The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Dreams of the Damned
Chapter Eight
The Final Battle
AN: Alrighty folks, as this title indicates, this will be the last chapter of the story. I thought it would go longer, but what can you do, y'know? This story will mark my first complete full length (well, chaptered, at least) so I'm immensely glad that I was able to entertain people with it. Your reviews mean a lot to me, and honestly, I dunno if I'd have been able to finish this story at all if it weren't for people reviewing it.
EK: Many thanks, I appreciate it. I'm really glad you like the line-up, because truthfully, I'm broke most of the time and don't get to see movies. So the characters that are mentioned are really thought out (I had to dig around in my head for a little bit to come up with Im-Ho-Tep) and I never include someone that I have not personally seen or read an in-depth analysis of. The exception, I'm afraid, is our intrepid Mr. Jones (I saw Raiders when I was younger, but unfortunately can't remember it very well) so I'm glad people are responding well to him.
TARilus: You're gonna give me a big head, I swear, lol. Oh, and as to our dear, undead former freedom fighter…() I should've explained better. I mentioned in an earlier chapter that he had Dracula's mark on his forehead. I should've described the mark, which is actually (borrowed from the Tzimisce of Vampire: The Masquerade) a serpentine dragon curled in a circle, devouring its own tail, with a blood drop imposed over a gothic, upside down cross. Dracula used a personally designed black magick spell to raise him, and that mark is what kept him alive. My humble apologies for not including that earlier.
I hope you enjoy the last chapter of Dreams of the Damned…and I hope you'll enjoy the sequel when I post it.
Darien crept along the empty roads, taking things slowly, but not too slowly. He could feel the Quicksilver worming its way into his mind, and knew that if he remained invisible for too much longer, the Quicksilver Madness would take over, and he would become a snickering, cold-blooded, murderous lunatic. He also knew, though, that if he turned off his invisibility, Dracula would be able to see him from that castle, and that would be a bad, bad thing. 'Nobody's here' he thought to himself. 'I can't go back to normal, but I can run. It's not like he'll hear me' Darien thought to himself, before doing just that.
Darien was a fairly physically fit man. Maybe not as fit as Robin, but then again, Robin probably had the super-hero equivalent of a fifth degree black belt. That said, Darien found it fairly easy to get up the hill to the castle. He paused, as he got closer to the door, hearing some odd noises coming from a small grating that apparently ventilated an area of the castle that was below ground.
Being the curious individual that he is, Darien couldn't resist for long, and carefully made his way over to the grating. "Curiosity killed the cat," he whispered, mimicking Selene's voice. "Damn glad I'm not a cat," he muttered, and crouched down to peer inside the grate.
Then he half-leapt, half-fell away, a look of total fear coming over his invisible face. He fumbled with the walkie-talkie on his belt, struggling with it for a full minute before managing to get it off his belt. He finally managed to do so, but slammed his hand against the ground as the walkie-talkie suddenly slipped free, and he cursed loudly before bringing it up to his mouth and hitting the talk button. "Bob," he whispered, his tone urgent. "Bob, it's Darien. You seriously need to hear what I found."
The League, who had made it perhaps half as far as Darien, stopped abruptly when they heard the walkie-talkie on Bob's belt blare to life. It was heavy with static, and almost impossible to make out what the invisible man was saying. Bob yanked the walkie-talkie free and tossed it to Robin, who held it to his ear and tried to make out what Darien was saying. After a few moments, the walkie-talkie went dead, and Robin shook his head, sighing. "Nothing." The Boy Wonder pressed the talk button on the walkie-talkie and spoke Darien's name into it, getting nothing but static in return. "Darien?" Several more minutes of static were enough to make Robin sigh heavily. "Guess we'll find out when we get there. C'mon." He tossed the small communication device back to Bob, who replaced it on his belt. The League glanced at each other before continuing on their path to the castle.
"What if he was saying something important," Alex asked, after several moments of heavy silence.
"We'll find out when we get there," Selene replied. "Just like Robin said."
"Darien's not stupid," Indiana observed. "He won't go in there without the rest of us." Bob nodded his agreement, removing a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it with a silver zippo. Selene, who had been standing close by him, scooted away slightly when he lit the flame. Bob looked at her quizzically and she just shrugged.
"Most vampires have an instinctual fear of fire," she responded. "We're not really sure why."
"It could be a predator thing," Indiana offered. "Like how cavemen would build fires at night to ward off big animals that would normally have them for a midnight snack."
"That makes sense," Zorro agreed. "Scientifically, anyway. Though I do not think there is much science to a vampire."
