Chapter:2 :Short lived Battles
Author: Beck2
Shout-outs
Silent Bob 546: Yes, I really didn't mean for that to happen, but in that situation someone was bound to look stupid.
Dr. Logana Jekyll: Thank you so much for the advice, I tried to work in a bit more, like you said, but it may be next chapter before I get into the rhythm of it.
ThePet: Well…I'm very glad you liked the kid and the dog, they will be a source of constant hilarity, I wasn't really aiming for the kid to be Arabic, but rereading I can see the resemblance.
Roses-r-red: I hadn't thought of that…that would be hilarious, I'll try to put that in the next chapter!
Clez: I hope to be writing much more, thank you very much!
Firestone: I always liked Jekyll as well, he's so…complicated. And wonderfully timid. Thank you so much!
Maikafuiniel: Thank you very much! I'm going to have to check out the Evo portion of your site.
Asteria: Thank you very much, when the identity of the kid is revealed, you should get a kick out of it. They were, in turn, inspired by Danny and her furry friend.
Ravyn Nyte: I know, they're great, aren't they? Thank you!
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"We have learned very little, except that somewhere out in London there is a young boy carrying around Tom's wallet." Skinner snickered. He was visible now, with his coat, facemask, glasses and trilby. Nemo's eyebrows shot up questioningly.
"What is this?"
"Some brat of a kid claimed to be giving us information while his sneaky pal grabbed my wallet." Tom said, still fuming. They were, once again, back in the meeting room of the ship.
"You sure it wasn't Skinner?" Mina's soft, slightly menacing voice asked.
"Ooh, Mina, I'm hurt. You're bein' unreasonable, darling." Skinner said with feigned hurt.
"And what did this child say? Perhaps the information was not all false." Nemo questioned.
"He said," Jekyll began very quiet, fidgeting with his watch, "that on the hull of this other ship was a purple insignia, but did not say what it was of." His voice finished a bit stronger than what he had started out. The Doctor had always been very nervous at these meetings, stumbling over his words.
"Not much of a help to us." Captain Nemo declared. Jekyll shrank into his chair as Nemo began to question Skinner. "Did you pick up anything?"
"Nothin' material."
"Information, Skinner." Nemo said, annoyed.
"Not much, everyone's talkin' about the other port. No real information floating about."
"I suppose we will have to wait." Mina said as she folded a napkin that she had carried in her pocket. She never used it, but carried it, just in case.
"Great. Mind if I go back out and look around?" Tom said abruptly.
"If this is about the kid, better leave it, Tom. Take it from me, thieves know where to hide." Skinner told him.
"Yes. We'd best stay here for now. Besides, it is almost dinner time." Nemo broke in. On his ship, his word was law. And for the League to be spread out over the city looking for some pickpocket would not do if some disaster struck.
"Alright." Tom resigned. However reluctantly.
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Jekyll rested his hands on the top of the rail looking out at London from the deck of the Nautilus. For dinner he had barely tasted anything, leaving an almost full plate on the table. As much as he liked trying new things, he had not felt hungry at all.
"Beautiful." He whispered to no one. It had been such a long time since he had been to London, his old home. He had been missing it so much. Ever since…Edward.
Edward was inside him now, hissing at him, wanting to be let out. But his resolve was stronger as of late, even if his nervousness had not dissipated. He was able to keep Edward Hyde at bay.
But the thought of his potion, that powerful elixir in the hands of others, spreading his disease…
It made him sick.
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Quiet.
Ripples disturbed the placid waters as a ship a mile from the London port surfaced. Its looks, in almost every aspect, looked like the magnificent ship in the harbor.
But upon the front of the ship, a purple insignia of a large snake eating a stag.
Inside the massive ship, rushing like ants in tunnels, a crew hurried to carry out orders. And in the steering room of this ship, a tall, gray haired man smoked his pipe as the ship pointed towards the dock, and the ship inside it.
