Daniel looked at Tina. “Do you feel like cooperating? It might get us to Edward’s office a bit quicker.”
“Really not in my nature,” said Tina.
“Or mine,” said Daniel.
Tina stretched slowly, in an anticipatory sort of way, and the whole crowd flinched.
“I think it’s time we got to work,” said Tina. “Beating up a whole crowd of gunmen isn’t going to happen on its own.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” said Daniel. “Tallest pile of bodies wins?”
“Now you’re talking,” said Tina.
They threw themselves at the massed gunmen, and before any of them could react the two Hydes were in and among them, moving too quickly for anyone to draw a bead. They punched people out, kicked their feet out from under them and trampled them underfoot, or just picked them up and threw them at the nearest wall. And laughed out loud while they did it.
At first, the gunmen hesitated to open fire for fear of hitting one of their own, but as more and more of them crashed bleeding or unconscious to the floor, it was inevitable that someone would panic. A man Daniel and Tina hadn’t even got close to suddenly started screaming and opened fire with his machine pistol, shooting through everyone else to get to the Hydes. And once he started, everyone else joined in.
The noise of so many guns firing at once was deafening. Some people were blown off their feet, while others dropped their guns and threw themselves to the floor, praying for it all to be over. Heads disintegrated, and flesh exploded in bloody clouds. People were screaming everywhere, but no one could hear them for all the gunfire. Daniel and Tina darted back and forth, slapping guns out of hands and punching out those who tried to hang on to them, but as more and more people were cut down there was less and less cover. Daniel suddenly found himself facing a man with an automatic weapon, and nowhere left to go. Daniel hesitated, and the gunman opened fire at point-blank range.
The gun seemed to keep on firing forever. Bullet after bullet slammed into Daniel, but though his body rocked from the impacts, he stood his ground and stared defiantly back at the gunman. His body soaked up the bullets, and stopped them before they could penetrate far enough to do any real damage. It hurt like hell, but Daniel had known worse.
Everyone else stopped what they were doing, so they could stand and watch. Eventually the weapon ran out of ammunition, and a sudden hush fell across the lobby. The man slowly lowered his gun and stared, wide eyed, as one by one the bullets slowly emerged from Daniel’s body and fell in a soft metal rain to the floor. Daniel looked down at his wounds, to reassure himself they were already healing—and then looked up again to stare coldly at the man with the empty gun.
The gunman threw his weapon away and sprinted for the exit. In a moment the rest of the crowd had thrown away their weapons and were hot on his heels, fighting one another as they struggled to force their way through the only door. It wasn’t long before the lobby was empty, apart from all the bodies lying scattered across the floor. Most were dead or unconscious, and the rest had enough sense to pretend to be. Tina moved over to stand before Daniel and ran her fingers gently over his healed wounds.
“I didn’t know you could do that,” she said quietly.
“Neither did I,” said Daniel. “But if I can do it, so can you.”
Tina grinned. “Good to know.”
“Edward made us better than he knew,” said Daniel. “Let’s go talk to the man and show him how appreciative we are.”
“Can’t wait,” said Tina.
They headed for the elevators at the rear of the lobby. The air was thick with slowly dispersing gunsmoke and the hot copper smell of freshly spilled blood. Daniel and Tina breathed it in like fine wine as they stepped casually over the fallen bodies. It was all very quiet now, though not necessarily peaceful. Daniel stopped before the elevator doors, and Tina looked at him impatiently.
“You’re frowning again.”
“I think it might be best if we took the stairs,” he said thoughtfully. “Edward could have sabotaged the elevators.”
“That is what I would have done,” said Tina. “Come on, I know where the door to the stairwell is.”
“Of course you do,” said Daniel, following her off to one side. “You know where everything is.”
“Somebody has to,” said Tina.
She led the way to the door, tucked away in a far corner of the lobby, but when she went to open it Daniel stopped her.
“Edward could have anticipated that we’d avoid the elevators, and booby-trapped the entrance to the stairwell.”
“What if there is a bomb?” said Tina. “By now we’re probably strong enough to shrug off an explosion.”
“Probably,” Daniel said carefully, in a way that suggested he wasn’t really agreeing. “Do you want to bet your life on it?”
He leaned forward to examine the door, but Tina just barged right past him and slammed the door open with her shoulder. She strode into the stairwell and nothing bad happened, so Daniel sighed quietly and followed her.
“Will you stop being cautious?” Tina said over her shoulder as she started up the stairs. “You’re a Hyde!”
“And I’d rather like to go on being a Hyde,” said Daniel, moving up alongside her.
“You just shrugged off a whole magazine of high-velocity bullets!”
“Everyone has their limits,” said Daniel.
“And I can’t wait to find out what Edward’s are,” said Tina.
In the end, they ran all the way up the stairs to the top of the building, and when they finally stepped out onto Edward’s floor they weren’t even breathing hard. Daniel felt energized, like he’d just warmed up for the main event. He bounced up and down on his toes as he studied the corridor before him, and smiled at Tina.
“I can’t believe how strong we’re getting . . . Do you suppose this is how Edward feels all the time?”
“He’s been a Hyde much longer than us,” said Tina. “I’m wondering if there are things he’s learned to do that we can’t.”
“I think we’re about to find out,” said Daniel.
“Are you clear on the plan?” said Tina.
“Hit him fast, hit him hard.”
“We can do this. We outnumber him.”
“But he’s Edward Hyde,” said Daniel.
“Not for long.”
The corridor was completely empty, the only sounds their soft footsteps on the thick carpeting. Daniel kept a cautious eye on every door they passed, but they all remained firmly closed, as though they didn’t want to get involved.
“Edward must know we’re on our way,” he said quietly. “Why would he still be waiting for us in his office?”
“Maybe he’s got one last deal to offer us,” said Tina.
“What could he possibly have that we’d want?”
“I don’t know,” said Tina. “But it’s worth thinking about.”
Daniel shot her a quick look. “Are you going off the idea of killing him?”
“No. I’m saying we should take what he has to offer—and then kill him.”
“It has to be a trap,” said Daniel. “And he’s just sitting there, like a spider in his web, waiting for us to walk into it.”
“Spiders get stepped on,” said Tina.
They’d almost reached Edward’s office when a small figure stepped suddenly out of a side door to block their way. Daniel and Tina stared blankly at the sweet little old lady in her nice sweater with puppies on. The woman in charge of the most dangerous part of Jekyll & Hyde Inc. There was something determined and implacable about her, even though she wasn’t carrying any kind of weapon.
“What are you doing here, Miss Montague?” said Tina.
The old lady smiled easily. “I can’t let you hurt my Edward.” Her smile widened. “You wouldn’t think I could still carry a torch for that man after all these years, would you? Especially after the way he’s treated me. But what can I say? I knew I wanted him from the moment I set eyes on him.”