"Good point," Indiana mused. "Selene…this is something that might help us fight any other vampires we ever go up against. Would you mind if maybe we could study you a bit after this mission?"
"Study me," Selene questioned, her eyebrows rising. "I'll have to give that some thought, Mr. Jones."
"Oh, of course," Indiana replied sincerely. "Hmm…maybe if he has any other vampires inside his castle, we could capture one and study them instead."
"Don't you think that's a little inhuman," Robin responded, sounding slightly miffed. "I mean, like it or not these people are still alive. They're not all bad. I mean, look at Selene."
"Fair enough," Indiana replied. "Though it would help us in the future." Hulk, who had been oddly silent during the trek, shook his large, green head.
"Not nice," he observed. "Mean or not, studying wrong. Hulk knows." Indiana nodded, remembering what the file had said about Hulk, how he'd been kidnapped as Bruce Banner and poked, prodded, and beaten, until finally Hulk was forced out into the open.
"I guess you're right," Indiana stated. "Sorry." Hulk waved a large, dismissive hand.
"Already forget," Hulk responded.
Darien cursed loudly as he realized that the League hadn't heard him, glaring at the grating as if whatever was inside was at fault. The truth was, Darien didn't know for sure that it wasn't, in a roundabout way. Sighing heavily, he removed a cell phone from his pocket and lifted it to his ear, hugging the wall of the castle and turning off his invisibility, the strain to fight off the Quicksilver getting to be too much. He dialed a few numbers and put the phone up to his ear, hearing it ring twice before the person on the other line picked it up. "Bond," Darien breathed.
"Mr. Fawkes," Bond questioned. "What's going on? Why are you whispering?"
"I'm outside Dracula's castle. You and Bob were right, Dracula did have a few surprises waiting."
"I see. Why are you calling me? When I gave you this phone, I told you that it was only in the case of an emergency, such as a member of the League going AWOL."
"This is an emergency, Bond," Darien whispered sharply. "We need some kind of containment down here."
"For what? The castle?"
"No," Darien replied, his voice grave. "The whole damn town."
It didn't take long for the rest of the League to catch up to Darien, who they saw hugging the wall, dropping a cell phone into his pocket. "Robin," he hissed, stepping away from the wall, "we need to-"
"Not right now, Darien," Robin responded, waving him off. "We need to get inside." He removed a grappling hook from his utility belt and swung it up onto one of the lower parapets of the castle.
"Robin-"
"Darien, calm down," Selene replied, her voice comforting yet cold. Darien sighed and gestured for the rest of the League to go before him. When Bob tried to step towards the dangling rope, though, Darien put a hand to his chest to stop him.
"Go get The Sword," Darien instructed. Bob tossed him a questioning glance, but Darien shook his head. "Just do it." Something about the urgency in the invisible man's voice must have convinced him, because Bob turned and began jogging back towards The Sword. "I hate to sound cliché," Darien muttered to himself, beginning to ascend the rope, "but I sure hope we got here in time."
Something in the room ventilated by the grate grunted.
"Alright everybody," Indiana whispered, his gun drawn, whip coiled in his free hand, "stay alert. Who knows what Dracula's got in here?"
"I do," Darien muttered under his breath, but the others either didn't hear him or didn't care.
"Darien, go invisible," the explorer instructed. "Everybody else, stay as stealthy as you can." He glanced at Hulk and added, "Hulk…just try not to make too much noise." Hulk grinned and nodded, meandering over towards the right wall of the shadowed corridor. Darien sighed and did what he was told.
It seemed that Dracula was immune to that fear of fire that Selene mentioned, as he still used torches to light his castle. Of course, the King of the Undead hadn't been awake all that long, it was possible that he just hadn't had new light fixtures installed yet.
After several corridors and quite a few minutes of uninterrupted progress, Robin looked to Indiana, a question in his eyes. "Where is everybody," he whispered softly. "I mean, shouldn't there be more vampires here?"
"Unless Dracula really planned to get revenge on the world by himself," Zorro agreed, "then yes."
"Somehow I don't think the King of the Undead is that stupid," Selene mused. Alex nodded, and Hulk joined him, his voice being naturally too loud for any kind of stealth. They were in front of two large, regal looking double doors, and suddenly, those doors swung open, revealing a throne room fit for a king.
And the king stood at the doors, smirking at his would-be destroyers.
Dracula looked very different from the way he was described in Bram Stoker's novel, though certain things appeared to be the same. The nose, while somewhat altered, fit the description, though there was no mustache underneath. His facial construction seemed to be changed somewhat, yet the cold, evil look in his eyes identified him as Dracula easier than any similarities to the version of him described in a novel. "Hello. I would deliver my famous line, but you have already entered, and you do not seem happy." His tone was amused…very amused.
