Jekyll & Hyde Inc.

They traveled across London on a series of Underground trains. Tina quietly briefed Daniel from the file, while he kept a careful lookout for any vampires who might be traveling with them. Paul’s words had made an impression. The few other people in the carriage all seemed entirely ordinary, but he checked them out with his concealed mirror anyway, just in case. None of them paid any attention to what Tina was saying, because everyone minds their own business on the Tube.

“Can’t I just read the file for myself?” said Daniel.

“No,” said Tina. “This is my file. Edward gave it to me. Now pay attention . . . There are lost rivers that run underneath London. Once they coursed through the heart of the city, part of its everyday trade and commerce, but now they’re built over and largely forgotten. One of them is the River Fleet. We are going to visit the source of that river, where a vicar is waiting to bless it for us so that all the waters of the Fleet will be holy.”

“Hold everything and blindfold the horses,” said Daniel. “Edward Hyde has a vicar working for him?”

Tina looked at him pityingly. “He has all sorts of people on his books, from all walks of life. Because he never knows when they’ll come in handy. Some are bought and paid for, and some he blackmails or intimidates into doing their bit.”

“That sounds like Edward,” said Daniel. “How many of these people have you actually met?”

“Just the ones Edward wanted me to work with,” said Tina. “He only ever tells people what he thinks they need to know. Most of what I’ve learned about Jekyll & Hyde Inc. comes from gossiping with the support staff. I’ve been told there are some people who work for Edward because they believe it’s the right thing to do. Making a deal with the devil for a chance to finally get rid of the monsters. They think they’re fighting on the side of the angels.”

“Aren’t they?” said Daniel. “Isn’t killing monsters a good thing?”

“Of course,” said Tina. “I’m simply not sure that’s why Edward is doing it. Does he really strike you as someone who does the right thing for the right reasons?”

“He must have some reason,” said Daniel.

“Maybe it’s professional jealousy,” said Tina, “because he can’t stand the idea of anyone being a bigger monster than he is. Or perhaps he just finds the whole idea of monsters fighting monsters amusing.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” said Daniel.

Tina consulted her file again. “The official source for the River Fleet is supposed to be two streams on Hampstead Heath, but according to this, Edward has been able to track down the real source.”

“Amazing, the information that man has,” said Daniel.

“Not really,” said Tina. “People tell him things. He has a very compelling personality, as you’ve seen.”

“Whether they want to or not?” said Daniel.

“Wouldn’t surprise me at all,” said Tina.

They left the train at Paddington Station, and set off through a variety of unofficial passageways until they were deep in the unfinished workings of the long-delayed Jubilee Line Extension. Daniel and Tina descended through increasingly dark and deserted tunnels, in a bobbing pool of light provided by her flashlight. Daniel assumed Tina was following a map in her head, but wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of asking. But even as they moved through one tunnel after another, he couldn’t shake off a slow creeping feeling that they weren’t alone; that something was down there in the dark with them. He stuck close to Tina, straining his eyes against the gloom and his ears against the quiet.

Finally an uncertain flickering glow appeared up ahead, and Daniel and Tina hurried toward it. The low-ceilinged tunnel suddenly widened out into a great open cavern, lit by dozens of candles set everywhere there was a reasonably flat surface. A trickle of water ran across the muddy cavern floor, rising up from some underground spring. The source of the River Fleet. A man in a dark suit and a white dog collar was sitting on a folding stool, drinking hot tea from a thermos. He put it down carefully when Daniel and Tina stumbled out of the dark and into the candlelight, and rose to his feet to meet them.

Tall and more than usually thin, he had a gaunt face and haunted eyes. It was hard to tell whether or not he was pleased to see the Hydes; it seemed like there was simply too much sadness in him to allow for anything else.

“You can call me Mr. Martin,” he said, in a voice so low they had to strain to hear it. “Here to do what’s necessary. You both drank the potion, didn’t you? You have the look. No, don’t bother to introduce yourselves. I don’t care.”

He reached down and picked up a large leather-bound bible from the cavern floor. It looked like it had seen a lot of use. He patted the cover absently, like a man with a faithful dog.

“I find comfort in the Old Testament. Especially when it speaks about the end of the world.”

“Because it offers you hope?” Daniel said politely.

“Because I’m looking forward to it.”