It's been a while since I updated this story, sorry about that. So to recap, I own nothing except for the characters the League's going after. And ACTION!
Skinner sighed quietly as he began to zone out. There wasn't really anything important going on anyway. The League, with the exception of Mina and Tom, had found spot about ten feet from the castle and were spending the time waiting for their other teammates to catch up by going over plan…again. There weren't a lot of maps to be found on the castle, if torn pieces of parchment so faded you could barely tell which end was North could be called maps.
There was a small rustling from the nearby bushes before Tom and Mina rejoined them.
'Bout time. Skinner thought to himself. It wasn't exactly comfortable sitting butt-naked on a pile of twigs and wet leaves. Not that he was complaining. This was nothing compared to the blistering cold of Mongolia or even the heat of…
Skinner did an involuntary shudder at the memory. The rest of the League was too busy briefing each other to notice. Tom had finished saying that something along the lines of shooting at a figment from his head. As truthful as the boy was, Skinner felt that there was something off about it.
Once everyone was ready to get going again, they proceeded towards the castle. The main gateway had rusted away. The inside didn't look much better. Years of neglect showed in every corner. The League walked quietly as they passed through one of the doors.
The halls were worse than the outside. There was no light except for what could seep through the faint cracks in the walls. The worn and mildewed tapestries, that had once decorated the walls with glory, added to the gloom that lay around. It didn't help when one of the members gave out a shriek.
"SKINNER," growled Mina as she turned to face where she heard him. If he could be seen, everyone would have seen his face was as white as the greasepaint he usually wore.
"Y-y-you d-didn't see that," the frightened man stammered. He could feel his leg quaking as he used a nearby wall for support, leaving a handprint in the dust.
"See what," Tom inquired, debating whether or not the event in the woods should be made known to the League.
"That head…" Skinner practically yelled, forgetting to lower his volume. "That bloody head that just floated by."
"Get a hold of yourself," Nemo scolded quietly. "Think now. If there was a severed head floating around at all, wouldn't someone else have seen it as well?"
"Well… ahh… yes, but… I swear I saw..."
"The dark was probably playing tricks on you," Jekyll comforted. "I could have sworn a knife was hovering at the end of one of the hallways we passed."
"Yeah, maybe," the invisible man agree, still slightly shaken.
After a few seconds of silence, which when mixed with the Skinner's outburst made the atmosphere even more eerie, the League turned around a corner to face a large door. Light leaked through the edges and the cracks that had made their way through the rotten wood. Everyone paused, waiting to see who would be first to see what was on the other side.
"This is ridiculous," Mina quietly growled after some time. The door was thrown opened almost as soon the sentence was finished.
The door led to the second story of an enclosed area. The tops of some of the walls had crumbled apart. In the center of the other side were the remains of a gallows. The courtyard was about twenty by thirty feet and, except for a rectangle about the size for a person to lie down in, was completely covered in the shadows of the walls that surrounded it. A pair of large double doors, though only half a door remained currently, could be seen at one of the walls. Three figures sat on the rubble that had fallen in. They were El, Ms. Keara, and Adam.
Great, now I can REALLY show that pipsqueak whose boss.
The bloodlust in Hyde's voice made Jekyll shiver. Things rarely ended well when that tone was heard. Jekyll ignored the comment as he focused on the people below.
El had taken off his hat and outer jacket, though they weren't around, so that simply his white undershirt and pants was worn. He was fiddling with some small metal box while his rifle lay on the rock he was leaning on. Ms. Keara was on the other side, trying to comfort their companion.
"I'm sure everything will be just fine, Adam," she said. "I think she's just shaky from that scare she got on that other ship."
"Yes, but we all know how far your knowledge of such things goes."
This comment received a firm glare as everyone look towards the doors. The voice had come from the woman that had been in the engine room of the Nautilus, Jas if Jekyll was remembered correctly.
"Just tell us how Ava is," Ms. Keara spat out as their large companion nod vigorously in agreement.
El went back to fiddling with his box. Jas gave a heavy sigh before starting.
"She's fine, still rambling about the woman falling from a none-existent tower, but fine none the less. Rest is the best thing for her at the moment."
"I still think we should look into it," Ms. Keara said. "Whatever it was really scared her."
"Ava is always one to over react," the other female pointed out.
