A Monster Inside Saga - Book Of The Sword - ITV Jekyll And Hyde

15 - After the Storm

Lottie had wondered how MIO hadn't even been disturbed after the Amortidor's...tantrum. But apparently when you shockwave telepathic energy through a building, all of the non-monsters inside go into a psychic sleep for a few hours. So it gave her some time to figure out what they did have on them. Which wasn't a lot - most of their information came from what Lily told them, but there was one item they possessed that caught her eye. All of the things they had on them were in a tall wooden cabinet with an engraving on the front in code. Lottie recognised it immediately - it was the MIO symbol for Hyde, a half smile, half frown face. A small padlock was across the doors, but Lottie easily broke it, even as Jekyll. Inside was a collection of greyscale photographs, a small vial of monocane and a ring. It was the ring that caught her eye. The metal was a rose-gold colour, and a diamond shaped stone was set into it. It was a plain white colour, but when she picked it up it turned an emerald green. It glimmered like a moonstone and she thought to herself of fire. Blazing streams of fire burning away everything she despised in the world. She focussed it all on the ring in her fingertips, red flames licking at all the old pains she still thought about. Then, she smelt smoke all of a sudden, driving her away from the jewel. Surely it couldn't have been. There on the mahogany desk beside her was a glow of a flame flickering away, and covering the wood in a black ash. Scared, she dropped the ring to the floor. It couldn't have been just a coincidence. The flames grew in height, but didn't spread, only concentrated on one black and white photograph. Curiously she picked it up and put out the embers, that had caused a long black mark to scar the paper. However the picture underneath was still visible - it was Dance.

She dropped it back onto the desk and went to retrieve the ring from the floor. Then she thought of the flame and how she imagined it from her own memory, and it silently terrified her. If she carried that ring with her, what would become of the thoughts she had? It would destroy so much. That was probably why it was here in a dusty MIO cabinet. Quickly she dropped it into her pocket, taking all the files, and walked away.

"Can I come with you?" the Amortidor asked Robert outside the MIO building. He had been checking Hannigan's pulse, who had passed out before he could warn Sackler of the incoming psychic storm, and, unfortunately, still had one.

"Of course", Robert replied. "You're one of us".

"But I'm not. I'm just a copy". There was a beautiful sadness in her eyes that made an idea jump into Robert's head.

"How would you like to protect the world? From demons".

"If it would make you happy, uncle, it would make me happy".

"Well, think about it for me. Anyway, we better find Lottie".

"No need. I found what I needed", Lottie lilted, stepping over the sleeping MIO agents, and threw over the pack of files.

"Well then", Robert answered, pulling out some of the photographs and smiling at them. "We better be getting home. Maggie will be worrying".

The snow had all melted from the sidewalks so the walk home was much shorter, and rather less chillier. However a sheet of grey sleet was still bundled in the corners of the curb, and the windows of the house still had long spikes of icicles underneath the sills. "Home" Lottie thought, and she finally had the right to it. Robert led the way, opening the door to the candlelit living room. Near the fire were Maggie and Garson enjoying the warmth that contrasted so much to the outdoors. The table that sat between them had two crystal glasses and a decanter of brandy that had been half-drank. Ravi was perched on a leather bound stool nearby, reading extracts from the Jezequel book, and Olalla was sitting on the stairs picking at her nails. It was Ravi who first noticed them come through the door, dropping his book onto the floor and coming to greet them.