From the reviews I've read so far, it sounds as if everybody is both
very anxious and very suspicious. I'm impressed. To reward you all for
reviewing, I'm going to reply now to the reviews that have been sent to me
in the past 24 hours:
To Henriette: Jekyll's my favorite character too. It's so hard to come up with a decent plot for a Jekyll story, though, especially when you're used to writing comedy.
To Starlight16: Keep you in suspense? Never! Why would I do such a thing? Here's the next chapter, written just for you.
To Clez: I'm glad you're trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Like McCane in "The End of the LXG," it may be a bit of a shock once you find out who she really is at the end of the story.
To Graymoon74: Yeah, Jekyll's a sweet man, isn't he? As for Batsie sharing a mirror with Dorian, she really doesn't need to. She didn't WANT to be gorgeous. Nature just made her that way.
To Night Music: Thanks for reading my story! As for the answer to your question, Batsie Gerrard IS of my own creation. I first featured her in an original short story entitled "The Storm," written about 1997. I would tell you what it's about, but I can't. It'll spoil the ending of THIS story!
And here's chapter four. Enjoy the show!
*
Aside from Mina and Jekyll, the rest of the passengers on the Nautilus were enjoying after-dinner cocktails in the Nautilus' lounge.
"Mina hasn't been this sick since her bat sonar was infected a few years ago, and she kept getting mind-splitting headaches," Tom said worriedly.
"Don't worry, Sawyer, I'm sure she's okay," Skinner said. He appeared to be in deep thought. "You know, maybe I should go to the lab and make her an antibiotic."
"NO!" Sawyer, Nemo, and McCane all shouted together.
Skinner shrugged. "Hey, folks, it was just a suggestion."
"And a horrifying one at that," Sawyer shivered. "Skinner, stay OUT of the lab. Remember the last time you went in there?"
"Hey, Andre came along and helped her out," Skinner pointed out.
"Only because I was acting under orders from Que Moriarty," McCane told him.
"Imagine if I wasn't. Mina would have stayed like that forever." That comment was enough to shut Skinner up.
"I'm back," Batsie Linoge appeared breathlessly at the doorway. "I'm sorry that I had to step out of the room for a few moments. I got a message on the telegraph from Simon."
"Oh, is Simon your husband?" asked Sawyer. Batsie nodded.
"What's the chap like?" asked Skinner.
"He's like me, only more sinister," McCane said simply. Sawyer, Skinner, and Nemo all laughed.
"No, I'm serious, he is!" McCane persuaded them.
"He is quite intimidating," Batsie added. "I guess you're right, Andre. He is a more sinister you."
"Remember what I was like that time I pretended to kidnap Sawyer?" McCane asked them. "I was acting like a cruel and inhuman monster. Well, that's Simon Linoge for you."
"Hey," Batsie said, a bit hurt.
"Sorry, Batsie."
* * *
Mina sat up and gasped for air. She badly wanted blood, but she knew she couldn't have any, or else she would be sick again. She badly wanted Jonathan too, but he was dead.
Having Jekyll around was a change. Never before had Mina had her own personal doctor by her bedside 24 hours a day. After a while of taking care of her, Jekyll had refused to leave her. He promised he would stay right by her side until she was better. Jonathan WOULD have done that, but he usually had very important experiments brewing in the lab.
Well, that was his excuse, anyway. Mina knew that Jonathan couldn't stand to be around a sick Mina. It broke his heart.
"Henry, I think this is it," Mina gasped, holding her heart and falling back down onto her bed. "I think these are the last moments of Mina Harker."
"Mina, stop!" Jekyll begged her. "Please stop that! You aren't going to die!"
"I can hear Jonathan calling," Mina whispered quietly. "I can hear him, calling me upwards to the Great Beyond."
"Mina!" scolded Jekyll. "I think you're just delirious from the fever. Here, lie down, and I'll get you a cold compress for your forehead. You poor thing, your fever must have gone up another degree."
Mina just moaned from the pain. She turned in bed and vomited yet again into the washbasin.
"Mina!" Jekyll cried worriedly, fearing she wasn't kidding. "Mina, are you okay?" Without waiting for an answer, Jekyll turned back to the desk, where a water pitcher was sitting. He poured a glass of water for Mina and rushed back over to her.
Choking and white in the face, Mina accepted the glass of water from Jekyll and started drinking greedily.
"Mina, don't drink so fast!" Jekyll cried. "It isn't good for you to do so!"
"It doesn't matter what's good for me now," Mina gasped, after swallowing several gulps of water.
