Author's Note: Well, chapter two went down a treat, 'eh? Well… not really. I think people are getting their rubber chickens at the ready… that or the frying pans. Hmm… good thing this came pretty soon, wouldn't you say? Or I'd be a throttled, battered mess on the floor… oh dear… ah yes! Before I forget. I went ahead and made a brand new page on my website, dedicated to this story alone. It has its own link in the navigation bar of my site (which you can find the link to through my bio), and it has lots of basis pictures and some collected details. Feel free to take a peek.
freeformchick: Thank you for that comment. This one was actually more planned out than any before it, because I had the 'trailer' to consider.
RogueSparrow: *shudders* Now that is a Dorian glare… okay, okay… here you go! Don't hurt me!
Rayne: Yeah, I had a lot of fun writing that chapter, and I don't know why. It was gone midnight, and that all just… flowed through my fingertips to the keyboard, you know? I guess that just happens sometimes. Some people call it rambling…
Naitriab: I'm quickly growing quite fond of Skinner, which is why he's started to feature in my fics more. He's a very fun character, and he's a good one to use when you just want to… vent. As for Skinner's past… that just kind of happened without me realising, heh.
Raven: Oi, you, using our joint account to sign reviews, lol! Hehe, only kidding. Don't squeeze that plushie too hard or you'll strangle the poor thing. I have dabbled in horror before… but that was bit different… and besides, this is a werewolf story *wink*.
Sethoz: I forgot to tell you off for hitting me in the face with Buttons *growls*. Don't do that again… it hurt *rubs face*. *sees the rabid chipmunks, screams and runs for the hills*
Graymoon74: I was deeply touched by your comments. Thank you. I've never had anyone say that about my work before, and it meant a lot. *chuckles about your comment referring to a Nemo twin*
Leigh S. Durron: Ah yes… cliff hangers… how I adore them. Bwahaha!
"I'm telling you, something's wrong. The kid wouldn't just leave his stuff up on the tower and disappear on us now, would he?"
"Mr. Skinner, panicking will get us no closer to finding our answers." Nemo stood next to the mostly invisible man, and arched a dark eyebrow, shaded eyes pensive and considering the coat and guns in their holsters, in Skinner's hands. The rest of the League was gathered around him, and he had proclaimed three times what had happened.
He was about to start again when Mina Harker held up a hand. "Stop… you've already said it. Something is wrong, but we must keep calm. There is a logical explanation for all of this, as there usually is. If he is in danger, we will find him. We always do… we won't abandon him." Her blue eyes were full of determination, and for a moment the men thought they saw a flash of feral scarlet in them. None of them wished to dwell on this sign, and let it pass for what it truly was… only a possibility. They might have imagined it.
"So what do we do?" Dr. Jekyll asked of his collected companions, feeling the thick tension hovering, and not liking it one bit. He wanted to get out of this stuffy room and be useful. He hated standing about, feeling useless.
Mina eyed them each in turn, a wave of concern attacking her for only a moment, before it was replaced by reason anew. "We are to go into the city. I will be able to track Agent Sawyer…"
Skinner simply placed the jacket and guns – holsters and all – on the table, saying, "Well I'm ready."
"Do not be hasty, Skinner," Mina warned him, and nodded for Nemo and Jekyll to leave and prepare theirselves, as she would need to. "We must have our wits about us, not rush off blindly into the night. Agent Sawyer is a perfectly capable young man. They didn't make him part of the Secret Service for nothing."
With that, before the Londoner could make a retaliation, she was departing the room, and heading to her own cabin to prepare for their endeavour into the city. Once out of the double doors, she let the concern hit her truly, and she frowned deeply. What if something had happened to Tom Sawyer? He wasn't well… he was not himself, and therefore incapable of proper defence. He could be wounded… in grave danger, and they were running on a clock.
Skinner bounced on his toes as he stood outside the ramp from the Nautilus, letting his eyes peruse the area. He had removed his jacket and trilby not moments before – handing them to a trusty crewman of Nemo's – and was waiting only for his fellow League members. They certainly were taking their time. He wished he had a watch, or some way to tell the hour. He grumbled, and rubbed his invisible hands together to try and keep out the chill of the night.
Oh, come on, how long does it take to get ready when someone's bloody life is at stake? Skinner scowled into the belly of the Nautilus, and as a result – though he knew his glaring far from caused it – Dr. Jekyll and Captain Nemo emerged from behind one of the doors, the former looking rather timid.
The doctor was afraid of letting Edward Hyde – his alter ego – out from the confines of his body… Skinner knew this well, almost as much as the doctor himself knew it, perhaps even more so. Jekyll was terrified of Hyde… not that Skinner blamed him. The monstrous bulk wasn't exactly all about the cuddles and kisses. He was more of a 'dismember and pummel' kind of man.
