A/N: I said I could pump out chapters fast, but even I didn't know I could be this fast! Be warned – I set people on fire in this chapter. (I don't get too descriptive, but just warning you.) It's funny, though, 'cause I have all this violence, and then, out of left field comes this corny romantic moment. (I'm a hopeless romantic – emphasis on the hopeless part.) Anyway, on to "Commander Yendor" and friends…

            Skinner found it rather difficult to lead an army of invisible men. Simply saying, "follow me" was sort of out of the question. It took him a while to get the hang of it, but that was fine. He was supposed to lead them in circles for a while so the others would have time to dispose of the visible gunmen, attain the flame-throwers and get to the rendezvous point.

            "Sir, didn't we already pass this way?"

            Skinner scowled and glanced over his shoulder. "You're pushing my patience, Mr. Davis. I know exactly where I'm going." They marched on. The distant sound of gunfire drifted on the breeze. 'Good,' Skinner thought. The rest of the League was doing their job. 'They'd better hurry, I don't know how much more of this Davis kid I can take!'

            "Sir…"

            Skinner stopped in his tracks and reeled around. "What?" Someone collided with him. "Ah! Oh… halt already!" The men stopped. "Davis, get up here."

            "I am up here, sir." Davis said. He was the one who'd run into Skinner.

            "Good! Now I can box your ears you annoying little…"

            "But sir…" Davis protested.

            Skinner was totally annoyed with this young man. "For crying out loud! What is it?"

            "Look, sir, up there. What is that?"

            "What is what?" Skinner asked. He looked up the street. "Holy…!" It was Jekyll, well, more or less. He was somewhere between being Jekyll and Hyde. His formula had run out and he was staggering down the street in mid-transformation. Another figure rushed out into the middle of the street, probably Mina, and helped him into the alley. "Um… er… I don't know. Come on men, let's investigate."

            "All of us, sir?" It was Davis again.

            "Yes, all of us," Skinner replied shortly.

            "Now hold on," Davis said. "I don't think you are who you say you are. You come in out of nowhere and lead us in circles. Something's amiss here, and I think it's you." There was a chorus of "yeah" and "he's right" from the group.

            Skinner wasn't sure he could talk his way out of this one, but he knew he had to come up with some way to get them to the alley. "See here! Is this anyway to treat a commanding officer? I ought to kill you all right now!" He tried as a last-ditch effort to scare them back into taking his orders. It didn't work quite as well as he wanted it to. While he'd been talking, Davis had a plan of his own. He sought out a mud puddle and heaved a handful of mud in the direction of Skinner's voice. It hit him square in the face. Skinner gawked and wiped the mud from his eyes. Davis' plan worked – now Skinner could be seen.

            "Get him!" Davis hollered.

            Skinner bolted. 'Well, this is one way to get them to the alley,' he thought as he ran down the middle of the street. His bare feet pounded on the asphalt, but not nearly as loud as his heart was pounding. He was scared for his life. Forty invisible soldiers were just as intimidating as those flame-throwers, if not worse. A bullet ricocheted off the street, followed by another and another. 'Great, now they're shooting at me! Sawyer owes me major for this one!' He headed into the alley at full run.

            "Hold on," Cabrilyn said. "It's Skinner."

            "I'm not alone!" Skinner shouted as he bolted past her. "Torch 'em!"

            The invisible army flooded around the corner, and was met by a wall of flame. Screams of pain pierced the night as the men scattered everywhere, searching for some relief from the pain. Tom, Nemo, and several of the crew drew their guns and took to ending the men's suffering. Skinner stayed toward the back of the alley, catching his breath while trying to tune out the cries of the men. He knew what it felt like to be set on fire. Someone came up beside him – it was Cabrilyn. "What have you got on your face, Commander Yendor?"

            Skinner glared at her. The dried mud on his face cracked and fell of in chunks. "Leave me alone. It was all I could think of."

