Disclaimer: I own the idea of the Shark, but I don't own his real identity,
nor do I own the League.
Feedback: I'll still write this if I don't get any of it, but I would like it.
funnyun: Thanks for your review. The future Quartermain spoke of will be written, and the friendship that will end will end here. However, it is NOT a League member- it's someone Sawyer's know for far longer...
Windsinger: You asked for this to be continued, and here it is. Don't worry; the action will REALLY heat up in later chapters.
um...( ): Thanks for the pointer; I'll remember that in future. Hope you enjoy the rest of the story.
Resurrection
After only a day or so of travel, the large form of the Nautilus rose up out of the Mississippi river, where it ran alongside a small town.
Inside the ship, Sawyer was pacing the hold impatiently while Nemo steered the ship towards a harbour that seemed to have enough space for them to park the Nautilus. He kept on glancing over at where the car was sitting in the hold with an expression that looked as though he was itching to drive it, but another part was telling not to in order to avoid scaring anybody outside. He had his Winchester strapped on his back already, and he'd put some pistols in his pocket just to make sure he was armed in the event of something going wrong.
The only other people in the hold with him were Mina, Hartdegen, and Jekyll. It had been decided that Terry, Skinner and Nemo should wait in the Nautilus until Sawyer had explained to his aunt what the League was all about, and Mina, Hartdegen and Jekyll did look the most normal out of all of them. Besides, Mina thought that she might as well meet the woman who had raised Sawyer, and the woman who had once held his heart.
As the Nautilus finally came to a halt, Sawyer glanced back at his three friends and grinned.
"Well, we're here," he said, before glancing over at Jekyll. "Hyde will be quiet, right?" he asked. "I just don't want you freaking Aunt Polly out by talking to him."
"I'll trying and ignore him," Jekyll promised. "Besides, I've left my serum in my cabin, so maybe he'll leave me alone if it isn't too easy to make me let him out."
"Good," Sawyer said, glancing around at the other two. "Let's go."
No sooner had those words left his lips then Captain Nemo walked into the hold and glanced over at the four of them.
"We have arrived, Mr Sawyer," the Indian captain said. Then he frowned. "This entire area appears to be nothing more than a simple fishing town. Are you sure we are in the correct place?"
"Yeah, couldn't we have made a wrong turning somewhere?" Skinner asked, as he walked in after Nemo, wearing his coat and hat but with his face paint and glasses conspicuous by their absence. "Just, no offence intended, but this place looks like somewhere where I'D have grown up, not you."
Sawyer smiled at the former thief. "No offence taken, Skinner. But we're in the right place, I can assure you of that." He turned towards the door in front of them, but then glanced back at Nemo and Skinner. "Don't forget; I'll call you guys once I've explained who you all are to Aunt Polly and Becky."
"Check," Skinner grinned, as he and Nemo turned around and walked out of the hold. At the same time, the door to the outside world opened, letting in the brilliant sunlight. Glancing outside, Sawyer saw two women standing near the harbour- master's office.
He looked back at the others. "Come on, guys," he said, before he began to walk down the ramp to the ground, followed closely by Mina. Hartdegen and Jekyll bought up the rear, looking curiously around at their surroundings.
The two women looked up at the League with a curious expression on their faces, but it changed to smiles as soon as they recognised Sawyer. The older woman had an expression on her face that was a combination of relief and disappointment, but Sawyer could understand that; he'd never exactly been an easy kid to handle as a child, and he had still been a little bit of a loose cannon before he left. He hoped that he'd be able to apologise for all that once he had the chance, but he was determined to only do it once she'd seen that he'd changed.
The other woman was wearing a neutral expression. However, that didn't make her look any less beautiful to Sawyer. Her long blond hair, her blue eyes, her smooth skin... To Sawyer's mind, she was the second most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.
Mina, of course, would always surpass her as far as he was concerned.
"Becky," he said, nodding to her in a civil manner.
"Tom," she replied, not even nodding at him in return.
With only a small pang of regret, Sawyer looked over at the older woman. "Hi, Aunt Polly," he said, giving her a little smile.
