A/N: The Davis Torture Guild is coming along nicely. So far, its members are, my editor/friend Lily Bengal, morph, funyun, the still crazy schizomaniax, and me. Anybody else want to join? We can torture Davis mercilessly [and hopefully in a parody fic… what do you guys think? Should I invest my time in a DTG parody fic?] Anyway, aside from giving me Skinner dolls, Gambit plushies, and a crowbar [for the Guild], schizomaniax has given me some loverly pet tigers for, and I quote, "any flame disposal and disciplinary purposes." They will be popping up in random author's notes and reviews. Their names are Remy [after Gambit, of course], Bongo [at the suggestion of my crazy sister], and Brak [a cartoon character that I find to be absolutely hilarious!]. Say hello!
Remy, Bongo & Brak: Growl…
Guys, be nice. *tigers sulk off to find something, or someone, to gnaw on* Anyway, moving right along…
morph ~ Yikes! I never want to be near you and your long, claw-like nails if you get angry. You are very vicious… which makes you a great addition to the Guild! Hehehe!
LotRseer3350 ~ Yup, Fairly Oddparents. I'm a cartoon geek. So sue me.
Lady Moon3 ~ I really hope you're not confused any more. I guess I assumed everyone who's seen the movie would remember who Sanderson Reed is. [But, then, you know what the first three letters of 'assume' are!]
funyun ~ I do know the fate of Mr. But Sir, and I'm not telling! *sticks tongue out* You'll just have to wait and see!
schizomaniax ~ Your reviews never cease to amuse the heck out of me! And, whenever you want me to admit that you are completely and totally insane, I won't hesitate to do so.
Fritz Will Get You ~ Not very wordy, are you?
Hoshii-chan ~ Hey! Someone thinks I'm clever! Yay! :-P
Steffi ~ Urk… that's quite an evil laugh you've got. Hey! Be nice to Skinner! Don't make me call my tigers!
Zanna Avons ~ Consider the wait officially over!
The plan was basically the same as it had been the last time the League had to save the world from a madman, with a few changes. There were no hostages to free for one thing, also the League had to be ten-times more wary than before. They had no clue how many invisible soldiers were lurking about in that place.
Skinner hoisted the strap loaded down with dynamite over his shoulder – he had, once again, volunteered to set the bombs in the furnaces.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tom asked him for the millionth time.
"Yes, I'm sure," Skinner replied shortly. "Should be easier the second time around anyway. I just have to watch out for flying sparks and flame-throwers." Tom just raised an eyebrow at this. Skinner was a mystery he would never be able to figure out.
"Are we all ready?" Mina inquired.
"As ready as we'll ever be," Tom said, resting his rifle on his shoulder. He was more than ready to track down Reed. Tom was certain that if Reed had not taken him hostage, Allan would still be with them. That still haunted his sleep… running through M's fortress, colliding with who he thought was Skinner, those words… "What makes you think I'm Skinner, hmm?" Those words had burned themselves into Tom's memory. They reminded him of his mistake – he had assumed, and he had assumed wrong. Every day, Tom beat himself up for being so stupid. He shouldn't have just assumed that it was Skinner; he shouldn't have let his guard down…
Cabrilyn came up beside the young American. "Are you all right?" She asked. He had a far-away, angry look in his eyes. She wasn't sure what he was thinking about, but then, there was no way she could know. She had not been part of the League when Tom first encountered Reed.
Tom snapped out of thought. He blinked a couple of times and cleared his head. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. The rest of the League remained silent – they knew what he had been thinking about. Tom surveyed his companions. Everyone looked a little anxious, one way or another. Skinner kept readjusting the strap on his shoulder, while Mina just stared off into the distance. Nemo would occasionally move his hand to his sword hilt, Jekyll fiddled with the vial of formula he had in his hands, and Cabrilyn tugged at her coat pockets. In fact, the only one who showed no signs if anxiousness, was Dorian. Somehow, this didn't surprise Tom. He recalled Mina's earlier words, "…He's got nothing to loose or gain from any of this."
"I don't know about you," Skinner said, breaking the silence that had blanketed them. "But I'm ready to get out of this blasted snow."
Jekyll let out a nervous chuckle. "Indeed," he sad, uncorking the vial of formula. "Let's do this."
* * *
Hyde's monstrous roar echoed through the vast stone fortress.
