Horsell Common, Mina's England, Night.
Mina found sudden travel through the portal a rather distressing occurrence. She found herself with a bit of a headache as her feet touched ground. The earth beneath her was soft and grassy. Countryside ground, she thought.
She looked about her and sighed.
At least it seemed she had ended up near her correct designation. Explaining the presence of the two men with her, well, that would be quite the task.
Minsc
"Hello, Portal!" Minsc had been in the middle of saying when it just so happened to inconveniently open itself right on top of them.
Followed by a "Good-bye, Portal!" as it went away and they found themselves somewhere very different, indeed.
And then he checked for his hamster.
"Ah, good, Boo, you're safe!"
That was what really mattered, after all.
Algren
"Priorities," Nathan sighed, even smiling slightly as he glanced sidelong at Minsc and the rodent before looking at Mina. "I don't suppose it would be out of line for me to ask again, Mrs. Harker, since we're here and all, if there's anything that we can do to make ourselves useful?"
Because he wasn't secretly happy that he'd been hauled along or anything. Really.
"Or, for that matter, simply telling us where we're at would be good."
Mina
"England," Mina said. "1902. If I am correct, Horsell Common lies in the direction of the strange green light." She pointed in the distance. "It should not be too much of a walk."
Indeed, it seemed other people were headed in the same direction.
"You shall have to come with me, for I cannot let you merely wander about my world."
She wanted to say 'you especially' at Minsc, but restrained herself.
Minsc
"Then, by all means," said Minsc happily as he pet his hamster, "lead the way, Lady Wilhelmina! Into adventure!"
"Boo is very excited."
Algren
"It seems like Boo is in for a treat." Nathan was already walking. If they were going to be stuck in the past-that-was-still-his-future, it wouldn't do to be stuck in one place for all of it, anyhow. "I've never been to England before."
A pause. A sigh as he looked around at their surroundings. It was all so very... English.
"And what, pray tell, is waiting for us at Horsell Common?"
Mina
"Something that has fallen from the heavens," Mina said, starting to head off in the right direction. "Though with my knowledge, the answer is quite clear. Something has come from another planet. And its intentions are unknown."
She was gravely serious.
Minsc
"Ah-hah, yes!" said Minsc. "And we shall find out what they are, and so help them if they are bad!"
Like a giant, oversized, muscly kid in a candy store, really. This was way better than dastardly cheese.
Algren
Although the dastardly cheese had a completely different sort of dangerous charm to it. Bonus points to it for being less likely to try to kill them all, really.
"Naturally, my weapons are in 1876. It's almost a tease, being this close to them." In time, at least. Not so much with the geography part. "You know you can count on..." Nathan glanced at Minsc. Oh, yes, it was ridiculous to even hesitate on volunteering the man for something like this. "... On both of us to assist wherever possible, however."
He'd kill for his rifle right now, damn it. Or a pistol. Or even his cavalry sword.
Or a hammer. He was half-decent with a hammer.
Mina
"Hopefully we shall not need weapons," Mina said. "Though I am certain, if needed, Nemo shall have some sort of spare blade or rifle. If not on him, then nearby."
She quickened her pace. There seemed to be quite the crowd gathered.
"We shall best be served to find him, in fact. There will be few in the English countryside wearing a turban."
Minsc
"Well," said Minsc, "I cannot blame them, they get so hot and ichy!"
Algren
"So do wool uniforms," Nathan added, helpfully. Really. It possibly said a great deal about his experiences at Fandom that he was more concerned about fitting in while wearing his current wardrobe than he was about the whole 'aliens landing, stranded in time again' thing.
"So, then we keep an eye open for a man in a turban, hot and itchy though it might be." Smirk. "What a day."
Some Naked Invisible Guy
"Or, you could just keep your eyes open for that which you can't see at all," said a voice behind them. "Sorry to sneak up on you, Mina. But I thought I'd seen your lovely face, and had to investigate myself."
Mina
"Rodney," Mina said, turning around. A bemused smile spread across her lips. "I should have known. Minsc. Mr. Algren. I introduce my associate, Mr. Rodney Skinner. Gentleman thief."
