Chapter Two
EDWARD HYDE’S LEGACY
X X X
Daniel turned away from what was left of the Jekyll & Hyde Inc. building, because looking at it depressed him. He’d never cared much for the place, or the man who ran it, but the destruction of the building that had changed his life left a hole inside him he wasn’t sure he would ever fill. A cold wind came blowing down the deserted street, surrounding him with the scents of fire and smoke and destruction, as though to remind him that the world doesn’t care how bad you’re feeling, you still have to get on with what needs doing. And then Daniel frowned and turned to Tina, as a thought occurred to him.
“Edward’s file and laptop could still be up there, in his office,” he said. “We’re going to need that information, if we’re to take on the aliens.”
Tina glared at the top of the building. “Edward’s office was right underneath the roof, and that’s been blown to pieces. I doubt there’s much left of Edward’s inner sanctum.”
“But we only skimmed the file,” said Daniel. “There could be all kinds of useful information we never got to. Things we need to know.”
“Are you seriously suggesting we tramp all the way back up those stairs?” said Tina. “You might feel up to that, but I sure as hell don’t. I have used up my second and third wind, my inner resources have phoned in sick, and I would be hard-pressed to punch out a dormouse that wrinkled its nose at me funny. Who knew that having the shit shot out of you by soldiers with really big guns could put such a damper on your day?”
“I hurt too,” said Daniel. “But I’m not giving up.”
“Who said anything about giving up?” Tina kept her glare fixed on the wreckage where the roof had been, rather than look at him. “But even if we could haul our broken arses all the way up there without going into full meltdown, the odds are the mercs have already ransacked the office and walked off with the file and the laptop. If only to make sure we couldn’t have them.”
Daniel scowled as he considered the matter, though he was careful not to aim the scowl at Tina, who had a very short fuse when it came to feeling slighted.
“The file might be gone,” he said carefully, “but the original information must still be out there, somewhere. So we’ll just have to go and dig it up ourselves.”
Tina managed a small sniff, because she didn’t have the strength for anything more impressive.
“You can bet the aliens will have people waiting for us, so they can really ruin our day.”
“Then we need to arm ourselves,” Daniel said firmly. “Let’s take a wander through the armory, and grab handfuls of nasty and destructive off the shelves.”
“Because being a Hyde isn’t enough anymore,” said Tina.
Daniel didn’t know what to say. He’d never heard Tina sound so beaten down before. In the end, she shook her head fiercely and straightened her back. It produced a series of low creaking sounds that made Daniel wince, but he thought Tina looked more like herself.
“We do need to check out the armory,” she said, still not looking at him, “if only to find out who it was that called to us, and saved our backsides.”
“I would like to know why,” said Daniel. “I am not in a mood to trust anyone, just at the moment.”
“Now you’re thinking like a Hyde,” said Tina. “Trust, but verify, and then kick the crap out of them.”
When they went back into the lobby, it looked like someone had fought World War III there and not bothered to clean up afterward. A few traces of smoke were still drifting aimlessly on the air, not even trying to disguise the mass destruction and scattered rubble. But there was one change: someone had dropped a rope ladder through the trapdoor. It hung invitingly before them, looking strong and sturdy and not at all like a trap. Daniel and Tina walked slowly over to the ladder, and considered it thoughtfully.
“It would seem we’re expected,” said Daniel.
“‘Welcome to my ambush,’ said the spider to the fly,” said Tina.
“I hate spiders,” said Daniel. “Particularly those big long-leggity ones you find in the bottom of the bath. It’s a good thing there weren’t any giant-spider monster Clans, because I would have screamed like a little girl, bolted for the nearest horizon, and left you to deal with it.”
Tina nodded understandingly. “I hate the way they dart out from under your furniture, and scurry across the carpet. They may serve a purpose in nature, but I am not having them in my home.”
“Exactly,” said Daniel. “If they come to where I live, they’re asking for it.”
They were just putting off going up the ladder, and they knew it.
“Whoever’s up there is making this almost too easy,” said Daniel.
“Right,” said Tina. “They’ll be offering us tea and cakes next.”
“Actually, I wouldn’t mind some tea and cakes,” said Daniel.
