Ch

Ch. 5

Experience? We all have experience, even I have experience! What kind of experience could this stern man have that could be so valuable to the league? My questioned was answered a few minutes later, after a short conversation between Mr. Q., and Mrs. Harker.

"Gray and I have met before, many years ago at Eton College," Mr. Q. stated, and Mrs. Harker jumped in, "A lecture, no doubt. You, the nation's hero, Dorian, the eager listening boy." Mr. Q.'s head shook very slightly, "Quite the reverse. It was Gray visiting Eton..." he turned from Mr. Gray and looked at Mrs. Harker, "-and I was the boy."

I had to bite my lip to keep from gasping. It was hard to imagine Mr. Q. as anything other than his old toad self, but to hear that he had been an 'eager listening boy' listening to Mr. Gray (who looked to be in his twenties) at Eton College?! It did not make sense; I let out my held breath. So, he was an immortal. Oh my, extraordinary indeed, I did not envy him.

Suddenly, Mr. Q. was pulling his gun from his jacket. He cocked it and looked around, seriousness sketched on his face. "What is it?" Mrs. Harker asked standing and Captain and I moved closer. My eyes went towards the balcony that surrounded the room, which was the only place anything could get us from. Should something come up the stairs, we would have the advantage of high ground and they would not last long, so an attack from there would be foolish. It would be from the balcony…

I was right. Guns were cocking above us one after another as men in black dress, with black covers on their faces, and wide-brimmed hats aimed for us from between the bookcases on the balcony. "Gray?" Mr. Q. asked as he lowered his gun. "They are not mine," Mr. Gray said, and seemed bored as well as amused.

"They're mine," a voice said, and we all turned towards it, myself in alarm. A large man with a shiny metal breastplate and matching half-mask walked in view from behind a bookshelf, his thickly trimmed fur coat flowing with him. Whom in the world, I wondered, but I had a good idea.

"First meetings usually warrant introductions," Mr. Q. told the man. "Of course. I am the Fantom," he said. "You are the League of so-called Extraordinary Gentlemen," he began for the spiraling stairs. "Introductions made," he stopped and starred at us all, and I could see now clearly that he was horribly scarred. Not even the mask could hide them, and I cringed at the sight. What torture had done that to him? I wondered, before he began talking again.

"Oh, and I'm scarred, Mr. Quatermain, not blind. Drop the gun," he ordered, and Mr. Q. did so, unwillingly. "Your mission is to stop me. That, of course, I cannot permit. So I give to you all a special one-time invitation. Join me." He said, and I could not believe my own ears, did he really think-?!

"You think we'll help start a war that will consume the planet?" For not the first time, my Captain's emotions matched my own. As usual, his words spoke for me. Even Mr. Q. joined in to help and said, "While you profit from your arms race?"

Fantom started walking down the stairs once more, "I cannot deny that fortunes are made in war. Imagine the riches a world war will yield." Skinner raised his glass slightly, "He's not wrong," he said, and looked towards us. Oh, how I wished for even the shrill voice of a spinster, so that I may shout 'Skinner!' in anger. "Speak for yourself," Mr. Gray said, and that would have to do for me as I glared at Skinner before looking back towards the Fantom.

The Fantom moved forward and stopped in front of Mr. Q., who stood there with his head high. His dropped gun went sailing across the floor as the Fantom kicked it away. I stared at them, tense, my hands twitching from the tension. It seemed my chance to prove myself was fast approaching. Indeed, Mr. Q. looked up to his right at the balcony, and a second later the first shot was fired as one of the Fantom's own men shot another! Without hesitation, I dropped down and pulled the two daggers concealed in the inner pockets of my boots before following Captain as cover while he pulled Mrs. Harker behind a bookshelf. A ladder sailed around the library, knocking several guns out of their owner's hands, and Mr. Gray's cane concealed a sword. Papers flew as books were blasted apart, and Skinner disappeared after soaking his face in alcohol.

Captain emerged from the bookcase, Mrs. Harker successfully hidden, just as men entered the bottom floor of the library. I turned to face them as Captain appeared beside me. "Draw your pistol!" the man shouted. "I walk a different path," Captain said, and his sword was revealed. Men were streaming from in now, and I ran behind the bookshelves to advance from the rear. My daggers entered the hollow between the bottom of their head and top of their neck, and most dropped without knowing what had hit them. The few who realized what happened turned quickly to shoot, only to have to block with their gun as I dropped low to slice.

