Chapter Fourteen: Return
Within a week and a half, the League had been sent home with their new –and rather unwelcome- member.
Tecol Dorou had done nothing that endeared him to the League. He was haughty, arrogant, had a low opinion of the humans he was assigned to work with, and never could manage to say Jekyll's name right. The single time he deigned to speak with his human companions, he informed them that he was a third-rank Scryer, second-rank Telekinetic and was not to be disturbed. After that announcement, he had spent the rest of the trip cloistered in his cabin, allegedly studying Tau'ri culture.
The other Tau'ka with them, a dark-haired, violet-eyed female named Oribi Rapaz, was their pilot and only a little friendlier. However, she too tended to avoid her passengers whenever possible. She avoided Dorou as well, leaving the young Shadow Agent to his own devices. Skinner- getting over his separation from the pretty Fenix Asopiram remarkably quickly- seemed to think she was just shy and took every opportunity to try and talk to her. That is, until she threw him out of her cockpit. Literally. The invisible thief sulked for a full day after that, nursing several bruises. As it turned out, Oribi Rapaz was extremely solitary and generally disliked talking to anybody.
Daria had come to see them off. It was clear to them all that she was still upset as she hugged them each goodbye one last time. Their agent had stood by the wall of the docking bay for a long time after Oribi had flown the ship away, watching until the craft was no longer visible, even to Tau'ka eyes.
Jekyll hadn't said a word during the entire trip, but it was obvious to the others that Hyde and the separation were grating on him terribly. He looked thinner and more tired than ever, and the others strongly suspected that his alter ego was not letting him sleep like he should. For the most part, he stayed in his cabin, sitting on the bunk and turning Daria's courting-token over and over in his hands.
Now that the League was back on Earth, Dorou was proving no more helpful than he had during their travels. Within an hour of his arrival, he'd managed to frighten one of the servants so badly that he resigned on the spot.
"What was that all about?" Sawyer demanded as the manservant fled the League headquarters in a near panic.
Dorou gazed at him with pale blue eyes like celestite orbs. "He was mishandling some extremely sensitive equipment, Agent Sawyer. Equipment that I cannot replace on Earth, as you are not technologically advanced enough to understand it, much less re-create it."
Nemo frowned at this slur on human intelligence. He was fairly certain that, given time and an opportunity to examine the devices in question, he could come up with something fairly close to them. But Dorou was clearly uninterested in hearing anything that went counter to his stereotypes.
The atmosphere in the mansion was extremely tense for several days as a result of Dorou and his mentality. The League members turned to their own activities, whether they be research, development of some new device, or- in the case of Mina and Sawyer- several long conversations. Skinner noted the relationship developing between the two and wisely stayed out of the way.
The twenty-ninth day of November was clear, cold, and bright. Nemo was perusing a book in the library when a maid hesitantly looked in.
"Sir?" she said nervously, "There's a gennlemun looking to talk to you and the others."
Nemo frowned a little, not noticing the way it made the girl- Danielle, he thought her name was- look even more anxious than she already was. He wondered who could be looking for them. Probably some government official or another looking to use the League to further his own ends. "Summon the others," he ordered, "Then send him in."
The five other members of the League were quickly assembled, each displaying a varying degree of interest at the announcement of someone coming to see them. Sawyer took his position at the head of the table, with Mina on his right, Nemo on his left, and Jekyll and Skinner seated on the same side as the vampiress. By unspoken mutual consent, Dorou sat next to Nemo, as the captain was the only person who could really stand to be near the arrogant alien for more than a brief period of time. They had only just gotten seated when the maidservant Danielle brought in their visitor.
The newcomer was a tall young man with light brown hair and brilliant blue-green eyes. While clearly not of the upper-most class, he carried himself with an air of quiet dignity and interest in his surroundings. His suit and jacket were of a shade to nearly match his eyes.
"Thank God I've finally managed to get to you," he said as Danielle left the library, closing the door behind her. "My name is Jason Fisher."
Jekyll frowned. He recognized the name- that of the young man Daria had mentioned at the All Hallow's Eve party- was it really almost a month ago?
