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.
"The language they spoke sounded like a dialect of Spanish which is why Mr. Skinner calls them Spaniards," Nemo said. Skinner smirked. "However, this assumption was incorrect," Skinner scowled, "as they neither dressed nor moved as Spaniards. Their current southern path leads me to believe they are actually South American, or at least based there."
"We got a tattoo off one of 'em," Sawyer picked up as Nemo quieted, "It's a snake-like thing, we might be able to find a reference or somethin' in the captain's library."
Jekyll, who wasn't feeling so well after this morning -last night-, perked up a bit at this. Research, something a doctor is good at –
"Ms. Harker will be combing the texts while the rest of us plot a course of action," Nemo said but Jekyll didn't hear him over Hyde's laughter. Actually got your hopes up over that one, eh, Henry?
So what good are you? – was that an echo of Gray's voice or his own self-disgust? He couldn't tell as the laughter and the words and the sneers and the laughter swirled into one and splintered again in his mind.
In an uncomfortable moment, Hyde stopped smirking. He started watching.
Mina flipped the page in an overly large tome, eyes flickering over ink drawings in the hopes of spotting the angular reptile. Jekyll had entered moments ago and volunteered a second pair of eyes as strategic planning was not his strong suit. He now wandered the shelves for a mention of certain South American Indians. Ms. Harker wondered if the captain felt a kindred spirit with these 'Indians', albeit from halfway around the world, but because they might have a connection to those who stole members of his crew, she decided against asking.
Presently, she became aware of someone speaking.
"No – Mayan, Incan, Aztec, - well, that wasn't what we were looking for, so don't tell me –"
Jekyll walked away from her, speaking to himself…or the beast! He's speaking to Hyde in his mind! She shuddered as she realized how precarious the good doctor's state of mind must be.
"Well, you are being anything but helpful, so please stop."
"I mean it, Edward!"
"Or I'll – "
"Shut it!"
"What do you mean that wasn't you?"
His voice rose until he was shouting, "So tell whomever else in there to stop bothering me!" He straightened abruptly and combed his now mussed hair back to one side. He pulled a white handkerchief out of one pocket and dabbed the sweat of his forehead. He blinked.
"Ah! Tribal Markings!" He pulled a volume off the bookshelf. He did not seem to remember Mina's presence.
"I have requested a private meeting to discuss something that very much alarms me," Harker paused to take a sip of tea. They, the remaining members of the League, minus the good doctor, sat around in Ms. Harker's private quarters.
"Oh, come on now, don't keep us in suspense," Skinner said as a tin of greasepaint hovered in the air before him.
"Yeah, what's up? Where's doc?" Sawyer asked, jiggling his foot impatiently.
"You know," Skinner muttered, white fingers paused in midair, "he doesn't like being called doc." Sawyer gave him an odd look as Mina continued.
"Jekyll is what's concerning me, or rather, his state of mind."
"What?" Sawyer sat up. Unstable Hyde was one thing, but unstable Jekyll could easily release unstable Hyde aboard the Nautilus. Nemo, mirroring Sawyer's thoughts, strayed a hand to the hilt of his scimitar.
"Oh!" Skinner sat up, too, for a different reason, "You mean the talking to 'imself bit. He's just chattin' wid Hyde."
Mina raised an eyebrow, "There is Hyde, Jekyll, but who is the third person?"
Skinner paused again with one side of his face visible, "Third?" he asked.
"There can't be – the potion only releases one side, right?" Min looked offended at Sawyer's use of 'potion' but nodded, "Did he make more than one, you know," the blonde mimed tossing back a drink.
"I don't know. That's why we need someone to get close to Jekyll to ask him, subtly enough to not provoke a change. Who knows how stable he is right now?"
Skinner nodded. If Hyde was big, who knew how big this other monster might be?
Mina added, "Captain Nemo and I have already spoken to someone we believe is close enough to accomplish this." Nemo nodded, thoughtfully.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Skinner said, "Let's get the bloke moving before it's too late!"
He had the uncomfortable feeling they were looking at him.
