So I read the whole of The Glass Scientists on Friday after being introduced by some people on tumblr and skype and I have to say it is one of the most beautiful and captivating comics I've ever read. I love the portrayal of Jekyll and Hyde as broken sides of the same personality that are too similar to be enemies, as well as the role Jekyll plays as the respected hard-working gentleman while Hyde has fun for both of them. I could probably ramble on a ton more about it, but I'll leave it to that introduction in case someone comes here who hasn't read the comic and say I recommend it.
This fic is the beginning of an AU I made up in the skype chat while reading Chapter 1 for the first time. Jekyll's appearance in Chapter 1 is so exceedingly kind and choreographed that I was almost in Jasper's camp on page 22 when he called stranger danger. So here we have an AU where Jekyll and Hyde really do have sinister intentions and we get back to that good old Victorian suspense and angst.
Finally I'll say I'm not entirely satisfied with the fic itself, but I'm enjoying the concept too much to keep the story on my laptop, so please feel welcome to comment or message me about any ideas/questions you have and build on the plot as you like! I have a basic outline in my head of a future plot once the comic starts and Jasper arrives (he'll actually become the protagonist in my mind with Jekyll/Hyde as the antagonists), but I love to hear others' ideas!
Enjoy!
Formatting note: italics are used for communicated thoughts between the personalities. To match the comic, whoever is not in control will be further highlighted in bold, rather than make a permanent distinction for Jekyll versus Hyde.
The thrill was tangible in the half-formed fog as the figure dashed along the alley rooftops, euphoria bubbling in his system much like the drink he had earlier that night. Edward Hyde drove his foot into the terrace roof hard enough to leave a dent as he jumped across to the next row of battered houses, but the action was more of as a testament to Old Nichol's dilapidation than Hyde's use of force.
Not that Hyde wouldn't mind leaving a little more chaos in his wake…
We don't have time for that. Tonight you're out to look into rumors, not to have fun gallivanting around, a voice sighed from within Hyde's mind.
Said gallivanter grinned at the interruption and crouched down on the broken tile where he could enjoy the view while talking to the voice. Dodging the leaky holes and weak spots was already enough of a challenge impaired by the potion, no need to get the good Doctor into too much of a fright this early in the evening.
"Oh, you may feel that way, but I'm out here to enjoy the spirit of the night in all its lovely glory!" Hyde took a deep gulp of the rank polluted air and laughed at the spike of dignified disgust that shot through him.
Anyone else plagued by voices in their head might seek silence and strive to drive the intruder away, but Hyde relished the constant company. Having a captive audience to witness every victorious fight and daring leap was way more enjoyable than the dull silence every other person had to contend with. Besides, terrifying the Doctor with what he did in his body was no fun if he just turned away.
Rachel would probably just tease that he just loves himself too much. He'd just smile and boast that it's true.
Neither he nor Jekyll would admit that he just loves the madness.
A crash in the streets below breaks both spectators out of their shared reverie. Hyde feels the smile stretching across his face grow as Jekyll's consciousness leans forward in observation and anticipation.
"Is it just me or does that sound bigger than the sewer rats that breed around here? I think we found what we're looking for!"
Just try to get yourself down there quickly before it becomes a scene.
"But where's the fun in that? Why should I stalk unseen in my own lovely London when I was gifted the night?!"
We agreed you could go find out if there was something of interest and have fun once you're done.
"Because someone's too uppity to be caught dead in Old Nichols, hee hee! But that just means this fellow gets to do things his way!" Hyde started walking his way off the rooftop, taking comically large strides in the other direction as he prepared to climb down. The flash of frustration was worth it.
There was nothing like exploring the new feeling of emotions every time he tried a slightly different dose.
"I'll go along with it for now, Doctor! But I must say that if we cut another one of my turns short you're going to owe me."
Sigh. What now?
"Let's agree that if we go back now, you'll use the slow acting potion this time and just take notes?"
Hmph.
The sound of a woman's scream from the alley came just at the perfect time for Hyde.
The blonde id leaned on the rooftop next to the well-placed ladder and stood there. After a second of silence he decided to make it obvious and with a huff began to critically examine his hands, cleaning under each fingernail while whistling a haunting tune he made up on the spot.
Fine.
