Chapter 5 – Two Ill-fated Souls
It had been about a month since Jekyll had stated work on Skinner's visibility potion, and he was stuck in a rut. As hard as he had studied the notes on the invisibility method, he was still unable to figure out what needed to be done to reverse the process. He decided that he needed some fresh air and wandered out onto the top deck of the Nautilus.
It was early evening, and he was surprised to find that no one else was there. Usually, Sawyer was up there shooting and Nemo enjoyed he sea view. It felt quite cold and isolated when there was no one else there.
Jekyll leant over the side of the deck and looked at the seawater below. Recently his urges to release Hyde had been greater than usual and, unable to take the strain, Hyde had been let loose several times. But what puzzled Jekyll the most was that Mr Hyde always saw Bet when he stormed through the Nautilus. I wasn't that she was going out of her way to see Hyde; it felt more as if Hyde was going out of his way to see her. Although Jekyll had no control over Hyde's ways, he was able to remember what had happened. Hyde had deliberately gone to the dining room the once, after Jekyll had heard that Bet was having her late evening meal. She always ate after the others on the Nautilus, as she felt overwhelmed to eat with them. Hyde had trashed the whole room, while Bet stood calmly in the corner watching him. She seemed almost immune to his terror.
At that point, Jekyll heard someone approaching him. He turned to see that it was Bet.
"Hello," he greeted her. She smiled sweetly.
"'Allo." She replied. "I though I'd find you 'ere." She grinned at him. "Your work was left open at your desk." Bet stood next to him and looked out to sea. "Ain't it beautiful?" She asked. Jekyll nodded. "I ain't never seen the ocean before. Been too busy stuck in London. Too busy workin'."
"What was it like in London?" Jekyll asked. "I mean, how did you live?" Bet let out a stream of air.
"God, it were 'orrid. I 'ated it. Day after day workin' with the same sleazes, just to get enough money to buy somethin' to eat." She paused for a moment. "I'm glad to get away. Never 'ad the chance before. All me friends 'ad gone." She turned to look at him. "Well, when I say all me friends, I mean Nancy. She was the only person I could trust." She went quite.
"Why did she leave then?" Jekyll asked. Bet closed her eyes.
"Bill. That scumbag. I 'ate him. Never knew what she saw in 'im at all. And what's worse, if she weren't good enough for 'im, he'd take me. But she loved 'im, the daft sod."
"Did he make her leave?" Jekyll regretted asking as soon as the words had left his lips. Bet hung her head, and sniffed loudly.
"Murderer." She mumbled, her voice quaking with disgust. "'E was. A Murderer. Couldn't abide to think that she could care about anyone else but 'im." She turned to face Jekyll. "I saw her once it 'ad 'appened, you know. Lyin' there in the dirt. Eyes wide open. Blood…" She faded away, and looked back into the sea.
"Anyway, 'e got 'is reward." She continued. "'Ung 'imself tryin' to get away. Skinner came just before all o' this. Struck a deal with Fagin. That's 'ow I met him. 'E offered me this," she pointed around her, "and I thought 'Why not? Gets me away from this place, don't it?' I 'ad just said goodbye to Nancy that night, before it all 'appened. Most o' the other thieves were caught and 'ung. But I got away with Skinner."
"And now you're here." Jekyll said. She turned and smiled at him.
"Yeah, and I love it 'ere." There was a moment of silence. Both of them soaked up the peaceful atmosphere. The sun was getting lower and a flock of sea birds were swirling high in the sky. It was a good few minutes before they spoke again.
"'Ow did you end up 'ere then?" Bet asked Jekyll, shyly. "Not similar to me, eh?"
"You'd be surprised." Jekyll started. "As you know, the League was brought together to fight the Phantom. Quatermain was a crack shot. Nemo had all his inventions. Skinner, well, you've not see him, or not as the case may be." Bet giggled. "Mina, as you know, is a vampire. And Dorian, who you don't know, was immortal. Hyde was an obvious candidate, what with his strength and brute force. Since I was the only person who could bring him here and I was a scientist, they asked me along too." Bet screwed her face up.
"I 'eard that Quatermain rounded up Hyde." She said. "Ain't that right?" Jekyll smiled.
"Can't let me have any on the glory can you?" Bet laughed again. He grinned at her. "No, your right. Quatermain captured him, but I was the only one who could keep him contained." Jekyll looked out to sea. "And a bloody good job I'm doing of that at the moment!"
"Oh, it ain't your fault, is it?" Bet sympathised. "Surely it's 'im gettin' out, not you lettin' 'im?" Jekyll didn't reply. They stood in silence again. He couldn't reply to what she had asked.
"Hyde was sent to Paris, wasn't 'e?" She remarked. "Was that to do with the murder?"
"Yes," Jekyll replied. "And I was forced to go with him."
"Poor thing." She whispered. "Bit like me. We're just two ill-fated souls, ain't we?" She placed arm around Jekyll's back, and laid her head on his shoulder.
"Cold out 'ere, init?" she said.
"Yes," Jekyll replied quickly, "Did you want to go back inside?" She didn't move.
"No, no. I'm fine just 'ere." She didn't look at him, just continued to stare out at the sea. Jekyll cautiously put an arm around her waist. She moved in closer to him. Nothing more was said between them. Bet seemed to have drifted off in to some deep trance. Not knowing quite what to do, Jekyll just stood there and enjoyed the sea view, watching the sunset.