Sawyer nodded as he looked Fisher over. The newcomer seemed to be in his mid- or late-twenties, not much older than Sawyer himself. But there was something about him that was a bit at odds with his youthful demeanor- a quiet air of… something. The American couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he felt in his gut that Jason Fisher was as extraordinary as the rest of them. "What have ya been looking for us for?" he asked curiously.
Jason's eyes flicked to Sawyer's face, but he addressed the League as a whole. "In recent weeks I have come across some rather disturbing things," he said. "I cannot take my suspicions to my own superiors, but I feel that what I have uncovered is something that requires some form of extraordinary intervention."
"You've come to the right place fer tha'," Skinner said, his grin visible only thanks to the layer of white greasepaint that covered it.
Nemo wasn't quite so enthusiastic. "Who are your superiors?" he asked in his deep, grave voice. "And what have you uncovered?"
"My superiors,' Jason said, hesitating for a brief moment. "Are members of the White Circle Lodge of London"
"I've never heard of them," Mina said. Her pale face bore an expression of puzzlement.
He smiled at her. "Probably not, madam," he said. "The mages of the Lodge try to keep out of public eye when it comes to their magic."
Skinner sat up. "Magic?" he said, sounding half-incredulous. "Doesn't exist."
Jason shook his head. "I'm afraid it does," he replied. "I myself am an Elemental Master of Water."
The five League members looked at one another. Mages, in modern-day London? And from the sounds of it, a whole underground society of them? It seemed far-fetched, to say the least.
But then again, so did vampires, invisible thieves, submarine creators, aliens. One only needed to take a look around the table to see all of those. So if one accepted the existence of those, then one could accept the existence of some sort of Elemental power that could be controlled or commanded by those with the knowledge.
It still seemed ludicrous, in spite of the logic.
"Can you offer any proof?" Mina asked, always pragmatic.
The self-proclaimed mage nodded. He picked up one of the glasses of water that had been set out for the League. It happened to be the one in front of Dorou. The Tau'ka Shadow Agent glared at Jason. Jason took no notice of the alien's dark look, holding up the glass instead.
The water in the crystal-clear glass began to swirl, even though Jason did not appear to be doing anything to disturb it. A tiny whirlpool appeared in the center of the glass, then all of a sudden the entire mass of water leaped out of its confines, hanging in midair in the shape of a perfect, sparkling globe.
Sawyer, Mina, Jekyll, Skinner, and Nemo stared.
Nice trick, Hyde said, slightly impressed in spite of himself.
Dorou did not share the humans' awe. He watched the mage impassively, celestite-blue eyes narrowed just a little. "A simple exercise of telekinesis,' he said bluntly. "Nothing to get excited about. Even Agent Noclaf could have done that with a glass of water, and she was a sixth-rank Telekinetic."
Jason frowned at Dorou as he let the water settle back into the glass. He had no idea of what the man was talking about. "My power is directly connected to the energies of Water," he explained. "I can control it and the creatures that dwell within it."
"You talk t' fish then, eh?" Skinner said with a grin. Sawyer was hard-pressed to stifle a chuckle.
"Not quite," the mage replied, smiling faintly. Fish were horrible conversationalists, anyway. He passed a hand over the glass, sending out a silent call laced with a tendril of Water-borne power.
A tiny female figure, as large as a child's hand, with a fish's tail instead of legs, appeared in the glass. She raised her head from the water, looking up at Jason curiously. "You called, Master of Water?" she asked in a piping voice.
Skinner and Sawyer stopped laughing.
"What is that?" Jekyll asked curiously. He leaned forward to try and get a better look at the little creature, his natural scientific interest piqued.
Jason smiled, dismissing the Elemental with a brief word of thanks. "It was an Undine, one of the more common Water Elementals. Do you believe me now?"
