Chapter Ten
DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING
X X X
It was a pleasant afternoon, as Daniel and Tina drove back across London. Bright sunshine, obnoxious traffic—just another day in the big city. Daniel was driving, because he was just in the mood to make someone feel nervous. Tina stared silently through the windscreen, and Daniel just knew she wasn’t seeing London.
“So,” she said finally. “Angels . . .”
“Well, sort of,” said Daniel. “I’m pretty sure the Elder Ones only allowed us to see as much of them as our minds could cope with.”
“Even so,” said Tina. “Angels . . .”
Daniel shrugged. “We’ve seen stranger things.”
“This is true.” Tina shot him a sideways look. “Do you think the alien threat is over now?”
“There’s no one else left to hit,” said Daniel.
Tina nodded. “Good answer.”
Daniel brought the car to a halt outside Jekyll & Hyde Inc., and left it parked somewhat on the pavement and somewhat on the road, confident the car could look after itself. Tina kicked thoughtfully at one of the tires.
“Are we keeping this car?”
“I don’t see why not,” said Daniel. “There’s nothing like driving around London in a stolen police car to give you that real outlaw feeling. I’ll have a word with Johnny, and he’ll do what’s necessary to keep the flies off.”
Tina sniffed loudly. “He owes us big time, for not showing his face when it mattered.”
Daniel was suddenly distracted by all the people walking up and down the street. They nodded politely to him and Tina as they passed, but ignored the police car—because one of the first rules in any business area is that everyone minds their own business.
“Maybe things are finally getting back to normal,” said Tina.
“I’m not so sure . . .” said Daniel.
He indicated to Tina to look farther down the street. Where the old Jekyll & Hyde Inc. building used to be there was now nothing but empty space. A great gap between two buildings, like a pulled tooth. Nothing to show the old building had ever been there.
“I guess someone decided it was surplus to requirements,” said Tina.
“And I think we can guess who,” said Daniel. “I’ll miss the old place.”
Tina looked at him. “Really?”
“I had some good times there,” said Daniel.
“Ah yes,” said Tina. “Killing Edward. That was a good day.”
Daniel shook his head. “You get sentimental about the strangest things.”
He led the way into the lobby of the new building, and then stopped dead to look around him. It was completely empty, spotlessly clean, exactly the way it used to look when Daniel first saw it. Right down to the long list of fake company names scrolling proudly down the wood-paneled wall, with Jekyll & Hyde Inc. right at the top in dignified gold leaf.
“About time you got back here,” said Patricia.
Daniel looked round sharply. The armorer was standing right before him and Tina, even though he was sure she hadn’t been in the lobby when they entered. It occurred to him that she looked exactly the same as she always did, every time he saw her. Not just the same outfit, but the same look and the same effect, as though she was concentrating on presenting one particular image so he wouldn’t see something else. The word Grey crossed Daniel’s thoughts, and not in a good way.
“Well done, both of you,” said Patricia. “The Greys are gone, the alien bases have been very thoroughly trashed, and thanks to you every alien species with an unhealthy interest in the Earth has just received a warning they’ll never forget, courtesy of the Elder Ones.”
“Did you know they were angels?” Tina said bluntly.
Patricia raised an eyebrow. “I suppose that’s one way of looking at them.”
“Are you responsible for the disappearance of the old building?” said Daniel.
“Who else do you know who could get the job done that quickly?” said Patricia.
“But how did you . . . ?” said Tina.
“It wasn’t as if you needed the old place anymore,” said Patricia. “This building is an exact duplicate of the original, down to the very last detail.”
“Yes . . .” said Daniel. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. Why remake the old place so completely?”
“Because I’m not creative,” said Patricia, “just extraordinarily efficient. And now, I really must be going.”
“What?” said Tina. “Why?”
“I’ve achieved everything I was sent here to do,” said Patricia. “You must have realized by now that I was never your old armorer. I just took on the role because it made it easier for you to accept me.”
“Why are you here?” said Daniel.
“Because you needed me,” said Patricia. “You were about to walk away, but only you could deal with the threat of so many aliens getting ready to make their move. I was sent here to give you the boot in the arse you needed, to get you involved.”
“Who sent you?” said Tina.
“Pray you never find out,” said Patricia. “Now, I really must be off. I’ve been called back to over the hills and far away. I present to you a fully restored Jekyll & Hyde Inc. What you do with the organization is entirely up to you. I also leave you a new executive officer, to help you run things.”
She gestured at the far end of the lobby, and there was Joyce—alive and well and waving cheerfully. Daniel grinned broadly at her and waved in return, and Joyce raced across the lobby and threw herself into Daniel’s arms. He hugged her tightly, an old pain slowly easing in his chest. He was almost afraid to let go of Joyce even for a moment, in case he lost her again. And then Tina moved in and hugged them both, to make sure that could never happen. After a while, they all let go of each other, and smiled. Daniel turned back to Patricia.
“How . . . ?”
She smiled, briefly. “I told you: I restore things to how they used to be.”
“I always knew you had something special in mind for me,” said Joyce. “Do you have to go?”
“My time here is up,” said Patricia. “I’m needed somewhere else now.”
“Who are you, really?” said Tina.
“Not all aliens are monsters,” said Patricia.
She turned into a pillar of blazing light, which quickly faded away and was gone.
“Okay . . .” said Daniel. “I can honestly say I did not see that coming.”
“It’s been that sort of a day,” said Tina. “So, what are we going to do with Jekyll & Hyde Inc.?”
“Oh,” said Daniel, “I’m sure we’ll think of something.”
He grinned at Tina, and then at Joyce, who was already bouncing up and down on her toes in her eagerness to get to work for them.