“Never from a stranger,” Tina said firmly.
“We need to get into the armory,” said Daniel.
Tina looked at him. “Even though it’s almost certainly a trap?”
Daniel smiled. “The best way to deal with a trap . . .”
“Is to walk right into it,” said Tina. “Hyde 101. But that was before.”
“I am feeling more and more in the mood to get back on the horse that threw us, and show it what spurs are for,” said Daniel. “Come on, Tina: we took on a whole army, and a bucketload of bullets, and still walked away. That has to count for something.”
“You would think so, wouldn’t you?” said Tina.
“The horse is waiting, and starting to give you funny looks,” said Daniel. “How strong are you feeling?”
Tina gave the rope ladder her best hard look. “Strong enough.”
“Same here,” said Daniel. “Let’s do this.”
Tina shouldered him out of the way so she could get to the ladder first, and he went up after her, trying not to feel seasick as Tina’s weight sent the ladder plunging back and forth. She stopped halfway up, ostensibly to get her breath, but Daniel was having none of that. He rammed the top of his head against her bottom and gave it a good shove. Tina snarled something Daniel was pretty sure he was better off not hearing, and scrambled up the ladder. She hauled herself through the trapdoor, and Daniel made sure he was right behind her, not wanting to leave her on her own. Partly because it really might be a trap, but also because he didn’t want her doing anything impulsive until they’d got a better feel for the lay of the land.
He found Tina holding herself in a defensive stance, her hands clenched into fists as she glared around in search of something worth hitting. The armory was still and quiet and apparently intact, preserved by its heavy walls and protections. At least half the lights were on, though there still seemed as much gloom as illumination. Daniel smiled briefly; the armory had always preferred to keep itself to itself, because people might not approve of what its contents got up to in the shadows. Daniel stood tall, and looked around him as though he meant to take the whole place by the scruff of the neck and shake it until someone fell out. He raised his voice.
“Hello! Is there anybody there?”
“And if not, why not?” said Tina.
Daniel looked round sharply, as he heard someone moving about. He strained his eyes against the gloom, but still couldn’t make out anything. The sounds came again, but this time from a completely different part of the armory. Whoever it was, they were fast. Tina grabbed something large and blocky from a nearby shelf, and threw it in the direction of the noises. An item on a distant shelf toppled to the floor, but there was nothing to indicate she’d found her target.
“I’m not seeing anyone,” Daniel said quietly.
“I’m not even sure what it was I heard,” said Tina, “except that it moved like a greased weasel on amphetamines. Did it sound human to you?”
Daniel looked at her sharply. “You think something might have got in here?”
“More likely, something got out,” said Tina. “Remember the rat?”
“How could I forget?”
Like all good scientists, Dr. Jekyll tested his Elixir on an animal before taking it himself. The result had been a rat the size of a Rottweiler, with teeth like knives and the disposition of Jack the Ripper on a really bad day. Not surprisingly, Dr. Jekyll locked his lab rat inside a crate the size of a coffin, and left it there. A century later, Daniel and Tina stumbled across it in the armory while looking for something else, and accidentally let it out. The rat was still very much alive, and not in the best of moods. The three of them wrecked half the armory before Daniel and Tina were able to force the rat back inside its coffin and lock it up again. Because they weren’t sure they could kill it. Now Daniel had to wonder if just possibly the explosions had been strong enough to shake the whole armory so badly that rat had broken loose again . . .
Footsteps moved quickly through the shadows, and Daniel felt a surge of relief as he realized they were definitely human.
“Someone is messing with us,” he said quietly.
“You think?” said Tina. “Whoever that is, they’re really quick on their feet.”
“Maybe they’re scared of us,” said Daniel.
“That would make for a nice change,” said Tina, just a bit wistfully. “Remember when people would actually fill their trousers, just because we were heading in their direction?”
“Ah, the good old days,” said Daniel. “We need to get our mojo back.”
“We need a lot of things,” said Tina.
Daniel aimed his voice at the last place the noises had stopped.
“Who are you? Why can’t we see you?”
“Because you’re not looking in the right place,” said a cold, measured voice.
