Chapter 14 – Trapped with Hyde
A week passed before Jekyll felt the strain too much to cope anymore. He had tried to hold out longer, for Bet's sake. He still wasn't totally happy about her doing this. So many things could backfire or go wrong. As helpful as Hyde had been during the League's last heroic adventure, Jekyll still couldn't control him. Hyde had only really helped before to save himself. There was no way of knowing whether he'd suddenly turn against the League. "Or Bet." Jekyll though as he began to bolt his room door as securely as possible.
"Are you alright, Dr Jekyll?" Bet asked. She was sitting on his desk, totally invisible. "You don't look too good." Jekyll turned to face the desk. There were bags under his eyes and he was sweating.
"I think I'll go mad if I don't let him out soon!" Jekyll replied, shaking slightly. He placed his hands on the door and shook it. "That should hold him, but only for a while." He stared out into the space where Bet was. "You will be okay won't you?" She stood up, knocking some papers to the floor and walked over to where Jekyll was. Jekyll felt her take his hands.
"You don't need to worry about me." She told him. "I ain't gonna do nothin' silly, you know!" He weakly smiled at the space in front of him. "Are you ready?" Bet asked him.
"Are you ready?" Jekyll asked. He sighed. "You are sure you want to do this?" Bet released his hands and walked around the room.
"Of course I am, silly! You must stop worryin' so!" Jekyll saw a vial of formula float up from the box on his desk and fly through the air towards his hand. "Drink up," Bet gestured as she passed him the vial. Jekyll raised his head.
"Where are you?" He looked about, curious as to where Bet was.
"'Ere in the corner, as you suggested." Bet smiled at him. "Good luck, you'll be alright."
Jekyll turned away from Bet and looked at the potion in the vial. He couldn't wait to taste it, to feel relieved once again. Urgently, he pulled the cork from the top of the vial and threw it to the floor. With one last glance at where Bet was, he drank the formula.
Bet watched as Jekyll began to transform. It looked so painful. He was thrashing about and yelling out loud. His light frame began to change into the monstrous structure of Mr Hyde, ripping the clothes that he was wearing. After about a minute, the transformation was complete. Bet sat down in the corner, eager to keep out of Mr Hyde's way.
Hyde gazed around the room, grunting. He grabbed out at the box on the desk, sniggering.
"Poor Henry," he growled to himself. "Just couldn't resist me, could you? Not much fun being you, is it? You'd much prefer to be me." He laughed, heartily and turned to face the door. It was covered with chains and wood. Lazily, he strode towards it and started pulling at the chains. They crumbled pathetically in his hands. "You really thought that this would be enough to stop me, Henry?"
Bet watched in despair as Hyde continued to claw at the door. The metal bent and the wood splintered, as the barriers were ripped from it. He was close to completely destroying the whole structure. Bet started to worry. He couldn't go out into the Nautilus. Hyde had to stay in the room. Without thinking, she stood up.
"No," she cried, as Hyde was reaching for the last chain. Instantly, he turned to the source of the noise. There was nothing there. For a moment he looked puzzled.
"Skinner?" he asked, gruffly. "That's not you, is it Skinner?" He walked closer towards the corner. Bet could feel his breath breathing down on her. She closed her eyes, tightly. She was scared.
"No," she whispered. "It ain't. It's me." Quickly, she slipped out under Hyde's arm and climbed quietly onto the bed. Hyde sniffed, a sinister smile sweeping across his face. He turned slowly to where Bet had gone.
"Ah, Bet, my love." He spoke slowly, savouring every word. "You poor, foolish girl." He started to pace towards her. "I told you Jekyll was no good! I told you he'd hurt you; ruin you. Just look at you now."
"I ain't afraid of you!" She shouted at him. He laughed.
"Oh, but my dear," Hyde taunted. "You are! I can smell it." He took another step towards her. Panicking, Bet tried to slip away to the other side of the room, but managed to brush past Hyde as she did so. He turned to follow her. "You can't get away, Bet." She scrambled towards Jekyll's desk.
"Why can't you just leave 'im alone?" She shouted at Hyde. "Why can't you leave Dr Jekyll be?" Hyde laughed, placing a hand on Jekyll's desk and leaning in towards her.
"Because he just can't leave me alone." With one swift movement, Hyde up lifted the desk and sent it crashing to the floor. Papers swirled around the room and the inkwell spurted ink into the air and across Bet's face. She screamed as the cold liquid hit her. Hyde's eyes lit up. "There you are." He grunted.
Bet fled towards the door and loosened the last chain on it. Hyde turned and paced slowly towards her. She pulled at the chain, helplessly as he walked closer towards her.
"There's no escaping now, my dear." At that moment the chain broke and Bet flung the door open before sprinting down the corridor. Hyde, startled, stopped and stared at the open door in front of him. A moment later, he stuck his head around the door frame and watched an ink stained Bet disappear around a corner. He ran to the end of the corridor and looked around the corner she had gone down. There was nobody there.
Grunting, Hyde turned back on himself and headed back down the corridor to destroy things somewhere else.
Gasping for breath, Bet reached her destination. She hammered on the door, violently. There was a faint shuffling and Skinner opened the door. He looked Bet's ink stained face in front of him.
"Bet, what…" he began. Without saying anything, Bet fell into his arms and began to cry.
