A/N: At last, an update! I'm so sorry that this chapter has taken so long. We moved to a new apartment and I think that my muse lost the new address. I hope that it was worth the wait, and the next chapter shouldn't be quite so long in coming.
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it. If you sue me, you get nothing. So that's not really worth my time, is it? If you want to use something that is mine, please ask first.
Ah, my wonderful reviewers! I am so sorry to have kept you waiting! I hope that you enjoy this chapter and that you will continue to review!
Goth13- Thanks for the compliment. I doubt it's more interesting than the movie, but hey-I'm flattered you think so.
QuenyaHorseWhisper77- Thanks! I'm doing my best to keep Abigail from being a Mary-Sue, although people's definitions of Mary Sues vary, so I can't promise anything. She does have a secret up her sleeve though…
Sethoz- Here you go! I'm so glad that you like it. I hope that I don't end up disappointing you--it probably won't be as good as your stories. Speaking of which, update for Bodyguard soon???
RogueSparrow- Sorry that it wasn't a speedy update. Writer's block is evil…I'll try to do better next time. Glad you like it.
drowchild- Thanks! Like I told Quenya, I'm going to do my best to keep Abby from being a Mary-Sue, but people have different standards of Sue-ish-ness. I can tell you though, she's far from perfect, so you'll just have to tell me if she starts getting too Mary Sue like.
Clez- Sorry I didn't let you see this one first…I was too impatient to update. Hope you enjoy!
There you go! I hope that everyone keeps reading and reviewing. Just so you know, this chapter wasn't beta'd, so all mistakes are mine. I also highly recommend any fanfiction by Clez and Sethoz. Go read their stories--after you read and review mine.
Now, on with the show!
Chapter 3- Enter the League
Captain Nemo stood on the bridge of the Nautilus and watched as First Mate Patel expertly guided the ship into the Washington harbor. The crew worked hard under their captain to steer the great ship into Washington Harbor without crashing into any of the other ships.
"We'll be ready to dock in a few minutes, Captain," Patel announced. Nemo nodded curtly.
"As soon as the League has disembarked, stay at the dock for no more than ten minutes. If we have not returned with Agent Sawyer in that time, move out to deeper waters and wait for my signal." With that, Nemo turned on his heel and walked down to the gangplank, Patel's "Aye, Aye, sir," sounding behind him. As Nemo approached the gangplank, he saw that the rest of the League stood waiting.
"We will be ready to disembark momentarily," Nemo announced. The others turned to face him. Mina Harker regarded the captain with a slight nod while Dr. Jekyll fiddled with his pocket watch.
"I wonder what sort of trouble Sawyer's gotten himself into now," Skinner said from beside Mina. The thief threw down the cigarette he had been smoking and rubbed it out as the gangplank lowered with a loud mechanical whirl. With a slight sideways glace to each other, the League stepped out cautiously onto the quiet dock.
They walked a few paces onto the deck, Nemo and Mina leading with Jekyll and Skinner behind. Large stacks of wooden crates dotted the decks and created long shadows in the moonlight. They could hear the water lapping softly against the boats in the harbor, and their footsteps echoed loudly on the silent dock. With a wave of his hand, Nemo ushered them to stop as they neared the part of the dock that was completely in shadow. The League stopped as one, and stood quietly listening to the creaks and groans of the landing.
"Agent Sawyer?" Mina called. Her voice fell into dead silence. Mina and Nemo exchanged a glance, and Nemo's hand tightened on his sword hilt, ready to attack at a moment's notice.
"This is where we were going to meet, isn't it?" Dr. Jekyll asked softly. Mina glanced back at him slightly, beginning to get worried. Sawyer's message had been cryptic enough, requesting only that they turned back from their course to Spain and return to America immediately. He had given them a time and place to meet, but said nothing of why he needed them to return. Now the League was beginning to suspect that they might have walked into a trap.
"Well, it's nice to see that you are punctual, if nothing else," said a female voice from behind a stack of crates. The League whirled around to face the speaker as a young woman stepped out from the shadows.
The League watched the girl warily, wondering who she was and what she was doing here. The young woman stared back at them, readily accepting their inspection. Her emerald green eyes met theirs calmly, and though the female was small in stature, she stood before them with confidence.
"'Ello love," Skinner said. "What's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?"
"She's with me," Sawyer answered, striding up the dock. "She's why I called you."
"Don't tell me you found yourself a girl, mate," Skinner said. Sawyer just grinned.
"Not exactly," he laughed. Then he grew serious. "But she does have something that I think you should hear."
