Chapter Two
Mina shook her head non-committally as an answer evaded her for the query Olga had put to Harker's widow. She looked to Olga's waiting expression, "I can honestly say I've
never seen anything quite like it before."
Olga removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes, yawning, she observed, "Well, I'm too tired to think, myself." Replacing her specs, Olga voiced her prognosis, "It's probably just a malfunction of some kind." Standing, the doctor smiled to the vampiress, "I think I'll go on to bed. I'm sure it can besorted it out in the morning."
Mina again nodded, lost in thought.
"Don't stay up too late.", Olga smiled as she moved to the door of the Monitoring Lab.
Mina gave her a tight, polite smile, but, now, she realized she was going to have to act, and act quickly.
Mina looked to the console and momentarily wondered what price would be paid for the chaos that she was about to unleash. Making up her mind, she seated herself before she lost her nerve.
For, not only had Mina recognized what was happening to Penn in her sleep, she conceded that there must be a reason for the nocturnal visit. "The past encroaching on present day?", her mind was awhirl. No, it couldn't be.
After all, the missions that Penn had been on were all time-travel related. Time was no more than a stream that flowed, forwards usually; but, this particular project had learned how to harness alien technology to go "upstream" and repair small situations that previous history had targeted as the escalation points for their present-day, and future dangers.
Such was the sensitivity that was called for in averting those potential disasters. True, some disasters were never to be tampered with. However, those that could be averted, would be taken under consideration.
However, these missions usually occurred after the fact, not too often, "before" the fact. The only thing that Mina could be certain of was that someone from her past was visiting her friend here in the future. But, why her friend, why not her? And what was he playing at, now?
She lightly bit her lower lip and moved her hands towards the keyboard. The velvety digits with their blood red points flew quickly as they typed the intricate system commands. So lightly and swiftly did they move, that anyoneviewing the security monitor (which she made certain to disconnect before she proceeded with her plan any further),would have seen pale blurs moving over the keyboard. However powerful the system was, it wasn't able to keep up with her mind, or her hand/eye coordination. Twice she was made to pause inputting new system commands. The pace at which she was working was three times that of any of her peers'. What took the "fastest minds" in her sector nearly an hour to complete, she could do in less than twenty minutes.
Shutting down the automatic monitoring of Penn's slumbering form was tantamount to deleting priceless data that was being compiled in order to give them some measuring stick for those travelers who would follow after Penn's "retirement" or mission-related demise. The grim reality though,which Mina knew, was the only truly expendable person in the whole of the program was the Pilot. Whichever one they got for the mission, was of no more consequence than a paper towel to the project. The Pilots were sent to 'clean-up' unsightly 'situations', which prevented grandstanding and receiving public displays of appreciation.It was conceded that Penn was a highly trained, highly educated and highly valuable 'cog' in thegovernmental machine. But, she was no more than that.
Mina sensed that Penn's time was almost up. She had only been there for three months, but, rumblings were already beginning. The higher-ups wanted a male to take the helm of the mission, not a woman. It didn't matter that the female form was more capable of withstanding the brutal demands of time travel and could recuperate
at twice the rate as men, or that something as basic as gender weight distribution, (women actually carrying their center of gravity' in their hips rather than men, who carry their centers' in their chests), actually made any difference in the decisions made by a panel made up almost entirely of Male Military Personnel.
They wanted a man, pure and simple.
And, Penn's exemplary performance was only damning her, rather than saving her.
There would be no soft cushy retirement with miles of golf courses forher. No luxury Palm Beach seminars where she could give weekend speeches about how her love for humanity and the cause of good, would yield her a six figure "appearance fee". And, there certainly would never be a Presidential race in her future.
Like all true believers, she was a lamb to the slaughter. And, as far as the board was concerned, the sooner the better. Mina's stealthy hearing had even picked up a comment made just before everyone had
assembled for one of the briefing sessions, "Well, hell, at least we don't have to give her the same pay as we gave that chimp, before her!"
Ramsey had been shushed, of course, but, all heads turned when Mina entered the room, and, Nate went as pale as a ghost when Mina gave them all a harsh glare for their callousness. Yes, Mina realized, that even her time too, would come, if she didn't do something about her friend's difficulty. If there was someone who was willing enough and stubborn enough to bring about positive change before the situation could turn dire, then, there was no need to fear the future.
