Disclaimer: Not mine. The concept goes to America's Best Comics and Alan Moore and Fox 20th cent., the characters come from their classics. I don't make any money off this, and as a starving student, neither will you if you sue me.

Warning – mentions of rape and a naughty word.

            They'd given Skinner a jacket even though no one could see the naughty bits, as he'd informed Jekyll. They just wanted to make sure he was still in his cell. As Detective Finn put it, if the jacket came off, so did his head. He'd already been knocked round a bit, as some believed him to be some sort of serial rapist and others probably just wanted to see if his bruises became visible. He moved jerkily to stand in front of Jekyll, the only one still speaking to him.

            "What were you doing?" Jekyll asked, "What were you thinking?"

            "Well, the way I see it, I'm invisible, right? Might as well have some fun – "

            "By raping some prostitute? Is that your idea of fun?!"

            Sounds like fun to me, Henry.

            "Fuck you!" Jekyll snapped. Skinner stiffened in surprise.

            "Look, ducks, I only felt 'er up some, nothin' really happened. The cozzers showed, I ran, the biddy threw 'er powder pouf at my head and then the cops got me. See? No harm done – 'cept to me anyway," he muttered and shrugged one shoulder painfully feeling aches that would worsen before they got better.

            Jekyll stood unmoving, one hand pressing a handkerchief to his lips. He looked paler then Skinner's greasepaint.

            "Ducks?" Skinner asked, holding the bars, "Are you alright?"

            Jekyll opened his eyes, "'M fine." He replaced the cloth in his pocket and shook his head to clear it, "Why do you call me ducks?"

            Skinner shrugged, then hissed, "You, ah, asked me not to call you doc, and I'm respectin' your wishes," he said, then remembering he added, "To your face, anyways," sounding slightly chagrined.

            Jekyll nodded, remembering – Skinner immobilized in one place was not prone to a good mood, and pestered Jekyll constantly about leaving, always tacking doc onto it somehow, until Jekyll yelled at him, "I am a doc-tor! Not a doc! Try to treat me with at least some modicum of respect!"

            Skinner lay very still. Until then the only one that could truly upset the good doctor was the monster, Hyde, but now Skinner had – and that realization made him feel very uncomfortable indeed. Jekyll was like a puppy, an intelligent puppy, but one that made you feel bad when you hurt it.

            "Alright," he said quietly, "I-I'm sorry." Jekyll looked down at his bandaged form, then his eyes darted to the mirror in the corner. He looked back down at Skinner and nodded.

            Jekyll sighed, "So we have the what, but why?"

            Skinner shrugged again, "Ow! I told you, I was just havin' a spot of fun. I'll out in the morning, no problem."

            Having fun… "You expect to get out that soon? Now they're calling you the red light rapist. Is that fun?"

            Skinner sighed and the top of the jacket bent forward. Jekyll presumed he was bowing his head.

            "The evidence they 'ave, the hairs 'er blonde. I'm not. Even when they leave my body, they're still invisible. You remember how my skin turned invisible again when it healed?" Jekyll nodded thoughtfully and filed that fact somewhere between Hyde's growing impatience, his own thoughts, and the apparent third presence.

            Skinner dropped his hands. "Yeah. Now go on, ducks," he waved a sleeve at Jekyll.          

            "What?"          

            "I'm tired. I'll see you in the morning." He went back to the bunk and lay stiffly with his back toward Jekyll.

            Let's go.

            "You – you still didn't tell me why. I don't buy you just wanted to have fun."

            Come on!

            Skinner ignored him. Jekyll felt the muscles in the back of his neck tighten. He squeezed his eyes shut. Not now, Edward.

            I'm bored! I don't give a shit why, I want to do something!

            "Skinner! Why?" his voice sounded strained and it was a trick of the light, the hairs on the back of his hands, lengthening and darkening like that.

            He grasped at a memory as Hyde began to growl. "What was on that paper?"

            "Wot?"

            "Th-that paper – the one you got yesterday –"

            Skinner sighed theatrically, "It's on my bureau. That's why. Now be a good boy and piss off."

            Skinner's room was in as much disarray as the meeting room had been, but Jekyll wasn't paying attention. He sought out the paper while Hyde fussed in his head making it hard to concentrate. He could make out phrases – we thank you for your service – crown – we regret – process is irreversible – no cure

            Now you know, now we can have some real fun.

            …no…

            Come on, Henry, let me out.

            I-I can't.

            Yes, you can. You ought to make up for earlier.

            That's no reason.

            I'm bored, that's plenty of reason, he whispered, I can get the gels where you can't.

            With a shaking hand Jekyll opened his leather case. He carefully removed a vial of the elixir and slipped it into his pocket. He hurried out of the Nautilus while Hyde crooned deep in his mind You won't have that dream tonight, Henry.

            Morning came with a bitter copper breath against Jekyll's pillow where he had collapsed without bothering to pull off the rags left from Hyde's transformation back. His mouth tasted awful.

            What happened…He knew what his mouth tasted like, but he tried not to think about it.

            Somewhat freshened a few minutes later, he made his way to the main dining room. Seated across from Sawyer he finally acknowledged a detail about his surroundings. "We're moving," he said, "Where are we going?"

            Sawyer stared at him in disbelief but relaxed. "Oh, that's right. You were asleep," was that disgust, "Someone kidnapped the crewmembers that went recruiting last night. We're following the bastards now." Though he swore Jekyll could tell his heart wasn't in it. The boy looked for all the world like a drowned river rat.

            "D-did something else happen?" he asked.

            "Naw – well, one of the ones they took was my friend, Jack."

            "The –oh! The one with the tattoo?"

            "Yeah. Last one. Last one I could count on anyways." Jekyll thought he could be a tad drunk. Morose and drunk.

            "What do you mean?" Jekyll spread sea-anemone jelly on his toast.

            "Well, most of the ones I trained with are dead, a few from treachery, a couple 'cause of their own stupidity – others I didn't train with, we, we grew apart," he shrugged, "We had, whaddya call 'em, irrevocable differences."

            Jekyll nodded, remembering his reaction to the blonde woman. "And now we are in pursuit."

            "Yup." Sawyer stood abruptly and Jekyll realized with a start that he was finished. He wondered how long he had slept. When he looked up again, Skinner sat across from him.

            His glass floated upward in a toast, "Mornin'."

            "Good morning. So they, ah, let you out?"

            "O'course! The other bloke struck again while I was locked up. Killed this time – anyway, they let me out just in time to go after these Spaniards."

            "What – Spaniards – someone died?"

            "Yeah," he grinned, "Wake up, do-ducks."

            "Wh-who was it?"

            "Some mick prostitute. And," he raised a sleeve to cut off what he presumed was Jekyll's next question, "as for 'ow do we know they're Spaniards? You'll have to ask Nemo." Jekyll nodded. Mick prostitute. No wonder I'm not hungry.

            Oh, come on now, Henry. We didn't eat that much, just her throat, a few bites here and there –

            Yes, he knew what that taste was –

            "Jekyll?" alarmed, Skinner started to stand but it was too late.

            Henry threw up.

Author's Notes ~

Going away again, but shall be back soon.

Next part explores the third voice more, and the 'mystery' which now is not. So much. Um.

Picked up a copy of the novelization by KJ Anderson. I've decided to stick mostly to the movie, and interweave a few of the graphic novel details, but won't draw on the novel.

Review!

See you in a bit.