Hello again! Here is the next chapter of my story. I want to thank Silent Bob 546 for being the first to review! From now on, you'll be my favorite reviewer for this story! I would like to say I don't own LXG or any books that certain characters come from. I do however own Lara Talbot. I own her, her first name, her character, and her personality. I do not own her last name, her family, or the movie her family came from. (Namely "The Wolf Man".) Lara will apear in later chapters. But, enough of my rambling. Enjoy the chapter! (p.s. I changed Van Helsing's name to Abraham because it is truer to the original character and it will make it easier to discern him from the character in the"Van Helsing" movie.)
Chapter 2: Frankenstein: Man or Monster?
Place: Somewhere near the North Pole. Time: August 24, 1900.-
The Nautilus came to a stop near a thick patch of ice. The door was opened and out came the League, all dressed in heavy fur coats.
Tom and Nemo were first to exit the submarine, followed by Jekyll, Mina, and Van Helsing, with Skinner brining up the rear.
A few of Nemo's men came along, not fully knowing the extent of their mission.
Tom looked out over the frozen wasteland and doubted anything could possibly find a home in it. But, Van Helsing and the Count both insisted that their next recruit was here.
Tom thought it was great that the League was official now and sincerely appreciated the Count's help, but there was something about Van Helsing he didn't like. He looked behind him and saw Mina and Van Helsing talking. His mind told him they were just old friends catching up on old times and that he shouldn't care if they were together or not, but something else told him differently. He decided to try and ignore them and concentrate on the mission.
Van Helsing enjoyed talking to Mina; it reminded him of the good old days. He had missed her and Jonathan, but now he was glad to see her safe, though he could tell she'd changed.
Skinner came up next to Van Helsing and noticed the sword he carried. Its sheath was smooth and black, and curved slightly. Skinner had never seen a sword like that before.
"Interesting weapon," He said. "Some kind of Arabian scimitar?"
"Nope." Van Helsing answered. "It's a Japanese Katana."
"Japanese? You mean it's from the orient?"
"Yep. Got it after killing some kappa demons in a town called Osaka." He drew the weapon so that Skinner could see it. It was sharpened only on one side, and it curved. The blade was light yet strong.
"Nice," Said Skinner, as he looked at the strange new blade. "But will it do much damage?"
Van Helsing nodded. "The Japanese are geniuses when it comes to sword making. They fold the steel to make it stronger, and they give it this curve which gives it more blade at a manageable length. When used with the right skill…" He swiped the blade right towards Skinner's throat, stopping an inch away from touching his skin. "…One cut is all it takes." He sheathed the sword and walked away.
Skinner put his hand on his throat and chuckled nervously.
After walking for about an hour, the group came upon a large cave of ice. Nemo, Mina, Tom, Van Helsing, and Jekyll went inside.
They found the ashes of a fire which seemed to have been extinguished mere hours before. Nearby were the bones of some fish. Someone… or something had been here recently.
"I told you he was here." Van Helsing gloated to Tom.
"Where do you think he is now?" Mina asked.
"From the look of it, he's been here awhile. I'll bet this is his home. He might just be off somewhere catching fish."
"Tell me again what this thing is." Said Tom, annoyed by Van Helsing's confident attitude.
"A few years ago, a scientist named Victor Frankenstein started experimenting with the effects of electricity on dead tissue. He was rumored to have actually created a human-like creature which ended up killing his brother, his friend, his wife, and, eventually, Frankenstein himself."
"But, if all that is true," Said Jekyll. "Then why would we want a creature like that on our team?"
The same reason we're on the team. Jekyll heard Hyde say.
"This thing may be a killer," Van Helsing continued. "But if we can get it to understand that we want it to join us, maybe we can train it to do some good."
"Yeah," Tom scoffed. "But first we hafta catch it."
That's where I come in, right Henry? Jekyll tried to ignore Hyde, hoping it wouldn't come to that. But he still had a vial of the formula in his pocket… just in case.
Suddenly, Jekyll sensed something. Or rather, Hyde sensed it and passed it on to Jekyll. But before he could warn anyone, a large form burst out from deep within the cave and knocked him down.
Van Helsing drew his sword, as did Nemo, while Tom got out his gun. Mina's vampiric senses went into full alert and she prepared to face the monster.
But as swiftly as it had appeared, the creature disappeared once more.
