Nemo settled his hands behind his back, clasping them there for a moment. He had the look of deep thought strewn across his brow as he paced back and forth in front of a small chair that held the sloped form of Dr. Jekyll. At certain spots on the Oriental rug he would pause, look up, gather some thoughts from the air about him and then nod in agreement and move on.
Skinner was seated in a large, black velvet chair in one corner of the room and Tom was seated in another black velvet chair in the opposite corner of the room. Between them, in the middle of the room, was a large table of oak that held a stunning replica of the Nautilus on its gleaming surface and a tiny figure of Nemo standing atop it.
In front of that table sat the drugged Jekyll.
Tom ignored Jekyll and stared at the ship, desperately wanting to go over and study it more closely. He tapped his hands on his legs, his head moving up and down to some unheard beat. He was trying not to nod off as Skinner was doing.
That was terribly rude and Tom didn't want to be banished from learning the navigation of the Nautilus.
Still, he really hoped that Nemo was planning on speaking soon.
Tom looked over at Skinner who had himself leaned back, his head resting on the edge of the wood of his chair. He was dozing off. At some point, he lifted his hat from his head and placed it over his face.
He was now snoring lightly.
The hour had gotten late and Nemo had been pacing for at least two of those hours.
Just as Tom's shaggy head dropped down to let his brain nod off to sleep, he heard Nemo clear his throat.
Both Skinner and Tom sat up and looked to Nemo. He was perched right in front of Jekyll, his eyes boring into the man.
After the long hours of sitting and waiting, Tom and Skinner were positive that Nemo would have something extraordinary to say. Tom had even scoffed at himself for not bringing along some paper to write this great speech on.
They both eagerly awaited his words.
And they both fell back in their chairs in disbelief when he only parted with one.
"Killer." He said softly.
The room was silent as Jekyll sat up in the chair; his head shaking off the drowsiness that still lingered in his brain.
"You two go gather all his Hydes. I want every last bottle and I don't care if you have to destroy all his belongings in order to get them." Nemo said as he stared at Jekyll.
Tom and Skinner eyed each other, but said nothing. When had the two of them become Nemo's little helpers? They were both wondering this, but neither chose to tell the man how they felt.
"All right, eh? Come on Tom, let's see what we can find in ole Jekyll's room." Skinner said as he walked across the room and pulled Tom up from the cushioned seat, "Give us something ta do."
They left the room quickly.
Now Nemo seated himself out beside Jekyll, "You've killed my cook. He was a trusted friend and a very close companion. And it just so happens he was the only chef on this ship so now we may all starve to death. What have you to say for yourself?"
Jekyll slid a quivering hand across his lip to wipe at the drool that was dripping down. For a second he was sure that his mouth couldn't form words. Gibberish vibrated his upper lip as he tried to make a case for himself.
"I know it was Hyde, dear man!" Nemo said with such gruffness in his voice that Jekyll threw a rubbery arm over his head in order to block the blow he knew was coming his way, "But who made Hyde? And don't pretend to be so innocent. What man hides behind a brutal beast?"
Jekyll peered out from under his arm, "I do, sir." He said softly, "But not in meaning to harm. I too wish to rid myself of him, but he found himself."
"No more!" Nemo almost shouted as he stood up, "If I ever see Hyde upon this ship again I shall throw you overboard."
Jekyll stood up, but his legs wobbled and he soon found himself face flat on the Oriental rug, "He can't be destroyed." He cried as he reached for Nemo's leg.
Nemo walked away, "If he can't, then you will be."
There was the soft clinking of glasses behind Jekyll, but he couldn't turn to see who was there with Nemo. Two voices were echoing in his ears. One voice belonged to Nemo, but he couldn't place the other voice.
The other was saying, "Why would you bring such a brutal man on board such a lovely ship?"
Nemo's voice was sharp; "He's a friend. He saved my ship last time he was boarded here. I have all the reason in the world to be grateful to him for that."
The voices were becoming mixed. Jekyll desperately tried to hear the rest of the conversation but found that he couldn't. His brain was numb and his ears felt as if they were full of cotton.
He was slowly slipping into sleep. His eyelids becoming so heavy that he could hardly keep them open. What had Nemo given him?
He stared down at the rug just beneath his chin. Was someone going to help him up or was he to spend eternity here on this catastrophe of woven threads.
Something moved.
He let his eyes focus on a bundle of flowers at one end of the rug. They were moving. Marching toward him across the red inner area of the rug. Jekyll smiled lightly, "Pretty." He said as spit dripped from his mouth.
The flowers were now falling away, disappearing back into the deep red of the rug. Only one remained. It stepped up to Jekyll's nose and leaned down as if to kiss him, but before it touched his nose it pulled back and sneezed. Jekyll laughed, his tongue vibrating against the roof of his mouth. Since when did flower's sneeze?
The flower bowed its head, straightened itself into a righteous position, threw back its head of petals in an annoyed huff and dived back into the rug.
Jekyll felt more alone now than ever.
And the voices were back again. They seemed closer. He could feel that someone was now leaning down, staring at him.
He wanted to look up at his onlooker, but he could hardly move his eyes.
His brain was numbing his body. All his limbs were heavy, so heavy that he couldn't even lift his head from the rug anymore.
Just before he fell into a deep, drugged sleep he heard something that made his brain tingle with alarm.
The other voice had said, "We will just have to keep him drugged for the rest of the trip."
And Nemo had answered with a yes.