"But never so much to scream like that," the older woman barked back before she started to massage her temples. "This is not helping my headache. The mist alone was bad enough."
"Is there anything that doesn't make your head hurt," Jas complained loudly.
"Sitting quietly doing my work, if you must know," snapped back the response.
"Good…goood…" El stated. He had apparently stopped listening after the status report. "Got et!"
Everyone in the room immediately turned to look at the newly ecstatic man as he raised the box above his head.
"Dis is going to make our lives much easier," he laughed as he pushed some buttons on various sides of the box. "Watch dis."
The box was placed in the center of the room. All, except for the proud creator, watched in awe as it began to produce faint beeps. Suddenly, the new device began to shake.
"Is that supposed to be happening," Jas asked as she looked over to a now nervous El.
"Ah oh," shook out of Adam's throat.
"I agree with you on that one," Ms. Keara added in.
By this time, the box was making blasting noises so loud that even the League had to cover their ears.
"Oh my…" the frightened inventor started. "Get down!"
The warning came just in time as the device burst into flames. After the fire quickly expired, smoke bellowed from the broken circuitry. El walked over to the scene with a look of mournful expression. As the maker examined the remains, his face became that of frustration.
"Tenth prototype and still goes wrong," El muttered angrily. He gave a quick sigh before standing up to watch the smoke rise. It seemed to relax him. "Well, back to de drawing board."
He followed the smoke trail all the way to the seconded floor, where he stopped to try to peer at something on the other side. It took the League a few seconds to figure out what was staring at being stared at.
"We've been spotted," Mina exclaimed as she drew her daggers. This was at the same time as the inventor began to bark orders to his companions. Jas quickly exited through the way she had made her entrance from a few seconds earlier.
"Skinner, you think you can follow her," Mina inquired in a commanding tone.
"Sure, sweets," the invisible man replied, earning a glare from her already red eyes. "I don't suppose I'll get some help, now will I?"
"Nemo…" the vampire began as Nemo signaled for his men to follow him. She then looked to see Tom cock his gun and Jekyll start opening a vial. With everything was in order, Mina jumped down to the ground below.
By this time, the smoke had cleared so that it was easier for enemies to see one another. El had already grabbed his rifle and had it at the ready. Adam stood close by, his eyes watching for any movement. Ms. Keara fixed her hair as she grumble in an irked manner.
"First that damn mist, then her. Now we have to deal with these bloody guys again."
"You'd think they didn't want to see us," Tom asked playfully.
"Shut up," Ms. Keara snapped before taking on a more inquiring tone. "Actually, maybe you can help settle something. Can one of you actually…"
Her sentence was cutoff as Jekyll transformed into Hyde. He jumped down to join the fight, smirking at the sight of horror that appeared upon the woman's face. She seemed to have forgotten all about that headache of hers.
"We…are…dead" she managed to say. "Did you see that? He grew into that…that…thing!"
Hyde rolled his eyes as she continued rambling. It was not like this hadn't all been said before. He slapped her with the back of his hand to get her to shut up. It had enough force to throw her back against the stone wall. To his surprise, she quietly, but slowly, pulled herself back to her feet.
"Ugg…" she moaned with a shake of her head, "I guess that answers that question."
"We cin settle dat later," El yelled as he got his gun aimed at Mina's head. "Right now, we have bigger problems."
This move was matched by Adam tackling Hyde. Hyde slide back a few feet before picking up the giant and sending him crashing through a nearby wall.
"Not today you don't" Hyde chuckled as he started to go through the new doorway. "This is MY fight."
Mina had used the distraction to leap behind the gunman. The third enemy was still a bit dazed from being smashed into the wall. Tom was watching everything from above, reading to pull the trigger when needed. Empathy seized his heart as crashes were heard from the hole.
Hyde tossed the pillar he had just used as a bat. His foe was getting slowly up off his back some-odd feet away. Distance didn't really matter now. That runt was learning an important lesson: NEVER mess with Edward Hyde.
Jekyll hadn't said one word since the transformation. Not that Hyde was complaining. That wimp always tried to spoil his fun. Probably was cowering somewhere, fearing what his better half would do next.
The figure stumbled a bit once he had gotten back on his feet. He then coughed into his hand. Hyde jeered as some blood appeared. Adam stared at his hand for a few seconds, looking worried. To Hyde's annoyance, the blood was wiped off and the giant turned back towards the other man.