From out of a deep dark shadow right next to Daniel stepped a very dark-skinned woman. Tall and lithe, with a cool, calculating expression, she had a gun in each hand aimed unwaveringly at Daniel and Tina. There was a time Daniel would have just slapped the guns out of her hands and crushed them into novelty paperweights; but his experiences with the mercenaries had taught him to be wary of unfamiliar guns. Especially now they were inside an armory that specialized in really unpleasant weapons. So he stood very still, with Tina seething quietly beside him, and watched for an opening.
Neither Hyde raised their hands, because they still had their pride.
Daniel left it to the mysterious intruder to make the next move, but let the look on his face make it clear that it had better be a good one. Daniel might not have been as strong or as fast as he was before a whole bunch of mercenaries shot the hell out of him, but he was pretty sure he could still jump out of the line of fire if the woman even looked like she was going to pull the trigger. Daniel gave her his best make up your mind, we haven’t got all night look.
“Well?” he said. “Aren’t you at least going to introduce yourself? Tina and I are being unusually patient, but given that we are Hydes there’s no knowing how long that will last.”
“What he said, only with several extra layers of menace,” said Tina.
“You are not going to start anything, because those mercenaries really did a number on you,” the woman said calmly. “It would appear there is a limit to how much punishment a Hyde can soak up, after all. I should take notes.”
She put her guns away with a swift motion and Daniel relaxed, just a little. The woman looked them over carefully.
“Daniel and Tina Hyde: the final products of Dr. Jekyll’s infamous Elixir. A tribute to bad living through chemistry. The Elixir brought out the beast in Edward, but on you it looks good. I’ve read his file, on how you took down the monster Clans. Ten out of ten for bravery and brute force, but minus several hundred for lack of subtlety. You were both obscenely lucky. Any number of things could have gone wrong with what I hesitate to describe as your plans; and tonight you found out what happens when you don’t have a plan, you’re improvising wildly, and your guardian angel has gone feral. In the past you could afford to coast on your reputation for being unstoppable, but I think we can safely assume that horse has bolted from the burning stable. Good Lord, look at the state of you.”
Daniel looked down at himself. His suit was badly charred, and actually burned away in places. There were more bullet holes than he’d expected, along with a lot more bloodstains than he was comfortable seeing. He glanced at Tina, and if anything she looked even worse. Her smart business suit had been reduced to a thing of rags and tatters, held together by dried blood. The large areas of bare flesh on open display showed more bruises than skin. He caught Tina looking at him, and saw the same shock in her face that he was feeling. He tried for a smile.
“I look like I was used as a Guy on November Fifth, and you look like you’ve been fed feetfirst through a wood chipper.”
Tina sniffed loudly. “But we are still here, while a lot of the mercenaries aren’t.”
“You’re here because I intervened,” said the woman. “If I hadn’t, those soldiers would have scattered bits and pieces of you all over the lobby.”
“Who are you?” said Daniel.
She took a step forward into the light, so the Hydes could get a better look. Almost as tall as Daniel, her skin was so black it had blue highlights. Her face had sharp-edged bones, her cold gaze was direct and challenging, and her mouth looked like it had never learned how to smile. She was wearing a black silk blouse over black slacks, with black leather gloves on her long slender hands. Her stance showed grace and strength, along with impressive levels of self-confidence—but not a touch of Hyde. It suddenly occurred to Daniel that she wasn’t wearing any kind of holster, so he had to wonder where her guns had disappeared to when she put them away. It didn’t seem like the right time to ask.
The woman nodded stiffly to Daniel and Tina, as though it was something she’d heard about but never actually done before.
“I am Patricia Mannering. I used to be the armorer here. I designed a lot of the weapons and devices currently lurking on these shelves. I left because Edward kept pressuring me to take the Hyde Elixir—to bind me more closely to his organization. I wasn’t prepared to do that, because I didn’t want to risk anything that might disturb the balance of my marvelous mind.”
“A little old lady called Miss Montague was the armorer when I joined up,” said Daniel.
“She trained me,” said Patricia. She gestured brusquely at the stacks around her. “I’m here because you’re going to need weapons to take on the aliens. And someone who can help you plan strategy. Because just being a Hyde won’t be enough to get you through, this time.”
