AN: Heyla all- I realized it's been a while since I've done a proper Author's Note. As usual, I don't own anyone you wouldn't recognize if you read too much. I'm just borrowing them and I promise that I'll put them away when I'm done… Except maybe Jekyll. I may keep him so Daria doesn't kill me in my sleep. wonders if she can get copyrights…
Thanks to all my amazingly wonderful readers- Miss Quatermain, Page Mistress, Master of teh Boot, Cranberries, and especially Skunk and Hedgehog, who always pokes me into trying to do a better job, and dear wicked-and-lazy, who is perhaps one of the few people who hasn't been demanding that I bring dear Tommy back into the fold (puts up shield against fruit thrown by Rabid Sawyer Fans) and is one of the best people I know for bouncing ideas off of- even if she doesn't know I'm doing it. Bwahaha!
I'd also like to shout out to my betas, who helped make the last chapter better than it had originally been. Thank you so much, Silmaewin and Annaira. The help is greatly appreciated.
I do start college next week, so there may be some issues getting chapters typed and up. I will definitely work to get this story finished and up on its usual schedule, then I have a one-shot bit of fluffiness that I have ready. Once this and the fluff is up, I may or may not be taking a brief hiatus to keep up with college and start on the next story. For the record, the next story will chronicle Daria and Vader's first adventure and will probably be posted over in the Movie Crossovers section, since without it even being set on Earth, I can't exactly justify putting it here in the LXG category. I will send out PMs with the link to it once I start publishing it.
After the Daria and Vader story, I am not entirely certain what I am going to do with this little version of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. This comes as a great shock, since I will have lived with these beloved characters in my head for at least three years at that point. I don't want to stop writing for my League, so I will be happy to listen to any plot suggestions you care to send me if you want more of Daria and the gang.
Wow, that was a long AN. With that out of the way, onto this week's regularly scheduled chapter!
Chapter Twenty-Six: You and What Army?
Allan Quatermain slipped towards a small group of people waiting on the far side of a small hill. "There's four guards by the entrance of the temple," he told his six companions as he rejoined their circle. "It looks well-used- plenty of tracks going both in and out."
Jekyll was silent for a moment, then he spoke. "Hyde says he can take care of the guards," he related.
"I have no doubt he can," Quatermain replied. "He and I will go in first to clear the way for the rest of you."
Mina nodded grimly and minutely examined the keen edge of one of the daggers she carried. Her face was determined, her manner cold. Nemo put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly.
She nodded, not speaking. She had to remind herself that it was not Tom they would be facing, but a creature using his body. It would be kinder to kill him, rather than see his free spirit enslaved like that.
Quatermain nodded to Jekyll, who grimaced and undid his tie and shirt collar before gulping down the elixir. He tried very hard not to cry out in pain during the transformation and succeeded for the most part, the only sound escaping him being a subdued whimper. A moment later, Edward Hyde stood before them in all his ready-to-crush-something glory. He growled dangerously, flexing his enormous hands. Finally, he was free! And even better, they would not stop him from trying to destroy anything this night. The only thing missing was a 'lady of negotiable virtue' to entertain himself with, but there was Daria to consider... Besides, Jekyll would never give him any peace if he didn't go and get her.
The group moved towards the rim of the cliff the temple was dug into, arranging themselves in their groups. Quatermain and Skinner split off from their companions to pick their way down the trail, Hyde following behind, being sure to keep out of sight.
"Halt!" one of the guards ordered upon seeing Quatermain, lowering what appeared to be a ceremonial pike of sorts at the hunter's chest. He glared at them and growled in stilted English, "Who seeks entrance to the Temple of Nebt-het, pilgrim? Speak, or else we shall remove you forcefully from these sacred grounds."
Quatermain raised an eyebrow. "Really? You and what army?"
The guard had about a second to look blankly confused at the flippant reply before a massive hand swooped down to crush him in a fist. His companions stared at the blood and other things oozing from between Hyde's fingers in a kind of numb shock. That was their last mistake.
In a flash, Quatermain was on the nearest one, Bowie knife in expert hand. Hyde swatted one of the remaining guards aside and punched the other. He few into the wall and collapsed in a broken heap. There was no noise loud enough to penetrate the confines of the temple. They were undetected for the moment.
The rest of the League joined them. With a cheeky little cackle, Skinner skipped ahead, going inside with his load of explosives in tow. He vanished inside the dimly lit entrance corridor. At a more sedate pace, his companions followed, splitting into their teams.
The deceptively narrow entryway opened up into a large room lit by torches. The walls were decorated with freshly painted, vividly colored murals. Jason studied them in awe, shoving his spectacles further up onto his nose as he paused to examine them.
"They're dedicated to the goddess Nebthet," he said, looking carefully at the hieroglyphs that lined the murals. "Praises and that sort of thing, just like in the ancient temples... This is incredible!"