"Oh I knew you would agree to this civilly, Doctor! Now let's be off, your carriage awaits!"
And with a flutter of his cape in the wind as he climbed down the ladder the self-proclaimed Spirit of London at Night darted away, unseen by the slowly growing mob.
The angry mob parted in silence as the gleaming carriage approached.
Despite the delay it took to double back and fetch the waiting coach the police had yet to send a single officer to the scene. Dr. Jekyll knew it was to be expected given the neighborhood: Old Nichols was so bad there was already talk of condemning it and trying to just sell the land, but the disparity couldn't help but leave a rotten taste in his mouth. The distrust of the poor in East London was almost as bad as their anger towards Rogue Scientists in turn…
And so Jesus decides to ride in with his gleaming chariot to save only the most helpless souls of all.
"Not now, Hyde." Jekyll muttered to himself in the empty cabin as he took in the scene from the window.
Oh? But you always love when I narrate my adventures as The Spirit of London at Night! And it's still night now, so here I am.
Jekyll pinched his nose harder than intended when the gesture timed with the jar of the horses coming to a stop. "There's a reason I don't keep any mirrors in here…"
Come on, we both know you rent this thing and can't keep anything in here. Even if you use it so much you may as well buy one, if you had the funds that is. Give me a night and could steal you some…
"There's a reason I didn't bring a mirror with me, then." Henry Jekyll corrected, pushing his posture up straight in his seat and adjusting the top hat he put on. "I have an image to maintain."
You're right, an image. We have to keep the practically perfect Doctor Jekyll façade going or everything's going to come crashing down. And that's the very reason we have keep up these experiments, isn't it Doctor, to try to fix this little mar on your perfection? Hyde devolved into laughter in Jekyll's head and the gentleman had to school his features to keep from grimacing. There was no way that he could keep up with even a lower-class crowd like this.
The coachman had descended from his pure white steed and was now setting up the steps to the cabin in full view of Jekyll. Hyde's presence was still heavy in his mind and Jekyll grit his teeth as he tried to practice his famous London smile. "Just go away, please. I'm not sure if I can keep this up if unless you just don't… exist… for a while."
Eheehee because you just know you can't stop me.
Jekyll had never been so grateful for the pomp the arrival of a gentleman like him necessitated and prayed it would give him the time to compose himself. "No, I just don't have time right now!"
Oh, we both know that isn't it at all! If you really had control over me, you wouldn't need to ask me to stop. Not to mention there wouldn't be that piece of you that still has fun when we experiment, and not just from our love of science. If your potion worked as perfectly as you pretend, you wouldn't still be dressing up in a mask and pretending that it's just a guard you put up, rather than take down, around me!
And if all that was the case you wouldn't still be a liar, would you Jekyll? Hyde broke into another vicious peal of laughter at his words, and Jekyll had use all of his self-control not to just smash the nearest glass window.
By the time the coachman satisfactorily balanced everything on the even dirt streets and opened the carriage door, the cabin was silent and there was only Dr. Henry Jekyll, the kind-hearted philanthropist all of London knew and loved.
Whispers broke across the quieted mob as Dr. Henry Jekyll made his way down the steps, beaming warmly under his hat and thick coat at anyone and everyone. Both the gentleman and the crowd seemed to realize at the same time that there was no authority figure to represent the larger group, but while the mob looked around in growing confusion for someone who could break the silence the Doctor just stood serenely at the foot of his carriage, totally unbothered by the situation.
This continued for a minute before a man a few feet away coughed. Then a burlier man next to him shouted "No way you're the leader!" and tackled him. A few more bodies joined in and a weak "I just had a cough-!" sounded out from inside the sudden eruption of violence and Dr. Jekyll realized he'd probably need to take care of this on his own.
"Good evening, madam." Dr. Jekyll tipped his hat to an middle-age matriarch standing near the edge of the parted crowd by the carriage.
The muffled sound of some shovels hitting dirt echoed as some people dropped their mob weapons at his friendly greeting. At least this mob doesn't have pitchforks, Jekyll noted, though he pushed back the part of him that made that commentary. He was on important business right now and couldn't afford to tempt Hyde out.