            Cabrilyn couldn't help but laugh. "You could have picked something a little less… odd-sounding. Yendor… that's normal!"

            "Humph," Skinner huffed. "It worked, didn't it?" He brushed past her and went to retrieve his coat from Tom. The melee had died down, but the carnage was sickening, and the smell was awful. Skinner walked carefully – the last thing he wanted to do was step on anyone. Cabrilyn watched him walk away. Despite the fact he was annoying, she felt a new sense of respect for Skinner. He'd risked his life to save a country that wasn't even his own. He was a hero, whether he'd admit to it or not.

            Jekyll came up beside her. He was pale and shirtless from his recent transformation and his brown hair was matted with sweat. He leaned against the fire-warmed brick wall. "Yendor?" he asked. He'd overheard Cabrilyn teasing Skinner about his choice in names.

            "It was creative," Cabrilyn replied, shrugging. "It's 'Rodney' spelled backward."

            "What spelled backward?" Mina asked, walking up to join them. Her foot came across a rise in the pavement, and she stumbled. In a rather graceful manner, Jekyll caught her. There was a moment where neither of them spoke; they just looked at each other. Cabrilyn raised an eyebrow and quietly walked away. She doubted they even noticed she left.

            "Oh, um…" Mina stammered. "So sorry… That was in… incredibly clumsy of me." Still, she didn't try to get out of Jekyll's grasp. She just stood there. Jekyll didn't say anything – he couldn't think of anything to say even if he'd wanted to. Mina met his eyes – she knew that look. Her husband had looked at her the same way, many years ago. Love. Jekyll was in love with her, and she couldn't help feel that she was starting to love him back.

*   *   *

            Tom looked back at Mina and Jekyll. Somehow, he knew he'd lost out in trying to vie for Mina's heart. Skinner stood beside him, cleaning the last of the mud from his face. He followed Tom's gaze. "I'm happy for them," he said, throwing a glace at Tom. "Look, you'll get other chances. You're young, good-looking and, well, you're normal. Mina's not. She and the doctor got that in common – and that's something deep. They sort of need each other, ya' know?"

            "That was probably the deepest thing I've ever heard you say," Tom said. "Thanks."

            "Yeah, well, savor it because I don't know if I'll ever get that deep again," Skinner replied. He pulled on his coat and went out into the street, Tom followed. Charred bodies where piled everywhere. Skinner cringed – it was a gruesome sight to behold.

            "We've got a problem," Cabrilyn said, coming up to them. "I only count thirty-nine, and I've counted them twice. Someone's missing."

            Suddenly, Cabrilyn was seized from behind, and a knife was brought to her throat. "Would you be referring to me?" her captor asked.

            "Oh, God," Skinner uttered, backing away. "Davis."

            "Well, if it isn't Commander Yendor," Davis said mockingly. Cabrilyn struggled to get out of his grip. Davis pressed the knife into her skin, drawing blood. "One more move, and I'll kill you."

            "Go ahead, kill me." Cabrilyn said. "It'll be the last thing you ever do."

            Davis chuckled. He was clever to have sent the others after "Commander Yendor" while he stayed behind. He was winning – or so he thought. Cabrilyn seized the opportunity and drew her dagger. In one swift movement, she plunged it into Davis' thigh. Davis yelled in pain, quickly forgetting his captive.

            Cabrilyn freed herself and turned on him, sword drawn. "Now," she said, menacing the invisible soldier with her blade. "We need information about your boss, and you are going to give it to us."

A/N: *sings* "Love is in the air, everywhere I look around…" Ok, that was my musical moment for the day. I've always wanted Mina and Jekyll to end up together. I don't know why. I just like Jekyll, and I think he should get the girl. (So there. Ha, ha!) Now we get to have some Skinner mischief aboard the Nautilus in my next chapter. (Just in case you couldn't tell – Skinner's my favorite.) Oh, by the way – thank you for the reviews, I really appreciate all of the feedback!