Chapter One
Mina walked briskly down the foggy streets of London, on her way back home. Her hands were stuffed in her pockets, and her auburn hair was tucked neatly in a fur cap. Although it was bitterly cold, it failed to bring even the slightest hint of a flush to her pale cheeks. She had been at the theatre a few minutes before, watching Romeo and Juliet.
Rodney Skinner was in the mood of another pocket, so he had come out to the empty streets of London when his eyes fell on a very familiar figure. He smiled and walked noiselessly across the road, invisible to anyone who might be out at this late hour. He had left his clothes somewhere safe. Moving briskly, Skinner dipped his hand into Mina's pocket, and whispered in her ear, "Looking as good as three years ago, Mina."
Mina jumped, and turned around, recognizing the Cockney accent anywhere. "Skinner!"
"And a great big hello to you too, Mina," Skinner smiled, although he knew she couldn't see him. He stepped away from her and opened her purse, looking for some money. "How's it been going, Mina? Don't think your friend Skinner here's still a spy, do you?"
She looked at him coldly. At least, to where her purse was hanging in midair. "I thought that was cleared up years ago."
Skinner blew out a low whistle as he took out a hundred pounds from her purse, then shook it to see if there was any more money inside. "Hope you don't mind, love, but a gentleman thief can't leave any exceptions, even to an old friend."
She scowled and he handed the purse back to her. "Indeed. I thought you were given the antidote when we returned from Mongolia?"
"Nup, decided to stay invisible," he said. "More fun that way. Besides, what good is pinching people's bums when they can catch you?"
She scowled again, not relishing the memory of the bum-squeezing incident three years ago. Suddenly, a light appeared down the street, and the two turned to look at it. Actually, it was two lights, and they seemed to be riding themselves. The roar of engines quickly filled the air, and they leaped out of the way when a gleaming white automobile ran over the place that they were standing minutes ago.
As Mina looked up at the driver of the all-too familiar automobile, she stood up and smiled. Skinner swore and pushed himself up, dusting of some pebbles from his chest.
"Well, Sawyer," he said dryly, walking up to the front of the car. "You trying to make me not have children? You DO remember that my extremities are not covered, don't you?"
Tom got out of the car, smiling. "Who would want to have kids with you in the first place?"
Mina pulled her hair back into her cap as Skinner snorted indigantly. "Hello, Tom."
"Same to you," Tom turned to look at her, and then stumbled forward when Skinner gave him an almighty clap to the back. "Whoa!"
"And that's your reward for nearly running me over!" Skinner's voice came.
Tom straightened himself, a boyish grin on his boyish features.
"Why do you have Nemo's automobile, Tom?" Mina asked. She thought that all the members of the League had gone their separate ways after Mongolia.
"Oh." Tom's face fell. "We need to go somewhere. Now."
"The League." It was a statement, not a question, by Mina. Tom nodded.
"Oh, brilliant." Skinner's voice suggested anything but. "So here we go on a wild goose chase around the world, looking for a big, evil man. So when's the part when I get to sneak onto a ship and become a fried crisp?"
Both Sawyer and Mina give him withering looks. Skinner, wisely, kept quiet and threw open the rear door of the automobile, then stepped inside. Tom looked at Mina and held open the other door for her. She stepped in, and then they were off.
Nemo had sent Tom off for Mina and Skinner, and expected him only in a few hours. So, he had left his new lieutenant in charge of the Nautilus, and went to look for Henry Jekyll. He silently hoped that he hadn't taken the potion in the past three years.
He had gotten Henry's address in England from certain.contacts. Now, he stood in front of the door, waiting for the doctor to open it, having knocked it seconds ago. He heard the shuffling of feet, then a yawn. The door was then opened, revealing a disheveled looking Jekyll, whose already- wide saucer eyes widened at the sight of the Sikh captain.
"Captain!"
"Good evening, doctor," Nemo nodded. He was relieved that the somewhat misguided doctor wasn't Hyde. "May I come in?"
"Oh, yes, oh yes," Jekyll stood aside to let his friend in. "Nemo, what are you doing here?" He was whispering; he didn't want to awaken Marie, his wife of two years. "I thought you hated England."
"I do," Nemo whispered back. He knew that Jekyll had married a Marie Sanders, whose father ran a small bakery. "But there is some.League business that we need to discuss."
Jekyll nodded. "Let us talk in the library. Marie wouldn't hear us there."
He led the way to the small but cramped library. "Sorry for the mess," he apologized, stepping over some books strewn on the floor. "I'm not a very neat person unless Marie cleans up after me."
Nemo didn't speak. Jekyll gestured to a chair and Nemo sat down.
"So, what concerns the League?"
"Grave peril again, doctor," Nemo replied. "Although I suggest that we talk only when the others arrive." Jekyll nodded his understanding, then leaned back in his chair and sighed.
"It will require Hyde to come out again, won't it?"
"I'm afraid so, Doctor. Although I am not sure, but.possibly."
Jekyll had stopped hearing Hyde in his head a long time ago, and he enjoyed the silence, and the discontinuing torment. He sighed again and closed his eyes.
"Doctor, will you help us?" Nemo asked, his tone dropping from that of captain to that of understanding friend. "One last time."
Jekyll opened his eyes. "One last time," he echoed. "In the morning, then?"
Nemo nodded and stood up. Jekyll showed him out, then went back to bed.
