Disclaimer:- I don't own Tom Sawyer, Mina Hawker, Skinner, Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde or anything else used in the fic, except Smith and Mr. Big. I'm so glad everyone enjoyed the last part, I was worried it was a bit... dull. Anyway, here are the shout outs;
LotRseer3350:- Ah, yes, I've read some other books by Thomas E. Sniegoski, he's quite good. *pokes at your writers block* Perhaps you should take some tables to get rid of it? ;)
Angharad:- I'm glad you're loving this, and kill Tom? Wait and see... wait and see... *laughs oddly*
Clez:- You know, you're the only person who mentioned the lack of Tom-ness. But to make it all better, this part is all about Tom!
Funyun:- More you shall have.
Rayne:- I know, Skinner keeps getting drunk, even though I don't want him to... damn these characters getting a mind of their own. ;)
Silent Bob 546:- thanks for the compliment. *happy smile*
Graymoon74:- Ah yes... you have been looking at my notes haven't you! Stop working out little bits of the plot! *laughs* Save Tom? Maybe later...
Capt.Cow:- This soon enough?
Niani:- Glad that you're enjoying it, and as for Egypt... *sighs* I just love that place so much... the mythology, the delta, th- oops, that might give the plot away. ;)
And Now...
The Bodyguard.
~~~
Part Sixteen:- On the Bank of the Mississippi River
~~~
He was running along the bank of the Mississippi, laughing as he pulled ahead of Huck and Joe, his long legs pounding the ground. Tom skidded to a stop and turned back to face his friends, a mocking smile on his face. Huck and Joe rolled their eyes, Tom had beaten them in a race yet again. Sighing in contentment, Tom leaned against a tree, the rough bark digging into his back. He began to chew on the stem of a grass stalk as he watched his two best friends.
Something was wrong with this... something didn't seem right... Tom stared at Huck and Joe as they began to fight each other, he had the strangest feeling of having seen all this before. And... Huck... something was wrong with Huck, some little detail was nagging away at him, coming out of the dark places of thought and swelling up in his mind, refusing to leave him alone until he heard it. Tom rubbed at his eyes, trying to will the through to come to the surface, so he could think it, then let his brain go blank and just enjoy the rest of the day, before Aunt Polly made him come inside - or worse, make him take his half brother Sid, out with him. Sid would tell her everything Tom did... the thought came to the front of his mind suddenly and with such force that Tom took a step backwards in shock.
Huck was dead.
Tom shook his head fiercely, refusing to even entertain that thought any longer. Huck wasn't dead, couldn't be dead, he was right in front of him!
"Uncle! Uncle!" Joe yelled, pinned completely under Huck. The other boy laughed gleefully, rolling off Joe then standing up, flashing a white grin at Tom. The two boys moved towards Tom, then stopped, frozen in place, their eyes locked on something behind the third American. Tom slowly peered around the side of the tree trunk.
A young woman was standing there, an eery look on her face, as she stared at the three children. She took a step forward and spoke in a low, husky voice.
"Begone." She said. Huck and Joe looked at each other, then took off like a shot, running so fast that they almost seemed like blurs. Tom, on the other hand, remained leaning against the tree, unable to move, as if a spell had been cast on his legs. The young woman stepped up to the 10 year old boy, a sad smile on her face.
"Tom... this is a good place for you, in your memory, a time of peace, but it is not real. It will only trick you. You have to accept what you already know." The woman said. Tom stared at her, his body growing, his appearance changing, until he no longer looked like the muddy footed ten year old boy but instead the 25 year old American Agent.
"Huck is dead." He said softly, unwanted tears filling his eyes. The dream girl nodded, as Tom let out a sigh.
"Wake up." She whispered, moving closer to him and blowing gently on his hair. "You must wake up now, Special Agent Thomas Sawyer."
Tom woke, his body automatically fighting, his limbs lashing out wildly. The American blinked rapidly, trying to focus his eyes, even as his body jerked, his leg catching Smith off guard. The Egyptian snarled, touching his stomach where he had been kicked. Smith moved forward again and hit Tom hard in the groin, causing Tom to give an abrupt shout of pain, which was cut off by Smith's large hand covering his mouth. Tom thrashed out, trying to brake free of the other man's hold. With his free hand Smith pulled out the ever present white drug and used his teeth to open the top, then removed his hand and poured the drug into Tom's mouth.
The liquid slipped down his throat, coating it as it went. Already he could feel the child-like terror swelling up inside of him, threatening to engulf him, before downing him in it's despair. Tom fought desperately against it, trying to keep afloat and above the darkness that wanted to separate his mind from his body. He clawed and struggled, using every trick he knew to keep himself together. But already he could feel himself slipping, his grasp on himself fading, until he was sliding away, his fingers scraping against a smooth wall. Tom gave a silent wail of despair, as he slipped away, then fell, his mind feeling the imaginary air as he fell through it.
The he completely fell into the darkness, and the terror took him, leaving his body under Smith's control. Smith stepped away as Tom's body relaxed and became slack, his eyes becoming glassy.
"Boy!" Smith snapped. Tom's head turned to face Smith, devoid of any expression. "Your Master wishes to see you." The young American nodded once, then turned and walked stiffly away. He walked along at a steady pace until he reached the state room belonging to Mr. Big and knocked on it, entering after Mr. Big told him to.
"Ah, Sawyer. There you are." Mr. Big said, his voice almost a purr. He gestured to a cushion beside his chair and and Tom silently moved over to it, kneeing down and bowing his head. Smith entered the room a few minutes later, rolling his eyes as he saw Tom.
"Must you do that Boss?" He asked, pointing at Tom. Mr. Big nodded sharply, and Smith remained silent, knowing he couldn't disagree with this man.