“Why did you intervene to save us?” Tina said bluntly.
“Somebody had to,” said Patricia.
Tina started to bristle, so Daniel quickly cut in before things could escalate.
“If you left the armory, what brought you back? And why tonight, of all nights?”
“What he said,” said Tina. “Only even more suspiciously.”
Patricia kept her gaze fixed on Daniel. Perhaps because she knew he was the one she needed to convince.
“I keep my ear to the ground. People still tell me things. I knew it was time to return when I heard Edward was dead.”
“That was quick,” said Tina.
“Good news travels fast,” said Patricia. “And there was a whisper that something big and dramatic would be happening here tonight, so I let myself in through a back door only armorers know about.”
She looked around, in a proprietary sort of way. As though she’d come home. Daniel thought her face showed an odd sort of nostalgia for a warehouse full of mayhem and mass destruction, but he had enough sense not to say anything. And then her gaze snapped back to him, so quickly he almost jumped.
“I believed in Jekyll & Hyde Inc.,” said Patricia, “and all the things it could achieve, though I never had much time for the man in charge. Edward never got over being shunned by his fellow monsters. Did he tell you he refused to be a criminal? The truth is, he was never asked. None of the Clans wanted him. So he built this incredible organization, and then wasted it on a never-ending act of revenge.
“I stayed on because I thought I could change things for the better. That I could make the world a better place, with an army of Hydes to back me up. But Edward would only ever look back, never forward.”
“You knew the other Hydes?” said Daniel. “I never got to meet any of them, only Tina.”
“Because Edward killed them all,” said Tina.
Patricia nodded slowly. “That happened after I left. I sometimes wonder if I’d stayed, whether I could have prevented that . . . but it was inevitable that the day would come when Edward could only see them as a threat.” She paused for a moment, her eyes lost in yesterday, and then they snapped back to focus on Tina, who growled under her breath to show how not at all intimidated she was. For a moment Daniel thought Patricia might smile.
“So,” said the armorer. “You are the last of Dr. Jekyll’s children, and I am all that’s left of the staff. Just what we need, to rebuild Jekyll & Hyde Inc. You’ll go far, with me to guide you.”
“Hold it right there,” said Tina. “Who put you in charge?”
“You need me,” said Patricia. “You make good agents, and better weapons, but you’ll never get anywhere without someone to point you in the right direction.”
“Hydes don’t do authority figures,” said Daniel.
“We trusted Edward,” said Tina, “and that didn’t work out too well for us.”
Daniel looked at her. “I don’t know that we ever actually trusted him. We just assumed that because he knew more than we did, he knew what he was doing.”
“He betrayed us, by letting us think we were heroes,” said Tina. She scowled at Patricia. “We won’t be used again.”
Patricia subtly shifted her line of attack. “I was careful to use the word guide, in my offer of assistance. I didn’t come back to be your boss, just your armorer. I will provide you with the very best weapons, background support, and up-to-date intelligence to help you bring down the aliens.”
“How much do you know about them?” said Daniel.
“I compiled the information in Edward’s file,” said Patricia. “You have seen the file, haven’t you?”
“We only had a chance to flip through that, before the mercenaries turned up,” said Tina. “No telling what happened to it, after that.”
Patricia looked at her for an uncomfortably long moment. “You lost the file? You really do need looking after. All right, some background. Miss Montague trained me to be her successor, after Edward forced her to retire.”
“What did you do before you came here?” Daniel said politely.
“Bad things,” said Patricia. “Bad enough that I needed a cause worth fighting for. I thought I’d found it in Jekyll & Hyde Inc., but I should have known anything born of Edward’s twisted ambitions would be bound to have the mark of Cain on its brow. It was always going to be all about the killing.”
“If he got rid of Miss Montague, why did he bring her back after you left?” said Tina.
“After what he chose to see as my betrayal, he needed someone he thought he could trust.”
“Why didn’t she find someone else to train?” said Daniel.
“I was a hard act to follow,” said Patricia. “Now, before we do anything else . . .”
“Okay, hit the brakes and throw the anchor over the side,” said Tina. “What was all that running about in the shadows for?”
