Jekyll & Hyde Inc.

“We’ll just have to do something seriously annoying,” said Tina. “Shouldn’t be too difficult. We are Hydes, after all.” She flashed her light up and down the deserted station. “Once they’re here, there’s nowhere they can go to escape the waters. The River Fleet will fill both of the approach tunnels.”

“How are we supposed to survive?” said Daniel.

“You can hold your breath, can’t you? Come on, help me stick the bomb to the ceiling.”

Daniel craned his neck back, to stare up at the high arching stonework, and then looked at Tina.

“I haven’t seen any ladders anywhere.”

Tina smiled brightly at him. “I’ve been thinking about that. I have an idea.”

Daniel sighed. “I’m really not going to like this, am I?”

“That’s how you know it’s a good idea.”

Tina clambered up onto Daniel’s shoulders, balanced herself carefully, and then stood up straight; but she still couldn’t reach the ceiling, so Daniel had to brace himself while Tina jumped into the air. She slapped the bomb against the curved stone ceiling, and it held. She just had time to hit the activating button before she fell back, and Daniel caught her in his arms. She scowled at him until he quickly put her down.

“Tell me you have the remote control.”

“In my pocket, ready to go,” said Daniel. And then quietly slipped a hand into his pocket, just to check.

“All right! Let’s go find the vampires,” said Tina. “I’ve had some really good ideas on how to annoy them into chasing us.”

“Of course you have,” said Daniel.

It didn’t take them long to make their way from Fleet Harbour to Albion Square station. As they drew nearer they heard a rising clamor of voices. Not the usual sounds of people gathered together, but shouts and screams and a particularly vicious kind of laughter. Like a party in Hell, where someone was always going to be the butt of the joke. Lights spilled into the tunnel mouth, in bursts of clashing hues, as though the gathering couldn’t decide which color scheme to go with, so went with all of them at once. Tina turned off her flashlight and put it away, and they both stopped just inside the tunnel mouth for a cautious look at what they were getting into.

The vampires were partying on one of the abandoned platforms. Hundreds of figures packed tightly together, dancing and gossiping and milling back and forth, with all the vitality of maggots writhing in a corpse. Screams and laughter rose up from the babble of conversation, like bubbles in poisoned champagne. Down here, in the depths, the vampires didn’t have to pretend to be human, and yet still they hid their true nature behind their glamours. Perhaps because they couldn’t stand to see what they really were.

“Okay,” Daniel said quietly. “How do we do this?”

“I was hoping you’d come up with something,” said Tina.

Daniel looked at her. “You’re the one with hands-on experience of monsters. I never even knew vampires were real, until Paul showed up the other day.”

“Outsiders don’t normally get this close to the undead,” said Tina, studying the gathering and trying hard not to grimace. “Not and live to tell of it.”

“What did Edward’s file have to say? He’s the man with the plan.”

“He was a bit short on details.”

“Not to worry,” said Daniel. “We have good reasons to be confident.”

Tina looked at him. “We do?”

“We have special weapons, and we drank the holy water,” said Daniel. “And on top of that, we have one advantage that the vampires don’t.”

“I’d love to hear what,” said Tina.

Daniel smiled briefly. “They’re so powerful, they think they don’t have to be smart. All we have to do is outthink them . . . ”

“Okay . . . ” said Tina. “We’re doomed.”

“Follow me and bluff like crazy,” said Daniel. “Come on, we can do this.”

“Of course. We’re Hydes. And I have every confidence in you.”

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“Just shows how tense I am.”

They left the tunnel mouth and headed for the party on the platform. Immediately, two figures appeared out of the shadows to block their way. Muscular young men in black leather bondage outfits, proudly showing off the bite marks on their necks. Their faces were very pale, but Daniel was pretty sure that was just makeup. He surreptitiously checked the mirror concealed in the palm of his hand, and the reflection showed they were definitely still human. The guards stretched their mouths in humorless smiles, to show off teeth filed to points. Daniel didn’t wait for whatever challenges or threats they had in mind; he went straight to the password Paul had provided.

“We’re here to see the Beautiful People.”

“Of course you are,” said one of the guards. He lisped a little, around his sharp teeth. “You’re late.”

“We’re extra security,” said Tina. “Checking out the perimeter, after what happened to the Frankenstein Clan.”

The two guards stirred uneasily at the name, and then stepped back out of their way.

“Be welcome to the gathering,” said the speaking guard. “Indulge yourselves in whatever gives you pleasure, but always remember: be respectful to the masters. This is their party, not ours.”