Sawyer glanced at his companions. Nemo was as unreadable as ever, while the other three humans shrugged in acknowledgement. Dorou didn't say a word, choosing instead to watch the proceedings with a bored expression. "All right," the American agent said, concealing the fact that he was truly impressed as best as he could. Power over the very Elements? That had to be one of the most fantastic things he'd ever heard of! "We'll accept the fact that you can do some pretty neat tricks with water and may be a mage. But what does a mage need us for?"
Jason set down the glass and took a seat at the end of the table. "I deal in shipping," he said. "In recent months I've been hearing rumors among my workers of a particularly nasty cult that's been cropping up, one centered around an Egyptian goddess called Nebthet."
Dorou sat bolt upright in his chair, staring at Jason incredulously. "Nebthet?" he demanded, pronouncing the name as 'Nebt-het'. "Are you certain?"
Jekyll was taken aback at the Tau'ka's sudden show of interest.
What's got him so excited? Hyde wanted to know. He knew that Dorou wouldn't hear him- unlike Daria, the young Shadow Agent was not a Communications-Telepath.
Jason was nodding. "Quite certain," he said. "It seems to be headed by someone calling himself Kheti. Or, to be more accurate, a group of people calling themselves Kheti- the leader seems to change with disturbing regularity."
The Shadow Agent began to curse.
"You know about this 'Kheti'?" Sawyer asked him.
Dorou glowered at him, as if he were asking an absurdly obvious question. "Yes," he said. "Kheti and Nebthet are Goa'uld."
Jekyll frowned. "But Daria said that the Goa'uld were banished from Earth centuries ago!" he protested.
"Most of them were, Dr. Jekiss," Dorou replied, ignoring the look of irritation the doctor shot him for mangling his name again. "Several were banished here long before then. Among them were Hathor, Set, Osiris, Isis, and Nebthet."
"Nebthet?" Nemo said. "She was known as Nephthys to the Greeks, wife of Set, but allied later with Osiris and Isis, correct?"
Dorou raised an eyebrow. "Yes," he said. He was not the only one taken unawares by Nemo's knowledge of Egyptian mythology. The others were giving the captain startled looks. "Ra banished Hathor and Set long before he did the others. Each was believed to have been plotting against him."
"Are you saying the Egyptian gods were real?" Sawyer asked, confused.
"Yes," the Tau'ka replied. "They were how some of the Goa'uld System Lords portrayed themselves. The stories of your mythologies are based off of the battles between the Goa'uld."
"Why were the others banished?" Mina inquired. Daria had implied what Dorou was now confirming. It was a very odd thing to contemplate, that ancient mythology was in truth history.
"Same reason," Dorou said. He was less irritable now that it was clear who knew what. "Ra is the most powerful of the System Lords, as well as the most ancient. He is the Goa'uld who discovered Earth in the first place. Several thousand years ago, Osiris and Isis, backed by Nebthet and Osiris's servant Kheti attempted to stage an uprising against Ra. He banished all four to Earth."
Jason was looking from one League member to another in turn. "Is there something that I've missed?" he asked, looking confused. "What are these 'Goa'uld'?
"Parasites," Dorou said bluntly. "Practically immortal, sadistic alien parasites that take over humans as hosts." Mina noted that he wore the same expression of hatred that Daria always had when she spoke of her peoples' ancient enemy.
The Water mage frowned, not certain what to make of the outlandish statement. "But what do they have to do with this cult?"
The Tau'ka's face took on an exasperated expression. "Because," he explained, as if speaking to a particularly slow child. "Your 'cult' is likely being lead by a pair of Goa'uld with plans to bring Earth under their rule."
"World domination? Didn't we just do that a few weeks ago?" Skinner said dryly, earning him a frown from Dorou.
"This is no laughing matter, Skinner!" the Shadow Agent snapped. "We cannot allow the Goa'uld to regain a foothold here. Agent Noclaf told you of the prophecies! If Earth is brought under Goa'uld dominion again they'll never be destroyed!" He whirled on Jason. "Tell us everything you know about this cult of Nebthet," he ordered.
Sawyer stood, not liking the way Dorou was giving orders. "Mr. Dorou," he cut in. "A word with you?"
"No."
