A masked man appeared at the top of the staircase, staring down upon us menacingly. He wore a cloak of fur and dark velvet, and carried a long, black cane. A silver mask adorned half of his face, excluding his lips, making his look just the more sinister.

"First meetings usually call for warrant introductions," Quartermain implied. The newcomer's attention was cast upon Quartermain, and a snide smirk appeared upon his frightening features.

"I am the 'Fantom'," he explained as he began descending down the winding stairway. "And you are so called league of 'extraordinary' gentlemen. Introductions made, oh, and I'm scarred, Mr. Quartermain, not blind. Drop the gun."

I eyed Quartermain from the corner of my eye, doubting he would do what this so called 'Fantom' instructed him to. But to my surprise, he released his pistol and it fell to the ground with a heavy clank. I tensed, as did several others in the room. The Fantom continued.

He went on to explain about his plan to start a worldwide war, in which nations would be begging him for his enhanced technology in weaponry, making him one of the most powerful dictators in the world. He somehow also knew of our plan to stop him, which of course, he wasn't about to let happen.

"So I give to you all a one-time special invitation," the Fantom advised us in a heavy accent. "Join me."

The League stared at him with bewilderment, shocked that he would even think to make such an offer knowing far well we would decline. Nemo expressed our feelings.

"You think that we would help you start a war that will consume the planet?" he asked.

"While you profit from your arms' race?" Quartermain added. The Fantom, having reached the base of the stairs, began crossing the length of the floor.

"I cannot deny the riches that are made in war," he explained.

"He's not wrong," I heard Skinner proclaim behind me.

"Speak for yourself," Gray stated.

"Think of the money, the fame…" the Fantom listed. "the power," he added, glancing at me. I glared at him as he turned back to Quartermain. He paused, and then kicked the nearby pistol away, causing it to fly by my feet. I looked down at it, and back at Quartermain. He glanced at me, giving me a knowing look, and then looked above me, seeming to stare at somebody else. There was a certain twinkle in his eye for a split second, and suddenly there was bullets soaring past me. People scurried everywhere; Nemo grabbed Mina and lead her to safety behind a bookshelf, Skinner splashing himself with his leftover Scotch took of running, Gray walking around unfazed, and Quartermain valiantly fighting the predators. I grabbed the pistol from off the ground and prepared myself for the worst.

Seeing that I was a young female, the men immediately assumed nothing about shooting, so I didn't seem like a threat even armed with Quartermain's pistol. So you can imagine their reaction when I proved them very wrong. I was quick to observe the gunmen, who proved to be more difficult to overcome than anticipated; they were clad with iron plates, protecting them from any shots made to the chest or stomach. Another thing was that they were armed with automatic rifles, making then even the more dangerous. I thought of my possibilities quickly as a masked male approached me, rifle raised. I gathered a plan in my mind as he drew nearer, and I prayed my quick thinking was enough. I pointed the pistol at the attacker's right leg and fired. The man stumbled over in pain and I took the opportunity to take a knee to his face. He then crumpled over, obviously out cold. I looked down at his limp form on the ground. "It worked…" I whispered to myself. I continued my tactic on many other of the gunmen, with some little twists here and there, until a point where my luck had finally run out. I turned from a recent victim into a rifle pointed in my face. I thought I was over, and I shut my eyes, waiting for the end. But all I heard was a grunt and something heavy hitting the hardwood floor. I opened my eyes only to meet another pair of hazel eyes.