Disclaimer: 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.
PICKING UP THE PIECES
By Etcetera Kit
Chapter Nineteen: A Cruel Bargain
Henry smiled to himself as the carriage barreled forward, taking them back to the Nautilus. Mina was snuggled up against his side and his arm was around her shoulders. Never before in his life had he felt so content, so happy. Everything he had dreamt of since joining the League had come to pass. Hyde was gone- he had not heard even the remotest whisper of the beast's voice and Mina swore that his eyes now looked different. And he was going to burn all the journals and papers on the formula the minute they were back on the ship along with any remaining vials of formula. No else needed to find this evil.
The past several days had gone by in a deliriously blissful blur. They had arrived back at the hotel in Bukovina filthy and had to sneak up the back stairs to their room. All the clothing that had been ruined that night had been burned. It was as if they had no more inhibitions about anything- laughing and practically bathing together. And with each layer of the muck and the filth that came off he could feel a certain weigh being taken from him- all the horrors were now in the past, no longer to be dwelt on. After getting rid of the dirt, he discovered he had a black eye and bruises on his neck from where the Count had picked him up along with bruises from where he had hit the walls. Everything they had brought to kill the Count had been left in that shed except for the Winchester.
The next morning, he had gone to Father Fitzgibbon at the little church. The elderly man was sweeping the front steps when Henry came up. He smiled and waved.
"Good morning, Doctor Jekyll! It is good to see you!" But his smile had faded quickly when he saw what state Henry's face and neck was in- even the high starched collar did not hide all of the bruises on his neck. "Good Lord, son, what happened to you?"
"Nothing," he had replied with a smile. "Nothing that is still important."
The priest looked concerned. "Something must have… But what can I do for you?"
"Mina and I want to get married as soon as possible."
Father Fitzgibbon raised an eyebrow. "In a hurry?" Henry nodded. "Well, you'll need to go get a license first and then at least a cheap ring, but… how does three o'clock this afternoon sound?"
Henry grinned. "That's perfect, Father!"
Father Fitzgibbon then gave him directions to the nearest courthouse. He said that there was an official there who spoke limited English, but good French and German. That man would be able to give him the license without any questions or delays. He also gave him directions of a jeweler who sold a variety of rings and would haggle over prices if one did not have enough. The lady of the shop spoke limited French, so Henry could get everything he needed. And then he was off, running errands in a strange town that suddenly seemed like the most beautiful place that he had ever been in his life.
They had gotten back to the church slightly before three and Father Fitzgibbon was waiting for them. His assistant, a young native man by the name of Father Switzenberg, was going to be a witness to the ceremony.
As the old priest recited the familiar words, he had never felt such happiness and knew by looking at Mina that the sentiment was the same. He was painfully aware of the cheap gold rings in his pocket and was entranced with what Mina had chosen to wear. Neither of them had any proper wedding attire. Her blouse was becoming- made of white linen with small, delicate lace decorations and an iron gray skirt. There was nothing at her throat- and he smiled remembering how the scars from where Dracula gave her the bite had vanished. She was beautiful and he had never thought she would love him in return. Unrequited love… that seemed to be the story of his life. But no more. The fears were gone and they could live their lives in peace without fear of Dracula or Hyde.
He could recall that tender kiss they shared at the end perfectly. Then they had to hurry to the hotel to pack and get on the midnight train to Klausenburgh. Father Fitzgibbon had joked that they would not have much time to consummate the marriage… they had just smiled knowing that the priest could not know what had happened between them previously when it was considered sinful. Now, it didn't matter.
They would be on the Nautilus soon and everyone with half a brain would know that everything was fine and their mission had been successful.
"Here we are!" the driver yelled, pulling the carriage to an abrupt halt.
He smiled at Mina as the driver threw open the door and offered a hand down to Mina. The expression in her eyes said that she would rather he had just let them get out on their own, but society required she act like a semi-helpless lady. She would rebel against that and he knew it. But it was a small matter. It didn't matter what she wanted to do, he would always love her. The driver set their bags on the ground next to them before hopping back up on the carriage and whipping the horses into action.
The Nautilus was obvious from where they stood at the end of the pier. They picked up the bags and walked the short distance to the ship.
"Where is everyone?" Mina asked softly.