"Wha are you doin here?" the woman responded distrustfully, and Jekyll felt his smile spread with even more of the kindness in what was now an instinctual response to mistrust. Men had been trained in the ways of fight or flight, Dr. Jekyll had been trained in the art of dazzle and amaze.
"Oh, I had been told by an associate that you were having some trouble with a young shapeshifter. I came to offer my assistance, if you would accept it?" Dr. Jekyll kept his full attention on the woman, as any gentleman would do, but also posed his question to the entire crowd.
The now disarmed (and no longer really deserving of the title) mob again remained dumbstruck, and Dr. Jekyll took the silence as a chance to nod to the matriarch and turn his head in search of the creature he was after. He had just picked out a head of brown hair knocked too close to ground level to be a child standing and was about to begin making his way over when a voice interrupted back near where the fight had broken out.
"And jus' who the hell are you? And wha' makes you think that we 'ere wan' your help?"
The mob geared up again towards another good angry uproar, but it luckily seemed to be directed towards the man's rudeness towards someone clearly of upper class. Dr. Jekyll just put his hands out placatingly to try to show he wasn't offended.
"Oh no, don't worry, it's fine!" He cried out. "I must have forgotten to introduce myself, I apologize." He took a deep breath and removed his cap to the man. "I am Dr. Henry Jekyll! I have quite an interest in helping misunderstood creature, you see-"
And the good doctor did not need to say anything more, as the crowd that had been afraid to interrupt a gentleman burst into excited and awed whispers at the name.
Finding himself cut off by the sudden rise in noise Dr. Jekyll let out a little chuckle, with as much dignity as he could put in the laugh. "Oh! I see most of you have already heard of me?"
The doctor smiled as some of the smiling group pushed up to him and walked him over to the figure he had spotted earlier, each of them chattering away at him as they approached. Nearly every man in London, rich or poor, had come to know the name of Dr. Henry Jekyll over the past months, as rumors spread of the wealthy gentleman who would reach out to help any and all monsters, and the incredible physician with the ability to restore their humanity.
If told that, Dr. Jekyll would shake his head humbly and correct that there was nothing needing to be restored to make any once-human supernatural creature act that way. That all he did was teach them how to act in society and they put in all the work at controlling themselves. The Londoners just smiled and called him too kind, something that made Dr. Jekyll flustered but Mr. Hyde confidently reassured. Although the populace was torn about his society, it was universally accepted that Dr. Henry Jekyll was among, if not the best man in London.
The crowd finally parted before the good doctor as they reached the crouched figure, torn between wanting to stay near the gentleman yet away from the monster. As his line of sight cleared Dr. Jekyll saw that the figure was a girl, perhaps a few years younger than Miss Rachel, with matted brown hair, torn rags, and skin so covered in grime it was hard to make out the shade in the dark. She shivered from both the cold and the fright the entire time that Dr. Jekyll approached, and upon reaching her the young gentleman quickly shrugged off his coat and offered it to her.
"Good evening, you miss. Now, if I may ask, what is behind all of this commotion here?"
The girl reached out slowly for the coat, but once she grabbed it she whipped it around her frame and snuggled into the fabric, her nose inhaling in the wonderfully fresh scent of peppermint. Looking back up at the patiently waiting doctor, she blushed at her rudeness.
"'Twas cold out and I don' have a place to stay so I tried to make myself warm in a hole in the wall by Ma'am Margaret's Bakery down the way." She muttered softly under her breath.
Dr. Jekyll's kind smile didn't falter, and the girl found herself lost in the handsome gentleman who saved her on the street. "Oh, that doesn't sound too bad. So what about this young miss trying to stay warm caused all of this reaction?" The doctor aimed the question back to the crowd, whose murmuring started up again as they debated who would tell him.
Wincing at the thought of her prince charming judging her the young girl spoke up, her voice carrying despite barely being above a whisper. "Ma'am Margaret caught me as a rat."
There wasn't a single shred of disgust in Dr. Jekyll's expression as he took her in. If anything, his eyes lit up with a passionate glow. "A rat, you say? And you can transform all the way from that into your human form while wearing clothes?" She curled the borrowed coat closer to cover the rags the doctor was referring to, but he didn't even seem to realize the potential insult, let alone intend it.
The crowd was awed as the girl just gave a small nod.