Minsc
Ah-ha! A thief! Minsc, his happiness and excitement growing with all these familiar things and adventuring pondered whether there was a spell, a potion, or simply a very high percentage roll ability to hide-in-shadows.
...Very high.
"Oh, hullo!" he said, chuckling slightly. "Sorry; didn't see you there."
Algren
"I am not losing my mind," Nathan decided. "I have lived on Fandom Island for half of a year. I am not losing my mind."
Okay. Good. And now that he'd taken the time to affirm this fact, he could get down to the pleasantries.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," he added. Because that was polite. Truly. "And I can only hope that I'm actually looking in your general direction as I say that."
Skinner
"Charmed, I'm sure," Rodney said. "Look, I'm not one to turn down extra help, Mina darling. But couldn't you have found another woman for the group? It's bad enough, spending all that time on the Nautilus with all blokes."
Mina
"Rodney, there are far more important matters at hand," Mina scolded. "Where are the others?"
Skinner
"Oh, fine," Rodney said. "Get right down to business without the foreplay. You'll find them at the edge of the crater. I'd say follow me, but that might be folly."
Algren
"We could tie a leash to you," Algren remarked. Dryly. Very dryly.
The invisible man did not have an invisible libido. Clearly.
"But I suppose then you'd be left expecting more. To the crater, Mrs. Harker?"
Minsc
"TO THE CRATER! AND BUTTKICKING!" Minsc declared.
And then amended, quickly and much quieter, "Unless they mean good, in which case, TO GOODNESS!"
Skinner
In reality, following Rodney became much easier. It was a matter of following the barely restrained laugh.
Mina
Mina followed the laughter, to where her two other comrades stood. The tall, dark, and mysterious one was Nemo, Captain of the Nautilus. The nervous, sweating one was Dr. Henry Jekyll.
"Gentlemen," she greeted. "May I introduce Mr. Minsc and Mr. Algren. They are agents from... elsewhere. Minsc, Nathan, this is Captain Nemo and Dr. Henry Jekyll."
Algren
"Charmed." Nathan was about as amiable as he was ever going to get, all things considered. His dry tone wasn't going to let up at least until the laughing invisible pervert found an invisible sock to shove into his invisible yap. "We're willing to offer our assistance in dealing with this... matter."
Situation? Visit from space? It was moments like this that had Algren wishing he'd had an opportunity to converse with some of his more alien students. He could have used the experience here. Maybe.
Minsc
Minsc did a quick count, making sure to not forget the guy he couldn't see. One, two, three, four, five...six! Six! Perfect! Six was the perfect number for an adventuring team!
"Quite a formidable team we make!" he commented happily. "Well met, gentlemen. Now, less talk, more fight! My hamster and I grow restless and are ready for buttkicking."
Pause.
"If there is evil afoot, I mean, of course, lest we go rushing into goodness."
Nemo
"I would find such action rather hasty," Nemo said. "While I appreciate the enthusiasm, I fear that we are not certain what is actually down there. There has been much noise. Much terrible, terrible noise."
Jeckyll
Dr. Jekyll sweated a bit. "I think we are too close," he said. "Perhaps we ought step away from the dreadful pit?"
Minsc
Minsc was narrowing his eyes a little at this Jekyll fellow. Great. It was like the ghost of Khalid had risen from his grave and taken the form of a gentleman in bad sideburns.
He wondered if this meant that Jekyll had a battleaxe like Jaheira back at home, browbeating him to all this oooh, we're too clooooose, perhaps we should step awaaaaaaaay crap.
Algren
Nathan was having a very difficult time talking himself down from giving Dr. Jekyll a good, solid shove. Just to be spiteful. Mostly to be spiteful.
Okay, he'd had a thought that it might be funny. He'd fought zombies and bees. A hole in the ground couldn't be all that bad.
"Will we be able to accomplish much if we back up?"
This was where he pretended that he was responsible and he asked pertinent questions instead of amusing himself by giving the poor man a heart attack. Yes.
