Ch. 34

"What happened to your throat?"

Surprisingly enough, (and to my displeasure as he removed his hand from mine) the question was asked in my signs. Not that I could blame Henry, for the silence that surrounded us was thick with anticipation. Breaking the silence seemed almost a crime, like the only sound allowed was the roaring wind past the caves open entrance. Still, though he seemed to be making an effort to be discrete, I do not believe he realized it might catch the others attention that we were speaking together silently. They might find it queer, and wonder at it. Then again, everyone seemed to have retreated within themselves as they prepared for the battle ahead.

Only as I moved to answer him did I realize my hand had been clasped around my throat. 'How long was I,' I wondered as I stared at my gloved palm vaguely. Not turning to look at Henry I signed, "Nothing, it's just a bit sore..."

Henry turned his head to me with a look that bordered between annoyance and disbelief, and the small rustle it caused seemed monstrously loud within the cave. I did not like this situation at all; it was always harder to get things done in silence. Noise was needed for distractions; silence was not the sneak's friend.

I smiled at Henry softly, hoping to quake his worries. If my throat was still sore when we returned to the ship, then I would seek his help. However to address such a minor detail in the overall mission would be a horrible error on my part. A selfish endeavor, if you will. In any case, I could not make my discontent known, it would be foolish.

Henry shook his head softly before leaning it back against the wall of the cave. I sat there, silently observing the others and secretly wishing for Henry to return his hand to its former position. The faces did not change, and my hand unfortunately remained held. As I watched Chandrahas' lip twitch every few moment, sudden, fiercely whispered voices came from the back of the cave.

"Maitreya, no!" I heard Prabir whisper as Maitreya appeared in the mouth of the connecting cavern. "Dr. Jekyll, please come look at Prabir's hand, I think he's gotten frostbite," Maitreya said, trying to hide the anxiety in his voice. Before Henry had even begun to stand I was up, and with a quick stride I passed a shocked looking Maitreya and hurried to Prabir's side.

As I kneeled beside a confused looking Prabir and took his right hand gently, I wondered vaguely what I was doing. Not even a full day had passed since Prabir was my most hated enemy, yet here I was worried about him. Was I insane, or merely did I forgive too easily? Perhaps it had something to do with being the new holder of his contract. The contract that bound him to me and me to him.

I held back a sour expression at the thought of being bound to Prabir, and examined his fingers closely. His pointer, middle, and ring were all discolored. Turning an ever deepening shade of purple, I fancied I even saw it change as I gently touched one.

Surrendering his hand to Henry as he kneeled beside me, I looked at Prabir and chastised him, "Congratulation, you have frostbite! Why weren't you wearing gloves?"

Prabir looked away like a scorn child and mumbled something incoherent. It was actually amusing to see how much had changed in such a short time. Less that a day ago he would have never let me 'speak' to him like that. I had to hold back my grin of pleasure at the fact.

Maitreya, who was hovering worriedly said, "Well-?" Henry let go of Prabir's hand and looked up at him, "It is frostbite. We need to stop it now or he'll lose those fingers." Prabir's eyes went wide as his head shot to look at Henry as he stood. "Maitreya," he instructed, "Cup your hands around Prabir's fingers and blow warm air on them."

Maitreya nodded and sat beside Prabir quickly, taking his hand in his. Henry looked at me as I stood up and said, "Help me find something to heat water in." I nodded and we began our search through the bags. Nothing seemed to me to be able to work, and I grew discouraged as I looked. If I could not even save Prabir's fingers, how could I defend a whole ship full of men?

Finally, I reached a bag with a small pot, which I can only guess the rather vile use for. However, it was clean at the moment, and I grinned at my good luck. Giving it to a smiling Henry, we filled it with snow from just outside the cave (which Henry chivalrously went to retrieve. Henry held it over the fire until it became water. When it did, I preceded to hold it up as Henry stuck an exposed hand into the water, waiting for it to be, "Just above average body temperature," he told me.

When it was finally ready Henry took the pot from me and carried it to the back of the cave, for apparently this part was painful. The nerves would be 'coming back to life' so to speak, and would cause Prabir to suffer. Funny that yesterday, I would have enjoyed it. Now however, it merely made me have sympathy pains in my stomach, which ailed me enough to force me back to my seat.

I tried to block my ears to Prabir's stifled, abrupt noises of pain. The rest of the league and crew, whom had shown little interest after learning he would be okay, seemed only vaguely aware of his suffering.

A low, cautiously ruff voice growled, "Skinner?" from beyond the cave, and had my attention shooting for the door. I heard Allen cock his gun and my eyes widened. 'What's at our doorstep?' I wondered as I stood and moved beside Captain, who along with Mina was moving towards Allen. I stayed behind, at just beyond the lip of the cave as they ventured into the cold, not willing to infuriate my throat (which had dimmed to a dull ache) any further.

"We heard a noise," Mina told Allen in explanation as they joined him. "It was nothing," Allen said after a moment, not moving his head from its position facing towards the vast whiteness that surrounded us. Another moment passed until Captain said (with a certain knowing quality that bordered teasing and understanding), "Just an old tiger sensing his end?" I raised my eye at Captain's odd choice of words, and made a note to have him explain it later.