"Robin," Darien's voice came from very close behind the crime fighter.
"Damnit Darien, not now," Robin hissed. Darien tried again, but Dracula shot forward, a sword coming from nowhere, causing the League to split apart. Hulk and Alex were on Dracula's right, while Zorro, Indiana, Selene, and Robin were on his left. No one could tell where Darien was, which was probably a good thing for the League.
"Well, that was effective," Dracula, observed, that damnable smirk never leaving his face. "I believe you all are afraid of me."
"Hulk not afraid," Hulk bellowed, stepping away from the wall and swinging his large fist at Dracula.
"You should be," Dracula responded, flipping backwards and landing on the wall. Robin made a grab for him, but Dracula was already launching himself back through the air, his sword pointed toward Hulk. The Jade Giant's enormous bulk kept him from dodging more than a little, and the sword plunged into his left lung, causing Hulk to gasp in pain. He reached out, trying to grab Dracula, but the vampiric warrior just crawled over Hulk's hand, clinging to the back of the giant green hand. "For all your strength, giant, you are nothing." Hulk swung his hand backwards, intending to smash Dracula into the wall, but the vampire jumped off his hand and landed right back where he'd started, even as Hulk's hand, moving too fast to stop, slammed into the wall, taking a large chunk out of it and collapsing a piece of the ceiling overtop of the Jade Giant, the stone pieces knocking him gradually into unconsciousness.
"My turn," Robin growled, starting to step forward. Selene grabbed his shoulder and stopped him, stepping forward instead. "Selene?"
"Ah, a vampire," Dracula observed. "A capable one, from all appearances." Selene ducked in, bringing her guns up, squeezing off three shots.
Dracula had already flipped over her head and landed behind her, arms crossed, still smirking. "Perhaps I was wrong." Selene spun, but was met with Dracula's foot smashing into her face, staggering her backwards, one hand going to her jaw, which was obviously broken. She squeezed off a shot with her free hand, but Dracula dodged that, ducking forwards, slashing at Selene's leg.
Selene tried to dodge, but couldn't move backwards fast enough as she was still dazed from the kick. She managed to keep her right leg from being completely hacked off, but dropped to the ground as Dracula's sword tore a deep cut in it nonetheless. Robin and Alex were inching closer to each other, acknowledging the need for teamwork, and Indiana took up Selene's defense, firing a shot at Dracula and then cracking his whip to keep the vampire from getting too close. "Where the hell is Darien," Indiana groaned, firing another shot at the King of the Undead.
Darien, now visible, crept silently along a different hallway on the lower level. He knew that the rest of the League would probably hate him for leaving them in a time of need like that, but when they found out his reasons, there was no way they could fault him for his actions. 'Heh, not like even I know what I'm doing' he chided himself.
What he was doing was, in fact, searching for the entrance to the room that was ventilated by the grate. He didn't know what he could do once he was down there, but then again, he wasn't a planner, more like a doer. 'An' that's fried my ass before' he again chided mentally.
Finally, after wandering down several more hallways and taking several random turns, he thought he caught wind of a sound coming from down at the end of this dimly lit, spooky hallway. 'Great' Darien thought, 'just fucking great.' He moved carefully down the hall, not making a sound, thankful that his thieving abilities had not yet turned rusty. As he neared the end of the hallway, the outline of a door began to take shape, and then the door opened, and a bald man in a white lab coat stepped out, turning to close the door behind him.
Darien saw his chance and took it, coming up behind the man and pressing a pilfered knife to the doctor's throat. "Alright, pal," he growled, trying to sound intimidating, "how about you tell me all about your little project."
Meanwhile, inside Dracula's throne room, the remaining Leaguers were trying to think of a plan, the throne room doors closed and locked, temporarily preventing the vampire lord entrance.
Indiana had managed to distract Dracula long enough for Robin and Alex to meet up behind him. The pair had charged, Robin bringing throwing a Batarang and Alex coming in immediately after Dracula had dodged and sweeping the vampire's legs out from under him. Alex and Robin had grabbed Hulk, hauling him into the throne room with some difficulty, as Indiana kept a recovering Dracula at bay with his gun and whip. Zorro had come in behind him and grabbed Selene, spun around, and ducked into the throne room, Indiana joining them a moment later. Alex and Robin slammed the doors, barricading them with the large, movable wooden boards that some medieval lords had used as locks.