Mina walked briskly down the foggy streets of London, on her way back home. Her hands were stuffed in her pockets, and her auburn hair was tucked neatly in a fur cap. Although it was bitterly cold, it failed to bring even the slightest hint of a flush to her pale cheeks. She had been at the theatre a few minutes before, watching Romeo and Juliet.
Rodney Skinner was in the mood of another pocket, so he had come out to the empty streets of London when his eyes fell on a very familiar figure. He smiled and walked noiselessly across the road, invisible to anyone who might be out at this late hour. He had left his clothes somewhere safe. Moving briskly, Skinner dipped his hand into Mina's pocket, and whispered in her ear, "Looking as good as three years ago, Mina."
Mina jumped, and turned around, recognizing the Cockney accent anywhere. "Skinner!"
"And a great big hello to you too, Mina," Skinner smiled, although he knew she couldn't see him. He stepped away from her and opened her purse, looking for some money. "How's it been going, Mina? Don't think your friend Skinner here's still a spy, do you?"
She looked at him coldly. At least, to where her purse was hanging in midair. "I thought that was cleared up years ago."
Skinner blew out a low whistle as he took out a hundred pounds from her purse, then shook it to see if there was any more money inside. "Hope you don't mind, love, but a gentleman thief can't leave any exceptions, even to an old friend."
She scowled and he handed the purse back to her. "Indeed. I thought you were given the antidote when we returned from Mongolia?"
"Nup, decided to stay invisible," he said. "More fun that way. Besides, what good is pinching people's bums when they can catch you?"
She scowled again, not relishing the memory of the bum-squeezing incident three years ago. Suddenly, a light appeared down the street, and the two turned to look at it. Actually, it was two lights, and they seemed to be riding themselves. The roar of engines quickly filled the air, and they leaped out of the way when a gleaming white automobile ran over the place that they were standing minutes ago.
As Mina looked up at the driver of the all-too familiar automobile, she stood up and smiled. Skinner swore and pushed himself up, dusting of some pebbles from his chest.
"Well, Sawyer," he said dryly, walking up to the front of the car. "You trying to make me not have children? You DO remember that my extremities are not covered, don't you?"
Tom got out of the car, smiling. "Who would want to have kids with you in the first place?"
Mina pulled her hair back into her cap as Skinner snorted indigantly. "Hello, Tom."
"Same to you," Tom turned to look at her, and then stumbled forward when Skinner gave him an almighty clap to the back. "Whoa!"
"And that's your reward for nearly running me over!" Skinner's voice came.
Tom straightened himself, a boyish grin on his boyish features.
"Why do you have Nemo's automobile, Tom?" Mina asked. She thought that all the members of the League had gone their separate ways after Mongolia.
"Oh." Tom's face fell. "We need to go somewhere. Now."
"The League." It was a statement, not a question, by Mina. Tom nodded.
"Oh, brilliant." Skinner's voice suggested anything but. "So here we go on a wild goose chase around the world, looking for a big, evil man. So when's the part when I get to sneak onto a ship and become a fried crisp?"
Both Sawyer and Mina give him withering looks. Skinner, wisely, kept quiet and threw open the rear door of the automobile, then stepped inside. Tom looked at Mina and held open the other door for her. She stepped in, and then they were off.
Nemo had sent Tom off for Mina and Skinner, and expected him only in a few hours. So, he had left his new lieutenant in charge of the Nautilus, and went to look for Henry Jekyll. He silently hoped that he hadn't taken the potion in the past three years.
He had gotten Henry's address in England from certain.contacts. Now, he stood in front of the door, waiting for the doctor to open it, having knocked it seconds ago. He heard the shuffling of feet, then a yawn. The door was then opened, revealing a disheveled looking Jekyll, whose already- wide saucer eyes widened at the sight of the Sikh captain.
"Captain!"
"Good evening, doctor," Nemo nodded. He was relieved that the somewhat misguided doctor wasn't Hyde. "May I come in?"
"Oh, yes, oh yes," Jekyll stood aside to let his friend in. "Nemo, what are you doing here?" He was whispering; he didn't want to awaken Marie, his wife of two years. "I thought you hated England."
"I do," Nemo whispered back. He knew that Jekyll had married a Marie Sanders, whose father ran a small bakery. "But there is some.League business that we need to discuss."
Jekyll nodded. "Let us talk in the library. Marie wouldn't hear us there."
He led the way to the small but cramped library. "Sorry for the mess," he apologized, stepping over some books strewn on the floor. "I'm not a very neat person unless Marie cleans up after me."
Nemo didn't speak. Jekyll gestured to a chair and Nemo sat down.
"So, what concerns the League?"
"Grave peril again, doctor," Nemo replied. "Although I suggest that we talk only when the others arrive." Jekyll nodded his understanding, then leaned back in his chair and sighed.
"It will require Hyde to come out again, won't it?"
"I'm afraid so, Doctor. Although I am not sure, but.possibly."
Jekyll had stopped hearing Hyde in his head a long time ago, and he enjoyed the silence, and the discontinuing torment. He sighed again and closed his eyes.
"Doctor, will you help us?" Nemo asked, his tone dropping from that of captain to that of understanding friend. "One last time."
Jekyll opened his eyes. "One last time," he echoed. "In the morning, then?"
Nemo nodded and stood up. Jekyll showed him out, then went back to bed.