There's child whump (13y/o) in this chapter again, so just be aware.

Chapter 36 - Protection
(Continued)

Nemo couldn't help but feel disappointed in himself. Despite his utmost best attempts to forget Island X, he could still remember it with clarity. He could recall his way around with relative ease, though some of the layouts had changed. Every pathway was just like last time he left here: destroyed and damaged. It took a great deal of time, pain, and effort to climb over it all.

Sawyer and Nemo were almost out of the building when they heard urgent footsteps racing towards them. They rushed to take cover by ducking near the rubble, though they kept near the wall so they weren't in the way. Nemo recognised the passerby as Zenith. He looked to be greatly out of wind. It soon became clear as to why: Hyde was after him. Zenith had already run off and seemed to have hidden away to catch his breath.

Nemo and Sawyer made themselves known to stop Hyde's rampage. It was time for them to leave now. If Hyde ran off they'd have longer to wait and a greater risk of something happening.

Hyde stopped abruptly. "Nemo," he greeted with deep and fast-paced breaths.

"Hyde, it's good to see you but we must leave. Please, come with us," Nemo said. With a long look in Zenith's direction, Hyde nodded as Sawyer and Nemo continued down the hall. He'd had some thrills today at least. Sawyer found himself having to support the captain more and more as they travelled. Walking on it wasn't helping him, especially on uneven ground.

Hyde tried to clear the path for them to make it easier. They continued to rush towards the exit of the building, but a group of gunmen forced them to turn a corner whilst Sawyer shot them down. The forces were beginning to organise themselves- the League had to go; they were running out of time.

Nemo leaned against the wall, trying to ready himself for moving again as the fighting drew to an end. However, amongst the gunshots, he sensed something was beside him. He looked down the hallway, and he was surprised at what he saw.

"Lupin?!" he whispered.

He sent a glance towards Sawyer before he traced his way across the rubble for only a few feet, being sure to not lose the plans he carried or hurt his leg.

Nemo crouched down beside him, doing his best to ignore his own pain. Lupin was lying face down, buried in the rubble and unconscious. The captain gently moved the thief's head to a more natural position to make him more comfortable before beginning to unbury him. Lupin seemed to open his eyes a touch, but they closed again. The gunshots came to an end but after a second Sawyer shouted: "Nemo, where are you?"

"Here, Sawyer. Hurry."

Sawyer came over but was clearly dissatisfied with what he found. Hyde was also unimpressed when he made it over to them.
"You want me to put him out of his misery?" Hyde asked coldly.
"No! He is the only reason I am still alive. He needs our help. Please, you must trust me. Help me to free him," Nemo explained, clawing at the rubble to move it.

Sawyer sighed but he set about helping Nemo. Hyde moved the biggest pieces and then waited. He kept a lookout as the two men were able to drag Lupin out and turn him around onto his back. The two men were surprised at the sight of him.

Lupin's face was badly marked and his nose was bleeding. He seemed to have been able to wrap his jacket around himself before he fell unconscious. His wrist looked to be swelling, but that seemed to be all. They didn't have time to check him over. Lupin's condition seemed to give Sawyer the extra prompt to help him. He needed medical attention, that was for sure. Sawyer couldn't just leave him, not when Nemo seemed to want to save him so much.
"Hyde, can you carry him for me?" Sawyer asked.

With a grumble, Hyde picked the unconscious man up and draped him on his shoulder.

Without any further delay, they began to head out to find the automobile. Nemo's limp was becoming more and more aggressive but he would not stop. The captain just held onto Sawyer's shoulder tighter, though he didn't seem to realise it. They could see Quatermain was already in the automobile with Ishmael.

Sawyer could feel Nemo trying to go faster, but he made sure he didn't overdo it. Hyde seemed to be busy talking to Jekyll as they left at such a hastened pace. He guessed it was about their unexpected… guest? Prisoner? Sawyer didn't know what to call him, or what they were going to do with him.