"Well, Tom, it's good to see you arriving in a bit more style than last time," Polly replied, looking back at the Nautilus, before turning to face the rest of the League. "And in better company. Who are your friends?"
Hartdegen was the first one to respond to that. "Alexander Hartdegen, a former physics teacher at the New York University. I'd glad to meet you, ma'am; your nephew is an excellent young man, and a fine friend," he said, as he held out his right hand.
Aunt Polly took Hartdegen's offered hand and shook it, with a slightly confused look on her face. Hartdegen then moved over to shake Becky's hand, but she shook in a slightly cool manner, as though she was only partly acknowledging his existence.
Jekyll was next. "Doctor Henry Jekyll. A pleasure, Miss Sawyer, Miss Thatcher," he said, shaking her hand as well.
"Mrs Wilhemina Harker," Mina said, stepping in as Jekyll left. "My friends call me Mina," she added as she shook Aunt Polly's hand.
"Oh," Aunt Polly said, with a very confused expression on her face. She looked over at Sawyer. "Tom, would you mind telling me what you're doing in the company of such a diverse range of people?"
"Well, that's a slightly strange story, Aunt Polly," Sawyer said, shrugging a little. "But, in a nutshell, we're a group of people with unique gifts who've come together to fight threats and people who are just too big for the usual law enforcement agencies." He sighed. "I suppose you could call me its leader, given that nobody else has ever really taken charge of us in a fight."
"Really?" Becky asked, looking over at Sawyer for the first time since he'd greeted her. "And what exactly gave you the right to take that role on?"
Sawyer looked over at her with a slightly harsh expression in his eyes. "I was given some training by our original leader, Becky," he said, emphasising her name like it was a swear word. "His name was Allan Quartermain. In his time he was the greatest hero of the British Empire, facing peril the likes of which you can't imagine..." Here Sawyer briefly paused, sighing deeply before continuing. "And he gave his life to save mine."
"Oh," Becky said, sounding almost sympathetic.
Almost.
Sawyer nearly hit her. How could she be so cold? Wasn't it obvious that he regarded Allan as the closest thing to a father he'd ever had? Obvious that he constantly felt that he should have died instead of Allan? Obvious that he sometimes felt like hitting himself for-
He broke off that line of thought before it reached its conclusion. He doubted it would be a pleasant one for anyone concerned, and besides, there was still the crime spree to deal with right now.
"Anyway, that's neither here nor there," he said, getting back on track. "The point is, we're here about that crime spree that's been going around here lately. Any clues as to where they're hiding out yet?" he said, glancing over at Becky.
"Mmm? Oh, no, nothing yet," Becky replied, in her now infuriating cold manner. "I believe that's what you and your friends are here to find out- assuming you can, of course."
*****
That was enough for Hartdegen. He didn't know much about the woman, beyond that she was Sawyer's ex, but he was already feeling slightly annoyed at her general attitude towards the League.
"Miss Thatcher," he put in suddenly, making her turn around and stare at him. "I may not know you, nor you me, but I'm prepared to give you a bit of time to show what you can do before I start criticising you and whatever it is you can do. Therefore, until you know exactly WHAT talent we possess that makes us unique, just keep your opinions to yourself."
Sawyer gave Hartdegen a quick thumbs up at that comment, and Mina looked like she approved of it as well. Jekyll wasn't giving any outward signs as to what he thought about Hartdegen's little speech, but a slight sparkle in his eyes told Hartdegen that Jekyll was in favour of his comment as well.
On the other hand, Sawyer's aunt didn't exactly look thrilled at Hartdegen's comment. Fortunately, Sawyer hit upon just what to do at that exact moment.
"Well, guys, shall we get going?" he asked, looking around at them all.
*****
"Going where?" Aunt Polly asked, looking over at Sawyer, Hartdegen temporarily banished from her mind.
"Well, to our place, of course," Sawyer said, smiling at her. "After all, I feel like you two deserves an explanation as to what exactly these guys can do that makes them extraordinary, and these guys could do with getting to know you all better. Becky, could I have a quick word, please?" he asked, looking over at her.
