It was one of these troubling nights, during which he lay awake, that he heard a knock on his door.
“Bismillah,” Burton swore, donning his dressing gown and slippers and heading downstairs before the persistent knocking awoke Miss Angell. He opened the door and found Professor Challenger and the Time Traveler on his doorstep. Herbert was hefting a glowing lantern, while Challenger held the shoggoth gun.
“We’ve found those Awakened scoundrels,” boomed Challenger, a devious grin playing on his lips. “Your friend Swinburne is among them. We were hunting shoggoths.”
“An unusual pastime,” said young Herbert. “But one that has yielded positive results.”
“What the deuce are you two talking about?” muttered Burton. “Come inside before you wake half the street. And turn off that flame on your shoggoth gun, if you please.”
Professor Challenger twisted a nozzle on the side of the weapon and the flame spurting from the end of it went out. They stepped inside, and Burton poured them all brandies.
“Hunting shoggoths builds up a powerful thirst, eh Herbert?” said Challenger, taking a glass and draining it.
“I must ask you to please keep it down,” said Burton. “My housekeeper is sleeping.”
“I’m sorry to barge in like this,” said Herbert. “The Professor insisted.” He sipped his brandy leisurely. “I’m sorry we woke you.”
Burton shook his head. “I wasn’t sleeping. Tell me about the Awakened.”
“They’ve taken over the Theosophical Society meeting hall,” said Challenger. “Apparently it was quite the row. Split their organization in two. They brought most of the membership over to their cause with their talk of other worlds and ultimate knowledge.”
“Inspector Abberline and I suspected as much,” said Burton. “He said their leader and some of his lieutenants were ejected the other day. What are they doing now?”
“They’re helping people tap into their past lives,” said Challenger. “Pure bunk of course, but after all we’ve seen…” his voice trailed off. He poured himself another brandy and drained the glass.
“They have these glittering black jewels set into elaborate headpieces,” said Herbert. “Similar to the one we saw aboard Captain Nemo’s Nautilus.”
Burton felt a chill. “The crowns of the Deep Ones.”
“The same,” said Challenger. “I thought we had rid ourselves of those abysmal creatures.”
“It never ends,” said Herbert, sadly, draining his brandy. “Time on an infinite loop.”
“The Deep Ones are not our primary concern,” said Burton. “The Awakened are.”
“Well, that’s the beauty of it,” said Challenger. “Call your Inspector Abberline. Have them arrested for the theft of the Wold-Newton fragments.”
“I can’t,” said Burton. “Mycroft Holmes has ordered the police to leave them alone. We must learn what they are ultimately planning first. Besides, my friend Swinburne would be among them.”
“Oh fiddlesticks,” said Challenger. “I swear that pretentious fop causes more problems than he solves with that vast intellect of his. We could end this once and for all tonight.”
“Perhaps it’s the brandy talking,” said Herbert, “but I agree.”
Challenger laughed and clapped the young Time Traveler on the back so hard he almost spit out his latest sip of brandy.
“How did you get involved in all of this anyway, Herbert?” said Burton.
“It was quite horrifying. I awoke to a clamorous noise coming from my basement laboratory and found a pair of shoggoths studying my Time Machine!”
“Bismillah! You built another one? After I sent the last one hurtling unmanned into the future to keep Mycroft Holmes from getting his hands on it?”
Herbert shrugged. “I was only tinkering, really. More importantly, I had shoggoths in my basement. Apparently, they congealed under the basement door. I screamed, and next thing I knew Professor Challenger had kicked down the door and turned his flame-thrower on them.”
“Searched round for the bloody things all evening,” said Challenger. When I found signs of them in Kew Gardens, I knew they were up to something especially sinister. I tracked the ghastly blighters right to Herbert’s doorstep. After convincing Herbert to join me, we tracked their spoor to the Theosophes, where Swinburne and the rest of that Awakened lot were holding their unholy court.”
“Then we came to get you,” Herbert added, his cheeks reddened. He had clearly had enough brandy.
“What did you do?” asked Burton, “Peek at them through a window?”
“Heavens no,” said Challenger with a derisive snort. “I hid my flame-thrower behind a mail receptacle next to the building, and we walked right inside. The hour was late, but there were at least a hundred people in attendance, all wanting to know who or what they had been in a past life. The Awakened were quite convincing. By the time we left I wanted to get in line to have my fortune read.”
“Was Swinburne there?” Burton asked.
“Yes, but not for long,” said Challenger. “He appeared to be merely watching the proceedings, nodding his head approvingly. In the middle, he up and left. I’m sorry, Burton. I did not think to follow him, so enraptured were we by the rest of the Awakened’s performance. But your friend appeared to be in charge.”
“Tell him about the shoggoth we saw on the corner,” Herbert said to Challenger, his face grim.
“Oh yes. As we neared Gloucester Place, another of the protoplasmic fiends showed itself. I destroyed it with my flame, but it appeared to be standing guard on your place.”
“I had the feeling one of them was watching me,” Burton said.
Challenger touched the tip of his bulbous nose with his right index finger. “Yes. Perhaps they’ve been watching all of us. But why?”
“Because of our connection to one another,” said Burton, “and my connection to Swinburne. Perhaps they fear my interference. Perhaps Swinburne’s mind, wherever it is, has told them about me and our work with the Shadow Council, though I told my friend very little. He never wanted the gory details.”
“Whatever the reason, we have a way to stop them,” said Challenger, picking up the flame-thrower and hefting it.
“They are going to catch onto that sooner or later,” said Burton. “And we can’t very well use it on the Awakened, now can we?”
“Why the bloody hell not?” shouted Challenger.
“Because they are human beings,” Burton whispered. “Human beings in the grip of something beyond their control.”
The sitting room door creaked open, and every head turned at the sound, half expecting a shoggoth to be sitting there. Instead, they found Miss Angell. “Captain Burton! Do you have any idea what time it is?”
“I do, Mother. I am very sorry we woke you. My friends were just leaving.”
Burton’s housekeeper nodded and left the room, mumbling “Worse than that Cannibal Club lot,” under her breath as she departed.
Challenger chuckled. “Feisty woman. I think I rather like her.”