LXG New Recruits ch. 2

"Where is the boat?" Alice asked with a puzzled smile.
The League stood on a dock looking into the water. The original members of the group weren't surprised; Pan and Alice were utterly confused.
Captain Nemo walked forward, "It is already here."
"Already here?"  Pan questioned, "Unless it is as invisible as Mr. Skinner, there is nothing-"
Pan suddenly quieted as the water before them began to stir.  A sharp piece of metal began to rise from the water, widening into a white platform that continued upwards like a gigantic monolith. She began to fully realize what it was, a vessel that sailed beneath the ocean itself. It shone like pearls in the sunlight, larger than most buildings, with swirling decorations on the front and along the sides.
Nemo proudly gestured to the behemoth in front of them, "I present the Nautilus."
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Alice and Pan sat in their new room aboard the submarine. The room folded the pearl theme from the outside of the boat.  The walls were pale and lined with portholes revealing odd looking fish swimming through the ocean. Two white-sheeted beds faced the door to the hallway and another door led off into a private bathroom.
Alice smiled and bounced slightly from her seat on the bed, "Isn't this simply the most wonderful thing in the world?"
"Most wonderful? No." Pan shook her head and reclined on to her own bed, "No matter how impressive their outfits and how beautiful their ship, we are still in the company of horrid people about to fight a terrible entity. You read the files."
"Honestly, Pan, all that negativity cannot be good for you." Alice stood up, smiling happily, "If you will be so kind as excuse me, I'm going to make some tea."
Pan suddenly jumped up and smiled secretively. "You have fun with that, I think I shall do some looking around of my own."
"I will!" Alice called as she bounded out the door.
She began down the hallway slowly, taking in the lovely surroundings.  Mirrors running the length of the wall were rimmed with silver.
"Eep!" Alice squealed as she tripped and fell on Skinner, who she had failed to notice, despite his being fully dressed.
"Well 'ello, Alice?" Skinner grinned at her, from what Alice could tell from the face paint, and stood up.
Alice stood up and smiled, "Hello to you too, Mr. Skinner. I'm so sorry for running into you."
"You can call me Skinner, no need to be formal," He shrugged, "So, what are you doing skulking about Nemo's ship?"
"Oh, I was thinking of making some tea," she said, grinning sheepishly now, "Unfortunately I now realize I don't know where the kitchen is."
Skinner threw an arm around her shoulder, "'Ow about I show you where it is – it's called a galley on a ship – and you can make us both some tea."
Skinner was surprised when she turned to him and gave him a look of adoration, "Oh that would be so kind! Will you really?"
He grinned and unlatched his arm from around her shoulders, "I'd be 'appy to."
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Pan did not follow Alice when she left the room; in fact she did not leave the room immediately at all. She leaned down and opened the trunk she had pushed to the end of her bed. She pulled out a long silver sword and attached it to her belt. It had been to long since she had been given reason to use it and she had a feeling she would need it soon. Pan pulled her neat brown curls into a bun and left, the feeling of dread remaining.
She started down the hallway slowly, her hand gripping her weapon. She stopped as she came to an open door. Inside was a large statue of a goddess Pan recognized. The goddess had blue skin and long black hair. She had many arms, most of which were holding weapons. The goddess wore no shirt, but a tan skirt and a gold crown. "Kali?"
"You recognize her, Ms. Darling?"
Pan whirled around, surprised to see Captain Nemo beside her and that he had used her real name. "I had to spend my time doing something at school, so I decided to learn something useful."
He raised an eyebrow and looked at her, still looking impossibly dignified, but nodded. "I see you learned how to fight."
"Fight?" She looked down at the sword on her hip, "Oh, I did not learn that particular skill at school."
"I did not say you had." Nemo questioned, "Why are you wandering around my Nautilus?"
Pan sighed and turned to face him fully, "I need to have some level of knowledge of where the most important rooms of this vessel are, if I'm not to end up getting entirely lost."
"Perhaps I should give you a proper tour."
Pan smiled, barely, but still a smile, "That would be very appreciated, Captain."
They walked down the hallway in silence until they reached a large door. The captain opened the door. "The library."
Pan gasped at what was one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen. The room was the biggest rooms she had seen aboard the Nautilus, the ceiling at least two stories high with a large silver chandelier. The walls were bookshelves, filled with more books then she had ever seen at one time, all bound in rich leather. The floor, unlike the wood in the rest of the ship, was a thick red carpet. Sitting in one of the plush red chairs located around the room was Dr. Jekyll.
Pan resisted the urge to grab anyone near Jekyll (Nemo?) and run. She was trying, at least somewhat, to give the league a chance, but there was something decisively evil about that man.
"Hello, Dr. Jekyll," Nemo said with a nod.
The doctor jumped up, dropping his book, "Hello, Captain Nemo, Ms. Pan."
"The Captain," Pan said, "was being kind enough to show me around."
"That's good." Jekyll smiled weakly and picked up his book. "It is easy to get lost here."
Nemo motioned towards the door once again, "There is more to see, Ms. Darling."
Pan nodded, "Yes, there is. Good day, Doctor."
The pair left the library and continued their tour, Nemo relaying facts about the Nautilus while Pan listened intently, until they reached the open door to the league's conference room.
Lounging in one chair with his feet on the table was Skinner, no longer wearing his hat or glasses, revealing the emptiness where his eyes and the back of his head should have been. He was holding a teacup in one hand and gesturing with the other as he told a story to Alice, who was sitting in the chair next to his, clutching her own teacup and listening to him.
"So I was up against the wall, stark naked, 'olding still while the police were at the door looking for me. I probably wouldn't 'ave been caught if the managers 'and't tripped and-"
"Mr. Skinner, remove your feet from my table." Nemo frowned and looked at the invisible man in annoyance.
"Pan!" Alice squealed and jumped up, running over to Pan, "Skinner is telling me about how he was recruited into the league! It's fascinating, you simply must here it!"
"I was taking a tour, Alice." Pan sighed, but sat down, allowing Alice to sit at her feet in front of Skinner.
Skinner laughed, "I guess I 'ave to start from the beginning again."
Pan shook her head, "Don't bother; I do have a tour to get back to," She looked over at Captain Nemo apologetically, "With Alice it is much easier to agree and get it over with then to try to argue with her."
Nemo shook his head, "I have work to get back to. Good day Ms. Darling."
After the captain left Skinner reclined further in his chair, "So, where was I? Oh, the manager was walking through the room when…"
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