Chapter : Three: Clunky and Gilly
Author: Beck2
Shout-outs
Graymoon74:Heh, thank you very much. I agree about Nemo. He should get that ship back.
A.L. Nowicki: Thanks a bunch, I tried to get this up as soon as I could.
Raven Silvers: Thank you, and I figured that, if I saw some dog stealing my friend's wallet, I'd be too amazed to do anything about it.
Clez: Thank you very much, poor Jekyll, I love that character.
Ravyn Nyte: Yes actually, I did get the inspiration from those two, and I think you should get the hidden joke in this chapter.
Reyana Ashaete:Thank you very much!
Niani: Well, I plan on having several more chapters, I hope you like this one too.
Silent Bob 546:Thank you, it took me forever to find a good name. It was hard to find a name that might sound as impressive as the Nautilus.
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The landing site of the stray rocket that hit London had toppled five buildings. Truly, it had not been the rocket's fault entirely for it had only hit one building, which then fell upon other buildings, all of which had been in a state of severe disrepair. They had obviously been a hazard beforehand.
Jekyll fidgeted with his watch as he and the other League members surveyed the wreckage. It had been a general agreement that they would all come to see if there was anything they could do. Nemo's crew scurried about, helping city officials pull up debris, looking for survivors. Sawyer and Nemo were helping them. He had been drafted with Mina to tend to the wounded that were pulled out. Skinner was nowhere to be seen, but as he was invisible, this was not odd.
Jekyll watched as a dead body was pulled from the wreckage and winced at the sight.
With all we've seen, you wince at that? I've done far worse Henry.
"I know that far too well, Edward. Far too well." Jekyll whispered, taking pains for no one to hear him speaking with…well, himself.
"We were lucky. There weren't many people in this district when the buildings fell." Mina interrupted his thoughts. The vampire watched the scene impassively, coldly. He could not help but stare at her, as many of the men did. Sometimes she seemed so otherworldly, one couldn't help it, though he struggled too.
"Yes." He agreed quietly, forcing his eyes to the scene before them. "We were."
The search for the boy and his dog would have to be postponed for now, until there was nothing more they could do to atone for allowing the missile through.
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"Look! They're digging up our flat." The boy pointed out a couple of men to his dog. "I think the day's looking up, we'll have our savings back and Simon shall be none the wiser."
The dog whapped his tail done in response, eager to do what was needed.
"Alright, here's the plan. I'll point out our nest egg and you snatch it, keep it with you and meet up where we usually do. Got that?"
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"I believe we have most everyone accounted for." A city worker panted as he used a shovel to unearth some debris. Sawyer pulled out a handkerchief and wiped some sweat off his brow.
"That's good, I'm spent." The American wiped his grimy hands on the cloth, then noticed something in the dirt.
"What's this?" He pulled a sack out of the dirt, and a piece of leather fell off of it. "That's my wallet!"
"WOOOF!" A massive gray dog snagged the bag in his jaws and landed his front paws into Sawyer's stomach, winding him and knocking him flat on his back. The dog leaped over him and took off, bag flapping in his jaws.
"Oy, Tom, that was the dog that stole your wallet!" Skinner's voice called from beyond the excavation area.
"He's not getting away!" Tom grabbed his wallet, which the hound left behind, and chased after the big dog, leaving the city worker scratching his head.
"I thought he said he was spent. Kids, too much energy."
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Tom bolted around a corner, almost careening into an old woman and upsetting a man, causing the man's parcels to go everywhere. He didn't stop to offer any apologies, the dog was already far ahead of him.
"Here boy!" He yelled, trying to get the dog to slow down. It only made the hound put more speed on.
Deciding to keep his breath for running, he pushed himself to go faster.
The dog rushed into a section of London that seemed to be like a small bazaar. People started screaming when the dog barreled through, and offered Tom insults in passing. There were a few vegetables thrown too, but he managed to dodge them.
Right ahead a couple of show carts were spread across the road, selling fresh tomatoes and eggs.
Tom confidently poured more speed on. The dog would never be able to jump those carts, not in a million years.
And that's exactly what the dog did. He jumped, jumped over the carts and landed on the other side with all four paws going.
Well, hell. If he can do it so can I! Tom braced himself to take the jump.
He almost made it.
Almost being a certain key word.
His foot got caught and his head slammed face first into a basket of eggs. The yolk dripped down his face as he picked up his head.
And there was the dog. It was standing not three feet away.