He's determined, Hyde heard Jekyll state, you have to give him points for that.
As much as Hyde disliked agreeing, this wasn't a game at one of London's country clubs. This was winner-take-all and, unfortunately for that determined sap, Hyde didn't feel like taking second place.
Skinner flinched slightly as another loud crash was heard. He was following the woman in front of him very carefully. Nemo and his men were some distance behind him now, hopefully following the markers that the invisible man was leaving. Luckily, the fighting was also shaking the building, so she was slowing down enough for the others to catch up at some point.
Hyde must be having a heyday, Skinner thought as the building shook again.
Skinner was lead around another corner but this time she stopped at a door. Peering in the room, he could see another small courtyard. Some pillars held up the remains of the roof. The strange machine he had seen from the Nautilus was standing in the center of the room.
Jas approached it and touched a certain spot on its wall. A door opened from its side and a ramp was let out. The invisible man debated whether or not to follow her into the flying vehicle. The choice was made for him as the ramp and door closed back up again without leaving a single trace of their existence. Nemo would be dying to take that whole thing apart.
The ship wouldn't be the only thing taken apart. If the battle continued as it was, Mina would personally start tearing something to pieces. Ms. Keara had gotten out of her daze in time to help El out. Now, the latter was trying to shoot at Tom while the woman did whatever she could to keep the vampire from coming too close to her partner. This mostly consisted of throwing rocks, yelling, or occasionally getting in close enough strike. It was all really beginning to get on Mina's nerves.
Tom was hiding against the wall so he could reload his rifle. He could hear Mina growling below. Things were going to get very messy if he didn't get back in soon. A small click of his gun and he was ready.
Tom listened carefully to the bullets that hit the wall. Once all the rounds had been fired, he went back to the edge and started firing. His lessons from Quatermain payed off as both of his bullets met their mark: one hitting the man's wrist while the other found its way into Ms. Keara's thigh. The woman clasped her leg as the other rifle almost fell to the floor.
The distraction gave Mina a chance to get close to her male enemy and get the rifle away from him. She tossed it up to Tom before turning her attention back to the duo. El was inching toward the door, with Ms. Keara staggering not far behind.
"Dat's de second rifle you owe may now," El said as though to somehow convince everyone in the room that he was in charge of the situation.
Determined not to let them escape, Mina threw one of her daggers in order to pin the man to the wall. In a flash, the knife was caught when it was an inch away from cutting El's shirt. Ms. Keara almost immediately dropped the weapon as it made a deep cut into her hand.
The shock of what just happen is interrupted as something crashes through another wall. Hyde growled as he stood up. A shadow slowly appeared in the newly made hole as Adam stumbled in. Though Hyde was covered with a few cuts and bruises, the giant appeared to be very injured and was even walking with a limp.
Glaring at the weaker man, Hyde grabbed a nearby boulder and chucked it. The rock was just barely dodged as it crashed into the wall. The force of the impact was enough for Tom to lose his footing and start falling down to the floor below. Mina quickly saw this and was able to race over to catch him.
The loud sound of tumbling rocks caused both of the League members to turn their attention back in time to see a large figure disappear through the double doors. Hyde growled as he climbed out to the newest part of the castle's renovations.
"…Lucky little shit…"
"Are you alright," Mina asked.
"Yeah, fine. Now let's go before they get to far ahead."
"A most peculiar vessel."
Nemo was looking over the other team's ship. He and his men were checking everywhere to try to find the doorway Skinner had mentioned. Skinner was being of little help, saying that he saw it at one spot before being certain it was actually somewhere entirely different.
What was the most curious was that, though it wasn't as elaborate as the Nautilus, there was a good deal of care put into the design of the exterior. Various dents and carefully placed weldings made it seem that any spot could be an opening. This, as one of his men was quite literally shocked to find out, was not the case. The crewmember had tried to pry a curious spot open with a knife he had been carrying. Within a matter of seconds, the smell of something burnt filled the air and the man collapsed on the floor.
The observations were interrupted as voices began to be heard from the door behind them.
"Which way now," a woman's voice inquired between puffs. "You need to get to Jas soon."
"I need to…" a man's voice remarked. "You de one running with a bullet in yur leg."
