Disclaimer: Yadda, Yadda, Yadda, I don't own LXG, no matter how much I would love to. I don't own Tom Sawyer, Mina Hawker, Skinner, Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde or anything else used in the fic.
Clez:- Evil? I'm hurt.... ; ) Glad you enjoyed it, such a huge review! You're gonna give me a big head! Sorry it took so long to up-date, I was hit with writers block... even though I knew what I wanted to write. Weird.
Anacalagon:- *peers under the bed* ... you okay? Intense in a good way right?
Freedomfighter82:- Yeah, I don't like Summers either. Your Tommy? My Tommy!!!
angelic katty:- *hands over plushie* There you are... uh... *watches stick with a worried look* why don't you use the stick on the plushie... *backs away*
Capt.Cow:- *gives plushie* Will the girls be okay? Well, you find out in this part. =) I know, poor Caliban... though it may have been a mistake on Noir's part.
Raven Silvers:- Here you go! *hands over plushie with a smile* ah, Tom and Belinda do indeed have a history, but it's not what you think. Close though ;)
nobleblue:- Hope you still like the way this is going after this part. *gives nobleblue a plushie*
ElvenArcher:- We haven't even heard Noir talk yet, so I'm glad someone finds him interesting. Would you like a Skinner and a Roger Noir one? *offers two*
LotRseer3350:- A review of my very own? *eyes well up with happiness* You're too kind! I'm kind you're enjoying this, you like everything you've read of mine? *shocked look* Wow... up-dated right now!
Now, without any more ado, the story...
Tainted View.
~~~
Part 3:- And Then, There Was Three
~~~
The League and Agent Caliban left the building in one mad rush, spilling through the doorway and out into the street. The last person - Nemo - closed the door slowly behind them, blocking the view of the inside from anyone passing. Now that they were outside the little group paused and looked at each other, unsure of what to do next. The gunfire had stopped now, leaving them with no clue to follow. The remaining girls could be anywhere in the whole city with Roger Noir after them. Tom shifted his position slightly, resting on the balls of his feet, ready to move in an direction at the hint of a sound. Caliban was scanning the area around them when he suddenly gave a cry and darted into a side ally, a dark bundle just visible from the main street. The League hurried after him, Dr. Jekyll in the lead, Nemo bringing up the rear.
Agent Caliban was crouched over the dead body of another girl, dried blood caked over the still body. It was clear from the injuries that this girl had not gone without a fight. There were stab wounds all over her body, long gashes down her side. Uttering an oath of anger Caliban raised his head to met the eyes of the rest.
"She was one of the girls." He said shortly before looking down at the girl and frowning slightly. Caliban reached down and lifted the dead girl's left hand. It was curled up into a tight fist, something light just sticking out. Carefully the older American pulled the cold hand open and stared at the item the girl had been holding when she died. A few tuffs of short blond hair, blood at the end.
"She must have grabbed at her attacker." Nemo said, staring at the hair. Caliban nodded in agreement. Jekyll had taken a few steps backwards at the first sight of the girl, bowing his head and squeezing his eyes tightly closed. Inside Hyde was laughing at the dead body, enjoying the thought of going after other girls and what he would do to them.
"No..." Jekyll muttered. Mina turned her head to look at the doctor. Jekyll looked up at her, his eyes wide, his gaze unsteady.
"I... I don't think I will be any more help here..." He swallowed hard. "Hyde has some interesting ideas on how he could help those girls and I don't think I would be able to stop him..." His hands shook as he met the sympathetic and understanding gaze of the other members of the League.
"I will wait for you abroad the Nautilus... you may need my help when you return..." He said.
"Very Dr. Jekyll." Nemo answered. Jekyll smiled weakly then turned and hurried off. Caliban slipped his hands under the girls body and lifted her up.
"I should take her back to the HQ... the police would be no help here, we know who did this. Her parents will want her body..." He trailed off, blinking back tears, remembering his own daughters body.
"Very well." Mina said. "We will inform you of what we discover." She added. Agent Caliban nodded and began the sad trek back to HQ, carrying the girl gently in his arms. Gunfire started over the city again, short little burst coming from all directions.
"We should split up, the gunfire comes from more than one part of the city, we will be able to cover more ground that way." Mina said, effortlessly taking control. She turned to Nemo and Skinner.
"You two take the east side of the city, Agent Sawyer and myself will take the west side." She said, her tone offering no room for augments. Tom was still staring after Caliban, who had now turned the corner, a lost expression on the young American's face. Skinner moved next to Mina and whispered in her ear.
"You going to talk to him darling?" He asked. Mina nodded once, her face a perfect mask, betraying nothing of how she really felt. Skinner clapped his hands together and moved towards Nemo.