He could have sworn it was grinning at him.
He glared at the dog. "You are going to be a rug when I get over there."
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"Blast it all." The boy rushed through the streets. As soon as he saw who had been holding the bag before the dog hit him he knew he had to beat feet out of there, no telling when one of his friends could show up. He always heard Americans traveled in pairs."It can't get any bloody worse."
"Hello Gilbert."
The boy mentally berated himself for saying those cursed words. Nothing ever good came from them. He put on his best poker face and turned and smiled at the speaker.
It was a man, tall and handsome, at least on the outside. On the inside he was a petty coward, but a mean one at that. He wore expensive clothes that probably came off some dead body, for as good as they looked on him. He had a toothy grin, which ladies found 'charming' and that the boy found to be a lot like a piranha.
"'Ello Simon. 'Ow's business?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"Oh, I'm working…just working."
"I see you don't have your dog, junky is it?"
"Clunky, actually, and he's working too, so if you excuse me Simon-"
"You haven't paid me yet this month."
"Haven't I? Well, don't you worry, order's in the mail you know…"
"I don't believe you." Some dark shapes started to move outside Gilbert's vision, and he knew they were Simon's henchmen. "And I think you need to pay up. Now."
Gilbert gave a nervous laugh. "Left my money with my dog."
"That's too bad. Now, what will we take for payment?" Some very big brutes started leering at the younger boy.
"Uh…confidence in my skill as a master of persuasion?"
"I think not. Boys?"
A big man made a grab for Gilbert but he ducked and went through his legs and took off in the other direction. Behind him, Simon began yelling.
"Get him! Don't just stand there, he's only a boy!" Loud footfalls hurried after him.
"You've done it this time, Gilly, why can't you ever get things right?" He berated himself again. Slipping though the crowd on the street on the other side of the alley, he weaved in and out of clumps of people. The brutes weren't far behind.
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"What is that noise?" Mina asked. Jekyll and Mina were walking about, trying to locate either the pick pocket or the missing Sawyer, both of which they were having little luck.
Jekyll looked over his shoulder. There were several large brutish men pushing people aside, intent at a target in front of them. One of them pulled a pistol and the street was suddenly a madhouse, with people rushing to get out of the danger zone.
Mina pushed him to the side. Shots rang out into the street and more hysteria ensued. Jekyll walked a bit away from Mina, trying to see what they were shooting at. Mina was…fulfilling otherworldly desires.
She was hungry. And the men were full of blood.
Someone, not looking where they were going, hit Jekyll full force and the both of them hit the ground. He groaned and sat up to see who had hit him. The shots had stopped coming in his direction, they were directed more to the vampire that was picking off the shooters.
It was the boy. The boy that had ripped off Sawyer and given the information about the insignia. He was staring at the display of violence between Mina and the gunmen with a mix of pure horror and morbid fascination. Jekyll swiftly clapped a shoulder onto the boy's collar. He gave a strangled yelp and struggled to free himself. Jekyll had to grab him with both hands so the kid couldn't get away.
"Bloody kidnapper! MURDER! HELP! MURDERERS! BLOODY SADISTS!" The boy's shouting was catching unwanted attention, and though Jekyll kept a firm hand on him, he was suddenly aware of all the looks he was getting.
Mina walked over swiftly. "We have to get back to the ship. What are you doing?"
The boy swiftly shut up, more than a little intimidated by the vampire.
"This is the boy that told us the information." Jekyll informed her. She smiled, showing fangs, which made the boy shiver with a kind of fear that only came from seeing those kind of smiles.
"And what is your name, boy?"
"Gilbert Nesmond. Gilly to just about everyone." The boy remembered enough manners to tip his hat with a free hand and giving a nervous smile, he added, "Thank you for taking care of those brutes for me, it was awfully nice of you."
"And now it is time for you to repay me." She smiled. "We want to ask you about something."
"It was not my fault that building fell, I had nothing to do with it, and your friend, the American, well, that was my fault, I suppose, sometimes I just can't control me own pets, you know, they have a mind of their own." The boy said this all very fast, as if eager to get it all out as fast as possible and be free.
"That's not what we wanted to talk to you about." Jekyll informed him.
"Oh…uh…I knew that! Just wanted to answer some…side questions…in case you had them."
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Hmm…well, this chapter was difficult to write, I was presented with my very first case of writer's block, and I successfully muddled through it, I hope you all liked this chapter! Please leave your input!