcoat, the sleeves rolled up just past his elbows. At least he had made some effort to try and tidy his tousled hair, for what little good it did him.
"Thank you for coming," Nemo said to them politely, and after that, his crew walked out of the door behind him from the kitchens and set their food down in front of them.
Tom and Skinner eyed theirs curiously as it was set down in front of them. Skinner even looked a little uncertain. His dark glasses turned to Nemo. The captain smiled.
"It is quite safe, Mr Skinner," Nemo assured him, taking a hold of his wine glass. "It is simply a spicy native dish. If you require something more your style, I can have it-"
"No, no, Nemo, that's quite all right," Skinner insisted, holding up a gloved hand, and taking a grip on his fork, poking at his food.
Jekyll looked delightfully curious, and smiled. "I think it looks delicious." He cast a certain glance at Tom, who had his elbows rested on the tabletop.
Mina made no move to correct him. He always did eat that way. At least he didn't chew with his mouth open, and he did use a napkin. With her habits having been seen by the companions around her, it took quite a bit to put her off her food, and by her standards, Tom Sawyer was a very polite young man.
Nemo raised his glass to them briefly, sampled his wine, and began his meal, the others around him doing the same, or something similar.
Tom was still picking at his food, shifting it around his plate when Nemo decided to speak, his own meal finished.
"So, tell me, what transpired in the city? What happened to Charles Evans?"
Tom shuffled in his seat as though uncomfortable, and drank some of his wine, making the effort to eat a little of his food afterwards. Maybe it was simply too spicy for him.
Mina made the effort to answer, "I followed Mr Evans from his home, where a driver picked him up and took him by carriage to the alleyway where Sawyer was waiting. We had already deduced he was to pay the assassins tonight, so we knew very well what his intentions were and what he carried in his bag. I gave the signal to Tom, and waited on the rooftops for any sign of trouble."
Her light eyes met the face of Tom, who cleared his throat, and spoke; "I followed the carriage a little way down the road where I met Skinner. I told him to go inside with Evans."
It was Skinner's turn. "I followed him down the alley, and up to the concealed doorway Sawyer found a couple of days ago, and slipped in with him. He met the assassins inside and well... they knew I was there."
"And how did they know?" Nemo asked of him.
"I sorta... may have... knocked a vase over," Skinner muttered shamefully.
Tom looked to him in disbelief.
"Anyway," Skinner continued quickly before the young man could chide him, "the one that saw me do it alerted the others, even though I caught the bloody thing before it broke, and they all made a run for it. I followed Evans down the stairs, and out of the alley, where-"
"I shot at him."
"And he missed," Skinner finished, avoiding the glare Tom threw at him. "Well he was moving pretty fast, don't worry about it." Tom turned his attention back on his cooling food. "I told him to run after him once he'd gotten on the carriage. Which reminds me," the white face found Jekyll, "you were nowhere to be found."
"For your information, Mr Skinner, Edward Hyde is no easy monster to control. I was trying to suppress the urge to do other than what was required. Would you rather you found him gorging on some poor drunk?"
Skinner fell quiet, and glanced to Tom once again.
The agent took up the cue, "I ran after him, and when I caught up with him, I managed to-"
"You caught up with the carriage?" Nemo interrupted. "How did you manage such a thing?"
Tom shook his head, closing his eyes even as locks of blonde hair fell across them. "I stole a horse."
"You stole a horse?" Skinner said.
"Yes, and I rode after him." Tom and Skinner stared at each other for a long time before the latter found his wine interesting again. "He took a shot at me, and I fired back. I got him in the arm. He jumped off the carriage, the horse fell over, and I ran after him into an alleyway."
Nemo looked as though he was trying to decipher Sawyer's rushed form of explanation as best he could. He nodded as Tom spoke.
"I pulled my guns on him, but he wasn't alone. Someone pulled a gun on me, and that's when Hyde and Mina showed up."
"I had finally managed to re-convince Hyde that devouring stragglers on the streets was not our priority, and he smelt something foul on the air, something he hadn't smelt before. It led us to Sawyer and his dilemma."
Skinner seemed as though he was suppressing a snigger. Mina elbowed him, and he became serious once again.
"I heard the three of them from the rooftops, and arrived within moments," Mina offered earnestly. She remembered sensing something odd, and hearing the two gunshots before everything had gone still. It hadn't taken her long to locate Tom, in trouble, and she had taken it upon herself to come to his aid, coincidentally at the same time as Hyde. "I came up behind Tom's mystery attacker. He alerted them to our presence, and well, the one with the gun on Tom... he..." She was unsure of how to describe it.
"He threw me," Tom explained simply.
"Threw you?"
"With one hand."
"With one hand?" Nemo was perplexed, this was clear.
"I felt the hand grab my coat, and he threw me onto Mina. The... thing that had had the gun on me tried to attack Hyde."
Jekyll nodded. "I remember trying to figure out what it was whilst it lashed out at Hyde. The eyes were so feral, it was like a wild animal."
"That was how it seemed to me." Mina was in agreement.
"I just know the thing had some strength," Tom mumbled, rubbing his neck seemingly as a subconscious action.
"Are you injured?" Nemo inquired, seeing him do so.
Tom shook his head, bringing his arm down to rest on the tabletop as he lay his fork down. "No, I'm fine. Just startled me is all."
"Hyde managed to fend off the beast, and then it retreated."
"That was when we noticed Evans was gone. There was no sign of him anywhere," Tom explained in a crushed tone. He sighed quietly, and leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms as if impatient.
"And that was it?" Nemo asked of them. They nodded and murmured their agreement with his assessment.
Jekyll nodded. "He simply vanished. Maybe he had another hidden doorway somewhere that we didn't know about. He seemed to know his way around."
"And he led me into that alleyway," Tom added, "he knew his friend was down there if I followed."
"You think he was trying to trick you?" Mina wondered, knitting her brow. She ignored the crewmember that came to remove her plate. Tom waved at his to show he was finished. The table was cleared quietly around them in moments.
"Yeah. It seemed like he knew what we'd been up to," Tom continued, "he knew about us."
"He called you by name?" Jekyll inquired.
"No. Not that obvious. He called me 'my boy'." He looked quite annoyed by this. "And said about my freaky, supernatural 'friends'. That was a hell of a guess if he didn't know about us."
They sat and pondered over this for a moment, Skinner finishing his wine in silence. Jekyll had a very serious, overly curious look to him now. Nemo turned his head as one of his crew entered, saying, "Captain, we are being contacted by the Empire agent."
Mina and Tom were the last to leave the room, even after Skinner, who followed Jekyll. Nemo had taken off at a jog. When they met up with him again, he was pondering over a message he had just been given.
He turned on them, hand rested on the ornate pommel stone of his sword, as he told them, "We are to go to France."