“I needed to be sure there was no one else here,” said Patricia. “And after everything that happened on the roof tonight, I also needed to be sure you hadn’t lost your nerve. That you were still Hydes.”
“Count on it,” said Daniel.
“I am,” said Patricia. “Now . . . being the paranoid and vindictive soul that he was, Edward left some nasty surprises scattered around, to be activated after his death. A few last acts of revenge, on people he hated. And unfortunately, one of them has turned up here. We need to do something about it, before it can destroy the entire armoury.”
“Is it a bomb?” said Tina. “Miss Montague had a real fondness for bombs.”
“Something much nastier, I fear,” said Patricia.
“Where is it?” Daniel said resignedly.
Patricia turned abruptly and strode off into the shadows. Tina made a rude gesture at her departing back, and growled something Daniel pretended not to have heard. He put a warning hand on Tina’s arm, and leaned in so he could murmur in her ear.
“Please don’t upset the nice new armorer. She could be useful.”
Tina scowled. “I hate to admit it, but you’re right. With the file and the laptop gone, she’s our only source for information on the aliens. Even if she is a snotty, arrogant cow.”
“Look on the bright side,” said Daniel.
Tina looked at him. “There’s a bright side?”
“Things can only get better.”
“I have always admired your optimism,” said Tina.
Daniel realized that Patricia had got so far ahead she was almost out of sight, and hurried after her. Tina stuck close beside him as he navigated his way through the maze of narrow passageways separating the high shelves. They passed stacks crammed with weird weapons and intriguing devices, including some things that made absolutely no sense at all, and a few that turned in place to watch the Hydes go by. Nothing was ever labeled or identified, probably because most of it came under the heading of You really don’t want to know. Daniel’s eye was caught by one particularly intriguing item, and he reached out to pick it up. Without even glancing back, Patricia raised her voice.
“Don’t touch anything!”
Daniel withdrew his hand, and nodded to Tina. “Just like old times . . .”
“Let’s hope not,” said Tina. “The last armorer tried to kill us.”
“Only because she was in love with Edward Hyde,” said Daniel. “I don’t think we’re going to have that problem this time.”
“You got that right,” Patricia said loudly.
She suddenly came to a halt. The Hydes almost crashed into her, but had enough sense not to. Patricia indicated a large wooden trunk sitting right in the middle of the aisle.
“I think this is close enough.”
“It doesn’t look particularly threatening,” Daniel said carefully. “What makes you think this is one of Edward’s nasty surprises?”
“Because it’s not part of the armory’s inventory,” said Patricia. “And anyway, nothing is ever left out in the aisles, in case someone trips over it and the whole place goes up. I have a very bad feeling about this.”
“I have a bad feeling about most of the things here!” said Tina. “In fact, I would have thought bad feelings came as standard.”
“She has a point,” said Daniel. “The first time I came here, there was a sign over the main entrance saying Don’t Drop Anything.”
“Miss Montague showed me a black hole in a jam jar!” said Tina.
Patricia looked at her. “I don’t suppose you happen to remember where it was? I’ve always wanted one of those, for my collection.”
“You have a collection?” said Daniel.
“Every girl should have a hobby,” said Patricia. “Now can we please concentrate on the mysterious trunk that could probably wipe us all out if it felt like it?”
“All I’m seeing is an old-fashioned steamer trunk, held together by leather straps,” said Daniel. “I’m not even hearing any ticking . . .”
“Why would Edward would want to destroy his own armory, when he knows we’re going to need what’s here to fight the aliens?” said Tina.
“He did enjoy his little practical jokes,” said Patricia.
“Do you have any idea what’s inside?” said Daniel.
“No,” said Patricia. “But it looks big enough to contain something that could do an awful lot of damage if it ever got out.”
Daniel looked at Tina. He didn’t mention the word rat because he didn’t need to.
“Stand back,” said Tina. “I’m going to give it a good kick.”
Daniel looked at her. “Why?”
“See if I can wake something up.”
“And you think that’s a good thing?”
“Wimp,” said Tina.
“I can’t believe I’m having to say this,” said Patricia, “but no one is to kick the potentially very dangerous object!”