People were shouting, but I could not tell what. A shot so close to my ear I felt the heat as it past startled me into a shock, which another of Fantom's men took advantage of, swinging the gun at my head. I did not even realize what had happened until I was on the ground where I had dropped. I thanked Kali for my quick reflex and jammed my dagger into the man's thigh, right through a main vein before backing up quickly. His blood would run quick, relief would be soon.

The men did not seem to end, and I realized too late that I had left one of my daggers in the man's thigh. I could not risk grabbing it now, and kicked the feet out from under another assailant. I stomped his stomach as I ran over him to another, whose shoulder I dislodged, and fainted on the spot. I shook my head in disgust, before startled at Mrs. Harker's shout of, "Dorian," whipped around to see Mr. Gray being shot over-and-over again. My eyes widened as I watched the man being killed before me.

He should have dropped dead on the spot as soon as the bullets stopped. Instead, he tilted his head, cut the strap's from the man's armor, and stabbed him. The man sank to his knees and choked out, "What are you?" Mr. Gray pulled out his sword, "I'm complicated."

With the last man dead, we collected ourselves. I shifted the dead men over before finding the one with my knife still in his thigh. I pulled it out slowly, and wiped the blood off on his clothes. Re-sheathing both daggers in my boots, I walked over to Captain and smiled, which he returned. There was no need to ask if the other was well, we both knew we were more than capable of coming through fine from something like that.

"I thought I was special," Skinner said, his face white anew, "You're invulnerable to harm." Mr. Gray's hand went up, "I don't like to boast. What happened to Mina?" he asked. "Oh, she's probably hip-deep in some sort of trouble," Mr. Q. said, walking back from where he had disappeared from the library.

"Don't be such an alarmist, Mr. Q. And my hips are none of your business," Mrs. Harker said, walking out and grabbing her hat from where it had fallen on the floor. One of the Fantom's men was not dead, and he rose and grabbed Mrs. Harker, a knife at her throat. Guns cocked as everyone prepared to shoot, even a new man, the one dressed as Fantom's men had, appeared from between the bookshelves and cocked his as well.

"Shoot. Go on!" The man challenged. Swords and guns were sheathed and lowered. "I guessed as much, that they would do anything to protect you." The man boasted, looking crazed. "See, now that's your biggest mistake. Thinking that I need them to protect me," and suddenly she was attacking him, latching to his neck. I gasped and stiffened as they fell to the floor. She was a vampire! Captain's hand found my shoulder, and he moved in front to block the view, to which I was extremely grateful for.

It must have been over, because the feral noises ended, and Captain stepped aside, saying, "Extraordinary." I kept my eyes to the side though. I hated the smell of blood when it was my time each month, I could not even imagine drinking it. "Boy, they told me European women had funny ways," the boy with the yellow hair entered the room. He pointed to his lip, "You missed a spot." Mrs. Harker looked away and wiped at it, "Excuse me," she said, "And you are?"

"Special Agent Sawyer of the American Secret Service," the boy said, and his voice held confidence and pleasantness. "Then America is aware of the situation?"
Mr. Q. asked, stepping forward. "If war starts in Europe, how long will it take until it crosses the Atlantic?" the boy asked matter-of-factly with a half smile. "I followed ya. I knocked out a straggler, and I took his place."

"Very noble. But this is a private party, and you're not invited," Mr. Gray said, walking forward and leaning on his cane in his oh-so-much-more-superior-than-you manner. It annoyed me greatly. Mrs. Harker joined in quickly, "Actually, Dorian has declined," she said, and looked at him as if to say 'ha,' before turning to us and saying, "so we are one shy of a full deck."

"On the contrary, the battle was just the spur I needed," Mr. Gray said, and leaned on his cane. I was sure he was saying 'ha,' back as he said, "That and the thrill of a friendship renewed." He turned towards Sawyer, "So you're not needed." Did Mr. Gray have something against Sawyer? So it seemed as he glared at him. Sawyer's face fell, and he looked towards the ground defeated. I felt bad for him, after all he had done for us, how could Gray turn him away?

Mr. Q. stepped forward and took the gun Sawyer held out for him. He examined it and said in what seemed admiration mixed with confusion, "Winchester." Sawyer instantly perked up, "That's right. It's modified, American style." Mr. Q. positioned the gun to shoot, "American-style shooting too." Sawyer laughed, "Well, whatever it takes," he took the gun back, "You like it, I brought two."

Mr. Q. paused for only a moment, "You're in."