Disclaimer: I don't own anyone except Katie. Everyone else belongs to whoever they belong to.
Notes: Okay, I decided to post it now for two reasons. One, because more people were in favor of my posting it now. Two because after I wrote and posted the Author's Note, I started writing and writing like mad. Again, I apologize for taking this long to post. Thank you to all those who reviewed, and I hope this won't happen again.
Don't Let Me Down
I lie on my back in the middle of the cell for quite some time, trying to gather my wits. My body continues to tremble, and I shut my eyes, trying to make myself forget what just happened. Mina respectfully gives me some space until I have collected myself. When our eyes meet, she gives me a sympathetic look, which actually makes me feel a little better. I heave a deep sigh, and then say," I guess I have some explaining to do." She nods, and then looks expectant as I try to think of a good way to phrase it all. By the time I think of something, and manage to tell her the whole story, I'm sure that more than a half hour has passed.
By the end of it, Mina looks shocked, displaying more emotion than I have ever seen her display. She barks out a laugh and says," That's your plan? Are you insane? Seriously, have you lost your mind? You don't even know if it's going to work, never mind the fact that it could kill you!" I sigh again and then respond," Don't you think I know all that? I've thought about this over and over again, Mina." I fall silent, and then look away from her, biting my lip. After a moment of silence, I look at her, my face as serious as its ever been.
" Mina... how far would you go to save these people?" I ask her softly, gesturing to the children in the tiny cell across from us, huddled together. She hesitates and then honestly replies," As far as it takes." I nod at her, and after a moment of heavy silence I softly plead," Henry already hates me for doing this... I don't think I could stand it if you hated me too." She looks surprised for a moment, and I can't really say I blame her. We've never been very close, in fact we usually regard each other with a mask of low-key hostility. But we are alike in many ways, very important ways. We constantly have to prove ourselves to the rest of the team to show that we women are capable of defending ourselves.
When a look of reluctant acceptance crosses her features, I give a determined sigh and then instruct her to watch the door. I sit down in the furthest corner of the room and tear a strip off of the bottom of my dress. When I've managed that, I take the knife from Mina, my hand trembling slightly. Mina glances back at me as I put the scrap of cloth in my mouth. I steel myself as I roll up my sleeve, and then, breathing hard, I stab myself deep in the arm. The cloth in my mouth muffles my cry of pain thankfully, but I still see the wince that Mina makes. I know I'm probably encouraging her bloodlust right now, but that is a risk I will have to take.
I reach out with my mind, finding it much easier to do with the pain acting as a guide of sorts. My hands shake as I focus hard, but I continue to prod at the bloody wound on my arm, needing that pain to aid me. I can actually see the sea as my mind crosses it. It's an odd feeling, like being split into two. Part of me is still here in the cell, but the other part is soaring like a bird over the damp streets of London, towards our building. Like a flash, my mind is racing through the hallways, trying to find someone, anyone. The first person my mind connects with is Quartermain. I feel his body jerk as my mind enters his violently.
Allan.
My God... you actually did it.
Congratulate me later. I have to show you where Moreau's island is.
The connection fades slightly, and so I cut myself again, higher this time and harder. I scream into the material in my mouth and then focus again. I tell Allan where to go, getting exact names and times from various people. My mind feels like it has tentacles now, reaching out to many people instead of just one. I feel more than a little disoriented, as I have never done anything like this before, but on a more perverse level it's exhilarating.
At times, when I am able to focus better, I can actually see what Allan sees. I see the confused and worried looks of the other men in the same room as him. I see Henry and my heart aches terribly.
Allan, Mina and I are trapped in a cell below the main complex. From what I could see there are several tunnels filled with cells such as ours. You... you have to hurry.
We'll be there as soon as possible. Just hang on... hang on.
We will. I'll be in contact if I see anything happening.
I sigh heavily as I break the link completely. Now that I don't have the connection to distract me, my arm hurts more, making me whimper slightly. Mina comes to my side and sits down next to me. She tears a strip of cloth from the bottom of her skirt and wraps it around my bleeding arm tightly, stanching the flow. Mina is not one to make apologies, nor is she one to be overly affectionate. But in that cell, alone and scared as we are, she is a different woman to me entirely. When she takes my hand and squeezes it gently, I squeeze it back, both accepting and returning the small amount of comfort she gives.
We are left in the cell for what seems like weeks. We have no concept of time, we have no idea if it's night or day. We are only taken out of our cell if we have the need to use the bathroom. This is the only luxury we are allowed, besides our food. Mina becomes restless and nervous, pacing the cell sometimes for hours. She is like a caged animal needing to be free. Her normally cool exterior is slowly breaking apart, and I can't blame her. That beast inside of her craves the hunt, craves the freedom. This must be killing her.
I, on the other hand, become weak with loss of blood. The wounds on my arm open often, and the lack of blood makes me feel as vulnerable as a newborn babe. We don't speak often, but when we do it's usually just small talk to help pass the time. I half hope that Moreau's forgotten about us altogether. I contact the others when it becomes too much, and I make sure to make Allan feel the desperation, the impending madness which is being forced upon Mina and I in our captivity. They seem so far away, even though Allan assures me that Nemo's Nautilis is moving at top speed.
It seems as if one of London's fogs has rolled straight into my brain, depriving me of all my senses, making me drift away from reality, like floating down the Thames on a rowboat without an oar to steer myself. I vaguely recall Mina's flashing green eyes looking down at me occasionally. I want to tell her that everything will be alright, but how could I tell her something that I don't believe myself? I am occasionally able to reach Tom, just to make sure he's alright. The guards have taken to beating him occasionally, finding his helplessness hilarious, and I worry about him.