Tears started to run down Jekyll's cheeks. He started to tell himself over and over that Mina was overreacting in her suffering and pain, but something was nagging at him in his heart, telling him that Mina wasn't kidding when she said she was dying.
Jekyll climbed onto Mina's bed, knelt beside her, and felt her forehead. When he was assured that she was burning up even more than before, he reached over toward the nightstand and picked up a white cotton cloth. Dipping the cloth into some freezing water, he put it gently to Mina's forehead.
"Here, Mina. Just lay back and rest, now. Don't you worry, I'll be here for you."
Mina, struggling to breathe, started choking even on her own breaths. "Henry," she wheezed breathlessly. "I have something I wish to tell you."
"Oh, anything, Mina. You can say anything you wish."
Mina turned her head to the side and retched again. Gasping for air, she turned back to him and looked him straight into the eye. "I love you, Henry Jekyll."
"Oh, Mina!" Jekyll, still holding the cool washcloth to Mina's forehead, bent down to hug her.
"There, I've said it," Mina whispered. "And now, I don't believe I can say any more." And before Jekyll could say a single word to her, Mrs. Wilhelmina Harker took her last breath and passed away. Mina was dead.
"Mina?" asked Jekyll worriedly, slapping her cheek gently. "Mina?"
But Mina would not wake up. Jekyll tried shaking her by the shoulders, pinching her cheek, even slapping her across the face. Mina still did not rouse.
Jekyll burst into tears, still unable to believe that Mina had died. He cried so hard that he almost choked on his own breathing.
"Help," he finally gasped. "Someone help me! I need somebody! HELP!!!!!"
* * *
Back in the lounge, Skinner was entertaining them with a whole bunch of hilarious jokes. Between laughs, Nemo finally finished his champagne cocktail and put his empty glass down.
"This has been fun," Nemo chuckled. "But now, we really must get back to reality. Poor Mina is very ill. Let's all pay her a visit."
"Yes, let's," McCane agreed. "I wish to find out her favorite type of flower, so that I can find her a lovely batch to cheer her up with."
"Isn't it white roses?" Sawyer wondered aloud.
But before anybody could say anything, Jekyll's screams for help sounded from the direction of Mina's room.
The whole group gasped and jumped out of their seats. Before they knew what was happening, they were all out the door and rushing down the hall toward Mina's room to see what the matter was.
*
Before you all start flaming, you might want to look back to the beginning of chapter three to refresh yourselves with what I've said earlier. Happy reviewing.
~ Alisonia
To Henriette: Jekyll's my favorite character too. It's so hard to come up with a decent plot for a Jekyll story, though, especially when you're used to writing comedy.
To Starlight16: Keep you in suspense? Never! Why would I do such a thing? Here's the next chapter, written just for you.
To Clez: I'm glad you're trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Like McCane in "The End of the LXG," it may be a bit of a shock once you find out who she really is at the end of the story.
To Graymoon74: Yeah, Jekyll's a sweet man, isn't he? As for Batsie sharing a mirror with Dorian, she really doesn't need to. She didn't WANT to be gorgeous. Nature just made her that way.
To Night Music: Thanks for reading my story! As for the answer to your question, Batsie Gerrard IS of my own creation. I first featured her in an original short story entitled "The Storm," written about 1997. I would tell you what it's about, but I can't. It'll spoil the ending of THIS story!
And here's chapter four. Enjoy the show!
*
Aside from Mina and Jekyll, the rest of the passengers on the Nautilus were enjoying after-dinner cocktails in the Nautilus' lounge.
"Mina hasn't been this sick since her bat sonar was infected a few years ago, and she kept getting mind-splitting headaches," Tom said worriedly.
"Don't worry, Sawyer, I'm sure she's okay," Skinner said. He appeared to be in deep thought. "You know, maybe I should go to the lab and make her an antibiotic."
"NO!" Sawyer, Nemo, and McCane all shouted together.
Skinner shrugged. "Hey, folks, it was just a suggestion."
"And a horrifying one at that," Sawyer shivered. "Skinner, stay OUT of the lab. Remember the last time you went in there?"
"Hey, Andre came along and helped her out," Skinner pointed out.
"Only because I was acting under orders from Que Moriarty," McCane told him.
"Imagine if I wasn't. Mina would have stayed like that forever." That comment was enough to shut Skinner up.
"I'm back," Batsie Linoge appeared breathlessly at the doorway. "I'm sorry that I had to step out of the room for a few moments. I got a message on the telegraph from Simon."
"Oh, is Simon your husband?" asked Sawyer. Batsie nodded.
"What's the chap like?" asked Skinner.
"He's like me, only more sinister," McCane said simply. Sawyer, Skinner, and Nemo all laughed.