And she was right. Where was everyone was indeed the question. Normally there would have been at least crew members waiting to receive them, if not Nemo, Sawyer and Skinner themselves. The ship was eerily silent and devoid of any of the usual life and bustle of the crew and guests. What in the world was going on? One hatch leading into the ship was open. Henry and Mina exchanged a glance and entered the ship.
The ship was completely silent too and the hallway the hatch led them to was deserted. Leaving their bags by the door, they slowly made their way down the hallway.
"Where would we go to find anyone?" Henry asked.
"If anywhere, Nemo's office," Mina replied. "Remember how we were all supposed to meet there when there was a supposed intruder?"
He gave her a wry smile. "I believe I recall."
She snorted and playfully smacked his arm in a place she knew to be without bruises. They moved along the corridors and up to the main level of the ship. The hatch leading out onto the deck was closed and there was no one in the control room. However, as the ascended the stairs to the office, they were provided a glimpse into the dining room. Strange men were seated around the table. If Henry didn't know any better, he'd say that they were police officers from several different countries.
Mina tried the door to the office. "It's locked," she hissed. Henry moved in front of her, always keeping an eye on those police officers and knocked softly on the door.
"Who is it?" came a muffled voice from inside the office.
"It's Mina and Henry," he replied impatiently.
Suddenly, the door was flung open and Sawyer yanked them both into the office. Skinner slammed the door behind them and put the locks quickly into place.
"We thought it was the damn police again," Sawyer said. Nemo was in his chair, behind his desk clutching a gun. Another gun was sticking out of Skinner's coat pocket and Sawyer's Winchester was over his back.
"Dear God…" Henry said under his breath. "What happened?"
"The police have taken my ship," Nemo said in a kind of dead voice.
Sawyer sighed. "The officers out there managed to capture Hasaan when he went out to try and find some food for us."
"How long have you been in here?" Mina asked.
"Since last night," Sawyer replied. "We don't really need food yet, but Hasaan insisted and now he's probably with the rest of the crew wherever the cops have them nestled."
"What do they want?" Henry asked. But his question was answered for him. Almost immediately after he spoke, a loud banging came on the door.
"Who's in there with you?" a loud, scraping voice yelled. Nemo was on his feet in an instant, brown eyes ablaze with fury. He strode over to the door.
"They are innocents!" he said, voice several decibels louder than it had ever been. "I was helping them to get home and now they cannot thanks to you!"
"Look, Nemo," the voice said again. "We've told you our terms and they're reasonable. So just cut out all this nonsense."
Henry knew his eyes were probably wide. This did not make any sense at all. How could the police have taken Nemo's ship when the entire crew would die for him? And it did not seem that Nemo knew the answer either. The warm cloud he had been floating out had been obliterated as the cold reality of their situation dawned upon him. How on earth were they going to get off this ship without being arrested, killed or dying of starvation? It did not seem possible to avoid any of the terms that he had just imagined.
"What do they want?" he asked softly.
"They want Skinner, myself and the ship," Nemo answer tightly.
"The ship?" Mina asked. "But what does that-"
"It all goes back to M," Sawyer said. "He was going to meet with the leaders of Europe about us and the Nautilus. Some of them still have wind of it."
"And they still want it," Skinner added unnecessarily. "Look, I don't doubt that I belong in jail, but-"
"I belong in jail as well," Nemo cut in. "But there is no way they can take my ship. Hasaan has co-ownership of it and if I were to be arrested, the entire ownership would fall to him." He sighed. "They won't listen to their own laws."
Henry sighed. "Perhaps if a third party-"
"I'm going with you," Sawyer said almost immediately.
"He hasn't even finished the statement," Skinner remarked.
"But you were going to say that you wanted to go out there and talk to the police." Sawyer's brown eyes held a hopeful look. He drew in a deep breath.
"I was."
"Well, then I am going with the two of you." Mina's face looked adamant as if nothing was going to stop her. He knew that one was coming as well.
"If you believe you can help…" Nemo's voice trailed off. He looked so angry and lost at the same time. It was as if he had never felt such an acute anger and was not quite sure how to react to it. Henry's heart went out to him.
He looked to Mina and Sawyer and then turned to the door, undoing the locks and the cracking the heavy steel door open. The police were no longer on the landing outside the office. The three of them slipped outside the door and quickly shut it behind them. However, they did not hear the clink of the locks being done. They were opening themselves to any sort of ambush from these officers.