"Well... I suppose," Becky replied, as Aunt Polly turned around and began to head towards her house, followed by Hartdegen, Mina and Jekyll.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Sawyer grabbed Becky's arm and yanked her towards him until they were almost nose-to-nose.
"What the HELL was that all about?!" he hissed at her angrily. "You were acting like some stuck-up prick in front of all of us! You were never like that before!"
"Well, TOM," Becky replied, in a similar tone of voice, "In case you hadn't noticed, we are no longer involved, and you have no right to give me your opinions on my conduct, no matter whether you like it or not. Like it or not, I've moved on from you."
Tom groaned. He hated it when she was like this. Deciding he'd just ignore things for the moment, he turned around and began to walk after the others. Then, just before he rounded a corner, he turned back to look at Becky.
"Oh, and by the way," he said, sneering at her slightly. "You're not the only one who's moved on."
Then he turned back around and began to walk away, leaving Becky standing in the street, confused and angry.
*****
"So, Tom, exactly what is so extraordinary about your friends?" Aunt Polly asked him a couple of hours later, as he sat sipping at a glass of water in the kitchen. "Come to that, what qualities do you possess that let you in?"
"Mostly, it's just what Quartermain taught me to do," Sawyer replied, looking over at his aunt as she sat in the chair opposite him. "Namely, hit objects that are so far away practically nobody else could hit them. Still, the others are definitely impressive, all six of them."
"Six?" Aunt Polly asked. "I only saw three of them."
"Well, the other three are just a bit TOO extraordinary," Sawyer explained. "I figured it was probably best for me to just fill you in on some of our abilities before they dropped in."
"Ah. So, what can they all do?" Aunt Polly asked.
"Well, Hartdegen has a time machine and commonly gets us technology from the future in the event of a really difficult mission," Sawyer explained. "Jekyll has this serum which turns him into an eight-foot-tall engine of destruction called Edward Hyde whenever he drinks it, but he's managing to keep Hyde under control in recent times. The captain of that ship we arrived in, the Nautilus, is called Captain Nemo, and is an expert with technology and in the martial arts. One member, Terry, has a very complicated back story, and Rodney Skinner is an invisible man."
Aunt Polly just stared as Tom recounted these facts to her, not saying a word. Then, she finally broke the silence that had descended upon them. "And Mrs Harker? Where's her husband?"
"He died," Sawyer sighed. "She serves as our resident chemist, and, well, she's a vampire-"
Here Aunt Polly spoke, partly in horror and partly in disbelief.
"A VAMPIRE?! You're working with... with a MONSTER?"
"She's not like normal vampires," Sawyer replied, trying to not loose his temper. He'd rather not get into trouble with his aunt at an already difficult time. "She keeps her instincts under control, and never kills the innocent. She's the most... well, there isn't a word to describe what she is the most of, but she is. And, well, the thing is..." He sighed. Best to get this out of the way as soon as possible. "I love her. And she loves me."
Aunt Polly slumped back into her chair
"You... love her?" she asked, looking up at her nephew.
Sawyer smiled. "Yeah, I do. She's such an incredible person, Aunt Polly. Don't be prejudiced against her because of what she is. She's strong, determined, courageous, beautiful, intelligent... everything a man could want in a woman. An old friend of hers once described her as one of those women sent by the Lord to show us that there is a heaven, and that parts of it can be found on this world. I try to treat her as such, and I always will."
*****
Aunt Polly smiled a little as she the expression on her nephew's face. This woman was definitely something special to him, his expression alone told her that. Besides, it would appear that the woman was helping him become a better person than he had been as a child, and that was a good thing in her book.
She glanced over at Sawyer, and saw that he had fallen asleep in his chair. Sighing, she got up and walked out of the room and up to bed. Sawyer had an in-built ability to sleep anywhere for any length of time, so he'd be perfectly fine in a chair. Right now, she just wanted them all to get some rest before they got on with tracking down the criminals.