"No, I'm serious, he is!" McCane persuaded them.
"He is quite intimidating," Batsie added. "I guess you're right, Andre. He is a more sinister you."
"Remember what I was like that time I pretended to kidnap Sawyer?" McCane asked them. "I was acting like a cruel and inhuman monster. Well, that's Simon Linoge for you."
"Hey," Batsie said, a bit hurt.
"Sorry, Batsie."
* * *
Mina sat up and gasped for air. She badly wanted blood, but she knew she couldn't have any, or else she would be sick again. She badly wanted Jonathan too, but he was dead.
Having Jekyll around was a change. Never before had Mina had her own personal doctor by her bedside 24 hours a day. After a while of taking care of her, Jekyll had refused to leave her. He promised he would stay right by her side until she was better. Jonathan WOULD have done that, but he usually had very important experiments brewing in the lab.
Well, that was his excuse, anyway. Mina knew that Jonathan couldn't stand to be around a sick Mina. It broke his heart.
"Henry, I think this is it," Mina gasped, holding her heart and falling back down onto her bed. "I think these are the last moments of Mina Harker."
"Mina, stop!" Jekyll begged her. "Please stop that! You aren't going to die!"
"I can hear Jonathan calling," Mina whispered quietly. "I can hear him, calling me upwards to the Great Beyond."
"Mina!" scolded Jekyll. "I think you're just delirious from the fever. Here, lie down, and I'll get you a cold compress for your forehead. You poor thing, your fever must have gone up another degree."
Mina just moaned from the pain. She turned in bed and vomited yet again into the washbasin.
"Mina!" Jekyll cried worriedly, fearing she wasn't kidding. "Mina, are you okay?" Without waiting for an answer, Jekyll turned back to the desk, where a water pitcher was sitting. He poured a glass of water for Mina and rushed back over to her.
Choking and white in the face, Mina accepted the glass of water from Jekyll and started drinking greedily.
"Mina, don't drink so fast!" Jekyll cried. "It isn't good for you to do so!"
"It doesn't matter what's good for me now," Mina gasped, after swallowing several gulps of water.
Tears started to run down Jekyll's cheeks. He started to tell himself over and over that Mina was overreacting in her suffering and pain, but something was nagging at him in his heart, telling him that Mina wasn't kidding when she said she was dying.
Jekyll climbed onto Mina's bed, knelt beside her, and felt her forehead. When he was assured that she was burning up even more than before, he reached over toward the nightstand and picked up a white cotton cloth. Dipping the cloth into some freezing water, he put it gently to Mina's forehead.
"Here, Mina. Just lay back and rest, now. Don't you worry, I'll be here for you."
Mina, struggling to breathe, started choking even on her own breaths. "Henry," she wheezed breathlessly. "I have something I wish to tell you."
"Oh, anything, Mina. You can say anything you wish."
Mina turned her head to the side and retched again. Gasping for air, she turned back to him and looked him straight into the eye. "I love you, Henry Jekyll."
"Oh, Mina!" Jekyll, still holding the cool washcloth to Mina's forehead, bent down to hug her.
"There, I've said it," Mina whispered. "And now, I don't believe I can say any more." And before Jekyll could say a single word to her, Mrs. Wilhelmina Harker took her last breath and passed away. Mina was dead.
"Mina?" asked Jekyll worriedly, slapping her cheek gently. "Mina?"
But Mina would not wake up. Jekyll tried shaking her by the shoulders, pinching her cheek, even slapping her across the face. Mina still did not rouse.
Jekyll burst into tears, still unable to believe that Mina had died. He cried so hard that he almost choked on his own breathing.
"Help," he finally gasped. "Someone help me! I need somebody! HELP!!!!!"
* * *
Back in the lounge, Skinner was entertaining them with a whole bunch of hilarious jokes. Between laughs, Nemo finally finished his champagne cocktail and put his empty glass down.
"This has been fun," Nemo chuckled. "But now, we really must get back to reality. Poor Mina is very ill. Let's all pay her a visit."
"Yes, let's," McCane agreed. "I wish to find out her favorite type of flower, so that I can find her a lovely batch to cheer her up with."
"Isn't it white roses?" Sawyer wondered aloud.
But before anybody could say anything, Jekyll's screams for help sounded from the direction of Mina's room.
The whole group gasped and jumped out of their seats. Before they knew what was happening, they were all out the door and rushing down the hall toward Mina's room to see what the matter was.
*
Before you all start flaming, you might want to look back to the beginning of chapter three to refresh yourselves with what I've said earlier. Happy reviewing.
~ Alisonia
