Chapter 4
SOMEWHERE IN OSLO, NORWAY
NAUTILUS
Jekyll met his friends as they boarded the Nautilus. His reaction to Allan's presence was almost exactly the same as Tom's. As they adjourned to the stateroom, Jekyll kept staring at Allan, much to his discomfort.
"How did he come back?" Jekyll whispered to Skinner, with whom he had formed a close friendship. After all, the social outcasts had to stick together, didn't they?
"Don't know myself, really," Skinner replied, not bothering to lower his voice. "So, Mr. Q, how did you come back?"
"Its good to know you haven't shut up, Skinner," Allan said dryly. Skinner grinned. In the stateroom, Nemo questioned Allan about all the hows, whos, wheres and whens.
"See here, Nemo," Allan leaned forward in his chair. "I've been all over the world since I came back from the dead, looking for you. Unfortunately, I didn't want to make contact because of Felix."
"Who?" Tom asked, sitting on the table.
Allan sighed. "You don't know, do you?"
"Know what?"
"The madman - I assume you know he wants to send the world into war." At their nods, he continued. "His name is Felix Maddox, and he managed to get M's plans...he's been making the weapons en masse, using a factory somewhere."
"Just like M," Mina said thoughtfully. The memory of killing her former lover had never really escaped her.
"Just like M," Allan agreed. "He was planning to meet up with one James Seymour to plan their attack on London."
"London?" Tom exclaimed. He looked at Skinner.
"I thought he was planning to attack Oslo?" Mina asked. Allan shook his head.
"No, it's London. I'm sure of it; I overheard some of the marksmen you took out talking, Mina. 'London's our sweet dove,' one of them said."
"Seems that this Maddox guy is smarter than we thought, eh?" Skinner said. "Outwitting us so early in the game."
"He hasn't outwitted us yet, Skinner," Allan said. "We - I - know that he planned to lure you away from London so it would be easier for him to take over."
"But what does he want?" Jekyll spoke up, frowning. "London doesn't have much in the way of power."
"He wants to seize the throne, doesn't he?" Mina deduced. "If he takes the throne, then there is not much anyone could do about it."
Allan nodded. "That's what I think he's planning to do. Storm London when they least expect it, when they don't have any safeguards or protection against his weapons."
Nemo looked thoughtful. "We can make it to London in three days."
Allan shook his head. "We wouldn't make it in time. He's planning to move soon. Within the next two days, at least."
"But how can he move so fast?" Tom frowned. "I thought the Nautilus was faster than anything I've heard of."
"Who said Maddox had to been in Norway?"
"He's in London?!"
"Not in London, but somewhere near," Allan looked at his protégée, studied the lines of the face, the stance, the confidence, the way he carried himself. Inwardly, he smiled. The boy had become a man. "Perhaps on the outskirts of the city."
"We need to get there as fast as we can." Tom stated. *Indeed,* Allan thought. *The boy has become a man. Perhaps a even leader of men. And women.* he added in his thoughts, glancing at Mina. "Nemo, what about that thing that Dorian took last time?"
Although Tom didn't notice it, Skinner saw that Mina flinched at the mention of Dorian Gray.
"The Nautipod?" Nemo asked. Tom nodded.
"That thing." Nemo looked slightly offended that Tom had called the Nautipod a 'thing'. "How fast can it go?"
"Faster than the Nautilus, I assure you." The captain was beginning to see what Tom had in mind. "Much faster. It could reach London before the Nautilus."
"And start the attack," Jekyll nodded. "The Nautilus could catch up and be the cavalry."
"Exactly." Allan approved of the doctor's fast thinking. "Some of us could go in the Nautipod first."
"Get to London, thrash the baddies, save the world," Skinner said. "Sounds good to me."
"So whaddaya waiting for?" Tom stood up and hefted the Winchester. "Let's move!"
---------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------
LONDON, ENGLAND
OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY
The room in the factory was every bit as depressing as the rain pattering against the dirty windows. There was only a table littered with the remnants of a meal, a chair and a gas lamp that swayed precariously above the table, casting crazy shadows on the grimy walls. Felix Maddox paced the length of the floor in the factory that his laborers produced the cutting-edge weapons in. *Production is moving too slow, he thought, pacing faster. We need to be ready soon.* Then, he paused and thought about the trap that the League had walked straight into. Stupid idiots...they didn't expect it, to be sure. He preened. He was a genius! He was better than Moriaty, when it came to this kind of thing. Only problem was, Moriaty had wanted profit; he wanted power. Full power of the Throne. Full power of the world.