With abilities like this, they could hardly fail to be successful.
Feedback: I'll still write this if I don't get any of it, but I would like it.
funnyun: Thanks for your review. The future Quartermain spoke of will be written, and the friendship that will end will end here. However, it is NOT a League member- it's someone Sawyer's know for far longer...
Windsinger: You asked for this to be continued, and here it is. Don't worry; the action will REALLY heat up in later chapters.
um...( ): Thanks for the pointer; I'll remember that in future. Hope you enjoy the rest of the story.
Resurrection
After only a day or so of travel, the large form of the Nautilus rose up out of the Mississippi river, where it ran alongside a small town.
Inside the ship, Sawyer was pacing the hold impatiently while Nemo steered the ship towards a harbour that seemed to have enough space for them to park the Nautilus. He kept on glancing over at where the car was sitting in the hold with an expression that looked as though he was itching to drive it, but another part was telling not to in order to avoid scaring anybody outside. He had his Winchester strapped on his back already, and he'd put some pistols in his pocket just to make sure he was armed in the event of something going wrong.
The only other people in the hold with him were Mina, Hartdegen, and Jekyll. It had been decided that Terry, Skinner and Nemo should wait in the Nautilus until Sawyer had explained to his aunt what the League was all about, and Mina, Hartdegen and Jekyll did look the most normal out of all of them. Besides, Mina thought that she might as well meet the woman who had raised Sawyer, and the woman who had once held his heart.
As the Nautilus finally came to a halt, Sawyer glanced back at his three friends and grinned.
"Well, we're here," he said, before glancing over at Jekyll. "Hyde will be quiet, right?" he asked. "I just don't want you freaking Aunt Polly out by talking to him."
"I'll trying and ignore him," Jekyll promised. "Besides, I've left my serum in my cabin, so maybe he'll leave me alone if it isn't too easy to make me let him out."
"Good," Sawyer said, glancing around at the other two. "Let's go."
No sooner had those words left his lips then Captain Nemo walked into the hold and glanced over at the four of them.
"We have arrived, Mr Sawyer," the Indian captain said. Then he frowned. "This entire area appears to be nothing more than a simple fishing town. Are you sure we are in the correct place?"
"Yeah, couldn't we have made a wrong turning somewhere?" Skinner asked, as he walked in after Nemo, wearing his coat and hat but with his face paint and glasses conspicuous by their absence. "Just, no offence intended, but this place looks like somewhere where I'D have grown up, not you."
Sawyer smiled at the former thief. "No offence taken, Skinner. But we're in the right place, I can assure you of that." He turned towards the door in front of them, but then glanced back at Nemo and Skinner. "Don't forget; I'll call you guys once I've explained who you all are to Aunt Polly and Becky."
"Check," Skinner grinned, as he and Nemo turned around and walked out of the hold. At the same time, the door to the outside world opened, letting in the brilliant sunlight. Glancing outside, Sawyer saw two women standing near the harbour- master's office.
He looked back at the others. "Come on, guys," he said, before he began to walk down the ramp to the ground, followed closely by Mina. Hartdegen and Jekyll bought up the rear, looking curiously around at their surroundings.
The two women looked up at the League with a curious expression on their faces, but it changed to smiles as soon as they recognised Sawyer. The older woman had an expression on her face that was a combination of relief and disappointment, but Sawyer could understand that; he'd never exactly been an easy kid to handle as a child, and he had still been a little bit of a loose cannon before he left. He hoped that he'd be able to apologise for all that once he had the chance, but he was determined to only do it once she'd seen that he'd changed.
The other woman was wearing a neutral expression. However, that didn't make her look any less beautiful to Sawyer. Her long blond hair, her blue eyes, her smooth skin... To Sawyer's mind, she was the second most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.
Mina, of course, would always surpass her as far as he was concerned.
"Becky," he said, nodding to her in a civil manner.
"Tom," she replied, not even nodding at him in return.
With only a small pang of regret, Sawyer looked over at the older woman. "Hi, Aunt Polly," he said, giving her a little smile.