"Either way we need to find the ship."
"If I'm right, et should bay right through…"
The door opened to let Ms. Keara and El into the room.
"…You've gotta bay kiddin' may."
Both of them looked worn out and a bit annoyed. The expression on El's face changed to a smug grin as he spied the crewmember lying on the floor.
"Havin' a hard time finding de doorbell, are we?"
His teammate rolled her eyes as she tore off the hem of her dress and began to wrap it around her bleeding hand. Nemo drew his sword and motioned for his men to follow suit.
"Does the death of one of my men amuse you?"
"Seein' as yous tried to break into my ship," El countered, "yes-yes et does."
"Can we quit the banter and skip to punching each other," Ms. Keara comment as she gave the bandage a final tug.
"I agree." A crack was heard as El reeled back. As he stood up, he gripped the jaw an invisible hand had just hit. Before the woman could try to help, her injured hand was raised above her head.
"Right," she muttered, "forgotten about you."
"This better?" Skinner asked coyly.
"Actually…" Ms. Keara twisted her hand around, grabbed her foe's wrist, and swung her arm so that a loud thud was heard and dirt on the floor puffed up. An imprint of someone's back could be seen once the cloud settled. "…much."
The doors nearly hit her as they swing open to allow the other members of the League into the room. Tom had his rifle at the ready while Mina welded her daggers. Hyde was right behind them, quickly scanning the room.
"Where's that worm?!"
"Underground I would think," Ms. Keara replied as she backed away slowly. "Isn't that where worms normally hide?"
Hyde glared at the frightened woman, possibly already plotting the tortures that awaited her. Tom rearranged himself so that El was the target. With the enemies in the room apprehended, Mina's attention turned toward the ship.
"Have you found a way inside," she asked as she put one of her daggers away.
"Not quite, Mr. Skinner saw an entrance but," Nemo motioned to his fallen crewmember, "there appears to be a defense system."
Mina approached the body slowly, kneeling down to take a closer look. She reached down to touch it, immediately jumping back with a small cry of pain. Tom's eyes snapped to the scene as the sound of the dagger clattering on the ground echoed through the room.
Seeing his chance, El quickly jumped towards Tom and made a grab for the rifle. Tom gave a small gasp of pain and surprise as his back hit the floor, but still managed to keep his grip. Hyde watched amusedly as each of the men are tumbling on top of each other, fighting to gain possession of the weapon. No one noticed something is dropped by Tom and is somehow kicked over to Ms. Keara's feet. At least not until Skinner made a note of it.
"My Gawd, she's got a gun."
Tom diverted his attention from keeping the rifle at El's throat long enough to see one of his pistols being aimed at his head, in a rather clumsy manner. The man on the bottom moved just enough to see what's going on without being suffocated, his eyes nearly popping out when realization hits.
"Hey-HEY! Put de pistol down. No…no, don't…"
The crack of bullet drowned out the rest of the warning. No one moved, waiting to see where the bullet went. Within a few seconds, the dirt between her feet shifted slightly.
After grasping what happened, Hyde backhanded the Annie Oakley wannabe, skidding her backwards again. Metal clangs flooded the room as Ms. Keara crashed into the ship. Almost on cue, gears are heard grinding from within as a section of metal wall begins to move.
"What's all that noise abo…?"
A red-haired woman squeezed her eyes shut, as though hoping it would make everyone disappear. Cracking one eye open revealed that it didn't work. She leaned up against one of the wall on the inside. One of Nemo's sailors ran quickly to get inside before they were sealed out again.
Ms. Keara, spotting this, quickly turned to face him, the gun barrel merely inches from his chest. A swift pull of the trigger bombarded the room with echoes. Seconds faded with the sound before the crewmember pated himself down to check for life.
"You missed." Jas' mouth dropped in absolute astonishment. "He was close enough to breathe on you and you MISSED! Anything you shoot a-"
Her voice creaked as the pistol faces her. Another bullet sped out. The crewmember behind her paused for a brief moment, only to collapse beside his companion. Strange noises erupted from the auburn's mouth before her tongue began to form words.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!"
"Apparently so." Mina grabbed the armed woman by her hand, causing the gun to clatter to the ground. "Nemo, I believe you and your men can search the ship now."