"Finally, a confrontation between the greatest sea powers. Let's see what the mighty Nautilus can do against the Aurelius, Conqueror of the sea."
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An explosion rocked the ship. Mina had to leap away from falling chemicals in order not to get burned, though it would matter little. That didn't stop it from hurting. Anger flooded her as the ship shook. Her eyes glowed red as she ran from her room.
Crew members packed the halls, trying to get to their stations as another explosion hit.
"What's going on?" She yelled at one hapless member that appeared not to know where to go.
"We are under attack!"
"I can see that, by who?!" She yelled over the noise.
"A ship! A ship out in the water!" The crewman ran off.
"Where else would it be?" Mina hissed as she ran up to the deck.
"Fire the rockets at the intruder!" Nemo roared at his crew, who hastened to comply.
"Captain! A stray rocket from the attacking ship is heading toward the city!"
"We can do nothing for it. We can only prevent more from coming!"
"What can I do?" Mina asked him.
"You can stay out of the way." He said sharply.
Mina stepped back a little miffed, but the Captain was right, there was nothing she could do here. She left the room, and met Tom in the hall.
"I'm going to check up on the doc, you wanna come?" He yelled over the noise. Mina nodded, welcoming any usefulness she might have in this.
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Jekyll struggled to stay upright as the ship rocked with every explosion. He had just been standing on the deck, watching the scenery when the first rocket had hit. He had almost been thrown into the water. Now he was struggling to get back to the door.
Another rocket flew across, missing the ship by inches and heading into the city. He did not have time to think about what would happen to the inhabitants when the rocket hit, as another projectile threw him to the deck.
"Henry!" He looked up to see Tom Sawyer at the door, holding out his hand for him to take. He grabbed it gratefully. But before he was dragged back into the ship, he caught sight of something on the hull of the rapidly approaching ship.
A purple insignia.
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"How disappointing." The grizzled man said. The Nautilus had several large holes in it, and was beginning to give back weapons fire. "Let's depart."
"Sir?" A crewmember asked puzzled.
"We have proved a valuable point. The Nautilus is no match for us. Let it fester with the wounds of defeat. We will destroy London…another day."
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"They are retreating Captain." A crewmember informed him.
Nemo was barely containing the raging fury he felt. How dare they attack like this? How dare they leave, as if the Nautilus was no longer a threat?
"Captain?" A crewmember spoke uncertainly. Nemo controlled his thoughts.
"Make repairs immediately. Care for the wounded, and send some men into the city to see what sort of damage that stray rocket caused." He ordered. The crewmembers hastened to obey.
He left the room, and ran into Sawyer, Mina, and Jekyll. Jekyll looked extremely troubled.
"What is it, Doctor Jekyll?"
"I-It seems that," The doctor said hesitantly, "That the young man we met may… know more than we realized. I saw a purple insignia on the hull…of the other ship."
"Then you must find him." Nemo said decisively. "We must know everything about the other ship. Everything."
"Does anywhere know where Skinner is? We could use his help finding the kid, he knows what the dog looks like."
"I'm right here, and I'm going to need new quarters. That last bloody rocket took out half of my room." Skinner shook his head as he rounded the corner. "Not something you want happen when you're tryin' to have a nice drink."
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"It's a bloody good thing I'm so thin." The brown haired scam artist grumbled. The kid was squirming out of a hole not even a foot in diameter as the large gray dog watched. The dog, mostly gray with black and brown markings, had been outside of the building when it collapsed. The building was inhabited by the dregs of society, many of which were out. Such is the legacy of ladies of the night, and muggers, and such the like. Those few that didn't work at night were mostly stuck in the rubble or struggling to get out.
The kid managed to get free of the rubble and sighed.
"We're in trouble now. Simon will not be pleased. Maybe if we work hard, he won't find out, eh?" A light pat on the dog's head on the duo left the rubble that had once been their home.
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