"Perhaps this was not his time to die after all," Allen said quietly, and it annoyed me further that I did not understand. I moment later there was a small thud and Mina gasped as she jumped away from her left. Suddenly I could see hovering snow before them, and I grinned in understanding. Skinner!

"I've been waiting all week to do that," his voice radiated with mischief. "Get a grip, man!" Allen said. A most horrible choice of words Skinner proved, when he said, "Well, I thought I just did."

Mina slapped him, sending the hovering snow cascading towards the right, or left I suppose, depending on where you stand. Skinner straightened quickly and drawled, "Ooh, Mina."

"Report!" Captain ordered, no doubt vexed by Skinner's less than responsible attitude.

"Well, hello to you too. And need I remind you, I am naked in the snow," he told them, making me remember one of my jobs. Clothing Skinner. As I hurried for his effects, I heard him say, "I can't feel any of my extremities, and I mean any of them."

The last statement made me laugh, and not just a small chuckle. My throat flared as I tried to control it and be silent at the same time. Bending down to gather his things, I heard his footsteps softly against the stone floor.

"Oi! Is laughin at a man any way to welcome someone who's spent several days learning that chicken scratch you call writing?"

Right. I had forgotten about that. I was supposed to be mad at him. Holding his things behind my back I glared at the snow-covered invisible man. "Oh come on now!" he said and I felt him tug at the jacket in my hand, "Punch me if ya like, just gimme the bloody jacket!"

I laughed again and handed him his things. I watched him quickly pull on and secure the jacket, giving a sigh as he did. His happiness over such a little thing made me laugh again, and I moved to check on Prabir before, "Get back 'ere!" Being pulled into a hug by now invisible hands.

"Missed ya too, Spitfire." I smiled and gave him a quick hug back before pulling away and punching his shoulder playfully. "Good job," Mina praised me as Skinner's sleeve rose to his shoulder (where I assume he rubbed where I had punched). I grinned at her and held thumbs up as Skinner pulled out his can of grease paint and began to apply it to his face.

When he was done Allen looked at him and said, "Well?" in an irritated voice as he dug through his bag.

"With all the suspicion on the ship, I knew you wouldn't believe I wasn't the spy." He began his explanation, and I saw the guilt in the others eyes. I frowned softly at his words as he said, "Well, I thought it was best to, disappear."

"So what are we dealing with?" Allen asked.

"The fortress is vast," Skinner told us, "Furnaces produce iron for making M's weapons of destruction." I tried to imagine what that would look like, but I had only vague memories of descriptions in books to help me. "They're pieced together on the factory floor by a private army of ruthless men who share his vision.

"But the worse was to come. In the dry dock, M's best minds pervert Nemo's dream."

My eyes widened in horror as Captain asked, "The Nautilus?"

"Nautili. There's eight for now," Skinner said, and I felt my blood boil at the thought of imitation Nautilus'.

"What about the kidnapped scientists?" Captain asked, obviously in more control than I was. Not that it was hard to imagine, Captain was the authority on control.

"M holds their families hostage. The men work, or the women and children die." My eyes widened in shock. I knew women were not taught to defend themselves in most of the world, but for them to become prisoners because of their feebleness was the most horrible thing I could think of.

"Monstrous," Captain said, shaking his head. His eyes met mine and I my brow knit together in understanding as Skinner said, "Well, that isn't the half of it."

'Could there be worse?' I wondered as he said, "The scientists are forced to work night and day to make new versions of us. Invisible spies, an army of Hydes, vampiric assassins, cryptographists. M leaves for Europe today with a sample case of the chemicals to sell to the most eager nation."

"I'll not let my evil infect the world," Henry said as he finished bandaging Prabir's hand.

"Do you think any of us feel differently?" Mina asked.

After a moment of silence Skinner told us, "Chimney pipes lace the buildings, and bombs in the furnaces would make quite a bang. But someone needs to blow that place to hell." He paused, "And I am least likely to be seen."

"Skinner I didn't know that you were such a barefaced liar-" Allen suddenly said. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, had he gone mad? Skinner had been telling the truth the whole time!

"-All that time pretending that you weren't a here."

Oh. Hehe, oopsie.

"Well shut up, or I'll come to my senses," he said with mirth in his voice, "Well, besides. Any more like me, and I'll lose the franchise."

Suddenly Tom stood, cocking his gun with a look of intense anger on his face. "No," Allen told him, blocking him with his gun. "This cannot be a hunt to the death," he dropped his gun, "More's the pity. We must take M alive if his secrets are to be uncovered."

"Not Gray," Mina said, "He's lived long enough." I nodded in complete agreement as Tom grinned, "Oh, I'll handle him-"

"-No," Mina silenced him. Apparently she would handle him. I did not care, so long as he was handled. Indefinitely.

Silence, in which Allen took over. "Nemo, you and Hyde free the prisoners," he said as I moved to stand beside them. "Sawyer and I will deal with M," he said, and looked at us all. He gave a slight nod and a slighter grin:

"Then the game is on."

End Note:

The fight begin's next chapter! I'm so excited, I can't wait!

Oh, and I have decided that the man who Henry has his hand in the movie (during Skinner's speech) is Prabir! Yay! Now we have a shadowy face to place Prabir with XD. I really hope that guy doesn't know someone who reads this. Haha, what if he has a daughter?

"Daddy, you're gay with Maitreya?!?!?!"

lol, just in case, I apologize ahead of time. Bwahaha