Mina had been planning a way for Penn to somehow, become "lost" in a better time and place, all the while working towards making the civilized world a more "civil" environment for those as unique as she. It was only four months ago that Mina had orchestrated Frank Parker's escape, in much the same way. Instead of being considered a "trained chimp" with a "loose screw", Mr. Parker, late of the Top Secret installation that even most of the military had no clue existed, he was now, a happily married sheep rancher in 1950's Australia. Just enough' technology to make his life enjoyable, but, not so much as to make his life unendurable!
Perhaps Mina could give Penn an early retirement as well, instead of the "parting gift" of "two behind the ear" that the higher-ups were planning for Penn. A "future" more befitting a woman of her valor and insights. However, Mina worried that it was going to be Penn's individualistic attitude that was going to give her the most difficulty, no matter
what time period she lived in. The vampiress blushed as she suddenly had a most unusual thought!
On the Nautilus
Henry's legs stretched out to their full length as he drifted in and out of slumber. The large expanse of bed under him was luxurious by any standards, and he rolled over, his long sinewy arms reaching for and embracing the pillow next to his head. His muscles lightly bulged as he sighed, smelling the freshly laundered linens. His eyes blearily opened and closed again as a not so distant dream continued to tug at his mind and his body. From deep
inside him, he heard Edward Hyde chuckle to himself…
As he leaned his face further into the generously plush pillow, he echoed Edward's chuckle with a mournful groan of his own. Loath to release the only softness that he'd had near him the few days since the "League" had captured Hyde, Henry Jekyll slowly extended a long arm to grasp the timepiece his father had once worn. The small gold watch ticked imperceptibly as his long fingers reached out to it. Clicking the cover open, he was troubled by something lurking deep in his subconscious.
"Have a good rest, Henry?", Edward growled. "Heh, heh, heh." Hyde's guttural laughter gave Henry to know that Edward was already salivating while considering the possibilities that might be enjoyed that evening.
Something had started to nag at him. The trigger that had gone off had been the sound of his watch clicking open. He closed it again, and again, the unconscious trigger "clicked" in his head. Pursing his lips, he thought. The dream had seemed almost real – If he hadn't known better -- he almost… But, no. It couldn't be – Could it?
No, he dismissed his fevered dream as something Hyde had concocted to entice Jekyll into taking his potion again.
Henry winced. Now, his head began to throb. The worrisome thoughts filling his mind were cluttering up his ability to think clearly. Trying to rub the pain from his forehead, Henry silently chided himself for believing the fantasy that Hyde had created just to whet the doctor's sexual appetite.
"Wait Henry, you'll see – ", came the baritone voice inside his head.
At least this was the first time that he could be fairly certain that his alter ego hadn't escaped', wreaking havoc and trauma in his wake. "No, Henry, we didn't go out last night – she's more than willing to come to us – "
Trying to control the pounding in his temples, Henry nearly doubled over putting pressure on the sides of his head in a vain attempt to squeeze Edward's mouth shut as he interrupted his darker self, with a sharp reprimand,
"Be quiet!"
Henry moved carefully towards his wash basin and, with shaky hands poured freshened water into the deep porcelain bowl. With a sigh, he carefully replaced the pitcher and flexed the freckled hands as they slid beneath the reflective surface. Just as he brought the refreshing liquid to his face, a loud knock sounded on the door nearly causing him to jump out of his pallid skin.
"You in there, doc?", Skinner called out from the hallway side of the door.
Startled anew, Henry's hands allowed the water to slip through his fingers.
"Yes, I'm up.", Henry called out, attempting to sound as nonchalant as possible. "Heh, heh, heh." , came the inner retort, "I'll say she's got us up, Henry!", the ever eager Hyde luridly observed.
"Good", came the reply from the Cockney burglar. "Nemo's waitin' for us in the main parlor! Says it's important. 'E says I'm to walk you there."
"Right. Be right there.", Henry put his hands on the basin table to steady himself. What now? His stomach turned. Quickly he splashed water on his face, made himself presentable, and proceeded with eyes forward to the Main Parlor. It wasn't easy ignoring Rodney's pointed comments and leering jests, however, Henry wasn't in a mood to again lose to Edward in a contest of wills.