"Has Mrs. Harker not yet arrived?" Nemo asked, his hand on his sword's hilt as ever. He cast his eyes about, before letting them land on the spot where Skinner's breath was visibly curling away from his lips as cool steam.
"I haven't seen her."
Of course, always one for dramatic entrances, Mina Harker chose that exact moment to throw open the door and stride up to them, all business and ready for action, dressed in leathers and trousers, the skirts abandoned and left in her cabin. Her hair had been removed from its trappings, and hung around her face, suddenly curled. Skinner had been meaning to inquire about that… was it some sort of vampiric trait?
It's got to be. Women I've seen have either had naturally curly hair, or they've had to sit through hours of torture to get locks like that.
Mina's eyes locked on Skinner's form then, and he almost started with the abruptness of it. "I see we are all present and accounted for," came her light, soft tones, yet so full of determination, "shall we?"
And with that, she pushed through to the front of the group, and descended the ramp, not even giving them a second glance as she called out behind her, "And, Doctor? Perhaps it would be an apt time to let out our good friend, Mr. Hyde?"
Jekyll gave a mumbled reply, fished a corked bottle out of his pocket, and went about his drinking it.
Skinner turned his head as Henry Jekyll disappeared into himself, twisting and deforming to become the hulking mass of muscle and flesh that was Edward Hyde, who cracked his neck, as if checking he was out in the open, before grinning, showing all his teeth. "What fun have you for me this evening?"
"No fun," Mina called back to him, and she was standing some few feet away, stock still on the road, her chin up as she took in a scent of the air, "we have to find Agent Sawyer."
Hyde groaned. "Why is it always that brat giving me a headache?"
Skinner raised his eyebrows as he cast his gaze about, trying to locate any sign of their missing companion. He knew Mina wouldn't take lightly to Hyde's name for Sawyer.
And she didn't… not exactly. Her icy gaze turned back to the looming Hyde, and she lowered her brow dangerously. "Agent Sawyer has not fully recovered from his ordeal, Mr. Hyde, and I will thank you to take on your duty with some semblance of sincerity. I am in no mood for your quibbles this evening. If you do not wish to aid us in our search, you can be returned to the ice room, and chained until your formula is done… am I understood?" She was facing him now, legs wide apart, full of attitude, and Skinner had to admit he took a timid step back from her. She was quite imposing when dressed for action… not to mention stunning. Shaking his head swiftly, Skinner looked to Hyde for his response.
The large man that had burst out of Jekyll sneered openly, eyes narrowing and catching the light so that they gleamed threateningly for only a moment, before he grunted. That was his only show of consent, and then they were pushing forth into the shaded streets of Paris. Skinner suddenly wished he had a weapon… he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, though the very concept was ridiculous. He couldn't even see himself.
Captain Nemo was – by nature – a very cautious, alert man. He kept every sense highly tuned in case of such a situation where his reactions would need to be swift, and this was one of those times. His hand forever rested warily and readily on the hilt of his ornate sword, and his eyes scanned the darkness, waiting for any sign of movement, ears pricked for the faintest sound of approaching danger.
He heard nothing… saw nothing. They were alone in their search. It was growing later, and the moon cast eerie shadows down all around them, providing pockets of cover for anyone waiting for a perfect ambush.
"I suggest we split up," he finally said, beginning to feel that staying in a group confined them and only served to drag their search out longer than it needed to be. "It will be much quicker if we were to spread out in the area."
"I agree," came Skinner's shuddering response. The man was growing cold, and was no longer able to hide it completely. "Might get us to Sawyer a lot quicker anyway… maybe he just left for a few drinks, 'eh?"
"I doubt that," Mrs. Harker responded coolly, and nodded to Nemo. "I concur. We will split up, and search individually. Any sign of trouble, and don't hesitate to attract attention by any means necessary." And then she was gone, bats exploding around her, as she physically broke apart and fluttered away to her rooftops exploration. She would have a good vantage point from up on the buildings, and would no doubt reveal some answers soon enough.
Before Nemo was even aware, Hyde had stomped off into the gloom, and vanished like a ghost, surprisingly stealthy for someone of his mass. Nemo lost sight of him – miraculously enough – within moments.
"I'll be going this way then," Skinner said, and shuffled off as well. Nemo heard his retreat for a few seconds, and then the patter of bare feet was gone altogether.
Nemo stood in the middle of the street for a while, glancing this way and that, considering his options, before, with an arching of the brow, he took off resolutely in the direction left for him by the others.