"Fascinating!" Dr. Jekyll remarked. Internally, Jekyll admired the control that such an action must take, but he knew well enough it wasn't worth the attention to say so out loud before their audience. "You certainly must show me once we get back to the Society!" He proclaimed instead, offering her a hand up.
The young shapeshifter stared at the gloved hand, the leather alone probably costing more money than she's had in her life, let alone the heavy coat keeping her incredibly warm despite the freezing cold of the night. The gentleman's eyes were warm as the baking ovens she once tried to snuggle, and with a gasp she couldn't help herself from saying, "I thought you wouldn't be willing to help… someone like me?"
"Now why would you possibly think that?" Dr. Jekyll asked, sounding as close to offended as he had the whole night, but still with a charming lilt. His voice alone made her feel like he was less upset at the misconception by the idea that she was putting herself down.
"Well, you're a doctor and I'm…" she shrugged, an unexpected effort under the coat, to the decaying streets around them.
Dr. Jekyll continued to look confused for a moment before understanding flashed in his eyes. "Nonsense, my dear lady. You are quite a charming young miss who deserves a chance to be a part of society as much as anyone else. I would say all people of London should have the right to not be chased down the street, wouldn't you agree?"
And then he flashed her a smile that made her heard pound and left her unable to do anything but nod, a blush warmer than his jacket settling on her cheeks and making her too nervous to even make eye contact.
He held out his gloved hand to her again when they reached the carriage steps and she couldn't help the daintiness that seemed to take over her wrist as she reached out to take it.
"Well there, Ella, let's get you out of these cinders and somewhere you can have a nice cup of tea and clean up, shall we?"
The shapeshifter felt far too much like a fairytale princess to correct her prince charming, let alone even notice that Dr. Henry Jekyll had never actually asked her name.
The carriage ride to the Society was silent. Neither the young shapeshifter nor the good doctor were willing to start a conversation, the former from nerves and the latter from exhaustion.
The girl passed the ride looking around the carriage and sticking her face to the window in unconcealed awe. She had been through all of London at some point, but had never seen the richer neighborhoods and fancy houses softly glow at night.
Watching the city grow bigger and prouder from the plush seat pulled by horseback, the good doctor's peppermint scent washing over her and his coat covering her (it was no longer needed to keep her warm) only made the night feel more like a dream, one she feared a peep would wake her from. So when she caught the doctor looking pensively out the other window she made a point to leave back and give him the full view, another blush adorning her features without her consent.
Dr. Jekyll didn't even seem to notice.
Ada realized she's probably been staring at the man for too long and turns her eyes away. After taking a minute to take in literally every other surface of the carriage she eventually settles on the window again. A sigh escapes her lips that starts frustrated and ends dreamy.
Her very own Prince Charming appeared and called her Cinderella. She just dreamed that this would still be real after midnight.
It took all of Robert's lessons on high society to keep Jekyll from fidgeting under the young woman's gaze during the carriage ride back to the Society, and all of the weight of what he was about to do to keep him from turning and starting a polite conversation with her. He hated this part of his 'dazzling patrols' more than anything: when he was still feeling the rush of being the perfect gentleman but had to admit, if only to himself, that he wasn't.
Don't go second guessing yourself again, Doctor! Hyde's voice bubbled back up unbidden his head and Jekyll leaned his head against the cool glass of the window a second before his personal demon's visage appeared in the reflection. You're the one who wanted to go after the shapeshifter in Old Nichols. And don't forget your promised me my turn.
Jekyll closed his eyes in a wince. Hyde normally had enough sense to stay quiet when he had company, and the rogue scientist didn't know how to tell his alter ego to kindly go away with the young miss still present.
It's not like she'll let anyone know that perfect Doctor Jekyll talks to himself if you slip up a bit, heehee! Besides, you always go about interrupting my dramatic monologuing, I only thought it was fair to return the favor!
Now really isn't the time… Jekyll tried to think in Hyde's direction as he sunk deeper into the cushion seat and his own depression. The young woman, a girl really, was looking around the carriage in awe when Jekyll glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Thinking it over he realized he never asked after her name, and by this point the chemist wasn't sure he wanted to know. Names… just made it harder to forget.
