A/N: Here I am to save the day! Sorry it took me so long! I have good news though: we now have two computers at my house. My darling sister and I don't have to duke it out for computer time. [I'm not very good at 'duking it out,' obviously.] Oh, and the lovely, but obviously crazy, schizomaniax has given me a wonderful idea: The Davis Torture Guild. Anyone who wants to join must swear upon Skinner's coat that they will torture Davis to the best of their abilities. :-P So, who's in?
Steffi ~ You are dirty-minded, Muppet-loving, Monty Python fan! Hehehe! Reminds me of someone I know… hmm, would that be… me?
Zanna Avons ~ Pray away. You never know what a good prayer might do…
Lily Bengal ~ Ah, my dear editor/ friend, I'm glad we got your stupid computer to work long enough to get you an account!
schizomaniax ~ Hey, thank you! Skinner dolls and Gambit plushies for everyone! Ooh, yay! I have Tigers now! They need names!
funyun ~ I know how you feel! My homework throttles me a lot, too. Especially with finals coming up.
LoRseer3350 ~ Yay! Another Gambit fan! There certainly are a lot of those here. I wonder if I can find some fellow Nightcrawler fans as well… :-P
Skinner knew he had two advantages over Davis. One: Davis was wounded. Two: Davis was still covered in paint. Skinner could only hope Davis hadn't seen him coming after him – after all, neither of them had shed their coats outside, in the snow and cold. Skinner wouldn't be any good to anyone if he froze to death. Instead, he shed his clothes just inside the door and stowed them somewhere out of sight.
'This does seem very familiar…' he thought as he gazed around, taking in his surroundings. 'Now, where did Mr. But Sir go?' After a little wandering and looking, he spotted Davis leaning against a stone pillar, trying to catch his breath. His right thigh was wounded and bleeding freely.
"Davis?"
Both Skinner and Davis reeled around. There stood one of Reed's soldiers. He was wearing a gray-black uniform, black boots, and a hat that looked as though it were floating in mid air, but was actually perched on his invisible head.
Davis sighed with relief. "Philip. Just who I wanted to see."
"Where have you been?" Philip asked. While Davis related his story to his fellow soldier, Skinner was trying to figure out what to do. Now there were two invisible soldiers to deal with, and who knew how many more would show up. He needed a plan, and fast.
* * *
The League found meager refuge from the wind behind a large snow bank. It was the only shelter to be found aside from the cliff. They all huddled to get out of the wind as best they could. All of them were tired, cold, and worried. Cabrilyn peered over the snow bank at Reed's fortress for the millionth time.
"Would you stop that?" Dorian asked shortly.
"I just can't help but feeling one of us should go in there after him," she replied distractedly.
Tom rubbed his hands together for warmth. "Skinner's a big boy, he can take care of himself." Dorian scoffed, and received a glare from most everyone present.
"He's right," Jekyll said reasonably. "I'm certain Skinner will be fine. He's got enough sense to stay out of trouble." Dorian wisely suppressed another scoff, but Mina caught it and rolled her eyes at him. "Besides," Jekyll continued. "We can't risk going in there without knowing what we're up against."
Cabrilyn issued a sigh and plopped down in the snow next to Tom. "I still think…"
Tom put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "He'll be fine. Don't worry."
* * *
'I really have to think before I act. If I did, I wouldn't be in this mess right now,' Skinner thought, though, he knew he had to stop Davis from relaying his information. After sizing up the enemy, Skinner had formulated a plan, albeit, it wasn't a very good plan, but it was a plan nonetheless. He stealthily made his way up to Davis' crony, Philip, and snatched his gun from its holster. Philip looked bewildered. "Do you mind?" Skinner said and promptly clocked Philip with the gun. "Night-night," he said as he rendered the invisible soldier senseless.
Davis just stared at the floating gun for a moment. Then, something must have clicked in his brain because he bolted down the hallway with all speed. "Oh no you don't," Skinner said and took off after Davis. Luckily, the wound in his leg slowed him down considerably. Skinner reached out and grabbed the invisible soldier by the shoulder and yanked him to the floor.
"You know," Skinner said, looking down at the bewildered Davis. "I'm really tired of having to chase you everywhere, and I'm positive you're tired of being chased, so let's end this now." He cocked Philip's gun. Davis let out a frightened noise. "Oh, stop it," Skinner said and fired the gun strait up. Pieces of the ceiling came crashing down around the two invisible men. Skinner leapt out of the way while Davis was buried in the rubble. Skinner tossed the gun aside and dusted off his hands. "So much for him," he said and trudged off to do some spying.
* * *
"How long have we been out here?" Tom asked over the howl of the wind.
Cabrilyn shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."
Jekyll dug into his vest pocket, which was quite a chore with his coat on, and produced his pocket watch. "About half an hour, I think."
Tom raised an eyebrow. "No wonder I can't feel my legs."
"How d… d… do you th… think I f… f… feel?"
The entire group leapt up at the sound of Skinner's disembodied voice. "Skinner! What happened to your coat?" Cabrilyn asked.
"S… Somebody… l… l… lifted it…" The invisible man shivered violently. Someone produced a spare coat. Skinner took it gratefully and seated himself in the snow.
"So…?" Tom asked anxiously.
"The layout is more or less the same as M's old place," Skinner replied. "Weapons and invisibility serum are being mass-produced in there."
"How? By whom?" Nemo asked.
"There's no hostages if that's what you're asking. There is one scientist that seems to be in charge of everything," Skinner said, pulling the coat around him tighter. "Reed resides in the penthouse suite, if you will…"
Tom snatched up his rifle. "He's mine. We've got a score to settle."
Dorian chuckled condescendingly. "I'm certain you do."
"Dorian," Mina scolded.
"All right," Tom said, studiously ignoring Dorian's remark. "Listen up, here's the plan…"
* * *
Sanderson Reed had never really enjoyed being Moriarty's lackey. He was in it solely for the money. Now, though, he would have the money and the power, and perhaps something he craved even more than the money and the power – visibility. Reed longed to be seen again. In fact, it was never really his choice to become invisible in the first place – it was a condition of life or death. Moriarty's words constantly haunted his thoughts: "Drink it, or die…" Reed valued his life far too much to refuse, so he drank the invisibility serum. He was a guinea pig for Moriarty and nothing more.
But things change. Moriarty was dead, and he was not. It was as simple as that.
Though it gave him a definite advantage over his enemies, Reed hated being invisible. It was a lonely existence. He wanted nothing more than to be visible again. So, when his men brought him word of a brilliant, albeit, slightly mad, scientist taking refuge in a small shack not far from his base of operations, he had the man brought to him immediately. That man was the iniquitous Dr. U.N. Owen.
Reed demanded that Owen find a cure for his "condition," as he called it. Instead, Owen told him that there already was a cure. It was to be found in one of his former patients. A young woman to whom he restored sight, and, he also informed him, that she was gallivanting with a certain League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Reed didn't ask Owen how he knew that – he was certain the doctor had his sources. His only worry was that he'd just sent his Nautilus after the League. If it fulfilled its mission, then Reed's hopes of visibility would be lost. As luck would have it, the League survived.
His cure was on its way, but what he didn't realize is that he would have to go through a certain American agent to get it.
A/N: Wow. I almost feel sorry for Sanderson Reed… almost. Now, it's time for the big battle scenes! [Warning, Fairly Oddparents moment approaching…] "It's violent, it's educational, but mostly violent! Yay violence!" Rightey-o! I'm off to write chapter 15!