“Well,” said Tina. “You’re no fun.”
“Haven’t you been blown up enough for one day?” said Patricia.
“It’s a Hyde thing,” Tina said loftily. “You wouldn’t understand.”
Daniel cut in quickly, though he was getting just a bit tired of having to do that.
“What can you tell us about this trunk?”
“When the staff of Jekyll & Hyde Inc. left, in something of a hurry thanks to you, they needed a shoulder to cry on,” said Patricia. “A number of them sought me out, to unburden themselves about some of the things Edward Hyde made them do—including dropping off a trunk in the armory, that they had been strictly instructed not to look inside.”
“Is there anything helpful you can tell us?” said Tina.
“I inspected the trunk earlier, while being very careful not to touch anything or even breathe heavily on it,” said Patricia. “The lid is held shut not just by leather straps, but by a solid steel lock you couldn’t lever off with a crowbar. I just hope I haven’t activated anything by getting too close.”
“So whatever happens next, it’s all your fault,” Tina said happily.
Patricia sighed. “It’s like working with children . . .”
“Is this why you saved us?” said Daniel. “Because you need us to deal with this?”
Patricia gave him a long-suffering look. “Try not to be as paranoid as Edward. He needs you to fight the aliens, so there is a good chance this trunk contains special weapons intended for your use. But knowing him, it could also contain some kind of booby trap to protect the contents.”
“So it could blow up in our face because it’s a defense mechanism . . . or because it’s an act of revenge?” said Tina.
“Those are the main possibilities,” said Patricia.
Tina looked around. “Isn’t there anything here we could use to open the trunk? Or at least blow the lid off?”
Patricia bestowed another of her long-suffering looks. “Do we really want to risk setting off whatever might be in there?”
“I’m still thinking of Dr. Jekyll’s test rat,” said Daniel.
“You don’t need to worry about that,” said Patricia. “I found a description of it in the inventory, and since I couldn’t see a single good reason to keep something like that alive, I pushed the whole container into the incinerator. And before you ask, no, we are not pushing the potentially very explosive trunk into an incinerator. Particularly when there is still a good chance it might contain something we’re going to need to stop the aliens.”
Daniel scowled at the trunk. “We need to get in there, so we can see what we’re dealing with.”
“Do I really need to mention the words booby trap again?” said Patricia.
“We could always throw Tina on top of it,” said Daniel.
“I want to kick the trunk!” said Tina. “I’m just in the mood to kick something.”
“Never knew you when you weren’t,” said Daniel. He smiled at her. “I don’t know where you get your energy from. You went through the same shit I did, and I’m running on fumes.”
Tina shrugged. “I’ve felt worse.”
“Must have been one hell of a party,” said Daniel. He studied the trunk for a moment. “I say we just open it and see what happens.”
“Really?” said Patricia. “That’s your solution to the problem?”
“Hydes are very hard to kill,” said Daniel. “And we do love a challenge.”
“Oh we do,” Tina said cheerfully. “Really. You have no idea.”
“Even after everything you’ve been through tonight?” said Patricia.
Daniel gave her his best hard look. “Because of what we’ve been through. Now back off several yards and duck down behind something substantial, while Tina and I walk into the big bad cave and kick the sleeping bear in the nuts.”
“Fun time!” said Tina.
“Hydes are weird,” said Patricia.
She fell back two steps, and suddenly there was a really big gun in her hand, aimed unwaveringly at the trunk. Daniel didn’t see where the gun came from, and couldn’t help noticing it looked completely different from the ones she’d had earlier.
“You do what you have to,” said Patricia. “But if anything comes out of that trunk that doesn’t look one hundred percent friendly, I am going to fill it so full of holes you could use it as a golf course.”
“You’re thinking of the rat, aren’t you?” said Daniel.
“Edward had a very basic sense of humor,” said Patricia. “And I didn’t actually open the coffin thing, before I pushed it in the incinerator.”
Daniel advanced on the trunk, and Tina immediately moved in beside him.
“So,” she said lightly. “Do we have anything approaching a plan?”
“Rip off the lock, open the lid, and see what’s what,” said Daniel. “And then kick the crap out of it, if necessary.”