As they made their way out of the building thanks to Nemo's rough directions, they discovered the air to be filled with distant gunshots. There was no doubt where Mina was still fighting. Jekyll was furious at Hyde for leaving her to fight alone as he only worried about his own revenge, but Jekyll's scolding fell onto deaf ears. Skinner and Pavan were there and although they wouldn't be able to help much, Hyde was not concerned. He was sure Mina would be fine.

Hyde began to feel himself weakening. Soon Jekyll would be back. At least once the doctor returned he could look after Ishmael. Hyde cared not for the French thief. He could lie in a hole and rot for all he was concerned. He didn't know what Nemo wanted with him in the first place. Sadly he doubted he was just going to keep him and torture or kill him.

They were outside and almost at the automobile when the League came across a young boy. Sawyer recognised him as the boy from earlier who had ran off. Why was he back? Whatever the reason, as soon as he saw the League, he froze. His blond hair was plastered to his face due to the rain. He wore no jacket and looked be freezing in the bitter weather.

This time there were no weapons for him, but he didn't even search. He just stood in shock, primarily looking at Hyde. Hyde stared back. The boy swallowed hard, taking the slightest of steps backwards. He didn't know if he should run or not.

Hyde heard a slight movement and turned around. It was Zenith, armed this time with a small gun and a cane. He must have doubled back when Hyde had stopped chasing him.

"Armand, run! Don't look back!" Zenith shouted as he began to make an excellent distraction for the boy. He kicked over some of the crates which knocked the back of Sawyer's legs. He almost fell over had Nemo not been holding onto him. Zenith began to shoot at the League though the shots weren't able to hit their mark. Sawyer and Nemo ducked into cover. Quatermain instinctively used himself as a shield to protect Ishmael. The boy disappeared off into the foul weather.

Hyde ran at Zenith, fist raised above his head. Zenith fired at him but nothing happened. He had run out of bullets. It was then he noticed who was hanging limp on Hyde's shoulder. "Lupin!" He discarded his gun and drew the sword from his cane. As Hyde swung for him, he jumped to the side, but Hyde was ready for it. He reached his arm out and caught him hard on the torso. Zenith was thrown a little way back, but he did not let go of his sword.

"Don't shoot," he heard Nemo order.

Hyde moved to advance, but pain struck him. He was reverting back into Jekyll. Lupin slipped from his shoulder and fell feet first to the floor.
"Lupin, Levez!" Zenith exclaimed. Whilst Hyde struggled with his almost fit-like state, Zenith scrambled towards Lupin. He could not leave him here with the League, with Nemo.

Before he was close enough to grab him, Nemo stepped in between the two men, his own sword drawn. His limp didn't escape Zenith's notice.
"Keep away from him, Nemo," Zenith warned.
"That will not be possible, Monsieur."

Zenith's eyes darted around the clearing. Quatermain eyed up his gun which was beside him. He was busy steadying Jekyll. Jekyll was almost back now, but he would be too exhausted to fight. That left Sawyer and he stood with his gun at the ready, but he'd heard the order Nemo had given.

Zenith dived forward. From his angle Nemo was in the line of fire, so as long as he was careful, he could not be attacked by more than one person at a time and Nemo's order gave him some reassurance. Nemo deflected his strike with ease, but Zenith tried again, pushing harder with every blow. Nemo's skill did not falter but his leg did. Zenith forced him to move, positioned each advance to edge him backwards. Each step Nemo took pained him, but he was much too experienced to let it control him.

Sawyer was circling around, trying to find a shot. He seemed to know Nemo would not be able to hold his own for long at this rate. Jekyll had recovered somewhat from his transformation and began to drag Lupin towards the automobile. Zenith had to act now if he was to save Lupin.

He and Nemo clashed swords, and it was down to strength to see who would prevail. But Nemo knew where his strengths were. He moved his sword, rotating it almost in a full circle. His hand came close to Zenith's hand and the force Nemo used yanked the blade out of his hand. Zenith was unarmed, but he did not stop. He kicked Nemo hard in his frontmost leg. This time it buckled, and Nemo shouted. He had to put a hand on the ground to steady himself.