"Come on, Mr. Fisher," Mina said impatiently. "We don't have all day for you to be reading the writing on the walls."Basil had gone on ahead, slipping down the corridor in search of Sawyer's footprints. He came back to the group, gesturing for Nemo and Hyde to follow him. "I found where 'e went," he said. "C'mon now."
The two he had indicated nodded to the others and followed their odd guide down a side corridor. To Nemo's mild surprise, it dead-ended at another intricately muraled wall.
Hyde growled. "And what's this?" he demanded of Basil, smelling a rat.
"Patience," Basil said calmly. He gestured at the stone floor, which, like most buildings in Egypt, had a layer of fine sand covering it. "Mr. Sawyer's tracks come in this direction. Therefore, we can deduce that 'e went through a secret door."
Hyde looked at the man suspiciously.
That's rather... refined talk for an East Ender, Jekyll commented, giving Hyde the mental impression of a quizzical look. What kind of Cockney talks like that? And he doesn't seem to be the least bit perturbed about you, Edward.
Edward gave a mental shrug. Basil was odd, but that didn't matter right now. "That door won't be secret for long," he growled.
"No," Nemo shook his head. "You'll bring the entire cult down on our heads."
"Let them try." Hyde cracked his knuckles in a threatening manner.Basil, meanwhile, was examining the wall. There was one area of the mural that was a little bit more worn than the rest- an image of the Eye of Ra. He looked more closely at it, now discerning a faint, hairline gap around the symbol. Experimentally, Basil pushed it.There was a faint click, then a rumbling sound as the wall slide aside. The thin, hawk-faced man nodded, his only sign of triumph. Nemo smiled. "Well done, Mr. Basil."
"Now let's go," Hyde grumbled. It would have been faster for him to just break through it.Basil led them down the newly-revealed corridor, keeping one sharp gray eye on the dusty floor ahead, following the tracks. They joined others, but for a time, Sawyer's prints were the freshest. After a few minutes, however, they were swallowed in the general mess of footprints.Nemo frowned at the floor as Jekyll did his level best to keep Hyde from flying out in a rage. "Mr. Basil?" the Indian captain inquired warily.
" 'Old on," Basil said. "Bring one o' them torches over 'ere." As Nemo obeyed, he got down on his hands and knees to take a closer look at the tangle of tracks.
The corridor was lined with doors, each with a flurry of tracks going in and out. There was no way to tell which one Sawyer- Kheti- had gone into.
Hyde grumbled and shifted his weight from foot to foot, as the corridor was too narrow for him to pace in. This was a ridiculous waste of time. He wanted to get Daria so Jekyll would relax and let him go smash something- preferably someone.
A door several yards ahead opened, and a man wearing an ancient Egyptian-style kilt walked out. He spotted the two men searching the sandy ground first. Then he spotted Hyde.
Hyde didn't wait for either the man or his companions to react. With a bellow, he shoved past Nemo and Basil and charged the cultist, backhanding the hapless man into the wall. Bone cracked, and the cultist slumped to the floor
.Ignoring his late victim, Hyde poked his shaggy head into the room recently vacated by said victim, ignoring the stunned look on Basil's face. The beast-man smirked as he withdrew his head. "She's in here."
OSCOSCOSCOSCOSC
Mina led her two companions down a different corridor, intent on the sounds of chanting and heavy, deep drumming coming from up ahead. The smells in here nearly overwhelmed her heightened senses; hot, dry stone, dust, sweat, fear, adoration, and more than a trace of blood. Her green eyes glittered red as she caught the scent- she hadn't fed for days, and woe betide the cultist who crossed her path.
Speaking of cultists...The trio rounded a corner and found themselves confronted with a pair of armored guards. One of them shouted something to his companion, and they both drew the short swords they carried at their sides.
Allan drew his pistol and fired at one of the cultists as Mina darted for the second. She struck his blade aside and pounced on him, digging her fangs into his neck. Rich, warm blood filled her mouth, prompting her to drink greedily.
Jason hung back, letting his two more combatively-minded companions deal with the guards. He supposed he wasn't the first man to be taken off-guard by Mina Harker's ability to tear out throats. It was very unnerving to watch her go from proper lady to blood-sucking dervish.
He hung back, taking the opportunity to search for sources of water nearby with which to augment her power. To his delight, there was an underground river that flowed not a hundred feet below his feet, its waters destined to join those of the great Nile. The Nile was said to have its own indigenous breeds of Elemental not found anywhere else. He wondered if he would be able to draw on these local creatures of Water, or if they would even answer to his call. Well, at least he would he able to use the magic of the rivers, even if he failed to command their creatures.
"Let's get moving," Quatermain said as Mina dabbed blood from her lips and chin. "They probably heard that."