Dr. Owen merely glanced up from his work as a herd of soldiers, both visible and invisible, raced by. He chuckled. They wouldn't last very long, he knew what they were up against – he had his sources after all. He almost wished that he could get his hands on some of Jekyll's formula and figure out how it worked, perhaps make some of his own, but those were thoughts for another time. Right now, he was far too busy making preparations. Reed would get his antidote…
* * *
"Right, I'm off this way," Skinner said. He, Cabrilyn and Nemo were coming down one of the many hallways in the fortress. Tom had gone in search of Reed, while Hyde was having fun maiming the soldiers near the entrance and Mina was on a feeding frenzy. No one was sure where Dorian had gone. Cabrilyn and Nemo were to go to the lab and see what damage they could to there before Hyde could show up to wreak some real havoc.
"Skinner," Cabrilyn said just before the gentleman thief disappeared down another hallway. He paused and glanced back at her. "Be careful," she said. Skinner only lingered for a second longer, a smile playing on his invisible lips. He wasn't sure why, but those two simple words meant a lot to him.
Nemo and Cabrilyn followed Skinner's instructions and soon found themselves at the laboratory area of the building. It was much like it had been at M's old place – a large, open area full of tables and equipment. Only one thing was different, off to the far right of the room was a door, slightly ajar. Cabrilyn and Nemo exchanged glances. Cabrilyn drew one of her swords. "I'll go in," she said. Nemo was about to protest, but Cabrilyn had already gone.
Carefully, Cabrilyn pushed the ill-oiled door open. It was unusually heavy, and, for a brief second, she wondered why. That thought was lost when she entered the room. It was an operating room, the place of her nightmares. Very carefully and slowly, she stepped further and further into the poorly lit space. Suddenly, the door slammed behind her. Cabrilyn reeled around and tried desperately to open it. It wouldn't budge. She pounded on the heavy wood and steel door – this place scared her, something about it was not right. "Nemo!" She cried. "Nemo! I'm locked in! Nemo!"
"There's no use doing that. I'm certain he's quite busy."
That voice… that voice… she knew that voice. It was seedy and nasal… It grated at her very soul… Cabrilyn turned, clutching her sword to tightly, her knuckles whitened. "You," she said. Malice rang in her voice.
Dr. Owen merely chuckled. "Hello Catherine. Glad to see you alive and well."
Cabrilyn glared at him. This was the man the ruined her life. She didn't know, or care how or why he was here. All she knew was this man needed to die. Very carefully, Cabrilyn reached for her other sword.
"You are a very foolish girl." Owen said nonchalantly. "Then, you probably got that from your parents. They were foolish too." Cabrilyn paused at the mention of her parents. How dare he… Then she felt cold steel at the base of her skull. A gun.
"Are you intending to have me shot?" Cabrilyn asked coolly. She could easily deal with a gunman, invisible or otherwise.
"In a matter of speaking," Owen replied. Cabrilyn felt the sudden sting of a needle, then her world went black and she collapsed unconscious on the floor.
* * *
Nemo had his hands full. A mob of soldiers had come out of nowhere, swarming the captain. Fortunately for him, he was a skilled fighter, but the odds were against him. As if right on cue, Hyde came barreling down the hall, followed shortly by a flock of bats – Mina.
Hyde wrapped a monstrous hand around a soldier, and flung him away. The man landed with a resounding crash on one of the tables. One man tried desperately to shoot the monster that was taking out his fellow soldiers left and right, but his aim was poor. Hyde let out a low laugh at the man's attempts. He snatched up a nearby table and swung it with all his strength, clearing out at least a dozen soldiers.
Mina, in the meantime, was taking out any soldier she could get her fangs on. While Nemo, now that it was no longer a one-sided fight, was doing his share of soldier exterminating. At a lull in the fighting, Nemo suddenly remembered Cabrilyn. He'd heard her cries for help, but there had been nothing he could do. "Hyde," the captain said. "Cabrilyn's trapped behind that door…"
"I'll get her out," Hyde growled, grinning widely. Any chance for destruction was welcome. Hyde lumbered over to the door, and, after finding it had no fixtures of any kind that he could grab, he rammed it as hard as he could. The door shuddered and groaned under the massive force, but didn't budge. Hyde rammed it again, a bit harder this time, and the door flew off its hinges. He ducked under the doorframe and peered inside. "It's empty," he declared. "Cabrilyn's gone."
A/N: Ok, don't be angry with me for ending the chapter right there… aw, heck, be angry with me! I don't care! I was feeling mean and wanted to end this one in a cliffhanger. *evil-type laughter* Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Again I say: Yay violence! *at the mention of violence, tigers come running* No, no violence for you.
Remy, Bongo & Brak: Growl? [translation: Why?]
Ok, fine. Go chew on Davis or something. *tigers trot off happily to find Davis* Hehehe, good luck getting him out of the rubble. All right, enough of my ramblings. Onward to the big Tom vs. Reed fight scene!