Mina stood at the head of the long conference table, carefully analyzing the young woman that Tom Sawyer had brought to them. She certainly didn't look like much. As they filed into the conference room, the stranger took in their surroundings with a clear expression of awe and respect. Mina watched her and decided that she was little more than a girl, though she was actually not much younger than Sawyer was.
As she removed her cloak, Mina could see her black skirt and black blouse offset her auburn hair, which fell loose on her shoulders. A small portion of it was pinned back with combs, which only seemed to accentuate her youth. Green eyes met Mina's suddenly, and the younger woman raised her eyebrows slightly. She welcomed Mina's scrutiny; it worked to her advantage. She had nothing to hide.
Once the last of the League had entered the room, the young woman cleared her throat. "Well, I suspect that you are all wondering who I am and why I asked Agent Sawyer to call you here."
"Oh yes, love. We're all aquiver with curiosity," Skinner answered, after taking a gulp of his scotch.
The girl smiled. "Indeed. First meetings warrant introductions, and all of that." She looked down for a moment, her voice growing soft. Mina's eyes narrowed, the familiar words striking a cord in her. In the next moment, the girl looked back up at the League, regaining her old confidence.
"My name, gentleman, and lady, is Abigail Quatermain." Abigail watched in silence as the shock registered on the faces of the League. Tom saw his initial reaction mirrored in his friends' expressions. Jekyll glanced at Nemo, and Mina looked somewhat shocked, but also skeptical. Skinner simply drank his scotch, a slightly bemused expression on his face.
"So what, are you related to ol' Allan?" he asked. Abigail nodded.
"I'm his daughter," she answered simply. Mina raised her eyebrows.
"Daughter?" she asked. "I don't believe I ever heard Mr. Q mention that he had a daughter."
Abigail met the older woman's eyes calmly and slight smile crossed her face. "That doesn't surprise me," she answered. "I bet you heard a bit about Harry though, hmm?" She looked away for a moment and stared at the floor, a wistful expression entering her eyes. She muttered something under her breath that was too low to be heard. When she looked back up at the League, her confidence was again apparent on her face.
"Perhaps this will help," Abigail said. She turned and pulled a satchel from an inside pocket in her cloak. Abigail emptied its contents onto the table and motioned for the League to examine them. The satchel contained a few hardbound books and a few folded pieces of paper. Mina picked up one of the books and began to flip through it, as did Nemo and Jekyll.
"My father's journals," Abigail explained. "I found them in his belongings in Africa. The papers are letters that he has written to me in England." The three older members of the League continued to look through the books slowly. After a few moments of silence, Abigail cast a worried glance to Tom. The agent cleared his throat and took a step forward.
"I had a friend of mine in the Service compare the journals to the notes Allan made on the Phantom." Tom paused as Mina, Nemo, and Jekyll looked up at him. "It all matches up. All of this stuff…it's really his."
Nemo and Jekyll exchanged a look as Mina continued to glance through the journal. As she flipped through the pages, a picture fell from the folds. Mina picked it up off of the table and examined it. It was a small photograph, obviously several years old by the wear to it. It showed three people: a slightly less worn Allan Quatermain standing beside a young man about Tom's age who looked to be a younger version of Allan. Sitting in front of the men was a girl who was only about eleven or twelve by Mina's reckoning. She glanced up from the photograph to the young woman standing before her. The resemblance between Abigail and the child made it obvious that she was the girl in the photograph.
Mina passed the picture to Nemo and stepped around the table, walking toward Abigail slowly. "Assuming that you are who you say you are, why do you need us? I'm assuming that this is about more than a simple interest in your father's death." Mina crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared at Abigail expectantly.
Abigail smiled slightly, glad that they seemed to be excepting her story-for the time being at least. She took a deep breath and sighed. "Well, I suppose I should start from the beginning." She stepped away from Mina and walked back a little, trying to keep her thoughts straight.
"For the past few years one of my father's associates, Adrian Turner, has been my caretaker. A little over a month ago he was in Africa, Kenya to be exact, looking for my father. We had been hoping to plan a return visit for me, and Adrian wished to speak to my father first. While in Kenya, he was informed that my father had just been called away on a mission for England. Adrian was not going to be able to return to England for at least two weeks, so he stayed in Kenya. A little more than a week later, you bunch arrived bearing my father's body. Adrian attended the funeral and immediately sent word to me in England of his death. I set sail for Kenya and Adrian arranged to meet me at the coast. However, when we arrived in Nairobi, we made a rather shocking discovery." Abigail paused and looked the League in the eye.
"My father's grave was empty."