Zenith punched at his head, but Nemo dropped his sword and managed to catch Zenith's arm with both hands. He stood quickly, keeping hold of Zenith's wrist with his left hand and punched back, striking Zenith in the liver with his right. He only just avoided Zenith's punch. Zenith struggled not to double over in pain and before he could even begin to recover, Nemo pulled down on his arm to lower his head and a well-aimed elbow to the back of the head disorientated him. Nemo kicked the back of his knees hard and drove him to the floor.

Nemo grabbed his sword and stepped back, keeping his blade pointing at Zenith's throat before he could get to his feet. Sawyer's gun was also trained upon him, he knew there was no way to continue this, but at least Armand was safe.

"What did you do to Lupin?" Zenith growled, looking dizzy. Nemo did not answer. "You leave him alone, Nemo! Lupin has shown you nothing but consideration all this time."

Nemo did not falter even slightly, the blade moved an inch closer to his neck. "Give Robur this message: Arsène Lupin is my prisoner. He shall be looked after and when I see fit he will be released, unharmed, I swear to you. But I also promise you this," Nemo moved the blade towards the pounding artery in Zenith's throat, drawing a few weak droplets of blood. Zenith refused to wince or react. "If you follow the Nautilus I will not hesitate to kill him, and I will know if you pursue me."

Nemo could tell by Zenith's posture he was ready to resume the fight, ready to spring up. This he could not allow. With a gust of strength, he kneed him in the head. Zenith crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Nemo sheathed his sword and hissed in pain, keeping most of the pressure off his ankle.

Sawyer lowered his gun and moved his soggy hair out of his face. The rain stung and aggravated him. The wind sent the droplets of water flying at him like little bullets. His fingers and face were numb due to the cold. He hurried over to Nemo to help him back to the automobile.

"So that's why you didn't want me to fight?" Sawyer guessed.
Nemo nodded. "Zenith does not deserve death for protecting others. But we must go, we are running out of time."
"You're right, Get in, there's a coat for you. You too, Jekyll, I'll get Lupin," Sawyer said.

Nemo did as Sawyer asked. His focus settled on Ishmael and Quatermain.

"Are you alright?" Quatermain asked.
"I… yes , but I did not expect for you..."
"I know; you're not the only one," Quatermain answered, though his attention remained on Ishmael. The discussion of his revival would have to wait.

Jekyll's clothes were shredded and damaged but they came prepared and brought a spare shirt and few coats with them. Quatermain had already put a coat on after he had given Ishmael his. Lupin didn't seem to be hurt further due to the untimely transformation that caused him to slip from Hyde's shoulder. Jekyll climbed into the automobile and with Sawyer's help lifted the thief inside. Jekyll covered Lupin with his own coat to keep some of the weather off him. First and foremost, Jekyll was a doctor, and he had to look after anyone who was injured. Who they were and his own needs were irrelevant.

"Listen," Nemo muttered. What they found worried them. The sound of gunfire had diminished. The only sound that hung in the air was the cold whistle of the wind. Why had it stopped? Was Mina in trouble?
"We'd better get a move on," Quatermain advised.

Sawyer got in the driver's seat and set off. It was a squeeze in the back with the extra person but they managed more or less. Jekyll couldn't quite sit down in the seat so he crouched on the floor. He shivered as the speed of the automobile made the heavy rain even worse but he could only tolerate it. Lupin seemed stable and so Jekyll could only keep his head tilted down and try to stop the bleeding in his nose.

Ishmael still worked to drive the dust out of his lungs. The hellish nightmare he had relieved was finally coming to a close. He just seemed to want to rest,

All they had to do now was to meet up with Mina and the others. They were so close to getting back safely. Sawyer just hoped that the worst was over.

(*A Few Minutes Later*)

Zenith awoke, lying in the rain with a pounding head. His senses all seemed blurred and indistinct. Sitting up slowly, he rubbed the side of his head with a groan. His stinging eyes closed, waiting for his balance to return. He froze upon hearing someone weakly saying his name.

"Lupin?" he murmured. When he looked around he was not there. Instead, he found Armand to be curled up in a ball near to him. He showed no signs of wanting to get up. He was fighting back tears, groaning and whimpering, begging the thief for help.