The American frowned. "I wasn't asking," he said coldly. "In the hall, now, if ya please."
Dorou scowled darkly but followed Sawyer into the hall outside the library. "What?" he demanded as soon as the human agent had shut the door behind them.
"Mr. Dorou," Sawyer said, attempting to imitate both the way Quatermain used to command respect from unruly colleagues and the knack his superiors at the American Secret Service had for intimidating their subordinates. "I know the Tau'ka have a strict line of authority. Ya have to follow the orders of the people above ya. I would like to remind ya that I'm the one in charge here."
Dorou laughed. "Well then, Mister Sawyer," he replied, an unsubtle mocking note in his voice. "May I remind "May I remind you that I am not a member of this League. I am a Tau'ka Shadow Agent who knows the Goa'uld inside and out. I am far more qualified to handle this than you are, human."
"Really?" Sawyer fired back, stung by the implied insults. "You're that experienced? Odd, I distinctly recall Daria tellin' us that this was to be your first mission.
The Tau'ka scoffed, though he knew that Sawyer was correct in pointing out that he was untested in the field. "Special Agent Noclaf needs to keep her heart out of her assignments," he said dryly, directing the sting away from him. Dorou was proud- there was no secret about that. It didn't help that he was comparable in age to Sawyer. "To think she would even want to stay with you low-lifes -"
Sawyer grabbed Dorou by the collar and slammed him against the wall. "Take it back," he growled.
Dorou sneered. "It seems I touched a nerve," he commented. "Were you in love with her too?"
"No," Sawyer said with a slight smirk. "I'm just doing this so the Doc won't have to let Hyde out to do it."
That made Dorou pause briefly. He'd heard about Hyde, though he'd never had to come face-to-face with the skittish doctor's inner monster. He wouldn't say it aloud, but the thought of having to face Edward Hyde-angry or otherwise- scared the rookie agent.
"Listen real closely Dorou, 'cause this is the only time I'm gonna say this," Sawyer said. He hadn't missed the brief flash of fear in the Tau'ka's celestite eyes "You are working with the League. You aren't on Verris anymore, in case you've forgotten. You will follow my orders like you would Felis's, or whoever it is that ya report to, and you will be civil to those who come to us for help, got it?"
For a moment, Sawyer was afraid that Dorou would try to defy him again. The Tau'ka had about two inches and probably thirty years of experience on him, along with his race's natural strength and fighting skill. Thankfully, the moment passed, and the Tau'ka agent nodded. "I understand," he said coolly. There was still a faint light of rebellion in his eyes, but Sawyer let him go.
"Good," he said. "Now back inside. I want to hear this."
They rejoined the others. Mina glanced from Dorou to Sawyer, raising a questioning eyebrow. Her vampiric hearing had allowed her to listen in on the 'conversation' the two men had just completed. Sawyer gave a tiny jerk of his head in Dorou's direction and raised both of his own eyebrows slightly, wordlessly telling Mina that it was taken care of- at least for now.
Jason's eyes flicked from the face of one extraordinary individual to another, looking for permission to continue. Sawyer nodded at him, and the mage cleared his throat. 'As I was going to say," he said, "This cult has attracted a number of devotees among the dock hands who work for me. Most of them seem to be Egyptian, but as of late I've noticed others among their ranks. People have started to go missing, or show up a week later. Those who return are… changed. They seem to be completely different people, utterly devoted to their goddess."
"Jaffa'tau, unless I'm very much mistaken," Dorou said. He glanced at Sawyer, in a mocking parody of asking permission to continue. The young American sighed and nodded. The other man's mouth quirked in a smug smirk and he continued. "Jaffa are another human race altered by the Goa'uld. They carry infant symbiotes- primtas, they're called- in belly pouches. They are the Goa'uld's servants and soldiers." His pale blue eyes flicked over the faces of the humans at the table, making sure they were keeping up. "The term 'Jaffa' refers specifically to the species that has been bred to carry primtas for generations, but a Jaffa'tau is a true human implanted with a primta. Nebthet isn't just gathering followers. She's building an army."