A/N: Well, Chapter 8 misbehaved, huh? Took ages to actually appear as readable! Grrr... ah well. At least you all got to read it anyway. That's the main thing. It's starting to climax now. I can see the continuation from here quite clearly now. It's all coming together. Should be about five more parts, maybe a couple more. Shouldn't be any more than that. Of course, the length of the chapters is still undetermined. Thanks! This one is quite short, but I had such a positive response overnight, I thought I would put this up as a kind of reward. You've all really encouraged me to continue! Thanks again!
Panzergal: Welcome back! Haven't seen you in a while. :)
Silent Bob 546: Why thank ya', Bob. Sorry... couldn't resist. Yep, usually Sawyer focused, hehe. Can't help it. Irresistible that guy... I think this is mostly what Sethoz and me have in common ;)
Sethoz: *chokes* Gah! Stop that! Remember, if you strangle me, you won't get any more...
MJ: Yay! Welcome back, MJ! Missed you! :D Anyhow, thanks so much for the praise. You flatter me... and trust me, with me, that goes a long way :)
Graymoon74: Aww, thanks! *sniff* That means a lot! :D What would I do without you guys, huh? I'd go nuts and sit in a hole, that's what. To tell you the truth, your favourite bit (Tom at the table with Amelia pulling the strings) was a worrisome bit for me. Wasn't sure that would work... you have consoled me.
Beck2: A Nemo fan? Cool... don't get many of those sadly. I'm not one myself... difficult to write for the man actually... *mumble mumble*
Felicia: Thank you, and welcome :) Here's some Jekyll for you :D
Stopping as soon as he heard the sound, Henry's head turned almost completely independent of his body, and he raised an eyebrow in consideration of what such a disturbance could mean.
"You see what I mean, Henry? You naïve fool... the brat has gone and killed someone."
"Shut up, Edward!" Henry hissed, turning sharply on his heel and heading to the origin of the racket. Gunfire could only come from one person on this submarine. Agent Sawyer was the only one in possession of firearms. No one else trusted them or was trained enough in their usage to carry them, other than Nemo and his men under dire circumstances.
And so Henry jogged to Sawyer's cabin, where he heard a slight noise from inside. He knocked on the door three times swiftly in succession and waited with bated breath. He bounced slightly on the balls of his feet as he stood there, on edge now because of the disturbance. Could something have happened?
That was when Sawyer opened the door, running his fingers through his hair to enable himself to see. He looked to Henry with curious and puzzled green eyes, and waited. When Henry didn't say anything, the young man asked, "Something wrong, Doctor?"
"I heard a noise... a gunshot. Is everything all right?" Henry could see a six-shooter lying on the floor in the background of Sawyer's cabin, and the young man followed his gaze. He laughed, and the two glanced to the shattered lamp on the other side of the room, its remains scattered in all directions from the blast.
"Oh," Sawyer began, smiling disarmingly in an all-American fashion, "no need to worry, Doctor. I just startled myself, that's all. Thought I saw something... I'm fine. Thank you, though, for your concern." He moved to close the door.
Henry actually reached forward and placed his hand on the door to stop it from shutting in his face, and he added, "Are you sure? Nothing's wrong? Nothing at all?"
Something in Sawyer's eyes startled Henry, and he removed his hand from the door at once, as if it had been struck away. He swallowed and smiled. After a moment, Sawyer returned the gesture. "Look, everything is fine. Thank you for checking on me though."
Henry halted again when something in Sawyer's youthful features contradicted his claim. He looked pained all of a sudden, and Sawyer closed his eyes, rubbing them with a hand.
"Something is wrong," Henry noted, and immediately felt his medical instincts kicking in full force, altering his composure and mood drastically. The weak, feeble and shy Jekyll sank to the pit of his being, and the doctor in him rose defiantly.
"No, no," Sawyer protested, but there was less conviction in his words now.
Henry moved a step closer. "Agent Sawyer, you look unwell. Something is wrong, and unless you let me in to determine the cause, I will have to call on Nemo to break the door down, do you understand?"
Gregory stared, breathing steady, but his innards swelling with concern. Amelia's face contorted, and she clamped her eyes shut, forehead creasing in deep concentration. She looked pained suddenly, as though something was ailing her internally.
"You are losing him," Gregory said loudly, firmly. He stared at her with dark eyes, and awaited her argument... he knew it was coming; it always did when he 'doubted' her abilities, which Gregory knew would be a mistake in reality. The woman was powerful... very powerful.
"I am not. I am in perfect control."
"You are lying, I can see it in your face," Gregory countered sternly, stepping forward and noticing there was an edge to his voice now, one that he took little shame in. "You are in pain... he is stronger than we thought. Bring him back."
"I will not," Amelia growled. "Be quiet!"
"Look at yourself, Amelia, you are tired. You cannot hope to keep the boy under your control in this condition. If you do not bring him back now, we will lose him!"
"I will not lose him, Gregory! I know what I am doing, and you are not helping," Amelia's own tone was dangerous and challenging. Though her eyes were closed to maximise her level of concentration on her subject, she intimidated Gregory.
The man would never admit it though, not even to himself. He was too proud, too determined to appear infallible. "Amelia, listen to me, for the love of God... he is too strong for you. Bring him back, and we will have to double our efforts to break him. We underestimated his will. Amelia..." Gregory paused, confident that she was listening by the way her head tilted slightly to one side to listen, "if you lose him now, on the Nautilus, we will have no hope of fulfilling your mission."
Her mission... that's right, it is her mission. Why do I care? Why do I persist? Gregory smiled inwardly. Because I am entertained... that is why.
"Amelia," he began in conclusion, and finished firmly by saying slowly, "Bring. Him. Back."
Though Amelia remained silent, the way her face softened gave Gregory the feeling that he had just won the argument. Triumphant, he settled back into nonchalance, and waited.
Henry was halfway in the door, when Sawyer actually gave him a gentle shove. Henry was startled, and eyed the American cautiously. Something was different about him... Edward was right... Edward was right!
"I am overjoyed to see you admit it," Edward voiced sarcastically in his mind, but he ignored the brute.
"I-" Sawyer mumbled and shook his head, taking a deep breath. He snatched his coat off the rack to his left, and donned it. "I have to go, Doctor. I'm sorry. Apologise to the others for me."
"But-"
"I'll be back as soon as I can," Sawyer added on his way down the corridor. Henry watched him go, and jogged after him when a moment had passed. Perhaps the young man would divulge further if he were pursued to the hatch.
"Agent Sawyer!" Henry called, trailing behind him, noticing the American's unusually long strides. Henry had trouble keeping up, and grumbled to himself that he needed to exercise more. Shame on him for not doing so anyway in his profession.
"Agent Sawyer, where are you going?"
"To see a friend."
They were at the hatch in no time, and Henry stopped and watched, dismayed, as Sawyer strode away into the crowds of New York. The people were in their own little worlds, ignorant even to the submarine that sat revealed in the dock. Henry resisted the urge to call after his friend, and only then noticed what was very wrong.
Sawyer had left with only one gun on his person... that had never happened before.