“That does have the virtue of simplicity,” said Tina. “But what if there is a bomb? To be honest, I am feeling a bit fragile. I’d rather not be blown up again.”
“It has been a hard day’s night,” said Daniel. “But if there are alien-killing weapons in there, I want them.”
They stopped before the trunk. Daniel couldn’t help feeling it was looking back at him—and not in a good way.
“Come on,” said Tina. “What are the chances of another rat?”
“I was thinking more of a guard dog,” said Daniel.
“Let it out,” said Tina. “I’m feeling peckish.”
Daniel grabbed hold of the heavy steel lock and ripped it off the lid with one great wrench. Nothing happened, so he crushed the lock in his hand and threw it away. He undid the leather straps one at a time, and then threw the lid all the way back. And a massive jack-in-the-box jumped up, grinning like a Mr. Punch who’d gone feral, and brandishing a bloodstained hatchet. Patricia blew its head off with one bullet. The headless puppet collapsed, in a sulky sort of way. Tina shook her head.
“Edward and his sense of humor.”
“Makes me wish he was still alive,” said Daniel. “So I could kill him all over again.”
He hauled the headless Jack out of the trunk, tossed it down the aisle, and stared into the trunk. Tina and Patricia moved in on either side of him. There were no explosives, no booby traps, and no weapons. Just a dozen slim bottles. Daniel fished one out, unscrewed the cap, and took a cautious sniff.
“It’s Dr. Jekyll’s Elixir.”
He handed the bottle to Tina. She took a quick sniff, nodded in agreement, and offered it to Patricia, who really didn’t want to know. Tina handed the bottle to Daniel, and he carefully screwed the cap back on, before placing the bottle back in the trunk.
“Aren’t you going to taste it, to be sure?” said Patricia.
“One dose changes you into a Hyde, another turns you back,” said Daniel. “And I am never going back to what I was.”
“I didn’t think there was any of the Elixir left,” said Tina. “Edward was supposed to have run out.”
“But we know he killed all the other Hydes,” said Daniel. “He could have recovered the last traces of the Elixir from their bodies.”
“That does sound like something he would do,” said Patricia.
Daniel searched the trunk carefully, but there were no instructions or letter of intent. Not even a secret compartment, with a clue tucked away.
“Maybe we’re supposed to create an army of Hydes,” said Tina.
“It only took the two of us to bring down all the monster Clans,” said Daniel.
“The monsters didn’t have their own private armies to protect them,” said Tina. “Maybe it will take an army of Hydes, to overcome an army of mercenaries.”
A thought occurred to Daniel, and he turned to Patricia. He started to say something and then stopped, as he realized the gun had disappeared from her hand, with no trace of where it might have gone. That was starting to worry him. He made himself concentrate and started again.
“You told us you compiled the information on aliens that ended up in Edward’s file. How did you learn so much about them?”
“Jekyll & Hyde Inc. sent agents out into the field, to gather intelligence,” said Patricia. “Edward had them all report to me, because I had to develop new weapons to fight the aliens. It didn’t take me long to realize I couldn’t learn enough at second hand, so I started sitting in with Edward when he met the aliens’ human emissaries. With a gun in my hand. He felt it helped send the right message.”
“Why were the aliens so keen to make use of Jekyll & Hyde Inc.?” said Daniel.
“Because Edward was the only one to defy all the monsters and make it stick,” said Patricia. “They probably thought they could learn from him. And they really wanted the secret of the Elixir, to make them superior to their fellow aliens.”
“Did they respect Edward, as an enemy?” said Tina.
“None of the aliens have any respect for Humanity,” Patricia said flatly. “They only want our world. Their only use for Edward was as a resource and a weapon. I never had any doubt that once the monsters were gone, Edward would join the rest of Humanity up against the wall. That’s why I stayed with Jekyll & Hyde Inc. as long as I did. Because I knew Edward’s war wouldn’t end with the end of the monsters.”
“You’re back now,” said Tina, in a not entirely accusing way.
“Edward’s dead,” said Patricia. “But the aliens are still out there.”