"Come on mate, let's try and find us some girls." He said and the two headed east. Mina placed a hand on Tom's shoulder and he jumped, spinning round to face her, a surprised expression on his face.
"What is it?" He asked.
"We should head west and try and locate the remaining girls before this Roger Noir does." Mina said softly. Tom nodded, running a hand through his disheveled locks.
"How many are still alive?" He asked.
"Four, Agent Sawyer." Mina replied. Tom nodded again and the two set off, moving like ghosts of shadows through the slumbering city. The two members of the League were quiet, each occupied with their own thoughts.
"Why did you not tell us about this deal you made with your government Agent Sawyer?" Mina suddenly asked. Tom shrugged and stared at the buildings and roads in front of him, suddenly finding the empty streets very interesting.
"Agent Sawyer?" Mina repeated, her tone curious.
"What do you want me to say?" Tom snapped, feeling angry for some reason, holding his modified Winchester so tightly that his fingers turned white.
"They wanted to recall me. I managed to convince them - just managed to convince them, mind you - that I would be more use with the League than back in America." He added, his gaze looking anywhere but Mina's face. The female Vampire stopped and placed a delicate hand on Tom's arm.
"You should have told us." She said softly. Tom hung his head, a reddish tint coming to his face.
"... I was worried you would say no..." He admitted. Mina froze then removed her hand.
"I thought you knew us better than that." Mina said, walking again. Tom walked next to her, not knowing what to say. How could he explain to her the confusion he had felt in those few days after Allan's death? How could he explain the paranoia, the feeling that the League wanted any chance to get rid of him even though he knew it wasn't true. How could he explain that it was all those thoughts and more that led him to make the deal in secret.
"You knew Agent Caliban's daughter." Mina stated instead of asking. Tom looked sideways at her, his hair obscuring his view of the woman. Mina seemed to have decided to leave the topic of the deal for another time - something that made Tom very happy. On the down side, it appeared that she had chosen another painful topic to talk about.
"Yes, I knew her." Tom said slowly. Mina didn't reply, content to let the silence enclose them, trapping them under it's weight. Finally Tom couldn't stand it any longer and began to talk in a dreamy voice, trying to separate the story he was telling from himself, trying to detach his own feelings from it.
"Do you remember I told you about another Agent, who was killed by the Fantom?" Tom asked. Mina nodded and Tom carried on.
"Agent Huckleberry Finn. We moved to New York at the same time and began to train to become agents together. We had the same mentor - Agent Caliban. It was weird you know? Me and Huck were used to a small town and the now here we were in New York, studying to become Agents and serve our country. The other men training came from more posh parts of America - we were the only two with Southern accents. They kinda left us alone and didn't talk to us." Tom said, a hint of bitterness creeping into his voice. The pain of those snubs was still fresh in his mind, Tom was used to having many friends and being popular and instead all he had was Huck.
"It was about three months after we came here that the two of us first met Belinda Caliban. Her father had got her a desk job in the service and she come to spend a few months training before taking up the post. She was so pretty... long blond hair and laughing brown eyes..." Tom trailed off, frowning into the distance.
"Surprisingly enough she talked to me and Huck. I dunno why she deiced too but... it was the best thing that happened to us. After she started talking to us, the other boys in the course slowly warmed up to us. Agent Caliban had already taken an interest in the both of us and we soon became his favorite pupils. Something I still have trouble believing." Tom smiled wistfully and Mina remained silent, not wanting to disturb the moment. The small smile faded from Tom's face as he took a deep breath and carried on talking.
"I could see what was going to happen, though Huck and Belinda both seemed oblivious to it. Those two were prefect for each other and after a bit of planning and a helpful storm, they saw that as well and started to date each other. It was great, those two were so happy together and I was happy for the two of them. Even after Belinda finished her training and left New York, the two wrote and visited each other every chance they could get. I remember the day we became Agents - Belinda had spent a whole day on a train, just to see those few minutes. It... it was like a dream." Tom looked down at his rifle then at Mina for the first time since he started this story.
"You know the rest of this story." He said, his hand twitching slightly. "Huck and I were sent on a mission to track and stop the Fantom. It... ended badly and Huck died. I went after the Fantom as soon as I buried Huck - I never saw Belinda again. She should have been safe damnit!" Tom yelled, his voice bouncing off the walls. He laughed bitterly.
"So yes Ma'am... I did know her." He said in a slightly mocking tone, using Mina's title instead of her name. Mina wisely deiced not to answer.