A week passed before Jekyll felt the strain too much to cope anymore. He had tried to hold out longer, for Bet's sake. He still wasn't totally happy about her doing this. So many things could backfire or go wrong. As helpful as Hyde had been during the League's last heroic adventure, Jekyll still couldn't control him. Hyde had only really helped before to save himself. There was no way of knowing whether he'd suddenly turn against the League. "Or Bet." Jekyll though as he began to bolt his room door as securely as possible.
"Are you alright, Dr Jekyll?" Bet asked. She was sitting on his desk, totally invisible. "You don't look too good." Jekyll turned to face the desk. There were bags under his eyes and he was sweating.
"I think I'll go mad if I don't let him out soon!" Jekyll replied, shaking slightly. He placed his hands on the door and shook it. "That should hold him, but only for a while." He stared out into the space where Bet was. "You will be okay won't you?" She stood up, knocking some papers to the floor and walked over to where Jekyll was. Jekyll felt her take his hands.
"You don't need to worry about me." She told him. "I ain't gonna do nothin' silly, you know!" He weakly smiled at the space in front of him. "Are you ready?" Bet asked him.
"Are you ready?" Jekyll asked. He sighed. "You are sure you want to do this?" Bet released his hands and walked around the room.
"Of course I am, silly! You must stop worryin' so!" Jekyll saw a vial of formula float up from the box on his desk and fly through the air towards his hand. "Drink up," Bet gestured as she passed him the vial. Jekyll raised his head.
"Where are you?" He looked about, curious as to where Bet was.
"'Ere in the corner, as you suggested." Bet smiled at him. "Good luck, you'll be alright."
Jekyll turned away from Bet and looked at the potion in the vial. He couldn't wait to taste it, to feel relieved once again. Urgently, he pulled the cork from the top of the vial and threw it to the floor. With one last glance at where Bet was, he drank the formula.
Bet watched as Jekyll began to transform. It looked so painful. He was thrashing about and yelling out loud. His light frame began to change into the monstrous structure of Mr Hyde, ripping the clothes that he was wearing. After about a minute, the transformation was complete. Bet sat down in the corner, eager to keep out of Mr Hyde's way.
Hyde gazed around the room, grunting. He grabbed out at the box on the desk, sniggering.
"Poor Henry," he growled to himself. "Just couldn't resist me, could you? Not much fun being you, is it? You'd much prefer to be me." He laughed, heartily and turned to face the door. It was covered with chains and wood. Lazily, he strode towards it and started pulling at the chains. They crumbled pathetically in his hands. "You really thought that this would be enough to stop me, Henry?"
Bet watched in despair as Hyde continued to claw at the door. The metal bent and the wood splintered, as the barriers were ripped from it. He was close to completely destroying the whole structure. Bet started to worry. He couldn't go out into the Nautilus. Hyde had to stay in the room. Without thinking, she stood up.
"No," she cried, as Hyde was reaching for the last chain. Instantly, he turned to the source of the noise. There was nothing there. For a moment he looked puzzled.
"Skinner?" he asked, gruffly. "That's not you, is it Skinner?" He walked closer towards the corner. Bet could feel his breath breathing down on her. She closed her eyes, tightly. She was scared.
"No," she whispered. "It ain't. It's me." Quickly, she slipped out under Hyde's arm and climbed quietly onto the bed. Hyde sniffed, a sinister smile sweeping across his face. He turned slowly to where Bet had gone.
"Ah, Bet, my love." He spoke slowly, savouring every word. "You poor, foolish girl." He started to pace towards her. "I told you Jekyll was no good! I told you he'd hurt you; ruin you. Just look at you now."
"I ain't afraid of you!" She shouted at him. He laughed.
"Oh, but my dear," Hyde taunted. "You are! I can smell it." He took another step towards her. Panicking, Bet tried to slip away to the other side of the room, but managed to brush past Hyde as she did so. He turned to follow her. "You can't get away, Bet." She scrambled towards Jekyll's desk.
"Why can't you just leave 'im alone?" She shouted at Hyde. "Why can't you leave Dr Jekyll be?" Hyde laughed, placing a hand on Jekyll's desk and leaning in towards her.
"Because he just can't leave me alone." With one swift movement, Hyde up lifted the desk and sent it crashing to the floor. Papers swirled around the room and the inkwell spurted ink into the air and across Bet's face. She screamed as the cold liquid hit her. Hyde's eyes lit up. "There you are." He grunted.
Bet fled towards the door and loosened the last chain on it. Hyde turned and paced slowly towards her. She pulled at the chain, helplessly as he walked closer towards her.
"There's no escaping now, my dear." At that moment the chain broke and Bet flung the door open before sprinting down the corridor. Hyde, startled, stopped and stared at the open door in front of him. A moment later, he stuck his head around the door frame and watched an ink stained Bet disappear around a corner. He ran to the end of the corridor and looked around the corner she had gone down. There was nobody there.
Grunting, Hyde turned back on himself and headed back down the corridor to destroy things somewhere else.
Gasping for breath, Bet reached her destination. She hammered on the door, violently. There was a faint shuffling and Skinner opened the door. He looked Bet's ink stained face in front of him.
"Bet, what…" he began. Without saying anything, Bet fell into his arms and began to cry.