The Aurora settled smoothly down onto the ground. Rebecca and Phileas dashed hurriedly inside the airship.
"Is everything all right?" Jules asked.
Betty looked past the Foggs. "Where's Scott?"
Phileas and Rebecca looked at each other, and turned back to face Betty. "We, um..." Rebecca started.
"We lost him," Phileas finished quietly. He placed a comforting hand on Betty's shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"What happened?" Betty asked, panic not quite in her voice just yet, but definitely somewhere in the vicinity.
"We believe he was kidnapped by Count Gregory," Rebecca explained. "We've already been in touch with the police, and they have orders to keep a lookout for any more members of the League of Darkness and report to us when any have been located."
Betty walked over to the nearby table, and sat down, taking everything in. "Why?"
Jules sat down next to her. "I imagine they want to find out about where the two of you have come from, and how you came to be here."
Betty looked up at Jules. "I see. Well, it's pretty clear to me what we have to do."
"What's that?" Jules asked.
Betty stood up again, fisted balled at her side. "We have to go and rescue Scott."
Phileas moved to her side. "But we don't even know where he is. It may take us some time to track him down."
Suddenly there was a knock on the door to the airship. Passepartout moved quickly to open the door. A young Washington police officer hopped inside, his youth showing in his exuberance. "Mr. Fogg, sir! We've found one of the League of Gentlemen you wanted us to look for!"
Phileas rolled his eyes. "I believe what I said was to keep an eye out for gentlemen from the League of Darkness..."
Rebecca pushed Phileas aside, saying, "Oh, do shut up, Phileas!" Turning to the young officer, she smiled and asked, "And just where might we find this evil person?"
*****
"Are you almost ready?" Rebecca called out.
"Just about," came the reply. There was a pause, and then Betty Roberts gingerly stepped out from behind the partition screen and into the main part of Rebecca's room on the Aurora. "Well? What do you think?"
Rebecca looked at Betty, scrutinizing her from head to toe. Betty was clad in one of Rebecca's spare leather catsuit outfits. The suit was not quite as form-hugging as when Rebecca wore it, but it clung to Betty's shape rather nicely anyway. Betty's version did not have quite as many weapon attachments as the one that Rebecca was currently wearing, but nonetheless, Betty Roberts managed to actually look somewhat formidable in the suit.
"Stunning," replied Rebecca, with a raised eyebrow and a twinkle in her eye. A sly little grin formed on her face. "Just wait until Scott sees you in that!" she chuckled.
Betty giggled a bit as well. "He's seen me in far less than this!" she said, which sent up Rebecca's eyebrow even further.
"Oh, really?" Rebecca giggled in return.
"Oh yes," Betty continued, as she and Rebecca linked arms and strolled out into the main corridor of the Aurora, heading for the main cabin. "It was this sort of harem-girl outfit..."
"Ah," said Rebecca. "Understood completely."
Betty and Rebecca reached the main room of the Aurora to find Jules, Passepartout, and Phileas already waiting.
Phileas looked at Rebecca, who nodded at him. He turned to Betty. "Are we ready?"
Betty took a deep breath. "As I'll ever be."
Jules stepped forward. "Let's get going."
*****
The young police officer, a Lieutenant McFly, led the group to a dark alley between two clothing stores on a small side street in downtown Washington. "He was seen entering this alley, but he never came out again," McFly reported.
Phileas nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant, that will be all."
McFly gulped, and said, "Thank you, sir," before scampering thankfully away.
Jules peered into the gloom of the alleyway. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this," he said.
"How long before we..." began Passepartout, before a beam of bright light struck his eyes. Passepartout hurriedly shut his eyes, but the others were able to see what happened.
A doorway, previously concealed as a mass of garbage, had opened up towards the back of the alley. A short, dumpy-looking minion of the League of Darkness shuffled out, dumped a box of garbage into the alley, and was about to close the door again behind him, when he noticed two beautiful women in dark, leather outfits running directly at him. He yelped, and tried to close the door quickly, but the two women caught up with him before he could get away. Rebecca landed on him first, bringing him down to the ground. Betty was right behind, and she knelt down on the ground, clutching the minion's clump of hair, twisting it. "Are you with the League of Darkness?" Betty asked through gritted teeth.
The poor minion could only barely gasp out a feeble "Yes!" as Rebecca thrust a knee into his chest. Once he had given up his information, Rebecca thumped him on the head, rendering him unconscious. Rebecca helped Betty shove the sleeping man into the pile of garbage. Phileas, Passepartout and Jules walked almost casually up to the secret entrance. "Good work, everyone," Phileas said, "let's get inside."
*****
After moving through several cramped corridors, the rescue party finally reached a big, solid metal door. Fortunately, it was slightly ajar, allowing the group to hear a raspy voice cough out the words, "I'll never let you hurt Betty Roberts if it's the last thing I ever do!"
Betty looked at Rebecca, who nodded silently. Betty nodded back, tensed herself, and rushed at the giant door, kicking it further open, and barging her way inside the room. She came up short as she saw the scene before her.
Scott Sherwood lay on his back, strapped to a wooden table, his shirt torn open, several cuts across his chest dribbling blood onto the floor. Count Gregory, still maintaining his intact body, stood over him with a giant sword in his hand.
"NOOOO!" Betty Roberts cried defiantly.
Count Gregory turned at the sound, and saw the young woman clad in the leather catsuit. "Why, Miss Rebecca Fogg, what a pleas..." Count Gregory paused, frowning. "Wait a minute...you're not Rebecca Fogg! Who do you think you are?"