"So, any thoughts today, ducks?" Skinner moved a pawn forward with one gloved hand. It hadn't taken too much to convince Jekyll to help him brush up on his chess. When the doctor had expressed surprise that Skinner was familiar with the game, he'd put on his best 'hurt' face. "Oh, come on now, ducks. I did say gentleman thief," he said. Jekyll smiled uncertainly, then winced, then smiled.
During the third game Skinner figured the poor sap was lonely. Most avoided him, some by accident, some by design. He decided it was their loss.
"Are you sure you want to move there?" Jekyll asked as he shifted a rook, "because I say check."
Skinner captured the rook, "So I say check."
Jekyll moved his queen, "And I say checkmate. That's two to me and one to you."
Skinner grinned and deftly began setting up the board again. "You're pretty good at this, ducks, who taught you?"
Jekyll started to smile, but grimaced, "A-a friend." He closed his eyes and pressed two fingers to his temple.
"You alright?"
"Fine!" he snapped. Skinner watched carefully from behind his handleless pince-nez.
"So, ah, that's Hyde chattin' with you?" he asked casually. Pawns now.
"Ah, yes. Yes, it is." He settled back somewhat calmer.
"You only made one potion, then?"
"What?" Jekyll looked at him beginning to smile. 'Potion'. "Oh! The elixir. Yes, only one kind, if that's what you mean," he said.
"Really."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jekyll tilted his head and stopped looking so pleasant. He rather looked on guard.
"Just, rumors. 'S'nothing, ducks. My turn?" Skinner moved a pawn two spaces forward. Jekyll's hand reached out and gripped Skinner's wrist.
"What rumors?"
"Nothing!" Jekyll's fingers tightened a bit more than they should have been able to and Skinner felt something pop. He winced. Jekyll's eyes widened slightly and he straighted his fingers, letting go of Skinner.
"Sorry. What rumors?" he asked again, quietly.
Skinner rubbed his wrist and began to do his pout, one he usually unleashed when Allan reprimanded his more inappropriate comments. Good, so he isn't that upset.
Don't want to piss off your special friend, Henry?
Bugger off, Edward. What rumors is he talking about?
I don't know… but it sounded like he did. Jekyll began to get a little angrier.
"What rumors?" he hissed at Skinner.
"Harker said – well, a lot of things, not all of which I bothered to pay attention to, had better things to look at, you get my drift? But, ah," he continued as Jekyll's eyes narrowed yellowing, "She thinks you might've made more than one potion and ah, something more than Hyde could be let loose and they don't want that to happen. Did you?"
"Hm?"
"Make more than one, come on ducks, pay attention!" Jekkyll rather looked as though he was having one of those in-head private conversations Skinner was beginning to envy.
"Oh! No. Of course not. What a silly idea!" Jekyll sat back, concentrating on something else and Skinner huffed impatiently.
"Then who are you talking to?"
"What?" He looked momentarily confused.
"You talk to yourself sometimes, but you're not just talking to you. Who else are you talking to?"
Jekyll's face smoothed, "Just Edward."
"And?" Skinner persisted. This was probably not the subtlety that Mina was looking for, but damned if ducks wasn't holding up his end of the conversation elsewhere.
"No one," he said, irritated.
"Yes, you are. Mina heard you."
Jekyll held his pawn and looked at it. He twirled it between his fingers. He has long fingers. Skinner shifted slightly. "We don't know."
"'scuse me?" Skinner sat back this time.
"Edward and I don't know. Actually, I'm beginning to think Edward does, but he won't tell me because he's being a prick. You ought to ask him next time he's out."
"Oh really," Skinner said sarcastically, "I guess I shall, then." Right, ask a powerhouse monster how many people he had in his head.
Jekyll set the pawn down and stood abruptly, "I told you what you want, so I think we're done here. I'll be in my quarters if someone finds anything useful for Edward to do." Now he sounded slightly bitter, but Skinner couldn't blame him. Poor sap.
Skinner sat and watched him go, and felt slightly disappointed. "We must do this again sometime," he muttered in a faux chipper voice to himself, as he began putting the pieces away.