Jekyll sat up slowly and rubbed his head. He could hear Hyde laughing at him for getting knocked down. But then, he heard a sound. He looked up in time to see a fairly large being knock Van Helsing's sword out of his hand and shove him into the wall. The creature then Backhanded Tom, throwing him into Nemo. Next, the monster went for Mina.
Mina tried to escape, but the creature grabbed her shoulder and pushed her against the wall.
Mina was dazed by the impact but soon recovered enough to see the creature clearly. It had long dark hair, which was terribly unkempt. Its face seemed to have been two pieces stitched together. One half of its face was a sickly yellowish green color, covered with scars from where pieces had been hastily sewn together. The other half of his face was a deathly pale, but otherwise almost normal looking. The right hand, which held Mina to the wall, was as pale and dead looking as the left side of the face, and was covered in a bandage which was probably left over from when it was created. Its left hand was as unnatural looking as the right side of the face, some of the fingers seemed to have been severed and sewn back on. Its clothes were old fashioned and torn by time, with what seemed to be a bullet hole in the left shoulder.
But the feature which really struck Mina was its eye. The right eye seemed to glow with an eerie electric reddish orange light, but the left eye was entirely different. It was of a clear blue color, soft and serene. Mina wasn't sure, but she thought she saw… compassion? Yes, it was compassion she saw. Whatever this creature was, he was intelligent.
"Please," She said softly. "We mean you no harm."
The creature seemed surprised, but he didn't loosen his grip. "Who are you?" He asked. "And why have you come here?"
As all this was taking place, Jekyll slowly got back on his feet. He saw Mina pushed up against the wall by the creature and took out the vial in his pocket. "Edward," He said. "It looks like you'll get to fight after all." He removed the cork and drank the formula.
Jekyll's body changed slowly, some parts of his body growing faster than others. His entire body became deformed and grotesque as his size increased and his features changed. After a moment of this painful transformation, Dr. Jekyll was gone. In his place was Mr. Hyde.
Hyde grabbed the creature's arm and squeezed, the pain causing him to drop Mina. Hyde then threw the creature into another wall. "That's gotta hurt." Hyde chuckled. He walked over to where the creature was lying, seemingly unconscious. But as soon as he was close, the monster jumped up and kicked Hyde with enough force to throw him across the cave. The creature was only slightly taller than an average man, but he was just as strong as Hyde.
Meanwhile, outside the cave, Skinner and the crewmen heard the sounds that Hyde and the creature were making.
"Shouldn't we go in there and help them?" One of the men asked.
"Na." Skinner replied. "They can take care of themselves. Besides, it's five against one, there's no way they need our help." Suddenly, Hyde was thrown out of the cave. The creature came out after him and they continued the fight. "Then again," Skinner chuckled sheepishly. "I could be wrong."
Hyde kept trying to hit the creature, but he was too fast. He kept ducking and dodging Hyde's fists. He had also been able to get a few hits in himself, which only made Hyde madder.
The creature ducked low to dodge Hyde's enormous fist and punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to pass out.
The crewmen raised their rifles out of fear, but the creature simply jumped out of their way. He ran up to the group of frightened men (Skinner was no longer among them) and began to easily knock them out or throw them to the ground.
It seemed like nothing would be able to stop this creature, until a tranquilizer dart floated through the air and hit the creature in the back. The creature staggered for a moment before falling unconscious to the ground.
Mina came out of the cave, followed by Van Helsing, Tom and Nemo who had finally regained consciousness. Hyde got back to his feet and walked over to the others. "What happened?" He asked.
"I don't know." Tom replied.
"It's simple," They heard Skinner say. "While all of you were busy getting thrown around like rag dolls, I ended up stopping the creature." He put on his hat, coat, goggles and gloves which had been lying on the ground. He turned to them and, though he didn't have his makeup on, they could tell he was smiling smugly.
"At least I had some fun." Said Hyde. "Tell me Van Helsing, how do you plan to train this thing?"
"He won't have to." Mina replied. "The creature is intelligent."
"Intelligent?" Tom asked. "That thing attacked us!"
"Yes, but we had trespassed in his home. Wouldn't you do the same?"
Tom was about to argue, but decided it was no use.
"We shall soon see if what you say is true." Said Nemo. "But for now, let's get the creature and my men back to the Nautilus."