Mina
"I see little that we are to accomplish from here," Mina admitted. "For it... my God!"
With a great rumble, from the green smoke rose a great thing. It was one of the Tripods, from Mars.
The thing howled, a terrifying screech of "ULLA!"
Minsc
"HELLO to you, too!" Minsc called out in response, feeling quite proud of his ability to glean that that must have been what the creature meant.
He rolled with space hamsters, after all.
Algren
"I have my doubts that they're actually being pleasant, Minsc." Algren wasn't going to back away. He wasn't. He was going to stand right there and twitch his hand toward a gun that wasn't there, damn it. Because that would do him a good deal of good, indeed. "Pleasantries involve less ear-splitting, I think."
He'd seriously consider screaming like a little girl and running in the opposite direction in a moment, once the situation had a chance to properly sink in and settle. Fandom had actually managed to dull him to the shock.
Mina
The actual members of the League had reacted in their own way. Nemo's hand hand gone to the hilt of his sword. Jekyll had staggered back, his hand clutching at his neck in surprise.
Mina stood firm, even if in her heart she found such a sight even more terrifying than the Count himself.
"We should endeavor to..." she trailed off when she watched a light begin to build in intensity on the Tripod.
She realized quickly what it was.
"GET DOWN!" she cried, throwing herself to the ground. Jekyll did not hesitate, nor did Nemo.
Algren
Nor did Algren. He'd been shot at enough in his lifetime to know what that shout meant, after all.
Minsc
Minsc, of course, also knew that shout.
Minsc, however, was Minsc, which meant that, while he recognized it, he didn't exactly heed it. He ripped his sword from it's sheath, raised it up, and let out a call. "Go for the eyes, Boo! Go for the eyes! Rrrraaarrrrgh!"
And then moved to charge for it!
Mina
If the situation was not so dire, Mina would have rolled her eyes.
Instead, she moved to tackle him to the ground, as unladylike as it was. She did not want to lose anyone, especially Minsc.
Minsc
"Oof."
Minsc hit the ground surprisingly easily. His brain took a moment to expostulate with shock at the deviousness of the enemy to attack from behind before he figured out it was just Lady Wilhelmina.
"But the battle is up there, my la--"
Mina
"ULLA!" came the cry again, more shrill and just as deafening.
Then the Tripod unleashed its deadly heat ray, and the crowd had no chance to even breathe before they were consumed with flame. The collective scream of pain and terror was enough to send shivers down even Mina's spine. She held her face strong, showing no reaction to the horror.
"Nemo, command your car here now," she shouted. "We shall need speed to return to London!"
Nemo
"Gods protect us," Nemo breathed quitely. "It is coming. Keep down, do not draw its attention!"
Algren
Algren was barely breathing by that point, his eyes wide and fixed on the chaos laid out before them. In the back of his mind, he was fighting back echoes of that very same scream, bubbling up with a thousand other voices that he normally would have fought down...
But the faces were right there.
"My God," he murmured, trying to pull his attention from the carnage and to focus it back on the people on the ground around him. "They know exactly what they want."
Minsc
Minsc, meanwhile, was still for a moment, except for his hand on the hilt of his sword, which was tightening, tightening...good, strong sturdy steel creaked in warning under the force. He gritted his teeth together to hold back the burning bubbling of his rage. "Safe to say," he muttered, "that their intentions are not those of good."
The fact that he didn't shout out showed an incredible amount of restraint and heed to Sir Nemo's warning, but Minsc could not help that his fist angrily punched the ground. "They must pay for that!"
Jeckyll
Jekyll nearly whimpered, barely keeping a grip on himself.
"My God!" he cried. "Look at the sky! There's more!"
Indeed, yet more of the green smoking meteors seemed to be descending from the sky.
Nemo's car screeched up, opening its doors to the gathered League.
Mina
"They are headed to London!" Mina shouted. "We must go. Now."
[ooc: Preplayed with the the lovely shiroi_tiger (who also coded this, much love) and berserkerminsc, whom I cannot thank enough. This is part 4 of 6 for this plot, and the last for today! NFB, NFI, OOC welcomed.]