"Well, Tom, it's good to see you arriving in a bit more style than last time," Polly replied, looking back at the Nautilus, before turning to face the rest of the League. "And in better company. Who are your friends?"
Hartdegen was the first one to respond to that. "Alexander Hartdegen, a former physics teacher at the New York University. I'd glad to meet you, ma'am; your nephew is an excellent young man, and a fine friend," he said, as he held out his right hand.
Aunt Polly took Hartdegen's offered hand and shook it, with a slightly confused look on her face. Hartdegen then moved over to shake Becky's hand, but she shook in a slightly cool manner, as though she was only partly acknowledging his existence.
Jekyll was next. "Doctor Henry Jekyll. A pleasure, Miss Sawyer, Miss Thatcher," he said, shaking her hand as well.
"Mrs Wilhemina Harker," Mina said, stepping in as Jekyll left. "My friends call me Mina," she added as she shook Aunt Polly's hand.
"Oh," Aunt Polly said, with a very confused expression on her face. She looked over at Sawyer. "Tom, would you mind telling me what you're doing in the company of such a diverse range of people?"
"Well, that's a slightly strange story, Aunt Polly," Sawyer said, shrugging a little. "But, in a nutshell, we're a group of people with unique gifts who've come together to fight threats and people who are just too big for the usual law enforcement agencies." He sighed. "I suppose you could call me its leader, given that nobody else has ever really taken charge of us in a fight."
"Really?" Becky asked, looking over at Sawyer for the first time since he'd greeted her. "And what exactly gave you the right to take that role on?"
Sawyer looked over at her with a slightly harsh expression in his eyes. "I was given some training by our original leader, Becky," he said, emphasising her name like it was a swear word. "His name was Allan Quartermain. In his time he was the greatest hero of the British Empire, facing peril the likes of which you can't imagine..." Here Sawyer briefly paused, sighing deeply before continuing. "And he gave his life to save mine."
"Oh," Becky said, sounding almost sympathetic.
Almost.
Sawyer nearly hit her. How could she be so cold? Wasn't it obvious that he regarded Allan as the closest thing to a father he'd ever had? Obvious that he constantly felt that he should have died instead of Allan? Obvious that he sometimes felt like hitting himself for-
He broke off that line of thought before it reached its conclusion. He doubted it would be a pleasant one for anyone concerned, and besides, there was still the crime spree to deal with right now.
"Anyway, that's neither here nor there," he said, getting back on track. "The point is, we're here about that crime spree that's been going around here lately. Any clues as to where they're hiding out yet?" he said, glancing over at Becky.
"Mmm? Oh, no, nothing yet," Becky replied, in her now infuriating cold manner. "I believe that's what you and your friends are here to find out- assuming you can, of course."
*****
That was enough for Hartdegen. He didn't know much about the woman, beyond that she was Sawyer's ex, but he was already feeling slightly annoyed at her general attitude towards the League.
"Miss Thatcher," he put in suddenly, making her turn around and stare at him. "I may not know you, nor you me, but I'm prepared to give you a bit of time to show what you can do before I start criticising you and whatever it is you can do. Therefore, until you know exactly WHAT talent we possess that makes us unique, just keep your opinions to yourself."
Sawyer gave Hartdegen a quick thumbs up at that comment, and Mina looked like she approved of it as well. Jekyll wasn't giving any outward signs as to what he thought about Hartdegen's little speech, but a slight sparkle in his eyes told Hartdegen that Jekyll was in favour of his comment as well.
On the other hand, Sawyer's aunt didn't exactly look thrilled at Hartdegen's comment. Fortunately, Sawyer hit upon just what to do at that exact moment.
"Well, guys, shall we get going?" he asked, looking around at them all.
*****
"Going where?" Aunt Polly asked, looking over at Sawyer, Hartdegen temporarily banished from her mind.
"Well, to our place, of course," Sawyer said, smiling at her. "After all, I feel like you two deserves an explanation as to what exactly these guys can do that makes them extraordinary, and these guys could do with getting to know you all better. Becky, could I have a quick word, please?" he asked, looking over at her.
