Jekyll & Hyde

Chapter Two - The Auction

Mr Utterson, a large man with a clean shaven face, muddy brown hair and soft blue eyes looked into Jonathan's own as Jonathan spoke of Dr Jekyll's death, his untimely, unforeseeable death. What shocked Jonathan, rattling his very core was how... prepared he seemed, as if he had foresaw such a death of a dear friend and client. 

"You do not seem surprised" he commented bravely, leaning over his solid maple desk.

"Dr Jekyll was a... remarkable scientist, a good man but he had his problems. Hyde was one of those problems he was simply desperate to get rid of but he never could shake him"

"What do you mean?" Jonathan asked carefully.

"Well Dr Jekyll felt he was responsible for Hyde and that he had somehow made Hyde the way he was. Of course it was complete and utter nonsense but still, it seems he believed it. He was terrified of Hyde but apparently Hyde had left, just upped and vanished one night without a word, just a letter"

"May I see this letter?" Jonathan asked.

"I... I do not see why not" Mr Utterson replied but his words could not hide the terror in his eyes at the mere mention of the letter. He turned to a large pile of files, searching through them for Dr Jekyll's before handing it over, his hand trembling. Jonathan took it from his hands, opening it as he noted the similarity between Jekyll's hand and Hyde's, remarkably similar.

The letter read:

'To my dear friend, Dr Henry Jekyll

I am to have left by the time you see this letter. I have caused a wicked amount of trouble for you and wish to do no further harm to your reputation. You have been so good to me, doctor, so kind and I have been evil to you.

I am sorry for what I have done; harming your reputation so I vow you shall never see me again.

I hope this is pleasing for you, my good friend.

Your friend

Edward Hyde'

"Did you ask Henry about this?" Jonathan asked as he placed it on the table.

"Asked Dr Jekyll about the note? No, why would I?" he asked, swallowing, his eyes never looking into Jonathan's.

"Do you play poker, Mr Utterson?" Jonathan asked politely, in a rather friendly manner, standing up and fixing his sleeve.

"No, why do you ask?" he asked nervously.

"What a pity, I would love to play poker sometime, I have a feeling I would be rather good at it"

"Yes, well, if you do not mind, Sir Jonathan, I have to attend the auction"

"About that, Mr Utterson, what will become of Dr Jekyll's research?"

"It is to be auctioned, as are the rest of his possessions. Why would you want something like that?" Mr Utterson replied skittishly.

"I believe Dr Jekyll was onto something, I being a scientist myself would love to find a way to... continue his work, in his memory, of course"

The look on Mr Utterson's face was a horrific picture, one that only confirmed Jonathan's original suspicions. Mr Utterson knew more than he was letting on, he was lying when he said he didn't know anything, he knew everything, Dr Jekyll would have confided in him before his death, turned to his lawyer for help. All that was left for Jonathan to discover was what Dr Jekyll was so frightened of. 

Jonathan just left without a word, left for the house. The items that were being auctioned were all from Dr Jekyll's home, all Henry Jekyll's things just auctioned off as if they were nothing more than cheap goods. It made Jonathan sick to watch, to witness it but he bit his tongue as he waited, waited for the mountain of research to be auctioned off. He was going to get it, it didn't matter how much he'd have to pay because he was going to get it and own the research Dr Henry Jekyll had written, used, lived and died by. 

He was allowed to mourn his friend and by continuing his work, he was continuing his legacy. He bid on his small mountain of research, being outbid by a large, overworked, underpaid scientist with little hope. That man didn't know Dr Jekyll; he probably heard of Mr Hyde and wanted a little piece of Hyde's friend, Dr Henry Jekyll. Hyde was the monster, Jekyll the man. No matter what happened, Henry was a good man, a brilliant and kind man. 

He helped Jonathan, helped him become Dr Claymore before he was knighted. If it was not for Jekyll, for his help, Jonathan would never have been more than a failure of his course. Instead Jonathan took medicine and science to try and better himself, better his life.

Jonathan completed his course because of Jekyll and because Jekyll believed in him. Jekyll made Jonathan the best, he made Jonathan everything he could be and Jonathan wanted to help Jekyll by perfecting his research, making it the best it could be. There was a small mountain of research he had to get through to find the rest, the stuff Jekyll was working on before his death.

Jonathan waved his hand like an idiot, in the air, money in it as he waved. The auctioneer quickly nodded at Jonathan as another man put his hand straight up.

"Five shillings!" the auctioneer yelled loudly. Jonathan waved his hand again, this time with a couple of pound in his hands. Everyone in the room looked as if they were going to die of shock as the auctioneer took a deep breath. "Sold, to the blonde gentleman, enjoy it sir!"

"Thank you" Jonathan replied as he paid and took the large wicker box of research.

Mr Utterson hurried along towards him with three pounds in his hands. "You do not need that; let me buy it off you"

"I want it or I would not have bid for it" Jonathan replied, almost snapping. 

"What will you even use such research for? You cannot redo what has been done already!" Mr Utterson stuttered.

"I will use it to perfect my own enhancing serum. To be able to control ourselves completely and enhance the good can only be a good thing"

Mr Utterson tried to grab the box but Jonathan was stronger, had a better grip. He pulled it from Mr Utterson's hands, looking into his eyes before he left with the research he needed. He needed it all, every piece of research Henry had kept, every word he wrote, every formula he came up with. He was a brilliant, meticulous man; everything had to be written down on paper, every single formula he came up with. All Jonathan had to do was find the one that fitted, the one formula that fitted and worked.

What Jonathan was going to do with the research he had brought, collected was amazing, almost unimaginable. He was going to cross boundaries, fight to help Jekyll's research by adding his own to it, to control and enhance, to stop insanity and save others.

If he could save the minds of people, stop people from giving into their primal desires, he could save others, save humanity whether it be his own or the humanity of others, he could do it, fight to save them, every single one of them.