Soon, the sound of footsteps were heard as someone walked up to the heavy iron door that separated the room from others. A knock came.
"Come in," Felix barked. The door was pushed open, a loud screeching of metal against metal. A young man entered, shoes clicking against the floor. "What's the news, man?" Felix asked his lieutenant, a young striking man.
"They're moving as fast as humanely possible, Maddox," the man told his boss. "The weapons should be ready by tomorrow night."
Felix nodded and sat down at the table, pushing aside what was left of his meal. "Good. What about Norway? Any news?"
"The League members are all dead," the man reported. "Word just came in from Martine."
"Excellent." The League is out of my way now he thought. *I should have no obstacles anymore. 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' indeed! They were stupid enough to fall for my trick. Now they're dead. HAH!* "Try and get those people down there to work faster. I'm impatient to get moving."
"Yes, sir." The man left.
---------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------
LONDON, ENGLAND
DEEP IN THE CITY
In the darkness of the cramped cupboard that had become his home for the past months, a suave man leaned back and grinned. He had sent the signal; now all he needed to do was wait. *She would be proud.* He thought of the woman whom he had always loved: her green eyes and red hair. *She would've been so proud.*
The signal apparatus lay in front of him, used as it would be used again, in the near future. *And she hated me for all that I did to her.* He leaned back in the cramped space. *To her friends. Well, forever is a long time.*
*Time is a good and bad thing. It can make people, break them. Everyone wants to do what they can - adventure, fame, nobility - while others have eternity. Like me. Eternity. Ah, the complexities of life. An idle wish has now become the biggest curse. And in that wish, I have become what I am today...trying to make up for my past, so full of mistakes. Eternity. Oh, the curse of forever. Perhaps, with this one deed, I can make up for all that I've done. Perhaps. Even if I don't...I'll have other chances.*
"After all," he said to himself. "Eternity is a long time."
SOMEWHERE IN OSLO, NORWAY
NAUTILUS
Jekyll met his friends as they boarded the Nautilus. His reaction to Allan's presence was almost exactly the same as Tom's. As they adjourned to the stateroom, Jekyll kept staring at Allan, much to his discomfort.
"How did he come back?" Jekyll whispered to Skinner, with whom he had formed a close friendship. After all, the social outcasts had to stick together, didn't they?
"Don't know myself, really," Skinner replied, not bothering to lower his voice. "So, Mr. Q, how did you come back?"
"Its good to know you haven't shut up, Skinner," Allan said dryly. Skinner grinned. In the stateroom, Nemo questioned Allan about all the hows, whos, wheres and whens.
"See here, Nemo," Allan leaned forward in his chair. "I've been all over the world since I came back from the dead, looking for you. Unfortunately, I didn't want to make contact because of Felix."
"Who?" Tom asked, sitting on the table.
Allan sighed. "You don't know, do you?"
"Know what?"
"The madman - I assume you know he wants to send the world into war." At their nods, he continued. "His name is Felix Maddox, and he managed to get M's plans...he's been making the weapons en masse, using a factory somewhere."
"Just like M," Mina said thoughtfully. The memory of killing her former lover had never really escaped her.
"Just like M," Allan agreed. "He was planning to meet up with one James Seymour to plan their attack on London."
"London?" Tom exclaimed. He looked at Skinner.
"I thought he was planning to attack Oslo?" Mina asked. Allan shook his head.
"No, it's London. I'm sure of it; I overheard some of the marksmen you took out talking, Mina. 'London's our sweet dove,' one of them said."
"Seems that this Maddox guy is smarter than we thought, eh?" Skinner said. "Outwitting us so early in the game."
"He hasn't outwitted us yet, Skinner," Allan said. "We - I - know that he planned to lure you away from London so it would be easier for him to take over."
"But what does he want?" Jekyll spoke up, frowning. "London doesn't have much in the way of power."
"He wants to seize the throne, doesn't he?" Mina deduced. "If he takes the throne, then there is not much anyone could do about it."