His memories of this place – not Henry Jekyll's – were rather fond. Carnage, rape, murder… who wouldn't look back on those with a smile? Such as the smile Edward Hyde wore at the very moment he turned a corner, and took a moment to think back on such times. Of course, when Jekyll had taken back control of his own faculties, he had been disgusted… even vomited once or twice. Edward had only laughed.
But now his mind turned to other things as a strange scent greeted him on the delicate nighttime breeze. He took a moment to drink it in, and his forehead creased in contemplation. He grunted quietly, and twisted his body round to glance behind him. Nothing… a vast pocket of blackness that stretched out from whence he had come.
Edward turned his head back to his previous course, and halted in his steps, listening carefully. Everything had suddenly gone very quiet.
Skinner felt a chill run down his spine as he heard a shuffling in the alley next to him, and then a clatter, like the sound a bottle makes upon rolling across stone. He knew the sound well. He peered into the darkness, and then glanced up to the sky, trying to find any sign of Mina Harker that he could, in the hopes that she would swoop down and help him to investigate the noise.
Then he heard something approaching from out of the darkness… fast. His heart raced in his chest, and his eyes opened as wide as they could, breath escaping him in little bursts with fright, as something exploded out of the dark, cannoning into him and throwing him to the floor.
It was only when he dared to look up that he saw a person instead of a frightful apparition, as his imagination had teased him with. The person was looking left and right for the obstruction he had collided with, clearly terrified beyond reason.
"Hey, calm down!"
The young man jumped almost an entire foot into the air, and scrambled back some distance.
"It's all right! I'm not a ghost or anything, I'm just… invisible," Skinner urged, and the young man seemed to calm. His light eyes fixed on the position the voice was originating from, and he seemed to ease visibly.
"… English?"
"That's right," Skinner replied, and he got to his knees. "Now what's got you so scared? You frightened the life out of me burstin' out of there!" He pointed at the alley mouth before remembering how useless it was, and letting his arm fall to his side again.
The man – who could have been no older than twenty at least – shook his head, black hair shifting with the movement, and he showed clear signs of deciphering what Skinner had said. There was an obvious concentration on his face. "I saw…" he pointed down the alley, "there is a monster. I saw it… there is another man, and I could not tell him. I ran away before it saw me. Horrible!"
Skinner cocked his head, and then turned it in the direction of the alley mouth. "What'd it look like?" he asked, a little nervous now.
It was at that moment that Mina strode up behind Skinner, obviously having landed from her bat exploration some distance off, attracted by the disturbance. "What is it?" was her immediate inquiry, and Skinner looked up at her.
"I was just asking this young man what scared the hell out of him, but considerin' he's French and I'm not… perhaps you could help?"
As if to show him up, Mina began a dialect with the young man in fluent French, her use of the language flawless and irritably perfect. Skinner scowled, knowing she wouldn't see it, and just listened – for what little good it did him – to the indecipherable exchange.
After many tense minutes, where Skinner's impatience wore rather thin, Mina turned to him, and relayed the details; "He says it was a hideous monster, like nothing he has ever seen, not even in books. It was huge, with eyes of silver, and a mouth full of fangs. It had thick black hair, and resembled a giant dog."
"Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"
"I highly doubt that," Mina teased inappropriately, and Skinner rolled his eyes, "but if you are assuming that perhaps something very similar to Evans' prior acquaintances lurks in Paris… I would agree with you."
Skinner nodded to the still-present young man, who Mina quickly dismissed. He clearly didn't need to be told twice, and took off like a rocket into the night. "So now what do we do?"
Mina's sea-blue eyes turned slowly in the direction of the alley mouth, and with a whisper of metal on metal, one of her silver daggers was revealed in the moonlight. Skinner swallowed.
"Right… why did I know you were gonna suggest that?"
He received no response, and only followed the vampire into the shadows, wishing he wasn't unarmed.
Wilhelmina Harker had every one of her senses alert for danger. Her blue eyes pierced the darkness with ease, and she scanned every shadow, every alcove for something like what the young frightened man had described. Her ears were ready to catch even the smallest sound that floated across the night air to them, and she froze when she thought she heard a muffled scream, and with her experience, noted the terror behind it.
She didn't even signal to Skinner as she bolted down the alleyway, her dagger still in her hand, glinting whenever it caught the wan light of the crescent moon as she moved with swift, agile precision over the obstructions. Skinner was less graceful in his pursuit, and though he tried to be as quiet and stealthy as he could – and normally was without trouble – he succeeded in making quite a racket. Mina would chide him later… right now they had a dangerous situation on their hands.