Daniel frowned. “Do you think the mercenary soldiers know what the aliens have planned for us?”
“Mercenaries fight for money, not causes,” said Patricia.
“Even so,” said Daniel, “to fight for creatures whose only purpose is to wipe out Humanity . . .”
“Mercenaries aren’t known for thinking ahead,” Patricia said dryly. “They probably think that as long as they keep playing one set of aliens against another, they can have a never-ending payday. They may even believe that as long as they can keep that up, they’re actually preventing the invasions.”
“Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt,” said Daniel.
Tina looked hard at Patricia. “You’ve put a lot of thought into this.”
“It’s what I do,” said Patricia. She scowled at the flasks in the trunk. “I was really hoping for some kind of new and unpleasant weapons. Something to put us on an even footing with the aliens. Sending an assault crew to kill you and blow up the building was just an opening gambit. By removing you from the board, they could concentrate on their real enemies: each other. None of them can begin an invasion until they have control on the ground.”
“You’ve thought about that too,” said Tina.
“It’s been on my mind for some time,” said Patricia.
“So we’re all that’s left to stop them,” said Daniel. “Two Hydes, one armorer, and a blown-up building.”
“But the armory is still intact,” said Patricia. “I can provide you with everything you need, specially tailored to take advantage of each particular alien’s weaknesses. I can even train you on how to use the weapons so you won’t blow yourselves up.”
Daniel looked at Tina. “Doesn’t have a lot of faith in us, does she?”
“She just doesn’t know us yet,” said Tina. She fixed Patricia with a thoughtful gaze. “If you know where all the weapons are, why didn’t you throw some down into the lobby so we could use them against the mercenaries?”
“Because I had more sense than to show myself,” said Patricia. “Even the most powerful weapon can’t protect you from getting your head blown off by a stray bullet.”
“We could have been killed!” said Daniel.
Patricia shrugged. “Better you than me.”
“Are you sure you’re not a Hyde?” said Tina.
“If we had died, what would have happened to your plans?” said Daniel.
“I was reasonably sure you would survive,” said Patricia. “And if you couldn’t . . . then you were no use to me anyway.”
“Okay . . .” said Tina. “Someone just crossed the line. Get out of my way, Daniel, I have my kicking trousers on.”
“You can’t hurt me,” said Patricia.
“Going to give it a damn good try,” said Tina.
“You need me,” said Patricia. “Or you will, once you’ve located the alien bases.”
Daniel stopped Tina with a raised hand. “Why is that down to us?”
“I have information on the general situation, but nothing specific,” Patricia said carefully. “You have to discover where each alien base is, how it’s protected, and the best ways to break in. Edward’s people did their best, but you’ve seen the kind of resources the aliens can call on to protect their secrets.”
“So we get to have another crack at the soldier boys,” said Tina. She cracked her knuckles loudly. “Payback’s a bitch—and you are looking at her.”
“Do you know people who can provide you with this sort of information?” said Patricia.
Daniel and Tina shared a look, and nodded slowly.
“We’re Hydes,” said Daniel.
“We know people,” said Tina.
“People talk to Hydes,” said Daniel.
“Whether they want to or not,” said Tina.
“And while we’re gone, Patricia . . .” said Daniel. “Clean up this place. It’s a mess.”
The look on her face almost made up for everything else.
Daniel and Tina jumped down through the open trapdoor, disdaining the rope ladder. They made their way carefully through the lobby, stepping over the wreckage or kicking it to one side. They were careful to put some distance between themselves and the armory before they said anything, and even then they leaned in close and murmured confidentially.
“Do you trust her?” said Tina.
“Of course not,” said Daniel. “She has hidden agenda written all over her.”
“But we can work with her,” said Tina.
“Until we find out what’s really going on,” said Daniel.
“I’m looking forward to bumping into the mercenaries again,” said Tina. “We have so much catching up to do.”
“Especially if our new armorer can provide us with some seriously unpleasant firepower,” said Daniel. “She can probably advise us on tactics too.”
Tina looked at him. “Tactics? Has it really come to that?”
They shared a smile, left the lobby, and went their separate ways.
And all across London important people in places of power shuddered, as they felt two Hydes start to look in their direction.