Please God, hurry.
Then, quite suddenly, the fog clears. The first thing I notice is that a rather large man with a big bushy mustache is leaning over me. The second thing I notice is that my cheek stings. The third thing I notice is that I am alone. I sit up fast and am horrified to hear Mina's screams. I try to get past the man but he stops me by roughly grabbing me by the shoulders and smacking me again. I try to fight him, but he outweighs me by at least a hundred pounds, making it impossible.
" You little bitch." he snarls, seizing me by the hair and wrenching back my head. I stare at him, not quite sure what I've done to make him so angry. I let out a little moan of pain as he drags me out of the cell by my hair, forcing me to keep up. I make some very pathetic attempts to strike out at him using my nails, but his strength and rage combined with my weakness and bewilderment are no match whatsoever. As my senses come back to me fully, I manage to rasp in a voice that hardly sounds like my own," What... What's happened?" He sneers at me and growls," You know damn well what's happened." He pauses in his steady march to backhand me violently, cursing at me the entire time.
" I don't understand what's happened." I mumble in protest, wincing when he sends me another severe look and continues to drag me along, this time by my arm. I look over my shoulder, trying to spot Mina, but there is no sign of her. I swallow heavily and call out," Mina?" My voice has a slightly panicked note to it, and is lost in the sudden noise of men running and shouting vaguely. I blink, and it finally dawns on me that the others must be near. Alarms begin to go off, shrieking like banshees, and I fight the urge to cover my ears with my hands.
What should I do? I ask myself, my whole body tensing. Indecision rules me as I allow my captor to continue leading me down the hallway. Should I fight him, and try to find the others? Am I even capable of doing such a thing, in my state? Should I stay passive, and see what happens? Should I wait for them to come to me, or should I go to them?
Unfortunately, my decision is made for me as we reach the main room before I can make up my mind. It is utter chaos as I enter, men scurrying to and fro, others shouting orders and curses at the tops of their lungs. An explosion rocks the building, and I only barely manage to brace myself to prevent a fall. Seeing an opportunity, I wait until the next explosion before gathering my strength and hitting the man who has me as hard as I possibly can. He grunts as the elbow on my good arm strikes him in the face, right in the nose. He claps his hands to his face, howling in pain, and I race away from him, running down to the main foyer as fast as my legs can carry me.
I finally have the presence of mind to reach out and contact the others. In my state of agitation and high distraction, it takes much more effort than I had originally thought it would, but when I manage to find Mina, it brings such comfort that tears literally spring to my eyes. Mina is currently staging her own rebellion, baring her teeth and quenching the terrible thirst which the demon inside of her longs for. After the days of starvation, her savagery reaches terrifying new levels, and I can see the carnage left behind.
Mina...
Katie, she responds, howling in glee, where are you? What's going on?
The others are here! It must be them! I'm in the main foyer, I managed to get away from that guard.
Wait there, I'll come for you, she tells me, doing just that.
What about Tom? I demand, worried about the American. She hesitates, torn between wanting to find me, and wanting to get Tom. I shake my head and say, I'll be fine. Go get him. I cut off our link before she can protest, and set out on my own to find the others. The foyer is partially abandoned by now, most of the guards outside in a futile attempt to stop the others before they get in. I wonder briefly where Moreau and his son are before darting off again, not really sure what I'm doing.
It's not long before I am tackled by an errant guard, and when my head connects with the floor, the resulting pain makes me cry out loudly, wishing that I had made Mina come for me first. I am turned over onto my back and I automatically begin to struggle with my new opponent, mainly using my nails to scratch at his face. I can't use my powers, not after talking to Mina for as long as I did and under the circumstances.
" Help!" I cry in instinct, wishing I had something to defend myself with. It doesn't take much for him to finally overpower me, grabbing me by the wrists and yanking me to my feet. He begins to try and drag me to some unknown, but suddenly, he freezes in mid-motion, his grip on me loosening. When he slumps to the ground blonelessly, I stare at him, wondering for a moment what's going on. I look up again when I hear heavy breathing.
" Skinner?" I question, biting my lip nervously. I start when he places a hand on my shoulder, letting out a startled cry. He shushes me and gently says," Hello luv." I breathe a sigh of relief and say," Where are the others?" He makes a noise somewhere to my left and sullenly mutters," Nice to see you too." Louder, he says," They're outside." I close my eyes for a moment, trying to collect myself, and then announce," We need help."
" The children?" He asks, though I know he already suspects the answer. I nod, briefly thinking about how irritating it is to talk to Skinner when he's invisible like this.
" They're below still. I don't know how to get them out." I moan, already overwhelmed. Skinner places a hand on my arm, and I wince in pain, gritting my teeth to stop my cry of pain. He's so close that I can feel his breath on my cheek when he says," Relax." I draw a deep breath in and then tentatively say," Is Henry-?"
" He's taken the formula already." Skinner interrupts, pulling back from me," Where are Mina and Tom?"
" I-I don't know. I broke contact with them awhile ago. I can't do it again. I'm... I'm too weak." I admit, looking down at my feet. I bite my lip and then say," We'll go find them first. I remember where Tom is, Mina was on her way." I grope around for Skinners hand, and when I finally find it, I begin to run, dragging him with me using my good hand.
[Next time]
The second part of 'Don't Let Me Down'. Don't miss it!