But as she turned the corner in the alley, coming to a dead end, she froze at once, feeling Skinner more or less ram into her. She was mostly hidden in her black clothing, melting into the shadows all around. She almost dropped her dagger at the sight, even though the thing had yet to see or hear them.
It was huge, coming close to seven and a half feet, easily, great sinewy limbs hanging dangerously at its sides as it loomed over something – the aforementioned abandoned man – on the floor. Great, meaty hands were spread wide, taloned claws formidable and deadly, clearly visible in the darkness. Its back heaved as it took great panting breaths, a low threatening rumble of a growl piercing the silence. Tattered clothing hung from its lower quarters, the seams of the fabric splitting around the waist and lower leg. Its feet were bare, and gigantic, great pounding paws that no doubt packed quite a kick, on the end of stocky legs. The knees seemed to have deformed slightly, and Mina imagined they had snapped backwards to make the legs more powerful, like those of wild animals, such as a wolf or a tiger. As the light ran across its rippling muscular form, the thick, dark hair was visible, coarse but carrying a shine to it that was intriguing for only a moment. Its spine arched as it let another snarl break forth from its throat.
Mina drew her secondary dagger, spinning it in her grasp so that the blade pointed down, the reverse of the first weapon. The noise had the desired effect. The creature's tall ears pricked, and then flattened back against the broad powerful skull.
It twisted its massive body, and she saw the face… the huge, frightening, yet oddly captivating head and face of the monster. It drew back its jowls in a fierce growl, baring two rows of razor sharp fangs, long canines dripping with saliva as it opened its maw slightly, its large tongue visible for a moment as it licked against the teeth. The ears flattened even further back, right against the thick hair that covered every inch of its head and body. Its muzzle was rather short, like a hunting dog's whose breed had been created to charge through the undergrowth… all its features kept close in, out of danger of being caught on bushes and thistles.
But perhaps the most unnerving – and at the same time astounding – detail about that huge face, were the eyes… the slitted pools of silver that seemed to shine like some forbidden liquid, the light catching them and revealing them to have no pupil or iris… they were solid grey, alight with fury at the interruption. They bore into Mina and she prayed the beast could not see Skinner in any way. She would have told him to run if it would not have revealed his position. The eyes still fixed on her for a long, tense moment, before with a deafening bellow, it launched, its hind legs pushing its mass off the ground and throwing it through the air towards her.
She took the oppurtunity that presented itself, and rolled forward on the ground underneath it as it soared above, and she came up in a feline crouch of preparation, blades pointed outward, and ready. She hissed, and felt her eyes darken and redden. She growled in return as the beast landed, putting its large front limbs down first, and landing like a cat from a great height, with astounding ease and grace. The back legs touched down, and it spun at once, lifting the forearms from the ground, and flexing its thick, clawed fingers.
She pounced at it, taking caution in her movements, trying not to present herself as an easy target. If this were what she and Skinner had guessed it to be… like with Evans' men, she still felt no urge to experiment in the effects a cut or bite would have on her. It could very well kill her.
She landed on the thing's shoulders, and raised a dagger to strike at the base of the skull, but one of the massive arms struck her from her perch, and she was sent sprawling to the ground, just as the would-be victim scampered out of the alley altogether.
Mina lost one of her blades in the landing, and quickly twisted her body around to see the beast approaching, furious and poised for the killing blow.
Before it had come within four feet of her, various items from the floor around started heaving themselves up and sailing through the air, striking the bulk. The creature snarled angrily, and turned, just to be hit in the head by a can. The assault stopped at once, and she heard the nervous chuckle of Skinner.
The beast took a sniff on the air with its canine black nose, and advanced on where Mina knew very well the invisible man was.
A roar of ferocity announced the presence of Edward Hyde as he launched from the rooftop and tackled the beast. The two rolled around with great vehemence for a few moments, before Dr. Jekyll's strong alter ego sent it crashing back into the side of a building. It yelped loudly, and rather pitifully for something of its size and formidable power, and Mina furrowed her brow for a moment, before snapping into action.
In the blink of an eye, she was back on her feet, dagger in her hand as Hyde proceeded to pin the beast against the wall behind it. It snapped and snarled in a rage, eyes glinting with the light.
Mina came up before it, standing in front of Hyde, who kept it well and truly held forcefully against the wall without chance of escape, and raised her dagger to strike.
The head turned down to her, and she froze, locking gazes with it. She tilted her head as the animal growled, their eyes staring into one another, perhaps trying to find some sort of understanding.
The red melted from her oculi, and she stared into the silver pools with ice blue irises. It glared right back, and then she saw it… a flash of something shocking in them. There was an unmistakable wavering in the eyes, a moment were Mina Harker had caught the momentary flash of green… it couldn't be.