It had been about a month since Jekyll had stated work on Skinner's visibility potion, and he was stuck in a rut. As hard as he had studied the notes on the invisibility method, he was still unable to figure out what needed to be done to reverse the process. He decided that he needed some fresh air and wandered out onto the top deck of the Nautilus.
It was early evening, and he was surprised to find that no one else was there. Usually, Sawyer was up there shooting and Nemo enjoyed he sea view. It felt quite cold and isolated when there was no one else there.
Jekyll leant over the side of the deck and looked at the seawater below. Recently his urges to release Hyde had been greater than usual and, unable to take the strain, Hyde had been let loose several times. But what puzzled Jekyll the most was that Mr Hyde always saw Bet when he stormed through the Nautilus. I wasn't that she was going out of her way to see Hyde; it felt more as if Hyde was going out of his way to see her. Although Jekyll had no control over Hyde's ways, he was able to remember what had happened. Hyde had deliberately gone to the dining room the once, after Jekyll had heard that Bet was having her late evening meal. She always ate after the others on the Nautilus, as she felt overwhelmed to eat with them. Hyde had trashed the whole room, while Bet stood calmly in the corner watching him. She seemed almost immune to his terror.
At that point, Jekyll heard someone approaching him. He turned to see that it was Bet.
"Hello," he greeted her. She smiled sweetly.
"'Allo." She replied. "I though I'd find you 'ere." She grinned at him. "Your work was left open at your desk." Bet stood next to him and looked out to sea. "Ain't it beautiful?" She asked. Jekyll nodded. "I ain't never seen the ocean before. Been too busy stuck in London. Too busy workin'."
"What was it like in London?" Jekyll asked. "I mean, how did you live?" Bet let out a stream of air.
"God, it were 'orrid. I 'ated it. Day after day workin' with the same sleazes, just to get enough money to buy somethin' to eat." She paused for a moment. "I'm glad to get away. Never 'ad the chance before. All me friends 'ad gone." She turned to look at him. "Well, when I say all me friends, I mean Nancy. She was the only person I could trust." She went quite.
"Why did she leave then?" Jekyll asked. Bet closed her eyes.
"Bill. That scumbag. I 'ate him. Never knew what she saw in 'im at all. And what's worse, if she weren't good enough for 'im, he'd take me. But she loved 'im, the daft sod."
"Did he make her leave?" Jekyll regretted asking as soon as the words had left his lips. Bet hung her head, and sniffed loudly.
"Murderer." She mumbled, her voice quaking with disgust. "'E was. A Murderer. Couldn't abide to think that she could care about anyone else but 'im." She turned to face Jekyll. "I saw her once it 'ad 'appened, you know. Lyin' there in the dirt. Eyes wide open. Blood…" She faded away, and looked back into the sea.
"Anyway, 'e got 'is reward." She continued. "'Ung 'imself tryin' to get away. Skinner came just before all o' this. Struck a deal with Fagin. That's 'ow I met him. 'E offered me this," she pointed around her, "and I thought 'Why not? Gets me away from this place, don't it?' I 'ad just said goodbye to Nancy that night, before it all 'appened. Most o' the other thieves were caught and 'ung. But I got away with Skinner."
"And now you're here." Jekyll said. She turned and smiled at him.
"Yeah, and I love it 'ere." There was a moment of silence. Both of them soaked up the peaceful atmosphere. The sun was getting lower and a flock of sea birds were swirling high in the sky. It was a good few minutes before they spoke again.
"'Ow did you end up 'ere then?" Bet asked Jekyll, shyly. "Not similar to me, eh?"
"You'd be surprised." Jekyll started. "As you know, the League was brought together to fight the Phantom. Quatermain was a crack shot. Nemo had all his inventions. Skinner, well, you've not see him, or not as the case may be." Bet giggled. "Mina, as you know, is a vampire. And Dorian, who you don't know, was immortal. Hyde was an obvious candidate, what with his strength and brute force. Since I was the only person who could bring him here and I was a scientist, they asked me along too." Bet screwed her face up.
"I 'eard that Quatermain rounded up Hyde." She said. "Ain't that right?" Jekyll smiled.
"Can't let me have any on the glory can you?" Bet laughed again. He grinned at her. "No, your right. Quatermain captured him, but I was the only one who could keep him contained." Jekyll looked out to sea. "And a bloody good job I'm doing of that at the moment!"
"Oh, it ain't your fault, is it?" Bet sympathised. "Surely it's 'im gettin' out, not you lettin' 'im?" Jekyll didn't reply. They stood in silence again. He couldn't reply to what she had asked.
"Hyde was sent to Paris, wasn't 'e?" She remarked. "Was that to do with the murder?"
"Yes," Jekyll replied. "And I was forced to go with him."
"Poor thing." She whispered. "Bit like me. We're just two ill-fated souls, ain't we?" She placed arm around Jekyll's back, and laid her head on his shoulder.
"Cold out 'ere, init?" she said.
"Yes," Jekyll replied quickly, "Did you want to go back inside?" She didn't move.
"No, no. I'm fine just 'ere." She didn't look at him, just continued to stare out at the sea. Jekyll cautiously put an arm around her waist. She moved in closer to him. Nothing more was said between them. Bet seemed to have drifted off in to some deep trance. Not knowing quite what to do, Jekyll just stood there and enjoyed the sea view, watching the sunset.