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Samyo: Well, glad to hear it went down well, anyway
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ToTaKeKe13: Indeed, indeed… (Don't forget to leave a review when you read it, btw)
A Face in the Crowd
Back in the carriage, Skinner quickly thought over his options from here on in. He could call the League and warn them, of course, but if Griffin had been active in Miss Coote's boarding school as recently as he appeared, he may have already found the League anyway…
And if that's the case, Skinner thought to himself, gripping the seat as though willing the coach to go faster, we're in serious trouble…
He knew that the League wouldn't have much chance at detecting the presence of an invisible man; even after all the hours he'd spent sneaking around the Nautilus for a laugh, to date, Allan had been the only person to know he was there before he started to talk.
Oh, Mina could sometimes smell him if he stayed in one place long enough, and sometimes Jekyll got a bit edgy, as though Hyde was trying to tell him something, but neither of them ever really knew he was there unless they already had an idea that they should be trying to detect him.
Which means they have a serious problem if Griffin's there already, Skinner thought to himself; at least Mina and Hyde actually knew his scent. Griffin would be totally unfamiliar to them; they probably wouldn't be able to tell whether they were smelling someone who was there at the moment or someone who'd recently left…
He nodded in resolution.
Knocking on the front of the carriage, he stuck his head out the window to look at the man in the driver's seat.
"Get me to London, top speed," he said to the driver.
"Right 'way, sir," the man said, sitting back and cracking his whip as the two horses in front charged forward.
Skinner sat back down in his seat, swallowed, and clasped his new stick so hard that the knuckles turned white, his eyes fixed on a point in front of him that was invisible to anyone else who might look in.
His friends might be in danger.
He had to try and save them…
No matter what the cost, Skinner vowed to himself, as he stared at his hand.
If saving the League meant having to become invisible again…
Well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.
A few hours later, having exchanged horses at least twice by Skinner's count, the carriage had stopped in London docks, Skinner had paid the man, and he'd finally left the carriage. It was nearly night, but he still had enough light to find his way through the alleys leading to the League's last location easily enough.
Hoping against hope, Skinner began to walk down the alleyways where the Nautilus had been when he'd left. If the League were still here, it was a good bet that the Nautilus was as well; they wouldn't move it if they hadn't left the city yet.
If it wasn't there, then they'd already left the city, and, in a way, it would be a relief; at least they wouldn't have to worry about Griffin for the moment.
Skinner rounded the corner…
And there it was; the Nautilus, the 'Sword of the Ocean', still in its original location from a week ago.
"Ah crap…" Skinner muttered to himself.
Then he smiled slightly, as though trying to reassure himself. After all, if it was here, the League were probably still inside; he could contact them, let them know of his worries about Griffin's continued existence, and then take it from there.
Walking up towards the open hatch at the bottom, Skinner walked up the ramp to the closed door, and, swallowing, knocked.
A few moments later, the door was opened by Patel, Nemo's first mate.
"Yes, wh- Mr Skinner?" Patel asked, staring at the thief in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Look, never mind the fine print, I have to speak with the League," Skinner said, as he walked into the submarine and began to head towards the League's quarters, Patel close behind him. "Where are they?"
"They are… missing, Mr Skinner," Patel said, sighing as Skinner froze.
He turned around to look at the Indian, shock on his features.
"What?" he said, unwilling to believe he'd just heard that.
It couldn't be true…. No way could Griffin have done something like that in so little time…
"How?" he asked Patel, unable to conceal his sudden fears that he was too late, that Griffin had already gone after the League for some demented reason… "And when?"
"Last night, Agent Sawyer and Professor Hartdegen went out for drinks to discuss how to continue without you as a member of our League, and never came back," Patel explained. "The other four went out this morning to look for them, but they have never come back. We were about to send out search parties-"
"Don't," Skinner said, raising a hand. "I have an idea as to who's after them, and if I'm right, no number of search parties would be enough to find him unless you know exactly where to look; this guy's smart."
He turned around and began to head for his room, beckoning Patel to follow him.
"Get teams together- never anything with less than two people in it- and tell them to go through London checking for any large, abandoned buildings; never anything that hasn't been out of use for less than a year," Skinner said, as he headed towards the room that Mina and Jekyll had turned into the League's chemistry lab. "If they find anything that could be the others, let me know, but don't try anything yourselves; if I'm right, you couldn't even see the bad guy to hit him."
Patel stopped, looking at Skinner incredulously.
"Are… are you saying that you suspect our adversary is…"
"Invisible?" Skinner asked, looking back at Patel. He nodded. "Yep, that's my theory."
He sighed and began to walk again, followed by Patel. "I'll be in the lab for the next hour or so; don't disturb me until I have to come out again, or I could make a mistake in my work."
Patel nodded. "Of course, Mr Skinner," he said; to his credit, he didn't appear to be too shaken about Skinner's recent revelation regarding the possibility of an invisible foe now that he'd gotten over the initial shock of it. "And should any of the teams find Captain Nemo and the other members of the League?"
"One of the group stays there while the other one comes back here to pick us up and fill us in on where they're being held; at least that way they might be able to let us know if the League's moved anywhere else," Skinner said, as he reached the lab and opened the door, already taking stock of the chemicals on the shelves; he was reasonably confident of being able to recreate the formula from memory, especially after their visit to the future a couple of months back, but he couldn't do it without all the necessary ingredients…
He sighed in relief; everything seemed to be here.
"I'll be with you in an hour or so," he said to Patel, as he indicated the door. "Don't forget; I don't want anyone to interrupt me before I come out unless it's absolutely essential, got that?"
"Of course, Mr Skinner," Patel said, bowing slightly as he left the room.
Skinner rolled up his sleeves and began to gather the necessary beakers and chemicals together, intent on having the serum finished as soon as possible; every second wasted meant that his friends were in ever more danger….
(AN: The 'visit to the future a couple of months back' Skinner mentioned occurred in my Friends/ LXG crossover 'The One Where They Help Save The World', just in case you're interested.)
Almost an hour later, Skinner found himself staring at the finished result in front of him. The serum had been poured into a hypodermic needle he'd managed to find in the cupboards, the rest of it stashed away out of sight in case it was needed in the future for some reason, and, right now, he was trying to decide what to do next.
If he did this, he knew there might be no turning back; he was pretty sure it couldn't be good for him to keep using both the invisibility formula and the antidote on a regular basis, and, until they could figure out an alternative cure, that would remain the best option they had for him to use his powers and remain normal…
Why should I do it, anyway? Skinner asked himself. What the hell has being invisible ever given me, eh? Just burns, bruises, bashes, and close calls with all kinds of bizarre freaks! Why should I give up my chance at a normal life for them
He moved as though he was about to throw the needle away, but stopped himself just before he let it go and looked back at it, sighing.
He knew why he'd do it.
It was the reason he'd gone this far in the first place.
For all his problems with them, the League were his family. Of everyone he'd known- even his biological parents- they'd been the only ones who hadn't abandoned him when he'd been a pain in the neck.
In the face of all his problems, when there was nobody left in the world who could feel totally comfortable around him, the League had taken him in, becoming the brothers, sister, and uncle he'd always wanted but never had when he was growing up.
They'd given a home.
More, they'd given him a purpose; something to do with his life that didn't just benefit him alone.
Toying with the needle, he stared at his rolled-up left sleeve, experimentally flexing his fingers as his eyes remained on the needle.
Could he?
Couldn't he?