The two fell silent again, Tom's mind unwillingly going back over memories he thought he had locked away long ago. Memories of Huck, Belinda and himself, all talking together, eating out together. Sometimes Tom would make some excuse and leave early, to give the two lovebirds some time together. The the whole Fantom business had happened and while Becky Thatcher hadn't wanted to hear about it or even talk to Tom, Belinda had clung to the remaining agent, crying hard. She was the only person Tom had told about his intention to go after the Fantom, and while she was worried that she would loose Tom as well, in the end she had supported his choice, knowing how much Huck meant to Tom. Huck had meant a lot to Belinda as well.
And now they were both dead... Tom vowed there and then, even as he walked silently next to Mina, that he would avenge Belinda's death.
Two sounds broke through Tom's dark thoughts at exactly the same time, bringing him back to the present situation. Gunfire and a loud scream tore through the silence, each coming from opposite sides of a long road. Tom and Mina sped up, looking at each other once and giving each other a nod before splitting up, Tom racing left, towards the gunfire, his own Colt pistols at the ready. The scream had come from the other direction and it was that sound that Mina followed, using her bats to speed up the journey. Half of the street lights were not working, giving the whole street a ghostly, eery feel to it and making it impossible to see far in front.
~~~
Skinner and Nemo had split up as well and now the invisible thief was completely and utterly lost, wandering the back streets. He hadn't heard gunfire for nearly ten minutes ago and Skinner had no idea how to find his way back to the Nautilus. He rounded a corner grumbling softly to himself then ducked back out of sight. A few feet away from him stood a girl, blond hair being blow by the light breeze. At the other end of the small street stood a man dressed black, a large black gun held in his hands. The two people faced each other, a manic smile on the man's face. The young woman took a step backwards, as the man took a step forward.
Skinner had clearly found one of the missing girls.
Cursing silently, Skinner pulled off his coat and trilby, then wiped away his face before darting out of his hiding place and grabbing the young woman, ducking out of the way of the bullets flying in his direction. He dragged her along one of the many side roads and she followed, numb with shock at being saved by someone she couldn't see. Gunfire sounded behind them and Skinner pushed her sideways, into a tiny allay until they were against a wall. The two held their breath as the man ran past the alley and turned the corner ahead of them. Skinner sagged in relief and turned to face the girl - only to be rewarded by a hard slap.
"Hey!" Skinner exclaimed. "Easy on the goods darling. I'm here to help... you are one of those American lasses working for the American government right?" He asked. The girl raised a hand to slap him again and froze, her eyes weary.
"I'm here to help. Let me get my stuff and I'll prove it to you. Name's Rodney Skinner by the way." Skinner said, leading the girl back the way they had come and picking up his coat. The girl watched him silently then sighed and hugged herself, seeming to have come to the decision that she had no choice but to trust him.
"My name is Rachel." She said.
~~~
Tom raced around the corner, the gunfire stopping suddenly. He cursed and forced his tired limbs to move faster, gasping hard to get the oxygen into his lungs. He rounded another corner and stopped his hands on his knees, panting hard. There was no sign of anyone and Tom had no idea where to look next. The sound of gunfire had differently come from around here though and Tom straightened back up, scanning the area. He was standing in some sort of courtyard, with four paths leading off it, including the one Tom had come from.
"Damn!" He swore, looking at each of the three choices in turn. How was he supposed to know which one to chose? A wet substance on a post by the closest entrance drew his attention and, as he stepped closer, he realized with a sinking feeling, it was blood.
Tom jogged down that path, his rifle armed and ready. He didn't have to get very far. Roughly one hundred feet down the path he came across the just breathing form of a red haired girl. She was dressed in soft browns, which were slowly being stained by her own blood. Tom skidded down on his knees by her, pulling off his duster and dropping his weapon in his haste.
"Can you hear me?" He asked, trying to stop the bleeding from the single shot wound in the stomach. The pale skinned girl opened brown eyes and stared up at him. He managed a weak smile, still appalling pressure on the wound.
"It's okay, you're going to be okay, just relax." He said. The girl smiled faintly and weakly moved her head in a negative monition.
"...No..." She rasped. "I'm not... too much blood." She made a chocking sound, taking a shuddering breath.
"You... find my twin..." She said, her hand catching at Tom's arm. He stared at her, his expression a mixture of pity and disbelief.
"No, I'm going to help you." He said. The girl closed her eyes.
"Help my sister... you help me that way... she... she's alive last time I saw her... Te-tell her... I lo-" Her voice trailed off and she made a gargling sound, blood forming up out of her mouth. Her eyes snapped open and she gasped in pain, before the light faded forever from her brown orbs. Tom froze then slowly removed his hand from the wound, bowing his head.