She looked about her and sighed.
At least it seemed she had ended up near her correct designation. Explaining the presence of the two men with her, well, that would be quite the task.
Minsc
"Hello, Portal!" Minsc had been in the middle of saying when it just so happened to inconveniently open itself right on top of them.
Followed by a "Good-bye, Portal!" as it went away and they found themselves somewhere very different, indeed.
And then he checked for his hamster.
"Ah, good, Boo, you're safe!"
That was what really mattered, after all.
Algren
"Priorities," Nathan sighed, even smiling slightly as he glanced sidelong at Minsc and the rodent before looking at Mina. "I don't suppose it would be out of line for me to ask again, Mrs. Harker, since we're here and all, if there's anything that we can do to make ourselves useful?"
Because he wasn't secretly happy that he'd been hauled along or anything. Really.
"Or, for that matter, simply telling us where we're at would be good."
Mina
"England," Mina said. "1902. If I am correct, Horsell Common lies in the direction of the strange green light." She pointed in the distance. "It should not be too much of a walk."
Indeed, it seemed other people were headed in the same direction.
"You shall have to come with me, for I cannot let you merely wander about my world."
She wanted to say 'you especially' at Minsc, but restrained herself.
Minsc
"Then, by all means," said Minsc happily as he pet his hamster, "lead the way, Lady Wilhelmina! Into adventure!"
"Boo is very excited."
Algren
"It seems like Boo is in for a treat." Nathan was already walking. If they were going to be stuck in the past-that-was-still-his-future, it wouldn't do to be stuck in one place for all of it, anyhow. "I've never been to England before."
A pause. A sigh as he looked around at their surroundings. It was all so very... English.
"And what, pray tell, is waiting for us at Horsell Common?"
Mina
"Something that has fallen from the heavens," Mina said, starting to head off in the right direction. "Though with my knowledge, the answer is quite clear. Something has come from another planet. And its intentions are unknown."
She was gravely serious.
Minsc
"Ah-hah, yes!" said Minsc. "And we shall find out what they are, and so help them if they are bad!"
Like a giant, oversized, muscly kid in a candy store, really. This was way better than dastardly cheese.
Algren
Although the dastardly cheese had a completely different sort of dangerous charm to it. Bonus points to it for being less likely to try to kill them all, really.
"Naturally, my weapons are in 1876. It's almost a tease, being this close to them." In time, at least. Not so much with the geography part. "You know you can count on..." Nathan glanced at Minsc. Oh, yes, it was ridiculous to even hesitate on volunteering the man for something like this. "... On both of us to assist wherever possible, however."
He'd kill for his rifle right now, damn it. Or a pistol. Or even his cavalry sword.
Or a hammer. He was half-decent with a hammer.
Mina
"Hopefully we shall not need weapons," Mina said. "Though I am certain, if needed, Nemo shall have some sort of spare blade or rifle. If not on him, then nearby."
She quickened her pace. There seemed to be quite the crowd gathered.
"We shall best be served to find him, in fact. There will be few in the English countryside wearing a turban."
Minsc
"Well," said Minsc, "I cannot blame them, they get so hot and ichy!"
Algren
"So do wool uniforms," Nathan added, helpfully. Really. It possibly said a great deal about his experiences at Fandom that he was more concerned about fitting in while wearing his current wardrobe than he was about the whole 'aliens landing, stranded in time again' thing.
"So, then we keep an eye open for a man in a turban, hot and itchy though it might be." Smirk. "What a day."
Some Naked Invisible Guy
"Or, you could just keep your eyes open for that which you can't see at all," said a voice behind them. "Sorry to sneak up on you, Mina. But I thought I'd seen your lovely face, and had to investigate myself."
Mina
"Rodney," Mina said, turning around. A bemused smile spread across her lips. "I should have known. Minsc. Mr. Algren. I introduce my associate, Mr. Rodney Skinner. Gentleman thief."