Her gaze sank to the material that clung to its legs and lower frame, and she gasped, reeling back and dropping her dagger.
"What are you waiting for, woman?" Hyde grumbled, struggling with the beast.
"What's wrong?" Skinner called as he came to her side. Her eyes were wide with shock and fright, and she was shaking her head, looking up into the bestial visage once again as it snapped viciously at Edward Hyde.
"It can't be…" she muttered under her breath, her hands shaking slightly now.
"What?" Skinner urged, touching her arm as gently as he dare in case he startled her.
Just before she could reply, there was the sound of a shot from the entrance they had used, and the three members of the League heard the yelp, before turning their heads simultaneously to see Captain Nemo holding a long-barrelled weapon, a handful of his sailors behind him.
Mina made to protest to the shooting of the animal – no it wasn't an animal – before she noticed the projectile. It was a dart… a tranquilliser.
"Ah, so my suspicions were correct," Nemo announced as he waved his men forward.
The beast was still conscious, but its struggles lessened quickly, and with a low grumble, it slumped, eyes half-lidded in its groggy state. The limbs loosened against Hyde's grip, and he ventured to let go, pushing Mina and Skinner aside as it crumpled to the floor, panting heavily.
Nemo's men carried a net with them. Mina looked to the Captain. "How did you know what it was?"
"Many people were in a panic after catching sight of a 'monster', Mrs. Harker. I put two and two together, and rushed back to my Nautilus for the correct equipment. Whoever this is, we must find out, and try to deal with the situation." He showed no pride in his work, but Mina knew it was there, buried deep under the surface along with everything else.
Mina shook her head again, auburn locks tumbling around her flawless face as she watched the crewmen ensnare the creature. "We need not wait to find out just who this is, Captain."
She felt the waves of confusion coming off of her invisible companion as he inquired, "And what exactly is that supposed to mean? Wolf man give you his ID, did he?"
She glared, and she heard him step back. "No, Mr. Skinner. I saw his attire… what remains of it." She waved a hand loosely, but snatched it back to her side when she noticed it still trembled slightly, shamefully.
Mina had recognised the somewhat tattered trousers, and the almost dislodged braces hanging from the waist of the clothing. That on top of everything else had brought the situation into clarity… terrifying clarity.
"Mrs. Harker?" Nemo persisted, noticing her eyes as they stayed firmly fixed on the drugged animal as it was secured.
"Gentlemen," she began quietly, still staring, before she raised her eyes to take in their faces, "I believe we have located Agent Sawyer."
"You can't be serious," Skinner said once again, standing with Dr. Jekyll, Captain Nemo and Mina Harker outside the Nautilus. He had reclaimed his jacket from just inside the hold, and slipped it on, glad for its partial warmth. Jekyll had been given a blanket after transforming back from Hyde, but still shivered, whether from the cold or the verbal blow Mina had dealt them, Skinner did not know.
"For the last time, Skinner," Mina hissed, and her eyes met his form – what little of it she could see – quickly, a hidden danger in her gaze, "I am very serious. It all makes sense. From his lethargic state, the healing we had put down to a freak of nature, to his disappearance. He left his jacket and guns on the tower, and must have leapt the distance to that rooftop." She pointed with a feminine finger, and Skinner measured the distance loosely with his eyes.
"Are you kidding? That's a good thirty foot gap!"
"You underestimate werewolves, Skinner, and with our experience in combating them, I would have expected more of you." She was chiding him again, and he was starting to get a little sick of it. It was late, he was tired, and he was in no mood for any of this.
"But he didn't get bitten," came the chattered voice of Jekyll as he put in his opinion. Nemo was stoically silent and pensive as always.
"He's got a point there," Skinner agreed.
But as usual, Mina had an answer for everything; "He must have been scratched somehow. Beauvais and his men may have wounded him without Sawyer knowing… he could have thought the wound was… perhaps a piece of glass. We overlooked it… why shouldn't he?"
There was the sound of approaching footsteps, and as one, the League turned to take in this potential threat. Mina tensed visibly, and Nemo's fingers clasped around the hilt of his sword. Jekyll and Skinner prepared to run into the Nautilus.
However, when the identity of the figure became clear, although still slightly concealed, Skinner knew that for once, his eyes were wider than Henry Jekyll's. Skinner's jaw dropped, and he heard the light gasp from Mina, saw the way Nemo hesitated… he never hesitated.
There was a chuckle, and the form shook their head at the sight of them, his voice cutting through the night with clear, accentuated tones.
"I told you Africa would never allow me to die."