Allan nodded. "That's what I think he's planning to do. Storm London when they least expect it, when they don't have any safeguards or protection against his weapons."
Nemo looked thoughtful. "We can make it to London in three days."
Allan shook his head. "We wouldn't make it in time. He's planning to move soon. Within the next two days, at least."
"But how can he move so fast?" Tom frowned. "I thought the Nautilus was faster than anything I've heard of."
"Who said Maddox had to been in Norway?"
"He's in London?!"
"Not in London, but somewhere near," Allan looked at his protégée, studied the lines of the face, the stance, the confidence, the way he carried himself. Inwardly, he smiled. The boy had become a man. "Perhaps on the outskirts of the city."
"We need to get there as fast as we can." Tom stated. *Indeed,* Allan thought. *The boy has become a man. Perhaps a even leader of men. And women.* he added in his thoughts, glancing at Mina. "Nemo, what about that thing that Dorian took last time?"
Although Tom didn't notice it, Skinner saw that Mina flinched at the mention of Dorian Gray.
"The Nautipod?" Nemo asked. Tom nodded.
"That thing." Nemo looked slightly offended that Tom had called the Nautipod a 'thing'. "How fast can it go?"
"Faster than the Nautilus, I assure you." The captain was beginning to see what Tom had in mind. "Much faster. It could reach London before the Nautilus."
"And start the attack," Jekyll nodded. "The Nautilus could catch up and be the cavalry."
"Exactly." Allan approved of the doctor's fast thinking. "Some of us could go in the Nautipod first."
"Get to London, thrash the baddies, save the world," Skinner said. "Sounds good to me."
"So whaddaya waiting for?" Tom stood up and hefted the Winchester. "Let's move!"
---------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------
LONDON, ENGLAND
OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY
The room in the factory was every bit as depressing as the rain pattering against the dirty windows. There was only a table littered with the remnants of a meal, a chair and a gas lamp that swayed precariously above the table, casting crazy shadows on the grimy walls. Felix Maddox paced the length of the floor in the factory that his laborers produced the cutting-edge weapons in. *Production is moving too slow, he thought, pacing faster. We need to be ready soon.* Then, he paused and thought about the trap that the League had walked straight into. Stupid idiots...they didn't expect it, to be sure. He preened. He was a genius! He was better than Moriaty, when it came to this kind of thing. Only problem was, Moriaty had wanted profit; he wanted power. Full power of the Throne. Full power of the world.
Soon, the sound of footsteps were heard as someone walked up to the heavy iron door that separated the room from others. A knock came.
"Come in," Felix barked. The door was pushed open, a loud screeching of metal against metal. A young man entered, shoes clicking against the floor. "What's the news, man?" Felix asked his lieutenant, a young striking man.
"They're moving as fast as humanely possible, Maddox," the man told his boss. "The weapons should be ready by tomorrow night."
Felix nodded and sat down at the table, pushing aside what was left of his meal. "Good. What about Norway? Any news?"
"The League members are all dead," the man reported. "Word just came in from Martine."
"Excellent." The League is out of my way now he thought. *I should have no obstacles anymore. 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' indeed! They were stupid enough to fall for my trick. Now they're dead. HAH!* "Try and get those people down there to work faster. I'm impatient to get moving."
"Yes, sir." The man left.
---------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------
LONDON, ENGLAND
DEEP IN THE CITY
In the darkness of the cramped cupboard that had become his home for the past months, a suave man leaned back and grinned. He had sent the signal; now all he needed to do was wait. *She would be proud.* He thought of the woman whom he had always loved: her green eyes and red hair. *She would've been so proud.*
The signal apparatus lay in front of him, used as it would be used again, in the near future. *And she hated me for all that I did to her.* He leaned back in the cramped space. *To her friends. Well, forever is a long time.*
*Time is a good and bad thing. It can make people, break them. Everyone wants to do what they can - adventure, fame, nobility - while others have eternity. Like me. Eternity. Ah, the complexities of life. An idle wish has now become the biggest curse. And in that wish, I have become what I am today...trying to make up for my past, so full of mistakes. Eternity. Oh, the curse of forever. Perhaps, with this one deed, I can make up for all that I've done. Perhaps. Even if I don't...I'll have other chances.*
"After all," he said to himself. "Eternity is a long time."