Betty put up her fists, ready to take on the world, announcing, "I'm Betty Roberts of Elkhart, Indiana, and I'll be damned if you think I'm going to let you hurt my Scott Sherwood any more than you already have, you twisted, psychotic piece of medireview putrescence!"
Scott raised his head slightly, coughing up a bit of blood. "Why, Betty, I never knew you felt that way about me," he croaked out.
"Oh, shut up, Scott! Of course you did!" Betty snapped back.
Count Gregory chuckled. "My, my, my...Miss Betty Roberts. You have such a way with words."
"That's why she's a writer," Jules Verne shouted, as the rest of the group rushed into the room. "And a damn good one at that," he added, smiling at Rebecca.
Count Gregory sighed. "Oh, great. Not you people again. Well, time to destroy Jules Verne and the meddling Foggs once and for all..." He lifted his giant sword and swung it around, aiming for Phileas.
The sword struck against something metallic before it reached Phileas. Count Gregory looked at what had stopped his swing. It was Betty Roberts, nervously clutching a modest sword of her own, which had been previously concealed in the catsuit.
"You pitiful little girl," Count Gregory growled. "You're no match for me."
"No," said Rebecca Fogg, "but she just gave us time to do this to you!"
Rebecca jumped at Count Gregory, smashing into his head with her feet. Phileas grabbed at the Count's sword arm, wrestling the blade away from the Count. Jules, meanwhile, began raining punches into the Count's abdomen, while Passepartout hurriedly spun some rope around the Count's legs and feet, tying it off with a flourish.
The Count fell onto his back, and began to struggle. With Jules and Phileas holding the Count's arms, Passepartout quickly tied the evil overlord's hands together as well. Count Gregory roared with rage as he rolled around helpless on the floor.
Rebecca stood up, dusting herself off. She looked around. "You know, it's amazing how poorly manned this hideout seems to be."
"Hmm," agreed Phileas as he straightened his cravat, while Jules and Passepartout proudly shook hands.
Betty rushed over to Scott, and used her sword to slice through the straps holding him to the table. She helped him sit up, and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Scott," she breathed.
"Betty, Betty, Betty..." Scott coughed. "Nice outfit," he said, smiling, as he quickly passed out.
*****
"And this is being the time number? Yes! The year indicator!" Passepartout clapped his hands, and backed up, pointing to a previously hidden panel on the bridge of the Aurora from the future.
"Excellent work, Passepartout," Phileas said, smiling ever so slightly. "Now, I think we had best say our farewells. We don't want our new friends to need any more rescues, now, do we, Passepartout?"
"No, Master, we are not wanting that," Passepartout agreed, as he bowed and took his leave of Betty and Scott. "I will be warming up the Aurora, I mean, our Aurora, Master," Passepartout said as he left the airship.
Rebecca Fogg sidled up next to Betty, and presented her with a neatly wrapped box. "This is for you, Betty," she said. "Make sure you bring it to a respected tailor and get it altered to fit you better. We don't want you to look unfashionable."
Betty's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh! You're really giving me one of your outfits? Which one?"
Rebecca winked at Betty. "I think you know which one."
Betty gasped. "But where would I wear such an outfit?"
Rebecca looked surreptitiously at Scott, who was studying some papers Passepartout had given him. "I'm sure you'll find some use for it..." Rebecca giggled.
Betty giggled in return. "Thank you," Betty said. The two women hugged, and Betty said, "Thank you for everything."
"You're quite welcome," Rebecca said, as she moved over to Scott. "You take good care of this young lady, Mister Sherwood."
Scott looked up from the sheets of paper, and smiled broadly at Rebecca. "Why, of course, Miss Fogg. I intend to do just that." He took her hand, and kissed it gently. "You take care as well."
"Oh, don't worry about that, Mister Sherwood," Rebecca said.
Jules cleared his throat, and started to reach for Betty's hand. Instead, Betty threw her arms around Jules, and gave him a warm hug. They parted, and Betty said sternly, "Now, you keep writing, Jules Verne. I mean it!"
Jules chuckled. "I will. You too, Betty. You have a terrific imagination. Someday you'll be as famous as Dumas, or..."
"...or even Jules Verne," Betty finished for him. "I promise, too."
Phileas turned to Scott. "I trust you have it all worked out, Scott?"
Scott nodded. "Yep. Once Passepartout worked out the controls and wrote them down for me, I knew I'd have no problem flying this thing."
"Good," said Phileas. "Well, time we were off. Goodbye, Mister Sherwood. Farewell, Miss Roberts. It's been a pleasure knowing you both."
"And you," said Betty.
Phileas, Rebecca and Jules waved in turn as they filed out of the Aurora from the future, closing the door behind them.
Scott turned to Betty once they were alone. "What's in the box from Rebecca?" he asked.
"You'll find out," Betty teased. "Just get us home first, before anything else bad happens to us."
"Right." Scott turned to the controls. He inserted the crystal sphere into its little chamber once again. The airship rumbled, the light increased a hundredfold, causing Betty and Scott to shield their eyes. And again, just as suddenly as the first time, the lights and the rumbling died quickly away to nothing.
Scott opened his eyes, and looked at Betty. Then he turned to peer at the year indicator on the control panel. The panel read "1941".
Scott Sherwood chuckled. "Oh, would you look at the time..."
Where the Air is Rarified
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