Sorry this took so long. And that's it's so short. I've got more on the way so your patience will be rewarded. Thank you.
Chapter 9: Seeking Hyde
The castle walls looked rather depressing as the sunlight flooded in. Skinner shuttered as he followed the soot trail rise above his head. They had come back to the castle to search and gather. Clues for where to next sure, but mostly to get Jekyll out. Everyone on the ship agreed he deserved a proper burial.
Tom had stayed on the ship to comfort Mina. The doctor's death had really upset her. Though the thief had never seen any signs of romance, the two both had had their own demons to face daily. To lose the one person who understood that must be more painful than anyone could imagine.
Nemo stood in the distance. His men were digging out the doorway carefully. Rocks had tumbled when they had blasted their way in, a third was not needed. The captain wasn't really focused on that.
One of his men had found that mysterious cube from before. Despite the fighting and flames, it had stayed in one piece. The engineer in him quivered with wonder of what the device was supposed to.
"Captain!"
His first mate Patel ran up to Nemo before giving a quick salute.
"There appears to be a problem."
Nemo took a more commanding position: head high, chest out, and hands behind his back. Skinner moved over to listen in, mocking Nemo's position.
"Report."
"We cleared the rubble in front of the door…"
Skinner gave an invisible scowl. "If the rocks're clear, wot's the problem?"
Patel stumble as he tried to find the right way to phrase it. "Well… you see sir… he's not there."
Both League members needed a second. Seeing their puzzlement, Patel continued.
"We cleared every rock and pebble, but Dr. Jekyll is nowhere to be found."