Fine! If you're going to keep worrying about shop then let's talk about it. So, she's a shapeshifter, and a stable one at that. Should be fun to use one of those potions of yours to slow it down and play with her, huh?
Hyde... Jekyll wished for the second time that night that he could punch the window to silence the specter, but he knew that violence would only leave scars and potentially attract attention. Please just let me do this in peace.
Why? It's still the night and still my time to take the reins! Besides, you made me to keep you from lying and to help you have fun. You're going to have some fun tonight and denying it is just lying to yourself, so why don't you just admit it Jekyll?
So, you'll give her one of your slow acting shapeshifting potions like you promised and hand the reins over to me while the process gets started…
No! Jekyll found himself bolting upright in his seat, noting with horror the way the girl also jumped in shock at his sudden movement before forcing himself to relax. You're not going to make me take the potion while we're taking data. We might miss something important!
See! Defending the experiment already. Now you're acting like the rogue scientist we know and are!
That isn't what I meant, Hyde. Jekyll saw the girl's eyes still on him and made sure to control his breathing. And you've been able to hear me in my head this whole time haven't you? You just like making me talk to you out loud to myself like a crazy person-!
-Anyway! Hyde interrupted. Then I guess you'll give me control first and I'll get her to start transforming once she's on the table.
She's not going to watch the transition!
We're going to kill her, Jekyll, I don't think she'll care about that part.
…
Fine. You're the genius scientist, you think up of something.
"Um, Dr. Jekyll?" A meek voice broke the silence and Jekyll looked up to find it coming from the young shapeshifter they'd been talking about.
It took him a second to realize that the carriage had stopped moving.
"I- I think we're here," she muttered, another blush growing on her cheeks in the carriage lantern light as she took in Dr. Jekyll, and the man felt the Doctor's mask returning.
You're even starting to acknowledge it's a mask again, I'm so proud of you. Hyde teased.
One day, it won't be. Jekyll promised his id.
Turning to the young shapeshifter he held his hand out to escort her down from the carriage. "Let's get you inside and have that cup of tea and a place to sleep for the night. There's a side entrance we can take so we don't disturb the others, but I'll introduce you when you wake up in the morning!"
Jekyll tried to be as honest as possible and to convince himself that he wasn't lying to both of them.
Ada smiled and took the doctor's hand without a hint of hesitation. She knew far too little about the layout of fancy London mansions to be suspicious when the stairs Jekyll took her to led down instead of up or when he left her in a room with his chemistry supplies as he went to fetch a teapot.
By the time Edward Hyde returned to the room with a syringe and a scapel, the young shapeshifter had already finished sipping the cup of tea, never notice the sickly sweet sleeping draught behind the chamomile. Hyde missed seeing the fight and fear and evil that flashed through his victim's eyes while he worked, but the way Jekyll's latest concoction gave him time to meddle with each slowly shifting bone made the night more than worth it.
Just as dawn was making its way over the horizon the man returned to the empty basement lab and cleaned off the last remnants of spilled blood and tea on the operating table. Henry Jekyll was just finishing his latest set of notes as he heard the Society come to life above him and was already working on contracts in the office when Robert arrived for a breakfast drink, laughing about the latest high society play.
Old Nichols would whisper rumors about the young monster whisked away by the loving Dr. Henry Jekyll, but the whole thing was already such a fairytale it was legend in just a matter of weeks. The constables had already deemed the neighborhood a failure and wouldn't bother to check for a missing homeless woman. No one saw young Ada again and almost no one missed her.
A few days later Henry Jekyll paused over his lab notebook and scrubbed the slight red bloodstain that had someone gotten on one of the pages, remembering the lovely way that color once stained an unnamed girl's cheeks.
It was sad not getting to see the eyes on that one for myself, I must admit. Hyde drawled from one of the endless mirrors lining the laboratory. She was awfully pretty.
Please, Hyde. Not now.
Oh, Jekyll, all this work preparing for the exhibition has kept you from your research and me from my fun! Reminiscing is all I have.
I must be careful. With everything this close people might get suspicious.
But my dear Doctor, that's why I've been spending all this time coming up with the perfect plan! All the fun I want and all the test subjects, and everyone will be none the wiser!
After all, no one would notice if people suddenly start disappearing from the Blackfog Bazaar...