A police officer was sitting outside the dining room and immediately stood up when he saw them. Another group of men came out of the dining room and observed the three of them- Sawyer still clutching the Winchester.
"State your names," the man who had been outside the dining room said.
"I'm Doctor Henry Jekyll," Henry started the introductions. His eyes flicked to Mina uncertainly. He was not entirely sure how to introduce her.
"Wilhelmina Jekyll," she supplied, shooting Tom a look that told him to express any surprise later.
"Tom Sawyer," Tom then said simply, giving himself no identification with the American Secret Service like he ordinarily would have done.
The officer looked a bit amused at the three of them. His colorless eyes flicked to Henry and Mina. "Married or siblings?" he asked as if it were a normal question. However, it was a bad question to ask in front of Tom. He cocked and aimed his Winchester and seemed like he had every intention of shooting the officer. Henry quickly placed a hand on the barrel of the gun and pushed it so that it was aimed at the ground.
"We are married," he said quietly.
The officer looked nonplussed at Sawyer's behavior. "So I assume you are here to negotiate on behalf of the two still locked in that office."
Henry gave the man a cool stare. "There is nothing to negotiate. You are here to arrest Captain Nemo and Rodney Skinner."
"And we are confiscating their property."
"That is where you are at an impasse," Mina said smoothly, picking up the thread of the conversation. "If something happens to Captain Nemo, imprisonment or otherwise, then the entire ownership of his possessions falls to his butler, Hasaan."
"Hasaan al Sharif," Sawyer added.
"We have orders-"
"Your orders are wrong," Mina said quietly. "You can arrest Skinner and Nemo, but you have no legal right to his property."
Henry sighed. "Arrest Nemo and Skinner, but for God's sake, release the crew from wherever you have them hidden away and let them go about their jobs."
"You will also find Hasaan al Sharif with them," Sawyer said, his voice edgy and tense. "He'll be able to produce all the necessary documentation for you."
The officer nodded to some of his men and they headed off towards the bowels of the vessel. He then looked to them. "I suggest you say goodbye to your friends."
Henry nodded and they went back up the stairs to Nemo's office. Nemo and Skinner immediately stood up the moment they entered. "They are not taking the ship?" Nemo asked, the slight Indian accent he normally spoke with extraordinarily pronounced. Henry nodded wearily.
"And they want us?" Skinner asked unnecessarily. Again, he nodded.
Nemo's expression went from one of anger to pure sadness. Henry closed his eyes for a moment, wanting to believe that this was not happening. The League was not being splintered more and being spread even further apart. First Allan dying, coming back and disappearing again and now this… When he opened his eyes he knew that this was indeed happening. He had gone from a daydream to a nightmare in a matter of half an hour.
A lump formed at the back of his throat as Nemo embraced the three of them in turn and whispered something in his native language. He then bowed to them looking as serene as always. Perhaps in embracing them, he had found the sort of peace he needed to remain calm in the face of what was most certainly coming in the days ahead. All three of them looked ready to cry as Nemo walked out of the room.
Skinner gravely shook everyone's hand and followed Nemo. He looked scared that something horrible would happen to him this time around in jail. They remained frozen where they were. Henry did not want to see them carted off by the police. It was not right that two people he had come to know and treasure were being traded in a cruel bargain. He did not know how much time had passed when Hasaan came in and bowed to them. It did not escape his perception that the man's eyes were slightly pink.
"Where should we set the course for?" he asked.
Henry opened his mouth, but it was Mina who spoke.
"London," she said, looking to Henry. "It's time to go home."
He nodded and looked to Sawyer. "Sawyer?" he asked, seeking his approval.
The young American nodded. "I guess I could stay there for a while."
Hasaan looked concerned. "Where would you like to go?"
"Wherever Henry and Mina go. I don't think I want to leave everyone so soon." A tear slipped down his cheek. Henry smiled sadly. It was hard to believe that their numbers had once been seven. One was lost as a traitor… one died and now remained so… two they had lost to the justice system of England… and now they were only three. He smiled as Mina laced her hand through his and they left the office. Perhaps, everything would be all right… Perhaps…To Be Continued...