Minsc
Ah-ha! A thief! Minsc, his happiness and excitement growing with all these familiar things and adventuring pondered whether there was a spell, a potion, or simply a very high percentage roll ability to hide-in-shadows.
...Very high.
"Oh, hullo!" he said, chuckling slightly. "Sorry; didn't see you there."
Algren
"I am not losing my mind," Nathan decided. "I have lived on Fandom Island for half of a year. I am not losing my mind."
Okay. Good. And now that he'd taken the time to affirm this fact, he could get down to the pleasantries.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," he added. Because that was polite. Truly. "And I can only hope that I'm actually looking in your general direction as I say that."
Skinner
"Charmed, I'm sure," Rodney said. "Look, I'm not one to turn down extra help, Mina darling. But couldn't you have found another woman for the group? It's bad enough, spending all that time on the Nautilus with all blokes."
Mina
"Rodney, there are far more important matters at hand," Mina scolded. "Where are the others?"
Skinner
"Oh, fine," Rodney said. "Get right down to business without the foreplay. You'll find them at the edge of the crater. I'd say follow me, but that might be folly."
Algren
"We could tie a leash to you," Algren remarked. Dryly. Very dryly.
The invisible man did not have an invisible libido. Clearly.
"But I suppose then you'd be left expecting more. To the crater, Mrs. Harker?"
Minsc
"TO THE CRATER! AND BUTTKICKING!" Minsc declared.
And then amended, quickly and much quieter, "Unless they mean good, in which case, TO GOODNESS!"
Skinner
In reality, following Rodney became much easier. It was a matter of following the barely restrained laugh.
Mina
Mina followed the laughter, to where her two other comrades stood. The tall, dark, and mysterious one was Nemo, Captain of the Nautilus. The nervous, sweating one was Dr. Henry Jekyll.
"Gentlemen," she greeted. "May I introduce Mr. Minsc and Mr. Algren. They are agents from... elsewhere. Minsc, Nathan, this is Captain Nemo and Dr. Henry Jekyll."
Algren
"Charmed." Nathan was about as amiable as he was ever going to get, all things considered. His dry tone wasn't going to let up at least until the laughing invisible pervert found an invisible sock to shove into his invisible yap. "We're willing to offer our assistance in dealing with this... matter."
Situation? Visit from space? It was moments like this that had Algren wishing he'd had an opportunity to converse with some of his more alien students. He could have used the experience here. Maybe.
Minsc
Minsc did a quick count, making sure to not forget the guy he couldn't see. One, two, three, four, five...six! Six! Perfect! Six was the perfect number for an adventuring team!
"Quite a formidable team we make!" he commented happily. "Well met, gentlemen. Now, less talk, more fight! My hamster and I grow restless and are ready for buttkicking."
Pause.
"If there is evil afoot, I mean, of course, lest we go rushing into goodness."
Nemo
"I would find such action rather hasty," Nemo said. "While I appreciate the enthusiasm, I fear that we are not certain what is actually down there. There has been much noise. Much terrible, terrible noise."
Jeckyll
Dr. Jekyll sweated a bit. "I think we are too close," he said. "Perhaps we ought step away from the dreadful pit?"
Minsc
Minsc was narrowing his eyes a little at this Jekyll fellow. Great. It was like the ghost of Khalid had risen from his grave and taken the form of a gentleman in bad sideburns.
He wondered if this meant that Jekyll had a battleaxe like Jaheira back at home, browbeating him to all this oooh, we're too clooooose, perhaps we should step awaaaaaaaay crap.
Algren
Nathan was having a very difficult time talking himself down from giving Dr. Jekyll a good, solid shove. Just to be spiteful. Mostly to be spiteful.
Okay, he'd had a thought that it might be funny. He'd fought zombies and bees. A hole in the ground couldn't be all that bad.
"Will we be able to accomplish much if we back up?"
This was where he pretended that he was responsible and he asked pertinent questions instead of amusing himself by giving the poor man a heart attack. Yes.
Mina
"I see little that we are to accomplish from here," Mina admitted. "For it... my God!"