"We are nearing the cost of Egypt." Smith said, fingering the ornate Dagger of the Well. "The time for the ritual is very near." He added.
"Good. You hear that Sawyer? Soon you will do what you are here to do." Mr. Big said softly, looking at Tom Sawyer, who kept his head bowed. Mr. Big yawned and stretched his arms, feeling tired all of a sudden. Smith noticed this.
"Boss... your illness could come back at any time now, we are over the two year limit by a few days. You should get some rest and keep your strength up, soon you will be restored to your heath." The Egyptian said. The Colonel nodded in agreement.
"Smith, take my Bodyguard to his... room." Mr. Big commanded. Smith nodded and Tom bowed at his master, then stood there, his hands held behind his back, his face neutral as he waited for Smith.
Smith walked up to Tom, and lead him below deck, the American following as quietly and as well behaved as a lamb. He was led along the engine room, past the boiler and into a small room, with no windows and only one door, which could only be opened and shut from the outside. Inside the wooden room, the only thing in it was a pair of chains and some handcuffs. Tom walked over to them and without any auguring, placed his hands inside the cuffs. Smith locked them together, giving the chain a quick tug to make sure it wouldn't come loose, before exiting the room, locking the door behind him as he went, leaving Tom alone in the room.
Slowly, Tom felt the effects of the drug leave his body and he sighed, resting his head against the wooden wall. After each injection, Tom was finding it harder and harder to separate his own thoughts from what he was told to do. The first few times, Tom had fought as soon as he could, hating what he was being made to do. But - after a while - he then found himself agreeing with Mr. Big. That scared Tom most of all, that soon, he would have no free will at all. The American sighed softly, his eyes straying to the cuffs that chained him to the wood, which was part of the boat itself. He gave a small tug on the chains, knowing that they wouldn't come loose, his wrists still bandaged up from the last time he had tried to escape from them.
Tom sighed again, and stared morosely around the room. There wasn't anything else to look at besides varnished wood panels and nothing for him to occupy his mind with besides his current situation. The League had been so close - twice - that he could have reached out and touched them. And each time he had been completely under the control of that dammed drug. The first time he had been inside the Nautilus - inside, and he had left, he had returned to Smith and Mr. Big because he had no control over his legs. The second time the League had known he was not himself, they had been standing a few feet away from him, the drug was wearing off and he was starting to regain control of himself. Then Smith had snapped an order at him and his body had jumped, even though his mind had screamed no.
Now the League knew he was with Mr. Big and Smith - and hopefully they knew he wasn't here of his own free will. It scared Tom, the thought that the League would just leave him here, believing that the American Agent was working for their enemy - just like Dorian Gray. Tom shook his head.
They wouldn't do that... they know I would never betray them... Mina was drugged as well... Tom thought, refusing to allow himself to carry on thinking like that.
When Tom was under the drug, he could see everything that happened, but it was as if he was watching through someone else - rather like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But when the drug wore off he remembered everything he had done, and slowly these two faces of Tom were starting to merge into one.
Tom closed his eyes, a solitary tear trickling down his cheek. Gently his breathing became even and his posture relaxed as he slipped off into sleep, and then into dreams.
He was running along the bank of the Mississippi, laughing as he pulled ahead of Huck and Joe, his long legs pounding the ground. Tom skidded to a stop and turned back to face his friends, a mocking smile on his face. Huck and Joe rolled their eyes, Tom had beaten them in a race yet again. Sighing in contentment, Tom leaned against a tree, the rough bark digging into his back. He began to chew on the stem of a grass stalk as he watched his two best friends.
The sound of a twig snapping behind Tom made the little boy turn his head. A young woman was walking towards them, her long brown hair being blown about by the wind. She came up to Tom and peered into his eyes, looking for something that was not there. Tom began to fidget slightly.
"Hey Lady..." He muttered. "What are ya doing?" He asked. "Can I help ya with something?" He added, trying to be polite, like his Aunt had taught him. The dream girl backed away as if she had been shot, a worried look on her face.
"Don't you know me Tom Sawyer?" She asked. Tom's mouth fell open as the woman said his name, the grass stalk falling out of his mouth as he did so.
"How do you know my name Missy?" He demanded. The dream girl sighed sadly, her eyes betraying nothing of what she really felt.
"You don't know me, do you..." She said softly. Tom shook his head as Huck and Joe finished the mock fighting, Huck emerging the victor. His two friends ran up to Tom and the dream girl, looking at the stranger with some interest.
"No Ma'am." Tom said, when it became clear that she wasn't going to reply to his non-verbal answer.
"I was afraid of that..." She muttered, looking down at the ground. There was a short, uncomfortable pause, then she looked back up a forced smile on her face, and a mysterious far away look in her eyes.
"Never mind." The dream girl said, taking Tom's hand and shaking it. "It was very nice to meet you Tom Sawyer." She added, letting go of Tom's hand. The boy looked at her a confused expression on his young face.
"It was nice to meet you as well Ma'am." Tom replied. The dream girl nodded as Tom turned away from her, back to his friends. The three boys all ran off, forgetting they had even seen the girl. She watched them go, her expression frozen.
Tom Sawyer had lost. He had forgotten himself, retreating to the safely of his childhood and in doing so, leaving his body open to total control by Mr. Big and Smith. The dream girl had done all she could - the rest was up to Tom himself and she didn't know if he could fight it. It was starting to look as if this boy would be given to the well, just like all the people before him. Slowly the dream girl faded away, knowing that she couldn't visit him anymore - he wouldn't be able to see her - he would only see what Mr. Big wanted him to see.
TBC...
Hope you all enjoyed this part, and that you all leave a review. Till the next part, bye!
~Sethoz