He didn't even know her name.
~~~
Captain Nemo was also lost, though he couldn't bring himself to admit it. He moved purposely though the dark streets, searching for either the other League members or one of the American girls or even just the sight of water which would give him some indication of where he was. A scream sounded and a girl burst into view, breathing hard, tears running down her face. She skidded to a stop as she saw Nemo, her chest heaving, her eyes darting left and right. The young woman with her bronze skin and curly dark hair looked like she was about to collapse from sheer tiredness.
"Who are you?" She asked, in a rich tone, taking a step towards Nemo, her eyes scanning his face for honesty or lies. The Indian bowed to the young lady.
"My name is Captain Nemo. I am helping the American government and looking for the surviving girls from a fire and who were then brought here." Nemo told her. The girl's lips tightened together and she bowed her head.
"I'm one of those girls. I was with another girl, Rachel, but I've lost her..." The girl muttered, bewildered. Nemo moved closer to the girl and looked into her eyes. He saw pain and confusion there - and an all encompassing tiredness.
"I have other people looking, they will find her, don't worry." Nemo said, leading the girl away. She followed him meekly. "What is your name?" The Captain added. The girl stared at him for a long second.
"... Gemma." She whispered.
~~~
The scream sounded again as Mina landed at the end of a short street. A red haired girl - completely identical to the one Tom had found, though, Mina had no way of knowing this - was struggling with a black clothed man, each fighting to reach a gun. Mina ran forward ripping the man out of the girl's hand and snapping his neck in one single monition. The gun clattered to the ground as Mina dropped the still warm corpse. The young woman faced Mina, her brown eyes wide before screaming loudly and turning to run.
"Wait!" Mina called, running after the girl and easily catching her. "I'm here to help you." She said, in the calmest tone she could muster. The red head looked at her, the suspicion clear on her face. Before the two could stay anything else Tom staggered into the road, the body of the other girl wrapped din his long duster, dried tears on his face.
"Robin? No!" The other girl screamed, tearing herself from Mina and running towards Tom. The Agent looked up as she reached him, and froze, staring at the other girl.
"...Robin..." The living twin said, tears running down her face. "What did you do to her you monster!" She screamed, hitting out at Tom. He was too stunned to even think about fighting back as she screamed at him.
"That is enough!" Mina yelled, pulling the still sobbing girl away from Tom. "Agent Sawyer did nothing to her, except find her." She said and the girl collapsed. Mina looked at Tom.
"What happened?" She asked. Tom looked down at the dead girl.
"...I was too late. By the time I found her she was dying. I tried to stop the bleeding but it was too late." Tom said softly. He looked at the huddled girl.
"She asked me to help you. She said... she said she loved you." Tom said, finishing the sentence Robin had been trying to say. The other girl raised her head and looked at Tom, before standing up and blinking a few times.
"My name is Dove." She sniffed softly. "Thank you for being with her at the end..."
~~~
It was a sorry group that found themselves on the docks, waiting for Skinner, Nemo and hopefully the other two missing girls. Dove was sitting on the ground, staring at the dead body of her twin in shock. Tom had placed her carefully on the ground and was now standing a few feet away with Mina, watching Dove but at the same time trying to giver her a little privacy to mourn her sister.
At that moment Skinner and Rachel came into view, the blond girl braking into a run the moment she saw Dove. The two hugged and talked quietly, Dove crying on Rachel's shoulder. Nemo and Gemma were a few minutes behind them, the Indian almost carrying the young woman.
"Here we all are then." Skinner said, looking at the three living girls. "We are here to keep you safe from Roger Noir until we capture him." The girls didn't look too impressed.
"No offense, but we've seen over fifty of our friends killed by that manic and his followers. How can you stop him?" Dove said, her eyes still red though she had stopped crying for now.
"We have our ways... such as our transport, which is safer than any building." Tom said, pointing out towards the still water.
"You expect us to be safe from this Noir guy on some sort of boat?" Rachel asked in disbelief. Skinner shook his head.
"It travels on water if that is what you mean." Skinner said, in a mocking accent of Nemo. "And beneath it." He said grandly sweeping his arm towards the sea. Nemo stepped forward, looking ever so slightly put out, perhaps annoyed that Skinner had stolen his thunder.
"Behold." Nemo said, as the giant monster that was his pride and joy began to rise up out of the water. "The Nautilus, the sword of the ocean." The three girls could only stand and stare as the massive submarine rose out of the water and rested gently against the dock.
"Waoh." Gemma said, summing up everything the three felt in that single word.
TBC...
Hope you all enjoyed this part and will leave a review on your way out :) *smiles hopefully*
~Sethoz