"They're doing WHAT?!"
Tom watched as the eyes of the man below him gained a furious glow. Before he could register what had happened, Tom found himself on his back with a sore head and, more importantly, without his rifle.
Nemo stopped as a bullet cut the threads of his turbine. The second bullet struck Mina in the wrist, forcing her to release her grip. Without a second thought, Nemo and his men charged toward the rifle-shooter.
Over his original amusement, Hyde decided it was about time to get back into the action. The first person on his death list was that idiot who shot Mina. He was busy reloading the gun anyway and Nemo's men couldn't get all the fun.
One hard punch to the ground sent the African to his knees. A number of undistinguishable words spat from the man's mouth as his cartridges rolled off.
More curses filled the room as Ms. Keara jumped off the heads of Nemo's men to take her place next to El. The pistol was shining in her hand once more. Without another word, the two teammates trade weapons.
Hyde wasn't going to stand around like the idiot sailors rubbing their head. He was just inches behind the duo and craving to rip something apart. Sticking with what worked, Hyde raised his hand. This time, the woman was not only able to push her teammate out of the way but also jumped onto and off the larger man's hand. The blunt end of the rifle was raised far above her head. A violent crack echoed through the evil menace's head when the wood shattered. A howl of annoyance ripped from Hyde's throat. He threw more punches, each being avoided by mere inches.
A cry of frustration from the direction of the ship got Tom out of the daze he had been in. The American stood up as quickly as he could, cradling his head during change of elevation. The vampire was running toward the ship. Though the other woman had run inside and left the path behind her wide open, Mina couldn't get a foot on the ramp without tumbling backwards.
His head throbbed as a bullet flew right passed his ear. Tom was only just able to make out someone rushing passed him. The African shooter took one glance back before continuing towards his ship.
El reached his ship before Mina could get back up. A swift kick sent Mina rolling farther away from out farther. Through her haze, she could see the ramp beginning to close.
More grunts were heard as Ms. Keara hopped over more heads. The remains of the rifle were tossed on to the stumbling Mina, really pissing off the vampire. The mortal just barely climbed inside before gap got too closed for anyone to get in. By the time Mina had stood up and got her bearings, there wasn't even enough room for one of her bats. That didn't keep her from trying to reaching up to force it open.
"I won't stick around fa too long if I was ya." Mina growled at the comment as her fingertips just brushed against the closing ramp. She stopped long enough to hear a strange rumbling coming from the ship. Years of chemistry and vampiric instinct led her to act fast.
"Run!" was the only warning given. Only Mina's supernatural speed saved her from being burned alive by the flames emitting from some parts of the ship. The smell of soot and charcoal spread throughout the room, joined with the putridicity of burning flesh and horrid screams as one of the crew members tripped. All of the destruction from Hyde's fighting took their toll as walls collapse and tumble.
A jet of fire broke apart the doorframe just as Hyde reached it. Catching it on his shoulder, he could feel not only the pressure of the frame but also of the floors and structure above it as well. It didn't help that a familiar pain erupted from the pit of his stomach.
"Get going!" Hyde raised the bricks higher.
Everyone dashed past, Mina the only one who paused for a moment. The only one who could tell what was happening. Words that formed on her tongue were pushed back when Hyde grimaced.
"Just shut up and run!"
A firm nod was the last he saw before Mina races off to join the others. Just in time too. Hyde let out a cry of pain as his body contorted. His arms began to give out under the weight of the arch.
The rest of the League watched as rubble blocks the flames and closed off the room. All waited almost expectantly, except a sulking Mina. The wave of realization flowed through slowly. Tom rushed over to Mina, comforting her as best he could. Nemo glanced soberly over to the only surviving crew member. A respectful silence followed them all the way back to the Nautilus.
Jekyll glanced over to the wall of rocks to his left. He had finished changing back but pain was still coursing through his body. Every part except for his head and right arm was covered in rubble. A black trail of scorch marks lead up to the burn mark on his bare arm.
"Bravo Edward." The phrase was barely audible to himself.
Yeah yeah, his inner evil replied. Obviously been hanging around you too much, you pansy.
The good doctor chuckled at the comment. The sun began to go behind the edge of the edge of the skylight. The dimming light had a sort of calming effect. Shadows fell over Jekyll as he drifted off into blackness.