Place: Onboard the Nautilus, somewhere in the Northern Sea headed for Europe. Time: Later that day.-
The creature's eyes slowly opened. At first, he wasn't sure what had happened. But then he remembered. He sat up and looked around him to see Mina, Nemo, Van Helsing, and Tom watching him.
"Where am I?" He asked.
"You are aboard my ship, the Nautilus." Said Nemo. "Mrs. Harker believes you to be a rational being and has convinced me not to chain you up. But if you show any signs of aggression here, we will not be so kind."
"Very well then." The creature replied, with contempt in his voice. "And, who is Mrs. Harker?"
"I am." Said Mina. She stepped closer to the creature, though Tom and Van Helsing tried to tell her to keep her distance. "I am Wilhelmina Harker. And you are?"
The creature gave her a confused look. "My creator never saw fit to name me. He took one look at the being which he himself brought to life… and turned away from it before it even had a chance to ask why it existed."
"Yeah," Said Tom. "We heard you didn't really care fer ol' Doc Frankenstein. Killing his family and friends like that and then killing him ain't exactly a kindly gesture."
Frankenstein's monster chuckled. "I see you've heard of my many sins. Though it was not I who killed Victor Frankenstein. It was his drive for revenge that drove him to death… but not before I made him suffer."
"Then what you did…" Mina said quietly. "…You did merely to make him suffer?"
"…Yes. I purposely made him suffer as I suffered."
"By killing a little boy?" Tom asked angrily.
The creature stood to his full height and glared at Tom. "That boy was one of the many humans who hated me merely because of how I look! All I wanted from him was a friend, and he called me a monster! As all your kind does! So I decided if they thought me to be a monster… than I would become a monster. I killed little William, and in horror of what I did I fled. I found a girl sleeping in a barn, but when I realized that she would hate me as everyone else did, I left a locket that the boy carried in her pocket… knowing she would die for my crime." Little by little, the creature's voice began to sound… regretful. "Then, when I found my creator, I begged him to give me a companion… so I would no longer live as a wretched being completely alone in this world. But he denied me the only love I could ever have… so I decided to deny him of his love! I murdered his friend… and strangled his wife on their wedding night." He lowered his head, as tears formed in his eyes. "…Why? Why should I exist? Was I allowed to live in order to punish Frankenstein for his sins? …And if so, why don't I die for mine? Why must I live with them… alone?"
After hearing the creature's words, Tom, Nemo, and Van Helsing began to feel sympathy for the so called "Monster".
Mina placed a hand on the creature's face, and spoke to him in a soothing tone. "I know what it's like… to be different. To be denied happiness. I know the guilt you feel. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't beg forgiveness for what I've done… for what I am… But I still live my life. I try to make a difference. You can too."
"How? How can I ever erase my sins?"
"You can't. It's too late to change what you've done. But you can change your life. You can become better than what you were. We are all of us outcasts like you. I'm an outcast. But we work together to make a difference in the world, to help mankind. Will you join us?"
"Join you? In helping mankind? After all mankind has done to me? Sorry. But I'm not interested."
Mina stepped away. "I'm sorry you feel that way."
Nemo and the others prepared to leave the room. "I will give the order to take us back to the North Pole." Said Nemo. "We will drop you off and bother you no more."
"You mean…" The creature asked. "You're just going to return me to where you found me? As simple as that?"
"Yes. There is no reason to trouble you further."
The creature had never expected that. Could it be he was wrong about humans? Maybe… just maybe Mina was right. He had missed the opportunity of doing good once… he wouldn't miss it again.
"Wait." He said, before Nemo or Mina could leave. "If I do this, do you promise I won't be hunted anymore? That I can finally live in peace?"
Mina smiled at him. "I can't promise you that there won't be times when you'll have to fight, because there will be times. But, if you join us we will always be there to protect you. You will never be alone again."
"You… you would do that?"
"Of course!" Said Tom enthusiastically. "That's what being a league is all about: Sticking together."
The creature thought for a moment, then made his decision. "I've changed my mind. I will join you."
Mina smiled and, for the first time in his life, so did the creature.
"Welcome to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." Said Van Helsing. "…Uh… What should we call you?"
"…I can only think of one thing. You may call me by my creator's name… Frankenstein."
Thanks for reading. The next chapter will introduce more characters and the plot will start to really develope. You will also learn more about The Count and Van Helsing's pasts. Untill then, review!
Next chapter: Life On The Isle of Monte Cristo