He snapped to attention. He dragged himself up on all fours and leaned over him. A wave of dizziness almost made him topple over but he tried to ignore it. He furrowed his brow in concern as he looked down. The rainwater surrounding the boy was crimson red. The blood was coming from his leg- from his left thigh.

Armand was shaking with his eyes closed tight.
"Armand, what happened? I thought you'd run off," Zenith exclaimed. He turned the young boy over and gathered him up in his arms. Armand buried his face against his chest as he struggled with the pain and fear. His breathing was shallow and shuddery.
"I. I don't know. I came to find you-" Armand stopped, hissing in pain as Zenith ripped the material of Armand's trouser leg apart. It was enough to reveal a bullet wound. Armand clamped his hands on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding himself. Zenith put his hand on top to help.

Armand began to squirm around, struggling not to sob. Zenith held on tighter to him.

"Cry if you need to, dear boy. Scream, yell and curse. Do whatever it is you need to, just keep still for me," Zenith said softly. "You're going to be fine. I promise you, but you need to calm down. Try and take deep breaths for me."
"I. I don't think I can do this. Before I couldn't really feel it, but now," a whimper cut him off and he clenched his jaw. "Please- it. it hurts..." Zenith could feel him trembling in his arms.

Zenith knew he was going to have to change his tactics, simple instructions weren't going to help. He was too frightened. "Can you remember what I told you a few days ago? Channel out your fear-"
"Make it motivation," Armand winced, forcing air into his lungs.
"Exactly. You've been shot, and I know you're scared but the best thing you can do to help yourself is focusing on keeping your head. All I need you to do is stay calm and still. Leave the rest up to me. I'm going to wrap up that leg and carry you inside. Don't worry, I'll be gentle. Deep breaths now."

Zenith gently lay him down on his back, being sure to not hurt his leg. He fumbled about for a handkerchief and lay it flat against the wound. Armand gasped, but Zenith guided his hands to the wound and he knew to hold it in place. Zenith rubbed his neck as he thought for something he could use to tie it down with. That was when he remembered- his bow tie. He unfastened it, making it a long strip of material.

"You're doing well, Armand. Can you raise your leg a bit for me? That's it, you're going to be fine. Steady your breathing a bit more, nice and slow."

With the wound covered somewhat, Zenith removed his soaked blazer and used it to cover his shoulders. He hoped it would serve as some kind of comfort for his growing shock. He was losing a lot of blood. Zenith got to his feet and picked Armand up. He yelped as his thigh pressed against Zenith's side.
"Apologies, dear boy, but it has to be done. That's the worst of it is over. Don't worry, we're going to go and find you some help."
"Alright. I. I want my father." he whimpered, wrapping one of his arms around Zenith's neck. The other pressed onto the wound as much as he could bring himself to.
"I know, just hold on. Focus on your breathing."

"Zenith!" Fantômas called from afar. The thief turned to see him running towards him. He stopped and looked at the boy he carried. He seemed greatly concerned, though his usual mask made it hard to see.
"What happened?" he demanded.
"I don't know. I need you to go and find Robur and a doctor. I don't think the explosion reached my room so I'll take him there for now. Hurry now," Zenith instructed.

With extreme vigour, Zenith left Fantômas and hurried inside the fortress. It was not easy, but he managed to find a route with very little debris. Armand seemed to be getting heavier with every step he took. After climbing plenty of stairs, the thief was exhausted and dizzy, but he couldn't stop. Not when Armand depended on him. He ground his teeth together until he finally made it to his room. As Zenith suspected his room was untouched, though there was a little more dust hovering in the air.

Zenith wanted to collapse onto the bed himself, but he managed to gently lay Armand down. He had dozed off during the journey and he showed little sign of waking soon. Battling past his groggy nausea, Zenith did what he could while he waited for a doctor. He left the temporary bandage on but covered it with a folded blanket to stop the bleeding that had soaked through. After that he could only sit and wait, applying steady pressure to his leg. They needed Fantômas to hurry. Armand needed him.