"Well... I suppose," Becky replied, as Aunt Polly turned around and began to head towards her house, followed by Hartdegen, Mina and Jekyll.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Sawyer grabbed Becky's arm and yanked her towards him until they were almost nose-to-nose.
"What the HELL was that all about?!" he hissed at her angrily. "You were acting like some stuck-up prick in front of all of us! You were never like that before!"
"Well, TOM," Becky replied, in a similar tone of voice, "In case you hadn't noticed, we are no longer involved, and you have no right to give me your opinions on my conduct, no matter whether you like it or not. Like it or not, I've moved on from you."
Tom groaned. He hated it when she was like this. Deciding he'd just ignore things for the moment, he turned around and began to walk after the others. Then, just before he rounded a corner, he turned back to look at Becky.
"Oh, and by the way," he said, sneering at her slightly. "You're not the only one who's moved on."
Then he turned back around and began to walk away, leaving Becky standing in the street, confused and angry.
*****
"So, Tom, exactly what is so extraordinary about your friends?" Aunt Polly asked him a couple of hours later, as he sat sipping at a glass of water in the kitchen. "Come to that, what qualities do you possess that let you in?"
"Mostly, it's just what Quartermain taught me to do," Sawyer replied, looking over at his aunt as she sat in the chair opposite him. "Namely, hit objects that are so far away practically nobody else could hit them. Still, the others are definitely impressive, all six of them."
"Six?" Aunt Polly asked. "I only saw three of them."
"Well, the other three are just a bit TOO extraordinary," Sawyer explained. "I figured it was probably best for me to just fill you in on some of our abilities before they dropped in."
"Ah. So, what can they all do?" Aunt Polly asked.
"Well, Hartdegen has a time machine and commonly gets us technology from the future in the event of a really difficult mission," Sawyer explained. "Jekyll has this serum which turns him into an eight-foot-tall engine of destruction called Edward Hyde whenever he drinks it, but he's managing to keep Hyde under control in recent times. The captain of that ship we arrived in, the Nautilus, is called Captain Nemo, and is an expert with technology and in the martial arts. One member, Terry, has a very complicated back story, and Rodney Skinner is an invisible man."
Aunt Polly just stared as Tom recounted these facts to her, not saying a word. Then, she finally broke the silence that had descended upon them. "And Mrs Harker? Where's her husband?"
"He died," Sawyer sighed. "She serves as our resident chemist, and, well, she's a vampire-"
Here Aunt Polly spoke, partly in horror and partly in disbelief.
"A VAMPIRE?! You're working with... with a MONSTER?"
"She's not like normal vampires," Sawyer replied, trying to not loose his temper. He'd rather not get into trouble with his aunt at an already difficult time. "She keeps her instincts under control, and never kills the innocent. She's the most... well, there isn't a word to describe what she is the most of, but she is. And, well, the thing is..." He sighed. Best to get this out of the way as soon as possible. "I love her. And she loves me."
Aunt Polly slumped back into her chair
"You... love her?" she asked, looking up at her nephew.
Sawyer smiled. "Yeah, I do. She's such an incredible person, Aunt Polly. Don't be prejudiced against her because of what she is. She's strong, determined, courageous, beautiful, intelligent... everything a man could want in a woman. An old friend of hers once described her as one of those women sent by the Lord to show us that there is a heaven, and that parts of it can be found on this world. I try to treat her as such, and I always will."
*****
Aunt Polly smiled a little as she the expression on her nephew's face. This woman was definitely something special to him, his expression alone told her that. Besides, it would appear that the woman was helping him become a better person than he had been as a child, and that was a good thing in her book.
She glanced over at Sawyer, and saw that he had fallen asleep in his chair. Sighing, she got up and walked out of the room and up to bed. Sawyer had an in-built ability to sleep anywhere for any length of time, so he'd be perfectly fine in a chair. Right now, she just wanted them all to get some rest before they got on with tracking down the criminals.
With abilities like this, they could hardly fail to be successful.