Darien's absence was obvious to them all, and Zorro was cursing him for a traitor. Had been for the last half a minute, in fact, and with the pounding that was Dracula trying to break through his own doors, Robin had had about enough of it. "Damnit Zorro, shut up and help us think of a plan!"
"My apologies," Zorro replied, looking like he meant anything but what he'd said. "I do not take well to treachery."
"Neither do I," Robin returned, "but we have more pressing matters to deal with right now!"
"He's right," Indiana agreed, Alex nodding his own silent agreement.
"You are right," Zorro replied, nodding his head sincerely. "But what can we do? Our two strongest members are incapable of combating him, and I do not think myself a match for his sword."
"Well I'm certainly not," Robin returned. "Neither is Indiana, and neither is Alex! That's the thing none of you are getting! We have to hit him together! Together or there's no point, 'cause we're all fucked otherwise!"
"Alright, alright," Indiana stated, trying to get Robin to calm down. "Take a deep breath and cool it, you're not going to be of any use if you can't think straight."
"Wait," Zorro snapped sharply. He paused for a moment and then frowned. "He isn't banging anymore."
"That's because I don't need to," came Dracula's angry voice a moment before his body followed, sailing through an open area that looked like a window without a frame or glass. He tackled Zorro effortlessly, trying to get a good stab in on the eternally young freedom fighter. Robin ducked in, Indiana joining him, and they each grabbed a shoulder. Working together, in one concerted pull, they managed to tear Dracula off of Zorro and send him stumbling backwards. Alex struck then, coming in low with a thrust of his knife to Dracula's stomach that doubled the vampire over, piercing his guts, even as Dracula stabbed at Alex's crow, killing it. Alex's face was twisted in rage, a guttural snarl tearing from his lips as he brought his knife up and brought the handle down on the vampire's head, knocking him to the ground, even as Dracula stabbed upwards, gaining a lucky stab through Alex's chest, his sword sticking inside the formerly immortal Leaguer, who stumbled back, taking Dracula's sword with him, before falling backwards, his eyes fluttering shut.
"Lauren…I'm coming home," he muttered happily, his last breath dieing with those words.
Robin came darting in then, as Dracula tried to get up, delivering a sharp kick to the head that sent Dracula reeling backwards. Indiana cracked his whip against Dracula's face, leaving a large gash. Robin growled at the vampire lord as Selene tossed him a stake, kicking the vampire once more for good measure, sending him backwards and smashing his back into some sort of control panel. Robin ducked in, raising the stake high above his head. "Any last words," he growled, not intending to let Dracula have any.
"Only this: You're fucked." Dracula's right hand rose and fell so swiftly that Robin couldn't stop it, smashing down on a small red button on the control panel. There was a loud creaking from outside, followed by overjoyed, animalistic shrieks.
Just then, the door burst open, Darien tearing in, dragging a doctor behind him. "Robin, it's a virus!" Robin brought the stake down on the laughing Dracula, and then allowed Zorro to step forward to cut his head off. Darien was trembling in fear, the unconscious doctor having fallen from a suddenly limp hand.
"What's a virus," Robin questioned. Darien only gestured towards the window. Robin quirked an eyebrow as Dracula turned to dust, his head crumbling away in Zorro's hand. Darien gestured to the window again, and Robin moved toward it, gazing out before uttering a guttural curse that might not have seen the light of day in thousands of years.
Their skin was graying, rotting, some of it falling off as they ran. Their eyes were dead, hollow, some falling out as the rotting feet pounded on the pavement.
Zombies were flowing out of Dracula's castle.
Numbly, Robin saw The Sword mow through the first of them, pulling itself to a stop to try and block them off, unable to get close enough to close off the exit they were fleeing from. Hulk, who was just coming to, scooped everyone, with the exception of the now dead Alex, and leapt down to the ground, everyone piling into The Sword as Hulk, still reverting to Bruce Banner, stumbled in last.
Brody was driving like a maniac, trying to stay ahead of the swarm of voracious, single-minded undead as Darien explained what had happened to the rest of the League. "When I got to the castle, I was going to just wait there for you guys. Then I heard this weird noise, like groaning or moaning, coming from this grate. So, being the curious guy that I am – and I know, Selene, curiosity killed the cat – I looked in the grate. That's when I saw the zombies."
"Geez," Robin sighed, shaking his head. "And I wouldn't let you even tell me."
"We," Selene corrected him, her tone grim.
"Whatever, that's not important now," Darien replied, waving his hand dismissively. "What matters is that we get out of here before the dome gets put down."
"Dome," Indiana asked, his brow furrowing.