With a great rumble, from the green smoke rose a great thing. It was one of the Tripods, from Mars.
The thing howled, a terrifying screech of "ULLA!"
Minsc
"HELLO to you, too!" Minsc called out in response, feeling quite proud of his ability to glean that that must have been what the creature meant.
He rolled with space hamsters, after all.
Algren
"I have my doubts that they're actually being pleasant, Minsc." Algren wasn't going to back away. He wasn't. He was going to stand right there and twitch his hand toward a gun that wasn't there, damn it. Because that would do him a good deal of good, indeed. "Pleasantries involve less ear-splitting, I think."
He'd seriously consider screaming like a little girl and running in the opposite direction in a moment, once the situation had a chance to properly sink in and settle. Fandom had actually managed to dull him to the shock.
Mina
The actual members of the League had reacted in their own way. Nemo's hand hand gone to the hilt of his sword. Jekyll had staggered back, his hand clutching at his neck in surprise.
Mina stood firm, even if in her heart she found such a sight even more terrifying than the Count himself.
"We should endeavor to..." she trailed off when she watched a light begin to build in intensity on the Tripod.
She realized quickly what it was.
"GET DOWN!" she cried, throwing herself to the ground. Jekyll did not hesitate, nor did Nemo.
Algren
Nor did Algren. He'd been shot at enough in his lifetime to know what that shout meant, after all.
Minsc
Minsc, of course, also knew that shout.
Minsc, however, was Minsc, which meant that, while he recognized it, he didn't exactly heed it. He ripped his sword from it's sheath, raised it up, and let out a call. "Go for the eyes, Boo! Go for the eyes! Rrrraaarrrrgh!"
And then moved to charge for it!
Mina
If the situation was not so dire, Mina would have rolled her eyes.
Instead, she moved to tackle him to the ground, as unladylike as it was. She did not want to lose anyone, especially Minsc.
Minsc
"Oof."
Minsc hit the ground surprisingly easily. His brain took a moment to expostulate with shock at the deviousness of the enemy to attack from behind before he figured out it was just Lady Wilhelmina.
"But the battle is up there, my la--"
Mina
"ULLA!" came the cry again, more shrill and just as deafening.
Then the Tripod unleashed its deadly heat ray, and the crowd had no chance to even breathe before they were consumed with flame. The collective scream of pain and terror was enough to send shivers down even Mina's spine. She held her face strong, showing no reaction to the horror.
"Nemo, command your car here now," she shouted. "We shall need speed to return to London!"
Nemo
"Gods protect us," Nemo breathed quitely. "It is coming. Keep down, do not draw its attention!"
Algren
Algren was barely breathing by that point, his eyes wide and fixed on the chaos laid out before them. In the back of his mind, he was fighting back echoes of that very same scream, bubbling up with a thousand other voices that he normally would have fought down...
But the faces were right there.
"My God," he murmured, trying to pull his attention from the carnage and to focus it back on the people on the ground around him. "They know exactly what they want."
Minsc
Minsc, meanwhile, was still for a moment, except for his hand on the hilt of his sword, which was tightening, tightening...good, strong sturdy steel creaked in warning under the force. He gritted his teeth together to hold back the burning bubbling of his rage. "Safe to say," he muttered, "that their intentions are not those of good."
The fact that he didn't shout out showed an incredible amount of restraint and heed to Sir Nemo's warning, but Minsc could not help that his fist angrily punched the ground. "They must pay for that!"
Jeckyll
Jekyll nearly whimpered, barely keeping a grip on himself.
"My God!" he cried. "Look at the sky! There's more!"
Indeed, yet more of the green smoking meteors seemed to be descending from the sky.
Nemo's car screeched up, opening its doors to the gathered League.
Mina
"They are headed to London!" Mina shouted. "We must go. Now."
[ooc: Preplayed with the the lovely shiroi_tiger (who also coded this, much love) and berserkerminsc, whom I cannot thank enough. This is part 4 of 6 for this plot, and the last for today! NFB, NFI, OOC welcomed.]