Jekyll & Hyde Inc.

They headed for the elevators at the rear of the lobby. The air was thick with slowly dispersing gunsmoke and the hot copper smell of freshly spilled blood. Daniel and Tina breathed it in like fine wine as they stepped casually over the fallen bodies. It was all very quiet now, though not necessarily peaceful. Daniel stopped before the elevator doors, and Tina looked at him impatiently.

“You’re frowning again.”

“I think it might be best if we took the stairs,” he said thoughtfully. “Edward could have sabotaged the elevators.”

“That is what I would have done,” said Tina. “Come on, I know where the door to the stairwell is.”

“Of course you do,” said Daniel, following her off to one side. “You know where everything is.”

“Somebody has to,” said Tina.

She led the way to the door, tucked away in a far corner of the lobby, but when she went to open it Daniel stopped her.

“Edward could have anticipated that we’d avoid the elevators, and booby-trapped the entrance to the stairwell.”

“What if there is a bomb?” said Tina. “By now we’re probably strong enough to shrug off an explosion.”

“Probably,” Daniel said carefully, in a way that suggested he wasn’t really agreeing. “Do you want to bet your life on it?”

He leaned forward to examine the door, but Tina just barged right past him and slammed the door open with her shoulder. She strode into the stairwell and nothing bad happened, so Daniel sighed quietly and followed her.

“Will you stop being cautious?” Tina said over her shoulder as she started up the stairs. “You’re a Hyde!”

“And I’d rather like to go on being a Hyde,” said Daniel, moving up alongside her.

“You just shrugged off a whole magazine of high-velocity bullets!”

“Everyone has their limits,” said Daniel.

“And I can’t wait to find out what Edward’s are,” said Tina.

In the end, they ran all the way up the stairs to the top of the building, and when they finally stepped out onto Edward’s floor they weren’t even breathing hard. Daniel felt energized, like he’d just warmed up for the main event. He bounced up and down on his toes as he studied the corridor before him, and smiled at Tina.

“I can’t believe how strong we’re getting . . . Do you suppose this is how Edward feels all the time?”

“He’s been a Hyde much longer than us,” said Tina. “I’m wondering if there are things he’s learned to do that we can’t.”

“I think we’re about to find out,” said Daniel.

“Are you clear on the plan?” said Tina.

“Hit him fast, hit him hard.”

“We can do this. We outnumber him.”

“But he’s Edward Hyde,” said Daniel.

“Not for long.”

The corridor was completely empty, the only sounds their soft footsteps on the thick carpeting. Daniel kept a cautious eye on every door they passed, but they all remained firmly closed, as though they didn’t want to get involved.

“Edward must know we’re on our way,” he said quietly. “Why would he still be waiting for us in his office?”

“Maybe he’s got one last deal to offer us,” said Tina.

“What could he possibly have that we’d want?”

“I don’t know,” said Tina. “But it’s worth thinking about.”

Daniel shot her a quick look. “Are you going off the idea of killing him?”

“No. I’m saying we should take what he has to offer—and then kill him.”

“It has to be a trap,” said Daniel. “And he’s just sitting there, like a spider in his web, waiting for us to walk into it.”

“Spiders get stepped on,” said Tina.

They’d almost reached Edward’s office when a small figure stepped suddenly out of a side door to block their way. Daniel and Tina stared blankly at the sweet little old lady in her nice sweater with puppies on. The woman in charge of the most dangerous part of Jekyll & Hyde Inc. There was something determined and implacable about her, even though she wasn’t carrying any kind of weapon.

“What are you doing here, Miss Montague?” said Tina.

The old lady smiled easily. “I can’t let you hurt my Edward.” Her smile widened. “You wouldn’t think I could still carry a torch for that man after all these years, would you? Especially after the way he’s treated me. But what can I say? I knew I wanted him from the moment I set eyes on him.”

“You must know he doesn’t love you,” said Daniel.

“I don’t think Edward ever loved anybody,” said Miss Montague. “I doubt he’s capable of it. Perhaps that’s part of the attraction—to love someone you know will never love you.”

“Did he ask you to come here and defend him?” said Tina.

“Oh no, dear. I went to him and told him what I had in mind. I made it clear that I was ready to die for him, and he just shrugged and told me to get on with it. I’m pretty sure he thought it was funny . . . But that doesn’t matter. I’m doing this for me, as much as for him.”

“I’m not seeing anything nasty from your armory,” Daniel said carefully. “So how do you propose to stop us?”

“With this,” said Miss Montague. She produced a vial of dark liquid, and held it up before her. “The final dose of Dr. Jekyll’s Elixir.”

Daniel frowned. “I thought I drank the last one.”