"Yeah. When I couldn't get you guys, I called up Bond-"
"Called up Bond," Zorro questioned, surprised.
"He gave me a cell phone and a phone number in case one or more of you went AWOL."
"He trusted you with that," Robin asked.
"He knew I wouldn't go traitor or AWOL because I need that cure," Darien explained. "Anyway, I called him up and said we needed a containment unit. After I told him what was in that basement, he said that they had a dome made of Plasteel that would work. Supposedly, it had originally been created in case that mutant guy, Magneto, took over a city. He'd be sealed off in that city, since his powers are magnetic, and the dome is Plasteel."
"Hey, guys," Brody's voice called uneasily, "I think you might wanna take a look at this!"
"The dome," Darien growled, the League shoving into the cockpit of The Sword. They gazed out at a dome being lowered by several helicopters. "…It'll be close, but we'll make it," the invisible man said, his voice tinged with relief.
That's when The Sword jolted forward, the front of it falling into a partially caved in house, hanging over the basement. Brody backed it up quickly, but there was no way they would make the dome now, not unless they all ran very, very fast.
The League and Brody swarmed out of The Sword, breaking into a run immediately. Robin made it first, with Selene ducking and rolling, yanking Bruce roughly with her. Zorro ducked and continued to run, almost banging his head as he passed under the dome. Darien made a slide that would make any baseball player jealous, barely managing to make it under the dome before it slammed into place.
Indiana and Brody were both trapped within.
The League immediately began shouting at the helicopter pilots to lift the dome back up. Bruce hulked out in the middle of a scream, and Hulk continued to shout, knowing from experience that even he couldn't break through Plasteel. The helicopter pilots either didn't hear the shouts or didn't care, as they detached the ropes tethering them to the dome and flew off.
Indiana watched sadly as they did so, knowing that he was going to die within that dome. Tears were streaming down Robin's eyes as he beat against the dome. Indiana laughed sadly and shook his head, mouthing the words "Run now," before turning and directing Brody to get back in The Sword and seal it. Brody gazed at the explorer for a long moment before doing as he was told.
Robin knew that if Indiana got in The Sword, he might survive. They could form a rescue plan, get the both of them out, and all would be well. The Sword had a well-stocked kitchen, facilities, and even life support for long periods of underwater travel. They would be sealed off from the ever hungry undead, and therefore safe.
Indiana knew that Robin knew this, and he shook his head again. He looked at each of the now silent Leaguers in turn, before his eyes fell on Robin. "I think this is my time," he mouthed. "I've loved working with each of you." Selene brushed a crimson tear from her pale face and placed a hand on Robin's shoulder. "Robin…I hope I was as good a role model as Batman." His final words said, he waved good-bye to his friends, spun, and began firing viciously at the rapidly gaining zombies. Robin pounded against the dome, Hulk joining in, but Zorro silently shook his head and then saluted Indiana Jones.
"I never thought I could work under anyone other than Antonio," Zorro stated. "I'm glad I was wrong. Good-bye, my friend." That said, Zorro turned away and slowly began walking.
Hulk had realized the futility of banging against the Plasteel, doing no more damage than a fly for all that he tried. "Hulk…Hulk sad. Jones good leader. Jones is Hulk's friend." A tear tracked its way down Hulk's cheek as he added, "Hulk will miss Jones." That said, he turned and wandered off, following Zorro.
"Robin," Selene breathed, trying to pull the young man away from the dome. "He wouldn't want you to see this." The zombies had almost reached Indiana, and he was out of bullets. Instead, he was cracking his whip, trying futilely to keep the zombies at bay.
Robin spun, hugging Selene fiercely, tears streaming down his face as he buried his face in her shoulder. Selene, despite herself, began shushing him softly and gently stroking the back of his head. She gazed at Indiana, as he backed up away from a zombie that was getting too close. "You were a warrior, Indiana, to the bitter end. I pray that your soul is remembered for the fighter it was. More than that, though, you were a rarer breed…you were a good man. I pray you see paradise, Indiana Jones."
Robin, still crying, with no hope of stopping anytime soon, turned and placed his hand on the dome, gazing one last time at the friend, role model, and idol he'd had on a pedestal since before he'd met Batman. "You weren't Batman," Robin stated, his nose running, his eyes pouring out a river. "You were better. You were Indiana Jones…you were yourself. Something that Batman, for all his efforts, could never be." Finally, after a moment of silence, he added, "I wanted to be like you." Selene turned the two of them around, letting Robin bury his face in her shoulder again.
"I think he would have liked that," she sighed softly, placing a gentle kiss on the top of Robin's head as they slowly trudged after the others.